Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy
to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of
man. - Luke 21:36
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy
to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of
man. - Luke 21:36
In the previous chapter, I discussed how to approach the Bible, from being well versed to taking its passages literally. In this chapter, we will look at some influences in the church to avoid, or at least be cautious of, if you really want to understand scripture.
Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? - 1 Corinthians 1:20
AND
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
- 2 Corinthians 4:4
I have always enjoyed studying prophecy, especially prophecy of the last days. Yet in sharing with some believers, I have found those who have such completely different interpretation that it is hard to believe we are reading the same Bible.8 Neither do these Christians agree with each other. There are so many different views at our local interdenominational church that it is almost taboo to discuss eschatology for fear of offending somebody. On this topic of being deceived in the last days, Jesus said:
For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. - Mark 13:22
Do not think Jesus is speaking rhetorically here, or that it is impossible for the elect to be deceived. Rather, He is warning us to not be. Many of the elect are already deceived, as evidenced by all the contradictory doctrines taught on this very chapter in Mark. If some of the elect are deceived today, what will happen when the false christs and prophets start showing us signs and wonders? Daniel Prophesied:
And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. - Daniel 11:35
In searching for a cause, I believe the biggest problem today is that most Christians get their doctrine from books about the Bible, rather than prayerfully studying the Bible for themselves. You can often tell what a Christian believes, simply by looking at his personal library. The reason these books are a problem, is that it is human nature to believe the first thing we read. If the book is compelling, the reader may believe that he is well versed in a Bible passage that he has never even read.
A book that is ninety percent good teaching, for that reason, may be more dangerous than a book that is open heresy. Even rat poison is 99.5% good food; it is the tiny bit of poison that kills (one-half of one percent).
Have you ever noticed that Jesus never quoted an extra biblical rabbi or religious teacher as an authority on religious doctrine? In contrast all other religions including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and in new age all quote from the Bible. The reason is, the Word of God is Powerful. The rat poison ( the doctrine of false teachers) has far more appeal when mixed with the truth of God’s word.
There are hundreds of religions, all competing with each other, all claiming to interpret the Bible correctly. Which one do you chose? The Apostle Paul said:
For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius. - 1 Corinthians 1:14
Even before the New Testament was collated, Christians were already creating divisions among themselves. Though Paul calls them brothers, he is condemning their error. You are in the same danger, if you are following the teachings of some man (getting your doctrine from books on the Bible). No Godly Christian, not even Paul, would want to come between you and God.
Therefore, read the Bible (before you read other books about it) so that you can spot any verse the other books may take out of context. It is okay to read books about the Bible, but it is dangerous and foolish to use them as your major or only source of inspiration. When you are reading other books, always double check them to make sure the author does not teach doctrine by taking verses out of context.
Who decides which books are sound? And, who decides which books are safe to read? The truth is, they are all safe to read (so you can minister to the people deceived by them) but only after you are solidly founded in Biblical truth. There are many good books, by and for Christians, yet even these should not take the place of your personal Bible reading.
As I already mentioned, Jesus never quoted any other source than the Sacred Scriptures. Nor did he, or his disciples, use another source to help interpret it. Bible commentaries have some value, yet how can you know which commentaries are doctrinally sound before you have learned sound doctrine?
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. - 2 Timothy 4:3-4
AND
For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? - 1 Corinthians 1:11-13
Though Paul condemned first century Christians for breaking up into different sects, Christians today do not see this as a problem. Nevertheless, I am not a disciple of Augustine, Luther or Calvin. Was Martin Luther crucified for me? Was I baptized in the name of John Calvin?
The disciple is not above his master [teacher]: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. - Luke 6:40
Why do some limit their understanding of God to commentaries or contemporary leaders, when we can go to the real source for inspiration ourselves? There are many useful study aids available to the serious Bible student. Yet, I would rather have access to one good Bible concordance than all the Bible commentaries put together.
Learn how to use a concordance (the instructions are inside the front cover) and you can find any Bible verse in only a few minutes. With a good concordance, you can see all the different English words translated from an original. In addition, you can find the definition of an ancient Greek word by seeing how the early church used it in other passages of scripture or a Hebrew word by seeing how the Jews used them in the Old Testament. I believe that looking at the words in the different passages, gives us the fullest and most accurate definitions of the ancient Hebrew and Greek words.
For example, look at the word castaway in this verse.
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. - 1st Corinthians 9:27
Thayer's Definition of castaway:
1) not standing the test, not approved
1a) properly used of metals and coins
2) that which does not prove itself such as it ought
2a) unfit for, unproved, spurious, reprobate
This helps us understand it, yet if you wish to know the seriousness of Paul’s statement, let’s see how the word is used in some other passages of scripture.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; - Romans 1:28
AND
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
- 2 Corinthians 13:5-7
AND
Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. - 2 Timothy 3:8
AND
They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. - Titus 1:16
AND
But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. - Hebrews 6:8
One can see by the way the word castaway is used in other passages of scripture, the seriousness of Paul’s personal concern about being castaway.
Once you learn how to use it, a Bible concordance opens up much of the Greek and Hebrew languages, even to the young Bible student with no experience in these languages. However, there are three necessary cautions:
First, to receive all the fullness of the Greek or Hebrew you must be a Greek or Hebrew scholar. There are verb tenses, articles, and idioms that are always lost in translating. English has no equivalent for many Greek words.
Here is an example of the problem translating the Greek article ‘The’: (It often seems to me that the littlest words present the biggest problems.)
and David the king begat Solomon of her [that had been the wife] of Uriah - Matthew 1:6b
In this example, the literal wording of the sentence is, "and [unexpressed article 'the'] David [unexpressed article 'and'] the king he begat the Solomon out of the the Uriah.” The words “the the” are not a typographical mistake, as the word the occurs twice in the Greek sentence.
The translators got the whole phrase “her that had been the wife” from the words, the the. How you may ask? The Greek language had twenty different ways of saying the. In the above verse, the first the is in the feminine, genitive case, the other the is in the genitive masculine case and these two put together would have the meaning "of the (female) of the (belonged to) Uriah."
The idioms are another problem in translating any foreign language:
In English, we would understand the phrase I enjoyed myself to mean I had a good time. A literal translation of I enjoyed myself into another language may sound like I received pleasure from myself”. Hence, a proper translation may need a dynamic equivalent to receiving joy rather than a literal word for word translation.
Translators can also go to far using dynamic equivalents, there is an idiom in the Bible, that refers to the 'evil eye'. Some modern translators not knowing its significance have chosen to interpret the verses rather then just translate them. When the evil eye is removed from some verses, then those verses can no longer shed light on other passages.
He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him. - Proverbs 28:22
Getting back on topic, a second caution, in using a concordance, is using a concordance to look up key words in your study. Studying this way may create the illusion of knowing your Bible thoroughly; however, this method has a major flaw. Many important passages on a subject may not have the key words you looked up in your search. For example, suppose you are doing a study on the devil. Would looking up your key words in a concordance direct you to Isaiah 14:11-19 or Ezekiel 28:11-19?
The third caution relates to commentaries.
And again [Jesus] said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
- Luke 13:20-21
As mentioned in the Introduction, I once debated a good friend over the interpretation of this parable. During this time, we looked up this passage in many commentaries, about forty percent of the commentaries, some only partially, agreed with my interpretation. This means that:
Either way, as you can see, looking up this verse in a commentary did not resolve the issue satisfactorily. If you want to use a commentary to interpret the above passage how can you know which one has the right interpretation? Therefore when you do use a commentary, remember they are only the works of men.
The title says it all, the question is; how does one, especially a new believer, recognize a cult?
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a cor</li></li>rupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. - Matthew 7:15-20
Not only must we be aware of cults, unfortunately, some Christian denominations have cultic practices. After interviewing excult members, I have made a list of things to avoid when looking for a home church.
Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. - Exodus 20:12
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9
Many cults claim salvation is by grace, but after you join, you will find that the cult teaches that salvation is by doing the works prescribed by their leadership.
Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. - John 18:20
Christianity may have doctrines that are foolish and hard to understand to an unbeliever, but they are not a secret kept from the unbeliever.
The more of the above characteristics a church has, the more cultic it is. If a church has most of these characteristics, it may not even be Christian.
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. - Acts 20:29-31
Do you need a pastor to understand the Bible? No, actually, you do not. Like avoiding cultic influences, the scriptural admonition is to avoid a pastor (or anyone) who says you need them, or their organization, to understand God's Word. While a good pastor is a big help in understanding the Scripture, those who would elevate themselves over you are not obeying the Lord, if they are following Him at all. Let us look at a few scripture verses on this.
Neither be ye called masters [teachers]: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. - Matthew 23:10-12
AND
[Paul speaking of a conference he attended in Jerusalem,] But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me: - Galatians 2:6
AND
[Jesus himself said:] But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. - 1 John 2:27
AND
[Again Jesus said:] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth - John 16:13a
It is interesting that in the Bible, the word minister means servant. Today in many churches (and in the thesaurus) we have redefined the word minister as the leader or senior church member. We are all brothers. The brother who is qualified to lead a Bible study will also have a teachable spirit.
Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
- Mathew 13:52
Often Bible teachers, in trying to imitate Jesus, speak with authority.
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
- Matthew 7:28-29
Unfortunately, some teachers who speak with authority have little or no understanding of the verse they are eisegeting. When a passage of scripture is not clear, you should speak humbly, when you are trying to expound on it, while also being open to correction. Speak with authority only when you are absolutely sure about the passage, and even then be careful.
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. - 1 Corinthians 10:12
One final warning, some pastors have a stake in believing certain doctrines. It will be harder to persuade pastor of his error when his job depends on believing a false doctrine, than to wake a man who is pretending to sleep.
In closing, there are many faithful pastors; nothing I have said should be construed as opposing them, rather as Paul taught:
Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. - 1 Timothy 5:17
Often teachers, will make up stories or use examples from their own life. This is a good teaching aid as it helps us to memorize the lesson. I would not hesitate to use examples or tell a parable when it helps make the point. However, a good story should not to be mistaken for a true story. Nor should a true story be mistaken for good doctrine.
