Sound Scriptural Teaching

and

Principles of Interpretation of Prophecy

Today we would like to conclude this brief consideration of this subject with two more aspects of Systematic Prophecy.

Teaching with Humility

Some prophecy teachers have a tendency to be dogmatic. Perhaps it is because they have devoted so much time to their research that they assume they know more than others about the subject.  Some of them become arrogant and stubborn.  Since they are explaining things that have not yet come to pass, their ideas have not yet been disproved. They may even think that they must “teach with authority” in order for people to believe them even though their concepts are contrary to other good teachers and therefore may be flawed.

It is better to share one’s insight with others in a spirit of humility, constantly encouraging listeners to be like the Bereans, about whom it was written:

These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.        – Acts 17:11

In addition, teachers should realize that the best of our ideas about how current trends may fulfill Bible prophecy could be replaced later by even more reasonable explanations.  Those who have presented their thoughts in a spirit of humility will not be embarrassed by changes on the world scene that require them to adjust their own thinking and teaching.

 Denouncing Falsehood

While admitting that our own ideas may or may not be the ultimate fulfillment of Bible prophecy, we should recognize when other teachers have failed to base their ideas on the Bible itself or have used passages of Scripture taken out of context.  When we see that they have ignored good rules of interpretation to produce their theories, and, as in the case of setting dates for the Rapture, they are in the process of leading people astray, we need to point out their error.

 There are many excellent books on the topic of Bible interpretation. In fact, this subject is so broad that it has its own technical name: Hermeneutics.  The word hermeneutics comes from the Greek hermeneo, which means ‘to translate’ or ‘ to interpret.’  For a general purpose book about principles of Bible interpretation we recommend “Living by the Book” by Howard Hendricks.

Interpretation of Bible prophecy takes special care, and there are books written just about prophecy hermeneutics.  But, for the sake of simplicity, we submit this list of rules for your consideration.  Please feel free to comment on these guidelines and suggest additions or modifications.

1 – Understand that all true Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable to every believer.

Since a large part of the Bible is prophecy, that portion of God’s Word should not be ignored or minimized.  The literal fulfillment of prophecies about the first coming of Jesus Christ are the greatest proof that the Bible is inspired, and sets the standard for a literal interpretation of End Times events.

No portion of Scripture should be set aside as unimportant or irrelevant.  All Scripture is worthy of sincere study and application.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

2 – Understand progressive revelation.

Part of God’s plan for the human race was introduced in Genesis, but later Scripture added additional information and understand culminating with the Gospels, and the rest of the New Testament. Later inspiration often added to previously revealed knowledge, but never negated what was already given.

Though God does guide us as individuals in various ways, any true revelation of that sort will never conflict with or supersede the written and generally accepted canon of the 66 books of the Bible.

Hebrews 1:1-2; Ephesians 3:1-11

3 – Understand the language and culture of the time of the writing.

The original biblical languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) are full of ancient root meanings, idioms, and grammatical nuances that require intense study, and for most of us, dependence on reliable scholarship.

Cultural factors must be considered in order to grasp the impact and meaning of any portion of Scripture.  In other words, how would the people of that time understand the plain meaning of the event, story, or teaching?

1 Corinthians 8 – Eating meat offered to idols

4 – Understand the necessity of studying any Bible portion in the context of the passage in which it is found, and by comparing it with other passages of Scripture before trying to determine the truth about the matter.

Let the Bible interpret itself wherever possible. Otherwise, as has often been said, “The Bible can be used to prove anything.”

2 Timothy 2:15

5 – Understand that every passage of Scripture has a literal meaning, though it may also use symbolic language and have additional applications.

The Bible contains much symbolism, including figurative language, similes, metaphors, parables, dreams and visions of beasts and other objects.  But when any symbol is properly interpreted, often by another passage of Scripture, it has one literal meaning. This concept is also called the grammatical-historical method of interpretation.

Genesis 49

Revelation 12:3; 13:1 with Revelation 17: 9-14

6 – Understand the value of prayerful study, brotherhood and discussion in applying the Scripture to current times.

