 | "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel... By which also ye are saved... unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) |
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“That's Your Interpretation!”
How often we hear this phrase parroted when trying to bring some truth of the Scripture to those who are without God in the World. Or, “There's so many interpretations how can one know what to believe”? But, when they are asked the last time they read the Bible there is usually a long silence. Then it is revealed that their complaint is just an excuse for the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart, revealing their own unwillingness to seek the Truth of God in His Word. It is just another form of rebellion against our Creator.
But if that is the claim, how should we answer this? Does the Bible need interpreting? Many believe the Bible is a very mystical book and hard to understand so it must necessitate a special “holy man” or a “priest” to expound its contents. Otherwise, how can we really know what God is saying and what He means? Is it possible for man to understand what the message of the Bible is, or do we need someone who will read it for us and give us the meaning?
The answers to man's questions are given in the Scriptures themselves, which man neglects to read. “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalms 119:130). He also promises to help illumine our understand saying, “the Holy Ghost … shall teach you all things … he will guide you into all truth” (John 14:26, 16:13).
Since “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2Timothy 3:16) He knows exactly what they mean, so we must rely on His wisdom and not our own. “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (Psalms 119:18). In Luke 24:45, it was Jesus who opened “their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures” .
In our fallen nature, we have different ways and thoughts compared to God. “Let the wicked forsake his way , and the unrighteous man his thoughts : and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways , saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:7-9).
He says “…be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind , that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). We must then, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
If we would be further convinced in our minds as to how we ought to interpret God's Word, we must look to the Bible to see how the word interpretation is used. In the Old Testament God did communicate His will to His servants at different times and in various manners through His prophets. One manner of communication was through dreams and visions (although this method is not used today because we have the whole counsel of God: Hebrews 1:1-2).
God had given certain men, such as Joseph (Genesis 40-41) and Daniel (Daniel 2, 4-5), the ability to interpret these dreams and give the meaning. These dreams were as motion pictures without words and therefore they needed explaining by the man of God. There were also those who could interpret or translate one language into another (Genesis 42:23, Ezra 4:7), which was used to communicate with someone of a foreign language. These are the two main usages in the Old Testament where interpretation was needed. Dreams and foreign language needed to be interpreted, but the plain Word of God needed no such thing.
In the New Testament, the word interpreted is used as well. Again in the sense to translate what has been spoken or written in a foreign tongue into the vernacular (Matthew 1:23, Mark 15:22). There was also the gift of interpretation , that was used to translate foreign languages or tongues, which God gave to individuals in the early Church for edification of the body of Christ (1Corinthians 12:10, 14:5).
Besides these usages there is the final mention of interpretation in the book of 2 Peter. “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” (2Peter 1:20-21). The authority of Scripture is attested by fulfilled prophecy (Isaiah 46:9-10), and when we study the Scriptures they must not be understood or interpreted apart from the whole counsel of God. That is, we cannot isolate one passage of the Bible and build a doctrine upon it. If you cannot get the whole counsel of God to confirm your teaching you better drop it and start over.
J. Vernon McGee used an excellent illustration to describe the difference between one-verse doctrines, and teachings that the whole Bible confirms. He says it “is the difference between riding in a good, solid, four-wheeled wagon and on a unicycle.” How easy it is to fall from one and not the other. He goes on to say “While it is wonderful to have one marvelous verse of Scripture, if it tells a great truth, there will be at least two or three verses and usually a whole chapter on it somewhere in the Bible.”
In other words, no Scripture should be understood without confirming it with the rest of the Scriptures. Isaiah says “precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line” (Isaiah 28:10). When the apostle Paul was teaching the saints at Ephesus he said “I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God ” (Acts 20:27).
For the most part, if we would understand the Truth of God's Word, it is important to study all 66 books of the Bible and take them literally. Many have used the late Dr. David Cooper's rule who has said, “When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise.”
We could maybe paraphrase this as follows, “ When the literal sense makes good sense, seek no other sense, lest you come up with nonsense .” Words have meaning, and if you do not understand a word, a good dictionary would be handy in helping you to expand your vocabulary.
