Revelation discussion - 1 of 2

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MF Blume once wrote:
>What visions in the past contained SOME symbolism and literalism?

Dee Goepel (me) offered:
> What about when God gave Peter the vision of all those
> "unclean" animals on the sheet.  There was both a symbolic
> and literal message there, no?  Symbolically, Peter was
> being told to go preach to and baptize the gentiles.  That
> which was outcast/unclean, was now acceptable to God.  Yet,
> literally those animals/foods were now permissable to be
> eaten as well.  There was a literal, as well as a symbolic
> message in the vision.

MF Blume responded:
> Please give an example of what you are saying being applied to 
> something in Revelation.
> 
> At any rate, no vision was literally fulfilled in the sense of
> the MAIN POINT God was bringing forth.  In Peter's case, the main
> point was to accept the Gentiles.

Well, I wasn't relating this example to Revelation in any
very specific way.  My point was simply that there are often
many layers to God's messages (whether given as visions,
prophets, dreams, etc.).  By human nature, the first
time we encounter something, we normally see the literal or
surface message, but quite often when we analyze it further,
there are symbolic implications as well.  (BTW, if God is 
presenting two (or more) messages through a scripture, who
is to say what His "MAIN POINT" was?  They were all His 
points. I think the label "MAIN POINT" is rather subjective.)

A good author can express a particular theme multiple times
in many different subtle ways throughout a literary piece.

God does the same with His creation and His word.  I have 
heard numerous teachings which express that God's commands
to the Jews as they first began to conquer the promised 
lands are a symbolic message for the Christian today. When
the Jews were directed to completely eliminate other nations
and not to live with or make any treaties with neighboring
peoples (these were people who did not know or obey God). In
the same way, we are to attack and destroy all sin in our 
lives and purge it from our hearts.  God and Satan (sin)
cannot live in harmony.  They cannot be neighbors.  Not even
a little sin can be tolerated.  

In any case, there are both literal and symbolic meanings
to messages throughout God's word.  My point was only that
one shouldn't dismiss a literal interpretation of Revelation.
It is certainly filled with sybolism and there is much we
can learn by looking beyond the literal, but that doesn't 
in any way discount the literal message.

-Dee (God is the greatest author) Goepel