Sunday: Whoever Reads, Let Him Understand
Daily Lesson for Sunday 30th of March 2025
Walk into any Christian bookstore and scan through the titles on Bible prophecy. You will quickly discover that there is a mind-boggling assortment of views and interpretations, and it can be tempting to believe that no one can truly understand what books such as Revelation are saying. For example, one author says the antichrist is nothing but a metaphor; another says he is still coming in the future; and another that he was a reference to something or someone in the days of the pagan Roman Empire. As one old preacher put it, “Perhaps the Bible is like an old violin; you can play any tune you’d like on it.”
The Bible itself, however, does not suggest any such thing. Instead, it invites us to read, assuming that God is not speaking in vain and that we can know the truth of what He is saying through His Word.
Read Matthew 24:15; Revelation 1:3; Matthew 11:29; and Jeremiah 9:23-24. What do these texts suggest about God’s intention to make Himself understood?
Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com
Many universities offer courses named “The Bible as Literature” or something similar. For the believer, it can be astonishing to sit through countless lectures, only to discover that the professor reads the Bible the same way one might read pagan mythology. The idea is that there may be a kernel of moral “truth” in the stories, but one can make of the stories whatever one wishes. To these teachers, the idea that this book was inspired by God is laughable.
Thus, the instructor reads the Bible but does not hear the voice of God speaking. Others come to conclusions clearly at odds with the message of the Bible. Without being surrendered to the Lord, and without a heart open to learning the truth, those who read the Bible will likely come away not only missing its message but misunderstanding the loving and holy character of the God revealed in its pages. This could be easier to do than many realize, which is why just reading the Bible without the right tools and (most important) the right attitude under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, can be hurtful.
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Someone not known to be pious was found reading the Bible. When asked what he was doing, he responded, “Looking for loopholes. Looking for loopholes.” Why is that exactly the wrong attitude to have when reading God’s Word? |
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Unfortunately we find confusion about biblical prophecies even in our own church. The remedy is not to go back to what Uriah Smith taught. His book on Daniel and Revelation was good for its time. Much of it is still valuable. (What most people don't know is that a couple of critical chapters were written by people not of our faith.) Our pioneers were studying to understand more light. We need to do our own earnest, prayerful study - following up every allusion to understand what the Spirit meant to say through the prophets.
My background is in teaching literature, among other things. And in literature, we watch for "literary allusions" - references to previous literature - that enrich the prose or poetry being studied. I am happy to note that our lessons will be examining these "allusions" in the prophetic writings of the Bible, because it is impossible to understand prophecy fully without recognizing these allusions. You will find Revelation difficult to understand without a good understanding of the five books of Moses, Ezekiel, Daniel and the gospels because the book is filled with allusions from these previous sacred writings.
And, please, dear people, do not be satisfied with just reading the texts referenced in the lessons. Read the context. Read whole books of the Bible! If your whole knowledge of the Bible comes from Sabbath School lessons, determine this very moment to start reading the whole Bible, book by book, and I am sure you will be richly blessed.
When Jesus's said "The Spirit will teach us all truth" after he left, where does reliance on hard-earned-Prophetic knowledge leave us?
Is there Heavenly truth that can be learnt outside the revelation of the Spirit?
Through sheer human diligence in study?
The Bible says “spiritual things are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). I believe we can understand Heavenly truth only through the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
"The Holy Spirit is ever waiting to do His office work upon the human heart. Those who desire to learn can place themselves in close connection with God, and the promise that the Comforter shall teach them all things, and bring all things to their remembrance, whatever Christ had said to His disciples when He was upon the earth will be fulfilled. But if we disconnect from God, we can be no longer students in the school of Christ. Then we shall feel no special burden for the souls for whom Christ has died." The Signs of the Times, November 16, 1891.
Also, we read that Jesus said “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you” (John 14:17, 18). Shall be in you... I will come to you...
“He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak.” John 16:13
“Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.” (John 14:19, 20)
It is Jesus that comes to us through the Holy Spirit and is in us, and teaching us. What a precious truth!
Amen!
Yes! Dig deeper!