Perhaps a story I heard once can drive the point home:
A certain executive worked in the advertising department of a major soft drink company. He was very successful and proud, able to make great advertisements and bring in large sums of money for his company. One day the company worked out a deal to sell their product in an Islamic country. The company naturally had this man handle the advertising campaign. As he started his work, a young native of the country tried to offer him some advice. The executive cut him off, insulting the native with the words: "I have an education and experience, you have nothing, now get back and empty a garbage can, there is where you belong”. The finished products, large billboards with three scenes, were placed throughout the country. On the left side of the billboard, there was a tired man. He looked tired and sore with perspiration covering his face. In the middle panel of the billboard, he was drinking the company's soft drink. In the last scene, the man is completely rejuvenated with a huge smile of satisfaction. Oh! - If the executive had only been willing to listen to what the native tried to tell him, people in his country read from right to left.
This may be a good story to teach humility. Yet a psychologist (by leaving off the last sentence) could use this executive’s prior success as a case-study to teach that we must have high self esteem. For this reason, be careful with case studies, common in self-help books. As an author tells a story, he will call it a case study and present it as true. However, you must remember that the author is trying to sell you something.
During the summer of 2005, I attended ‘Biblical’ healing seminar. There they presented many case studies; some of them would bring tears to our eyes. However, upon a little reflection, some of the stories were silly (as was some of the doctrine they were using them to teach). Beware, on close examination, many case studies will bear little resemblance to the truth.
The problems with case studies:
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. - 2 Timothy 4:2-4
One technique of teaching I call precept upon precept or line upon line instruction. With this method, the teacher does not produce all the evidence before he draws a conclusion. Rather he shows one verse of scripture and draws an inference, and then he shows another verse and builds on the previous inference, doing this as it were, line upon line.
One teacher when asked, quoted Isaiah to explain why he used this method.
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: - Isaiah 28:10
However, he did not quote Isaiah 28:13.
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. - Isaiah 28:13
Before we decide which doctrine is truth, we should try to put all the verses on the table as it were.
Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. - John 18:20
Teaching doctrine line upon line does not prove a doctrine is false; however, if a teacher cannot be up front about all his beliefs in the beginning of his study, it is likely he is not teaching the Gospel of Christ.
The bait and switch is where an advertisement, the bait, gets you into the store. Yet, when you arrive, claiming they’re sold-out, the salesman switches the advertised product with another. If he is doing this on purpose, it is false advertising, and probably illegal.
The Bait and Switch is a normal tactic for cult leaders. And unfortunately, many respected Christian leaders do this same thing when teaching. Here is an example of bait and switching, Jesus warned:
And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: - Mark 9:45
Though Jesus said, “the fire that never shall be quenched” some teachers believe that the fire will go out anyway, and one of their prove-texts is in Jeremiah:
“I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. - Jeremiah 17:27
The argument is, that since the fire went out after it devoured the palaces, this passage proves that the fire Jesus talked about in Luke will also go out.
Did you notice the switch? The Jesus said never, Jeremiah only said not. Does changing a simple word like the word never to not, change the meaning of a sentence? The answer is yes, here are some examples:
Does,
I did not lie.
Mean the same as, I have never lied.
Or does,
I did not start a fire
Mean the same as,I have never started a fire.
Or does,
I will not come over.Mean the same as,I will never come over.
Or does,
The fire shall not be
quenched.Mean the same as, The fire that never shall be
quenched.
The first phrase in each example refered to a definite, limited, time period, in the past or future.
the second phrase always refered to an infinitely long time period, into the past or into future.
In another example of bait and switch, we will see how some of these same teachers eisegete forever and ever in Revelation 14:11 and 20:10
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
- Revelation 14:11
AND
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever
- Revelation 20:10
To understand these two verses, they say, “We must let the Bible define the Bible” (the bait). Then they proceed to use these passages (the switch) out of the Old Testament.
Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him forever. - Exodus 21:6
But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide forever. - 1 Samuel 1:22
In such a case, if a teacher were really using the Bible to define the Bible, he would look where the same Greek words forever and ever (esi ahee-ohn' ahee-ohn') are used. Passages like: Revelation chapters 1:6, vs.4:9-10, vs.5:13-14, vs.7:12, vs.10:6, vs.11:15, vs.15:7, and finally verse 22:5. If they would exegete these verses without the bait and switch, they would conclude that forever and ever does mean, forever and ever even when discussing punishment.
Often the smallest and least significant word in a passage gives it its thrust. For example in the Jehovah Witness Bible, they add the word “a” to John 1:1 Thus changing:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- John 1:1
TO,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was [a] God.
- John 1:1
This little switch has caused them to deny their Lord, though they claim He bought them.
One last example of the bait and switch: I have heard a charismatic preacher use this style more than once: “But what does God say? What does the Bible teach? . . ." Then they proceed to teach something unscriptural, without even bothering to give a scripture citation. This is a common bait and switch, replacing the Word of God, for the opinion of man.
Be careful if you teach that you do not bait and switch by accident and avoid any teacher who does it on purpose.
In the previous chapter, we looked at how some pastors have been a poor influence. In this chapter, we will look at some personal errors that cause Christians to misunderstand scripture.
Taking scripture out of context is the number one cause of false doctrine. This mistake is easy to correct and if we would just take it to heart, there would be another reformation.
Here is an example of taking a verse out of context; many devotionals have used the following scripture verse to comfort their readers.
For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. - Psalm 50:10
However, the Psalmist did not write this verse for our comfort. Psalm 50 is a rebuke. Suppose you gave your son an angry rebuke. What would you think, if he was unmindful that you were scolding him, and went off singing your words as a little ditty?
Taking Bible passages out of context, is by far the biggest fault among Christian students and teachers. This point was brought home to me when, as a new Christian, I attended an eight-hour Bible study (at a local church) that taught the devil was our carnal mind.
To be honest, by the end of that long day, the charismatic teacher had me convinced. Fortunately, at the urgent prompting of a mature Christian brother, I got my notes out and privately restudied the same verses all over again. Since then, I have been on sort of a crusade against taking scripture verses out of context.
I have seen and heard hundreds examples of what I now call One Verse Theology. The most common way to be deceived by One Verse Theology is in a topical Bible study; where the teacher picks out single verses to prove what he is trying to teach. The big problem with topical Bible studies is that most Christian do not take the time to see if a verse is taken out of context. Using Scripture taken out of context, you can prove any doctrine you want. This is the how all cult leaders teach false doctrine.
And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? - Luke 6:39
Topical studies have their place; however, a Topical Bible Study will be no better than the teacher’s overall comprehension of the entire Bible. If your teacher misunderstands the topic, even if you are a good student, so will you.
The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
- Luke 6:40
Therefore, you should be very careful when you use them to study doctrine. Be assured, I would not be offended if you emailed me saying that you checked every scripture reference used in this study.
One verse theology is not limited to cult leaders; many of our renowned Christian leaders are also guilty. Here is a verse that is commonly used to teach a Pretribulation Rapture; the belief that Jesus will catch the church up to Himself before The Great Tribulation.
I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
- Luke 17:34-36
This verse, taken out of context, has convinced many there will be a pretribulation rapture. Yet if you read the verse in context, the next verse says:
And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. - Luke 17:37
As we read Luke 17:34-37 together, we will find one shall be taken and the other left. The disciples then asked the question, ‘where Lord?’ Since those that are left, stay put, the disciples must be asking where the ones that will be taken are going. Jesus answers that the eagles (or vulture since eagles do not usually pursue carrion) will go to where the body is! If we study the above verses in context, it teaches, the wicked are the ones that will be taken.
But have we got it right yet? Did I really read it in context? No!! To see where I went wrong, and to learn how to take verses in contest, let us look at Luke seventeen more closely, we will start by looking at the first word in every verse.
Looking carefully, we see that nearly every verse, in this chapter, is connected to the one that precedes it.
I will give the verse number and the first word of the verse, then a comment.
1. Then
Then is a continuation of time from the previous chapter.
2. It
To know why there is an it, you need to read verse one.
3. Take
Take may be the start of a new thought.
4. And Connects to verse 3.
5. And dittos.
6. And dittos.
7. But
The word But connects this verse with contrast to verse 6.
8. And
Connects to the previous verse.
9. Doth
Connects to the previous verse.
10. So
Connects to the previous verse.
11. And
Though And usually connects to a previous verse, this verse may actually be a new thought.
12. And
The word And connects to the previous verse.
13. And dittos
14. And dittos
15. And dittos
16. And dittos
17. And dittos
18. There
Even without an And this continues the previous verse.
19. And
Connects to previous verse.
20. And
Though And usually connects to a previous verse, As in verse 11, this verse may actually be a new thought.
21. Neither
Neither continues the thought of the previous verse.
22. And
The word And connects to the previous verse.
23. And dittos
24. For dittos
25. But
But contrasts the thought with the previous verse.
26. And
Although this verse is connected to 25, this And compares different thoughts in verse 26.
27. They
Even without the And this verse continues the previous.
28. Likewise
Likewise continues the thought of the previous verse.
29. But
But contrasts a thought with the previous verse.
30. Even
Even continues the thought of the previous verse.
31. In
In continues the thought of the previous verse.
32. Remember
Remember returns to verse 28.
33. Whosoever
Even without an And this verse continues the previous verse.
34. I tell you, in that night...
What night? That connects to one of the previous verses.
35. Two
Continues thought from verse 34.
36. Two
Continues thought from verse 34.
37. And
And connects to previous verse.
If you are not familiar with the doctrine of a pretribulation rapture, the following example may be hard to follow; even so you can see how Luke 17 is really a couple of big thoughts rather than 37 little and distinct verses. Now back to the verse we were studying earlier.
I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
- Luke 17:34-36
To understand this verse we must take it in context. It starts with, “I tell you, in that night”; what night is this? When taken in context, these verses are connected to the same day that Jesus mentioned three verses earlier.
