[BuddhaBrown]

You all seem like good Christian folk.

Remember to pray for the lost and misguided whether fellow Freepers or not.

Faith, knowledge, understanding, wisdom, charity (love), etc. are all gifts. Many are blessed with one (perhaps faith) but not all.

Xcamel, for example, does seem to suggest some level of faith ("The Bible is absolutely relevant"). But demonstrates a severe lack of understanding both spiritual and contextual in the juvenile comparison of the Revelation of Jesus Christ with Genesis. The questions about the symbolic references of Christ's Revelation perhaps being purely literal should seem quite silly to those of you who've actually read it to the end of its first chapter. That is where Christ Himself explains essentially "caution: symbolism at work".

Turn the other cheek when appropriate, but recall the Lord's stern admonition about casting pearls before swine. And, no xcamel, He was not literally commanding us to stop throwing our fine jewelry at you.

[xcamel]

Then Genesis was not literally documenting the creation either.

You see, the oldest trick in the book is when you’re proved wrong, or painted into a corner, is to exclaim “You don’t understand the context!!” [you ignorant swine...] and ride off on your feelings of moral superiority..

Frankly... you can keep your pearls.

[demshateGod]

“The questions about the symbolic references of Christ’s Revelation perhaps being purely literal should seem quite silly to those of you who’ve actually read it to the end of its first chapter.”

John would have been like, “7 candle sticks? Who cares?” “A beast with seven heads that are 7 kings? Who cares?”

I do believe John did see a beast with 7 heads though, as if it were really there. In that case, it is literal.

[count-your-change]

I've always understood the ten horned beast of Rev. 13 to be political powers as a group opposed to God. But in keeping with the words of Jesus at Matt. 7:6 you refer to I won't treat with the ridiculers as though their comments were legitimate, x-camel being an example.

He doesn't understand what the “pearls” are or with what he is associating himself. At least that's the most generous face that I can put on it.