Welcome to Prophecy Q & A with Jimmy DeYoung!
No, it cannot be true.
We must take the Book of Revelation literally. Otherwise, we become God. If we can say one portion of Scripture is literal (for example, John 3:16), and then say that another portion is figurative, it sets us up to be God. We don’t have the authority to do that. The Word of God is literal from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21.
Jesus uses figures of speech to portray apocalyptic literature. Revelation is a perfect example of how He uses apocalyptic literature, but He comes back and interprets it. When you use inductive Bible study to understand the Scripture which seems to be symbolic, you can do it. For example, Revelation 1:12, John the Revelator hears a voice and turns around and sees seven golden candlesticks. Verse 16 he sees the Son of Man standing there with seven stars in His right hand. These are apocalyptic terms. They are difficult to understand until you get to verse 20, and he explains that the mystery of the seven golden candlesticks are the seven churches of Asia Minor that he mentioned earlier in the passage; the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. Revelation 2 & 3 record the letters to the seven churches and to the angel at the seven churches. We can interpret God’s Word if there is a symbol or figure of speech by using God’s Word, inductive Bible study, to get to the understanding of it.
Jimmy DeYoung was a prophecy teacher and journalist who travelled the country and the world educating the Body of Christ of the future events foretold in God’s prophetic Word. His goal was to equip Christians with the knowledge and understanding of what God’s Word says will happen someday soon, so that they can make better decisions today. Dr. DeYoung went home to be with his Savior on August 15, 2021.
