Then they shall say to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us'

[Gilbert]

Hi! Doug

As Abraham of old might have coined it: "Things could get in tents!"
This Thread risks developing into some intense task and I just don't have the necessary time to dedicate to it.
So, I hope you don't mind if I retire from this Thread. Quite honestly, it's just too much like work for me; I visit here tuh kinna' tread lightly and enjoy myself.

Nevertheless, I would like to share with you a little treasure of scripture which I discovered only this morning:
In former times, when a king went to visit a city it was made known to the people beforehand and when he drew near the city all the people went out to greet and welcome him. They also took garlands which they placed around his neck.
Similarly, in relation to the coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ, Paul says in 1Thess 2:19: "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ when he comes?"
Paul was asking: what is this crown (or garland) that we will give to our Lord Jesus? Is it not you? You are that crown.
When the Lord comes, then we will go out to meet Him and He will then receive a crown which is His people --- you an' me.
Paul concludes with these words: "Indeed, you are our glory and joy".

 

[Molly]

Gen 8:4   And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 

Ararat = "the curse reversed: precipitation of curse"

1) a mountainous region of eastern Armenia, between the river Araxes and the lakes Van and Oroomiah, the site where Noah's ark came to rest

2) (TWOT) the mountain where Noah's ark came to rest

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Ararat

At that time, the Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew traveled through Armenia to preach the word of God. Many people were converted and numerous secret Christian communities were established. However, the Apostles suffered martyrdom. Around 66, Ananun ordered to kill St.Thaddeus in Edessa. According to tradition, two other Apostles also met their death in different places of Armenia: St.Bartholomew was skinned alive in Alvanapolis, and Judas was pierced with arrows in Artaz region. In Armenia, the Apostles Thaddaeus and Bartholomew are particularly revered. They are considered the first preachers of Christianity in Armenia and the Armenian Church is called Apostolic in their honor.

Armenia becomes the first Christian nation.

For all that, it's only two and half centuries later that Armenia was Christianized. In 301, the king Tiridates established Christianity as a sole religion of Armenia. Some modern researchers unsubstantially pretend the event took place in 314, and not in 301. The fact remains that the Edict of Milan decreed by Constantine the Great in 313 simply mandated tolerance of the Christians in the Roman Empire, while Tiridates the Great proclaimed Christianity as a sole religion throughout all Armenian lands. Thus, Armenia became the first Christian State in the history of the world.

http://www.armenianhistory.info/christianity.htm

[Molly]

Paul was asking: what is this crown (or garland) that we will give to our Lord Jesus? Is it not you? You are that crown.
When the Lord comes, then we will go out to meet Him and He will then receive a crown which is His people --- you an' me.
Paul concludes with these words: "Indeed, you are our glory and joy".

Amen!

11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

Revelation 19:12
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.


13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

--Rev 19



"crown"

G4735
στέφανος
stephanos
stef'-an-os
From an apparently primary "stepho" (to twine or wreathe); a chaplet (as a badge of royalty, a prize in the public games or a symbol of honor generally; but more conspicuous and elaborate than the simple fillet, G1238), literally or figuratively: - crown.

[Doug]

This Thread risks developing into some intense task and I just don't have the necessary time to dedicate to it.
So, I hope you don't mind if I retire from this Thread. Quite honestly, it's just too much like work for me; I visit here tuh kinna' tread lightly and enjoy myself.

That's okay with me. :bigGrin:

However, I want to make a few more comments on what you posted earlier, as some readers may be interested. I won't expect you to respond.

I did not find any firm scriptural support in your posts for your claim that "the Mount of Olives depicts the powers of death." Why would it? David seems to refer to death as a valley, not a mountain. 

Psalm 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

There is the valley of Gehenna near Jerusalem, that is significant, and I have discussed previously in another thread. It is called "the valley of dead bodies" in Jer. 31:40. I don't see where death is represented by a mountain, and it would be incongruous, I think, because mountains are said to be "everlasting," whereas the Gospel says death is temporary!

From an earlier post:

The Revelation of John also speaks about events occurring after the manifestation of the sons of God and after the tribulations of those days, when the feet of our Lord will again stand on the Mount of Olives. At that moment the covenant of shadows will have passed away and the Mount of Olives, which geographically speaking lies east of Jerusalem, has no longer any significance in the history of salvation, no more than Mount Zion or Sinai.

The Mount of Olives is not mentioned in Revelation. But Jesus stood on the Mount of Olives during his ministry, which I believe fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah, given several centuries earlier. He gave the Olivet discourse when his feet stood on the mountain.

