Learning How To Understand Biblical Metaphors And Symbols

And when He had opened the second seal,

 I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 

And there went out another horse that was red:

 and power was given to Him that sat thereon

 to take peace from the earth, and that they

 should kill one another: and there was given 

unto Him a great sword. And when He had 

opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say,

 Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse:

 and He that sat on him had a pair of balances

in His hand. And I heard a voice in the midst 

of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat 

for a penny, and three measures of barley

 for a penny; and see thou hurt not 

the oil and the wine.

Revelation 6:3-8 

      A good question would be: Why does the Bible use symbols and how are we to understand them? How does the Bible use symbolism? I fear that today our children, and for a long time, have not learned or have been taught grammar. I find this often when I speak with a young person that they have little knowledge how grammar works or even that it is important to know grammar. I ask what is a metaphor and many of the ones I ask do not have an answer or a clear answer but only some thought to the meaning or how it is to be used, or used. This lack of understanding carries over into interpretation of the symbols, and metaphors, used in the Bible leading to new innovations or even false teaching. Throughout history metaphors and symbols were part of the culture and they are used today as they are powerful word tools that give deeper, concrete meaning to abstract concepts. What does abstract mean? The meaning is that it is thought apart from concrete realities, or specific objects, or actual instances, that a symbol is difficult to understand. An abstract word used often is "justice," and we use the word "abstract" for a type of painting. The symbols used in the Bible are recognizable to us but are so often have cultural references that make them hard to translate, therefore, we must use the whole of the Bible, the whole of their use in the Bible to come to an understanding of a symbol or metaphor. 

     Should we always in every case interpret the Bible literally? If that question is asked the questioner probably has an attitude of unbelief an incredulity to actually believe that the Bible should be read as nonfiction. An example of this attempt to discredit the Bible is when John states: that Jesus says, 'I am the door,' well does this mean that Jesus is an actual door? Or when the Psalmist asks to be sheltered under God's wings, then is God a bird? The questioner is using "reductio ad absurdum," which is a proposition, or set of propositions that is refuted by attempting to show that the proposition leads logically to an absurd consequence. Using the wrong methodological method to interpret will always lead to wrong understanding. Understanding is part of the forming of our character, so then, wrong understanding leads to a poor or wrong character leading to wrong actions or exercises, especially in the case of faith and worship. 

     What is the best method when attempting to translate and interpret the Bible? I would not hesitate to state: The best method is the literal-historical-grammatical method. Why? This method has as it aim the discovery of the meaning of the passage the original author would have intended and what the hearers would have understood. The Bible is unique as it is candor, and uses various genres, i.e., narrative, poetry, didactic teaching, and metaphors, hyperbole, etc., and all this does not take away from the literalness of the Bible as in these methods and techniques they are even standard fare for nonfiction literature that uses everyday language to communicate. The Bible uses, and this is a very difficult word and not used much if at all in everyday speech, phenomenological language (phew!) and this means to describe everyday things in common speech. It means to classify phenomena relevant to itself, as in the case of symbols, or metaphor. 

     In the case of metaphors, as the Bible is full of them, figures of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something which it is not, that which may seem awkward, without animation, or without awareness to suggest a resemblance, as in the case mention above where Jesus says that He is the "door," which did not mean that He had hinges, or was flat, but that He was the way into the kingdom of God. Symbolism seems to cause the various of interpretations but we must remember that symbolism points to the literal object behind the figurative language. 

     When we come to understand this it becomes much easier to embrace that the literal-historical-grammatical method for Bible interpretation is the best and the obvious method to come to a correct interpretation. 

     So why have I taken this time to point all this out? Because if we do not have a correct method then we will not understand and misuse what God by inspiration had the Bible writers to write, and in the Book of Revelation the lack for good interpretation has led to many, many, different interpretations. A person' presupposition, if misunderstood, leads to their interpretation and this leads to false teaching. So now, we have come to some symbols that have been interpreted many different ways so we must come to a correct Biblical understanding, i.e., horse, swords, scales, etc., so when I begin, and I will tomorrow, to teach with simplicity about those symbols in the verses that have them, we will not go off into some rabbit trail that leads nowhere, or to false teaching. So hold on to your hats, open your mind, read, study, pray, for I know that if you are an Authentic Christian you want the truth.

