How to Read the Scary Books of the Bible - Lesson Two

How Symbolism Works and How to Read It Without Forcing Meaning

Now that we’ve talked about where apocalyptic writing comes from and why fear is not the right starting place, we can turn to something more practical.

What do you actually do when you encounter symbolic language in Scripture?

For many readers, this is the moment where anxiety creeps in. Symbols feel unstable. They seem open-ended. There’s a quiet pressure to get them “right,” and when that pressure builds, people either rush toward certainty or disengage altogether.

This lesson is about slowing that moment down and learning a different way to read.

Symbols Are Designed to Carry Weight

In apocalyptic literature, symbols are not decorative. They are doing real theological work.

A symbol gathers meaning rather than explaining it line by line. It can hold ideas about God, power, judgment, hope, and resistance all at once. That means symbols often feel larger than a single definition.

When Daniel describes beasts rising from the sea, the image carries associations of chaos, threat, instability, and oppressive power. The force of the image does not depend on identifying one specific modern equivalent. Its power lies in what it communicates to people living under empire and pressure.

This is why symbolic language can feel overwhelming at first. It is meant to be held, not immediately reduced.

What Symbols Ask of the Reader

Symbols are not asking to be solved as soon as they appear. They are asking for attention.

When apocalyptic texts introduce an image, the first task is not interpretation. The first task is noticing. What stands out? What feels emphasized? What emotions does the image evoke?

Over time, meaning becomes clearer as symbols repeat, develop, and interact with other parts of Scripture. Apocalyptic texts assume readers will grow familiar with the language before drawing conclusions.

This is very different from how many of us were taught to read. We were often trained to move quickly toward answers. Apocalyptic literature asks us to adopt a slower posture.

How Scripture Helps Interpret Its Own Imagery

I often repeat the statement, “Let Scripture interpret Scripture.” Well, nne of the most important things to learn here is that Scripture often explains its own symbolism, not through definitions, but through repetition and reuse.

Daniel’s visions are sometimes interpreted within the narrative itself. Ezekiel’s imagery echoes earlier prophetic language. Revelation regularly draws from Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Exodus, and the Psalms. The images are part of a shared symbolic world.

This means readers are not left on their own. The Bible models how symbolic language works by letting images appear again and again in different settings.

A helpful habit is to ask where else Scripture uses similar imagery before deciding what something means. Over time, patterns begin to emerge.

Why Precision Is Not Always the Goal

Many modern readers assume faithful reading requires precise answers. Well, apocalyptic literature challenges that assumption.

Symbols often describe patterns rather than moments. They speak about recurring realities like empire, faithfulness, resistance, judgment, and hope. Trying to lock them into a single, exact meaning too quickly can actually limit what the text is doing.

This does not mean interpretation is arbitrary. It means interpretation grows through context, repetition, and connection rather than instant certainty.

Clarity comes through familiarity.

A Practical Way to Approach Symbolic Texts

When you encounter a symbolic passage, it can help to begin with a few grounding questions.

What image stands out to me?
What seems emphasized or repeated?
Where have I seen something like this elsewhere in Scripture?

These questions slow the reading process and keep it rooted in the text rather than speculation. Meaning develops over time as connections form.

An Invitation to Practice

If you want to practice this skill, this week’s invitation goes one step further. We’re going to practice letting Scripture explain its own imagery.

Choose one short symbolic passage. Daniel 7, Ezekiel 1, or Revelation 1 all work well.

Read the passage once just to hear it. Then read it again more slowly and notice one image that stands out to you. Do not try to interpret it yet. This is similar to what we did in the last lesson. But we are going to take it further.

Now look at the cross references for that passage. In most Bibles, these appear in the margins, footnotes, or a center column. If you’re using a digital Bible, tap the verse and look for the cross-reference option.

Choose one or two cross references connected to the image you noticed. You do not need to read everything listed. Pick what seems most relevant.

Go to those passages and read them slowly. As you read, notice how the image functions there.

You’re not looking for a definition. You’re looking for patterns.

Ask yourself:

• What is this image associated with in other passages?

• Does it appear in moments of crisis, reassurance, judgment, or hope?

• Does the imagery feel consistent or does it shift slightly?

Write a brief note to yourself afterward. One or two sentences is enough.

A Simple Walkthrough Using Cross References

Let’s walk through one example together.

We’ll use Daniel 7:13.

“I was watching in the night visions. Behold, One like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven.
TLV

Read the verse once and notice what stands out. You might notice the phrase “clouds of heaven” or the figure “like a son of man.”

Now look at the cross references for that verse. You may see references to passages like Psalm 104 or Isaiah 19, where clouds are associated with God’s movement and authority.

Choose one and read it slowly.

As you read, ask how the image is functioning there. In Psalm 104, clouds are not about weather. They signal divine presence, power, and majesty.

Now return to Daniel 7.

You may start to notice that the “clouds of heaven” carry theological weight. Daniel is drawing on language his audience already knew. The image signals authority and divine involvement rather than spectacle.

You haven’t solved the passage. You’ve placed it within its symbolic world.

That is the goal.

You can take a similar approach with other images over time. One image at a time is enough.

Looking Ahead

In the next lesson, we’ll spend focused time in Daniel and watch how symbolic language functions in a book shaped by empire, pressure, and faithfulness. Daniel will give us a foundation that makes Revelation’s imagery far less intimidating when we reach it.

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About Our Author

Diane Ferreira is a Jewish believer in Yeshua, a published author, speaker, seminary student, wife, and proud mom. She is the author of several books, including The Proverbs 31-ish Woman, which debuted as Amazon’s #1 New Release in Religious Humor. She is currently pursuing her graduate degree in Jewish Studies, with her favorite topics being the early church and Biblical Hebrew. Diane writes and teaches from a unique perspective, bridging her Jewish heritage with vibrant faith in the Messiah to bring clarity, depth, and devotion to everyday believers.
When she’s not writing, studying, or teaching, you’ll find her curled up with a good book, crocheting something cozy, or playing her favorite video games.

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Tree of Life (TLV) – Scripture taken from the Holy Scriptures, Tree of Life Version*. Copyright © 2014,2016 by the Tree of Life Bible Society. Used by permission of the Tree of Life Bible Society.