Perhaps you object to my interpretation of Zechariah's prophecy, that says the dividing of the mount of Olives represents the two interpretations of the Olivet discourse of Jesus, preterism and dispenationalism, but you have not indicated that. But, if you were a dispensationalist, or a preterist, I can understand why you might have wanted to offer another interpretation of Zechariah's prophecy!

The Mount of Olives is connected with the Olivet discourse of Jesus, in the account in Matt. 24 and 25, and so it is very natural to associate that prophecy with the mount of Olives in Zechariah's prophecy. I suggest the two contrasting interpretations of the Olivet discourse of Jesus are pictured by the mountain being cleaved, and the two halves moving towards the north and towards the south. Christians are wide apart in their interpretations, but the place we should go is the valley between. That is where we can find agreement, and the true meaning of Christ's prophecy.

The expression 'splitting' implies the end of the power which death has over the children of God. Thus the Red Sea which once threatened the people of Israel with death was divided and made powerless; a way of escape and victory was formed. However, the day is still ahead in which death will completely vanish. This occurs when "Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire",(Rev 20:14). Using a New Testament image, we could say that the Mount of Olives will than be lifted up and thrown into the sea, that is, into the lake of fire and the second death.

This is where I would expect to find a scripture that connects the Mount of Olives with the power of death. But no, I can't see it there. Asserting it does not make it so!

Now another what may seem (at first glance) as an entirely diffent subject:

The scripture says, "And the valley of my mountains shall be stopped up, for the valley of the mountains shall touch the side of it; and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord your God will come, and all the holy ones with Him".

It looks like you are using a non-conventional translation, perhaps one based on the views of the rabbinical commentator Rashi in the 10th century? The rendering, "the valley of my mountains shall be stopped up" seems rather strange to me, and appears to contradict most other translations. Wouldn't it be better to use one of the more modern translations? 

When in the spiritual world the Mount of Olives will split, that is when death will be made powerless, there follows a tremendous and impressive event, for those who stayed behind alive until the coming of the Lord will in the twinkling of an eye receive a body which is both immortal and spiritual.

The problem I see with your approach is that it does not fit the context of nations invading Jerusalem, and the people being taken captive, the houses rifled, the women ravished, etc.

I think Jerusalem in Zech. 14 is symbolic for the church, the "heavenly Jerusalem" [Heb. 12:22]; that consists of all Christians. Jesus called Jerusalem "the city of the great King," which does not refer to the earthly city. Some of the saints are captives, in sects, denominations, flawed interpretations, etc., and some have been seduced, in the sense Paul refers to in 2 Cor. 11:3; they have been robbed of their spiritual heritage, and their spoil is divided in their midst by the invaders. I refer here to Zech. 14:1-2, which I believe describes the church's spiritual desolation.

The Mount of Olives being cleaved is related to the above. Preterism and dispensationalism are like the two shells of an oyster, where a wonderful pearl of fulfilled prophecy has developed. The prophecy that is fulfilled is the prophecy of Zechariah 14:4, about the dramatic division of the mount of Olives into two halves.

Preterism and dispensationalism are two opposite, and flawed interpretations of the Olivet discourse of Jesus, which was given to the disciples after they asked Jesus, "when shall all these events occur?" And, "what shall be the sign of thy coming?" And it is a summary, and so represents all of prophecy.

Zechariah said that Christ would stand on the Mount of Olives. He stood there when he gave his prophecy. The Olivet discourse is represented by the Mount of Olives, in Zechariah's prophecy. The mountain would cleave in the midst, Zechariah said, and half of it would move to the north, and half to the south.

Why didn't Jesus mention this astounding event in his prophecy? My answer is, he did! The mountains that Zechariah refers to are the very ones Jesus referred to, when he said, "let those that be in Judea flee to the mountains." Zechariah shows which ones, and why!

The valley of the mountains, formed when the two halves of the mount of Olives separate, represents the way we should go. The two flawed interpretations, preterism and dispensationalism, are what we should flee from. Instead of applying the Olivet discourse to Jews in a future tribulation, as dispensationalists say, or assuming it was all fulfilled in the first century, as preterists say, consider the application of Christ's words to the Christian church today!

The "valley of the mountains" represents the whole age of the church. In the 70th week of Daniel's 70 weeks, Christ confirms his covenant with his church. The 70th week includes the ministry of Jesus. The last half-week is the "time, times and a half," a symbol that represents the remaining time of the church, during which Christ continues to confirm his covenant with his saints.

