RULES OF INTERPRETATION

[Paddy by Grace]

Part I




THE BASIS FOR A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF GOD'S WORD




In order to fully understand the Word of God (the Bible), there are certain requirements that you must yield to. The Bible is a spiritual book, and it must be spiritually discerned. "Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually examined'' (I Corinthians 2:14).

I. The spiritual requirements for a clear understanding of the Word of God are as follows:




One must love God: Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27; Matthew 10:37; Luke 14:25-35; I John 2:7-11, 4:7,8,20.
One must have the will to do God's will: John 7:17; Psalms 40:6-8; Acts 13:22; Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:29-31; Colossians 1:9-11; Ephesians 5:17; I Thessalonians 4:3; John 14:21; I Thessalonians 5:16-18.
One must be willing to lay aside human theories and practices of men which are contrary to the will of God: Matthew 23:15, 29-36; Isaiah 66:1-5; Ezekiel 14:4,5; Acts 17:10,11; Galatians 6:12; Ephesians 4:17; Isaiah 29:13-16.
One must pray to the Lord, ''Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law" (Psalms 119:18). Proverbs 2:3, Psalm 119:160, Dan. 4:37.
II. The intellectual requirements are as follows:
One must study the Word in order to get its messages. II Timothy 2:15.
One must discipline one's mind to memorize the Word. Psalms 119:11; 37:31; 40:8.
One must worship the Lord with all one's heart. Proverbs 1:7; 9:10,15,33; Psalms 111:10; Job 28:28.
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Part Two


THE USE OF LANGUAGE



In order to understand the Scriptures one must know the use of language: the grammar, the specific meaning of words, and the fundamental laws of speech especially the principles which are characteristic of the Scriptures.

I. A knowledge of the use of language is important because:



Intelligible language expresses a logical process of the mind.
There are certain definite fixed laws of the mind according to which all normal persons think and act.

(Examples)
laws of observation
laws of deduction
laws of inspiration etc.



language either written or spoken is governed by definite specific laws that are just as real as the laws governing physical matter.


(for example) Laws governing the uses of metals, and those controlling the explosion of gases and directing of electrical energy are employed in the construction of an automobile motor; if these basic Laws are ignored the motor will be a failure.

In the study of the Scriptures, if the basic laws of language and interpretation are ignored, or are not employed, the message God intended to convey may be misunderstood or misinterpreted in part or in whole.



II. In the Bible, which is God's revelation to man, the thought and also the very words by which the ideas were expressed in the original tongues were given infallibly by he Holy Spirit of God.


In the Scriptures the Lord said exactly what He meant and meant just what He said.

The prophets and apostles spoke and wrote in the language of the people to whom the ministered.

The Lord had a very definite idea to convey whenever He made a statement.

A careful and honest appraisal of any statement found in the Scriptures will reveal that it has a definite and specific meaning; and a solemn and sincere purpose should be exercised to learn exactly what is said in the Scriptures and to arrive at the precise idea of the inspired writer.
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Part 3

The knowledge of certain rules of interpretation and the observance of these rules while studying the Scriptures is very important and helpful in arriving at a clear understanding of God's Word.

[Paddy by Grace]

THE FIRST RULE OF INTERPRETATION





I. The first rule of interpretation is to DISCOVER THE AUTHOR THE PEOPLE ADDRESSED AND THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN A GIVEN CASE.



Discover the author.
Get acquainted with his home life and parental background.
Get acquainted with his community life.
Get acquainted with his occupational life.
Get acquainted with his general outlook.



Discover the people or object addressed.
Discover to whom or to what the words of a given passage are spoken.
Moses and the prophets spoke directly to Israel, and their outlook as a rule was from the legal standpoint.
The New Testament writers wrote and spoke of Gods provision to govern the lives and activities of both Jew and Gentile through the grace and truth which He sent through Jesus Christ.
What was spoken to Israel nationally is not necessarily applicable to the church of God and vice versa. (What Moses and the prophets spoke to the nation of Israel as a people should not be applied to anyone else except Israel. If in a given passage a certain fundamental basic principle is set forth it may be applied to an analogous case. Be most certain that the analogy exists before an application of the principle is made. Compare Jer. 31:31 ff and Heb. 8. The book of Psalms expresses the national hopes of Israel and the spiritual relations of Israel with God. However there are certain Psalms that are of the individual nature-Psalm 1, 23,25, etc.
Though all wrote of the same (one and only gospel--Gal. 1:8,9) the writers of each Of the four gospels wrote to a different group of people:
Matthew wrote to the Jew;
Mark to the Roman;
Luke to the Greek;
John to the Gnostics.
The account of the Acts of the Apostles may have been written to one person Theophilus but the messages of the book are of inestimable value to the church today.
There are some portions of the Scriptures which were not spoke infallibly by the Spirit of God.
Any quotation in chapter 1,2 and 38 - 42 of Job may be handled as the inspired revelation of God but the material found in chapters 3-37 of the book of Job are not to be lifted to the level of a revelation from God. These chapters are simply the inspired record of what men said and did (Job 38:2).
What is said about the book of Job is true with reference to the book of Ecclesiastes, which is the spiritual biography of a man from chapter 1:1 through 12:12.
In addition, note particularly whether or not a specific promise or promises given in the Scriptures are made to specific people under specific conditions. (Anyone standing before God on the same ground as the one to whom a specific promise has been made may claim the same promise upon the principle that the Lord is no respecter of persons.)



Discover the life and times of the people involved in a given case.
Note the spiritual conditions that prevail.
Note the political economic and social conditions.
Note the world situation.
Note particularly the laws and customs of the times for these vary in order to suit the lives of certain individuals, under specific circumstances at specific times.
(for example ) New York requires laws to govern traffic at water fronts, Arizona does not need such laws.
Jews celebrate Passover: Christians celebrate Easter to commemorate the liberty God set in motion in the resurrection of Christ Jesus.
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II. The second rule of interpretation is to DISCOVER THE FACTS AND TRUTHS PRESENTED IN A GIVEN PASSAGE AND NOTE THE EXACT WORDING OF THE TEXT.





Note carefully every statement that is made and every fact that is stated in any given passage.
"Facts" defined: A fact is that which has been done, a reality, truth (Facts always overthrow theories that are not in harmony with truth.)
Collect the facts under the following headings:
Historical Facts
Scientific Facts
Physical Facts
Spiritual Status
Classify the facts which are presented by any text of Scripture under rules of grammar.
Analyze every sentence for every part of speech used.
Take note of type of sentence used.
Note the theme of the paragraph or passage.
Note whether or not the subject is acting or being acted upon.
Note the motive if any, which prompted the act.
Note whether or not anyone is affected by what is said or done.


Discover the truths in every passage and analyze them in the light of the great and fundamental principles or truths which control man in every sphere of his activity.
The physical world is controlled by laws.
The mind is controlled by unbreakable laws and principles.
In the field of ethics and religion there are inflexible truths and principles.
In the spiritual realm also unchangeable and unvarying principles and truth are operating.


Note the exact wording of the text.
Words are symbols of ideas.
Every word and every group of words sets forth a definite, specific meaning. This is especially true of the Scriptures, which are the profoundest of writings and which are more than the writings of uninspired men.
Analyze every word for its true meaning in any given text.


The following is a limited application of this rule:
The text: Genesis 1:1:2 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
Analysis of the text:
"In the beginning." This is a prepositional phrase referring to that part of eternity which antedated time (time began with creation).
"God" is the subject and He did the acting.
The verb "created" denotes to bring into being that which had no prior form or substance.
"Heavens and earth" constitute the object upon which God acted. (It would take Glenn or Carpenter 13,743 years to travel to the nearest star at the speed of 17,500 mph).
In the light of Isa. 45:18, "And the earth was waste and void" may be understood as follows: "But the earth became a desolation and a waste."
"And darkness was upon the face of the deep" implies that there was light here first, but that after a catastrophe darkness enveloped the earth.
In the light of fundamental truths of the Bible the clause "and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" reveals that the Third Person of the Trinity moved or brooded upon the face of the waters.
Exercise: Analyze Psalm 2:1-3.
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The Golden Rule of Interpretation



III. The third rule of interpretation is as follows: WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE OF SCRIPTURE MAKES COMMON SENSE, SEEK NO OTHER SENSE; THEREFORE, TAKE EVERY WORD AT ITS PRIMARY, ORDINARY, USUAL, LITERAL MEANING UNLESS THE FACTS OF THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT, STUDIED IN THE LIGHT OF RELATED PASSAGES AND AXIOMATIC AND FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS INDICATE CLEARLY OTHERWISE.



Seek the plain, literal meaning of the Scriptures.
The sum and substance of this most important rule is that one should take every statement of the Scriptures at its face value, if possible.
The following is an analysis of the adjectives "primary," "ordinary," and "usual."
"Primary" emphasizes the original, inherent idea in the term.
"Ordinary" and "usual" are practically synonyms, especially in this definition, "usual" being employed for the sake of emphasis.
"Literal" is used to emphasize the thought that every word must first be taken literally as expressing the exact thought of the author at the time when it was used; and one is not to go beyond the literal meaning of the Scriptures unless the facts of the context indicate a deeper, hidden or symbolic meaning.


Seek the figurative meaning only when the facts demand such an interpretation.
Modernism and rationalism are the logical outgrowth of forcing a figurative meaning upon a passage that is clearly literal, or vice versa.


Study every statement of the Scriptures in context. ("A TEXT APART FROM ITS CONTEXT IS A PRETEXT.") Then study the facts of the context in the light of related passages and axiomatic fundamental truths. "...No prophecy of scripture is of private (special) interpretation" (II Peter 1:20); "The sum of thy word is truth" (Psalm 119:160).


Study the following texts and apply the Golden Rule of Interpretation:
Zech. 9:9,10;
Jer. 29:9-14;
Ezek. 34:20-24 (Will David be king over Israel?)

(The Golden Rule of Interpretation is one of the most important principles governing us in our interpretation of the Scriptures If we follow this rule, we shall never go very far wrong; but if we fail to follow it, we shall never go right.)
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IV. The fourth rule of interpretation is THE LAW OF FIRST MENTION.




The meaning of the law of First Mention: The Law of First Mention may be said to be the principle that requires one to go to that portion of the Scriptures where a doctrine is mentioned for the first time and to study the first occurrence of the same in order to get the fundamental inherent meaning of that doctrine.



When this law is applied the simple precedes the complex.
A history of the development of anything will show that it sprang from something in the very simplest form (for example the steamship; airplane; automobile).
In the Scriptures the growth and development of ideas and doctrine might be illustrated by some simple word.
Throughout the history of a term it may have increased its meaning and undergone certain changes, yet the basic, original, fundamental thought is seldom lost.
The fundamental concept usually controls or is dominant in coloring every shade of idea expressed by a term in its current usage.


Exercises--
Trace how the writer of Psalm 8 and Hebrews 2 related their messages to the doctrines which are mentioned for the first time in Genesis 1:2-2:3. These doctrines are as follows:
The original creation;
Disaster which overtook the primitive earth;
The reconstruction and repairing of this damage;
The beginning of the present human race.
Study the doctrine concerning man in his original state and his fall given in Genesis 2 and 3.
The first mention of the doctrine of sin is given in chapter 3 of Genesis. Study how the writer of Romans 7:17 developed his message upon the doctrines given in Genesis 3.
Study the doctrine concerning sacrifices.
When man first disobeyed God and tried to cover his nakedness with fig leaves the Lord gave him a covering made from the skins of animals. Why the skins of animals? Why couldn't He have used another material? No answer is given in Genesis
The account of Cain and Abel bringing their offerings to the Lord reveals that Abel by faith brought his flock and placed such on the altar to atone for sin. This pleased the Lord. See Genesis 4 and Hebrews 11:4.
Animal sacrifices in the beginning of the history of man were typical of the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary's tree.
Study Bible chronology.
Chronology is to the story of redemption given in the Bible what the skeleton is to the rest of our body.
If all the bones of our body were removed our flesh would be a pile of jumbled matter.
If chronology were removed from the Scriptures, the Scriptures would be a mass of jumble facts.
Biblical chronology had its beginnings in the book Of Genesis, and God was very careful to give hundreds of dates here and there throughout the Scriptures to show the orderly development of events recorded in the Bible.
Study the six days of creation recorded in Genesis 1.
Study the genealogies of the theocratic line given in Genesis 11.
Observe how God dated events in the Bible from the time of the creation of man, "Anno Homonis" (A.H.).
Study the doctrine concerning the wrath of God and His judgments.
Observe how God has dealt with the sinfulness of man on an international scale (Gen 6 to 8).
Observe how God must deal with the sinfulness of mankind yet in the future (Luke 17:26-30; Rev 19:15).
Study he Rainbow Covenant which God made with man (Gen 9:1-16) and observe the following:
The Rainbow Covenant is an everlasting covenant.
God entered into this covenant with all humanity.
God's obligation under this covenant, "the everlasting covenant" is never again to destroy the earth water.
Man's obligation under this covenant is to obey the four provisions of the covenant God laid down for man's benefit (Genesis 9:3-7). (Read Isa. 24:5; Rev 4:3).
Study the beginning of Hebrew history.
God made a covenant with Abraham (Gen 12:1-3).
To confirm the fact that God chose Israel, read Deut. 32:8,9.


NOTE: The Book of Genesis is the seed plot of every doctrine found in the Scriptures for every doctrine is found there in simple form.
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. The fifth law of interpretation is THE LAW OF DOUBLE REFERENCE



The Law of Double Reference is the principle of associating similar or related ideas which are usually separated from one another by long period of times, and which are blended into a single picture like the blending of pictures by a stereopticon.


Study the following passages of Scripture and determine where the Law of Double Reference was employed:
Psalm 16:1-11;
Psalm 22:1-31;
Psalm 40:l-10;
Isaiah 11:1-5;
Jeremiah 29:10-14.
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VI. The sixth rule of interpretation is THE LAW OF RECURRENCE





The Law of Recurrence involves the recording of an event and the repetition of the account which gives added details. This principle may be illustrated by the artist who "blocks out the portrait" of a person at the first sitting and adds detail at subsequent sittings.




Study the following passages and determine where Isaiah and Ezekiel employed the Law of Recurrence:

Isaiah 11:1-10; 11:11-12:6
Ezekiel 38:1-39:16
Matthew chapters 24 and 25
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VII. The seventh law of interpretation is the LAW OF PARANOMASIA or A PLAY ON WORDS.




Paronomasia consists of our laying down beside one word or idea that has been used a similar one with a little variation.



The following are example of paronomasia:
In Amos 8:1,2 there is a play on the Hebrew word "kayits" (translated "summer fruit") and "kets" (translated "the end"). The radicals of each word are the same, with the exception of the "y."
In Micah 2:1-3 there is a play upon the word "evil." Daniel 9:24 has a play upon the words "seventy sevens."
There is a play upon ideas in Daniel 11:36 ff-- "the desire of women" (Messiah God in human flesh), vs. 37; and the "god of fortresses" (military power pictured as idol), vs. 38.