Simple Rules to follow:
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Consider the whole Bible for the Scriptures cannot be broken (John 10:35).
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It is important to understand who is being spoken to (Example: The Church or
Israel).
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Background and historical context (OT or NT) is essential. Don't pluck any
Scripture up out of its context.
-
Interpret the Scriptures literally. God means what He says. While there may be
many
applications
to the Scriptures, there is only one
interpretation
. Apart from this, we must also allow for figures of speech, parables and
symbolism, which are always explained in the context or elsewhere in Bible.
What about alleged contradictions? There have been many complaints of alleged contradictions by the skeptics, atheists, and unbelievers alike, but every time their mouths have been stopped. One example is as follows. The Lord had prophesied through the prophet Ezekiel that King Zedekiah would be taken captive “to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it , though he shall die there” (Ezekiel 12:13). Yet the prophet Jeremiah said, “ thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon , and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon” (Jeremiah 34:3). On the one hand it appears that Zedekiah would not see Babylon and yet he would behold the king of Babylon. But both of these prophecies proved true. Zedekiah saw the king of Babylon at Riblah; but his eyes were there put out, so he did not see Babylon, where he was carried captive (Jeremiah 39:5-7). All the alleged contradictions have similar explanations that can easily be revealed with a little knowledge of the Bible.
What about all the different translations? Another complaint put forth by the unbeliever when the topic of interpretation has been brought forth is that there are so many different translations of the Bible so how can we know what God is saying? The devil no doubt would try to corrupt the Word of God (2 Corinthians 2:17), misquote the Word (Luke 4:10,11), and try to get us to doubt the Word of God (Genesis 3:1-5), and the numerous Bible Versions that have recently flooded the market has accomplished just that.
Although this can be a complex subject we would like to point out a few obvious reasons for choosing the King James Versions of the Bible.
-
ALL
of the modern translations except the King James Version alone have copyrights
by big money making corporations. These copyrights can only be obtained by
making enough change to the text so that it does not look like the original.
You can print as many King James Bibles as you would like without having to pay
Zondervan
® or
Nelson
® a nickel! Because the Bible is the world's bestseller, there have been
over 100 versions published, most of them proliferated in the last 25 years.
Remember the Scriptures warning,
“And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise
of you”
(2Peter 2:3). There are many who serve not the Lord but their own belly.
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Almost all but a few of the modern versions use a different underlying Greek
Text in the New Testament and even those who use the
Received Text
are found to use the same paraphrasing that is found in all the other modern
versions. Using a different Greek Text means that some words are added and that
some words and even whole passages are missing. Those who have added or taken
away from God's Word are under some of the fiercest condemnation found in the
Bible (Revelation 22:18-19).
How then do we know which Bible is God's Word and which is not? The King James Version (NT) is translated from the Greek Received Text (otherwise known as the Textus Recepticus ) while almost all others use Westcott and Hort's fabricated and corrupt text called the Nestle-Aland Text . These men created a New Greek Text primarily from what is called the Sinaticus and Vaticanus manuscripts. Because these two very old Manuscripts differed greatly (over 3000 places alone in the 4 Gospels), they combined the two texts selecting what appeared to be best in their own eyes (This is known as Textual Criticism) and made an entirely new Greek Text which goes by their name. So their Eclectic Text was a mixture or a collective of the corrupt manuscripts of Vaticanus and Sinaticus .
These texts were acknowledged as corrupt and were rejected by the Bible believing church. They may have been older and in better shape than any other manuscripts because they were set aside (likely because they were known to contain errors) and not literally read to pieces and worn out. These Texts were characterized as having a Shorter Text (Minority Text), being Older, and having a Harder Reading (Difficult).
The KJV on the other hand, uses what is known as the Received Text , having been received by the people of God down through the ages. There can be found over 5000 copies or partial copies and parchments using this underlying Text. (Westcott and Hort's underlying text has only had a handful of copies, which all differ one from the other.) The KJV is characterized by a Longer Reading (Majority Text), and it also has some very old manuscripts dating back to the first century. God has promised to preserve His Word (Psalm 12:6-7, 119:89, Isaiah 40:8, Matthew 5:18, Luke 16:17, 1Peter 1:24-25) and this He has done in the Received Text ( Masoretic Text in the Hebrew of the Old Testament) from which the Bible can be translated into all the languages of the world.
