Before we look at how the Bible interprets itself, I should mention that there was a scholarly man who established 14 rules of Bible interpretation. This man, William Miller, was not a scholar by profession, nor by a secular standard of education. He became a scholar through the practice of studying the Bible. This man was William Miller and he produced the 14 rules of Bible Interpretation and they led up to an event known as the “Three Angel Messages” in Seventh Day Adventist history.
One very significant point is that speaking of William Miller in the first paragraph of the chapter titled, “William Miller,” in her book “Early Writings“, Ellen White said the Angels of God repeatedly visited William Miller to guide his mind and give him understanding of Biblical Prophesy. This is the greatest reason I find that William Miller’s 14 Rules of Bible Interpretation are so significant.
Early Writings pg 229 par 1
God sent His angel to move upon the heart of a farmer who had not believed the Bible, to lead him to search the prophecies. Angels of God repeatedly visited that chosen one, to guide his mind and open to his understanding prophecies which had ever been dark to God’s people. {EW 229.1}
There seem to be many varying gospel interpretations in today’s Christian world. So many groups and denominations seem to have differing opinions of Bible doctrine. Modern scholars embrace a philosophy known as critical thinking which claims that the subject of that which has been authored in times past may be better interpreted by modern thinking and is therefore subject to the interpretation of modern scholars. To the contrary the Bible makes definitive statements which claim that the Bible’s interpretation is subject to the Bible itself. Let’s take a look at the Bible and see what some of the New and Old Testament Prophets have to say about interpreting the Bible:
2nd Coritnians 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
Corinthians 13:1 isn’t specifically referring to Bible prophesy in the context of it’s writing, but if you notice carefully, it would still unquestionably apply to prophesy. Especially since the prophets are subject to the prophets as Paul put it in 1st {1st Corinthians 14:32}. If one prophet comes along and says one thing, then another prophet cannot come along and say something contradictory. To the contrary, he or she must say that which affirms that which the other prophets say and it would therefore provide more significance, proof and meaning to the prophesy. Furthermore, the importance of something in the Bible is clearly revealed by the fact that it is repeated. The more it is repeated, the more important it is. This is clearly obvious, but Ellen White also makes statements to this effect.
Some books of the Bible have specific instructions on how to interpret them. Many times those same interpretations can be applied to other books of the Bible.
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Interpreting the signs and symbols of The Revelation
Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
In Revelation 1:1, the Bible says that Jesus sent and signified that which must shortly come to pass. The word signified is, well…, very significant in the context of interpreting the Bible. It starts with sign in the first four letters. According to the Strong’s Concordance Greek dictionary the word signified means, “to give a sign, to signify, indicate, to make known.” So this means that Jesus gave the Revelation in signs and symbols. After reading, it can be clearly seen that Revelation was given to us using many signs and symbols. Much of it can be taken literally, but suffice it to say that there are many signs and symbols in The Revelation.
John the revelator was a prisoner of Rome on the Isle of Patmos. What he wrote about in the book of Revelation was about Rome and how an apostate church would come out of her. If Rome had understood what John was writing, she would have destroyed those writings. So it was a kind of Morse code for the Bible. That is part of the reason why Revelation is given in signs and symbols.
A second reason is because it speaks of the future and some of the things which Revelations speaks about were not in existence and therefore had no name as of yet. The only way to speak about those things was through signs and symbols.
A third reason is because God has given us signs to understand His will and His prophesy so that we may believe and obey. The Jews told Jesus to give them a sign, but he refused saying that he would not give a sign to a adulterous and wicked generation. {Matthew 16: 1-4} They had rejected the signs that He had already given through His word. Let us not be as the Pharisees and reject the signs that Jesus has given through His Testimony. More will be demonstrated on what it means to reject God’s sings and symbols in a future article.
All throughout the Bible are verses which define what many of these symols represent. This shows once again that the prophets are subject to the prophets {1 Corinthians 14:32-33}. So the book of Revelation is cryptic, or in other words it’s written in code, and the writings of the prophets prior to Revelations are the key. So all the other books of the Bible are what you use to decipher the book of Revelations. This is more proof that it could only have been accomplished by an omniscient God who knows the end from the beginning {Isaiah 46: 9-10}. Especially since much of what was prophesied in the Bible could not have been understood until modern times. This same rule can be applied to Daniel and many other books of the Bible.
As many know, Satan tries to imitate God. He uses his counterfeit system to deceive the world into thinking that what he does is from God. Therefore, Satan also uses symbols to communicate his hierarchy and realm to the esoteric or insiders. Many times he takes aspects of Biblical symbology and methods and applies it to his own symbology in order to fool people into thinking that it’s really from the Bible. This is why secret societies such as the Masons, the Illumimati and many other groups such as the Knights of Malta use so many symbols.
I would highly encourage you to read this entire page, but if you came to this section from the History of the Church section on the All the Messages from 1840 through 1844 page, then this concludes the point which was to be made about the interpreting the meaning of the signs and symbols in the book of Revelation and you may return to that article.