The literalists, who teach that the Mount of Olives must literally divide into two parts should consider: what purpose would there be in that? The Mount of Olives is not a serious obstacle for anyone wishing to cross it. It rises only about 100 m. above the Kidron Valley. There are paths, and roads, providing access to the top, so why would it need to be split in two, by some mighty tectonic event? And what use is such a prediction, if it tells us to flee after the event occurs? To flee towards the site of a major earth movement would be incredibly silly. Why would any sane person flee towards the center of such a devastating earth movement, after it occurred? What about aftershocks, and unstable rocks remaining in that chasm?

Doug

[Molly]

Katrina: the untold story: people rescued tens of thousands of their fellow citizens
National Review, Oct 24, 2005 by Lou Dolinar

WHEN New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin predicted a Hurricane Katrina death toll of 10,000, some thought he was erring on the low side. Twenty-five thousand body bags were stockpiled; the latest computer model predicted 60,000 dead. Yet weeks after the storm, fewer than 1,000 bodies have been found in all of Louisiana. Which prompts the question: What went right?

The answer is: something massive. Largely ignored by the agenda-driven national media, one of the largest rescue operations in history saved more than 50,000 people by boat and helicopter. In this Dunkirk on the Mississippi, Coast Guard and other military units, volunteers, and state and local first responders delivered thousands from death by drowning, dehydration, heatstroke, fire, starvation, and disease. The three goats of Katrina--FEMA's Michael Brown, Gov. Kathleen Blanco, and Mayor Nagin--had little if any role; in fact, because local communication was wiped out by the storm, they may not even have known about the scale and success of the rescue operation.

THE RIGHT STUFF

Others did know. Orleans Parish civil sheriff Paul Valteau saw a part of this massive effort close up, when he pulled off the Franklin Ave. interstate exit at 3 P.M. on Monday, August 29, shortly after the storm had passed and levees had broken. "They were screaming and hollering everywhere," he recalls. Submerged homes and businesses stretched into the distance. Survivors stood on rooftops, water up to their waists and rising. Desperate pounding and shrieking came from attics. One man, a double amputee, clung to a tree as water surged around him. "I saw things I never saw in 23 years as sheriff," Valteau says. "I saw things I never want to see again." But he also saw Coast Guard helicopters dodge power lines to winch the endangered to safety. He joined one of the ad hoc rescue crews launching boats from the off-ramp. "We weren't alone. Hundreds of people who had boats showed up at interstate exits and launched their boats Monday afternoon."

Meanwhile, at least three dozen helicopters from the Coast Guard and the Louisiana National Guard had already swarmed into the city, tracking right behind the storm and fighting 60 m.p.h. winds. Unlike befuddled city and state officials, the Coast Guard's man in charge, Rear Admiral Bob Duncan, was literally on top of the situation: He flew in with the first crews, watched the first rescue himself, and spent the day in the air observing and directing operations. "People are most in need right after the storm goes through," he explains. "When they feel comfortable going up on the roofs of their houses, we hope a big orange helicopter is waiting."

Absent those early rescues, thousands would in fact have died, in line with the mayor's prediction. With all communications knocked out, says Sheriff Valteau, "it was a reasonable estimation.... The mayor didn't know what was going on in the field. It was impossible for him to know how many hundreds of citizens were out there saving people."

It was impossible, as well, for the media, which were getting most of their information from City Hall. What audiences across the country saw as a breakdown of relief efforts was in fact a breakdown of media relations. Instead of marveling at the courage and endurance of rescuers, television spread lurid rumors of near-parodic depravity: gang violence (with AK-47s!), murder (200 slain, stacked, and frozen!), rape (women, children, babies!), sniping at helicopters, and rampage at the Superdome. Mainstream publications have since shown these reports to be false; since most of what the media did report was dead wrong, no one should be surprised that there was a parallel failure to report what went right.

On this score, the biggest lie--worse than the urban legends haunting the Superdome--was that help was slow to arrive. Rescuers say that on Monday, when the levees failed and water surged through the city, they saved thousands who were in danger of drowning--and that they simply could not have arrived any sooner. Not enough resources? Admiral Duncan says one of his biggest problems was that so many helicopters were operating, they risked crashing into one another.

As yet, there is no official hard count of how many were saved, nor has any central authority spoon-fed definitive numbers to the media. But clearly, success left a deep statistical footprint. The Washington Post, in a poll of survivors who relocated to Houston after staying through the storm, said 40 percent--roughly 40,000 to 50,000 people, if the sample is representative--reported that they had been rescued by the Coast Guard, Air National Guard units, or local police and firemen in boats.



http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_19_57/ai_n27864705/

[sheila]

 Hey Doug,

what about the Olive press on the Mt of Olives just as the grapes pressed and blood as high as a horses whatever..wasn';t it on Mt Olives that they came for Jesus that night?He was in an Olive grove and crossed the Kidron valley..on the other side there was an olive grove and he and his disciples went into it

  Kidror means dusky place

  what about Mt Olives being split and fleeing through a mountain valley[valley of shadow of death that Jesus walked]
  Zechariah 14;4]

   Just some thoughts, Sheila

[Doug]

what about Mt Olives being split and fleeing through a mountain valley[valley of shadow of death that Jesus walked]
  Zechariah 14;4]

Jesus does not tell us to flee to a "valley of death," but shows us the way to a more abundant and fruitful life.

