SPEAKER A00:00:01 - 00:01:05
Hello, I'm Clive Nash. Welcome to Let God Speak. Sometimes it is tempting to interpret the Bible by looking for texts that support our point of view. This is not a good idea when it comes to Bible prophecy. Comparing Scripture with Scripture is the best rule. There is an old hymn that says, God is His own interpreter and He will make it plain. Today we plan to discuss principles to to help us rightly understand Bible prophecy. I'll be back in just a moment to introduce our expert panel. Well, on our panel today we have Gayl Fong and Harold Harker. Good to have you with us today, Gayl and Harold.
SPEAKER B00:01:05 - 00:01:05
Thank you.
SPEAKER A00:01:05 - 00:01:12
I always look forward to our times together, and I pray that today will be a blessing to us and to those who are watching and listening as well.
SPEAKER C00:01:12 - 00:01:13
Amen.
SPEAKER A00:01:13 - 00:01:38
But before we begin our discussion, let's take time to pray. Our wonderful Father in heaven, we thank you that you have the gift of prophecy. You understand the future. It is just as clear to you as is the present or the past. And we pray that as we study this important topic today, that Your Holy Spirit, who inspired the Bible writers of old, will inspire us too. In Jesus' name, amen.
SPEAKER C00:01:38 - 00:01:39
Amen.
SPEAKER A00:01:39 - 00:02:17
You know, there's a story in Luke chapter 24 of 2 disciples. We don't know— we know the name of one of them, Cleopas, but not sure about the other. But they were discouraged after the crucifixion of Jesus. And in verse 21 of Luke chapter 24, we read they said, but we were hoping that it was he who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the 3rd day since these things happened. What did these disciples, Gayl, what did these disciples need at this very moment?
SPEAKER B00:02:17 - 00:03:20
Well, they had an idea that Jesus was to overthrow the Romans and introduce his kingdom at his first advent. As we read in Luke 24:25-27, the Bible says, Then he said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things Concerning himself. So their misunderstanding of Messianic prophecies vanished through the truth that Jesus introduced to them. And how did he do that? Jesus compared Scripture with Scripture and he explained and let the Scriptures explain themselves. And you couldn't have had a better teacher than Jesus to bring that out to them.
SPEAKER A00:03:20 - 00:03:39
Now Harold, I'd like you to put yourself in the in the framework or in the mindset of a person who thinks that the Bible is just a whole collection of random writings, you know, from ancient times. If you had that idea, what would be your view of its unity?
SPEAKER C00:03:39 - 00:05:28
Well, let me read what Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16. He says, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. It said, all Scripture. You know, if I then rightly understand that the Bible writers, and there are about 40 of them, and they've written about 66 books here that we call the Scripture, and, but they're all inspired by one Spirit. Hmm. And so, I will see unity in this collection, in the Bible as we see it. And no one part of the Bible contradicts another. One writer even sheds light on another. And I can see a development over time as God has revealed to these writers. Hebrews gives us a final one here in Hebrews chapter 1, And the first couple of verses. God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds. And so God finally speaks Through Jesus, His Son, this is the culmination of the whole story of salvation that God has used by His Spirit to put in the Bible.
SPEAKER A00:05:28 - 00:06:05
Now, Gayl, I'm going to read a couple of texts from Matthew's Gospel. Matthew 5:17, first of all, and this is Jesus speaking, and He says, do not think that I came to destroy the law, or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. And then skipping down to verse 21, you have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. So what was Jesus doing here? Was he canceling out any earlier commands from the Old Testament?
SPEAKER B00:06:05 - 00:07:03
Well, no, not at all. He was actually looking deeper into the motives and intents of the heart. Just reading on in Matthew 5, Matthew 5:22, He says, but I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, you fool, shall be in danger of hellfire. So here it's showing the deeds follows the attitude of the heart. So Jesus is giving us a principle here of Bible interpretation, and that is we let the Bible interpret itself. Amen. We let one part of the Scripture shed light on another part of the Scripture.