All Scripture is profitable for doctrine
2nd Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2nd Timothy 3:16 clearly shows that all scripture, specifically both Old and New Testament scriptures are a valid source of Christian doctrine. Therefore it cannot be said that there is any difference between the Old and New Testament doctrine. The Old Testament system of feasts and animal sacrifice was a typology and a foreshadowing of things to come. It was to pass away forever as Christ instituted the new festival of the New Covenant which He ratified with His own body and blood as the Lamb of God. The Old Testament ceremonial of feasts never really changed. It was a representation and a prophesy of things to come. It foretold of the sacrifice which Jesus would make and once Jesus fulfilled that prophesy, the feasts had served their purpose. It was to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus. The Covenant was new, but the law and the doctrine remained the same as noted in {Matthew 5:18} , {John 10:35}, {Hebrews 13:8} and {1 Corinthians 14:32-33}.
2nd Peter 1:16-21
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
In verse 16 through 18 Peter recalls the story of Jesus’ transfiguration. Basically he is saying that he, and others, were eyewitnesses to seeing Jesus transformed into his glorified body on the mount and that it was not just some cunningly devised tale. As a matter of fact, there were many wonderful events which the Apostles told and were witnessed to, but none were cunningly devised tales. They were telling the truth. Nevertheless, Peter is saying that there is something that is even more certain than the stories they witnessed and that would be the “more sure word of prophesy.”
This is so reminiscent of the many times that Jesus said, “It is written”. It was Jesus’ response to Satan throughout the temptation in the wilderness, and to His disciples He consistently referred to the scriptures as immutable. Jesus was revealing to His disciples that on nothing more could they rest assured of it’s truth than His Holy Word, the sacred scriptures, given through holy prophets and handed down over centuries through the nation of Israel. These statements by Peter show that this training given to him by Jesus had held fast. Peter shows clearly that he understood that the prophesies of old will hold fast even until the end of time.
Even Jesus Himself said that the scriptures cannot be broken. {John 10:35} The Jews understood exactly what He meant and that is why He said it to them. Paul confirms this axiom when he say’s that Jesus, who is the Word of God, never changes. {Hebrews 13:8} It was Jesus who gave the law to Moses on mount Sinai. Paul also reaffirms the axiom that there is no private interpretation of the Bible prophesies in {1 Corinthians 14:32-33}. For God is not the author of confusion. He doesn’t tell one prophet one thing and another thing to another prophet. All Bible interpretation is subject to the prophets of old.
1st Corinthians 14:32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
Notice also that in 2nd Peter 1:20 Peter says ,”no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” So in other words, no one can put their own interpretation on the Bible, but the Bible Interprets itself. This can also be seen in the story of the Baker and the Cup Bearer who came to Joseph when he was in prison to interpret their dreams in Genesis 40:
Genesis 40: 8
And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.
Notice that these dreams which the Butler and the Baker had were both a prophetic, and remember that, ,”no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” So if interpretations belong to God then the Word of God is it’s own expositor. We must use the Bible to interpret itself.
Now let’s look at some more things which Jesus, “The Word of God” and “the way the truth and the life”, said about His “more sure word of prophesy.”
Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets:
18 I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
This is more proof that neither Jesus nor the new testament changed anything in God’s word including the law. Jesus clearly stated that not one jot or tittle shall pass from the law until all is fulfilled. Therefore it is very clear that all subsequent prophets were subject to the prophets of old and neither did the law of the old testament change. The ceremonial law of sacrificing bulls and lambs did pass away, because it was a foreshadowing of things to come and it was nailed to the cross.
What did Jesus mean when He said, “till all be fulfilled?” He meant until all the prophesies of the Bible are fulfilled. Certainly not all the prophesies have been fulfilled, and therefore nothing in the prophesies nor in God’s law have changed, but that’s not all. It also means until the law is fulfilled. The prophesies of Revelations say that 144,000 human beings will have the faith of Jesus Christ and keep the commandments of God perfectly. Until then, nothing in the law will change.
One cannot keep the commandments unless they keep them all perfectly. {Jam 2:10} Therefore, the 144,000 will keep the commandments perfectly according to the prophesy. You cannot have the faith of Jesus and break the commandments at the same time. {Philippians 4:13} Therefore the fulfilling of the law in and through human beings is part of what Jesus meant when He said, “until all is fulfilled.” If the 144,000 were not keeping the commandments perfectly, then the prophesy about the 144,000 would be a mute point. Christians all over the world keep the commandments the best they can already. The new age movement teaches that the destiny of man is to evolve into Godlike beings. The Bible teaches that becoming like God is realized by keeping God’s commandments.
2nd Peter 1-20 tells us that no one can have their own interpretation of the Bible. Therefore, no one can put their own spin on any prophesy or any doctrine of the Bible. In verse 21 he tells us that the prophesies were not given to us by some invention of selfish men with self interests, but to holy men that were spoken to by the Holy Spirit. So let’s look at some Old Testament scriptures given to us by the prophets:
Ecclesiastes 3-14:I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.
