Berean Bible Church

Facts about the Bible

Lesson XI

Interpretation IS Important

June 14, 2009

 

Text  Ecclesiastes 1:9

 

The departure from New Testament Christianity is the story of Church history.

1887 C.H. Spurgeon wrote about “the down-grade of Christianity”

 

I  Those who were known as “Modernists” in the 1920’s to the 1940’s are now identifying themselves as “neo” Evangelicals.  (New Evangelicals).

            Modernists – denied the fundamentals of the Christian faith

            Evangelicals  defended the fundamentals of the Christian faith

J.Frank Norris- published  The Fundamentalist”

Jonh R. Rice  -  published “The Sword of the Lord”

 

II  What the Evangelicals claimed to be literal in Bible history, the Modernist claimed to be figurative or spiritual

The Modernist divided Bible history into two parts.

1.      The factual – that part of Scripture accepted because proven by other history

2.      The figurative – that part only proven by the Bible alone

3.      Having accepted the allegorical interpretation of Scripture , the Bible is accepted but Adam and Eve, Noah and the flood remain only as allegory!

The Modernist first, spiritualized Bible history to make it mystical. (Dictionary)

having a spiritual meaning or reality that is neither apparent to the senses, nor obvious to the intelligence”

In the 1960’s  Modernist took another step and spiritualized Bible history to make it mythical .  The dictionary “ “Based on or described as a myth in contrast with factual history”  imaginary!

            2 Peter 1:16  cunningly devised fables

 

III  Evangelicals spiritualize Scripture by typology but never at the expense of doing away with the literal.

            Romans 5:14  Adam typifies Christ but never becomes Christ

                        Israel may typify the Church but never becomes the Church.

 

IV  The Modernist tampers with Bible history, the neo-Evangelical tampers with Bible prophecy. (as do the Amillennialists)

            The former divides Bible history, the later divided Bible prophecy

1        Prophecy that is literal because already fulfilled

2        Prophecy that is spiritualized, a process that changes the meaning

3        Zechariah 14:4 the Mt of Olives is Israel

4        Revelation 20:1-7 the 1000 years, the long period between the first and second comings of Christ!

 

V.  The problem merges when one sees that much Bible History is fulfilled prophecy