The Bible still has SECRETS!
Seal the book, shut up the vision
Daniel 8:26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.
Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Isaiah 29:11 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:
As with the prophets of old, who were not able to know the meanings of the words that they prophesied, so it appears that there are certain passages of scripture, even today, that remain sealed up until the time they are to be fulfilled.
When I say 'sealed up', it's not that we cannot read about them, but it's that we cannot seem to fully understand them. Even when you believe you've got the formula to make sense of transitional or prophetic verses, someone else comes up with another formula that sheds more light or brings in additional context that you may have missed. On the other hand, as you study the verses further and dig deeper into additional sources, you'll often learn of other interpretations that either amaze, bewilder or confuse.
So, how do we make sense of this all?
I'm of the opinion that there are scripture passages that God is still keeping under wraps. There are still secrets in His heart that have not yet been revealed and are being kept back until the day and the hour ordained unto it. God has followed this pattern all the way through His Word and the history of humanity.
Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever,
Even though He has provided us with the full revelation of His redemption plan today, and even though it is written in black and white on the pages of the Bible, I believe that the eyes of our understanding are still darkened to the mysteries in some scripture portions that are to be revealed only in God's timing and order. It's similar to the passage in Luke below. Here Jesus plainly speaks (not even in cryptic language!) about His coming tribulation and demise, but these sayings were hidden from His disciples' understanding,
Luke 18:32-34 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
I am pretty sure that this is still the case today. Even though the written Word is in our hands, there are things recorded in it that are hidden from our understanding. Just like the scriptures at the top of this article, which are kept shut until the right time, there are passages of scripture, particularly to do with future events like the Tribulation and Second Coming of Christ that we, and even the brightest of biblical scholars, are unclear on. These future events have a purpose and a plan that far outweighs the need for us to clearly understand them.
Consider the description given below in John's apocalyptic writings,
Revelation 9:7-10 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
Whether this be a creature from the bottomless pit, whether it be a cryptic description of future mechanics or technology, —the point is that we do not know what it is. We can only guess! As the time draws nearer to the moment this will be fulfilled, its highly probable that the description in John's vision will become clearer and make more sense to those in that day.
Seal not the sayings for the time is at hand
Revelation 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
But, until the appointed time, your guess, is as good as my guess, is as good as any bible scholar, no matter how many doctorates or degrees are behind their name.
When it comes to scripture passages like this, I believe we should study and
build our own interpretations around it. We should be faithful in the Word, to
pray for guidance as we search the scriptures, and to allow the Holy Spirit to
teach us individually. We need to allow each other the space and the privilege
to share what we have learned and be mature enough to be teachable based on
what others have learned, and so form a common ground in understanding, if
that be possible. If common ground is not possible, then each can hold to
their own opinion in love and without causing a stumbling block to his brother
and hurting his faith.
(Read Romans 14 for a full picture of Christian maturity).
Let me end with this reasoning.
Though we have the majestic Word of God in our hands, we all know in part. Surely this means therefore that we need each other; to learn from each other, to be inspired by the insights and the study of others, and through fellowship and sharing of God's Word, we can gain the bigger picture. We all need to grope to find God. Paul put it so eloquently,
Acts 17:24-28 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being;
As the scriptural events of the end draw nearer in our time, it is inevitable that more and more interpretations are going to arise in this regard. Let's search the scriptures, let's fill our minds and hearts with the lessons in God's glorious Word, even if by our own interpretation, but let's also ensure that we have a strong bond with other believers, so as to keep each one in check and safe.
Proverbs 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellers there is safety.
What a blessed thing it is to learn God's Word, to share our views of the Bible, to live its truth, and to believe it in a time such as this.
MARANATHA!
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