Search me, O God, and know my heart:

     try me, and know my thoughts: and 

see if there be any wicked way in me,

    and lead me in the way everlasting.

                   Psalm 139:23-24

Test all things: hold on to the good

Richard L. Crumb

     

The Opening Of The First Seal

And I saw when the Lamb opened one 

 of the seals, and I heard, as it were the

 noise of thunder, one of the four beast

 saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold 

a white horse; and He that sat on him had 

a bow; and a crown was given unto Him: and

 He went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Revelation 6:1-2

     The seals, as was mentioned in an earlier blog, was a scroll, a scroll contained seven sheets and only one at a time could be unrolled, the others remained rolled. This account of seals in Revelations was not the first time they were mentioned for Isaiah wrote about "words that were sealed" in: "And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed" (Isaiah 29:11). When the first seal was opened John heard thunder. What could this mean? Thunder is used throughout Scripture and power is represented by thunder: "And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and there were smitten before Israel" (1Samuel 7:10). Job adds: "Lo, these are parts of His ways: but how little a portion is heard of Him? but the thunder of His power who can understand" (Job 26:14)? The Psalmist gives more clarification: "The voice of Thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook" (Psalm 77:18). To the chief musician: "Thou calledst in trouble,and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah, Selah" (Psalm 81:7). Isaiah speaks: "Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest,and the flame of devouring fire" (Isaiah 29:6). Two of the apostles were called "sons of fire:" "and James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and He surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17). When Jesus prayed there was a sound of thunder and the people present heard the sound: "The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to Him" (John 12:29). One of the ministering living being called John to come up and see what the seal had upon it and what John saw was a rider upon a white horse. There have been many interpretations about the white horse, but to a simple and more direct understanding is that white is a symbol of purity, righteousness and the rider had a bow in His hand. A bow is an instrument to shoot arrows and arrows have long been used symbolically: "God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with His arrows" (Numbers 24:9). God gives this warning: "I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them"....I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy" (Deuteronomy 32:23; 42). The Psalmist writes: "But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded" (Psalm 64:7). Speaking how God works: "He bent His bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. He hath caused the arrows of His quiver to enter into my reins" (Lamentations 3:12-13). When a person is convicted of their sin(s) they feel as though they have been pierced by an arrow and this by the word of God leading them to conviction and to repentance. God's arrows are far reaching so no one can escape them even when God is using them as a means of chastising. A crown was placed upon the head of the rider and crowns have long been a symbol and an instrument of victory. 

     The rider goes forth conquering and to conquer and as long as there are sinners, He will continue to go forth to conquer. As long as the Church is disobedient He will continue to reach out to bring the Church back into the fold for if they do not allow this then they are considered enemies of God. Jesus Christ comes in power, not just for the Church but for the wicked. This work of conquering is not something that happens in a minute, no, the words "go forth" are in the aorist tense in Greek and is indicative, that is, it happens, when is not given, but it will happen and is happening as it is indicative. The conquering will continue until Jesus Christ comes for His bride. This work by Jesus Christ is effective and will happen in His time. 

      This lesson then is: will you be shot by an arrow or will you duck so as if you could miss the shot? You cannot, for you will either way, believe on Jesus or not, be hit, Jesus does not miss the mark. 

Take fast hold of instruction: 

     let her not go: keep her;

for she is they life.

                 Proverbs 4:13

Be of good cheer: God loves you

Richard L. Crumb 

Richard L. Crumb

The Great Banquet In Heaven

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many 

 angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was 

ten thousand times, ten thousand, 

and thousands of thousands, saying with 

a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was 

slain to receive power, and riches, 

and wisdom, and strength, and honor,

 and glory, and blessing. And every creature

 which is in heaven, and on the earth, 

and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, 

and all that are in them, heard I saying, 

Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, 

be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, 

and unto the Lamb forever and ever. 