Jesus taught that when the Holy Spirit came He would give enlightenment to the Disciples. Even the best of teachers can be mistaken, but as it says in Proverbs 11:14, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” (NKJV)

Acts 17:11

7 – Understand that it is unwise to be dogmatic about one’s own point of view in regard to future developments.

As seen in the Gospels, some facts about the life and work of Jesus Christ could have been described in advance by knowledge of Old Testament prophecies, but others could only be seen in retrospect.

The Bible requires belief in the eventual return of Christ in power and glory, but the timing of various events (including the Rapture) should not be a test of fellowship among orthodox Christians.

8 – Understand the differences between Israel and the Church.

The Bible can not be understood if one does not see the many distinctions between Israel and the Church.

9 – Understand the cultural influence of later historical periods in the interpretation of Scripture.

Commentators differ widely in their interpretation of prophecy, depending, in part, on their place in history. Their views were influenced by world affairs of their time and are often contradictory. They must constantly be held up to the higher standard of the Word of God itself.  Here are some examples of these historical periods.

The strengths and weaknesses of various periods of Church history are given in short messages to the Seven Churches in Revelation 2 & 3.

The Early Church – First Century believers lived constantly in anticipation of the return of Christ. The concept of the Mystery of the Church Age was revealed and understood gradually, including the end-point of this age, the Rapture.

Middle Ages – Historicism was the predominant explanation: that prophecy has been fulfilled in various events that have taken place throughout history.  This included the rise and fall of empires such as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome.

Reformation thinking:

Historicism – The traditional view was amended by persecuted Protestants to view the Roman Catholic Church and its Pope as the fulfillment of End Times prophecy and especially of the antichrist predictions..

Preterism – This was a defense by Catholic Church against the Historicist view. This perspective claimed that most or all End Times prophecies were fulfilled in the First Century BC. Preterism was later adopted by some Protestants.

Covenant Theology (Calvinistic) – This viewpoint considers all of history as the development of three overarching theological covenants — the covenants of redemption, of works, and of grace. In their system, the covenants include the return of Christ, resurrection of the dead, and the Great White Throne Judgment, but no literal 1000 year Millennium.

Dispensationalism – This is a method of categorizing God’s dealings with humans in various ways during several different periods of time. It was developed in the nineteenth century and adopted by many evangelical teachers. This viewpoint considers the present time as the “Church Age,” with the Millennium and the Eternal State yet to come.

Current Tension – Influenced greatly by the writings of Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye, and others, a large percentage of evangelical Christians expect a literal Rapture of the Church and generally agree that we are in the last generation before Christ’s return.  For many others, there is a tendency to ignore prophecy because it is difficult, controversial, or because some leaders feel that it takes the focus away from missionary and humanitarian endeavors.

Each of these periods produced differing eschatological points of view.  Caution is needed not to elevate any of these human perspectives to equality with direct Bible teaching.

We will continue addressing the subject of “Systematic Prophecy” in our next two blogs -

Teaching with Humility and

Denouncing Falsehood

Image by feyip via Flickr

The study of prophecy must include what happens to people at the end of their mortal life.  Two books that are very popular right now deal with some of these questions.  One of them is Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back.  It is the delightful story of Todd Burpo, a 3 year-old who apparently went to heaven briefly during an emergency appendectomy.  Little by little, his family discovered that he had experienced many wonderful contacts with Bible personalities and family members whom he had never even known existed.  This heartwarming message is not a Bible study.  It is offered as an account of one boy’s personal experience. It does not contradict orthodox Bible doctrine. 

The other book was just released two days ago, but it caused an enormous theological debate even before its release.  That book is Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, by emergent church pastor Rob Bell.  Conservative Bible scholars are alarmed by Bell’s position that the traditional Christian teaching about hell is mean-spirited and untrue.  The book tries to answer to the question that all of us have: “How could a loving God condemn people to an eternity of torment in hell?”

While thoughtful theologians agree that there may be various levels of punishment for those who rebel against God’s will, Bell apparently thinks that judgment and hell are mostly descriptions of the awful events that happen to people during their lifetime (“hell on earth”). As I read the book, I noticed that he didn’t explain the Great White Throne Judgment.  How could a serious book about hell ignore this passage?