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Another complaint by modernists against the KJV that is often repeated is
“it is too hard to understand because of the
Thee's
and
Thou's”
. But I would ask, when was the last time you read the Word of God? Do you
apply yourself to the study of it? How many hours a day do you spend reading
it? I do not understand Nuclear Science either, but then again, I have never
studied it. Is it not a worthwhile venture to read and study the very Inspired
Words that the Creator of the Universe has written for us? If it is the very
Word of the Almighty God, should we not want to know about Him and see what He
has to say? Think about it, of all that is written, why would this not be our
first selection of books to study?
But why does the KJV use the Thee's and the Thou's ? In the language of the Greek New Testament and Hebrew Old Testament there is a very distinct difference between the second person singular and the second person plural pronouns. We make no difference in modern English--both singular and plural are translated “you”. However, in old English there exists a difference just as there is in the Greek and Hebrew. As a result the old English used in the Authorized Version gives a far more precise translation than would the modern English versions. The KJV was written in what is known as the “Elizabethan Period”. The text is most eloquent amongst all the literature this world has ever known.
In our Authorized Version, THEE (Gr. soi ), THOU (Gr. su ), THY (Gr. sou ), and THINE (Gr. sos ) are always singular. YOU (Gr. humas & humin ), YE (Gr. humeis ), and YOUR (Gr. humon ), are always plural. A good rule to follow is this: If the second person pronoun starts with a "T" (in the KJV) then it is singular. If it starts with a "Y" it is plural. This information helps us to better understand who is speaking and who is being spoken to in the Word of God. The KJV translators used different words here because they were different in the original Greek. In the new versions these are all mongrelized and translated “you” with no distinction between the singular and plural.
So in our ministry, we can only wholeheartedly recommend the King James Bible. It has been the standard English version for most Christians for over 400 years. It is most reliable, tried and proven throughout many revivals and missionary movements of the past, true to the original ancient manuscripts, whose translators are known to be godly men and very capable in their knowledge of the ancient languages. Known and loved by thousands of English speaking people for hundreds of years, the authorized King James Bible, we believe, no modern version can replace nor come close to comparing.
God is not the author of confusion and this flood of modern versions in these last days has for the most part rendered congregational reading unattainable, and reading along with other ministers of the pulpit impossible.
What we would suggest to all, if you do not understand God's Word, keep reading and studying, seeking the will of the Lord and He will make it clear. A prerequisite to understanding God's truth is a genuine willingness to believe the truth and to follow God's will even if it goes against one's personal preference. Jesus said, “ If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine” (John 7:17).
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward” (Psalm 19:7-8).
GNC
God Is Inferior and a jerk.
FIRST- Any person who does not advocate slavery is morally superior to God.
God supports and endorses slavery.
(Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. -Ephesians 6:5 NLT). (Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed. If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts. Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them -1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT)
SECOND- Any person who does not advocate genocide is morally superior to God.
God supports and endorses genocide.
(1 Samuel 6:19) And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten [many] of the people with a great slaughter.)
THIRD- Any person who advocates torture and death for something as minor as cursing a parent is morally superior to God.
God supports the death penalty for cursing. All who curse their father or mother must be put to death. They are guilty of a capital offense. (Leviticus 20:9 NLT)
.
FOURTH - Any person who does not support rape of another is morally superior to God.
(Deuteronomy 22:28-29 NLT) If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.) What kind of lunatic would make a rape victim marry her attacker? Answer: God!
FIFTH- Any person who advocates killing people based on sexual orientation is morally superior to God. Kill Homosexuals
"If a man lies with a male as with a women, both of them shall be put to death for their abominable deed; they have forfeited their lives." (Leviticus 20:13 NAB) God supports murdering of homosexuals.
