Are the prophecies in the book of Revelation to be taken literally? Are prophecies fulfilled once and only once... or can prophecies be fulfilled multiple times?
The book of Revelation expressly states that it communicates events through SIGNS. For a full presentation of this click here.
Multiple-Figurative, or Singular-Literal?
I have been taught to take the seven bowl judgements in the book of Revelation literally. The seven bowls of plagues in the book of Revelation are called the bowl judgements. The first four bowl judgements from Revelation 16:1-9 are summarized below. In John's vision, he saw four angels pour out four bowls of wrath with the following results:
Bowl 1: Malignant sores on those who had the mark of the beast.
Bowl 2: Everything in the sea died.
Bowl 3: The rivers and springs turned to blood.
Bowl 4: Man was scorched by fire from the sun.
Are these literal plagues or are they symbolic? If they are to be taken literally:
- People literally had a mark of the beast.
- Those who had the mark got malignant sores.
- Everything in the sea died.
- The rivers and springs turned to blood.
- Fire from the sun burned men.
I presented these fulfillments in the past tense. But, I have been taught that those events are literal, future events and believed in a future, literal fulfilment of them. But a verse within the book of Revelation, near the very end of the book, has changed my mind.
Jesus said: "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to them, may God add to him the plagues which are written in this book" (Revelation 22:18).
Note the words "may God add to him the plagues". It didn't say that God would add these plagues to the entire world.
I had been asking God to help me interpret the book of Revelation for some time. I awakened one morning with this thought:
If the plagues are literal plagues, then every time anyone added to the words of Revelation in the last 2000 years, the following had to occur:
Bowl 1: Malignant sores on those who had the mark of the beast.
Bowl 2: Everything in the sea died.
Bowl 3: The rivers and springs turned to blood.
Bowl 4: Man was scorched by fire from the sun.
These plagues were to be directed against the one who added to the words of the book of Revelation. If the bowl judgements are to be taken literally, I would expect this person to experience malignant sores from bowl 1, death of all sea life in his area from bowl 2, rivers and springs in his area turning to blood from bowl 3 and being scorched with fire from heaven through bowl 4. If the bowl judgements are taken literally, then these things would have taken place every time anyone added to the words of the book of Revelation over the last 2000 years.
I have no reason to believe that this has happened literally.
Because scripture tells us that man is very disobedient, one should expect that many, over the last 2000 years, have disobeyed this prohibition against adding to the words of the book of Revelation. With many violations over the last two millennium, this verse means that the plagues have already occurred, as least in a localized fashion. They came to pass every time anyone added to the words of the book of Revelation. And they will come to pass in the future every time anyone adds to the words of the book of Revelation. This means that there is not one single fulfillment of each plague. It means that there are multiple fulfillments. It means they must be taken figuratively since they have not taken place literally. It means that they can take place, from time to time, based on the conduct of men.
If the bowl plagues are symbolic instead of literal, I see no contradiction between 22:18, any other scripture or history. How can Revelation 22:18 be reconciled with a singular and literal interpretation of the Bowl judgements? I don't believe that it can. Without a reconciliation I had to rethink the book.
How do we understand these plagues symbolically? They are symbolic of severe tribulation, dire circumstances. Look at them:
- Bowl 1: Malignant sores on those who had the mark of the beast.
- Bowl 2: Everything in the sea died.
- Bowl 3: The rivers and springs turned to blood.
- Bowl 4: Man was scorched by fire from the sun.
If we understand them to be symbolic of severe tribulation and dire circumstances, then the plagues have clearly occurred more than once in the last 2000 years. Dire circumstances occur in every generation. They occur constantly for some people.
If we understand the plagues to be symbolic of severe tribulation and dire circumstances, the difficulty of Revelation 22:18 is resolved.
The plagues are showing us symbolically how Jesus Christ is overcoming Satan's persecutions of Christians in our days, in the days before our days and in the days of the future. Preterists and partial preterists believe that there were singular events in the past which have already fulfilled most of the prophecies of the book of Revelation. I pray that God will reveal their misunderstandings to them so they will see that there are multiple fulfillments in all of our lives. Futurists believe that the vast majority of the prophecies are to be taken literally as singular events in our future. I pray that God will reveal to them that there have been multiple fulfillments of the signs. I also pray that God will reveal to you and me, the errors in our views and conduct.