Exercises. Find the paronomasia in the following passages:
Isaiah 28:1-8;
John 3:5;
John 6:28,29.
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PARONOMASIA OR A PLAY ON WORDS



THE BIBLE is the revelation of God put in human language. God not only gave the thought, but also chose the words by which the disclosure was to be conveyed to man. In giving His Word He used the language of the people to whom He spoke. In all languages there are literal terms and figurative expressions. There are all types of figures of speech and metaphorical language. Unless a person realizes this fact, he will run into difficulty in interpreting the Scriptures. Moreover, the student must be familiar with the various figures of speech. One of the least known and yet one of the most important figures occurring in the Scriptures is that of paronomasia or a play on words and ideas. Since it occurs so very, very frequently, and since in many instances the entire point in a passage is bound up in an understanding of this figure, it is of the utmost importance that the Bible student should familiarize himself with it in order that he might follow the thought of the Scriptures as they are making their revelation known to him.




I. What is Paronomasia?



As stated in the heading of this study, paronomasia is a play on words or ideas. This term is from the Greek and is a combination of a preposition and a noun, the former primarily meaning beside; the latter indicating to name or to give a name to. Laying aside the rigidity of the etymology of the term, we would say that paronomasia consists of our laying down beside one word or idea that has been used-- a similar one with a little variation or change. The point or force of the word or idea thus employed is contingent upon our understanding of the word or idea upon which it is a pun.

An illustration, however, is worth many definitions and words. Everyone of us is familiar with the fact that frequently a parent has spoken to a child, who has taken a serious matter lightly and laughingly, saying: "You will be laughing on the other side of your face (or mouth)." No explanation of what is meant is needed. The child is not considering the seriousness of the matter in hand; but, on the contrary he is laughing about it. The warning is given in terms of what is being done, namely, laughing. But the parent does not suggest that the child actually will be laughing; he simply means that he will be crying; but he speaks of what the child will be doing in terms of what he is doing at the time of the reprimand. In scores upon scores of passages throughout the Word we find this same usage of language. It must therefore be recognized in order to understand what is meant.




II. Examples of Paronomasia



In this discussion we shall notice only a few examples of this usage, the first of which is Amos 8:1,2: "Thus the Lord Jehovah showed me: and behold, a basket of summer fruit. 2 And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said Jehovah unto me, The end is come upon my people Israel; I will not again pass by them any more." The Lord showed the prophet, in vision, a basket of summer fruit. The word rendered "summer fruit" is the Hebrew word, kayits, when transliterated. To the prophet's answer the Lord said: "The end is come upon my people Israel." The word rendered "the end," when transliterated, is kets. The radicals of each word are the same, with the exception of the "y". But in Hebrew they appear very much alike. There is a play, not upon the idea, but upon the words, which were so very similar that the general impression made upon the prophet's mind was indelible. Thus when anyone who had listened to the oracle saw a basket of summer fruit, he would automatically think of the oracle that it indicated the end that would come upon the people of Israel.

ANOTHER example of paronomasia is found in Micah, which reads as follows: "Woe to them that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. 2 And they covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away: and they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. 3 Therefore thus saith Jehovah: Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks, neither shall ye walk haughtily; for it is an evil time." (Micah 2:1-3).

The prophet spoke, or rather pronounced, a woe against those who devised iniquity and worked evil upon their beds, when they were lying in the quietude of the night. But when the day arose, they would put into execution their diabolical plans. They were covetous people who would take advantage of others and oppress them in any and every way possible. To them, therefore, the Lord gave the following warning: "Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks, neither shall ye walk haughtily; for it is an evil time."

These people would plot against innocent helpless ones, scheming how they could rob people by every method and device possible. They planned what was indeed outright wickedness and sin. Against them, therefore, the Lord hurled the threat that He would likewise devise an evil against them. He would do some planning and plotting. He, by His omniscience, could out-plan and out-maneuver them. In doing so, He would bring calamity upon them. Since the Almighty is a holy God and is not tempted of evil, that is, moral wrong, we can see that the word "evil" is used in a different sense. The word rendered "evil" in the Old Testament very frequently indicates calamity. As an example of this meaning note the following passage: "I [Jehovah] form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil [calamity]; I am Jehovah, that doeth all these things." In this passage we see, then, when we view all the facts, that God is threatening punishment to the evildoers who were plotting iniquitous acts against their fellowmen. The Lord plans the evil, that is, the punishment, that He must as a holy and just God bring as retribution upon people for their sins. Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for that which a man sows, he shall also reap. Man should ever remember that his sin will find him out.

AS another example of paronomasia, let us notice the following passage: "But ye that forsake Jehovah, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for Fortune, and that fill up mingled wine unto Destiny; 12 I will destine you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but ye did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not" (Isa. 65:11,12). In order to understand this passage, one must recognize the fact that, according to the prophetic word, after the church is gone--removed from the earth by the rapture--paganism will spread like a prairie fire all over the world. Men of every nation and tribe will resort to gross idolatry. That they will do this is evident from such a passage as Revelation 9:20,21: "And the rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, repented not of the work of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood; which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 and they repented not of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." There are a number of passages in the Old Testament that foretell the same thing. We see therefore that men will actually revert to gross idolatrous paganism in the Tribulation Period.

In Israel idolatry will spring forth at that future time. Isaiah, therefore, assumed, in the passage under consideration, this flood tide of paganism. There are two idols that are mentioned in Isaiah 65:11, Fortune and Destiny. The word rendered "Destiny" in the original is Meni. This is the name of the Babylonian goddess that corresponded to the Venus of the Roman pantheon. Having accused the people of filling up mingled wine unto Destiny, that is, Meni, the prophet then used the word which when transliterated into the English, is spelled Manithi and which means to appoint, to allot to, or to destine. Thus the prophet chose that verb the simple form of which is Manan, which corresponded most nearly to the name of this Babylonian goddess, which meant to appoint or to allot to, and which, in this case, indicates to destine to. He therefore said that God would "destine you to the sword," since they had engaged in the worship of this goddess.


ANOTHER most important case of paronomasia is found in Daniel, chapter 9. It appears in verse 24 in the statement, "Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy." What is the meaning of the expression "seventy weeks"? Literally it is "seventy sevens." To translate the second word by our English word, weeks, was a most unfortunate rendition. Our English word, week, has a specific, definite meaning of seven days. This is not true with reference to the original Hebrew term. It simply meant seven. If one, speaking in Hebrew and using the language as Daniel did, should be talking about trees and wanted to let us know that he had seen only seven trees, he would use the same word which the angel Gabriel employed in this verse. On the other hand, if he were speaking of men and wished to indicate that there were seven, he would use the same word. Moreover, if he were talking of chickens and wanted to tell us that there were seven of these fowls, he would use the same word. Thus the term indicates only the number seven in the Hebrew.

What, then, did the angel Gabriel mean by affirming to Daniel that there were seventy sevens decreed upon the people of Israel and upon the Holy City? This query can be answered only by looking at the entire context in chapter 9. The key to the proper understanding of this passage is to be found in the first two verses, which read as follows: 1 "In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years whereof the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the accomplishing of the desolations of Jerusalem, even seventy years." Daniel in these verses informs us that he understood by the books the number of the years whereof God spoke to Jeremiah regarding the accomplishment of the desolations of Jerusalem. From this statement it is clear that Daniel was studying the book of Jeremiah, who foretold the Babylonian siege and the consequent Exile, and other books that threw light upon this prediction. One naturally and immediately thinks of the Books of Kings and Chronicles, which record the causes of the downfall of the Hebrew monarchy and the actual collapse of Jewish resistance, together with the Babylonian captivity. Those books gave the historical account of the fall of the Jewish monarchy. In the light of the historical records and significance of the word, year, in those works, and also in the light of Jeremiah's prediction that the Babylonian captivity would continue for seventy years, Daniel naturally understood the years for the Exile to be seventy of the ordinary solar years--the years mentioned in those books.

In Daniel 9:1 we see that the prophet was studying Jeremiah's works in the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes. This year was the sixty-eighth of the seventy years of Babylonian captivity. Believing the word of Jeremiah to be the very Word of God and trusting God to say what He meant and to mean what He said, Daniel believed that the Exile would be completed within two years. In this he was correct.

The prediction that the captivity would last for seventy years is found in Jeremiah, chapters 25 and 29. I invite the reader to turn to these scriptures in his Bible and to study them carefully. I shall, however, quote only from the latter. "For thus saith Jehovah, After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end. 12 And ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith Jehovah, and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith Jehovah; and I will bring you again unto the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive" (Jer. 29:10-14).

Note the fact that, in verse 10 of this quotation God says that, at the end of the seventy years, He would bring back the people to the land of the fathers. In verse 11 the prophet shows that this is necessary in order for God to carry out His plans and purposes regarding Israel which reach out into the distant future--"to give you hope in your latter end." Thus verse 11 drops the subject of the Babylonian captivity and the restoration from the same and darts out into the future to the latter end. Still having his attention focused on the end of this age, the prophet continued the prediction. "And ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith Jehovah, and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith Jehovah ..." Observe the fact that in verse 10, in speaking of the restoration from Babylon, he simply said that God would cause them "to return to this place"--Palestine. But with reference to the other regathering of Israel and her being restored to her land, in the latter end, the Lord declared, "I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations ..." Here the word "again" is inserted, indicating that this is another restoration, a second one. This is in perfect accord with Isaiah 11:11 where God promised to put forth His hand again the second time to regather Israel from her world-wide dispersion. Thus it becomes evident to every close student of the Word that there is a blending of the predictions concerning the two restorations of Israel to her own land--the first from Babylonian captivity; the second from her world-wide dispersion. Only the very close Bible student will catch this most important point.

Since Daniel was studying the Book of Jeremiah, and since the seventy years of desolations of Jerusalem are mentioned in these two chapters, we know that he was studying Jeremiah, chapter 29. In his perusal of this passage it is quite evident from what the angel Gabriel said that Daniel did not see the fine point of there being two restorations of Israel to her own land but expected the final and complete restoration after the Babylonian captivity. That Daniel did arrive at this conclusion is reflected in Gabriel's statement to him, as he (Daniel) had informed us: "And he instructed me, and talked with me, and said, 0 Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee wisdom and understanding. 23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment went forth, and I am come to tell thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision" (Dan. 9:22,23). Daniel needed instruction. For that reason the Lord sent Gabriel to the prophet, who declared that he had been sent to him "to give thee [Daniel] wisdom and understanding." Gabriel felt the necessity of warning the prophet not to dismiss the issue, but to open his heart and to receive the instruction which Gabriel was giving him. From these facts it is very evident that Daniel did not understand thoroughly the message of Jeremiah.

The prophets, when the Spirit of God was upon them, were infallibly inspired and could not and did not make any mistakes. But the Spirit of God was not upon the prophets all the time. The Spirit came on various occasions. Usually the prophets date the time of their reception of a message from God. When the Spirit was not thus upon them and inspiring them, they could make mistakes, as Nathan the prophet did in his advising David to build a temple to the Lord. After he had thus encouraged the king, Nathan was forced by the Lord to go and correct his mistake (II Sam., chap. 7).

We can gather from the prediction in Daniel 9:24 the mistake that Daniel made. He concluded that the six things mentioned in Daniel 9:24 would be fulfilled at the end of the Babylonian captivity--within two years of the time. That the reader might see the mistake that Daniel made, I quote this verse again: "Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy." Instead of these six things being fulfilled at the end of that first period of seventy years of the Babylonian captivity, as the prophet had thought, Gabriel said that there were seventy sevens decreed upon the Jewish people and upon Jerusalem for the bringing in of millennial conditions.

Gabriel said that there were seventy sevens (not seventy weeks of days) decreed upon Israel and Jerusalem. Seventy sevens of what? Of the thing about which Daniel had been reading and studying. As we have already seen, he had been reading about and thinking of literal years, regular solar years, consisting of the four seasons--years such as are recorded in the historical portions of the Scriptures. The angel Gabriel therefore said to Daniel that, instead of the Millennium's coming at the end of that first period of seventy years, there would be seventy times seven years before that vision would become reality.

Thus we see that the Exile lasted for seventy times one year, or seventy years. But there must pass seventy times seven years before the establishment of this reign of righteousness upon the earth.

In view of all the facts we see that the expression, seventy times seven, is an illustration of the principle of paronomasia. The recognition of this fact gives us the keynote to the proper understanding of the passage. A failure to recognize that this is a case of paronomasia throws the entire passage into confusion. As a result, many wild and weird guesses and interpretations have been imposed upon Daniel, chapter 9. In fact, a certain system of a chronological prophetic outline is based upon the conclusion, drawn from this passage, by many who fail to see that this is a plain and evident case of a play upon words.

For a full and complete discussion of the prophecy of Daniel, chapter 9, see either my volume, Messiah: His First Coming Scheduled, or The Seventy Weeks of Daniel.

PARONOMASIA PART II



STILL another important instance of paronomasia is found in Daniel 11:38 in the expression "the god of fortresses" found in the sentence: "But in his place shall he honor the god of fortresses; and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones and pleasant things."

In order to understand this marvelous prediction concerning the willful king of the time of the end, it is necessary for one to see this specific prophecy in the light of the entire context. Daniel, chapters 10, 11, and 12, constitute one complete oracle. In Daniel 11:2-4 we have a rapid survey of the Medo-Persian Empire which was brought to an end by the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great. The collapse and division of Alexander's empire among his four generals is likewise foreshadowed in verse 4. In verses 5-19 is a very rapid survey of the conflict that raged between the Greco-Syrian Empire under the Seleucid kings and the Greco-Egyptian kings of the Ptolemaic line in Egypt. The former king is called "the king of the north," whereas the latter one is called "the king of the south." Thus in these verses appears a survey of the struggle between Egypt and Syria, down to the time of the father of Antiochus Epiphanes of the Greco-Syrian kingdom. In verse 21 we see Antiochus Epiphanes, the great persecutor of the Jews. A description of the war between Antiochus and the Maccabees is set forth in verses 21-35. But in verses 31-35 there begin to appear little glimpses of conditions that will exist in Israel in the end time. Thus in these last verses there is a blending of the immediate future with the far distant period of the end time. This is a very reasonable thing, because a situation similar to that of the Maccabean Period will exist in the end time.

But when we come to Daniel 11:36, we are in the midst of the Tribulation Period. The reason for my saying this is that the things which this willful king will do are described by John in Revelation, chapter 13, as occurring in the middle of the Tribulation.

