> General Discussions
1 TH 4:17
Lightseeker:
--- Quote from: orion77 on September 17, 2006, 11:13:32 PM ---The thousand year reign...I do not believe in a literal thousand year fleshly reign. This comes from the book of Revelation, and it signifies the unveiling or revealing of Christ and His kingdom.
--- End quote ---
I must agree with you Gary, if 'the thousand year reign' is a literal number, I suspect it's the first literal number in the book of the Revelation. If there is something 'literal' about the book I would say it's the fact that it is literally filled with spiritual symbolism. ;D
Kat:
Hi Lightseeker,
the 1000 years of Christ's reign, is no more literal than the 1000 hills.
Psa 50:10 For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
It is just used to express that it is, a definite period of time.
mercy, peace, and love
Kat
ned:
Thank you Gary and Kat for posting your comments and references.
There is much study to be had.
For over a week now, I've been reflecting on the truth God has revealed to me so far, and how clear some things are.... and then this thread pops up!
Seeking His truth is what I will now do.
Thanks.
Marie
Extol:
--- Quote from: Kat on September 18, 2006, 03:20:13 AM ---
Now is when the whole physical earth is destoryed, by God with fire.
mercy, peace, and love
Kat
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: Kat on September 18, 2006, 01:49:46 PM ---
Hi Lightseeker,
the 1000 years of Christ's reign, is no more literal than the 1000 hills.
Psa 50:10 For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
It is just used to express that it is, a definite period of time.
mercy, peace, and love
Kat
--- End quote ---
This is why I have such a hard time thinking that all of Revelation is to be fulfilled in the future...people talk about the symbolism all over Revelation, how none of the numbers are literal, etc., but they also believe that the earth will literally be destroyed, there will be a physical coming of Christ, a literal city descending from heaven, and so on. How does one decide what is literal and what is symbolic? Do people really think that literal stars, which are thousands of times larger than earth, will literally fall to the earth (Rev. 6:13)? Probably not...so why do they pick out other things to be literal? If anything is to be considered literal, why is it not the TIME STATEMENTS? These time statements predicted Christ's return in that generation (Matt. 24:34), a judgment that was ABOUT TO come (Acts 24:15, 25), and most of all, an angel telling John NOT to seal up the prophecy, because the time was NEAR (Rev. 22:10). This is the exact opposite of what the angel told Daniel, who was to seal HIS prophecy until the time of the end. (Dan. 12:4)
Kat:
Hi Extol,
I do know where you are coming from.
Many of us here, have been seeking to understand these things for years.
The understanding will come, when God opens your eyes to it.
But don't be discouraged, that may be now.
Seek and you shall find, we must search the scriptures diligently.
The Bible is full of symbols and metaphors, for the same reason that Christ spoke in parables,
so that the multitudes would not understand.
Below is an excerpt from Ray's Lake of Fire series,
that explane about the symbols of Rev.
Ray has been given incredible insight into understanding the Bible,
studying his papers will help a lot.
http://bible-truths.com/lake1.html--------------------------------------------------------------------
The first eleven verses of Chapter one in Revelation are an introduction regarding where, how, and what John is going to record for us. Much of this introduction can be taken literally, however, not all. Beginning with verse twelve, however, we are confronted with one symbol after another for the remainder of the entire twenty-two-chapter-book.
Everything written in Revelation is true, but most is not literally true.
The fact is there are many many truths in the Bible that are not literally true.
Jesus "said" that the bread He gave His disciples at the Lord’s supper was His body. Yet, Jesus Himself explains in other places that this was not literally true. He gave them literal bread, and not His literal physical flesh. What that bread represented, and symbolized, was indeed, His body--but not his physical body.
Jesus said that the words that he spoke were SPIRIT (John 6:63). Jesus Christ changes not. His words are STILL spirit and they certainly were spirit when John wrote the words of Christ regarding His unveiling or revelation. Just as we physically feed on physical bread for PHYSICAL LIFE, thus also we spiritually feed on Jesus Christ’s spiritual body for SPIRITUAL LIFE.
Understand this! Some think that by accepting the Scriptures as they are given (in the case of Revelation that means AS SYMBOLS), that somehow this "spiritualizes away" the teaching. What? It is the "spiritual" aspect of these symbols that IS THE REAL THING; THE REAL UNDERSTANDING! Physical things "pass away" whereas spiritual things are eternal! The very FACT that this book is written in "symbols" is proof positive that the understanding of them is SPIRITUAL and not physical or literal.
Symbols, metaphors, and parables ARE NEVER LITERALLY TRUE! But they powerfully demonstrate SPIRITUAL TRUTHS!
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Hope this helps.
mercy, peace, and love
Kat
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