Bible Prophecy
To most of us today, the Bible books of Daniel and Revelation sound incomprehensibly strange and puzzling—totally unlike the books and magazines and newspapers we normally read. They are filled with fantastic symbols.
Actually, the bewildering symbols and epic overtones that make Daniel and Revelation so different were a fairly common literary style in the days that Daniel and John wrote. This kind of writing is called apocalyptic. Let’s look at some of the characteristics of apocalyptic writing.
- This kind of writing always focuses on the future. Daniel and Revelation deal with the ongoing struggle between good and evil, God and Satan, as it has played out from eternity past to eternity future.
- This kind of writing is based on dreams and visions. Daniel and John receive visions and talk with angels.
- This kind of writing uses symbols to convey its message. These two Bible books are filled with symbols—and they are almost always things that don’t exist in real life, such as animals with many heads, dragons, stars falling to earth, etc.
- This kind of writing views the earth and the universe in a certain way. It sees the universe in terms of two opposing powers—God and Satan, good and evil. The present age is largely controlled by Satan and evil. The future age will be controlled by God and righteousness.
With these four characteristics in mind, we can study Daniel and Revelation without feeling quite so lost. Even so, we shouldn’t be discouraged if we don’t understand every detail. It isn’t necessary to do so in order to understand what these books are trying to tell us. God has given us these prophecies so that we can understand where we are in the stream of history and to assure us that He will soon put an end to sin and suffering.