BUT let us look at the immediate text: "36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods; and he shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done. 37 Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all. 38 But in his place shall he honor the god of fortresses; and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 And he shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god: whosoever acknowledgeth him he will increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price" (Dan. 11:36-39).

Here is a determined king who does according to his will. He exalts himself and magnifies himself above every god, he speaks horrible things against the God of gods, Jehovah, the true God, and prospers in his designs to the close of the period of indignation. This information we gather from verse 36. In the following verse Daniel gives us more explicit information. He disregards the gods of his fathers. This raises the question as to the nationality of this great king. From Daniel, chapter 7, we know that the prince who will rule the world empire of the end time is none other than a person of Roman extraction. This fact is reflected in the statement that the people of the coming prince shall, according to Daniel, destroy the city and the sanctuary. This is a prediction that was fulfilled by the Roman conquest and overthrow of the Jewish commonwealth in A.D. 70. The people who overthrew the Jewish nation were the Romans. Daniel tells us that these who overthrow the Jewish commonwealth are the people of this future coming prince. Since the Romans did that, we know that the future world ruler is to be of Roman extraction. Then the gods of his fathers are none other than the gods of the Romans. The next statement that is made is that he does not regard "the desire of women." For the moment let us pass by this expression to the next one: "neither does he regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all"--that is, above all gods. This passage presupposes the springing up of idolatry all over the world in the time of the Tribulation. Thus there will come back into existence the old Roman gods, the old Norse gods, the Teutonic gods, the gods of the Greeks; in fact, the world will be engulfed by idolatry, as we have already seen in other discussions appearing in this magazine. This condition will continue throughout the first half of the great Tribulation Period. But in the middle of the Tribulation, as we learn from Revelation, chapter 13, this world dictator will demand the worship of all people. He will oppose all idolatry and Christianity as it will be preached by the 144,000 Jewish evangelists during the first half of the Tribulation. He will have an image of himself set up in Jerusalem in the Jewish Temple. At the unveiling of that image, it will be given by Satan the power to speak and will perform miracles, even causing fire to descend out of heaven to earth in the sight of men. Doubtless the ceremonies in connection with the unveiling of this image will be sent by television and by radio to the entire world. In this manner the population of the world will probably witness the great demonstration of satanic power that will be enacted at that time--at the time that this willful king opposes the Roman gods and exalts himself above all gods.

BUT what is meant by the expression in Daniel 11:37, "the desire of women"? The verse is dealing with the gods that are worshiped in the Tribulation. The first phrase, as we have already seen, refers to the Roman gods. The last term signifies the gods of all other nations. But between these phrases is "the desire of women." Since it is thus sandwiched between these two expressions referring to the various gods of the nations, the implication is that it likewise refers to a god. What then does this expression, desire of women, mean in Jewish thought? We learn that it was the desire of the Jewish women to become the mother of the Messiah. Thus the Messiah, then, is probably "the desire of women," of the Jewish women. When we study messianic prophecy, we see that He is God in human form who enters the world by miraculous conception and virgin birth. He is truly a man and at the same time He is God--not God and man (a monstrosity), but the God-man. See such passages as Isaiah 7:14, 9:6; John 1:1-18, Philippians 2:5-11, and Hebrews, chapters 1 and 2.

When we recognize that "the desire of women" refers to the divine-human Messiah, and when we see that this willful king is opposed to all gods and equally to this one, "desire of women," we see that he is likewise opposed to Christ. Thus this passage shows that though the church is removed from the earth before the Tribulation, Christ will be preached and Christianity will continue to exist during the Tribulation. As suggested above, the banner of Prince Immanuel that the ascending church drops as it wends its way to meet the Lord in the air is picked up by the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, who accept the message which we are now giving to Israel, who rush forth into the breach that has been left by the departing church and go forward into battle, pressing the claims of Jesus Christ upon the world. These evangelists bring about the world's greatest revival, in which multiplied millions and hundreds of millions of souls will accept Jesus Christ and wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Thus we see from this Old Testament prophecy how the willful king will make a determined stand against the true God, against the Lord Jesus Christ, and also against the idolatry which will at that time have swept over the world.


FURTHER information regarding his activity is given us in verse 38, which is as follows: "But in his place shall he honor the god of fortresses; and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones and pleasant things."

Although we have been told in verses 36 and 37 that this willful king, the world dictator, will magnify himself above every god and oppose every thought of a Divine Being, yet in verse 38 we are told that "in his place [mar. office] shall he honor the god of fortresses; and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold…" Since he puts himself above every god, and since he opposes the very thought of the existence of any god, the expression the god of fortresses cannot refer to an idol or god. This fact shows that our term is not to be taken literally, but rather metaphorically. What figure is this? There is but one answer--paronomasia. In other words, Daniel speaks of force, power, and military equipment to which this willful king gives all of his attention in terms of the topic of the conversation. Since he has been speaking of gods whom this dictator opposes, and since he uses the expression, "the god of fortresses," we know that this term simply speaks of the creation on the part of the world dictator of a great military force with which he intends to conquer the world and bring it under his power and control. Thus the great and unparalleled military force which he creates and marshals proves to be his god--the object of his devotion and the thing upon which he depends for the carrying out of his plans of world conquest and subjection. Hitler built up the greatest war machine that the world thus far has ever seen. He ground down the German people, taking their "gold, and silver, . . . precious stones and pleasant things," and poured all of this into the creation of his god--the German armed forces. Just what Hitler did in this respect, the world dictator will do on a much larger scale.

From the following verse we see this willful king, the Anti-christ, as he launches his war of aggression against the ten dictators who are represented by the ten toes of the image vision of Daniel, chapter 2, and the ten horns of the fourth beast of Daniel, chapter 7. "And he shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god: whosoever acknowledgeth him he will increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price" (11:39).

From Daniel, chapter 7, we see that the world will be headed up in the end of this age into a colossal political octopus, a world government (vs. 23). Then it will, as indicated by verse 24, fall to pieces, splitting into ten divisions. Over each of these sections will arise a dictator. Following their appearance, will come up the final dictator, or willful king, who will gradually ingratiate himself, by his flatteries, into the favor of these dictators. Thus he will cooperate with them and finally enter into a covenant with the Jews for a period of seven years. When this treaty is signed, the Tribulation begins. During the first half of the Tribulation, there does not appear to be any friction between these dictators and the willful king. He seems to work, however, in an underhanded way, manipulating the affairs of all, and causing great powers to gravitate into his own hands. Finally, when he will have created his "god of fortresses"--his war machine--he launches his power against the strongest fortresses--those of the ten kings who have brought him to power. In other words, this is a clear prediction that this willful king will launch his war of aggression against the armed forces of his ten associates, over whom he will already have won by diplomacy the mastery to a certain extent. He does not launch this war simply in human strength, for we are told that he does it "by the help of a foreign god." Who is this foreign god? It cannot be any of the gods of the nations, when idolatry has a resurgence, a rising again into life, at this future time. This expression, "a foreign god," when read in the light of Revelation, chapter 13, which deals with the same situation as does Daniel, chapter 11, is seen to refer to none other than Satan himself, who turns over his throne and power to this world dictator. Thus Satan is a foreign god so far as the various gods that are made by men are concerned.

Whatever persons, at the time of the launching of this war of aggression, will acknowledge the willful king will be promoted to great honor and power. They will be given positions in the government to rule over many. At that time the Antichrist will "divide the land [Palestine] for a price."

When the Antichrist thus launches this war, he may start out with a war of nerves. In all probability he will do this. But there will be two of these dictators who will accept his challenge and rise up in armed might against him. The first is the king of the south; the second is the king of the north. The conflict will be indeed a blitz or possibly a "push button war." Palestine will figure very largely in this great conflict, for "he [the willful king, the Anti-christ] shall enter also into the glorious land [Palestine], and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon." Let us note that, at the time of the launching of this war, many countries will be overthrown. It will rapidly take on global proportions. But the conflict will not spread to Edom, Moab, and the children of Ammon. God will prevent its entering into that section of the world. Why? My suggestion is that the Jews who will be in Palestine in the Tribulation will flee into these countries where God will protect them.

A further description of the spread of this war is seen in 11:42, which reads: "He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries; and the land of Egypt shall not escape." The blanket statement is made that this willful king will stretch forth his hand upon "the countries." While this expression is not exactly definite, yet it is general and implies that this war will be waged against the countries of the world in general. The Egyptians, the Libyans, and the Ethiopians will fall under the sledge hammer blows of this mighty world dictator.

While the war is raging in the countries just mentioned, the report, as is seen in verse 44, will come that there are insurrections in the far east and in the distant north. Thus, according to this prediction, practically the whole world will be engulfed in a titanic struggle between the willful king on the one hand and the ten dictators with whom he will have been associated for the first half of the Tribulation on the other. According to verse 45 he will be brought to his end and none shall help him. His being brought to an end is what occurs at the end of the Tribulation.

Daniel was very much interested in the length of time from the willful king's opposing all gods, magnifying himself above the God of gods, and his launching this aggressive war against his associates in government, to the time that he is brought to an end. This question is answered in Daniel 12:6,7 which reads as follows: "And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river. How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces of power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished." How long shall these wonders take place? The answer is, "a time, times, and a half." Time, in the Book of Daniel and in Revelation, which quotes this phrase from Daniel, is a year. Times is in the dual number, two years, and a half a time is half a year. Thus the total of time, times, and half a time is three and one-half years. There will therefore be three and one-half years from the time of the willful king's attempt to abolish idolatry from the world and to require the worship of himself to the end of the Tribulation, when he is brought to his end. When this passage is laid down beside the Book of Revelation, it is quite evident that these three and one-half years of Daniel, chapters 11 and 12, are the latter half of the Tribulation Period.

Thus the recognition of the figure of paronomasia in Daniel 11:38 opens up the entire passage of Scripture for an intelligible exposition of the same. Only, therefore, when we recognize that the expression, the god of fortresses, is an instance of paronomasia and interpret it accordingly, can we see this "push button" war of aggression that will be launched in the middle of the Tribulation and that will be so very disastrous to the world. Thus the whole interpretation of this marvelous revelation is contingent upon our recognition of this figure of speech.

[Paddy by Grace]

THE PROPHETIC POINT OF VIEW

Installment 1

THE SCRIPTURES give us a composite picture of things in the material world, past, present, and future. This is not to be a surprise to anyone who realizes that the Eternal God, the Creator of the universe, has--figuratively speaking--the blueprint of all the ages through which the physical universe passes. Since God is interested in His children and wishes them to cooperate with Him in the fullest way possible, naturally He has revealed to them secrets concerning the past, facts and principles in the present, and the future glories which are to be theirs throughout the ages of eternity.

Of the thirty-nine Books of the Old Testament sixteen of these are devoted to prophecy -- prophecy in the correct meaning of the term. The prophets interpreted history as well as pointed out the future. They explained the future and pointed out the past course of history, for the enlightenment of the people of God.

The word in the original Hebrew meaning a prophet simply indicates a spokesman for God. If he was looking back into the past, he was interpreting for the edification of his hearers and readers the facts of the history. Often times the prophet looked at the present and, realizing that the past, present, and future are linked together by the law of causation, pointed out the salient, outstanding facts of the present and then delineated the future and interpreted its significance for us. In view of this broad meaning of prophecy we are not surprised to learn that, in the Hebrew Bible, such books as Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings are correctly designated the "Former Prophets." Those, however, which we call Prophets, namely, Isaiah through Malachi, are called the "Latter Prophets."

In keeping with the significance of the terms, prophet and prophecy, we realize that the man who has delved into the Word of God, which records the past history of the universe and of the race, and who gives us the correct philosophy of history, is indeed a prophet--though he is uninspired and cannot lay claim to the infallible inspiration of the Holy Spirit as were the prophets of the Old and the New Testament. The teacher of God's Word who has, by diligent search and by the illumination of the Spirit of God been able to discover the great fundamental principles of God's moral government, and who is able to see and to discern in the present situation the application of said principles and of the trend of the present time is likewise, in the true sense of the term, a prophet. Also those men who study the Word of God and take it at its face value, believing that God said what He meant and meant what He said, and who, following the golden rule of interpretation* tell us exactly what the prophets said with reference to the things out ahead of us are likewise prophets in the correct sense. They are this in that they have discovered the mind of God as revealed in the Scriptures and are able to see, in the light of the continuity of events, the working of the invisible hand of the Almighty as He directs everything toward a great, glorious, and grand consummation, when He will head up all things in the dispensation of "the fullness of times" in Christ, namely, in the great Millennial Age.

As we learn in Hebrews 1:1f, God spoke to the fathers in different measures and in different manners. According to Numbers 12:7,8 He spoke to Moses face to face. In this intimate manner He did not speak to any of the other prophets after Moses. He spoke to them in dreams and in visions. At the same time, when God gave a revelation to His spokesman, often the Spirit simply inspired the thought and led the divine spokesman to choose or select the proper words and phraseology that would best convey the idea to his auditors or readers. We therefore read throughout the Word that "the word of the Lord came unto . . ." In other words, God sent a spiritual communication to the prophets and they, as ambassadors for Him spoke forth the message, using the exact words and terminology that were given to them by inspiration. The Holy Spirit, as we learn from I Corinthians, chapter 2, gave not only the thought but the words by which those thoughts were expressed. In view of this fact, there is no wonder that the Apostle Paul spoke of the Scriptures as having been inspired by the Lord: "Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work" (II Tim. 3:16,17). Peter also spoke thus; "And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the daystar arise in your hearts: 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation. 21 For no prophecy ever came by the will of man; but man spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit" (II Pet. 1:19-21).

When the Word of the Lord thus came to any of His messengers, they, accordingly as they were inspired, dealt with the past, the present, and the future --according to the needs of the ones to whom the message came. For instance, Moses, the great lawgiver, was led by the Spirit of God to give the historical account of the beginnings of the heavens and the earth and the great catastrophe that reduced the earth to a condition of desolation and wasteness. He likewise traced the history of the Patriarchs and finally came, in his discourse upon history, to the time of God's delivering His Chosen People from Egyptian bondage. When Israel was at Sinai, God delivered to her His Law. Moses applied the law to the life of the people to whom he was ministering. Interspersed in the historical and legal sections of the writings of Moses are some of the brightest jewels of prophetic utterance to be found anywhere in the Divine Revelation. When we come to the New Testament and consider the Four Records of the Gospels, we see that the inspired Evangelists wrote accounts of our Lord's life, giving samples of His teaching and of His works. Here likewise are interspersed in this material prophetic utterances in which our Lord, figuratively speaking, raised the curtain and gave us a glimpse into the future of the world and of the eternal state of bliss and felicity with God and the redeemed forever and ever.