1 Chronicles 17-27: Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blessest, O LORD, and it shall be blessed for ever.
These scriptures illustrate basically the same thing as the previous New Testament scriptures above showing the unity and immutability of God’s word. Now let’s look at some more scriptures that define Bible interpretation by Old Testament prophets:
Isaiah 28:9-13
9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
Isaiah was one of these holy men of God who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost as described in 2nd Peter 1-21 above. He is also one whom Paul was speaking of when he said that the spirits of the prophets were subject to the prophets. Therefore, New Testament doctrine is subject to the words spoken by Isaiah the prophet. Note that Isaiah’s words are prophetic. The words, “whom shall” are future tense. Furthermore, if you look at the text, although it is speaking in general terms, it is prophetic. Therefore, as a prophesy, given by a holy man of God who spake as he was moved by the Holy Ghost and as Peter said, no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation and as Paul said, the prophets are subject to it.
In Isaiah 28 9-13 the Holy Spirit has revealed to us the means by which doctrine may be interpreted. So how do we interpret this? Right there in verse 9 it asks the questions “Whom shall he teach knowledge and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?”. Then it gives an example of whom it is referring to, “them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.” It’s referring to those who advance and wax mature in their understanding of the Word of God. It is babes who suckle on the milk of the Word and it is the mature who are weaned. Then it gives the answer: For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.
A precept is a rule or a law. So this prophet of old is telling us that we need to compare scripture with scripture, line upon line, and Bible precept with Bible precept in order to develop legitimate Bible doctrine. It also says “here a little, and there a little,” which means that you don’t always get the interpretation of a scripture in the same book it was written in. Many scriptures are interpreted in books that were written hundreds of years both before and after they were written. If you would like an example of comparing line upon line and precept upon precept you can see one here.
Through Isaiah the Holy Spirit is revealing to us that in order to have a mature understanding of scripture we must compare line upon line and precept upon precept. The Word of God does not contradict itself. We must develop a comprehensive understanding of the Word of God in light of all scripture. When one part of scripture seemingly contradicts another, we must seek God in prayer so that He will give us light and understanding. We must search the Word and place line upon line and compare precept upon precept until we are able to conceptualize the true meaning of God’s Word. We must compare scripture with scripture. Once we have a correct understanding of the Word then our understanding will not contradict any scripture in the Bible. If it does, then we will know that it is our understanding which is in error.
I submit to you also that the ENTIRE Bible is a book of prophesy. Note that it was the prophets who gave us the ENTIRE Bible, the law and the “INTERPRETATION” of the law to both physical and spiritual Israel. This is the “more sure word of prophesy” which Peter spoke of. It was written by holy men and provided to them through the Holy Spirit.
The coming of Christ is the central theme of the Bible in a comprehensive way. The Bible prophesies of both the first and the second coming of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ IS the Word of God which first appeared to us through the holy prophets even before His first advent. Thirdly, and one of the primary objectives of the Bible, is the prophesy of another way in which Christ will appear, but not in the traditional sense we mean by His appearance. That would be the character of Christ appearing and being perfectly reproduced in and through the saints, which would happen before His second coming.
The Bible is “Thee” training manual on how to become sinless like Christ which will be fulfilled by the “One Hundred and Forty Four Thousand” which means that every doctrine and scripture is prophetic. Therefore it can be safely said that the principals of {2nd Peter 1:19-21} and {1 Corinthians 14:32-33} can be applied equally to doctrine as to prophesy. Let’s take a look at something Jesus said to the Pharisees.
John 5: 39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
So now that we have established that the Word of God was spoken to holy men of God, and through Jesus Christ the Son of God Himself, I would like to bring out one key scripture given to us by the Creator of all things, and here it is:
Matthew 4: 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
What is so significant here is that Jesus, through clear language, is indicating that living by every Word that God has spoken through Himself, Jesus Christ, and/or through the Prophets is a matter of life and death! Therefore, to misinterpret God’s word could indeed be a fatal mistake, both to the body and to the soul! Here are a couple more scriptures that add gravity to this point:
Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
There are many people who think so little of God’s Word and it’s veracity even among Christians in these last days. For those of us who do believe, as the Bible teaches, that the Word of God is the most powerful and immutable entity in all of existence, the Word of God is all in all. That, in fact, is exactly what God is saying through the psalmist, and Bible scholars would testify that this very fact is noted throughout the Bible. He says that he holds His Word above His very name in Psalm 138! There is nothing that is above God’s Word. Jesus who is God’s Word also tells us that Heaven and earth will pass away, but his Word will never pass away. Surely the God of all God’s can safeguard his word through the annals of history. Above all that we have been given the unquestioned proof that the Bible has not changed over the last two millennium coming to us in the form of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
In conclusion though, it can be clearly seen that a legitimate and reliable interpretation of the Bible can only be derived through an adherence to the principals and precepts that were laid forth for us through the Prophets of old.