Hey Yo! Are we having fun yet? Here we go...
Why is biblical poetry more difficult to interpret than other genres?
One reason for this difficulty is the long gulf of history between when it was recorded and now. There have been many years between record and interpretation and because of this some words, some phrasing and some theological context can read "foreign" to a contemporary reader.
In addition, some of the mechanics of contemporary poetry (like meter) are harder to translate and find from Hebrew.
Finally, the reader must have a sense of artistic (figurative) word usage to be evoked by the imagery and emotion of the poetry and literal readers can struggle with that!
In what ways have you seen apocalyptic literature (Daniel and Revelation) interpreted poorly? How do the tips for interpreting Apocalyptic literature avoid abusing or misusing these texts?
Oh man, in a lot of ways. The most prominent poor interpretation I've observed is political "weaponizing" of apocalyptic literature! in the past few years I have heard people use vaccines and election of political leaders as signs of the apocalypse. These individuals have taken these "signs" to mean that we (God's people) need to prep and anticipate the symbolic revelations as coming soon to all of us. I see the "black and white" thinking in these interpretations by people which causes no room for productive dialogue and understanding of other points of view.
I think the tip to remember the HISTORICAL CONTEXT is the best way to avoid misuse. Many people who bring up end times conversations with me want to take the symbols of an ancient culture and "jam" them into contemporary times. Don't get me started on how often these same individuals do not use any reliable biblical commentary (hehe)...