Inge, I did not know several chapters of Uriah Smith’s book were not written by him. How did this happen? Were these chapters credited to a different author? And what chapters were these? Thank you!
It takes time to become familiarized with the Bible and to see how various passages intertwine with the prophetic portions. "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28: 9, 10.
God did not make the Bible easy to understand in some places because He wants only serious minds to study it out, but it is within the reach of all who are serious and humbly submissive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Reading the Bible requires a different approach from reading newspapers or literature because it contains divine revelations, prophecies, and symbolic language. Unlike factual reports in newspapers or human experiences in literature, the Bible conveys spiritual truths that require careful interpretation. Prophecies and symbols are not always meant to be taken literally but serve as messages that unfold over time, requiring study and discernment.
For example, in Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream featured a statue with different metals, representing successive world empires. A literal reading might view it as just a strange image, but Daniel, through divine revelation, interpreted it as a prophecy about future kingdoms. Similarly, books like Revelation use beasts, horns, and numbers to symbolize rulers, nations, or historical events rather than describing literal creatures.
Therefore, biblical prophecy and symbolism require a deeper approach than everyday reading. Understanding scripture involves prayer, historical context, and cross-referencing with other parts of the Bible. Unlike ordinary texts, which rely on direct statements, the Bible’s messages are often layered, requiring spiritual insight to grasp their full meaning.
I also think we should read with open eyes - read from the heart (as well as Spirit) and understand each word.
Its scary how for scripture we just gloss through and assume. Take for instance, the scripture mentions "Wise men from the East (Matthew 2:1-12) - no mention of number or names - we've always assumed they were three (3). And that is not the only place assumption has been present. Once we start it all wrong from there the likelihood of everything taking a downward spiral and gets to total misunderstanding is like "an arrow that has left the bow" for target.
This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, the mighty boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!
Jeremiah 9.23–24 (New Living Translation)
If we approach the reading of the Bible looking for loopholes then we are going to find plenty.
Our approach should rather be a humble and sincere searching for the Truth. The Holy Spirit thrives in an atmosphere like this to bring revelation of the scriptures to the sincere soul!!!!!
I guess I have to disagree with the author here. As much as being surrendered and having an open heart are important, I suspect many people begin reading the Bible without those characteristics. If they were necessary, the Bible would only speak to Christians. How can you surrender to God when you don't know Him? And we come to know Him through the Bible.
Now if you come with a rebellious heart, that is another matter, and probably some of the skeptics reading the Bible have that heart. They will likely not hear God's voice. But I think we have to be careful about how we express these ideas.
Let's say you know a teenager with kind of a lukewarm spiritual condition - they know something about God and maybe even were baptized once but they're floating along a bit. Would you tell this person, "Don't bother to read the Bible unless you have a surrendered heart"? Or would you encourage them to read the Bible so they learn what Jesus is like and want to surrender to Him? Do you see the difference?
I recognize that the lesson quarterly is not meant for our imaginary teenager but I feel like our language can scare people off. At any rate, I would not make it seem like there's a big checklist you have to meet to be able to hear God in the Bible. I don't think there is one.
Principle #1: Have the right attitude. Approach the study of prophecy with a genuine desire to know the truth. Don’t simply seek to find loopholes or treat the Word of Scripture as just another piece of literature.
When it comes to viewing the Bible as literature, it is quite an important task to consider what type of literature in particular the Bible passage is presenting. The text we have is a compilation of compilations. Psalms was written by various authors. Some of the text is narrative. Some of it is poetry. Some of it is law code. Some of it is special advice to an ancient person in an ancient context. Rules apply differently in different contexts.
Be mindful before going to another passage to impose on it something the author did not intend. If there is an allusion to another passage, consider it but be mindful that it may just be an allusion or similarity. Point in case. Daniel uses idols (Dan2), wild beasts, farm animals, and human figures to represent the same thing in the same book. Mind the context.
If the Bible is not considered as a compilation, it might seem to have loopholes. Each author is presenting a different perspective on what God has burdened them to share. Perhaps there is a loophole somewhere. Do not be fooled by the notion that God does not want us to use common sense in life.