How to Interpret Scripture (Tip #2)

The literal and the symbolic are not mutually exclusive. A statement, whether in the bible or in everyday life, can be both physical and symbolic. For example, if I say "John bought Mary a wedding ring", the ring symbolizes John's love and commitment to Mary. In this case, it is true that the literal meaning is more significant than the physical meaning, but that does not render the literal meaning false. Regardless of the symbolic significance, the ring is a tangible metal object.

For example, some Christians think that the Millennium will not be exactly 1,000 years, because 1,000 = 10 x 10 x 10, where 10 is the number for perfection. However, the symbolic significance of the 1,000 years does not disprove a literal 1,000 year reign.

Also, some Christians think that the new Jerusalem will not contain twelve foundations where "the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst" (Revelation 22:19b-20). They would point out that the foundation represents the twelve apostles, and explain how these precious stones symbolize the beauty and splendor of the new Jerusalem, thinking that the symbolic meaning renders the literal meaning impossible or unlikely.

Not so. Moses' tabernacle was a copy and shadow of what is in heaven, and was replete with symbolic meaning. Nevertheless, no Christian would deny that the tabernacle was physical and tangible.

When examining a passage that seems to contain both a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning, we need to find out the author's intent to see if one or both meanings are valid. If the Millennium will literally be 1,000 years, how would the apostle John state this in such a way that his audience would believe in a Millennium of 1,000 years instead of a Millennium of an unspecified number of years? How else could John have written it other than what he wrote to make his point more clear? If the twelve foundations of the new Jerusalem were indeed made of jasper, sapphire, chalcedony et cetera, how else could John have written it to make his point more clear?

How to Interpret Scripture (Tip #1)

This may be obvious, but when interpreting Scripture, it is important to grasp the author's intent. Most often, the author knew the passage better than we do, because he was the one who wrote it down. If we come up with an interpretation that the author would never have thought of, it is very likely to be wrong.

It does not matter that a passage can be interpreted as meaning such-and-such. For example, lawyers may find loopholes in the United States Constitution, and claim that the Constitution can be interpreted to allow such-and-such, even though they know it clearly contradicts the Founding Fathers' intent. The lawyers' objective is to interpret the Law in such a way that supports their case.

However, proper exegesis is not like the courtroom. The purpose is not to find how a passage can be interpreted to fit our theology. Rather, the purpose is to find out what the author was trying to convey.

Each book of the Bible is written by one or more authors, and each book has a target audience. What we feel important may not be important to the author, and vice versa. However, if a topic is important to both us and the author, and we want to find out what the author meant, we can ask ourselves the following questions:

• If A is true, what would the author have written?
• If B is true, what would the author have written?
• If A is true, and the author wanted to convey A, how would he write it in such a way that the readers would believe A instead of B?
• If B is true, and the author wanted to convey B, how would he write it in such a way that the readers would believe B instead of A?

For Such a Time as This

Back in the 1940s, many people in Britain immediately recognized the meaning of the phrase "and if not" that is transmitted from the besieged armies of Dunkirk. As a result, nearly 350,000 British and Allied soldiers were saved from the advancing Germans.

Today, not many people in America or worldwide understood what Sarah Palin meant when she said "if I die, I die". To her evangelical supporters, the meaning and the implications are obvious. However, people in the mainstream media either do not understand the phrase, or are pretending not to understand. For example, the Boston Globe uses this for the title of its article: "Palin: If I die politically, so be it‎", when what Palin said is this: "Politically, if I die, I die. So be it." Big difference.

My personal belief is that God has raised this former beauty queen to this position "for such a time as this".

The Importance of Bible Theology

As Christians, we are to watch our life and doctrine closely, so that we can please God and not get swept away by false teaching. By studying His word, we can know more about our God who created us and saved us, so that we can love what He loves and hate what He hates. If anyone says, "I love God", yet dismisses theology as useless, he is a liar, for he cannot love a God whom he knows nothing about. To study theology is to learn about God.

While theological truth is logically consistent, not all logically consistent statements are theological truth. It is possible to believe in a logically consistent system that is consistently wrong. Therefore, reason can never replace divine revelation as the source of divine truth.

In the early church, believers could learn about God directly from the apostles as well as reading the Old Testament. They can listen to the apostles and ask them questions face to face. Any theological dispute can be settled by the apostles.

Now that the apostles have gone to be with the Lord, we can no longer learn doctrine and settle theological disputes by discussing with the apostles face-to-face. Instead, we must rely on the 66 books of the Bible as the only source of divine truth. We cannot rely on the teachings of men who have not personally seen the risen Christ, for they are fallible, and their teachings may contain statements that are false. The Bible is infallible, and every statement in it is true.

While the Bible is infallible, our interpretation of the Bible is not infallible. We all have presuppositions, and it is all too easy to interpret the Bible with faulty presuppositions and thus deviate from the author's original intent. In many New Testament epistles, the apostles wrote for a target audience, and while the contents of the epistle apply to us today, we are not the target audience the apostle had in mind. For instance, 1 and 2 Corinthians were written by Paul to the church in Corinth in first century AD. They deal with the situation in Corinth, and address issues important to the believers in Corinth at that time. Paul wrote to answer the Corinthians' concerns, which may or may not be our concerns. It is easy to assume that Paul was addressing our concerns when he was not, and thus misinterpret Paul's intended meaning. Thus, we cannot guarantee that our theology is 100% biblical regarding secondary doctrines (doctrines not essential to salvation). Some doctrines that we believe to be true may very well be false, and vice versa.

