One would find it difficult and repulsive to visualize a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes yet Jesus Christ is described in precisely such words ( Rev 5:6). This much, however, is certain: symbolic descriptions are not to be taken as literal descriptions, nor is the symbolism meant to be pictured realistically. Whether or not these visions were real experiences of the author or simply literary conventions employed by him is an open question. This book contains an account of visions in symbolic and allegorical language borrowed extensively from the Old Testament, especially Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Daniel. Such literature enjoyed wide popularity in both Jewish and Christian circles from ca. Symbolic language, however, is one of the chief characteristics of apocalyptic literature, of which this book is an outstanding example. The Apocalypse, or Revelation to John, the last book of the Bible, is one of the most difficult to understand because it abounds in unfamiliar and extravagant symbolism, which at best appears unusual to the modern reader.
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