Figurative and Apocalyptic Language
While it has been said by some that “everything in the Bible must be taken literally”, this statement fails to take into account figurative and apocalyptic language. Those making this statement are intent on protecting the Bible from those who would declare that parts of it are myth, or that it must be allegorized, and cannot be taken literally.
Figurative Language
But figurative language exists in scripture, which, when properly understood, serves the purpose for which it was intended – to call into play our imagination, and go beyond the mere meaning of the words used. [I am not suggesting that figurative language is used in the creation account in Genesis, nor in regard to miracles of Jesus, or His birth or resurrection. Other miracles, done either by the apostles or the Old Testament prophets, are also to be accepted as true, and not to be treated as figurative language.]
The following suggestions will serve as guidelines for interpreting figurative language.
The context should indicative that it is figurative. If a literal meaning is impossible, the figurative is a must. Jesus said in John’s gospel, chapter 15, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” John 10:7, “I am the door of the sheep.” In the Old Testament book Isaiah, 13:7, “Every man’s heart shall melt.” The purpose may be an ideal representation. In Isaiah 40:3-4, we read, “A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. “Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley…” Is the earth a perfect sphere? No. The message God is sending to the nation Israel, having been carried away into captivity, is that when they are permitted to return from captivity, He will have forgiven them, verse 1, and wishes to renew His covenant relationship with them. The verses here imply that whatever obstacles there might be that would prevent the returning captives from properly establishing a right relationship with God must be cleared away, so that nothing could hinder their worship of Him and their service to Him. John the Baptist uses this phraseology in the New Testament, but in regard to the coming of Messiah, Jesus Christ, the message being any obstacle that might hinder from accepting Him be swept aside. The author’s own definitions are final. Ephesians 6:17, “…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” In Matthew 13, Jesus’ explanation of the types of soil in the Parable of the Sower is sufficient. Common sense is a must. In Matthew 8:22, Jesus says, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead.” The physically dead could not do this; the spiritually dead could. In Psalm 18:2, the Psalmist declares, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” God is indeed a protector. If wicked conduct is called for by a literal interpretation of scripture, or good conduct is forbidden, the language must be figurative. Did Jesus mean for us to literally do this? Matt 5:29-30 “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you.” History and biography may help with the interpretation. In Luke 13:31-32, we’re told of Herod’s desire to kill Jesus. Jesus’ reply, “Go tell that fox…,.” Literal or figurative? In Isaiah 7, the nation Judah is about to be attacked again by two nations unified by their desire to conquer Judah. The account tells of the fear of those in the king’s palace, and of Isaiah being sent by God to reassure them that there will be no victory for these two enemy nations. God describes them as, “two stubs of smoking firebrands”. “Smoking firebrands” describes sticks separated from a blaze, which no longer have flame, but are only smoking, offering little threat or danger. The message here is that their strength is waning, and are not to be feared. God’s intent is to challenge king Ahaz of Judah to put his trust in God, and not in human alliances. In Ezekiel 32:2, God says of Egypt, “…you are a monster, fouling the rivers [of the nations around them].” The hippopotamus walks into the water, stays n the bottom as it walks, and stirs up the mud. Egypt had been a monster in the sense of conduct troublesome to its neighboring nations.
Apocalyptic Language
The term ‘apocalyptic’ comes from the Greek word which means hidden. Apocalyptic language occurs in prophetic passages, and is never meant to be taken literally. The best example occurs in Matthew 24. As Jesus and the disciples were leaving the temple, the disciples pointed out the beauty of the temple in the setting sun. Its marble probably looked like gold. In verse 2, Jesus predicts an ominous fate for the temple. Later, in vs. 15-22, He speaks of calamitous times ahead, and then warns about looking for deliverance from false Christs or Messiahs in vs.23-28. In the parallel passage in Luke’s gospel, chapter 21-20-24, Jesus speaks of Jerusalem being surrounded by armies. Now, give attention to Matthew 24:29: “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL FROM THE SKY, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” While this sounds like some sort of astronomical catastrophe, it can easily be explained by looking elsewhere.
The capital letters in this verse indicate that this is a quotation from a passage or passages in the Old Testament. Isaiah 13 is one chapter where this same idea is put forth. God is intent on punishing the nation of Babylon, and declares as much. Note the similarity of language: Is 13:10 “For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light.” In verses 17-19, God speaks of stirring up the Medes, who will conquer the Babylonian empire. “And Babylon…will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.” The language clearly speaks of the end of that nation.
Another example occurs in Ezekiel, chapter 32. God makes several statements regarding what He intends to do to Egypt in that passage. Verse 7 begins with these words, “When I extinguish you”, which should be self-explanatory. The verse continues, “I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon will not give its light. Ezekiel 32:8 continues this theme. “All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you and will set darkness on your land,” declares the Lord God.
As referenced earlier, Jesus had spoken earlier of the destruction of the temple, which prompted his disciples to ask several questions regarding events to come. When Jesus began to quote these two Old Testament passages, it should have been evident to the disciples that Jesus was speaking of the destruction of the temple, and most likely the end of the Jewish nation as they knew it. In verse 34, Jesus adds, “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place”, which makes it clear that He wasn’t entirely focused in the context of chapters 24-25 on the end times, as we so often hear today from various sources, but rather on the destruction of Jerusalem, and the end of the nation Israel as it existed in His time.
Any time a New Testament passage has apocalyptic language, and there is no question about an Old Testament passage being quoted, the Old Testament passage should be researched, to see if a study of that passage can help shed light on the meaning of the passage found in the New Testament.