The bowl judgements must all be considered as symbolic rather than literal. And since the bowl judgements and trumpet judgements occur as pairs, with the same object of wrath, the trumpet judgements must also be considered as symbolic rather than literal. The trumpet and bowl judgements are symbolic of real events, like the rapture, martyrdom and Armageddon. But, they are not literal. For example, Revelation 14:14-16 is symbolic of the rapture. Christ will not literally hack the Christians with a sharp sickle. He will take us into the age which follows the resurrection, the millennial kingdom. (For more on this age click here and read the sections titled, "What is the Last Day" and "When is the Last Day" in subchapter 5.5.) The language about the harvest is symbolic, not literal.
Conclusion: Multiple-Figurative
I see the prophecies of the book of Revelation as being multiple-figurative... being figurative prophecies, fulfilled in multiple fulfillments through real events, events which have been occurring from the time the book of Revelation was written to the present day. Christ has come many times and will continue to do so until the great crescendo of His comings at the rapture and Armageddon. The prophecies do not merely represent themes of truth. They are fulfilled by real events in the lives of people, angels and fallen angels. I do not see that the prophecies are singular-figurative or singular-literal unless something in the text requires that understanding.
However, some events have singular fulfillment, but the singular fulfillment is experienced many times throughout history... so that the single fulfillment is experienced "quickly". Consider for example: the rapture (14:14-16), Armageddon (14:17-20; 19:17-21), assignment of the beast to the lake of fire (19:20) and the binding of Satan during the 1000 year reign of Christ (20:1-10). History, plus the content and context of these events leads me to believe that they will occur only once (in the future) so that they are fulfilled singularly. But the Christian who closed his eyes to enter the sleep of death in 120 AD, will, when his eyes are opened at what we call the second coming, see all of those events as if they came in the twinkling of an eye, immediately after the death of his body in 120 AD. Christians who died in 500 AD, 1500 AD, 2000 AD and 2500 AD will have the same experience. All of those singular, yet to be fulfilled events will be experienced quickly in their perspective. Click here to read the chapter titled, "Departed Spirit Sleep". It will lead you into greater detail and proof of this from many, many, many scriptures.
This way of viewing the book of Revelation may depart from what has been taught in the last century. It departs from what I have been taught. But, I believe that these views avoid the gross contradictions between what I have been taught and the infallible, inerrant, all powerful, indestructible and living word of God.
What I just wrote may have made some of you very angry. Take your thoughts to God in prayer. Ask God to correct my misunderstandings as well as yours. I have many times experienced anger at teachings which contradicted what I thought God's word said. After twenty or thirty years, many of my beliefs changed, after much prayerful meditation on scripture, through long nights and much suffering. Please prayerfully consider the book of Revelation as I have presented. If you believe that I have contradicted God's word, please contact me through the discussion page link at the top right of this page.
Obscure Multiple Fulfillment
I have one more thing to say about multiple fulfillment. Jesus explicitly stated that prophecy may have multiple fulfillments. But even after fulfillment, fulfillment may not clear until God says "That was it!"
Here is an Old Testament prophecy: God said, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes (Malachi 4:5). Then, over 400 years later, roughly 33 AD, at the transfiguration of Jesus in Matthew 17:1-13 we see these words, "His disciples asked him, saying, "Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 11 Jesus answered them, "Elijah indeed comes first, and will restore all things; 12 but I tell you that Elijah has come already, and they didn't recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted to. Even so the Son of Man will also suffer by them." 13 Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptizer" (Matthew 17:10-13).
But, even John the Baptizer didn't know that he was Elijah (John 1:6-23, especially 19-21).
John the Baptizer had already been killed by king Herod when Jesus said that John was Elijah. So, at the time Jesus spoke these words, in roughly 33 AD, Elijah "has come already" through John the Baptizer and "will restore all things". "Has come" is in the past tense. "Will restore" is in the future tense. The great and terrible day of the Lord had not occurred at that time, and Elisha was to come again before the great and terrible day of the Lord to "restore all things". So, we have a clear example of obscure multiple fulfillment of prophecy, over a long period of time.
So, even after fulfillment, fulfillment may not be clear until God says, "That was it!" In the case of Elijah and John the Baptizer, it was not clear until Jesus said "That was it!"