On certain occasions, when the word of the Lord came to various prophets, God made graphic the message by presenting it in connection with some vision. Thus the spiritual eyes of the prophets were opened and there were presented to their startled gaze scenes of the spiritual world and also of things that had occurred in the past and things that were yet to come to pass. One of the earliest names given to these divine messengers was "seer." The word seer meant one who was granted a spiritual vision of truth and one who delivered in words chosen by the Spirit that which had been presented to his spiritual vision. From the history of the use of this word and from the fact that it was supplanted by the later word, prophet (a spokesman for God), we are logical in concluding that probably in the earlier stages of Israel's history visions were frequently granted to these ambassadors of the court of heaven. As the years passed by, there was not the need of the presentation in such graphic manner of these messages from God.

Toward the close of the monarchy, after the nation had gotten on the toboggan and was coasting with lightning speed toward destruction, the vision was again employed by the Lord in stirring up His people and warning them of the dangers into which they were headed and the glories that await the servants of God. In the writings of Ezekiel we see many visions. This prophet was in vision transported from his place among the captives in Babylon to Jerusalem itself and was shown the actual conditions that were to be found in Jerusalem and in Palestine. Thus in very clear, vivid, graphic language, Ezekiel portrayed the real situation back in the homeland to his fellow-captives. In keeping with this thought, Daniel, younger contemporary of Ezekiel, likewise was granted various visions. This type of revelation is called apocalyptic. There is no book in the Scriptures that prepares one for the understanding of the course of history from the Babylonian captivity unto the establishment of the kingdom of glory here upon earth as does the Book of Daniel. In chapter 2 appears the vision of the metallic image which symbolizes the four different world kingdoms to whom God would give global dominion. In chapter 7 the same four world empires are presented, but under different symbolism. The fourth of this series of kingdoms is followed by the fifth, namely, the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel and Saviour and Redeemer of the world. When the captives who wished to serve God returned under Zerubbabel, the governor of the house of Israel, and Joshua, the high priest, from Babylon to the Holy Land, God raised up two prophets--Haggai, an old man, and Zechariah, a young man--who stirred the returned exiles out of their lethargy and caused them to throw themselves wholeheartedly into the service of God. Haggai spoke the words of the Lord, giving evidence of having some privileges of vision; but Zechariah, the younger contemporary, was granted visions and he portrayed in the most vivid and graphic manner the future when Israel will return to God, Jerusalem shall become the capital of the world, and Israel, cleansed and purified, shall become the channel of world blessing. The Apostle John, in the Book of Revelation, likewise was led by the spirit to present his message just as he had received it in vision.

Let us remember that, though the revelation was given in the form of visions, these communications described spiritual realities. It is for us, therefore, to ascertain by hard study and by trustful praying the import of the message whether given in plain words or in the form of a descriptive vision. Let our prayer be,

"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold Wondrous things out of thy law"
(Ps. 119:18).



Installment 2



IN the preceding article of this series we have seen the real scriptural meaning of prophecy -- that it refers to things past, present, and future. We have seen, moreover, that some of the revelations of God came in the manner indicated by the scriptural formula: "The word of Jehovah came unto . . ." We have also seen that, by vision, the revelation was made more graphic in the case of many of the prophets. In the present study we wish to note several cases of predictive prophecy in order that we may learn just how to approach any utterance in regard to the future.

In John, chapter 8, we have a discussion or debate which the Lord Jesus had with the scribes and the Pharisees at Jerusalem, when He attended the last Feast of Tabernacles during His personal ministry. It became quite evident to all who were looking on that the leaders of Israel were bent and determined in their vigorous opposition to Jesus. He, with His penetrating divine vision, looked behind outward appearances and detected the presence of the great enemy of both God and man that was moving them on in their bitter opposition to Him. He therefore declared that His opponents were children of their father, the devil, since he was stirring them up and moving them to such unreasonable measures of opposition. In their discussion, they claimed to be the children of Abraham, but Jesus showed that they were not children of that venerable patriarch, though they had been born of Jewish parentage.

They had the Abrahamic blood, but they did not have the Abrahamic spirit. They had been blessed of the Lord, in that they were living at the very time when the Messiah would come and with their physical eyes were looking upon Him, yet they did not appreciate that fact, the reason being that they did not know Him nor the Scriptures which were read every sabbath in their synagogues. Even under the old covenant there was such a thing as knowing God in a personal manner. This fact is seen in the following quotation: "Thus saith Jehovah, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; 24 but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he hath understanding, and knoweth me, that I am Jehovah who exerciseth loving-kindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith Jehovah" (Jer. 9:23,24).

The Apostle Paul told the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia that their brethren in Jerusalem fulfilled the Scriptures in condemning and crucifying the Messiah simply because they did not know Him nor the Scriptures. These facts show that, even though the spiritual blessings enjoyed by the Old Testament saints were far less than those we possess today, yet they could--and many of them did--know God and had spiritual discernment. But these Jews with whom the Lord clashed on this occasion should have rejoiced that they were living in Messianic Times, and that actually Messiah had appeared and was in their midst for the purpose of working out redemption's scheme. But no, instead of rejoicing in the great unparalleled spiritual blessings which were granted to them, they were actually, with all the force and power of their being, opposing the Messiah who was the Son of God, and who entered the world by miraculous conception and virgin birth.

In showing the Jews, with whom He was arguing, that, though they did have Abrahamic blood, they did not have the Abrahamic spirit, Jesus declared to them "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad" (John 8:56). What is the significance of the term, "Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad"? In view of the trend of the thought the facts of the context show that the day to which Jesus referred was the very time when He was present with them, that is, the time of His first coming. These opponents, though they were Jews--yet they were not in the true sense because they did not know God and recognize His Messiah--should have been rejoicing in the fact that they were living at that time when God had graciously, in the person of Jesus Christ, left heaven and had come to this earth in order to work out their redemption and that of the world. The fact that they did not rejoice to see Him and His time--to observe the miracles which He performed and to hear the words of grace which proceeded from His lips--was proof positive that they were not real Israelites in the correct and true sense of the term. In marked contrast with them and their attitude, Jesus said Abraham, whom they claimed to be their father, rejoiced to see His day, Christ's day--that time when He appeared on earth the first time. Evidently from this language Abraham was given a promise by the Lord that He would in vision see the day when Messiah would appear upon earth in order to work out human redemption. When this vision was shown to him he saw, doubtless crystal clear, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Babe of Bethlehem the Man of Galilee, the Man of sorrows, throughout His entire career. He saw the agonies of the Saviour in the Garden; he saw Him suspended upon the cross as He suffered the death-throes of one of the crudest methods of the execution of a criminal possible; he saw Him lying cold in death in the tomb; he saw the spirit of Jesus descending to Hades and making the announcement concerning the completion of redemption's scheme. He saw His spirit come forth from Hades and re-enter that body which was then glorified. He saw Him walking out of the tomb, the conqueror over all the forces of satanic power, thus bringing life and immortality to light through the gospel. Finally, after the forty days, following the resurrection, He saw Him ascend to glory and sit down on the right hand of the majesty on high. Thus Abraham in spirit was carried forward from his day and time, which was approximately two thousand years before Christ, to the time when the Babe of Bethlehem was born. And he saw the entire life of our Lord and His glorious triumphant conquest over Satan and the perfecting of the plan of redemption.

Yes, we have every reason to believe that Abraham not only saw Messiah at His first coming and rejoiced in the redemption which He purchased for mankind, but he saw Him when He will rend the heavens, descend to this earth, mount the throne of David, lift the curse, and establish a reign of righteousness from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of earth. We are logical therefore in believing that Abraham, in vision, was thus carried forward over the span of two thousand years of history to the first coming of Christ, and that he likewise surveyed all Messiah's redemptive career, including the Age of Grace and the great consummation when He returns in glory and power to reign in righteousness for one thousand years.

Isaiah lived and engaged in his ministry in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, the latter half of the eighth century before the Christian Era. In the year that King Uzziah died, the prophet was granted a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ as He will sit in the great millennial Temple and will reign over a peaceful world. This is seen in Isaiah 6:1-5: "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face and with twain he did fly, 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy holy, is Jehovah of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of hint that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King Jehovah, of hosts."

The prophet declares that he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, "and his train filled the temple." The question immediately arises, "What temple?" There have been several Temples, and there will yet be two more. Solomon built the great Temple of Israel upon his accession to the throne and power in Israel. This sacred edifice was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar at the time of the Babylonian captivity. Seventy years later, when the exiles who wished to serve God, went back to the land of their fathers under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua, they built the Temple which is known in history as Zerubbabel's Temple. This structure was insignificant in comparison with that which had been erected by Solomon. When Herod the Great, by conniving and by political maneuvering at Rome, obtained authority over Judaea, he had a mania for building. He therefore, in 20 B.C. began to tear down the Temple at Jerusalem piecemeal and began to rebuild it upon a more magnificent and grander scale. The work which was thus begun in 20 B.C. was completed, according to the very best accounts we have, around A.D. 64. But in A.D. 70, when Titus captured Jerusalem, this Temple was destroyed, the Jewish nation was overwhelmed, and the survivors of that catastrophe were sold in the slave marts of the world, into bondage. In the very time of the end, according to prophetic prediction, the Jews will rebuild their Temple, which will be standing during the time of the Tribulation. Isaiah the prophet, chapter 66:1-5, foretold that it would be built. Psalm 74 sees its being destroyed in the Tribulation. Jesus assumed its standing in the middle of the Tribulation, as we see in Matthew 24:15ff. Paul likewise assumed its existence in the middle of the Tribulation (II Thess. 2:1-12). John in the Book of Revelation, chapter 11, likewise described it. But, as just stated, this Jewish Temple, will be destroyed. But when Jesus comes back to this earth, being invited by the penitent remnant of Israel to return, He will rebuild the Temple and will sit upon His throne, wearing a double crown, that of royalty and that of priesthood (Zech. 6:9-15). This Temple is the one which is described very fully in the last section of Ezekial, chapters 40-48.

Which of these Temples is the one that was shown to Isaiah in the passage which we have under consideration? The third verse of this chapter gives the keynote; "And one [seraphim] cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." Let us remember that these verses give us a vision, a vision of Jehovah in His Temple. The prophet therefore sees Jehovah seated upon the throne. At that time the earth is full of God's glory. This statement gives us the time when this vision will be fulfilled, the era of the great millennial kingdom.

Since we know that this is a vision of Christ in His glory, which position is confirmed by John 12:41, we know that Isaiah was carried forward in vision, from the latter part of the eighth century when he lived, across the centuries to the glorious second coming of our Lord.

In concluding this special phase of study, let us look at Jeremiah 4:23-26: "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro. 25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of Jehovah, and before his fierce anger." Jeremiah had a vision in which he saw the heavens as black as ink and the earth reduced to a state of chaos, wreckage, and ruin. Was the prophet carried backward in vision to the catastrophe recorded in Genesis 1:2, or forward into the future? A very important question. When a person reads verse 27 which follows our quotation immediately, he will see that Jeremiah declared that this vision will be fulfilled yet in the future, in the day of Jehovah--the time of the Tribulation. Thus it is clear from these facts that Jeremiah was likewise carried forward in vision by the Spirit and saw the wrecked earth. It is hoped that from this short study the reader may be able to see the importance of ascertaining the proper point of view from which to view the prophecies of the Scriptures. Unless a person discovers this proper perspective, he cannot interpret prophecy aright.



Installment 3


WE HAVE already seen in this series that the word "prophecy" as used originally in the Scriptures was applied to the narration of past events, present circumstances, and future out looks. In other words, the prophets were inspired when they narrated past events, and when they evaluated the present and revealed the future. The inspiration of the Holy Spirit was just as essential for them when they were recalling the past--as they did in the most accurate manner, which proposition has been absolutely proved by archaeological discoveries --as when they foretold the future.

The crowning proof of the inspiration of the messages of the prophets and Apostles is seen in the fact that they alone properly diagnosed human nature and described the infallible cure for the sickness of the soul of man. Their prescription works! When the scriptural analyses of man's condition and his needs are compared with the views and prescriptions that are offered by ordinary men, the emptiness and the shallowness of such human theories become apparent. The uncovering of the future by the prophets, as seen from their point of view, has been proved, by the course of history, to have been infallibly guided by the Spirit of God. We have every reason, therefore, to place absolute and unqualified confidence in every utterance of Moses, the prophets, and the Apostles.

We have also seen that, in order for anyone to understand predictive prophecy properly, he must note well whatever time element may be given in any specific prophecy before he can interpret correctly the prediction. Sometimes checks are postdated. By a person's doing this, he is telling the bank not to honor the check until that future day arrives. Thus it is with the prophecies. They are good only when the time arrives that is indicated by the chronological data that thus stamps them as to when they are to be fulfilled. On this point let us study minutely two psalms.



Psalm 90


Psalm 90, written by Moses and possibly the oldest one in the book, is indeed very illuminating. It sweeps forth from eternity in the past through the ages that intervene between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, and comes flashing to the time of the creation of Adam, then onward to the day of Moses. The Eternal God, as set forth in verses 1 and 2, existed from all eternity in the past. The last clause of verse 2, "Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God," properly rendered and studied in the light of the context, should be translated this way: "Even from age to age, thou wast God." The correctness of this interpretation is seen when one realizes that in verse 2 the prophet is still looking back toward the past and is speaking of a time prior to the creation of the universe. As the Hebrew is translated in our English versions, all eternity--before the creation of the universe, the time during which the material cosmos is in existence, and ages of the ages of all future eternity--is by this translation thrown back prior to the creation of the universe. This position is of course an absurdity. In contrast to God's having existed throughout all eternity, Moses refers to the longevity of the human family prior to the Flood. A glimpse at Genesis, chapter 5, shows that the antedeluvian patriarchs' lives approximated a thousand years. But that civilization was wiped out by the Flood, a catastrophic Judgment.

In verses 7-11 Moses comes to his own day and time, and speaks of God's having dealt in wrath and indignation with His Chosen People, whose span of life has been reduced to threescore years and ten, "Or even by reason of strength fourscore years." The best commentary on God's dealings with the generation of Moses is the Book of Numbers.

Thus having reviewed the judgment of the Flood disaster and of God's strokes upon Israel in the wilderness wanderings, Moses is carried forward in his thinking out to the time when the nation again sins against God. On account of this rebellion the stroke of judgment falls. Clearly he saw the situation and, identifying himself with his brethren, he prayed that the Lord would lead the nation to "get us a heart of wisdom," that they might evaluate their situation, see their mistake, and recognize that their only hope is to pray for Jehovah, against whom they sin when He appears, to return to them and bring deliverance. This is set forth in verses 12-17.

In this last section of this psalm it is quite evident that Moses was carried in vision out beyond the time when Jehovah comes to His people. The prophets constantly spoke of the time when Jehovah would come to His people, and they would reject Him and thus sin against their own souls. Recognizing this fact, and seeing that the solution of Israel's problem lay in their repudiation of the national sin and praying to Jehovah, who alone can solve their problems, to return, Moses thus leads his nation in this penitential confession and prayer.

The face meaning of these verses must be accepted. The information presupposed in this passage must be gathered from related ones. When I recognize this fact, and when I look at such a passage as Isaiah 53:1-9, I immediately recognize that this petition is the same one as that which is set forth in Isaiah 53:1-9.

When a person thus runs the gamut of the ages that are surveyed in this psalm, he recognizes the fact that Moses was viewing the great disasters that have come, first to mankind in general in the days of Noah; secondly, to the Hebrew people in the days of Moses; and thirdly, to the Jewish people in this age when they, not having wisdom, reject Messiah at His first coming. Moses--seeing that the time will come in the history of Israel when the nation will, in genuine repentance, repudiate its national sin and pray for Him to return and deliver them--introduces this petition by the words, "Return, 0 Jehovah; how long?" Thus the latter part of Psalm 90 is dated at the time when convicted and penitent Israel will plead for Jehovah to return. On this point the reader should carefully study Hosea 5:14-6:3.



Psalm 95


Psalm 95 is a most important portion of the revelation of God. No one can properly understand the Hebrew Epistle of the New Testament (possibly the most profound portion of the entire Word of God) who does not properly understand Psalm 95.

From a general knowledge of the Word we understand that Psalm 95 was spoken by King David (Heb. 3:7-11,15; 4:7). The historical background of this psalm is to be located at the time of the giving of the law (Ex., chaps. 19-24). When the Lord spoke from the heights of Sinai the Ten Commandments, the frightened hosts of Israel pleaded with Moses that God would no more speak to them, but that He should deliver His messages to the great leader and lawgiver, and that he in turn should relay them to the children of Israel. The hosts of Israel made every kind of promise that they would be obedient to the heavenly voice. Keeping this experience in mind, the Lord promised that He would raise up to Israel a prophet saying, "I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him'' (Deut. 18:16-19). Since Israel did not want God to speak to her directly, the Almighty promised that He would raise up a prophet, a spokesman for Himself, who would deliver His message to her.

David, who was inspired by the Spirit of God, and who knew this promise of God's speaking to Israel through this future prophet, uttered the prediction found in Psalm 95. David lived approximately five hundred years after Moses made the original prediction. But he was carried out from his day and time to the time when God would raise up this prophet who would speak to her. This prediction, viewed in the light of the Gospel Records, quite obviously referred to the first coming of our Lord, who made His advent in the first century of the present era--a thousand years after David uttered Psalm 95.

Being thus transported into the future in vision to the first century, the king, as God's spokesman, viewed the situation in Palestine of the first century and saw this prophet through whom the Lord would speak, as He engages in His ministry. Thus David called to his brethren of a thousand years hence to come and accept this one without hesitation and to render the worship and the praise due to Him. He insisted on their doing this because "Jehovah is a great God, And a great King above all gods," who is the Creator of the material universe, and who is the Shepherd of His people Israel.

In the second half of the psalm (7b-11) David began his oracle with the word, "To-day." What is the meaning of this term? Obviously it refers to the time of Jehovah's coming to earth in fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18:15-18 and this present prediction. It therefore means the time when Messiah comes to be with His people. When we read this in the light of Hebrews, chapters 3 and 4, we know that this word, today, refers to the time of our Lord's first appearance upon earth.

King David--in vision seeing Messiah at His first corning therefore pleaded with the Jewish people of the time of our Lord not to harden their hearts when they would hear God speaking in the person of Jesus Christ. It is clear therefore, that the word "To-day," dates the prophecy and its fulfillment at the time of Messiah's first coming". Knowing the proper perspective, a person is in a position to interpret the psalm.

All prophecies and predictive psalms must be examined carefully in order to determine the date when they are to be fulfilled. If this is not done, strange and foreign interpretations will be placed upon the Word of God.

Footnote:
* "When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths indicates clearly otherwise.

SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE



AS A PERSON studies the Scriptures or any other writings, he is to assume that everything is to be taken literally unless there is some indication that there is a departure from the normal, usual, literal meaning. The principle stated in full is as follows;

When the plain, sense of Scripture makes common, sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise.

Whenever this rule is ignored, confusion and misunderstandings always arise.

The early church was plagued with the allegorical method of interpreting the Scriptures. While this principle does not exactly come under the head of symbolism, yet it is close akin to it and has done untold damage to the cause of true Christianity. It still causes a blight wherever resort is made to its principles. The allegorical interpreters sought to find running alongside the usual sense of a passage a hidden, spiritual, or allegorical meaning. Whenever they thought they had found this mysterious significance, they usually lost sight of the plain historical record and engaged in the most fanciful interpretations. Thus in a way the historical records of the scriptures stood for great and mysterious principles and facts. Assumed deep spiritual meanings were read into the narratives, for they were not put there by the inspiration of the sacred writers. The Scriptures mean what they say and say what they mean. Of coarse there are various kinds of language found in the Sacred Oracles. We are to recognize the different types that depart from the literal meaning and to interpret them accordingly.

Determining Symbolic Language

How may I determine whether or not a certain citation is symbolic? Fundamentally I am not to assume that a passage is symbolic unless there are indications which point in that direction. Whenever such positive evidence is apparent, I am to look at the facts as they appear in the text. As an illustration of this type or language note the follow passage:

"And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: what God is about to do he hath declared unto Pharaoh. 26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the dream is one. 27 And the seven lean and ill favored kine that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind; they shall be seven years of famine" (Gen. 41:25-37). Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had dream in which he saw seven fat, well-fleshed well-favored cows coming up out of the river. Following them came seven poor and ill-fed ones, which devoured the seven fat ones. He likewise saw seven well-filled ears of grain and after them, seven blasted ones. The latter swallowed up the former. Joseph by the Spirit of God Interpreted this language and said to Pharaoh that the seven good cows were seven years. We know that this was not literally true. The seven fat cattle represented seven full and abundant years and the seven lean ones signified seven years of famine; It is clear, then, that this is symbolic language.

In Ezekiel: 37:1-14 we have a description of a vision which was granted that prophet. In this vision he saw a valley covered with dry bones. When he prophesied, the bones came together. Then sinews connected them. Flesh appeared on the skeletons, and then skin covered the bodies. Finally the Spirit of God breathed life into them and they arose, a mighty army of the Lord. If the record had stopped with the narration of these events, no one would have been able to determine the significance of that which was revealed. But in verse eleven the Lord declared that the dry bones are the whole house of Israel: "Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off" (Ezek. 37:11). This cannot be literally true. Obviously the bones represent the whole house of Israel at a certain stage in the history of the nation. Thus these bones are symbols of the scattered nation.

In Daniel, chapter 2, we have a description of the metallic image which was shown to Nebushadnezzar in a vision. Daniel by inspiration reproduced the vision and interpreted it to the monarch. In indicating its meaning he declared: "Thou, 0 King, art King of Kings unto whom the God of heaven hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory; 38 wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beast of the field and the birds of the heavens hath he given into thy hand, and hath made thee to rule over them all; thou art the head of gold" (Dan. 2:37,38). The head of gold of the image was not literally Nebuchadnezzar; but in this instance it symbolized him and his government. Likewise the chest and arms of silver represented the Medo-Persian Empire. In like manner the belly of brass was an emblem of the Grecian government, whereas the legs of iron and feet and toes of iron and miry clay were symbols of the Roman Empire. This interpretation is forced upon us in the light of all the facts that are involved in the revelation.

Frequently we are told that the Book of Revelation is a book of symbols. This is an overstatement -- a greatly exaggerated and perverted judgment. Everyone who will examine it soberly and scientifically must admit that there are symbols appearing here and there in it. At the name time he must also admit that there are many statements that are literal and must be interpreted thus. For instance, we are told in the first three chapters that the candlesticks symbolize the various churches to which letters were sent. That symbolism was chosen because of its appropriateness to the subject. But the churches thus represented were real and literal. The messages that were written by John to them must be interpreted according to their common sense meaning. There are those who endeavor to interpret the living creatures of chapters 4 and 5 as symbols. An examination, however, of the context shows that these are real, celestial beings, that serve God and His purposes. They must be thus understood. In chapter 5 the Almighty is presented to us as having a roll of a book in his right hand. The Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, takes it out of His hand. This book is seen to be sealed with seven seals, which the Lord Jesus breaks insuccession. This pictorial presentation of the book was doubtless chosen to indicate a revelation, since the messages of God which He sent to us are written in material books. We have some difficulty in picturing to ourselves the form and size of this little book and how it was sealed. But we know the significance of a seal. In order to read the message of the book, the seals had to be broken. Such seems to be the significance of the seals and the breaking thereof. When the Lord broke each of the first four seals, one of the living creatures shouted, "Come." In answer to this command there appeared in the vision the rider on a certain colored horse, Thus at the breaking of the first four seals and at the command of the living creatures, four riders on four different horses of various colors came forth. The question which immediately arises is: Are these horses and riders to be understood as symbols, or are they to be interpreted literally? A clew as to the proper answer seems to be found in an examination of the rider on the fourth horse. He is called death. Hades follows after him. It is clear that death is here used symbolically, for it is personified and thought of as an actual rider. And yet we know that death is not a person. From this fact we see that this rider is a symbol. We have every reason to believe that the other three are used in the same way. When we look at the facts of each case, we can see how very appropriate each of these symbols is to set forth that which is explained in the literal language accompanying the presentation of each symbol.

I could continue through the Book of Revelation, calling attention to those things that are put in symbolic language and those things that are to be taken literally, but what has been mentioned is sufficient to let the reader know that the Lord does use symbolic language in various portions of His Word. But we are never to conclude that the presence of a symbol in a certain section requires that we understand everything that is said in that connection is to be taken symbolically.

But before leaving the Book of Revelation, I feel constrained to refer to the twentieth chapter. There we are told that the Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth and reign for a thousand years. This statement is frequently nullified by those who tell us that we are not to understand this statement as literal, since the Book of Revelation is highly figurative. Figurative language may appear in the same sentence with a statement of a sober literal fact. One is to use common sense and look at the facts as they are presented in a certain passage in order to determine the significance of the language employed. There is no reason for our doubting that the assertion regarding our Lord's reigning a thousand years should be taken literally. I therefore believe the statement and accept it at its face value.

II. Interpreting Symbolic Language

In Daniel chapter 7, we have a very fine illustration of symbolic language. The prophet saw in the night-visions the great sea which was at various times agitated by stormy winds. When the water was first churned into a raging fury, there emerged from it and came upon the land a lion-like beast. At a subsequent time, when the water was again agitated, there emerged a bear-like beast, which came upon the land and was master of that which he surveyed. A third time the water was churned into a raging tempest. On this occasion there came forth a leopard-like beast, which came upon the land and did as its predecessors. On the next occasion when the waters were agitated, another one that was horrible, terrible, and different from all the rest came forth and exercised authority in place of its predecessor. He extended his boundaries to include the entire world and became master of all peoples, tribes, tongues, and languages. The account of these visions is found in Daniel 7:1-8.

When anyone reads this passage he is impressed with the fact that it is not a description of a literal occurrence. Lions as we know do not live in water. Bears do go into water at times, but that is not their natural habitat. Leopards certainly do not live in water. The impression which the reading of these verses makes upon one's mind is that this is not literal language. Evidently, then, it is figurative or symbolic. How are we to determine its meaning? The answer is found in verses 17 and 23. "These great beasts, which are four are four kings, that shall arise out of the earth." The interpreting angel informed Daniel that the four beasts which he had seen in vision are four kings that arise out of the earth. These beasts cannot be literal kings. The only way to understand this language is to interpret it as indicating that the beasts are used symbolically. God chose these animals to represent four different kings. But in verse 23 we learn that the fourth beast is likewise a symbol of a kingdom:

"Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down and break it in pieces" We are logical in concluding that all four of the beasts not only are symbols of kings, but also of kingdoms over which they reign.

Since God has attached this special significance to a beast when it is used symbolically, and since He is not the author of confusion, we may conclude that, wherever a beast is used symbolically, it has this same significance. The importance of our recognition of this principle is seen in the fact that, by the great Protestant reformers, the beast of the Book of Revelation was interpreted as being a symbol of the Roman Catholic church. We must admit that, during medieval days, when the Roman Church enjoyed its hey-day, it did relegate to itself certain political powers and would do so today if it had the authority and opportunity. It was primarily an ecclesiasticism and not a civil government. The beast of the Book of Revelation is a symbol of a civil government which exists at the end time, and which is world-wide in its scope and grasp. When the reformers, therefore, interpreted this symbol as signifying the Roman Catholic Church and system, it did violence to the truth and laid the foundations for much misunderstanding of the Scriptures. This false interpretation has been and is continuing to be the occasion of much confusion in the field of the study of prophecy. Let us therefore hold to the significance of a symbol which the Lord assigns to it.

A further illuminating reference will enable us to see the force of this principle. When the Lord instituted the Supper at the conclusion of the passover on the night of His betrayal, He gave to the elements, the loaf and the cup, a special significance. The loaf represents His body; the cup, His blood. Regardless of where those emblems are used in a Christian assembly, they have the same significance--although various shades of ideas may be read into the language of the Saviour. This memorial supper has the same and everlasting significance wherever it is observed.

Let us, as we study the Word of God, never consider any passage as figurative unless the facts of the context demand such an interpretation. Let us also recognize the various figures of speech that are used. We are to bear in mind constantly that no language is to be understood as symbolic unless the facts of the context thus indicate. When we find such symbols, let us seek for the divine interpretation of them, and never read into the record something that is not found in the inspired text.

[Paddy by Grace]

THE PARABLE



AT THIS time let us study parables as they appear in the Scriptures. In the Old Testament a crisp, terse saying was called a parable. The Proverbs of Solomon are called parables. An examination of this portion of the Word of God shows that couplets constitute the basis for this type of revelation. In the New Testament the term rendered parable comes from two words which mean beside and to throw down or place. A parable, according to the etymology of this word, is therefore the laying down of some known or acknowledged fact, principle, or truth beside that which is unknown. The object in doing this was to institute a comparison in order that one might deduct the unknown from the known.

Generally speaking, the parables are of such a nature that only one point was in view. They are like figures of speech. For instance, should I use a metaphor in stating, "He was a lion in the fight," I would be making a comparison between some person of whom I was speaking and a lion. There would be only one point, however, that would be common to the person and the lion. The lion is recognized as the king of beasts and is thought of as being able to conquer the rest, or rule over them. Thus by this metaphor I would mean that the one of whom I spoke had been a victor on account of his strength and power over his opponents. Someone has said that a parable is simply an extended metaphor. This is true and must be acknowledged as such. But in recognizing the kinship between a metaphor and a parable, let us not go to the extreme and think of a parable as an allegory. This latter type of language is the use of certain story material--either fact or fiction--that is presented in order to carry along a spiritual lesson. The facts are stated, or the story is told. But it is not the purpose of the speaker or writer to bring into sharp focus the thing's that he is saying. On the contrary, it is his desire to lead his hearers or readers to see some great fundamental principle which runs along parallel with his story, and which is obvious. If I should speak in geometrical terms, I would say that a parable is like two circles that are tangent. It is for us to find that one idea and not try to make the illustration go "on all fours." This is the general rule for a parable; there are, however, in certain contexts parables that are intended to deal with more than one point. But each one must be studied in the light of the facts as they are presented in the text.