No need to vascilate back and forth between dispensationalism and preterism. Some have abandoned one of those views to embrace the other one, wasted several years promoting it, then abandoned that other view too! Others have become non-believers, after embracing one of those views, and finding it defective.

Preterists have dens and holes on the half of the Mount of Olives going north, and dispensationalists are holed up in their dens in the half of the mountain going south, but neither group has the understanding of prophecy, that applies to us today, available to those who flee to the valley between.

There is a river flowing from the house of the Lord in the prophecy of Joel 3:18. The house of the Lord today is the church.

In Zechariah 14:8, a river of living waters flows from Jerusalem, to the former sea, and to the hinder sea, in both summer and winter. Jerusalem is the church; summer is the time before harvest. Winter is after the harvest; Jesus said, "pray that your flight be not in the winter."

Hmm.. that would mean one had been "left behind" at the harvest, which is the resurrection of the saints.

Doug

[Doug]

Revelation 14:14 says, "Then I looked, and lo, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand". This mass of clouds is a cloud, or mist of dew, in the heat of harvest, (Is 18:4). In his poetical language David called these splendid towers of cloud "the wings of morning", (Ps 139:9).

The mention of clouds when describing the return of Jesus is a natural picture depicting an unseen spiritual reality. The clouds are a picture of spiritual mankind, of the sons of God who are brought forth by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As millions of water drops high above the earth form a close unity, so the faithful family of God has her position "above" in the heavenly places. Matthew 24:30 says: "Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory"; "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen", (Rev 1:7).

This thread began as a discussion about mountains, but it has attracted some discussion about clouds. And in the natural world, mountains often attract clouds.

One of the features of clouds is that there are many different kinds. They are changeable; and transient; some are bright, some are dark; some bring welcome rain.

The day of the Lord is described as a "cloudy day," in Joel 2:2, "A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness."

So clouds are connected with darkness in Joel's prophecy; they hide the stars and the moon at night, and the sun and sky in the day.

Peter speaks of false teachers as "clouds without water," and clouds blown about by the wind.

2 Peter 2:17
These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

Jude wrote of them too,

Jude 1:12
These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

The armies of Gog and Magog, who come against the camp of the saints in Rev. 20:8-9, and the beloved city, which is the church, are said to come like a storm, and a cloud covering the land, in Ezekiel's prophecy.

Ezek. 38:9
Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.

They come with horses; "all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army." [vs. 15] Horses represent people with no understanding. [Psa. 32:9]

The promised land, that Israel inherited, is symbolic of things promised to the church. Its mountains and hills and valleys represent those promises. Those armies that come like a cloud covering the land, hide the promises of God from us. The mountains are prominent parts of the land, so they represent major covenants, prophecies and promises given to the church. Mountains are quite often shrouded in mist and cloud; similarly, major prophecies of the Bible are subjects of much controversy.

Just like the clouds tend to obscure the mountains, and the stars at night, clouds picture false teachers, and their interpretations. Clouds are like theories, that appear for a while, and then are gone. They are blown about by the wind, just as the ideas of men change and morph over time.

Jesus compared his words to solid rock.

Matthew 7:24
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

It is to the mountains, that Jesus said we should flee; not literal ones, but the great promises of God, and his righteousness, that mountains represent. The church is called a city of truth, and the mountain of God. In prophecy, it is identified with Jerusalem.

Zechariah 8:3
Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.

Doug

[peacemaker]

Coming in the clouds, on the clouds and with the clouds; a Holy gathering!

"A bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying; This is My beloved Son(s) and daughters, in whom I am well pleased." (Emphases added)

Even so, Amen!

peacemaker

[Cardinal]

 :cloud9: Amen PC......even the son(s) who 'possess' their females...... :winkgrin: Blessings.....