SPEAKER A00:07:05 - 00:07:34
You know, I think this comes out pretty well in Daniel 2:36. Here Daniel was speaking to King Nebuchadnezzar, who had had this mysterious dream. Daniel 2:36, this is the dream, Daniel says. Now we will tell the interpretation of it to the king. So sometimes interpretation, Harold, appears in the words in the same Bible writer. It does. Are there any other examples?
SPEAKER C00:07:34 - 00:09:21
Well, in the same writer of Daniel, let me read chapter 7, and I'm reading from verse 15. I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near to one of those who stood by and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made known to me the interpretation of these things. Those great beasts, which are 4, are 4 kings, which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. And so Daniel gives its own interpretation to what God had given to him. And if you think of Jesus, He often told parables, then He told the meaning of them. And Jeremiah talked about 70 years that the Hebrews would be in captivity. You know, another writer, Bible writer, confirms that in 2 Chronicles chapter 36 and 22 and 23. So the writers of the Bible Often interpret as well. Now Ellen White wrote this and she said, the Old Testament is the gospel in figures and symbols. The New Testament is the substance. In other words, what was shadow in the Old Testament is made plain and becomes clear in the New Testament. So yes, It does explain in many places what it's already given us.
SPEAKER A00:09:21 - 00:09:50
Hmm. I'm going to look at one of the great prophets of the Old Testament, Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 65 and verse 17, for behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. Gayl, this kind of like foreshadows one of the New Testament passages, doesn't it, in the book of Revelation?
SPEAKER B00:09:50 - 00:11:49
Yes, but the puzzling issue is probably the following verses. If we read Isaiah 65:20, the Bible reads, no more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old Man who has not fulfilled his days. For the child shall die 100 years old, but the sinner being 100 years old shall be accursed. So is this talking about literal ages or is it symbolic? Death of infants seems to contradict another promise in the book of Isaiah if we were to turn to— Isaiah 60. Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 19, where the Bible reads, your dead shall live, together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust, for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Or, or what about the cessation Of death in Isaiah 25 and verse 8. And the Bible reads there, He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces. The rebuke of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. So we have to distinguish between language that is symbolic and that which is clearly literal. So no child dies at 100 years of age, but God did promise Israel longevity and none of the diseases of other peoples in reward for covenant faithfulness.
SPEAKER A00:11:49 - 00:12:00
So Harold, this idea of an infant dying, you know, 100 years old. Is it a kind of a metaphor for elimination of infant mortality, do you think?
SPEAKER C00:12:00 - 00:12:35
Yes, quite likely. Isaiah 65, it's inferred there. It's interesting, if you look at verse 20, it's put this way by one who paraphrased it, never again will babies die Or infants need to be buried who only live for a few days. Those who reach 100 will have just begun to live, but sinners will be no more. I think it's telling us what it really is all about.
SPEAKER B00:12:35 - 00:12:37
Okay. Very clear,
SPEAKER A00:12:37 - 00:13:11
yes. That's a nice thought, an encouraging thought about what lies ahead of us in eternity. Another aspect of interpreting Bible prophecy is to consider the culture of the time. And I'm looking at the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 16:20, where Paul says to the Corinthians, all the brethren greet you. And then he says, greet one another with a holy kiss. So Gayl, how does culture affect interpretation of the Bible?
SPEAKER B00:13:11 - 00:13:34
Well, Paul was writing, he was writing to a Greek church and it was a Greek culture naturally. So in some cultures today, a kiss on both cheeks is the norm, or in other cultures it would be a handshake, and others it's bowing.
SPEAKER A00:13:34 - 00:13:34
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER B00:13:34 - 00:14:18
So, Yes, so we must not interpret this apparent command of Paul as absolute for all cultures. And we have a similar injunction in Romans. I'm just reading Romans chapter 16 and verse 16, and the Bible reads, greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you. So So we, the Andrews Study Bible comments on this as follows, usually on the cheek, this kiss performed the function of a handshake in the ancient world.
SPEAKER C00:14:18 - 00:14:19
Right.
SPEAKER A00:14:19 - 00:14:24
So Harold, what principle do you take from these kiss verses?