SIXTH- Any person who does not agree with murder and child killings is morally superior to God.
God supports child killings and murder.
Exodus 12:29
29. And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt
Kill Nonbelievers
They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul; and everyone who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. (2 Chronicles 15:12-13 NAB)
Chances are if you are reading this you are morally superior to the Judeo/Christian/Islamic God.
Nothing has been taken "out of context". Nobody claims that we are taking JOHN 3:16 out of context. If the bible is continually "taken out of context" it is not an effective book is it.
The laws in developed nations are in direct conflict with what God endorses. We punish those who kill, and murder children. We abolished slavery and have made it illegal to own slaves. Torture is illegal. Cursing is not a crime. Globally we don't tolerate this behavior in ourselves so why worship it in a God who does? It makes no sense. Wake up and read what the bible actually says. Read what is actually said by God & Jesus in the bible. I don't believe that either exist. But for those who do - they are debleepedable and not deserving of worship. And I question the morality of any person who states that they "worship God". Shall I call the police on you? A slave owning, raping, child killing, gay bashing serial killer frightens the hell out of me. And so do those who harbor one.
It is sad to see that your ignorance has fuelled hatred towards your Creator.
1)SLAVERY: It must be remembered that in the beginning there was no such relationship between mankind before sin entered the world. In the Bible, you find it used in various fashions. God delivered the Israelites out of slavery from their cruel taskmasters in Egypt. God sent the Israelites into exile and bondage in Babylon because of their gross sin and neglect of their Maker. Also, if someone was indebted to a person and could not pay, he would have to work it off as a servant to him whom he owed the debt. This could never be perpetual for there was the year of Jubilee in which all debts were erased. Today people go to prison to pay their debts. Are you against that too? Unfortunately this system does not pay for that which was stolen, and on top of that the one who has been stolen from gets to pay through his taxes for the wellbeing of the thief and prisoner. That is sure just?? If you overextend yourself to the bank, you will be obliged to pay back your debts to the banker, in essence you are a slave to the lender. Are you against that too? How about your employer, you are his slave/servant to do as he says. If you are against that you will be unemployed and will be searching for another one to be your master if you want to continue to eat. While the Scriptures do not outright condemn slavery/servant hood as such, they taught a new relationship between masters and servants (e.g., Colossians 3:22-4:1; Ephesians 6:5-9), considering both as brothers and fellow servants of Christ, and they urged true Christian behaviour on the part of both master and slave, and eventually these principles would change society itself, as an indirect effect, to which it has, gradually becoming more of an employer-employee relationship.
2)Genocide: The Bible tells us "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." (Ezekiel 18:20) And that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Also, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6), and "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). That God does not strike you and me dead is an amazing thing. It is because of His mercies He allows us to continue another day, for He is "longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). When mankind commits genocide it is an atrocious thing, but if we are put to death by God it is just and right and according to what we deserve from the One we have sinned against. In the context of the Scripture you quoted, Israel at this time had sunk to a new low in turning from their Maker, the nations who then stole the ark where the Philistines who worshipped the sun and idols. Many of these gentile nations performed such abominable acts, even infanticide, slaughtering their own children on alters to their own gods that the time had come for them to be judged. You may call it genocide, but these were irreparably wicked and God would not allow their abominations to go on any longer, and perhaps by this example, many would fear and believe and turn from their wicked ways.
3) Cursing a parent: Sin if it is not nipped in the bud or restrained will go on to wholesale wickedness. When evil is first tolerated, it is not long before it is practiced. That is the lesson of history. We are also told in Deuteronomy, " If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear." (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) Now you may call this another "minor" incident, but God does not, it only shows how depraved the minds of society have become. But take note that there is no example in the Bible of anyone ever putting to death his son for cursing their parents. This commandment alone was enough to turn many from even attempting such folly, and those who would ignore it and proudly and rebelliously curse their own parents, the ones who have nurtured them and brought them up would reap the consequences of their actions. Records indicate no rebellious son was ever put to death under this law. Every father elected to spare his own son, no matter how sinful the son might have been. Only Christ, the perfectly obedient Son (John 17:4; 8:29) was not spared (Romans 8:32). "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." (Exodus 20:12)
4)Rape: Here you are corrupting the Scriptures. There was a death penalty for rape (Read Deuteronomy 22:25-27). The innocent woman was not forced to marry her rapist. You need to read a little more carefully before you think to blaspheme your righteous Maker.