An Examination of Certain Parables


Our Lord Jesus Christ concluded His Sermon on the Mount (Matt., chaps. 5,6, and 7) by giving us a parable of two builders who erected houses, but upon different foundations. In this parable the Lord likened the one who hears His words and obeys them to the person who is wise and discreet, and who, when he builds a house, digs down deep to the rock, lays the foundation upon it, and upon this erects his building. When the rains descend, the winds blow, and the floods come, they beat upon this house; but it stands, because of the fact that it has a firm foundation upon which it is well-located and built. On the other hand, the one who hears His message of love, but rejects it, refusing to accept it and to conform his life thereto, is like the foolish man who built a house upon the sand. When the rains began to fall, the wind to blow, and the floods to beat upon that house, it falls, because it has no foundation. Thus in this pictorial way, our Lord compared those who hear, and who heed His teaching and those who hear, but who refuse to be obedient to His instructions, to the two different builders. They show their wisdom or their lack of understanding by the kind of foundation upon which they build, the firm foundation or the one that is only shifting sand. The person who hears and heeds the teaching of the Lord is the one who builds his house for eternity; but the one who builds upon the sand suffers eternal loss.

We can see the one main point, therefore, that is illustrated by the parable. For us to try to find some hidden, spiritual, or mysterious meaning and read that into the text would be to do violence to the Word of God.

Let us look at another parable. In Matthew 13:31,32 we have the parable of the mustard seed. Jesus stated it thus: "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 which indeed is less than all seeds; but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and lodge in the branches thereof." That which Jesus called the kingdom of heaven, He compared to a certain grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field, and which indeed developed into an abnormal plant, a tree. In this thirteenth chapter of Matthew the Lord was presenting the teaching regarding the kingdom of heaven by the use of these various parables, each of which presents some one or more phases of this great kingdom of heaven. In this parable He said that the kingdom is like a grain of mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds, which a man planted in his field, and which developed into this abnormal growth, becoming a tree in which the birds of the heavens came and found lodgment. It is clear that the Lord was not talking about just any mustard seed, but a specific one, which a certain man planted and which developed abnormally. This growth, then, of the plant from such a small beginning into this great tree sets forth some one characteristic of the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus spoke about this institution which He called the kingdom of heaven and compared it to the reign of God upon the earth. Kings obtain the right to rule over certain territory, that is, over the subjects, the people who live within the limits of the kingdom. John the Baptist announced that the kingdom of heaven, or kingdom of God, had come to hand. Jesus sounded the same note. The Twelve, when they went forth on the limited, or restricted mission in Galilee, proclaimed the same message. During the last six months of our Lord's ministry the Seventy in Judea proclaimed the same message. Upon the authority of all these witnesses we cannot believe otherwise than that which is known as the kingdom of heaven, or the reign of heaven, had come near. When we read further in the second chapter of Acts, we see that this kingdom was established when the Holy Spirit came and inspired the Apostles to speak the message of truth and to lay the foundations upon which the church of God is built. Before Pentecost, we read of the kingdom as being in the future (Matt.16:18); after that memorable day, we read of it as being in existence (Acts 8:12; 20:25; 28:31). These facts point positively in the direction that the kingdom which was announced by John, the Saviour, the Twelve, and the Seventy was established on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ. It exists through this age. During the Tribulation the Lord will purge out all the tares, the wicked ones, from it and will take the kingdom over. (Ed note: If the reader is interested in a study of the Parables of the Kingdom, we suggest that he read biblicalresearch.info/page318.html). Then will be fulfilled the prophecy that "the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ" (Rev. 11:15). But in the parable of the mustard seed the phenomenal development of the kingdom into a super growth is the one feature about the kingdom which the Lord foretold. Personally, I am convinced that this was fulfilled by the so-called conversion of Constantine the Great, who forcibly imposed Christianity upon the Roman Empire. There was a growth and an expansion of the kingdom of God into one great politico-religious octopus. The seeds were sown for the development of a corrupt ecclesiasticism, which has borne fruit throughout the Dark Ages and even to the present time.

In Matthew 13:33 Jesus spoke a parable, comparing the kingdom of heaven "unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened." Here again we have one outstanding point which is common to the kingdom of heaven, and which is common to the fact related in the parable. The comparison brings out another feature of the kingdom of heaven. According to the statement of the Lord, a certain woman took leaven and inserted it into three measures of meal. This leaven grew and developed until it permeated all the meal. Why the Lord said three measures, no one can tell. Of course conjectures and surmises may be in order; but in the absence of positive proof no one can be dogmatic. The three measures of meal may have been put into one vessel. Then the woman inserted leaven into the meal, and it continued to work and foment until it affected the entire lot of meal. It is clear that this is a parable, and that leaven here is symbolic of something--of some power or force that permeates the entire portion of the meal. By an examination of all the instances in the New Testament where the word, leaven, is used symbolically, it is seen to signify something evil. The presumption therefore is that it has the same significance here, unless there is something in the context contrary to this thought, or unless there is evidence in some other passage that contradicts such an idea. One will look in vain for any such negative evidence. In the preceding parable at which we have just looked, we see that the kingdom of heaven would take on an abnormal growth--something contrary to nature. Anything that is beyond the normal may excite our curiosity. The fact that the leaven permeates all the meal indicates something that at least is in harmony with that in the preceding verses, which is abnormal.

This thought is in perfect agreement with the interpretation that leaven symbolizes something evil in other places and doubtless also in this place. Looking at the facts as just presented, we have a right to believe that leaven here is a symbol of something evil.

The woman is the one who inserts the leaven into the meal. The leaven being symbolic, we have a right to believe that the woman likewise is a symbol. It is she who introduces, this leaven into the meal. In other places where we see a woman used symbolically, she always represents some kind of ecclesiasticism. A pure, virtuous woman signifies the true church of God; whereas a woman who is a harlot represents a false religions system. These facts lead us to believe that the woman in this instance represents the false ecclesiasticism which developed in the Middle Ages, and which injected some leavening, evil influence into the kingdom of heaven that corrupted it. We shall not be far wrong if we conclude that the leaven which she introduced into the meal was nothing but false, corrupt teachings, doctrines and practices; since the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees were called by the Saviour "the leaven of the Pharisees."

Without doubt the explanation given of the parable of the grain of mustard seed and the leaven deposited by the woman in the three measures of meal is beyond controversy. We have seen that each parable had one central thought to present. There was therefore one point of contact between the parable and the truth to be taught. But, when we look at the parable of the sower, we see that there are a number of points which the Saviour brought, together in this one parable. One should read Matthew 13:1-23. In substance the parable is this; The sower went forth to sow seed. As he did this, some of the seed fell upon the side of the road. The birds immediately came and devoured the seed. Other seed fell upon the rocky soil where there was little earth. Forthwith this seed sprang up into plants; but when the sun became hot and scorching, it withered and died because it did not have depth of soil in which it was growing. Moreover, there were other seeds that fell among thorns. These sprang up and developed into plants, but the thorns choked out these plants so that they did not bring forth any fruit to perfection. There was still other seed which fell upon good soil, and which brought forth fruit -- some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred fold. Jesus explained this parable, saying that the seed which fell upon the wayside soil represent the Word of God as it is preached, and as it falls upon the hearts of people who are indifferent, and who are not interested. They therefore do not receive the Word--just like the seed that falls upon the hard, roadside soil. The devil immediately comes and snatches this Word away from the heart lest haply the one thus having heard should believe and be saved. The seed falling upon rocky soil represents those who hear the gospel message and who embrace it most enthusiastically. But they have little stability of purpose of heart. When therefore conditions become somewhat trying, and not so favorable as at first, they fall away, which fact shows that there is no real spiritual life in this group of people. The seed falling among thorns represents those who hear the Word, who endure for a while, but who become offended at the delay of the materializing of the promise of God and become engrossed with the cares of life and its pleasures. Thus the Word and all evidence of spiritual life is choked out so that they do not bring forth any fruit whatsoever. All three of the classes thus enumerated are those who hear, but in whom the Word does not find deep and abiding lodgment, and who do not bring forth any fruit for the kingdom of God.

On the other hand, those seeds which fall in good ground represent those who have faith, who surrender their lives to God, and who accept Christ. The new life is imparted. They are strengthened by the Spirit of God and bring forth different amounts of fruit--some thirty fold, some sixty fold, while others produce one hundred fold.

It is clear from the way the Lord spoke of the four different types of soil upon which the seed falls and His explanation of the seed falling upon these different kinds of soil show beyond a peradventure that these details stood out clearly in the Saviour's mind, and that He wanted us to see them and to understand that there are the four points of contact between the parable and the kingdom of God, to which He wished to direct our attention.

Other parables might be given, but these are sufficient to stimulate in as a desire to interpret the parables and to be cautious, observing the basic laws involved in parables. A failure to recognize these general principles has proved to be a fruitful source for untold guessing, speculation, and wild theorizing.



The Purpose of a Parable


Though some of the Old Testament prophets occasionally did use a parable, our Lord is the one who used them so very much. Evidently there was a reason for His adopting this method of instruction. Why did Jesus employ the parabolic method in instructing people? On many occasions He spoke in the simplest language, putting His message in such a way that the humblest and most under-privileged people, educationally speaking, could understand what He had to say. A survey of the Gospel records shows that that was the principle He followed as a general rule. On many occasions He spoke in parables. Why, do you suppose, did He change His method on certain occasions? Evidently there was a reason.

We have been told that an old Chinese proverb declares that one picture is worth ten thousand words. This possibility is no exaggeration. In many instances a picture can convey a clearer idea to a person than possibly twice, or several times that number of words. We think in terms of our experiences and the things with which we are acquainted. The one who can clothe his ideas in language that is familiar to his hearers will be better able to teach them. Parables are illustrations. Someone has said that illustrations are to a sermon what windows are to a house--they admit light to it. Every well-chosen and presented illustration in the sermon lets a flood of intellectual light into the hearts and minds of the hearers. We have every reason to believe that Jesus adopted the parabolic method of instruction in order that those people who wished truth, and who were under-privileged from an educational standpoint, might see the truth, accept it, and be saved. A study of all the parables that are recorded in the Gospels will lead one to that conclusion. To the one, therefore, who is honest, sincere, and unbiased in his attitude toward the truth, the parables chosen by our Lord become most illuminating and instructive.

But all people do not want truth. All too many become confirmed in their own ways of thinking and find it most difficult to lay aside their prejudices and preconceptions in order that they might receive the truth. For all such people who were in the audiences of our Lord on special occasions, Jesus used the parabolic method. This fact is seen in the following quotation: "And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For whoever hath to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand, 14 And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive: 15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And should turn again, and I should heal them. 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not" (Matt. 18:10-17).

From this quotation it is abundantly evident that Jesus did speak in parables in order that those who did not want the truth, who had a bias against it, and who would not accept it, might not see it. Why did He not want them to have the truth? Another statement which He made might throw light upon this question. The Lord Jesus said to His disciples, ''Give not that which is holy to the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine." There are people whose attitude, from the spiritual standpoint, immediately puts them in the class of dogs and hogs. We may conclude that whenever Jesus saw people of that nature in His audience, He adopted the parabolic form so that they could not take the gems--sparkling, brilliant rubies and diamonds of truth--and tread them down under their feet. Hence, on the occasion when Jesus spoke the parables recorded in Matthew, chapter 13, we are logical in concluding that there were people in the audience who would not receive His message, but who were there to carp and to criticize. Having such an unholy bias, they were unable to take a hold of these marvelous truths. All they could do was to distort them and use them against the Lord Jesus.

In view of all the facts discussed above, and especially of those connected with the parable of the sower, we have every reason to believe that one's attitude toward truth and toward the Lord Jesus Christ will put him into one of the four classes which are represented by the four different types of soil mentioned in the parable of the sower. Does this statement then, one may ask, assume that there may be a person who naturally falls into the class represented by the seed falling on the wayside soil, but who, by his attitude toward the truth, is taken from that class and is placed in the fourth group that brings forth an abundant harvest? Yes, it means that. Are we therefore to assume that all have the same capacity and are on an equal footing by birth and by environment? No; we are not to arrive at such an erroneous conclusion. This is contrary to facts. But we learn that where sin abounds, grace does much more abound (Rom. 5:20). Anyone who will accept truth and receive the Saviour, coming to Him, shall in no wise be cast out.

ALLEGORY


ALLEGORY is an important type of speech. The Bible student especially cannot afford to neglect the study of this method of speaking, for it appears at various places in the Scriptures. The one who does not recognize this figure will be at a loss in many instances. He therefore will, as a consequence, miss the meaning of the given passage. Literally, the word allegory means to speak another thing. A person speaks of a given matter or relates certain details concerning it, but he has an entirely different meaning in view. This type of language is common, not only to the Scriptures, but also to human language and thought in all parts of the world.

Possibly the greatest allegory that was ever written in the English language is Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Everyone who is acquainted with it knows that he spoke one thing as if he were simply talking about certain actual facts, localities, people, circumstances, and conditions. At the same time he did not intend to be understood as speaking solely of them; but he composed his story in such a way that it was evident there was running parallel with his account a deep spiritual meaning. There are other excellent allegories in the English language, as well as in other tongues.

The allegorical method of Origen, one of the early Christian Fathers, and of many others have done untold damage to the cause of Christ and the cause of true Christianity. Those of the Alexandrian school of thought and interpretation, together with Origen, maintained that the literal meaning of the Scriptures was not the important thing. What they narrated, according to them, was given to convey a deeper, or spiritual, hidden meaning. Practically, everything in the Scriptures was thrown into this category. To them the Scriptures said one thing, but meant something entirely different.

This allegorical method of interpreting the Scriptures is indeed a vicious and dangerous method to adopt. Frequently, we speak of it as spiritualizing the Scriptures. Instead of thinking of it as "spiritualizing" the Scriptures, I would rather speak of it as "evaporating" the Word. According to the golden rule of interpretation we are to take everything at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise. We are never to say that a passage is allegorical unless the facts are quite positive in that direction. Only under such conditions are we permitted to think of a passage as allegorical.

Someone has said that an allegory is an extended metaphor. That is true. But we must recognize the truth that an allegory is a special metaphor. It is a story or narration that is told in such a way that the reader or the hearer can get the lesson intended to be conveyed. A parable is the laying down of a known truth, or that which is recognized as true, beside an unknown factor in order to bring out the unknown truth. Parables usually have sufficient data to enable one to recognize them as this type of speech.

