The study of the any Biblical prophecy must be within certain parameters set up at the beginning, or it is to be disregarded.
First, the text is the authority. We do not agree with a low, or liberal, view of scripture which counts it as errant. The Bible is miraculously preserved, the most authentic ancient book in all of history. Demonstrating an over 99% accuracy of to the original text, it is demonstrated to be far superior to any other work, including the works of Shakespeare, any of the ancient ‘classics’, or other supposed religious works. Additionally, the remaining points in question concerning the manuscripts consist of no major points of doctrine. By the study of the number of manuscripts, the quality of those manuscripts, the time between manuscripts, as well as checking both the internal and external evidences, there is scientific proof for the reliability of the scriptures we have in our hands today being the record of what was handed down. Additionally, the weight of scholarly work in translating those documents, in addition to the wide range of interpretations, proves the Bible to be the most studied, scrutinized, and proven book of human history.
Considering the weight of the evidence of the book of Christianity being unique in all aspects, in preservation, translation, and global distribution, we must also approach it as God’s Words to us. It’s authority comes from its author, the One who truly wrote it, and penned by the writers as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit to do so.
This approach to Scripture can be our only sure footing, and we must never compromise what the text actually says to accommodate our interpretation. Further, we must also rely on the text itself as our only inspired source, and not our assumptions. In today’s theological environment, many people have very widely ranging theories concerning the Book and certain passages, and we must always be able to separate the thoughts of man from the Words on the page. Many would extend a single phrase into an hour long discussion of how this and this can only be fulfilled in a certain way, and barely touch the text. Rather than focus on the whole counsel, some have built entire ideologies upon philosophies and opinions, rather than on Bible content. But, let us remember that it is the Biblical record for which we are accountable for, and the Bible alone.
Therefore, there are certain parts of Biblical prophecy which much be accounted for.
While the Bible uses parables, we must be sure that Biblical prophecy is not “allegorical”, that is telling a story, but that all of Biblical prophecy is “spiritual”. Spiritual in no means implies “ethereal” or in some way “not real”. Rather, as Paul wrote, the visible was made by the things invisible, and so the spiritual is true, and will remain, even when heaven and Earth pass away. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.
The majority of texts bear a direct, literal interpretation in history. When God spoke and said a nation would be destroyed, it was physically destroyed. And, yet, as in the case of Daniel 7, the four beasts which Daniel saw must either be viewed as a parable of what was to come, or the very real, spiritual entities in the heavenly realms that would constitute the spiritual ruling force over a nation, or principality. There were not literal monsters with physical wings and heads and so forth, nor is this allegory telling a story. But, we must decide whether these are the literal, spiritual reality of these spiritual, demonic creatures, or whether they are word pictures used to describe a situation. In the end, it may be both, but no where is the made place for story-telling.
This is also not simply “prophetic titling”, although it involves that, where the nations were simply identified as a lion, a bear, a leopard, and some other thing. Some of these things are also possible within the context of Biblical interpretation at certain points, but what Daniel saw was the actual beast, the spiritual power, the unseen, invisible things controlling the nation. This is apparent in Daniel 7 when the body of the fourth beast is destroyed in fire while the other three are allowed to live for a time, but it illustrates the point that what Daniel is seeing is the spiritual reality.
It is not necessarily a foregone conclusion there, either, that there is not some parabolic nature to the description of these beasts, nor some prophetic titling to them (that is, where a title such as a bear or lion is the prophetic title given to something). It is not necessary to determine that the beast in the heavenlies would actually appear as thus, but it is evident from the text these are the spiritual powers themselves that Daniel saw.
Likewise, when we approach revelation, we must be aware that spiritual language is often employed. The dragon speaks of the adversary, a real spiritual being that is literally thrown, spiritually, into a spiritual location called the lake of fire. Just like “heaven”, this place actually exists. Death and hell (hades), also spiritual realities, are also cast into this spiritual place. The lake of fire will no more be a physical place, such as the sea of Galilee is, than death and hell ever will be, but by the nature of the heavens, they will be there nonetheless.
So, we must see that prophetic titles are often given to places, such as in the city in Revelation 11 where the city is spiritually called Sodom and Gomorrah. In addition, spiritual realities are discussed, as when the dragon is seen in his activations. Still other things are symbols representing aspects of something, such as the rider on the black horse carrying scales. There will not be literal scales in the fulfillment of this prophecy, but rather, the scales are a symbol of the economic crisis (trade was symbolized by scale) resulting from famine.
Also, we see in the visions of Zechariah, where the spiritual realities of the Lampstand is seen fed with two trees of fresh oil. These are spiritual realities being seen, which are parabolically symbolized by images. While the two olive trees are two people, they are also, nevertheless, olive trees.
So, as we account for the interpretation of the books of prophecy, we must be aware of the simple use of spiritual language to describe things. We are not talking about “allegory”, where the body of the text is reduced to nothing at all, but proper, prophetic symbology, as is evident and employed throughout the book.
Even with the best guidelines of interpretation, someone will invariably find a way to do it wrong. It must come down to the discernment of one’s spirit to decide whether an interpretation has really caught the meaning of the text. If someone has an agenda, it will be clear from the outset, but, the interpretation of the book will stand or fall on its own, regardless of how much man may attempt to manipulate it to their own desires.
Let He who has ears hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches!