Subject: Mark of the Beast |
Bible Note: Hi Doc, Thank you for the clarification. Indeed, the Revelation is the true apocalypse. The problem is, "apocalyptic" has been hijacked to define literature which is not Biblical, through no fault of yours! :-) The simple answer to your question is this: The hermenuetical principle of Biblical exegesis one uses to distinguish between literal interpretation and figurative interpretation is to only treat as figurative that which is specifically presented as figurative, and that which is presented as literal, treat as literal. To this I would addd that we must define symbols and terminology only by those definitions that are given in Scripture. Also, we should only take time related cues strictly from the text, and not rearrange events just because that seems to make more sense to us. Also, we need to combine the study of the Revelation with a thorough study of the Bible itself, as many details are explained and elaborated upon by other passages. In a nutshell, Scripture interprets Scripture, just like with any other book of the Bible. I don't have the time right now to add an example, but I will post something later this week that will show you how I understand this chapter. Thank you for your patience. Love in Christ, Mark |