In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.
- Luke 17:31
This verse answers the question of when some will be taken and some will be left? If, (according to Daniel 9:27) the events in verse 31 happen in the middle of the tribulation. Then, taken in context of its chapter, Luke 17:34 cannot teach a pretribulation rapture. When you take the verse in context you will come closer to what Luke 17:34 is really teaching.
If you do not take the effort to study verses in context beware of the curse in 2nd Peter 3:16.
As also in all [Pauls] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. - 2 Peter 3:16
Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk. - Exodus 34:26
About 30 years ago, as a new Christian, I misunderstood the above verse as; You shall not look on a child while he is breast-feeding. The word seethe seemed an old-fashioned way of saying see. Not growing up on a farm, kid interpreted nicely as child. The verse seemed to teach modesty, a theme in the Bible. Unfortunately, this is not what Moses was trying to teach at all. However, before I could figure that out I had to give the words the same meaning as the authors originally intended.
The fact that it is wrong to twist a word’s meaning should be obvious, yet even mature Christian writers do it so often that apparently it is not. If you knowingly twist a word's meaning in order to prove a doctrine, again you may be under the curse of 2 Peter 3:16.
Here is a common mistake, look at the following parable.
And again [Jesus] said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. - Luke 13:21
Many Christians believe that the woman is Jesus, the leaven is the gospel and the meal as the world. This parable seems to make sense to them with this interpretation.
Yet, is there a dictionary or lexicon (Greek, Hebrew or English) that defines the word woman as Jesus, leaven as the Gospel or meal as the world? Did Jesus, a prophet or apostle ever use any of the words woman, leaven or meal symbolically giving it a similar interpretation anywhere else in scripture?
If you wish to understand the above parable, first look at how a lexicon defines its words; next, see if and how the Holy Spirit may have defined the symbolic words in other portions of scripture, than apply the same definitions here. If we apply these rules, this parable we would understand the admonition Jesus is giving us. Our Lord knows what he wanted every word in every parable to mean. Prayerfully and carefully, seek only for those meanings.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. - 2 Timothy 4:3-4
We need to be careful in walking with God, this included our study of His word, that we bring Him glory. It should be obvious, to anyone who is born again, that the Scriptures will never lead us to find fault with anything of God. Here is a true story.
There once was a Christian, who decided it was God’s will for him to stop working; instead, he was devoting his time to, what he felt was, serving God. Even after his large family was starting to go hungry, he continued believing that it was the Lord’s will for him not to work. After watching this go on for a while, and believing that he was in error. I counseled him that God wants him to be the provider for his family. I even quoted him the following Scripture verse:
But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. - 1 Timothy 5:8
This verse did not concern my friend in the least. He explained his 'spiritual' interpretation: If God did not provide for his own, he was worse than an infidel. As my friend's family was suffering because he would not work, slightly afraid, I warned him that any interpretation of scripture that implies our Lord is worse than an infidel is wicked. The Scripture says:
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. - Matthew 12:36
Since that time, I have heard many teachers proclaim other doctrines that were also abominable. Once a teacher said that if the Jews rebuilt their temple in Jerusalem, it would be an abomination to God. Another person dared compare the Law of God to witchcraft in his teaching that we are now under grace. Compare this to the scripture:
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. - Matthew 5:17-18
Run from any teacher that accuses our Lord of practicing sorcery! Finally, in the Book of Mark we have an example, of an abominable interpretation, when the religious leaders taught that Jesus was casting out demons by the power of the devil. We should all take heed to Jesus’ response:
But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: - Mark 3:29
A little prayer and honest reflecting would avoid these disrespectful errors. Yet, like in Jesus’ time, today many teachers are more given to fables.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. - 2 Timothy 4:3-4
The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. - John 18:19-20
When some Christians believe they see a Spiritual meaning in a passage of Scripture, what they really mean is that they see an allegory or symbolic language. The Spiritual meaning of a verse is what God thinks the verse means. If God meant it to have literal interpretation (with no allegory intended), that is the real Spiritual meaning of the passage.
When we think we see an allegory taught in a passage of scripture, if it is true, it will not negate the plain or literal meaning of the passage. Using an earlier example:
But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. - 1 Timothy 5:8
The plain teaching is to provide for your family. Therefore, any other Spiritual meaning (if there is another one) will not remove the responsibility from the believer to provide for his family.
Let us look at another example. But first we must understand two common doctrines held by many Christians.
A while back, a Christian brother was teaching about the torment all unbelievers will receive in hell; as he was quoting Luke 12 in his teaching, it inspired me to use it as an example here.
And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. - Luke 12:47-48
As many Christian hold to the above two doctrines, I pose these three questions to them.
Watch out so your spiritual interpretations do not negate the plain teachings of the scripture.
Some interpretations of Scripture are more to the letter, then the law of the Medes and the Persians. One of the more humorous ones that I have heard is the interpretation of this passage:
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. - 1 Peter 3:3-4
A friend condemned me a few years ago, because my daughters plaited (braid) their hair. I tried to explain that he was taking this passage in Peter too legalistically. He got angry and could not understand how I could transgress a clear command in scripture so blatantly. Showing him the verse, I said, "If this verse condemns braiding of hair and if this verse condemns wearing of gold, then Peter also condemns women who wear clothing”. He stammered as he desperately tried to prove otherwise. He is still a very legalistic person; the New Testament is nothing more to this friend than another version of the Hammurabi Code.
Some denominations do not allow their women to wear jewelry, not even a wedding band, because of this verse. While I do not wear jewelry, I desire my wife to wear a wedding band, not to look worldly, rather to let other men know, that she is mine.
I believe the church is preoccupied with many erroneous doctrines. One rule of thumb I use to decide if a rule is important is to check and see if Jesus talked about it in the Gospels. If a dogma was not important enough for Jesus to expound on, then perhaps it is not important enough for the church to fight over.
For the sake of learning not to be legalistic, let us read this passage again.
Likewise, ye wives,
…
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. - 1 Peter 3:1, 3-4
Actually, this verse is not even talking to all women. If you take out your Bible and read the passage in context, Peter was talking to wives who are trying to convert their husbands to Christianity. Peter was not condemning “the putting on of apparel” or anything else. He is telling wives that they can be more effective in winning their husband by putting on the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. To loosely paraphrase Peter; It is more important to adorn the inside then the outside.
Paul also mentions how women who profess godliness should dress. The idea is the same, while adding modesty, it is more important to adorn the inside then the outside. Judge this following case for yourself.
A young girl, professing to be a believer, spends two hours in the mirror each morning before school as she applies gobs of makeup. However, she does not technically violate the commands given in, 1st Peter 3:3 or
2nd Timothy 2:9.Another girl, professing to be a believer, braids her hair (to keep it out of the water) before she helps her mother with the dishes.
[Jesus speaking to the religious leaders:] Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
- Matthew 23:28
Do you possibly think Jesus is displeased with the second girl because she braded her hair?
In another example, some Christian sects believe it is a sin for a Christian to play a musical instrument. This is because the New Testament never mentions any one playing a musical instrument. * Never has there been more doctrine learned from fewer verses. Does it please our Lord to make such rules after he said:
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
- Mark 7:7
Is your Church legalistic on dress codes or on other practices in a way that Jesus never commanded nor forbade?
In the next example, the teacher (like an attorney who studying a binding contract) does not believe the scriptures to speak in symbolic language.
Roman Catholics and some Protestants believe that since our Lord said: "This is my body" when He held up the matzos during His last supper, that the bread is actually his body, and that a priest can now turn bread into the physical presence of our Lord.
If they are correct (the bread turns into the physical presence of Jesus), we should all be worshiping that wafer of bread. If they are mistaken, they are worshiping a piece of bread (idolatry), not God.
Is Jesus allowed to speak figuratively? In other verses, Jesus said:
He is the door (John 10:7).
He is the vine (John 15:1-5).
He is the corner stone (Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17).
He is the rock (Romans 9:33, 1 Peter 2:8).
We should thank God that Christians do not go around trying to turn doors or rocks into … well I better not go down that road.
One last example of legalism. One time on Christian Radio, a pastor interpreting a passage of Scripture said, The word three (3) is not to be taken literally here. Let me give you an example… Then he proceeded to show a place in the Bible where some Israelite rounded off a number somewhere. (I do not remember where or what number, however, someone did round off a number somewhere.) Using this as a preface, he created a rule: Someone rounded off a number and this proves the Jews always round off numbers; therefore, their numbers must never to be taken precisely.
This rule is not only legalistic it is meaningless, most of us have both rounded off numbers and used numbers with precision.
Just before writing the chapter, I served at a Christian rehab for about six months. During that time I attended a mandatory weekly Bible study for the students.
I have never attended a Bible study where the teacher so completely worked every word to death. This class looked for synonyms of each word; it looked for relationships between words and between thoughts. The teacher had the class go from studying every particle of speech to looking up nearly every word in six different dictionaries (not kidding). During the time I was there, the class never got out of the first chapter of Colossians. Nor did the class ever read two verses together! Many of the students went away frustrated, not being fed out of Colossians.
When Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians, he expected them to read it. Is not that what you expect when you write a letter?
And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. - Colossians 4:16
Now some commentary is good. For instance, defining a Greek word or explaining a Hebrew tradition to make the text more clear is always welcome. However, do not dissect the scripture passage until it loses its God given inspiration. Pastors, is it is not always edifying to give a lengthy sermon on just one or two verses of Scripture. Many churches would come to life if they spent less time parsing every single verse and instead read more of God’s word.
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. - Matthew 7:13-14
Did you ever hear someone expound on a Scripture saying, All leading scholars believe . . . or The church fathers all taught . . ., or maybe (Name of denomination) have always taught . . ..
For example, every person I have ever asked, who believes Amillennialism or a Pretribulation rapture, learned their doctrine from an extra biblical source,11 the main reason they believe either of these doctrines, is that is what everyone else in their church believes.
