On today’s Bible Answer Man broadcast (09/10/20), Hank returns to his series on exegetical eschatology, focusing on the use of fantasy imagery in the Bible. Imagery such as a red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and a beast that resembles a leopard with feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion. Such fantasy images do not correspond to anything in the real world. Yet, though unreal, they provide a realistic means by which to ponder reality. Fantasy imagery, of course, is fraught with danger. That danger, however, does not lie in its use, but in its abuse. In Revelation chapter 12 Saint John describes the aforementioned red dragon whose tail “swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.” Interpreting such imagery in a literalistic fashion misses the point of the passage. To read the Bible for all it’s worth, it is crucial to read it as literature, paying close attention to form, figurative language, and fantasy imagery. And while the Scriptures must indeed be read as literature, we must ever be mindful that the Bible is not merely literature. The Scriptures are uniquely inspired by the Spirit. For further information please see The Apocalypse Code.
Hank also answers the following questions:
- In John 10:25-29, what determines if you are Jesus’ sheep? If you accept Christ but don’t follow him, are you still his sheep?
- What’s the correlation between the book of Revelation and the times we are going through right now?