Is the Bible to be taken literally? Yes. And no. Like any great piece of literature, there are some literal, some figurative and metaphorical sections. If something is metaphorical, it does not mean it isn’t true; it is true but is being described in a different way. For example, we read about “chains of darkness” that imprison some rebellious angels (2 Pet 2:4). Are they literal chains? What good would iron chains be in holding spirit beings? But whatever they are, they do restrict the freedom of these angels. It should also be noted that some things are to be taken both literally and figuratively. Abraham’s “seed” are presented both literally (Rom 9:7) and figuratively (Gal 3:29). The Golden Rule of Bible interpretation has been stated as: When the plain sense makes common sense, seek no other sense. But we see that this is not the whole case. Instead, when we say we take the Bible literally, we mean we take it in its plain and obvious sense, unless indicated otherwise.
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