Many teachers imply that what most people believe (at least in their denomination) is the criteria for determining what is true. There was a time not long ago when most everyone thought the sun circled the earth. When Jesus was standing trial, the majority said, "Crucify him!" Just because most people believe something, that does not make it true or right. If we expect to hold to proper beliefs, we will need better proofs to believe.
Of course, the pendulum can swing the other way. That is when someone believes God has personally given him a unique interpretation. Touching on this Peter said:
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. - 2 Peter 1:19-21
In this passage, the apostle Peter is making at least two points. First, a prophecy is not subject to the prophet's personal opinion. Second, the interpretation of a prophecy is not subject to our personal opinion. In other words, the Lord, will give his church one interpretation and we as individual Christians are to be patient and wait for that understanding. The Bible cannot mean something that it never meant; a private interpretation then, is an interpretation that did not come from the Bible.
Many church doctrines, specifically those that divide the church, come from what were once private interpretations held by church leaders. One way these leaders could have avoided their mistake (when testing their interpretation of a scripture passage) would have been to ask two questions: Have others come up with the same interpretation when studying this passage? And, have they done so completely separate from me?
Even when you use a Bible commentary, because others read the same commentary, you may all come to the same conclusion. It is in this way that most denominations interpret the Bible and pass down their creeds.
Here is one example; The Book of Revelation has a passage that describes placing a mark in the right hand or forehead.
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. - Revelation 13:14-18
We need a little history before we continue. Faithful Seventh Day Adventists believe that the Roman Catholic Pope changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. They also teach, that in the last days, the Pope will make Sunday church attendance mandatory (could this have been someone's private interpretation?). They continue by saying; in that day, worshiping on a Sunday will be the mark of the beast.
The Seventh Day Adventists admit that there is no way to get this interpretation by reading your Bible on your own. And though they would say it differently, this is the private interpretation of E.G. White. To justify it, they also believe she has a special anointing to interpret the Bible. Yet what saith the Scripture?
[Jesus said:]For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
- Matthew 24:5
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And [Jesus] said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. - Luke 21:8
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As [Paul speaking on behalf of the apostles] said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
- Galatians 1:9
From these three scripture verses, we should be able to see the urgency of avoiding anybody with a special anointing and by implication their private interpretation of scripture. An interpretation does not need to be popular to be correct; it just cannot be private.
A private interpretation is not the same thing as personal application. Once we understand scripture, we are expected to make personal applications in our own life and God can lead each of us in a different way thereby.
Peter seeing [John] saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? - John 21:21-23
It is in order to follow Jesus personally, that we study His word in the first place.
The writers of the Bible did not always write in chronological order. Apparently, eastern thought does not assume chronological order. Let us look at a few different prophecies to see some examples of this eastern thought. We will begin with Ezekiel 26:1-14.
1-2 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste:
3-4 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers:
4b-7 I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD: and it shall become a spoil to the nations. And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
8-11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people. He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee. And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers. By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach. With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground.
12-13 And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water. And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.
14 And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. - Ezekiel 26:14
Shortly after the Babylonians invaded Israel, Ezekiel spoke this prophesy against the city of Tyrus. In verses 8 through 11, Ezekiel prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar would come and take the city. This is now an historical event. However, did Nebuchadnezzar scrape her dust from her and make her like the top of a rock (last half of verse 4)? No! That happened centuries later when Alexander the Great came and finished the job. He took the city on the mainland and used the stones for a causeway that he needed to capture the island 1,200 yards off her coast. When he ran out of stones, he continued by scraping the dirt off, right down to the bedrock! Today, thousands of years later, fishermen are spreading their nets on the rocks that used to be Tyrus (Verse 14).
Here in our present time we see this prophecy fulfilled completely. When you understand that chronological order is only a style of writing (that was ignored by Ezekiel) we see this prophecy fulfilled perfectly.
To see another example about time, look at Isaiah 61:1-6.
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
- Isaiah 61:1-6
Many years later, Luke records that Jesus stood up in his own synagogue and quoted the first paragraph of this prophecy. Then rolling up the scroll he said: “Today is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears”. Yet, did Jesus fulfill the whole prophecy in Isaiah 61 at that time? Read the last paragraph.
It is obvious that these events in the prophecy have not yet happened. The Prophets talk about events that are hundreds or thousands of years apart, and they talk, in any order they want, and they do not need to draw our attention to it. And not just the prophets, none of the inspired writers assumed a chronological order of their events. Therefore, when you are trying to figure out chronological order, you need to see actual connections, words like and after that,* or the next day, are useful to help draw a conclusion. It is a major goal of eschatology, to understand the chronological order of end-time prophecy.
Up to this point, I have spent most of my time discussing errors in interpreting scripture. If the church avoided these errors, sound doctrine would follow; with that unity. However, beyond avoiding the mistakes, there are some rules that would help us in our understanding of God’s Word. I have found the following to be helpful in my studies.
But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. - Matthew 18:16
"This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. - 2 Corinthians 13:1
One way to keep from misinterpreting the Bible is to have at least two or three passages, (two or three witnesses). If you look at all the passages on a particular subject, before you try to develop your doctrine, you will avoid many mistakes.
Example; some denominations teach that when you baptize, you must say the words in the name of Jesus. This doctrine came from this verse:
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. - Acts 2:38
Unfortunately, using only this verse for their doctrine, some say that baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son and Holy Spirit, does not count. Once a person has his one verse theology, it is useless to show them a second witness; they will only eisegete this next verse.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: - Matthew 28:19
If a particular verse in the Bible were talking about ‘just men’, would the verse be referring to honest men or only men? If the context of the passage does not answer the question, sometimes a look at other passages on a subject is necessary before we draw our conclusions. If we do not hear all the testimony, we will not have sound judgment or sound doctrine.
Before we start, let me share a short excerpt from Abbott and Costello's famous parody Who is on First.
Costello (acting as a popcorn vender): "When you pay off the first base man every month, who gets the money?"
Abbott (acting as a baseball player): "Every dollar of it. Why not? The man is entitled to it."
Costello: "Who is?"
Abbott: "Yeah!"
Costello: "So who gets it?"
Abbott: "Why shouldn't he? Sometimes his wife comes down and collects it."
Costello: "Whose wife?"
Abbott: "Yes, after all the man earns it."
Costello: "Who does?"
Abbott: "Absolutely!"
Costello: "All I'm trying to find out is, What is the guys name on first base?"
Abbott: "No. What is on second base!"
Costello: "I'm not asking you who is on second base."
Abbott: "Who is on first!"
Costello: "That's what I'm trying to find out!"
Abbott: "Don't change the players around!"
Costello: "I'm not changing nobody! What is the guys name on first base?"
Abbott: "What is on second!"
Costello: "I'm not asking you who is on second!"
The skit goes on like this until eventually Costello, without knowing what he is talking about, names all nine players on the baseball team.
If Lou Costello knew whom he was talking about, it would have ruined the skit. However, in most other cases it is essential we understand who is talking to whom. If the Bible student ignores this rule, false doctrine will soon creep in.
Christians often refer to the Bible as The Word of God. Amen! Yet the Bible records the words of countless other people, even angels. We must be careful that we know who is speaking in the different Bible passages so we can weigh their words properly.
In the next example, look at these verses from The Book of Job as he speaks wisdom and prophecy.
For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. - Job 19:25-27
In this passage, Job says that he believes in a living Redeemer. Job also expects God will resurrect his body and he will see God. This is all good stuff.
Now, a few chapters later, in the same book, Eliphaz is speaking:
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person. He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.
- Job 22:21-30
Eliphaz speaks of repentance and how the Lord builds us up. All of these words are right from the Bible, yet should we use this passage to teach Christian doctrine? God answers the question himself at the end of the book, when he compares the words of Eliphaz to the words of Job.
In the last chapter of Job we read:
And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. - Job 42:7
Since the Lord was angry at the words of Eliphaz, we would do well not to quote Eliphaz as an authority on our doctrine.
I used this example because teachers often quote The Book of Job without caring who is speaking. Yet before quoting someone in the Bible, we should look at his qualifications. Is he a prophet? Is the person speaking even walking with God? It may be true that an ignorant person will sometimes speak correctly. However, until we are sure the person has God's approval, we should not quote him as an authority.
It is equally important to find out to whom is the speaker is addressing. For instance, is the audience: Jewish or Gentile, an individual or a group, a believer or an unbeliever, an adult or child, man or woman, single or married? 12 All these questions have a bearing on our understanding and application of scripture.
To understand this significance, we will look at a few passages on the law. In the book of Matthew, Jesus said:
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 5:17-19
Some important points for us to see.
In spite of Jesus’ sermon, a few years later, the Apostle Paul comes teaching a doctrine that might appear, at first glance, to be completely opposite.
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:23-26
AND
My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you. Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? - Galatians 4:19-21
Why did Paul stand in doubt of the Galatian believers? Because they placed themselves under Mosaic Law. So, should we keep the law, or shouldn’t we? How can we deal with this apparent contradiction? Easy, Jesus is talking to the Jews; Paul is talking to the Gentiles. I used this example because the book of Acts will answer this question:
And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. - Acts 21:17-19
And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
- Acts 21:20
And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. - Acts 21:21
What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come. Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
- Acts 21:22-23
Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
- Acts 21:24
As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. - Acts 21:25
We all know Paul was a Jew, yet few realize that Paul kept the law (Acts21:24). However, Paul in his letter to the Gentiles warns them not to believe salvation comes by observing the law. Paul never contradicted Jesus by condemning the Jewish believers for keeping the law. (Acts 21:20-21)
In the next example, we see why it is important to know if the speaker is addressing an individual, or a multitude.
