One of the great battle cries
of some who would purport to be great defenders of the faith
is the proud declaration that they believe the Bible to be
literally true. While we certainly would not
purport that the Bible is not true literally, we would also
recognize that many of the scriptures cannot be taken at face value
and certainly cannot be understood literally except as the Spirit
is pleased to unfold the literal truth which is set forth in the
words on the pages of the Bible. I remember hearing Rolf Barnard
say, the Bible does not mean what it says, rather it means
what it means. This is wise counsel and takes
the ability to understand the scriptures out of the realm of
carnal interpretation and leaves the would-be readers to wait
upon the teaching of the Spirit of God for proper enlightenment. So just because someone may quote
the scriptures quite literally does not mean that what they
purport to teach about the truth of those scriptures is not skewed
from the meaning which is hidden from the wise and prudent and
revealed only unto babes. One thing that has become increasingly
clear to me over the years is the inability of men to enlighten
other men as to the truth found in the Bible. Unless the Lord
builds the house, they labor in vain that build it. While
we must earnestly contend for the faith, we must not do so
with a contentious spirit, recognizing that the Lord alone can give
a man a proper understanding of the truth as it is in Jesus. If the Lord intends for a man
to grasp the truth, then He will open the man's understanding
to receive it. He sometimes uses men to deliver
that truth to other men, but the ability to embrace it with
proper perception can alone be imparted by Him who calls His
own by name and gives them His Spirit to guide them. Most of
the false doctrine that is spread among those who profess to be
the followers of Christ is done by teachers who love to gain
a following. There are many who are eager
to follow those who speak with an air of authority and who appeal
to their carnal reason and emotions. This describes those with itching
ears. The rise of the professional
preacher and the one-man ministry among the churches has greatly
enhanced the speed at which this envelops those eager to hear
some new thing and to give deference unto carnal learning and entertaining
speakers. Paul told Timothy that he would
see a falling away in his own lifetime as men would reject
sound doctrine for those things that appeal to their carnal wisdom.
We see it on every hand, even as it has taken place from the
time when Paul warned the Ephesian elders of this very thing. The
Lord Jesus Christ laid his axe to the root of those who would
seek to discover the establishment of his kingdom from a literal
or carnal perspective. Malachi was given a prophecy
which literally said that Elijah would come before the great day
of the Lord. The Pharisees failed to see the unveiling of the Messiah
because they believed that Malachi was instructing them to look
for the literal Elijah who had performed miracles and been taken
up to heaven in a fiery chariot. Yet the Lord revealed that this
prophecy, while true literally, was not literally true as to
their carnal understanding of it. Malachi was literally speaking
of John the Baptist, who would come as the harbinger of Christ,
for he was an even greater prophet than the literal Elijah, for
John has as his life's purpose to testify of the great and dreadful
day of the Lord. This day is indeed a literal
day, but it is not a literal 24-hour day. Rather, this day
of the Lord speaks to the times of the Messiah or the age in
which he would come. These are indeed the last days,
the day of His appearing, and most importantly, the day of
salvation. This is the accepted time, the
acceptable year of the Lord, for He would come into the earth
to establish His kingdom. The scripture speaks of but two
times, or ages, in the earth, the former times which were occupied
by the prophets who spoke of him who was yet to come, and
the latter, or last days, which John was given the privilege
to see begun, and in which the New Testament Church presently
abides. awaiting the last trump and the
voice of the archangel, when the fullness of the day of the
Lord shall be manifested as he gathers his sheep from out of
every tribe, nation, and tongue, where he has scattered them according
to his determined purpose, he shall lose none which were given
to him. Even so come, Lord Jesus. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at 4the4 at windstream dot net.