Do you think the Bible book of Revelation is literal or symbolic? Is Armageddon a literal battle?

The book of Revelation is a book of symbols. We are told this in the very first verse of that book of the Bible. Revelation 1:1 says, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John. Signified in the Bible can be thought of as "sign-ified", that is something being made into a sign or symbol. For example Uncle Sam, the caricature of a man with a white beard dressed in red, white and blue clothes is a symbol of the United States or the U.S. government. There is no real man named Uncle Sam who dresses in this manner. The symbol was chosen because certain of Uncle Sam’s characteristics and in particular, his manner of dress show that he represents the United States.

When we read many of the Bible passages in the book of Revelation we certainly can’t believe they are literal. For instance in Revelation 12 we read about a woman in heaven “clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars being with child” and also “a great red dragon in heaven, having seven heads and ten horns” that is “waiting to devour her child as soon as it was born.” This scene can’t possibly be literal! If it were literal it would be just like the stories during the times of Greece and Rome which most believe are really myths. When studying the book of Revelation, one must first determine what the symbols signify.

Armageddon was a site of several literal battles in the Old Testament, but in the setting of Revelation, it represents or symbolizes the final struggle between good and evil which destroys this present world’s evil institutions, making way for the new world government of Christ’s kingdom. It will be a literal battle, but not at the ancient battleground of Megiddo (Armageddon). It will be a destruction of the order of things on Earth: social, financial, ecclesiastical and political. It will not be just a battle of words, though words and passions will be among the weapons used, especially in the beginning of it. Every prophetic detail indicates it will be a bloody conflict, a fierce and terrible storm upon all nations. It represents a worldwide battle where all mankind will be brought to their knees. Here they will see that the Kingdom of God is the only answer to all their problems. Click on the link below for a free booklet on this topic.