[Paul and Silas] said, [to the jailer] Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou13 shalt be saved, and thy house. - Acts 16:31
In this passage, Paul and Silas are replying to their jailer who just asked what he must do to be saved. When Paul and Silas spoke, did they imply, as some teach, that if we believe our families would be saved also? Or, were they simply promising the Jailer his family? The answer is, the Jailer was promised his family. This is because Paul was not writing this as an epistle to the church (plural), he was prophesying to an individual (singular), a prophecy that did come to pass. Compare Paul’s words to those of Jesus when he spoke to those who would come to believe on him, saying:
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. - Matthew 10:35-37
Another important principle as you try to understand a verse, look at how the thought of the verse flows with the rest of the passage. I will use the doctrine of soul sleep, for an example. Let us (at least pretend to) believe in soul sleep as we read a portion of 1st Peter to see how this works.
For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; - 1 Peter 3:17-4:1
This passage inspires two questions for those who of us who (are at least pretending to) believe in soul sleep.
The first question: What is the overall thought Peter is trying to communicate?
For me, I see is suffering. Trying to encourage us in our suffering, Peter at the beginning and end of this passage talks of Jesus' suffering for us, and then admonishes us, to be armed with the same mind.
Second question: What is the literal interpretation of the verse "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison" ?
Peter expounds on this verse with additional comments (the middle paragraph). Now, if you believe that he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, when Christ suffered for us, the thought in all these verses will flow together.
However, if you (really) believe in soul sleep, you would not believe that Jesus preached to the disobedient in Noah’s time, because they were sleeping. The third question becomes, why in the middle of discussing Jesus’ example of suffering, would Peter go off topic and discuss Noah's preaching during the time of the flood?
In using the flow of thought, like taking scripture in context, you should ask yourself if it is likely, or at least possible, that the author would be discussing your interpretation of a particular verse at that point in his dissertation.
The difference between using the flow of thought and taking a verse in context is when you look for context you look for connections with the surrounding passages. Words such as and, or, but, so, then, for and therefore. For thoughts to harmonize they do not need to have any of these actual connections, for instance in the introduction to his epistles, Paul (as well as in many of the other books of the Bible) often gives us a hint as to why he wrote the letter. Understanding his motives will help us to understand and apply his instructions.
Understanding the flow of thought is essential to understanding many passages of scripture.
Here is a copy of a page from the codex Sinaiticus, (an early Greek New Testament).
Notice that this early Greek manuscript is ALL CAPS, no spaces, not much punctuation.
Grammar and punctuation
Like this Greek manuscript, the ancient Hebrew Scriptures from Moses' time would be hard to compare to modern English.
The early Greek and Hebrew Scriptures do not differentiate between upper and lower case letters. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee." would have read something like: "PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM: THEY SHALL PROSPER THAT LOVE THEE."
The earliest Hebrew and Greek Scriptures did not place spaces between their words. These early manuscripts would read: "PRAYFORTHEPEACEOF
JERUSALEM:THEYSHALL
PROSPERTHATLOVETHEE."
Even the punctuation in the ancient manuscripts is missing; now it reads PRAYFORTHEPEACEOF
JERUSALEMTHEYSHALL
PROSPERTHATLOVETHEE
The earliest Hebrew Scriptures, going even further, did not use vowels; these were added by scribes years later, now it looks like you will need a scribe to understand PRYFRTHPCFJRSLM
THYSHLLPRSPRTHTLVTH
And if that were not enough the Hebrew reads HTVLTHTRPSRPLLHSYHT
MLSRJFCPHTRFYRP that is from right to left).
Fortunately, their vocabulary was smaller than ours. And to make up for the lack of vowels in the Hebrew, there were enough consonants in a word to decipher it. In addition, some letters looked different when placed at the end (make that the beginning for the Hebrew) of a word. Moreover, the Greek used more inflections. For instance, a single Greek verb could have nearly 400 different spellings,13.5 today English replaces most of these inflections, using instead, fixed word location.
The important point of this ungrammar lesson is not to place too much emphasis on verse's grammar or punctuation. Capital letters, paragraph spacing, and other punctuation, may be subject to your sincere challenge. This is true in both the Old and New Testaments. Be careful therefore, as you trust your interpretation to a comma. For this example, we will look at a passage whose interpretation is debated by those who believe in soul sleep:
And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
- Luke 23:42-43
Those Christians who believe in soul sleep, (knowing that early manuscripts are missing commas) move the comma (after the word thee) in the verse:
Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
TO (after the word today):
Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Thus doing, they change the meaning of the verse from a promise of being in paradise later that day, to a promise of being in paradise in the future. This change is necessary to make the passage fit their doctrine of soul sleep.
However, where should we place the coma? Do we have a problem when a coma is missing from early manuscripts? Using the rule taught in the chapter Use two or three witnesses to develop doctrine let us see if we can find any clues to this puzzle.
In the chapter The Flow of Thought Should Harmonize, we saw that if we understood a verse properly, the thoughts should flow in harmony.
If, in Luke’s account, Jesus said: Verily I say unto thee, … He was stressing the importance of the words that would follow.
If Jesus said: Verily I say unto thee today, (with the comma after today) shalt thou be with me in paradise. The word today did not add stress; (harmonize with the previous words) it only added confusion. And, the confusion of this one word has caused most Christians throughout the centuries to misunderstand the verse.
Getting back on topic, it is important that in the English language, a comma in the wrong spot can substantially change the meaning of a verse. While I do not have any special rules on grammar, you should be aware of the issue. With good hermeneutics,14 and prayer, you should be able to parse most grammatical structures in your Bible.
Jots and tittles
For verily I [Jesus] say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. - Matthew 5:18
In this statement, Jesus is assuring us that the least stroke of Moses’ pen will not pass from the Law. This promise refers to the faithful reproductions in the original language, not to every translation. For instance, with the evolution of our own language, we can see many differences in punctuation. For example, these two verses say the same thing; only the first one was penned, nearly four-hundred years later. The differences in punctuation are underlined.
But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations." - Genisis 48:19 NKJV
And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. - Genisis 48:19 KJV
Italicized words
The translators of the King James Version (and some other versions) added the italicized words to their translation to help smooth out the reading. However, since the italicized words are not in the original manuscript, they should not change the meaning of a sentence. Nevertheless, the translators italicized them to let you make the final decision. However, you must be careful in some modern translations, as many do not make any effort to help you discern between the translator’s additions and the original manuscript.
Paragraphs
Some Bibles have paragraph marks (¶) or bold verse numbers to indicate paragraph breaks. Today many modern Bibles do not even have these. I will confess that I made some paragraph breaks in this study to make the passages that were under scrutiny easier to follow.
As for the different Bible versions, let’s look at Mark chapter two which I picked at random: I have an older King James Version; its first paragraph break is at verse eleven. My New King James Version puts a paragraph break after verse four. The New International Version places the first paragraph break after verse five. As you can see, there is not much weight in the paragraph breaks.
Chapter and verse numbers
The copyists and translators added the chapter and verse numbers to the Bible manuscripts fairly recently.15 We should use them only for locating individual verses, not to divide a passage or thought. There are many passages where the thought continues into the next chapter.
Some Rabbis have opposed translating the Sacred Scripture from Hebrew into other languages because they feared some of the inspiration would be lost. It is difficult to translate poetry and idioms that are unique to a culture, that is for sure.
However, excepting poetical structure, you can understand many of the difficult passages properly with the aid of a good Bible concordance. This tool enables you to find any verse in the Bible in minutes. It also gives a simple definition and shows all the other places where the word is used in its original language for comparison (the instructions on how to use a concordance are in the front cover).
Here is an example of an idiom lost in translation. What is the evil eye Jesus is speaking of? 16
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! - Matthew 6:23
If you will look up the passages of scripture where it mentions an evil eye, two things will happen. First, when you see what the passages have in common, you will understand what the idiom of the evil eye refers to. Second, when you understand this idiom, it may clarify some of the more obscure passages where it is used. Unfortunately, some modern translations leave out the evil eye, not discerning the need in a literal translation.
In another example, let us look at a verse commonly misunderstood by the Jehovah’s witnesses (JW). Have you ever heard a JW try to prove that Jesus is a created being? If so, he may have used the following verse.
And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; - Revelation 3:14
To those who believe Jesus is a created being, this verse seems to imply just that. However, let us look at the word beginning a little closer before concurring.
Since words can lose or change their definition in translation, the serious Bible student is only concerned with the meaning intended by the original author. We will try to do this by looking up the word ‘beginning’ in our concordance. This word beginning in Revelation 3:14 is the Greek word ar-khay. The definition is, "A commencement, or chief (in various applications of order, time, place or rank)”.17 Here are three other verses where the word (in bold font) ar-khay is used.
And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. - Luke 20:20
AND
Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. - 1 Corinthians 15:24
AND
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: - Colossians 2:9-10
And, if you looked up the word ar-khay' yourself, you will see passages where it does mean first in time. If Jesus were a created being (though it is circular reasoning), this verse may help confirm it. However, since John used a word that has many meanings, this verse does not prove Jesus was a created being.
After studying how the apostles used the word ar-khay' in the first century, (rather than how the JWs use it in the twenty-first century). If Jesus is God the son, and our creator,18 the apostle John was glorifying Jesus in Revelation 3:14 when he said that Jesus is, “the faithful and true witness, the rule, principality and power of the creation of God”.
Another common problem in translating from an original language is that words often have two or more meanings. The word spirit in the Greek is pnyoo'-mah. The word spirit can also be translated: a current of air, a breath, a blast, a breeze. In the following, the three bold words have the same root-word.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. - John 3:8
Some Bible passages really come to life when we understand the fullness of the Greek or Hebrew words. This fullness comes when you look up and use a word’s original definition.
Words also change their meaning over time. For instance, when a young person says, “Hey, that's bad!”, he may be implying that he is excited. The word bad has come to have two meanings, bad and good. An example out of the King James Version of a word that has changed meaning:
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. - James 3:13
Today the word conversation means, to talk or to have a discussion. In 1611 when they translated the King James Version, the word meant behavior or conduct. Looking up archaic words will confirm your interpretations when you are right, and help correct you, when you are wrong.