[glenda]

 --- "Revelation 6:15-17
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
-This prophecy alludes to a prophecy of Hosea, which said that idolatrous Israelites would say to the mountains, "Cover us;" and to the hills, "Fall on us."
---------------------------------------------------

Greetings :) ..but what about the rest of the world? "the kings, of the earth" - "the great men, the mighty men, every free man, every bondman"/worker. "the great, day, of His wrath".. when the sixth seal of the 6th chapter was opened, the occurance is recorded as it is when it is first opened but also as it is at the 'end' in its fully progressed state.. the opening of the 6th seal is a totally new thing.. a great spiritual earthquake which actually did much to change the world.. brought in a new age.. new ways of men doing things.. men hid in the caves.. I can't help but remember all the bomb shelters built after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.. (rev 13:13).

Apocalypse is collapse. Not just some of humanity wandered and are at fault.. but all.
And Paul said Israel's falling away/nonbelief is part of the plan of God so the gentile/heathen nations would be gathered. Jesus said to Jerusalem, you will not see me again until you say "blessed is He whjo comes in the name of the LORD" Namely He, Jesus. That's why at the end of rev 12 the dragon turns his attention (back) to the rest of her children who have the commandments of God, and by this time "hold to the testimony of Jesus".

[Doug]

--- "Revelation 6:15-17
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
-This prophecy alludes to a prophecy of Hosea, which said that idolatrous Israelites would say to the mountains, "Cover us;" and to the hills, "Fall on us."
---------------------------------------------------

Greetings :) ..but what about the rest of the world? "the kings, of the earth" - "the great men, the mighty men, every free man, every bondman"/worker. "the great, day, of His wrath".. when the sixth seal of the 6th chapter was opened, the occurance is recorded as it is when it is first opened but also as it is at the 'end' in its fully progressed state.. the opening of the 6th seal is a totally new thing.. a great spiritual earthquake which actually did much to change the world.. brought in a new age.. new ways of men doing things.. men hid in the caves.. I can't help but remember all the bomb shelters built after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.. (rev 13:13).

Apocalypse is collapse. Not just some of humanity wandered and are at fault.. but all.

Hi Glenda,
I think the mountains in John's prophecy are symbolic of the promises of God, and the gospel. In scripture, the kingdom of God is compared to a great mountain. [Isa. 2:2; Dan. 2:35]

Paul said God's righteousness is revealed in the gospel; [Rom. 1:17-18] and David said that God's righteousness is like the great mountains. [Psa. 36:6] The mountains will bring peace, David said, by righteousness. [Psa 72:3] These are the truths of the gospel, the promise to Abraham, that "in thee shall all nations be blessed."

People hiding in the dens and caves of the mountains because of their fear of the "wrath of the Lamb" in Rev. 6:16 seems to capture the attitude prevailing in much of Christendom, over many centuries. The dens and caves might represent the various sects and denominations. It seems whenever some Reformer discovered a bit more of the light of the gospel, a new division occurred in the church, because the new light was resisted by those in power.

So we see there is the cave of Calvin, and the cave of Luther, and the cave of Fox, and the cave of Wesley, the many caves of John N. Darby, etc. And in more modern times, the caves of the Mormons, Wachtower Society, SDA, Armstrongism, etc.

In these various figurative dens and caves, which I suggest are denominations and sects, people hide themselves, or become members, by adopting the set of doctrines peculiar to each cave. Most people are there because they fear the judgment of unending infernal torment of their souls, if they are not "saved" and included in the church they think most closely conforms to the "true church."

And by picturing the denominations as dens and caves, the scripture shows the limiting effect of being involved in a denomination; they tend to obscure our view of the whole mountain, or the rest of the world, and we get only the shafts of light that enter through the cave's opening to the outside, which may not be much. Few venture out to other caves, which are generally similar to the ones they were in, but with slightly different doctrines and traditions.

We need to see the whole picture of the gospel and the church, and get free of the dens and caves, where Christians are captives.

Isaiah 40:9
O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

The "Zion" here can't be the literal hill where the temple was located. How can a hill climb a mountain?  :grin: It is a prophecy meant for the church, which is called Mount Zion, and Jerusalem, in Heb 12:22-23.

Doug

[glenda]

Seems like a lot of thinkers here think of apocalypse in terms of being symbolic. Not that it isn't symbolic with deep spiritual lesson, but mostly I see it as literal.. just like other prophecies of fiery judgments.. all representing and manifesting truths.. namely being that nations, or world, cannot reject God and blessedly continue on, but there is apocalypse/collapse and also fiery judgment.. Apocalypse to me is the whole lesson of this life. The learning of good from evil/life from death, what works from what simply never can.. On judgment day all will plainly see how untrue can only collapse. And knowing good from evil (Life from death) will be deeply engrained on every heart, mind and psyche.
- (also) mankind, have rejected the true King and (like Israel did) ask for a man for king..