SPEAKER C00:14:24 - 00:15:05
Well, I think it's just a great admonition That all fellow Christians should greet each other warmly, with sincere regard, and with affection. We're to make people welcome. They've got to feel welcome, and they've got to accept— be accepted when we come together as believers. We might even go as far as to say, regardless of class or wealth or gender or anything, we welcome believers. And so this was how they did it back in Paul's day. In our culture, greet them warmly, make them feel this is home for them.
SPEAKER A00:15:05 - 00:15:34
Yeah, Gayl, I'm going to just go to another idea, and that is the idea of context, understanding the Bible by looking at the context of things. What's the setting of it? For example, Jesus told a parable about A beggar who went to Abraham's bosom when he died and the rich man was tormented in Hades. Now is this a story about the doctrine of what happens when you die?
SPEAKER B00:15:34 - 00:16:27
Well, we must understand that Jesus, he was taking a popular myth from the culture of his day to make the point that wealth is no guarantee of eternal life or eternal joy and happiness. There are a number of details in this myth that show that it's actually not literal. Abraham's bosom, if we consider it, must be incredibly big if all the righteous go there. They're just not gonna fit. And Hades and Abraham's bosom are near enough to each other for visible contact and so forth. So rather than a story about the state of the dead, it's about the state of the living and our choices here.
SPEAKER A00:16:27 - 00:16:28
Our choices maybe.
SPEAKER B00:16:28 - 00:16:44
Yeah, determine our eternal destinies, our eternal outcomes. It's good to study that section of the Bible and spend more time on it. Look up the verses that relate to the Yeah,
SPEAKER A00:16:45 - 00:16:55
and Harold, you've probably come across people who have misquoted the Bible or misapplied texts in the Bible. Who was a master at misquoting the Bible?
SPEAKER C00:16:55 - 00:18:30
Well, let's go back to the beginning. I'm reading from Genesis chapter 3 and the first 5 verses of chapter 3. Right there in the beginning, now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field, which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. And the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. And so here, Satan was distorting it right in the beginning. Hmm. And in the last part of the Bible, Revelation, chapter 12, Let me read this one. Chapter 12 and verse 9. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth and his angels cast out with him. The devil was deceiving and distorting right from the beginning. In fact, he even did that to Jesus, didn't he?
SPEAKER A00:18:30 - 00:18:35
Well, yes, but was he successful in quoting scripture to Jesus?
SPEAKER B00:18:35 - 00:20:26
Well, let's read Luke, Gospel of Luke chapter 4 and verses 5 through to 8, and the Bible says, then the devil taking him, that's Jesus, up on a high mountain Showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to him, all this authority I will give you, and their glory, for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if you will worship before me, all will be yours. And Jesus answered, And Jesus answered and said to him, get behind me, Satan, for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. So 3 times the devil quoted or misquoted Scripture to tempt Jesus to sin, but each time Jesus, he did not fall for it. succumbed to the temptation because Jesus quoted Scripture to rebuff the tempter. So we can learn from Jesus here. Yeah. In this battle that we find ourselves in, we read, we can memorize Bible truths, Bible promises, and when we store the Bible promises and doctrines in our minds, We will find that the Holy Spirit will bring them to our remembrance just when we need them most. And you can experience that personally when you memorize Scripture.
SPEAKER A00:20:26 - 00:21:18
And sometimes we might be surprised at, you know, how the texts come back to our mind. Sure. You know, the Holy Spirit prompts that, just the right answer at the right time, the the right Bible verse to meet a particular situation. You know, there's an answer attributed to the great 20th century Swiss theologian, Karl Barth. He was on a North American tour, so the story goes, in 1962, and a student asked him to summarize his theology theological point of view in one sentence. And his answer was, Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Harold, is the Bible that simple?
SPEAKER C00:21:18 - 00:22:00
Yes, in many ways the answer is yes, it is. And we can understand the words repent and be baptized. We can understand Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved. That's what Paul said to the jailer in Philippi. So it's simple. And yet the Bible can be profound in other areas. And it can, as we study it, we can see more and more and we'll never exhaust the whole meaning of it. It is simple, but it'll also give you something to keep studying forever.
