Remember, the Apostle John was a mystic - as is his apocalypse a mystical book. It must not be held too tightly and made dogmatic. Greek, as well as Hebrew, can allow for looser interpretations because there is not an exact word for word translation in most cases. Both prepositions could be used with this passage as is the case for many verses of Biblical text. There are also several textural variants among the Greek Apostolic writings that should be compared.
Biblical text is layered. There is always the plain meaning of a text as well as deeper spiritual interpretations that can be extracted from the same verse. The foundation must be strong and firm, but what is built upon that foundation has room for exploring additional meanings derived from the text. This is where some really exceptional nuggets in understanding can be found if one is open when digging for the treasure.
Remember, the Apostle John was a mystic - as is his apocalypse a mystical book. It must not be held too tightly and made dogmatic. Greek, as well as Hebrew, can allow for looser interpretations because there is not an exact word for word translation in most cases. Both prepositions could be used with this passage as is the case for many verses of Biblical text. There are also several textural variants among the Greek Apostolic writings that should be compared.
Biblical text is layered. There is always the plain meaning of a text as well as deeper spiritual interpretations that can be extracted from the same verse. The foundation must be strong and firm, but what is built upon that foundation has room for exploring additional meanings derived from the text. This is where some really exceptional nuggets in understanding can be found if one is open when digging for the treasure.