The book of Revelation

@sonship said
@whodey

Genesis is not the oldest book in the Bible, Job is. If you read Job you will notice something interesting. There is nothing that sounds familiar in it, no Israel, no Patriarchs, and the animals described sound like from a bygone era.

But we do read of Job offering sacrifices to God for the sins of his children. This is pre-Law of Moses.

The assumption is that this was only done after the Mosaic law.

@whodey

The assumption is that this was only done after the Mosaic law.

No. Apprently, Cain and Abel, Abraham and Job who lived around the time of Abraham offered these sarcifices.

I was only pointing out Job's link to the rest of the Scriptures, not much more.

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The beasts and their interpretations are outlined in Daniel and somewhat in Revelation as well.

Clearly these are not literal living animals.

http://www.bibleinsight.com/beasts.html

The Fourth Beast is what Revelation expounds upon.

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I'm not even sure what the controversy is. Daniel spells out what they represent.


Daniel 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

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I think it a large leap to assume teachings such as hell as not being literal just because symbolism is used in the scriptures elsewhere.

If so, we can then conclude it is all symbolism which I think is absurd.

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But "hell" or the second death is discussed elsewhere in scripture where symbolism is not being used.

And no, I don't think that the entire book of Revelation is symbolism.

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Matthew 25:46 - And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Matthew 10:28 - And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

@whodey said
Genesis is not the oldest book in the Bible, Job is. If you read Job you will notice something interesting. There is nothing that sounds familiar in it, no Israel, no Patriarchs, and the animals described sound like from a bygone era.

As for Revelation, compare the "beasts" described in Daniel to the one in Revelation. If you do, you will see that the last beast describe ...[text shortened]... h the one described in Daniel. In short, it is just another version of what Daniel was describing.

Did I say it was the oldest book of the Bible? I said it was the first.
Job is a remarkable book, the conversation about righteousness was amazing and how it all fell out in the end.