Another tool to help you in translating is the Interlinear Bible.19 It places the original Hebrew or Greek words on top and a corresponding English word underneath (the Old Testament reads from right to left).
This next example shows how an Interlinear Bible can help recover a word’s original meaning. Since there is a lot of errors taught from a misunderstanding of Daniel's Seventy Weeks, we will use it in this important though lengthily example. The passage reads:
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. - Daniel 9:24
First, Daniel said there are Seventy weeks. After studying it, many Christians believe this prophecy was fulfilled. However the weeks are not weeks of days, rather they are weeks of years.
Daniel 10:1-4 (Reads from right to left)
The trouble comes, when teachers decide that the word week, was originally defined as seven days. Then, since these days really mean years, they will replace the word days for years when they interpret other Bible prophecies. However, if the day-year principle is wrong, these teachers will proceed to misinterpret other prophecy using the faulty Line upon Line method mentioned in an earlier chapter.
To show why this day-year principle does not work, using an interlinear Bible, look at the word weeks in chapter ten of Daniel.
Reading Hebrew from right to left, we see in chapter ten that Daniel literally said, “weeks of days” (actually using the word days). Next looking at Daniel 9:24, the literal translation is "Seventy sevens are determined upon thy people...". Because Daniel did not say weeks of days, as he did in chapter ten, it is wrong to teach that the weeks were weeks of days in chapter nine.
Today we use the word decade to describe a ten-year period, however, in ancient Israel, the decade was a seven-year time-period (and the Hebrew word for it was seven). The end of each seven years was supposed to be a Sabbath year. After seven sevens (49 years) there was to be a special Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25).
Daniel 9:23-25
Since the sevens were not sevens of days, the day-year principle is built on a false premise and any interpretation using it will be wrong.
While we do not want to work a scripture verse to death, we do want to spend more time on it if we are going to use the passage later to make a rule of interpretation or if the precise interpretation of any word is important for understanding.
After a Concordance and an interlinear Bible, you should have a lexicon.20 Will give a more detailed definition of the words than the dictionary in the Strong’s Concordance. In the following verse, the only way to define bow is to use a dictionary or lexicon, as this word is used only once in scripture. (Though Strong’s definition is interesting and should not be ignored.)
And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. - Revelation 6:2
As we seek a formula to understand scripture, we should keep in mind that it is God who enlightens us to understand spiritual truths. However, he often does that through the Bible. For instance, in some passages, like Daniel chapter seven, the angel himself will give us the proper interpretation. Yet what do we do with the other passages? For instance without the angel interpreting for us, how do we understand this vision of John in the book of Revelation?
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: - Revelation 12:1
To understand this passage properly, we must know how our Lord would define the words: woman, sun, moon and crown of twelve stars. To do this let us look at other passages to see how the same symbolic words are defined. Since some words have several meanings, we should be careful and thoroughly research a particular word before coming to a conclusion. With this in mind, let us look at other verses to how see they define the word woman.
For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. - Isaiah 62:5
AND
I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman. - Jeremiah 6:2
AND
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. - 2 Corinthians 11:2
In every parable where I saw a symbolic meaning, the woman represented Israel or the Church. Now, let’s look at verses containing sun and moon.
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. - Malachi 4:2
AND
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! - Isaiah 5:20
AND
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. - Isaiah 9:2
AND
Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. - 1 Thessalonians 5:5
AND
And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. - Genesis 1:16
From these verses I see a correlation between the sun (or light) and good. And between the moon (or darkness) and evil. Now let us search the scriptures for the crown of twelve stars. Where in the Bible do we see the number twelve used?
Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. - Matthew 19:28
Could each star represent a tribe of Israel? Could they represent each of the twelve apostles? The way the Scripture uses twelve implies it may be a special number that God uses when he describes his government.
Going back to the vision in Revelation 12:1, and using the Bible's own figurative language to define words, it reads:
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman [God's chosen people] clothed with the sun [walking in righteousness], and the moon under her feet [she has overcome Satan], and upon her head a crown of twelve stars [twelve, because she is reigning with God; stars because she does so in righteousness]: - Revelation 12:1
In order to understand a verse properly, we must understand the topic under discussion in the passage or even better the topic of the whole book. Does the Bible teach the earth is suspended on pillars?
Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. - Job 9:6
AND
. . . for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.
- 1 Samuel 2:8
Some Bible skeptics use passages like these to prove the scriptures are not scientific or reliable. To see if this accusation has any merit, lets study it from two different perspectives.
The first perspective:
Do the above verses actually teach that the earth is set on pillars? The first verse is from Job, and the skeptic is selectively quoting from him, for a little later in his book Job will very specifically say:
He [the Lord] stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. - Job 26:7
As we try to learn from the scripture, here are some things we should try to remember. The first two points were covered in their own chapters.
Then we must try to understand what a topic of the scripture passage is. For example:
Imagine that you see a beautiful sunset and it inspires you to cry out, "Wow, what a beautiful sunset.” Since your topic is the beauty of the evening sky, rather than astronomy, everyone should be able to understand you. Yet suppose some know-it-all says that you do not know what you are talking about. Everyone knows that the sun does not set; it’s the earth that rotates!
Now if you do not like to appear foolish, you could look up synonyms for the word sunset. In order to save you some time I looked up sunset in a thesaurus and found: evening, sundown, dusk, twilight, night, day's end and nightfall". Since none of these synonyms acknowledge that it is the earth that rotates, and not the sun that sets, paleontologists a thousand years from now can assume that our whole culture is ignorant of this basic cosmological truth. In the mean time, we can be content using the word sunset.
Any mindless person, who wishes, can deliberately misunderstand you. Their quoting your description of a sunset does not prove that you do not know that it is the earth rotating and not the sun setting.
This test will help you to see the importance of the topic when we are trying to understand scripture.
Question 1, In describing God's majesty, Job says:
Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
- Job 9:61. He is describing God who can do things past finding out.
2. He is telling us he believes the Earth is on pillars.
3. He is describing the recent event of Noah’s flood.
3. He is describing the Battle of Armageddon.
Question 2, When Job says:
He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. - Job26:7
1. He is describing God who can do things past finding out.
2. He is telling us he believes the Earth is hung on nothing.
3. He is describing the creation week.
Question 3, When (Samuel’s mother) Hannah says:
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.
- 1 Samuel 2:81. She is teaching a class in geology.
2. She is teaching a class in cosmology.
2. She is worshiping God when he answered her prayer.
Question 4, It says in the book of Joshua:
So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. - Joshua 10:13
1. Joshua is teaching us that the sun circles the earth.
2. The Book of Joshua is teaching that Joshua commanded the sun (and moon) not to move.
At this command, God did a miracle and (as we now understand) stopped the earth’s rotation.
Question 5, This chapter, Understanding the topic under discussion Teaches:
1. That you can use any verse to make doctrine as long as the doctrine makes sense.
2. That you cannot use the Bible as a scientific reference.
3. Caution against reading something into a passage that the writer never intended.
4. Not to read your own topic into a passage of scripture.
The second perspective, Remember; at the beginning of the chapter, I said there were two perspectives. The second is that the earth really is set on pillars:
Perhaps God did establish the earth on pillars. One theory that makes sense in contemporary understanding implies that there is a subterranean water system. The theory includes pillars that separate the earth’s core from the earth’s crust. Some verses out of Psalms that may hint at this are: Psalm 18:15, Psalm 24:2, Psalm 104:3 and Psalm 136:6.
While this theory is too involved to go into here, I recommend Walt Brown’s creation science website www.creationscience.com
/onlinebook/. At this website, Dr. Brown Ph.D. proposes a hydro-plate theory that shows the connection between much of the natural phenomena we see today and Noah’s flood. And that Job may have been scientifically accurate when he said pillars after all.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. - James 1:17
Though being consistent is essential to sound doctrine, it is obvious that consistency by itself is nothing. It should go without saying, that if you are applying foolish principles, applying them consistently will be of no value. On the other hand, if you cannot apply a rule of interpretation consistently, then you not the rule become the final arbiter. Therefore, you should discard any rule that does not work consistently.
Prophecy is a special portion of the scripture. It is in the fulfilled prophecy that we see the divine signature. And, it is in the unfulfilled prophecy that we usually see most contradictions in interpretations. Therefore, here are some special rules to apply in your study of eschatology.
Be careful not to fall into the trap of saying or thinking: This prophecy cannot come to pass. God knew the end at the beginning. All prophecy from God will happen exactly as he has spoken it since the beginning.
If thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. - Deuteronomy 18:21
Concerning prophecy, God says it is all or nothing. Now let us look at an example. Many professing Christians believe the nation of Israel is no longer Gods chosen people. With their preconceived idea, the following passages in Zechariah are completely lost to them.
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
- Zechariah 12:2-3
AND
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. - Zechariah 14:1-3
In discussing the end days with many Christian brothers, I have often heard (and read), “This prophecy cannot come to pass”, rather, they believe that many of God’s prophecies are conditional.
It is true that when God’s prophesies to an individual, it may be conditional. This was actually the mission of the prophet, using his gift of prophecy; he tried to turn people from their sin, and to thereby avert the very doom he predicted. One example is when God sent Jonah to Nineveh. Some have suggested, that Jonah’s prophecy failed (Nineveh was not destroyed); when exactly the opposite is true (Jonah’s preaching caused the people to repent).
And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. - Jonah 3:4
AND
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. - Ezekiel 3:18
While the purpose of prophecy will always be to turn people from their sin, there are two types that are never conditional. The prophecies of Jesus’ first coming were not conditional; rather the time and events prophesied were absolute. This same rule goes for prophecies concerning the end days. They should turn us from sin and they are absolute.
Remember this, and show yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
- Isaiah 46:8-10
AND
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. - Luke 21:36
It is the absolute and unconditional-nature of the Messianic prophecies that turn people from their sin. The question is, will we understand them and thereby make a proper application in our own lives? Only if you believe that God knows the end from the beginning.