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. ¹⁴ Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵ Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. – Revelation 20:11-15

Taking Bell’s arguments to their extreme leads to what is known as “universalism,” the belief that people will eventually be drawn by God’s love into his blessing instead of his punishment, even if they do not receive Christ’s offer of salvation during their mortal lifetime. 

The obvious problem with this view is that it is contrary to the clear teaching of Jesus and the rest of the Bible.  Jesus taught more about hell than all the prophets that came before him. Yet he loves sinners more than anyone else has ever loved them, and sacrificed his life for them! His stern warnings about hell are the direct result of his love for the people he came to save.

Bell agrees that God’s love is infinite (thus the title: “Love Wins”), and that salvation is accomplished through the atonement of Jesus’ death. But he thinks that those who respond to God’s love will receive the gift of eternal life even if they don’t know about Jesus.

This issue will undoubtedly create a great debate among Bible scholars in the days to come.  We will follow that debate and post more information in our blog from time to time. 

From the standpoint of Bible prophecy, the acceptance of universalism will make possible a final world-religion.  According to several passages of Scripture, there will be a great apostasy, or “falling away” of Bible-observing Christians (Matthew 24:12; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 2 Timothy 4:2-4). Apostate Christianity will then be able to merge with other religions. The final evil one-world government will be supported by a united religion, symbolized by the adulterous woman who rides on the beast in Revelation 17.

For more information about Heaven, Hell, and the End-Times, see our book – Connecting the Dots: A Handbook of Bible Prophecy.

Christian Apologetics is a description of the work that serious scholars do to provide answers to the tough questions we have about our faith. It comes from the Greek word apologia, “to speak in favor of.” It is a defense of the Bible and of Christian beliefs.

Before saying any more, let me agree with the old saying, “You don’t need to defend the Bible, you just need to use it.” In Ephesians 6:10-18, every piece of armor except one is used for protection. Items like the breastplate, the shield and the helmet are defensive. But one piece is used for offense, and that is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God!

On the other hand, seekers and followers of Christianity have a right to know the reasons why the Bible stands alone as the one holy book in the world that is completely true and trustworthy. Skeptics can bring up some serious questions that ought to be answered. Great Christian authors from Augustine to C.S. Lewis have provided eloquent answers to these objections to the Christian faith. And today we are fortunate enough to have the ongoing wisdom of many “defenders of the faith” like Josh McDowell, Lee Strobel, and Ravi Zacharias.

Apologetics Central lists about 20 of these heroes, and gives some basic information about each one of them and how you can reach their websites and obtain their resources. Many others will be added soon. In addition to the well-known leaders in this field, there are literally hundreds of sites on the Internet that you might want to visit to understand the essence of Christian belief or for help with various questions about evolution, atheism, cults, and other false teaching. We list many of them for your convenience.

Bible Prophecy is just one branch of the immense subject of apologetics. We are grateful for the privilege of starting this project and of sharing it with you. It will grow gradually, just as Prophecy Central has done over the years. Please pray that it will be beneficial to Christians. We would be honored to have you visit the site. And you can click on “Comments” below to give us your reactions and suggestions.

Apologetics Central
http:www.apologetics-central.com

Evangelical, Orthodox, and Catholic leaders have agreed that Christians must stand firm on the biblical teaching in three areas that are being attacked by today’s declining culture. The issues are:

1. The sanctity of human life. [Issues: abortion, euthanasia]
2. The dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife. [Issue: same-sex marriage]
3. The rights of conscience and religious liberty. [Issue: hate-crime legislation to discredit the Bible]

The Manhattan Declaration directs Christians to stand courageously for these things, regardless of the consequences (persecution and imprisonment), and if necessary, to practice civil disobedience.

Jesus warned that in the Last Days his followers would be persecuted.

“You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. – Mark 13:9

Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. – Acts 4:18-19

You can be involved. Read and sign the declaration.

Christian Leaders Issue ‘A Call of Christian Conscience’ – Crosswalk