Some people rely on the authors of commentaries and systematic theologies to do the interpretation for them. However, 100% biblical theology cannot be achieved this way either, because all written works must be interpreted, not just the Bible. It is impossible to read something and to understand it without interpreting it. We might misinterpret the theologian's original intent in the same way we might misinterpret the apostle's original intent. Even if the theologian was alive so that we can ask him questions verbally, we cannot guarantee we have 100% biblical theology because we cannot guarantee the theologian has 100% biblical theology.

Nonetheless, if we read the Bible with an open heart and an honest mind, and try to capture the author's original intent, we will come to the same conclusions regarding the doctrines essential to salvation, even though we may come to different conclusions regarding the doctrines not essential to salvation. By agreeing on the doctrines essential to salvation, we know enough to refute all non-Christian belief systems such as Mormonism or Buddhism, leading millions upon millions to Christ.

One day, we will see Jesus face to face in heaven. Now we know in part, then we shall know fully, even as we are fully known. On that day, we will have guaranteed 100% biblical theology. Moreover, we will know God and love Him far more perfectly than here on earth, and we will never sin against Him again. Until then, the Bible teaches us what we need to know, and it is important to rightly divide the word of truth.

In a future post, we will examine the topic of "how to interpret the Bible".

Longing

I long for the day when people will show Jesus proper respect and stop taking His name in vain. I long for the day when all who criticize God's character will see that He is loving and holy, merciful and just.

Come, Lord Jesus!

Glory

Glory to God in the highest.
Honor and praise to the One who created
Heaven and earth, land and sea,
And every thing in them.

All things were created by Him,
Without Him, nothing was made that has be made.
Even though the world was created through Him,
The world did not receive Him.
He was mocked, mistreated, misunderstood.
His name was taken in vain by many
Even to this very day.

His love and kindness endures forever
But the world does not thank Him for it.

He is patient towards us,
Not wanting any to perish
But everyone to come to repentance,
Yet his patience is mistaken for powerlessness
And slowness to keep His promise.

Holy is He
Who punishes the evildoer,
Yet His justice is mistaken for cruelty.

But one day He will return,
Seated on a white cloud,
With power and great glory.
He will reign on earth for a thousand years,
And all His saints with Him.

Then His name will vindicated.
His love and holiness will be seen for what they are.
He will be seen for what He is.
No longer will He be despised and ridiculed.

Glory to God in the highest,
Who in His great mercy,
Put up with foolishness of sinful men and women,
And offered them the good news of eternal life
Through faith in Him.

Honor and praise to the Creator of all things,
May His name be vindicated soon,
He who is exalted to the highest place,
And given a name that is above every name.

At the name of Jesus,
Every knee will bow,
In heaven and on earth and under the earth,
And every tongue confess that
Jesus is Lord,
To the glory of God the Father.

The Last Rebellion

"When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth — Gog and Magog — to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelation 20:8-10)

After 1,000 years of Jesus ruling on earth, Satan will go out to deceive the nations once more, and many people will join Satan in their one last rebellion against God. It will not just be a few rebels here and there. It may very well include most of the inhabitants of the earth, for Scripture says that "in number they are like the sand on the seashore", too numerous to count. At first glance, this rebellion is quite shocking, considering Jesus will have reigned in Jerusalem for 1,000 years, so no one can deny the fact that God exists and that Jesus is God. There will hardly be any atheists or agnostics demanding scientific proof that God exists, for God Incarnate will reign over the earth and His glorified saints with Him.

During the Millennium, heresy will not be a problem as it is today, for Christianity will be the only accepted belief system. The congregation of believers will no longer be divided into numerous denominations, for Jesus and His apostles will be there to settle doctrinal disputes quickly, if any. Therefore, Christian doctrine will be consistent and clear, without being tainted by wrong presuppositions or by misinterpretation. Christians will make disciples of all nations, and perhaps we in our glorified bodies will participate in this worldwide evangelism effort alongside people who became believers during the Tribulation or the Millennium.

Moreover, the inhabitants of the earth will have known peace for the past 1,000 years in an Eden-like utopia. The average lifespan will increase to hundreds of years, just like before the Flood. Moreover, the animals will become vegetarians and live in harmony with each other. The wolf will live with the lamb, and the lion will eat straw like an ox. There will be no war, no famine, no poverty, no frivolous lawsuits. After 1,000 years of experiencing what can be described as "heaven on earth", it is amazing how anyone can deny that Jesus is a capable and benevolent ruler, for He will have ushered in an era of peace unheard of prior to His Second Coming.

So, many people will know that Jesus is God and that He is good, and they will still rebel against Him to their own eternal destruction. How foolish of them, considering that 1,000 years ago the Antichrist led a similar rebellion at the slaughter of Armegeddon, where the unbelievers did not stand a chance against God, for the "battle" was over before it began. What makes the people think they will prevail against God this time around? Moreover, why rebel against God who loves them and has provided for their needs, and follow Satan who cares nothing about them?

Shocking, but in light of Scripture, not too surprising considering that people are born with a sinful nature even in the Millennium. Like us, people will have to make a choice whether to follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior, or go their own way and be the the lord of their own lives. Knowing that God exists is one thing; following Him is another. Sadly, even in the Millennium many will go their own way, for they love darkness more than light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.

It is prevenient grace that freed us to believe while we were yet sinners. The same is true for those living in the Millennium. Those who continually resist the Holy Spirit may reach a point of no return, when they have hardened their hearts to such an extent that they will never repent and believe, no matter how many times they hear the gospel and no matter how much evidence is thrown at them. They will be too proud to humble themselves, and they will follow him who comes out of the Abyss in their one last act of defiance towards God. During the Great White Throne Judgement, they will finally see their sin for what it is and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, but by that time it is too late. They will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.