The Book of Revelation is filled with what most Christians recognize as figurative language that we refer to as "figures of speech" or symbols. There are fantastical beasts that aren't animals, some have multiple heads and multiple horns and crowns that aren't real, seas that aren't water, a little book that is eaten, horses that aren't, dragons and lambs, sickles, winepresses, grapes, seas of glass, lakes of fire, thunder that talks, days that mean years, earth that isn't dirt, and vials filled with wrath. In other parts of the Bible we have men with planks growing out of their eyes and Jesus with a sword sticking out of His mouth. If we read these parts literally we will miss the point (and be incorrect).

It makes me think of a family trip to Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo and Lion Country Safari. We explained to our children that nothing in Disneyland was real, while everything was real in the zoo and Lion Country Safari.

Literal or figurative? How does one know? Disneyland didn't have signs saying this is all make-believe. Our children didn't know that the pirates, crocodiles, monkeys, bears and birds weren't real. We had to explain it to them.

They also didn't know that the many animals in the zoo were real. What confusion!

This is our problem when reading the Bible (in general) and Revelation (in particular). Which verses are real (literal)? And which are symbolic or figurative?

Our first clue is to consider where we are. If we're in Disneyland it is probably NOT real. If we're in Revelation, it is probably symbolic.

It is interesting to watch Bible "teachers" point to various verses in Revelation and say "symbolic", "symbolic, "symbolic, "real" - with no clear rule, sign or indication that the narrative has changed from symbolic to real. How do we know? What makes them think they know? It must be based on more than simply tradition or previous beliefs.