SPEAKER A00:22:00 - 00:22:07
So Harold, have you had that experience where you've said to yourself, why haven't I seen that before? Or—
SPEAKER C00:22:07 - 00:22:08
Correct.
SPEAKER A00:22:08 - 00:22:11
Or this has come to me in like a new light.
SPEAKER C00:22:11 - 00:22:14
You read it another time and you'll see more things in it.
SPEAKER A00:22:14 - 00:22:30
Yeah, it's like delving into a treasure box, isn't it? Correct. That's what we find there. So it seems pretty basic. We must understand the words of Scripture. That's, that's how you see it, Gayl?
SPEAKER B00:22:30 - 00:22:56
Yes. Jesus asked an expert in biblical law, what is written in the law? What is your reading of it? In other words, interpret the words for me. Give me the essence of the law. And sometimes we may not understand a part of the Bible clearly, but another part will make it clear on a particular issue.
SPEAKER A00:22:56 - 00:23:03
Okay, can you think of an example for that principle, Harold?
SPEAKER C00:23:03 - 00:25:06
Well, let me read the verse that Matthew wrote in Matthew 5 and verse 48. It says, therefore, You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. And we can understand what it means to be perfect, but let me tell you, Luke also uses the same thought but uses a different word. And he says here in Luke 6:36, Therefore be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. So he gives us a little bit more understanding. If you are merciful, you're a bit more like the perfection of God. And it helps us to understand what one verse is when you compare it with another verse. You know, Paul, he had some good advice. Young Timothy. Let me find here, 2 Timothy, chapter 4 and the first few verses. And this is an experienced one, Paul, writing to the young man Timothy. Um hmm. I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom, preach the Word, be ready in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. And then, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, they that have itching ears will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside into fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. Sound doctrine is the goal when you put it all together.
SPEAKER A00:25:06 - 00:25:21
Now, Gayl, in the little bit of time we've got left, I'd like to go to the idea of exposition. When one dictionary says it's the act of expounding, setting forth, or explaining, is it always the case that anyone reading the Bible will understand it?
SPEAKER B00:25:21 - 00:26:56
Well, a classic case is the official Prometheus Ethiopia, and we read about him in the book of Acts. So just reading in Acts chapter 8 and verse 26, the Bible reads, now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is desert. So Philip the Evangelist, he was divinely directed to minister to a seeker of truth. of truth, the Ethiopian. And we read a little further, Acts chapter 8 and verse 27 to 30. So he arose and went, and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, the Queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning and sitting in his chariot, and he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, go near and overtake this chariot. So Philip ran to him, heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, do you understand what you are reading? So we notice that this official was from the court of Queen Candace, and he'd obviously been to Jerusalem worshipping. He owned the scrolls, and they would have been expensive, but he didn't understand what he was reading. And then in verse 31 we find he said, how can I understand unless someone guides me? So the Bible doesn't always lead to understanding, sometimes we need a guide.
SPEAKER A00:26:56 - 00:26:58
And Philip was that man to give him that.
SPEAKER B00:26:58 - 00:26:59
And he was.
SPEAKER A00:26:59 - 00:28:03
You know, the principles of interpretation of the Bible apply also to the writings of Ellen G. White. These include approaching her writings with an honest inquiring mind, looking at the context, looking for the main point or points, comparing the different passages on the topic in hand, and verifying the genuineness of the quotation. Did Ellen White actually write that or is it a misquote? Just like our reading of the Bible, an informed reading of the, the writings of Ellen White can be a great blessing to you and me. Well, we're glad you joined us today on Let God Speak. If you were blessed by this program, why not tell your friends? Remember, all past programs plus teachers' notes are available on our website, 3abnaustralia.org.au. Email us on
[email protected]. Join us again next time. Until then, God bless. God bless you.
SPEAKER D00:28:07 - 00:28:31
You have been listening to Let God Speak, a production of 3ABN Australia Television. To catch up on past programs, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au, call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456, or email
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