And the four beasts said, Amen. And the 

four and twenty elders fell down and 

worshipped Him that liveth forever and ever.

Revelation 5:11-14

     Many, many years have passed for man upon this earth and during those many years life was and is harsh, full of corruption, terror, temptations, all in opposition to the will of God. There were and are now good times that we can rejoice in and have a joy yet the harshness of sin comes rolling in like a steam roller and you fight again to overcome. John is relating to a "party," a "party" that has never occurred since the fall, first by Satan and the hordes of angels that followed him, and then second by the fall of man. Yes, what John is relating to us about the "new song," the playing of instruments, and the shouting of joy by the voices of many both in heaven and upon the earth is not to be just assigned to us when we are in heaven, we can enjoy the "party" now. You have to join: or not! Your choice! No, I am not Pelagian, nor semi-Pelagian, for you on your own cannot choose to be part of the "party." Yet, you must choose! Joshua ask the people of Israel to choose: "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve: whether it be the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15). God calls you for He chose you, not due to anything you have that causes God to call you, but He has chosen to call, and you can choose to answer: "But God hath chose the foolish things of he world to confound the wise; and God hat chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" (1Corinthians 1:27). God is calling: "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (Isaiah 55:1). In the Song of Solomon (the Canticles) a prophecy about Jesus Christ states: "He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love" (Song of Solomon 2:4). Your invitation to this "party" was a calling before you accepted to choose to be part of the "party." This call and this "party" is yours to enjoy now, in the presence, that is, if you choose to be part of the banquet. You, now, in this day, in your life can sing this new song, even though you do not know all the words, or even all of the melody, you can sing what you know now. You do not have to wait to be a blessing to the Lamb, not do you have to wait to give to Him, honor, praise, worship, and power. You can do it now! 

     God is the One sitting on the throne, the Godhead consisting of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is that Son, the Wisdom of God who came to be in our world to die for sin, and by His death be able to redeem man. God sees you through Jesus Christ and by the ransom paid by Jesus Christ He allows you to have this ransom when you believe on Jesus Christ. Why is the Lamb spoken separately? Some, Jehovah Witnesses, and the Mormons, make Jesus to be a created being and so use this to be a proof verse for their theological doctrine. Does the Lamb receive worship? Yes: as in verse 8 or chapter 5, the living animals, and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb: is this not worship? Yes! So how is it that the Lamb, if He be a separate creature have the right to have our worship? Some will simply say that He is the Savior, a special envoy for God and now is able to have glory, honor, and worship. Does God give the worship that is due Him away to another? No! "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God" (Exodus 34:14). Jesus is called God when He addressed doubting Thomas: "And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God" (John 20:29). The Greek grammar is clear and plain that Thomas called Jesus His Lord and His God, there is no comma in the Greek separating the two, Lord, and God, furthermore, the "kai," meaning "and" is not used here as a separator, rather to show that both words refer to One, not two. Jesus created all things, not Himself, and never in Scripture does God state that He created Jesus, no, for Jesus is God and is the One for whom we choose to come when called. This is a free gift of faith, faith drawn by the calling of the Holy Spirit when the Gospel is heard (Romans 10:17; Ephesians 2:8-9). 

     Let us then, knowing that you are called by God, and have chosen to be saved by the Holy Spirit through and by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, then give to Him all adoration, praise, and worship for He is not only your Savior, but also your God. The "Party" is on, and will even be a greater "party" a banquet that will never end when you are in heaven and Jesus has come to bring His bride, the Church, home. Will you be there?

And said, I cried by reason of mine

    affliction unto the LORD,

and He heard me; out of the belly

    of hell cried I, and thou heardest

my voice.

                        Jonah 2:2

Put on your wedding dress, the wedding is on

Richard L. Crumb