Revelation the Book
Revelation the Book
We often hear criticism that the message of Revelation (and prophecy in general) is "spiritualized". When people use the term "spiritualized" they mean that prophecy is "not taken literally". For example where a vision in Revelation has a period of "1000 years" (Rev 20:1-3) this is supposed to represent a literal thousand years in human history. If you say it signifies something other than that, then you are said to be "spiritualizing" and not taking God at his word.
We need some clear thinking about "taking the word of God literally" and this clear thinking is even more necessary if we are to rightly understand the book of Revelation. Fortunately, in some cases the book of Revelation interprets itself. So these instances serve as examples of correct interpretations.
The principle in these instances is no different to the type and antitype principle that is common in the Bible. For example, King David was a “type” of Jesus Christ (who is the “antitype” of David). In simpler words, David symbolized or signified Jesus Christ. Hence the prophecy says, "My servant David will be king over them" (Eze 37:24), David here signifying Jesus Christ. However whilst David (the “type”) signifies Christ (the “antitype”), the type is as literally David himself as the antitype is literally Christ himself —a literal David signifying a literal Christ. This may be a little hard to grasp at first, but the lesson will clarify the principle for you.
As a simple example, the "great city" in a certain vision was literally "where their Lord was crucified" but it is "spiritually called Sodom and Egypt" (Rev 11:8). So we know this city is literally Jerusalem, where Jesus was killed. It is named figuratively Sodom and Egypt. The meaning or signification is spiritual. Spiritually and morally, Jerusalem was of the same nature as the wicked city of Sodom and the idolatrous kingdom of Egypt.
As another example, take the dragon in one of the latter visions (Rev 20:2). Here John is telling us what sign he saw (a dragon) and what it signified (Satan the devil). John literally saw a dragon, and it signified Satan —a very literal devil. The literal dragon was figurative of a literal Satan.
John tells us clearly how he came to write the book. "Jesus sent and signified [the revelation] to his bond servant John who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw" (Rev 1:1-2). When John says that he saw a dragon (Rev 20:1-3) he meant literally that he saw a dragon in a vision.
I'll throw in a couple of other examples for good measure. John understood that the golden bowls of incense in another vision signified the prayers of the saints (Rev 5:8). These were literal bowls which John literally saw in a vision, signifying literal prayers which the saints literally offered. Likewise, John was told by Jesus that the seven golden lampstands seen in another vision stood for the seven churches (Rev 1:20). These were literal lampstands signifying literal churches in literal towns and cities.
It's obvious, isn't it, that signs do not signify themselves? The dragon did not signify a dragon, nor did a bowl signify a bowl, nor did a lampstand signify a lampstand. Those signs however were themselves literal things literally seen; and what they signjified were also quite literal things.
As one more example, when John says that he saw "a door open in heaven" (Rev 4:1) he means that he "literally" looked and saw, and what he saw was a "literal" door. We understand that that door represents Jesus who said "I am the door" (Jhn 10:9). In that sense the door is "taken figuratively". However we also understand that John really did see a door. In that sense the door is "taken literally". John's testimony is "literal" in that he did really see these visions and all the things in them that he describes. In this sense, we most certainly "take the book of Revelation literally".
The Rainbow Principle