Bible Study

During the dark ages the scriptures were chained to pedestals in the major cathedrals of the world. The common people could not read the bible and even the clergy were limited to reading it only where it stood. Those days have been eliminated by the courageous efforts of clergy and reformers like Luther, Calvin, Tyndale and a host of others who in some cases gave their lives in the effort. We now enjoy the fruit of their labors throughout most of the free world. Not only are all the versions of the bible available here in America but one publisher has begun offering the bible bound and covered in your choice of designer colors!

Yet for all of this profusion of bibles one of the flimsiest excuses for not reading or trusting the bible is still being used everywhere throughout the land. Who has not heard someone say, “The bible is open to interpretation and that’s why it can’t be trusted”?

If honestly examined, this excuse will be found to be just another one of those “common wisdom of the day” utterances that has no more truth in it than water in the desert. It is grown out of ignorance, watered by indifference and harvested in laziness. It is used glibly but has dire consequences; in fact it could cost a person their entire future.

The first rule of interpretation says that no one has the right to interpret the scripture in a merely personal or private way. Knowing this first that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. I Peter 1:20 If the bible is not open to private interpretation then it must only be open to public interpretation. That is the key. The universal bible believing church the world over has an interpretation that qualifies this fact, the minor doctrinal differences and the trend toward liberalism notwithstanding. Whether Pentecostal, Evangelical, Baptist, Methodist or any other major historical denomination the bible is interpreted the same. Jesus death and resurrection is the key to salvation and his teachings are the key to our best behavior. When people stray very far from this kind of interpretation of the bible they are bordering on heresy, cultism or something worse.

Another great rule of sound biblical interpretation is to let the bible interpret itself. Let the whole bible reflect on any part of it in particular. You will rarely ever go wrong by applying this rule. This of course implies that you would have to study the whole bible. That alone would just about eliminate any problem with bible interpretation you will ever encounter.

An old preacher from Vermont once told me of a basic rule of interpretation he had learned while attending Bible College. I have never forgotten it and I’ve never failed to use it. He said, “If the scripture makes plain sense, seek no other sense”. Being complicated is not a prerequisite to being a bible student so don’t bury your self in hidden meanings and obscurities, just get on with what is known and apparent.

Finally take a lesson from the smallest child. Ask them what Jesus meant when he said we should love each other, or that we should forgive others. They know what these things mean even when those who hide behind the idea that the bible is riddled with too many interpretations don’t. Some passages are simple but that does not mean they aren’t profound. Other passages are more complex but can be clearly understood by the simplest approach, much like that of a child. The child like approach to scriptural interpretation is the shortest route to understanding; in fact it is also the shortest route to salvation itself. Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. Mark 10:15

We must cease to view the bible as some deep manual of religion only to be known by the initiated or specially trained. Someone once said that the bible and more so, the New Testament is a letter from God the Father to his children. Who would think a letter from your father was meant to create confusion. It would speak of his love, his intentions, his plan and his final return home. It would give instructions and details on what to do until he returns. No one would throw a letter from their father in a corner and say I don’t understand any of that so I’ll just do what I want to until he returns home and take it up with him then.

The words of the bible never create confusion. In fact it is the dismissing of these words that creates confusion. If we hide behind the worn out clich

Many thousands of years ago, the Israelites were actually slaves to the Egyptians. When Moses and the Israelites finally left Egypt thousands of years ago on their infamous trek to their homeland they encountered many difficulties. The enormous Red Sea was on of these and became most famous for this story, the parting of the red sea. God told Moses in Exodus 14-15 that he was to lead the children of Israel to their homeland and that he, God, would take care of them. God warned Moses that there would be many trials and tribulations.

When Moses and the Israelites got to the Red Sea, their problem got compounded by the Egyptian army. The Egyptian leader, Pharaoh, had used the Israelites as slave labor to build his great pyramids and monuments. He only agreed to let them go after several plagues had been been brought upon Egypt. These plagues consisted of locusts that ruined crops, frogs, snakes, and even what is referred to as the death angel that took the life of each male firstborn child. The Pharaoh had enough after his son was killed and agreed to let the Israelites go back to Israel. Almost immediately he recounted his thoughts and sent a large portion of his army, chariots and all, after the Israelites.

So, when the Israelites arrived at the Red Sea, they saw the arriving Egyptians and panicked. Moses prayed to God for deliverance and God opened up the Red Sea, parting it so the Israelites could cross. There are two schools of thought on this. One is that it did occur exactly as stated in the story. The other that it occurred in North Egypt in the marshlands of the Northern end or mouth of the Nile river. This are of the Nile would have been very difficult for chariots to get through as they would have gotten bogged down and stuck in the mud and dense weeds. This would have been a great place for an ambush by the Israelites and there would have been mass casualties by the unprepared Egyptians. This could perhaps be the first instance of what we today refer to as Gorilla warfare. Whichever school you choose to believe it is fact that the Israelites did embark on this trek as artifacts and other archaeological proof has been found that unequivocally prove this.

Back to the story of the parting of the Red Sea, the Israelites were scared and prayed to God for deliverance. God brought darkness, possible thunderstorms, over the Egyptians and fire over the Israelites, possible lightening. God then told Moses to raise his hands at the sea. The sea then parted and the Israelites did cross the sea. After the Israelites did cross the sea and arrive on dry land, the Egyptians started to cross. God told Moses to raise his hands again and the sea was flooded once more and the Egyptians were drowned in it. In the end of the story, the Israelites sang songs and praised God for their deliverance from the Egyptians and slavery.

There are many ideas and schools of thought with different points of view on what actually occurred here, but archaeological proof does exist that the trek and crossing from Egypt to Israel did occur and that numerous hardships did occur. Religion and God played a large role in this trek and in these times thousands of years ago. In current research, the use of bible coding software also states that this trek occurred. It also states that Moses, the Ten Commandments, and how the bible was encoded or revealed to Moses may soon have great impact on all of us as the possibility of further expansion of the war in the Middle East continues. God did have a marked impact on the Israelites on their infamous trek thousands of years ago, and the reason for the implicit warnings in Revelations and the recent unveiling of the bible codes is that we can change. We can, as a whole, change or alter our future.

David Maillie is a well known author and award winning researcher with over 12 years experience in research and analysis. For more great information and ideas similar to this please visit http://www.bestskinpeel.com and http://www.mdwholesale.com

The day of the Bible Code prediction of an unbelievable firestorm attack is coming soon. Those who study the Bible Code think it means an atomic weapons detonation type attack. But how could this be, who would do such a thing? Well if you look at current events one could come up with several scenarios, such as an attack of nuclear weapons exchanges between Israel and Iran for instance. After all didn’t the new leader of Iran say he wanted to nuke or rather blow Israel off the map? Not such a great sign on the road map for peace in the Middle East is it; especially as Hamas and Hezbolla are being partially funded by the Nation State of Iran?

Can we really see a World War III in the Middle East and an atomic attack in Jerusalem? Will this lead to the completion of Temple of Solomon, as per the Bible code prophesy and within the following decade an all out Nuclear War? Makes you want to take all those Awana free magazines from the Jehovah Witness’ and make them disappear doesn’t it? Is the date August 3, 2006 the actual Day of Armageddon, the date of reconciliation for the human race? A day, which will live in infamy? Do you believe in the Bible Code? Many do, too many in fact; is mankind going to fulfill the prophesy whether it was simply made up or miss interpreted? How can we stop the show down with Iran and Israel? Why are we in the middle of this mess in the Middle East, as we are half a world away? Lots of question, few answers and the time keeps moving into the future. Think on this in 2006.

Lance Winslow