Featured Who Gave the Right to Interpret "Spiritually"?

So, wait a minute, the belief that I have that allegorical/spiritual interpretation is wrong is now an "accusation"? I beg to differ. It is a heart-felt, Scripture lead, deep conviction of the soul.

I don't understand "interpretation" as "systematic study of Scripture." I see it as simply determining what God actually did say in His Word. That may take seconds, or it may take much study.

True, literal interpretation develops dispensationalism, but it also develops the historic premil position. My grandfather sharply criticized dispensationalism, but was premil, pretrib from his own study, since he believed in literal interpretation.

This cleverly evades the OP, which says that if all prophecy of the first coming of Christ was literal, where does the right come from to "spiritualize" prophecies of the Second Coming. What is your answer? (This post by you is not an answer.)

Now, your position here seems to negate the OT prophecies concerning Israel that are yet unfulfilled. This is a case of reading the NT back into the OT, as CT and NCT do. Here are just a few yet unfulfilled prophecies of Israel from just the major prophets:

Isaiah: The rebuilding of Israel (esp. ch. 26)

Jeremiah: The rebuilding and salvation of Israel (especially ch. 31), Jews regathered from the whole world, Israel in the seven year tribulation period (esp. ch. 30), Israel’s wonderful future (esp. ch. 33)

Ezekiel: The rebuilding and salvation of Israel (ch. 20), the revived kingdom of David (esp. ch. 34), the valley of dry bones, pointing to the restoration of Israel (ch. 37), the New Jerusalem and temple during the Millennium (ch. 40-48)

 

We certainly agree there, but that was not my point. There is far more to a literal interpretation of the 2nd Coming than that.

This is completely irrelevant to true dispensationalism and this conversation. Whatever author you read who said that certainly was not a scholar in dispensationalism.

Again, this is irrelevant to the present discussion. Please go back and read the OP and tell me where the right comes from to interpret any prophecy of the 2nd Coming allegorically, since all prophecies of the 1st Coming were fulfilled literally.

I have even given a Scriptural basis in Neh. 8:8 for literal interpretation. Exactly when, Scripturally (not historically, since that was Philo), did the Jews of the Bible begin interpreting the prophecies concerning their nation allegorically? (It is patently evident from many NT Scriptures that the disciples interpreted future kingdom prophecies literally.)

In other words, this is a straw man argument (no offense).

 

You are making the typical error of anachronization of the typical allegorizer. The Greek word for "allegory" in Gal. 2 does not mean the same as the word "allegory" in 21st century English. An allegory nowadays is fiction, like Pilgrim's Progress. In Biblical language the meaning was simply "symbolic language."

In the case of the "allegory" in Gal. 2:24, it was a type, a somewhat more complicated metaphor. As Jope pointed out, it was based on an historical event (as are all types), and therefore not the same as modern allegorical interpretation, which takes non-historical Scripture and "spiritualizes" it.

 

So what do you do about the many, many OT prophecies concerning Israel that are not yet fulfilled? (See my post #88 for just a few.) All fulfilled OT prophecies about Israel were fulfilled literally.

This is the whole point of the OP, which this post answers in no way, shape or form. Since 1st Coming prophecies were all fulfilled literally, where do you get the right to interpret prophecies of the 2nd Coming "spiritually"?

"Hyper literally"?? There is no such thing. You either interpret literally or not. When the Bible says, "This same Jesus...shall so come in like manner," either He is coming physically (literal interpretation) or coming (or came already) "spiritually," (allegorizing).

Again, metaphors which do not answer the OP at all. Why is it that allegorizers on this thread cannot seem to understand what a metaphor is?

Again, please answer the OP. Either literal prophecies of the 2nd Coming will be fulfilled literally, or they will not be fulfilled literally, even though all prophecies of the 1st coming were fulfilled literally. So again, where did you get the right to interpret prophecy allegorically? Don't give me metaphors, give me Scriptural justification for your allegorizing.

 

I read your study, and I think it shows a good knowledge of Scripture, and a love for Christ. However, your position on Revelation is the historical view, correct? Therefore, your study shows allegorical interpretation. I believe that view is mistaken, based for one thing on the fact that Revelation's OT parallel is Daniel, and Daniel's prophecies have unfailingly been fulfilled literally. For example, the numbers in Daniel's 70 weeks were literally fulfilled concerning Christ's death. However, you do not interpret the 42 months of Rev. 13:5 literally.

So that brings me again to my OP: where does the right to interpret prophecy allegorically come from, since all OT prophecies of the 1st Coming of Christ were fulfilled literally?

 

Ah, yes, good old Hal. Haven't read him in decades! He certainly is not a dispensational scholar.

Now there's irony for you! Grandpa was not real pleased when I started hanging with those dispensationalists at BWM.

 

I don't believe I've used the term "literal metaphors." And I don't really want to take the time to do an exegesis of Rev. 9, which would distract from the OP. However, 13:16-18 is quite easily taken literally. Why would there be doubt about a simple mark on the right hand or forehead?

The disciples were like those who interpret allegorically, especially those on the BB who have been posting on this thread. They did not seem to know what a metaphor was, though Jesus used them all the time! Even you, as intelligent as you appear to be, keep making the mistake that says the use of a metaphor means you can interpret allegorically. That's bogus!

How in the world is "I am the bread of life," a metaphor, somehow more spiritual than "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature"?? And what gives us the right to interpret passages that are not figures of speech with non-literal meanings?

Here is a list of some figures of speech in the Bible from Paul Lee Tan's excellent book, The Interpretation of Prophecy. They are each easily distinguishable as figures of speech, and none of them indicate that non-figures of speech may be interpreted symbolically:

1. Metaphor. A metaphor uses nouns to compare unlike items (Joel 2:31, Luke 13:32, Is. 41:14).
2. Simile. A comparison: a simile is an expression that uses “like” or “as” to compare two things (Rev. 1:14, 6:12, 16:13).
3. Metonymy. “Use of one name for another related name' (Rev. 11:8).
4. Synecdoche. “Similar to metonymy but physical resemblance is stressed”: “Behold the Lord maketh the earth (Israel) empty" (Is. 24:1).
5. Personification. This gives a human personality to something which has no life (Is. 24:4, 55:12).
6. Apostrophe. “Addressing of an absent object”(1 Cor. 15:55).
7. Hyperbole. Hyperbole is a purposeful exaggeration (John 21:25).
8. Irony. Using words with an opposite meaning to portray sarcasm (1 Kings 18:27).
9. Allegory. “An extended metaphor” (Gal. 4:24).
10. Parable. A parable is an extended metaphor or simile, “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning” (Matt. 13:3, 25:1).
11. Riddle. “Statements designed to puzzle and hide. The Scripture contains a very restrained use of riddles. When a riddle is used, it is often indicated as such (Rev. 13:18 ‘Here is wisdom…666’) or is immediately solved in the context (Samson’s riddle)” (Judges 14:12-18).
12. Fable. “Animals or things in imaginary actions. There are only two fables in Scripture” (Judges 9:7-20, 2 Kings 14:8-11).
13. Type. An institution, event or person in the Old Testament which prefigures New Testament truth. For example, Jonah prefigures Christ (Matt. 12:40).

 

I'd love to be there. In the meantime, my son and I are hoping to be at the Bible Faculty Summit again this year: Bible Faculty Summit at Appalachian Bible College August 1–3, 2017

You and Dr. Bob would enjoy it. The guys from Maranatha and Central usually go too.