Let us look at a few allegories in order that we may be able to recognize one when we see it and be able to interpret it properly.




The Allegory of the Vine



In Psalm 80:8-16 the writer declared that God went down into Egypt, procured a vine there, came back, drove the nations in Canaan out of it, and planted this vine in their land. Thus planted in this locality, it grew and developed in a marvelous manner, sending its branches unto the sea and its roots unto the River. After the vine thus grew, God broke down the walls around it. Those who passed by plucked it. Then the boar from out of the woods ravaged it, and the wild beasts of the field fed upon it. Following this description is an earnest prayer that God would turn and would have mercy upon this vine of His planting. When a person takes the entire Psalm into consideration and sees that it is a prediction concerning the last generation of Israel that will he scattered among the nations, when he recognizes it as their prayer to God to come and to deliver them from their evil case, when he remembers the history of Jacob and of his descending into Egypt and his posterity's growing into a nation, and when he remembers all of the events connected with the deliverance at the time of the Exodus, he sees instantly that this is an allegory. While the psalmist spoke as if he were talking of a literal vine, at the same time the context shows that he did not mean a literal vine, but that he was speaking of literal Israel. Having all these facts in mind, he understands that this is an allegory.

God drove out the nations of Canaan and established His Chosen People in that land, which He gave to them for a perpetual inheritance. On account of their disobedience the Lord broke down the barriers protecting His people and allowed various nations who are represented as wiid beasts to come in and tread down this vine and destroy it. But the time will come when Israel will see her predicament and call upon God for deliverance. When she does, Messiah will come.

In connection with Psalm 80, one should study such passages as Isaiah 5:1-7; 27:2-6, and Matthew 21:33-46. The scriptures here referred to are the outgrowth of the original allegory found in Psalm 80. These must therefore be studied in the light of the original passage.




Ecclesiastes 12:1-8



In this famous passage the wise man urged young people to remember their Creator in the days of their youth, before the evil time would draw near, when they would not have any pleasure in Spiritual and eternal things. They should, he said, do this "before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain; 3 in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows shall be darkened, 4 and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low." This language certainly is not literal. It is introduced in such a way that it is not to be recognized as simply a metaphor or a parable. The writer said one thing, but it is evident that he has a meaning running parallel with what he actually and literally says. The facts of the context indicate that this is true.

This passage has been interpreted as a prediction concerning the judgment day, or what we premillenarians call the great Tribulation Period, when God's judgments are brought upon the world. Of course, when a person takes in the entire trend of thought, he can make that idea fit into this context. But that is not the normal meaning. Again, there are those who interpret this as a reference to the day of death, which is thought of as a gathering storm that comes and takes the life of a person in old age. There are elements in the passage that seem to favor this interpretation. And yet there are still others who interpret this allegory as a reference to the coming of the late winter or early spring in Palestine, which often proves fatal to the infirm and weak. The facts may be twisted to yield such an idea. Again, there are those who think of it as a warning against old age. This certainly cannot be true; for the righteous, when they reach a ripe old age, are represented in such passages as Psalm 92:12-14 and Proverbs 16:31 as being in a glorious condition.

The suggestion has been made, with good reason, that this allegory presents a sensual old man who has spent his life in the gratification of the flesh, and who is approaching the inevitable hour of passing out of this life. The human body is represented in this allegory as a house in which the man lives. The keepers are probably the arms; the strong men are the legs; the grinders that cease are the teeth; those that look out of the windows are the eyes; and the doors possibly are the mouth and ears. Generally speaking, this seems to be the consensus of opinion of the best commentators.

Thus the young person is urged to remember God, to come to Him and to give his life and all that he is to the Lord in youth and to serve God throughout life to the end of the same. Such a one who does this is indeed wise. The one who fails to do this must inevitably meet the condition which is here mentioned, and against which one is warned.




ALLEGORIES USED BY EZEKIEL



The prophet Ezekiel was very fond of the use of allegories. For instance, "chapter 16 contains an allegorical history of Israel, representing, by way of narrative, prophecy, and promise, the past, present, and future relations of God to the Chosen People, and maintaining throughout the general figure of the marriage relation." In similar imagery found in chapter 23, the prophet represented the idolatries of both the northern and the southern kingdoms, the capitals of which were Samaria and Jerusalem. Though these are allegorical representations, the meaning of the prophet is very clear. In chapter 15 Israel is represented under the allegorical picture of the wood of the vine-tree, or grapevine, which is unprofitable at its best for lumber or manufacturing purposes. But after it has been burnt and snatched from the fire, it is of less value than ordinarily. Thus the Lord pictorially represented Israel's unprofitableness in His sight. The imagery in 19:10-14 is practically the same with little changes. In 19:1-9 the allegory of the lioness and her whelps is presented. Again we see the same method of language employed by the prophet in chapter 31 in his prediction concerning Assyria.




The Allegory of the Good Shepherd and the Fold



In John, chapter 9, appears a record of our Lord's healing a blind man, whom the Jews had excommunicated from the synagogue. The Pharisees became bitterly angered by our Lord's performing this miracle. In discussing this situation, Jesus said that He had come into the world that they who see not might see, and that those who see might become blind. This saying called forth a retort from the Pharisees in the form of the following exchange of words: "Are we also blind? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye would have no sin: but now ye say, We see: your sin remaineth" (John 9:39-41). This situation was the occasion of our Lord's speaking the allegory of the Good Shepherd and the fold of the sheep.

Our Lord declared that those who do not enter by the door, but climb up some other way, are thieves and robbers. But the one that enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter opens. Such a one goes in, calls forth his sheep, puts them forth, and goes before them, leading them to green pastures and to still waters. This language, spoken under the conditions set forth in chapter 9 and as an outgrowth of that which had just occurred, is obviously not to be taken literally, but is a story that is used to illustrate great and fundamental truths. As we learn from reading the first eighteen verses of John, chapter 10, Jeaus was and is the Good Shepherd. To him the porter, John the Baptist, opened. He went into the fold of Israel to call forth all of those who were His own. Those who constituted His own are none other than those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, and who receive the truth when it is presented to them. In other words, the fold of which Jesus was speaking was the Jewish nation. His sheep were the truth lovers who accept Jesus and His salvation. He leads them forth from Judaism into another fold, that of His own.

Jesus declared clearly that He had other sheep that were not of the Jewish fold, that He would bring them and put them together, and that there would be one flock, one shepherd, and one fold. Of course this language is a reference to the honest truth-seeking Gentiles who hunger and thirst after God, and who accept the truth when it is given to them. Thus this marvelous presentation of truth is very forceful and vivid.

In connection with the thought of our Lord's being the Good Shepherd, one should read and study such passages as Jeremiah 23:1-4. When this scripture, however, is studied in its context, it is seen that it refers to the regathering of the honest, conscientious, truth seekers among the Jews into the great fold of Israel of the millennial kingdom of our Lord. The same thought is presented in Ezekiel, chapter 34. Our Lord, as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep is set forth in such a passage as Zechariah 11:4-14.




The Allegory of Hagar and Sarah



In Galatians 4:21-31 the Apostle Paul gave us the famous allegory of Hagar and Sarah. Hagar, the bondwoman, signifies in this comparison the old covenant, which pictorially presented Jerusalem in her bondage and slavery. On the other hand, Sarah, the free-woman, stood for the new covenant which answers to the Jerusalem which is from above, that is, the new Jerusalem, which will come down out of heaven when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to this earth and sets up His millennial kingdom. (We must not confound the Jerusalem from above here mentioned with the new Jerusalem described in Revelation, chapter 21. This latter one is the eternal Jerusalem, that comes down out of the eternal heavens and rests upon the eternal earth.)

Ishmael, the one born according to the flesh, answers to those Jews who were then in the bondage of sin and in the grip of a dead legalism. Isaac, the child of promise, answers to those who are Christians, and who are enjoying the freedom with which Christ has made us free.

Ishmael, the child after the flesh, persecuted Isaac. This fact answers to, or typified, the persecution of the believers by the legalists. The instruction which God gave to Abraham was that he should cast out the bondwoman with her son in order that the freewoman with the child of promise might enjoy the privileges which were theirs by divine grace. This fact answers to the exhortation for the children of the free-woman not to become again entangled in the yoke of bondage. These analogies are pointed out and are very clear. It is to be noted that the Apostle stated specifically that the argument which he was making was an allegory. This constituted an argumentum ad hominem. By this type of reasoning the Apostle showed the absurdity of those legalists who were trying to force the yoke of the law upon the believers in Christ.




The Allegory of the Warrior



In Ephesians 6:10-20 the Apostle introduced his famous allegory of the Roman soldier who was armed that he might make an offensive attack against his enemy. Thus the Apostle spoke of a soldier with the various pieces of his armament and of his fighting to the finish. But in the connection in which the Apostle used this language, a person sees instantly and cleariy that he was not talking about literal warfare; but that he was speaking of a spiritual conflict which the child of God has daily. Obviously the Apostle, in this passage, was speaking of the spiritual conflict that believers have daily as they fight against the powers of Satan and sin.

There are numbers of other allegories that are presented in the Scriptures. But these suffice to call our attention to their general use. Of course, the greatest allegory that is to be found in the Scriptures is that of the Song of Solomon. There is however quite a bit of controversy as to its significance. The Jews, for instance, say that it represents Messiah in His relation to Israel. Many Christians, on the other hand, see in this marvelous hymn reference to Messiah in His relation to the church--the body of believers. There are others, however, who see the relationship that exists between Christ and the individual Christian set forth by this book. There are objections to all of these interpretations. Some, on the other hand, see in this pictorial representation the divine setting forth of true love between a young man and his beloved and puts love on a high and holy plane.

It is impossible for one to be dogmatic as to the meaning of this great allegory. It is altogether possible that there may be an element of truth in each one of the interpretations just mentioned. In view of the uncertainty let us hold ourselves in a firm reserve and not become dogmatic where the Scriptures do not warrant such a positive attitude.

May we see, because of this little study in allegories, how to interpret them and thus discover the lesson that the Holy Spirit had in giving us teaching in this form.

THE SIMILE





IN ALL languages there are various figures of speech which are characteristic of all developed peoples. We are told by the ancient Chinese proverb that one picture is worth ten thousand words. In other words, a person can get a clearer idea of an object if a picture is shown than he can from a lengthy verbal description of it. Both the ancient and the modern peoples have introduced figures of speech in their languages in order to make the thought more vivid and to make their narration more intelligible and accurate. Naturally, then, the simile was doubtless one of the first figures used. As its name implies, a simile is that figure by which a comparison in its simplest form is presented. We shall in this short study notice a few instances of this figure of speech, taking an example here and there-- though the Bible is full of them.

There appears a most beautiful, vivid, and graphic simile in Isaiah 55:10,11:
"For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." There is hardly a place upon the face of the globe where the people are not acquainted with the falling of the rain and the coming of the snow. Of course, around the equator, people do not see snow except in the high mountains. Even in the desert the rains fall at times. Hence Isaiah's comparison was indeed quite apt and vigorous. As the rain and snow fall to the earth and put moisture in the soil, that makes possible the growing of crops, so God's Word which comes down from heaven to man is the spiritual moisture that is necessary for the production of a spiritual crop in the life of those who receive it. All the moisture that comes serves a definite, specific purpose. So it is with the Word of God which comes from heaven to as, falling upon the human heart. For instance, the Apostle Paul, in speaking of the gospel, said that it is the power of God unto salvation to him that believeth. It is a savor of life unto life and death unto death (II Cor. 2:16, 16). Thus we are given assurance that every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God accomplishes a definite, specific purpose -- that for which it is sent.

In Jeremiah 23:29 we have another beautiful simile: "Is not my word like fire? saith Jehovah; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" This verse is taken from a long discourse which Jeremiah delivered concerning the prophets that were in Israel at that time (see Jer. 23:9-40). The false prophets and profane priests were dominating the entire situation. The prophets were giving forth their visions and their own words and were leading the people astray. Because of this fact Jeremiah foretold the coming of the tempest of Jehovah, even His wrath, that would burst forth upon the wicked nation. But Jeremiah let his auditors know that he was speaking of the end time, "In the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly." In order to impress upon the minds of the people the power of his oracle, Jeremiah declared that the Word of God was "like fire…and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces. . . ." This language is an echo of the methods that were used for breaking rock. Sometimes fire was placed upon a rock in order to soften it; then the hammer was used to complete the job of breaking it. In a manner analogous to this, declared the prophet, God's Word will break, crush, and crumble all opposition eventually. There is no word of God that is devoid of power. In fact, all the power of Almighty God backs up every utterance that He has ever spoken.

Often the prophets piled up simile upon simile and metaphor upon metaphor in their efforts to enforce the message which they had for the people. As an illustration of this practice let us notice the following quotation: "And the daugter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city" (Isa. 1:8). Isaiah, in chapter 1, denounced the people for their wickedness, sins and their formal, hypocritical worship. The people had not acted with the intelligence of the dumb brutes that know where to go to get their food and to be protected, but Israel was not that wise. Therefore, declared the prophet, Mount Zion, the city of Jerusalem, will become as a booth in a vineyard. At that time there were many robbers and marauders in the land of Israel. When the grapes became ripe, watchmen had to be placed on guard to prevent theft. After the harvest of the grapes was over, little food would be left. The situation would look desolate. The leaves would fall from the vines. There would be little or no signs of life in the vineyard. In a manner analogous to this, declared Isaiah, would Zion become in the midst of the country. In other words, he was foretelling an invasion of the country and the depredations that would be committed together with the wreckage and waste of the country. Zion, however, would be left alone in the midst of such appalling waste. This is indeed a dismal picture. Following the simile, the prophet compared Zion to a lodge in a garden of cucumbers. This lodge was similar to the booth in the vineyard and served the same purpose during the time the vines were yielding their vegetables. This figure is followed by a literal statement that Jerusalem would be as a besieged city. It is not difficult for anyone to gain a clear picture of the significance of this prophecy.

We see another very striking illustration in the following passage: "And it shall be when a hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty; or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold; he drinketh, but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite; so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion" (Isa. 29: 8). In the first seven verses of this chapter the prophet foretold the time when the armies of the world besiege Jerusalem and the city, together with the Jewish nation, and Palestine will be crushed into the dust, figuratively speaking. Israel will be brought to her greatest extremity, from the natural standpoint it will appear to the enemies of Israel that they are just on the very verge of complete victory over God's Chosen People. At the critical moment before the Jewish resistance collapses and the nation is to be blotted from the face of the globe, Jehovah appears on the scene suddenly. This one who appears and who delivers her is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the Hebrew Messiah, when He conies again in glory and power to deliver His people from their enemies. Concerning those nations that will be so very confident of complete victory, the prophet declared that they would be like the hungry man who slept and dreamed of eating. When he awoke, however, he discovered that he had taken nothing--no food whatsoever, nor any drink. So it will be with those nations that besiege the Jews in Jerusalem in the very end of the age. They, figuratively speaking, will be drugged with their overconfidence in their own strength and power. No thought occurs to them except complete victory and the taking of the spoil. But when the Lord Jesus appears and His feet stand upon the Mount of Olives, these enemies of Israel will he rudely awakened out of their abnormal sleep of confidence and will be as hungry as ever, not having taken any of the spoil. This simile does indeed enforce the lesson.