5)Homosexual: Again this just goes to show how far our minds have slipped by endorsing such a perversion. The sins described in the 23rd chapter of Leviticus are considered to be very grievous sins by the Lord Himself. They include infanticide (Leviticus 20:2-5), especially in connection with child sacrifice (note Leviticus 18:21) as practiced in certain idolatrous worship, spiritism (Leviticus 20:6, 27), cursing of parents (Leviticus 20:9), adultery (Leviticus 20:10), incest (Leviticus 20:11), homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13), bestiality (Leviticus 20:15-16), and others. They were punishable by death in Israel, in order to maintain the holiness of the people as a nation set apart to God (Leviticus 20:23-26). Whether or not such punishments should be enforced today is controversial; it is at least obvious that God hates such sins. Yet all are being promoted today in the modern revival of ancient paganism known as the "New-Age" morality.
6)Murdering children: First of all let us take note that in Exodus 19, the smiting of the firstborn, that they were not necessarily babies. (Do you support abortion?) Also, in your first complaint against God, you were against slavery, now you are mad that God would judge the Egyptians who, even after the first nine plagues, would still not set the Israelites free from their bondage. You cannot have it both ways.
The KJV and the Strongs Concordance are wonderful tools! There is a metaphoric
language! The KJV and Strongs Concordance can be downloaded just type in your search bar "esword bible". It would behoove us all to study the language of metaphor!!!
John, your comment seems odd concerning literal interpretation. While it is true that symbolic language is used, it still is a symbol that stands for literal truth! Language has a definite, objective meaning, and you believe that too--otherwise you wouldn't have responded to this article. If you simply deem language in the Bible (even some of it) to be completely non-literal and thus relative, there seems to be no compelling reason to do so; it would be arbitrary. As far as the KJV is concerned, I believe it is the best English translation. And your view is, I think, fallacious, concerning why the KJV would no longer be good. Appeal to age is not a compelling reason, nor is change in the language. You must demonstrate why, otherwise you are only making assertions.
The events of the NT largely took place in Aramaic. Some of those wbleepedrecorded those events were eyewitnesses, others like Luke appear to have assembled histories. Either way, the book we call the NT was certainly written in Greek during the first century. However, we have no first century copies--only copies of the copies, which do contain a few variations. These variations are not very sustantive, but they do exist.
The King James version was written in the earth 1600's for English speaking Christians. Prior to that the books largely existed in Greek, Hebrew or Latin. The Reformation brought a host of native langugage translations in places like Germany and England. As it turns out, the KJV version was quiet good -- surviing for nearly three hundred years as the the authoritative English source. But, like many things, the English language changed -- and the KJV version started showing its age. Sorry, but in the final analysis, the KJV is ONLY a translation. And for the same reasons the original commission was given to create the KJV version, we from time to time need to update the version in order to maintain the language of the day -- to make it accessible. And for those wbleepeddare press the case that the KJV version is the ONLY version I can only say that the statement is downright errant -- or dare you pit the KJV version against the original Greek texts? And if the KJV version is the ONLY version, what do you propose the Japanese, Koreans and Russians read?
As far as the scriptures being literal, I agree -- but only to a point. Because many of the passages of scripture are very symbolic -- particulary prophecies. And other books are very poetic, using meataphors extensively (Job, Psalms). And I have real questions about those wbleepeddogmacally claim literal interpretations for things like the days of Genesis, since the concept of time is routinely used sybolically in scripture. Days become weeks, weeks are interepreted later as years -- and God plainly says that a "day is as a thousand years" to him. Did God create the world in 7 literal days? I have no doubt he could have -- but since he didn't even create the sun until day four, I'm not going to bet my salvation on it.
