Apocalyptic literature isn’t meant to be taken literally. It’s a common mistake though, even among so-called Christians. “Mouth like a lion” could mean boastful, roaring, brave, loud, threatening, or any number of things.
And yet I’ve not seen anyone figure out that the locusts in Revelations was just a poetic taxonomy for the local middle eastern hornet, Vespa Orientalis, down to the golden crown on its face.
People like to interpret those texts in all sorts of fantastical ways as long as it titillates them, but shy away from actually looking plainly at what’s being said.
So by all means don’t take it literally. But also maybe don’t think that a text written by a syphilitic old man in antiquity is talking about the 2024 United States presidential election without a more compelling case.
Apocalyptic literature isn’t meant to be taken literally. It’s a common mistake though, even among so-called Christians. “Mouth like a lion” could mean boastful, roaring, brave, loud, threatening, or any number of things.
And yet I’ve not seen anyone figure out that the locusts in Revelations was just a poetic taxonomy for the local middle eastern hornet, Vespa Orientalis, down to the golden crown on its face.
People like to interpret those texts in all sorts of fantastical ways as long as it titillates them, but shy away from actually looking plainly at what’s being said.
So by all means don’t take it literally. But also maybe don’t think that a text written by a syphilitic old man in antiquity is talking about the 2024 United States presidential election without a more compelling case.