Turning to the New Testament, see many forceful similes. For instance, our Lord, in concluding His Sermon on the Mount, gave us the simile in which He compared those who hear His words and do them to the man who built his house upon the rock. When the rains fell and the floods came and beat upon that house, they were not able to destroy it because it had a firm foundation. On the other hand, those who hear His words but do not heed are compared to the man who built his house upon the sand. When, therefore, the rains came and the floods rolled around it, it fell because it had no foundation. Thus our Lord in a most fitting and forceful manner concluded the Sermon on the Mount, one of the fullest and most wonderful passages that ever fell from His lips:

"24 Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock: 25 and the rain descended and the floods same, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon the rock. 26 And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand; 27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof" (Matt. 7:24-27).

[Paddy by Grace]

THE METAPHOR

THE METAPHOR is one of the very common figures found throughout the Scriptures. Like the simile it is a simple comparison. The simile compares two objects, persons, or thing's and usually employs the word as, or like. An illustration of the simile is, He fought like a lion. I can make the same comparison, but change the manner of statement. Taking the person concerning whom I am speaking out of the class of human beings and putting him into the class of animals, I can say., "He was a lion in the fight." In using either of these figures, I am selecting that outstanding characteristic of the lion and of his fighting to emphasize the pugilistic tendencies and actions of the man concerning whom I am speaking.

Many of the figures of the metaphor type, as well as of the simile, are drawn from the animal kingdom. This is especially true in the early part of the Scriptures. For instance, Jacob, in blessing his sons, speaks of Judah in these words: "Judah is a lion's whelp." Here Judah and his descendants are thought of as young lions. Jacob takes them out of the class of human beings and thinks of them as if they were a lion. Continuing the same idea he declares, "From the prey, my son, thou art gone up" (Gen. 49:9). Judah is thought of as a lion that has seized upon his prey and killed it. After having eaten what he chooses, he goes up to his lair in some mountain fastness where he is absolutely free from all attack, of any sort. In the same chapter Jacob thinks of his various sons in terms of different animals. For instance in 49:14 he speaks of Issachar's being "a strong ass, Couching down between the sheepfolds." In verse 17 he thinks of the tribe of Dan and those descending from him as "a serpent in the way, An adder in the path. That biteth the horse's heels, So that his rider falleth backward." Then again, in verse 21, he speaks of Napthtali as "a hind let loose." Joseph is then thought of as being "a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a fountain; His branches run over the wall" (vs. 22). In speaking of Joseph, he thinks of him as a grapevine that is flourishing and very fruitful. In speaking of Benjamin and his tribe he declares that he is "a wolf that raveneth: In the morning he shall devour the pray, And at even he shall divide the spoil" (vs. 27). It is clear from all these references that, with the exception of Joseph, Jacob draws all of his metaphors from the animal kingdom.

In Deuteronomy 32:34 Moses thinks of God as a mighty warrior who has His sword and His arrows, and who goes into battle against the enemies of Israel, conquering them and treading them under His feet. Thus he thinks of the power of God by which He will destroy both His own enemies and those of Israel as a sharp, glittering sword. Thus infinite power is thought of in the category of a literal sword with which Jehovah, the war hero, fights against His enemies and slays them. (See especially verse 14). In verse 42 he thinks of the arrows in this manner:

"I will make mine arrows drunk with blood,
And my sword shall devour flesh."

Still in thinking of Jehovah as a warrior with His sword and with His arrows, Moses mixes his figures (a practice that is not sanctioned by modem English, but perfectly proper in the genius of the Hebrew tongue and spirit), and speaks of the arrows as if they were actual people who had drunk of blood of their victims. The same figure appears in Isaiah 34: 5: "For my sword hath drunk its fill in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment."

Frequently the place where people are located by the Lord is thought of as the nest of a fowl. For instance, in Numbers 24: 21 we read of the Kenites:

"Strong is thy dwelling-place,
And thy nest is set in the rock."

Here the mountain fastness where the Kenites dwelt is thought of as probably an eagle's nest which is put high up in the mountains far from access by men or beasts. A similar figure is used by Jeremiah concerning Edom: "As for thy terribleness, the pride of thy heart hath deceived thee, 0 thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that boldest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith Jehovah" (Jer. 49:16). Some of the territory of the Edomites was very mountainous and rocky. For instance, the city of Petra--"the rose-red city half as old as time"--was one of their fortresses, or strongholds. This city was practically impregnable in the ancient days. Jeremiah compared it to the eagle's nest and thought of it as being in the high mountains, inaccessible to all of their enemies. Again, Obadiah, who spoke an oracle against Edom used the same figure in the following statement: "Though thou mount on high as the eagle, and though thy nest be set among the stars, I will bring thee down from thence, saith Jehovah" (Obadiah, vs. 4). Habakkuk used the same figure in referring to Babylon, in which expression there evidently is an allusion to the hanging gardens of Babylon: Woe to him that getteth an evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the hand of evil!" (Hab. 2:9)

Jeremiah noted the folly of Israei in her apostatizing from God and in her adoption of idols as objects of warship: For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water" (2: 13). A fountain of living, running water is of course far better and superior to that of the rain-water that runs into a cistern that is hewn out in the rocks. Such a cistern frequently was broken and the water was spilled. It therefore ceased to be of any benefit or profit to the men who thus constructed it. God is, therefore, in this passage thought of as being a fountain of living, running water--that never runs dry. But the idols and idol-worship are thought of as broken cisterns that cannot hold water to meet the needs of the worshiper.

Frequently the prophets spoke of certain spiritual matters in terms of the Jewish ritualism. As an example of this usage, note the following:
"I will wash my hands in innocency:
So will I compass thine altar, 0 Jehovah."

Doubtless this language is based upon the Mosaic regulation that the priests before entering into the tent of meeting should bathe themselves with water, lest they die, when they would come near to the altar to minister and to burn an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. (Ex. 30:20) The great laver was located between the altar of burnt offerings and the sanctuary. After the priests had made the proper sacrifices, they passed by the layer at which they bathed and cleansed themselves ceremonially and then entered the holy place. Paul was thinking in terms of such an act of approaching God in the following statement: "But when the kindness of God our Saviour, and his love toward man appeared, 5 not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit; 6 which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour (Titus 3:4-6). In Psalm 51: 7 David prays,

"Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

This language is based upon and borrowed from such passages as Leviticus 14:6,7,51. In these verses Moses was speaking about the ceremonial cleansing of the leper who was pronounced clean by the priest, upon a thorough examination of his case, who noted the fact that there had disappeared from the person afflicted every sign and symptom of that dread disease. It is also possible that David's language might be an echo of the ceremonial cleansing of one who had become unclean, according to the law, and who was cleansed ceremonially by the water of purification mentioned in Numbers 19:18,19.

In I Corinthians 5:7,8, Paul speaks of Christ as being our passover, who had been slain for us. We are therefore to purge out the old leaven of wickedness and malice and are to observe the passover in the newness of the spirit and power of the life imparted to us by the Spirit of God. This language of course is based upon and borrowed from Exodus, chapters 12 and 13. An understanding of the ancient ritualism of the passover makes intelligible Paul's language. Our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:13) spoke of His disciples as being the salt of the earth. Salt is a preserving power, especially of meats; and of other things. Again, in verse 14, He compared the Christians to light. We are to the world what physical literal light is to the darkness.

There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of metaphors throughout the Scriptures, but these are sufficient to call attention to the general principles of understanding and interpretating such figurative language.


METONYMY



THE FIGURE of metonymy is one that occurs very frequently in the Scriptures and should be understood if a person is to interpret the Scriptures correctly. This term is derived from two Greek words, a preposition and a noun. The former indicates change and the latter, name. Combined, they mean with a change of name. In other words, this figure is one which has a change of name in speaking of a certain event. There are different causes for the employment of this type of language. Regardless of the fundamental reason for the change in phraseology, the idea is a very definite one.




Metonymy of Cause and Effect



Let us notice a few illustrations of this type. In Job 34:6 we read:

"6 Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar;
My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression."

The marginal reading of the Revised Version on the expression "My wound" is, literally, Mine arrow. Job thinks of himself as being pierced with an arrow, which leaves a wound. This wound is incurable, but instead of speaking of the result of the stroke, in literal language, he speaks of the weapon which is used to produce it. This is doubtless an echo of his statement in 6:4:

"4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me,
The poison whereof my spirit drinketh up:
The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me."

It is clear from the context that Job is not talking about literal arrows, but about something which caused him a deep spiritual wound. Again, in Luke 16:29, and 24:27, we read of Moses and the prophets, but an examination of the context of each passage shows that these men were not in view at all, but the books which they wrote. In other words, these books were the result of their labors. Hence, by the figure of metonymy, the authors of those books of the Bible are used in referring to their writings.

Once again, we see that sometimes the patriarchs are spoken of, though from the context it is clear that their posterity is meant. For instance, in Genesis 9:27 we read: "God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem." It is quite evident from the context that Noah is speaking of the descendants or posterity of Japheth, but thinks of them in terms of their father. A similar example to this is found in Amos 7:9, where we read of the high places of Isaac and of their being made desolate. Isaac of course had been dead for centuries when Amos made this utterance, but he speaks of the posterity of Isaac in terms of their great ancestor. Along this same line is the use in the original Hebrew of the word mouth or lip, for that which was spoken by mouth. This does not appear to our English reader always, for the figure is rendered by the translators in literal language. Thus in the translation the real figure has disappeared. For example, in Genesis 45:21 we read: "And Joseph gave them wagons, according to the mouth of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the way." Our translators have rendered this figure by the phrase "according to the commandment of Pharaoh." Thus they have interpreted and rendered literally the figure. In their doing so they have not done violence to the Scriptures. Another example of the same type of speech is found in Numbers 3:16: "And Moses numbered them according to the word of Jehovah, as he commanded." The Hebrew says, "According to the mouth of Jehovah . . ." Once again we see this same figure in Deuteronomy 17:6: "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death." The phrase, "at the mouth of two witnesses," is literally rendered, but it is quite evident that the thought is, at or by the testimony of two or three witnesses shall the condemned one be put to death. These examples are sufficient to show us that this is a very common figure of speech and one that must be recognized and interpreted properly.




Metonymy of Subject and Associated Ideas



In Leviticus 19:32 we have this language: "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man, and thou shalt fear thy God: I am Jehovah." It is quite evident that the idea of gray hairs is associated with that of an old man, who is held in honor and respect. Thus the idea of hoary hairs is associated with the thought of an elderly gentleman who should be respected and honored. We find a very striking illustration of this same principle in Genesis 42:38. Joseph, who was then prime minister of Egypt, demanded that his brothers bring his brother Benjamin with them upon their coming again into the land. Jacob could not get the consent of his mind to allow Benjamin to go. He therefore said: "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left: if harm befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol." It is clear that he uses the expression, "my gray hairs," in order to indicate that he was an old man and was on the verge of the grave. Thus he speaks of himself in terms of the associated idea of gray hairs. He felt that, by letting Benjamin go with them, probably something would befall him and the grief would be such a blow that he would succumb and never survive the ordeal. In the same general type of this figure is that which is mentioned in Exodus 12:21: "Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out, and take you lambs according to your families, and kill the passover." It is clear that the passover lamb is here meant, but there was associated with this lamb the historical occurrence the night when Israel left the land of Egypt. On that eventful night Israel killed a lamb which had a symbolic significance. Blood was sprinkled on the doorposts and lintels of every Hebrew home. God said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you." In every house of Egypt where there was no blood, the death angel slew the firstborn. Thus the lamb that was slain by each Hebrew family which was large enough for consuming one was called the passover. That ceremony was typical of Christ, the Lamb of God whose blood takes away the sin of the world. In Matthew 3:5 we have this language: "Then went out unto him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about the Jordan, . . ." Here we are told that Jerusalem and Judaea and certain sections round about the Jordan went out to hear John preach and to be baptized. It is clear that the people dwelling in those places are referred to in terms of the places where they lived. Again, we may look at Psalm 23:5: "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." Here the psalmist thinks of the Lord as a great Host who prepares a feast of good things for him to eat and does this in the presence of his enemies. But he speaks of the food which is set upon the table in terms of the table itself. Thus in this figure the psalmist spoke of God's vindicating him and taking his part in the presence of those who were his enemies. Again we have another example similar to this one in I Corinthians 10:21: "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons: ye cannot take of the table of the Lord, and of the table of demons." People do not partake of the cup and eat of the table. They drink the contents of the cup and eat the food that is placed upon the table. In this instance, however, reference is made to the observance of what is called "the Lord's supper," remembering the Lord and His death, burial, and resurrection until He comes, by partaking of the elements constituting the supper. We see the same figure in such an expression as "for we were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. . . ." (Eph. 5:8). The idea of darkness and of light is associated with people. But since Paul was talking to Christians, he spoke of their being associated with light and of their being light and not darkness. Once again, in Psalm 45:2, the writer, seeing the Messiah in vision, said, "Grace is poured into thy lips." By this he meant that there was proceeding out of the Messiah's mouth the message of grace and truth.




Metonymy of the Symbol and the Thing Signified



In Isaiah 22:32 the Lord through Isaiah spoke to Eliakim saying, "And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; and he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open." Here the key is the symbol of authority and power. Hence the Lord spoke of the authority in terms of the symbol. The same thing is true in Matthew 16:19 of the language to the Apostle Peter: I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The Lord is using the imagery of a city with its walls and gates. From times immemorial the keys have been thought of as symbols of the authority of the one in control of the city. Hence the Lord spoke of the authority that He would grant to Peter in terms of this common symbol. Once again, in Ezekiel 21:26 we have the same figure; "Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Remove the mitre, and take off the crown; this shall be no more the same; exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high." The crown here stands for the authority of King Messiah. Finally, we find the same language in Isaiah 2:4: "And he will judge between the nations, and will decide concerning many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." Here the sword and spears symbolize, or signify, the weapons of war. The plowshares and pruning-hooks represent the agricultural implements. It is clear, then, that this is a figure of metonymy and the idea is unmistakable.

If we will be very careful in the study of the language of the Bible, noting the various figures of speech and interpreting them correctly, the Bible will have a vital, forceful message for us.