If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold. - Numbers 12:6b-8a
The Hebrew word for dark is khee-daw'. It translates as a puzzle; hence a trick, conundrum, sententious maxim.17
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.
- Proverbs 25:2
In The Book of Numbers, the Lord tells Aaron and Miriam that he differentiates between Moses and other prophets. To Moses the Law Giver, He would speak plainly. To the other prophets (and reading them will confirm this truth) he spoke in parables, using symbolic language.
And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. - Matthew 13:10-11
Some points about a jigsaw puzzle:
To be honest, for some Christians, studying the Bible is not very exciting. Where there should be a magnificent sunrise, they see modern art. While excitement is not perfect evidence that what you believe is true, if there is no excitement in your Bible studies (assuming you have a relationship with the Lord) you may have some puzzle pieces in the wrong place.
The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.
Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbor. - Jeremiah 23:29-30
So how can you tell if your puzzle pieces are in the right place? You practice by studying the fulfilled prophecies of the Lord’s first coming in the Old Testament. As you study these prophecies, though a little like puzzle pieces, they read plainly. In fact so plainly, that there is little disagreement among Christians on their interpretation. Once you have studied Jesus’ first coming, then try studying prophecy about the end times. Does your interpretation read as plainly as the prophecies of Jesus' first coming?
An example is in Ezekiel 38. A common interpretation of this prophecy is that Russia will invade Israel immediately before or just after the start of the Great Tribulation period. Let us test this theory. However, before you do this exercise, read all of Ezekiel 38:1 to verse 39:29.
If these events happen shortly after the start of the Great Tribulation, will:
And you shall go up, coming like a storm. You shall be like a cloud to cover the land, you and all your bands, and many peoples with you. - Ezekiel 38:9
Will these nations recover to come up against Israel again seven years later at the end of the Great Tribulation?
While other prophets predict a huge multitude of people come to the battle of Armageddon at the end of The Great Tribulation, do any other prophets predict a huge multitude will come up to Israel at the beginning of the Great Tribulation?
And you shall come up on My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It shall be in the last days, and I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I shall be sanctified in you, O Gog, before their eyes. - Ezekiel 38:16
Will the nations come to know the Lord right before the Great Tribulation?
For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great quaking in the land of Israel, so that the fish of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men on the face of the earth, shall quake at My presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
- Ezekiel 38:19-20
When do the other prophets say these events will happen? Before or after the Great Tribulation?
So I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself. And I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am Jehovah. - Ezekiel 38:23
If the Lord were to make himself known in the eyes of many nations, will they still take the mark of the beast?
And again, will they come up to the battle of Armageddon only seven years later?
You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your bands, and the people with you. I will give you for food to the birds of prey of every kind, and to the beasts of the field.
- Ezekiel 39:4
When does another prophet say the Lord will feed the birds in this manner?
And I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel. And I will not let them profane My holy name any more. And the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, the Holy One in Israel. - Ezekiel 39:7
When do any other prophets predict that Israel will come to know the Lord Jehovah?
And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: - Ezekiel 39:9
As I read the portion of scripture surrounding verse nine, it sounds like a seven-year celebration, could this really be happening at the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
As I hope you saw, the pieces do not fit very well. If Russia invaded Israel at the end of the Great Tribulation; would the pieces of the puzzle fit better when answering the above questions?
One final point in concluding, though we study diligently, we may not understand all prophecy until after the Lord’s return. For an example of why it may be necessary to wait until then, look at this prophecy in the book of Jeremiah:
Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. - Jeremiah 31:15
Many years later, during the Roman occupation of Israel, Matthew records:
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. - Matthew 2:16-18
Before Herod's reign, it would have impossible to predict from Jeremiah’s prophecy that Herod was going to massacre the children of Bethlehem. Now, after the fulfillment, this prophecy, though morbid, is easy to understand. Perhaps we shall not finish the whole puzzle before we get to heaven, for as Paul said:
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. - 1 Corinthians 13:12
Even so, there are many prophecies of the end times that we can understand. For instance:
Men [will be] fainting from fear, and expecting those things which have come on the earth. For the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. - Luke 21:26
When these things happen, they will terrify the unbelieving world, even as predicted. Even so, because Jesus prophesied it, these events will encourage the saints that God is in control.
Once a prophecy has been fulfilled, it may still have an even greater fulfillment in the future. Why twice? And why in a greater fulfillment the second time?
There are a handful of really spectacular events that have happened in history. Noah’s flood, Moses leading the Hebrews out of Egypt, The Lord’s first coming and finally the Lord’s second coming at the end of the age. Stories in the Bible are often allegories of one of these last two events. If this sounds confusing, let us look at an example of David, he wanted to build a temple to the Lord (however, the prophet Nathan forbade him).
1. First, we have a prophecy of Nathan. (Pay particular attention to the bold print in this passage.)
… Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall he children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom forever. - 2 Samuel 7:8-13
2. Then we see its first fulfillment.
Both David and Solomon believed by Nathan’s prophecy that Solomon would build the temple. We see this in Solomon's prayer at the dedication of temple.
And [Solomon] said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying, Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel. And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart. Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name. And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven: And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart: Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day. Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me. - 1 Kings 8:15-25
Solomon plainly understood that it was he himself who fulfilled this prophecy; however, this is not the end of the matter.
3. We now see a second, even greater, fulfillment. It was Jesus the Messiah, in building his church
that fulfilled this prophecy in a greater way.
a. He is the son of David.
b. He reigns now as the King of kings.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. - Matthew 28:18
c. He is building his temple the church.
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.
- Ephesians 2:19-22d. His kingdom will have no end.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. - Luke 1:32-33
4. Looking back, it is easy to see that Solomon’s first temple was really an allegory of the second and more important fulfillment, God’s church.
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
We can see in Solomon’s life, and throughout much of the Old Testament, many allegories and prophecy that have their greatest fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
The prophets of God are the only people who have seen into the future. Still they have a time barrier to overcome.
For example, the prophet Daniel received a vision that will not be underrstood before the end times (even he did not understand it).
And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
- Daniel 12:8-10
Since the Lord sealed the vision until the time of the end, all the interpretations prior to the time of end are nothing more than guesses. If we are now at the time of the end, those that are wise may understand.
However, in contrast, the book of Revelation was not sealed. The saints could understand the book of Revelation since the time of its writing. This means that any interpretation we have today, was also possible in the latter half of the first century.
And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. - Revelation 22:10
Even so John had a problem of the time barrier, and the problem is in language.
While many prophets speak of the Battle of Armageddon, how would a prophet technically describe the events?
Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. - Joel 2:8
In this verse, he seems to speak of a bullet proof vest, however, I must be careful as I try interpret Bible prophesy in light of contemporary thought. Every generation since Christ, has had those who thought they were the final generation. Joel may not be talking about bulletproof vests in this verse, he may be prophesying about military technology that we have not yet conceived.
Just suppose for a moment you were a prophet of God two thousand years ago and you had a vision that included things like jet aircraft, computers, televisions and modern military weapons. How would you describe these modern marvels with a vocabulary void of our modern technological terms?
Aircraft:
Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. - Joel 2:5
OR maybe
And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hooves shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:
- Isaiah 5:26-28
Computers or televisions:
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. - Revelation 13:15
Military weapons:
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone [brimstone is an ingredient in gunpowder]. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. - Revelation 9:17-19
If a prophet had a vision of our modern technology, he would have had at least two problems. First, he had no prior education to understand it. Second, he does not have the words necessary to describe our technology in his vocabulary. He must use the words, if not the thought patterns, with which he was familiar.
A second problem we have because of the time barrier is that we ourselves cannot see into the future. Events written by the prophets may seem impossible to take literally. However the future alignment of nations, future inventions, etc, may make some passages that seem impossible today, and therefore hard to believe, easy to understand and easy for God to execute in the future.
Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. - Mark 9:24b
Again he [Jesus] said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. - Luke 13:20-21
The above verse is one of the most commonly misunderstood verses in the New Testament.
As I mentioned in the introduction, a brother and myself got into a particularly long debate over the interpretation of the above verse. We went so far as to take a poll and see how other Christians interpreted this verse. In this poll, I lost unanimously. Therefore, this will be a perfect verse to apply techniques learned in this study.
Most of the Christians we polled interpreted this parable something like this. Jesus is teaching about the kingdom of God. It is like leaven [the Gospel] that the woman [Jesus or the church] took and hid in three measures of meal [the church or the world] until the whole was leavened [the Gospel had spread through the whole world].
The minority interpretation of this passage is this: Jesus is teaching about the Kingdom of God. It is like leaven [false doctrine] that the woman [the church] took and hid in three measures of meal [the word] until the whole was leavened, [the false doctrine had spread through the whole church]. Jesus was warning us to beware of false doctrine entering the church. Today we see the result of this ignorance, as many denominations teach doctrines that are contrary to the Word of God.
Since these two interpretations are contradictory, at least one of them must be wrong. Based on our poll, it is likely my reader, will agree with the majority’s interpretation. So if you have a teachable spirit, please apply the rules (at least the ones you believe are sound) and avoid the mistakes as we look at the above verse.
You must be born again
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
- 1 Corinthians 2:14
Please take our Two Question Test if you are not born again.
You must have Humility
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. - James 4:6
You must have Patience
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. - James 5:7
You must have Faith
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. - Hebrews 11:6
You must not expect to be amused
Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
- Psalms 119:34
AND
And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands. - Isaiah 5:12
Mistake #3: Not Being Well Versed With the Entire Bible
Being well versed with the Bible is not the same as learning precept upon precept. Being well-versed means enables us to look at all passages of scripture on a topic before we make an interpretation.
Since we are not the ancient Jews to whom Jesus was speaking, becoming familiar with the Jewish culture will help as we try to understand His message. For example, when Jesus taught the Parable of the Good Samaritan, understanding what the Jews thought of Samaritans would be necessary to get the full impact of His lesson. This understanding comes only from being familiar with the Bible.
If you familiar with the Bible, you know it does not use leaven in any other parable or allegory to symbolize good, much less The Gospel.22 For this reason, we should not interpret leaven, in the above parable, as the gospel.
