The antediluvian world, the world before the flood, is shrouded in obscurity.  Very few chapters are written about it in the Bible, five to be exact, and yet it was at least a period of two thousand years.  What happened back then?  How did people live?  What was the world like?  This period in history has long held impenetrable mysteries … until now.

Let’s take a brief journey through recent scientific discoveries and the history that they illuminate for us.  First, the biblical evidence:

Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. Genesis 2:5-6 (NASB)

These verses speak of a pre-flood world where it never rained.  Instead of rain, a mist came up from the earth to water the ground.  But how is this possible?  Was the hydrologic cycle not working?  This cycle, described several times in the Bible, is the scientifically proven process that happens when water evaporates from the oceans and accumulates in clouds which then empty over land.  If it had never rained, then what was preventing this process? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Bible Study, Context, Interpretation

Let’s start by saying that interpretating the Bible is not wrong!  Interpreting simply means putting meaning to the words you read.  It is a necessary step in any Bible Study and is NOT bad!

Churches over the years have used a passage in II Peter to scare people into accepting the official church interpretation of passages in the Bible:

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. II Peter 1:20-21

The word “interpretation” here is actually badly translated, and should convey the idea that the scriptures were not written by the prophets themselves. Peter is saying that the people who wrote the Bible did not make it up themselves, rather it was from God.  Don’t let anybody stop you from trying to interpret (put meaning to) the Word of God!  Just make sure that you do it correctly.  The following few pointers will make it easier:

The Context Principle

This is the most basic principle when interpreting the Bible.  We have already covered this principle in earlier articles, read those articles if you havne’t already.  The bottom line is to always remember to use the immediate and remote context in order to be sure about a meaning.  Remember:

A Prooftext out of Context is a Pretext!

The Correct Addressee Principle

If you get a letter that starts talking about things that don’t make sense, the first thing you do is look at the addressee.  Who is it written to?  Do the same with the Bible.

For example, is Revelation 3:20 explaining the way to be saved?  Do we simply need to open the door to Jesus’ knock?

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: …  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:14,20

Well, who is it written to?  Looking back at verse 14, will show that it was written to a church, to people who were already Christians!  When you understand who it was written to, you see that it is not an explanation of how to be saved.

We must remember to not use selective application when reading the Bible.  We tend to read positive, encouraging passages and apply them to ourselves.  Then we read negative, threatening passages and we feel sorry to the people it is directed to!  How convenient!  For an example, let’s look at these two passages, which are separated by just a few verses:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth and an object of cursing and horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. Jeremiah 29:18

It is not OK to take the first passage as directed to us and ignore the second one!  Neither of these passages were written to us.  Remember, all of the Bible is not written to us, just for us to learn from:

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4

The Two Witnesses Principle

For every interpretation that we accept we want to try to follow the “two or three” guideline in accepting testimony.  In the Old Testament, more than one witness was required in order to convict someone of a crime.

One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. Deuteronomy 19:15

This principle has also been used to ensure accuracy of teaching, not only of bearing witness.  We must not take one isolated verse and build a doctrine around it.  As an example, members of a major religious organization today, the Mormons, search for the names of all of their ancestors in order to get baptized in their names.  They think that by doing this they will eventually be able to save the whole world!  With all due respect, who could have come up with such a crazy idea?  One verse in I Corinthians seems to encourage this idea:

Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptised for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptised for them? I Corinthians 15:29

This is, no doubt, a very hard to understand verse.  Bible scholars tell us that there are six different possible interpretations to it!  However, nowhere else in the Bible does it say anything like this again, so no doctrine should be built on this one verse!

Understanding this principle is key when dealing with verses that could have muliple meanings.  If God means it to be understood, He will put multiple witnesses in His word so that we can be sure we understand what He is saying.

The Simple to Complex Principle

In Luke it says we must hate our parents.  Woah!  This is a tough scripture to grasp.  If we look at parallel passages, it will help.  Reading the same passage in Matthew gives us a clearer understanding of what this verse means.

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:37

The passage in Luke is clarified and understood better if we take the parallel passage in Matthew to explain the one in Luke.  Always try to use a clear scripture to interpret a complex one, not the other way around.  Use the context of the whole Bible as your guide.  Use this principle especially in cases where you suspect a metaphor may be being used.

In summary, using these four principles when you read the Bible will help you to make the correct interpretation of every passage.  And don’t forget the #1 tool at our disposal is prayer!  God’s Spirit will help you to understand God’s Word.

Tags: Bible Study, Context, Interpretation