Do Ezekiel's symbols like the dry bones and fiery wheels have a literal truth?
Ezekiel's dry bones, sticks, and fiery wheels are symbolisms, yet they carry a literal truth. The prophetic books written outside Israel use symbolic language, and Scripture itself interprets those symbols in one place or another. So the imagery is not empty; it conveys real prophetic meaning.
Les teaches that Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation are the three prophetic books written by Jewish men from outside the land of Israel, and all three are unique in that they write in symbolism. In Ezekiel, for example, he uses the dry bones, the sticks, and the fiery wheels. Les says these are symbolisms, but they have a literal truth. He notes that Daniel's great image would come down through history, and Revelation is likewise symbolic language, which is why many are afraid to study it. Yet all those symbolisms are interpreted by Scripture itself in one place or another.