Mistake #4: Allowing Preconceived Ideas to Hinder Learning
Everyone we approached in our poll had preconceived ideas, as the verse was new to nobody. Some did not allow their preconceived ideas to hinder their learning, others were not open to correction.
Mistake #5: Reading the Bible to Prove Doctrine, Not to Learn It
This chapter warns the obvious, we must come to the scripture to learn. The secret is to not study only the passages of scripture which prove a doctrine that you already believe.
Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:10b-11
In the book of Acts, Luke mentions the Christians in Berea, praising them for searching the scriptures to see if what Paul taught was true. What would God think of the Berians, if they had only listened to Paul to see if he agreed with what they already believed?
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. - 1 Thessalonians 5:21
AND
For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is hateful to my lips - Proverbs 8:7
Mistake #7: Reading Books on the Bible, Rather Than Reading the Bible
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. - 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Unfortunately, many books misquote the Bible. If you are reading devotionals, instead of studying the Bible, you have no checks or balances to protect you from false doctrine.
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. - Acts 20:29-31
Mistake #8: Using a Commentary before Using a Concordance
Commentaries have their place and we can glean inspiration from them. However, when we looked at the parable of the woman and the leaven in the different commentaries, we had a dilemma. The commentaries had different and sometimes contradictory interpretations of this verse.
Many of the people who depend on commentaries for their primary source of inspiration will get this passage wrong. A better way to tackle this verse is to use a concordance and see how the words are used elsewhere. Using those definitions we can understand what the parable really means.
Mistake #13: Taking Scripture Verses Out of Context
To understand the parable of the woman and her leaven, it will be helpful to see if and how these verses are connected to the previous ones. (Does it start with an And, Then or Therefore?) I believe a careful study will show that this parable connects back at least as far as verse 10. If so, could these connections imply that this parable is addressing the religious leader who was mentioned earlier in verse fourteen?
Mistake #14: Twisting the Words Meaning
As I noted earlier, the popular interpretation had leaven meaning the Gospel and the meal was interpreted church or world. Unless the Bible student can justify those interpretations by using a dictionary, lexicon, or finding a similar symbolic meaning in another scripture passage, he is twisting the meaning of these words. When a person picks an arbitrary definition for each word, he can make the parable teach any doctrine he wishes.
As also in all [Paul’s] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction. - 2 Peter 3:16
Mistake #18: Treating the Kingdom of God as a Democracy
Though being outnumbered does not make an interpretation correct, neither should it put pressure on the believer to change his mind. Holding the minority opinion on an interpretation does not concern those on the narrow road, we can all think of examples when the majority of people have been wrong.
Mistake #19: Finding Private Interpretations in Scripture
Though we should not worry about having a popular interpretation, if no other Christians (outside of your denomination) have a similar interpretation, it should be cause for concern. In the case of this parable, there are other Christians and a few commentaries that share the minority interpretation.
Rule #7: Use Two or Three Witnesses to Develop Doctrine
Rule #7 shows the necessity of finding other places where the Bible teaches the same doctrine to clarify ambiguous passages. Is it reasonable that the same or a similar parable would have the same meaning the same or similar meaning? Here is a parable from the Old Testament that looks similar.
They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened. - Hosea 7:4
In Hosea, the words, “They are all adulterers” makes the context of this parable clear. Since the passages in Hosea and Luke are both parables and in essence, the stories in the parables are nearly identical, a person is kneading leaven into the dough.
As an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened. - Hosea 7:4b
It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. - Luke 13:20-21
If the parable in Hosea is the same or similar to the one in Luke 13, then the meaning of leaven should be the same or similar.
Rule #8: Know Who is Speaking, and to Whom He is Speaking
In the above parable, it is worth noting that Jesus was speaking to the Jews. The Jewish culture would not have missed the spiritual significance of leaven. Even today, Jewish families spring-clean, before the Feast of Unleavened Bread, to remove every speck of leaven from their house. The Law and the prophets have many passages on leaven. In the New Testament time, they understood the spiritual significance of leaven.
Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. - Exodus 12:19
AND
Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven. - Exodus 23:18
AND
No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, - Leviticus 2:11a
AND
. . .Take the meat offering that remaineth of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar: for it is most holy: And ye shall eat it in the holy place, because it is thy due, and thy sons' due, of the sacrifices of the LORD made by fire: . . .
- Leviticus 10:12-13
AND
[The prophet was condemning them.] And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, - Amos 4:5a
In this next passage, Jesus himself warned his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. At first, the disciples took the parable literally and started worrying about their bread. When they understood that Jesus was not worried about bread, rather that he was speaking symbolically, they themselves defined the word as false doctrine.
Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. - Matthew 16:8-12
Paul the apostle also expounds on leaven.
Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. - 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
This is not an exhaustive list of examples. Yet it is sufficient evidence that Jesus could expect the Jews, to whom he was speaking, to take the word leaven to mean evil or false doctrine when he used it in the parable.
Rule #9: The Flow of Thought Should Harmonize
In Luke 13:10 Jesus is teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath, when a woman comes for healing. As a result, the ruler of the synagogue rebuked the people for seeking healing on the Sabbath. Jesus then rebukes his advisories including the leader of the synagogue. Jesus then closes with two parables.
If Jesus taught these parables to warn his followers about the religious leaders behavior, then, the whole passage becomes one harmonious thought.
If you have a different interpretation, does the passage’s flow of thought make it likely that Jesus would have that here?
Rule #12: Understand the Topic Under Discussion
When we take a verse in context, we are looking for words that connect it to the previous verse. When we look at a flow of thought we are trying to see if it is likely that the writer would place our interpretation of a verse in that particular location.
When we look at the topic under discussion, we are trying to go a little deeper. Are these chapters in Luke prophetic? or were written to make us feel good? Or rather to bring us to repentance?
There are chapters in Luke that are prophetic like 17 and 21 however each of these prophecies are introduced with a question:
And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come …
- Luke 17:20a
AND
As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass? - Luke 21:6-7
While Jesus can give prophecy in any chapter he wants, if your mind is on one topic and the writer, (in this case Luke) is writing on another, you will probably misunderstand him.
Rule #13: Be Consistent in Your Application of Rules
Some believe that since Jesus introduced this parable by saying, “Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?”, this parable can only be talking about nice things. If this is a good argument, then Jesus never mentioned bad things when he shared about the kingdom of God.
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. - Matthew 11:12
If we cannot apply a principle consistently, it is of no value in interpreting the hard to understand passages.
Rule #11: Use the Bible to Define Words in the Bible
Using the principles taught in this chapter, we see a rational way to interpret the parable of the woman and leaven. To understand this parable, look up these words to see how the Bible writers used them symbolically when speaking in other places. If you will take the time to do this, this parable should be easy enough, even for a child to understand.
Rule #6: Personal Application
After we interpret a verse properly, we should see if we can make an application in our own lives. My understanding is that Jesus used this parable to warn us that there would be false doctrine in the church. My personal application is to watch out for false doctrine and spread this warning as I share the Gospel.
Mistake #9: Not Recognizing or Avoiding Cults
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. - Acts 20:29-31
And like the synagogue leader in Luke 13:14, there are those in the church who do not care for the sheep. Nor does the leaven in their doctrine bother them much.
I hope that this study helped you sharpen your thinking skills and made you become more critical of errors in interpretation. When you learn to avoid these common mistakes and apply the rules, you can use them with any passage as you study. And once you have put it all together, you will be able to heed our Lord’s warning:
And again he [Jesus] said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
- Luke 13:20-21
May the Scriptures open up their secrets to you as you seek God's will.
Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. - John 5:39
AND
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. - Luke 4:4
May God bless you richly as you sincerely seek to understand and apply His word.
[1] I compared the King James Version to a NIV in this study. You may find other differences as there are variations between the different modern versions.
[2] Matthew 25:1
[3] According to an article from Bill Keller Ministries only 10 percent of those calling themselves Christian have read their Bible through. http://healtheland.wordpress.com
/2008/01/23/less-than-10-of-professed-christians-have-read-the-entire-bible/
[4] Many other denominations suffer from the same blindness; it is just that it is a major fault with the SDAs because they cannot question their prophet E G White. Even so, some SDAs do love the Lord.
[5] See Matthew 13:10-17
[6] Luke 10:30
[7] Daniel 7:16
[8] Actually, usually they haven’t read their Bible, see End Note 3.
[9] Were the researcher’s biases able to influence his findings?
[10] Actually in the Greek there is no indefinite article 'a'. Whether or not the article a should be inserted is determined by the sentence structure in the original Greek. Even so, the JWs have added this 'jot' to their Bible.
[ * ] The New Testament may mention playing musical instruments as the Greek word Psallo; defined by The Strong's Concordance as "to twitch or twang, that is, to play on a stringed instrument (celebrate the divine worship with music and accompanying odes); is used fives times.
[11] The extra biblical source will then interpret the scripture.
[ * ]The Greek word Meta usually translated 'and after that', in other places it is used in the present tense, depending on context and case with which it is joined.
[12] Discernment on whether a woman is married may take some application, as woman and wife are the same Greek word.
[13] In the King James Version, all the thee, thy, thou and thines are singular pronouns in the Greek; and the Ye, you and yours are plural pronouns.
[13.5] The Grammar Workbook of the Greek New Testament by David Fink
[14] The science of interpreting the Bible
[15] The Old Testament numbered its chapters in the year 1228, its verses in 1448 and the New Testament in 1551.
[16] Some modern translators, not understanding this is an idiom, have removed the words evil and eye all together, in such a cases their Bibles are more like a commentary than a translation.
[17] The Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
[18] See John chapter 1 and Hebrews chapter 1.
[19] I recommend The Interlinear Bible (Baker Book House, Grand Rapids Michigan) because it uses the Received Text,
[20] A lexicon is a dictionary for a foreign language.
[22] However, Leviticus 23:17 does mention leaven in one offering