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Hi and welcome once again to
Issues and Answers. My name is
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C. A. Murray. We've been talking
about Bible study over the last
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several shows. You ask yourself
the question, how difficult can
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it be, how tough can it be? You
open the Bible, you study. Well
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it can be if you don't follow
a few very, very important rules
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and we've been talking about
those rules that help us in
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studying the Bible and
understanding what God has to
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say to us when we have
this audience with Jesus. Are we
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listening? Are we getting the
information as he wants us to
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have it? And to help us again
wade through all of that is our
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friend, Dr. Lee Gugliotto. Lee
good to have you here once again
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Good to be back. We had
a good time and before we
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go to today's subject, before we
deal with the issue, I want to
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just highlight a number of
resources that you have for
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those who may have their
interest piqued just a little
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bit by watching this program.
The good doctor has the Quick
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Study Bible Handbook which is
something that he wrote or put
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together. And then a number of
other really wonderful things. I
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love this Ring Around the Rabbi.
I would buy this just for the
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title. And then you have How
to Lead a Home Bible Fellowship
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With Christ In Charge. I know
these are just a sampling of a
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wide number of things that
you have to offer. How do we get
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this material or contact you?
You've got material on Bible
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studies, your courses are
accredited to Griggs University,
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I'm giving you all of this stuff
now. But how do we get a hold of
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you and get a hold of
some of these materials?
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The thing to do is to go
to our website. Our website is
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www. biblestudyinstitute.org.
One more time.
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www. biblestudyinstitute.org.
They can leave e-mails, they can
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find our phone numbers. There's
a variety of ways to get a hold
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of us. Now you
conduct a weekly Bible
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don't you? Yeah, we
have quite a few weekly
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Bible studies. We meet on Monday
nights. We have several on
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Monday night, we have two on
Tuesday night, we have another
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on Thursday night. Those Bible
studies have been very precious.
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We've had people that kind of
come and go because our goal is
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to train people to study for
themselves and to move on and
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start their own groups. We also
have morning devotions, 7:30
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a. m. every morning, Pacific
time we have devotions. In order
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for people to join our on-line
study groups or to join our
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morning devotions, they need to
e-mail us their address. So if
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they go to our website, they'll
get the e- mail address and they
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can send e- mail to me, or to my
wife Jolynn, and they send that
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e- mail to us and we'll e-mail
them an invitation and then the
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morning of the devotion or the
evening of the study about 10
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minutes before, they'll just
click on the address in their
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e- mail and type in the
code that's given to them in the
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e- mail and they'll be taken
right into the Bible study.
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Uh-huh. Now your life's goal
really is to give men and women,
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individuals, the tools for Bible
study so that they can get the
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most out of studying the Bible.
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Yeah, you know I can understand
why the apostle Paul was so
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thrilled about bringing Jesus to
people who had never heard him
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before. He really enjoyed
bringing the light of the gospel
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into dark areas and then as
he connected with people and
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connected them with God, the
lights would come on and that
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was his thrill. Our thrill,
my wife's thrill and mine, is
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giving people the tools to study
equipping them for study; not
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telling them so much what
passages mean or what things
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are saying so that they agree
with us. We're more concerned
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about connecting people with
Jesus, making him their teacher
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and giving them the tools to
study with him in the school of
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Christ. So that is our thrill
and we love watching the lights
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come on. I like
the idea. You said
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something just a few shows
ago. You said, why get your
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information second hand. Using
these tools and the word of God
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you can have a sort of
one-on- one audience with Jesus.
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Amen, that's the whole point.
Getting equipped is not as
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difficult as people think, but
it does take practice. You know
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if you realize as I
quoted earlier from one of our
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pioneers, if you realize God is
going to speak to you then that
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just removes all the obstacles.
People get earnest about getting
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into their Bibles. They can't
wait to open their Bibles and
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get in there and study. And so
if people practice, what they're
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doing is they're meeting with
Christ every day and Jesus is
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changing their lives. We have
many different levels of Bible
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study and things that we equip
people to do, but the important
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thing is to get in
there and get started.
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Let me challenge you and at the
same time sort of knock the pegs
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out from under an argument
which may arise. Because this is
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Issues and Answers some says
Lee, why can't I just open the
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Bible and read it?
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You know there's a world
of differences; different
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languages, different people,
different customs. Everything
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is different. It's so different
that it's impossible to just
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pick up the Bible and just read
it and be able to grasp what
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it's trying to say. At the best
you're going to get little bits
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here and there. The translations
we're using, these translations
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in English are doing their
best to capture the original
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language and the original sense
of words, if possible, but even
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at that English just isn't a
very powerful language, it's not
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strong enough, it doesn't
have the vigor, the vitality to
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capture Hebrew and Greek and
Aramaic. So you need training.
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You know we're not talking about
becoming scholars, but you need
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some training and you need
tools like a study Bible. You
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need a good English dictionary,
a good Bible dictionary. You
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need a Strong's Concordance. If
you have those things I mean you
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can really dig into the Bible.
And if you've got Bible software
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that'll just speed up
the process and put at your
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fingertips numerous tools that
instead of having a stack of
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books sitting on your shelf
you just go to your computer and
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there they are.
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So for that person that is
saying to themselves well here
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comes another batch of rules
and regulations, you're not
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trying to make us PhD's. Just
give us some simple tools that
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with practice become easier and
assure that we get the most out
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of our Bible study.
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Yeah, when we talk about
hermeneutics and principles of
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interpretation what's happening
is scholars have studied and
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they have recognized certain
things that Jesus followed,
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rules that Jesus followed,
that the New Testament writers
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followed, that the apostles, the
prophets in the Old Testament.
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I mean, the Holy Spirit was
guiding and there are certain
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principles that govern their
writings. As you recognize these
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principles they give you
insights into understanding what
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these writers are trying to
say. So that's what we're doing.
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We're not just give people
arbitrary rules. We're equipping
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them with insights gained from
having studied the Bible. You
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begin to notice relationships
and like we said principles and
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so on, that actually should
govern the way we attempt to
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understand the scriptures.
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That makes it much less fearsome
for someone who is sort of
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tackling this to know that it
can be done. All right. A couple
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of the ways that people get
tripped up. We want to sort of
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tackle those today. That's
the issue we want to talk about.
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So today I want you to wrestle,
if you will, with precepts,
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principles, symbols and figures
of speech because there's a lot
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of all of that
in the word of God.
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Yeah, let's tackle figures of
speech and symbols, let's tackle
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those first. Again, I mentioned
a few programs ago that some
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people come with a bent toward
a literal understanding of the
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scriptures and that causes them
problems. Others are too quick
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to leap at fanciful
interpretations of the
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scriptures and so on. Let's just
say that the literal sense, it's
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not the preferred sense of
the text, but suspect the things
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would be literal unless you can
see it in the passage that it's
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asking you to take things either
figuratively or symbolically.
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Now let's talk about
that. Figurative language is
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language that cannot be taken
literally because figures of
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speech take natural things and
stretch them beyond the natural
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sense of the word. So for
example, if we're reading a man
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ran across the street, that's
pretty simple, that's literal.
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You can just picture a
man running across the street.
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But if we say a man ran across
the street like a scalded dog
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now that's a different story.
Now we have to compare running
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across the street with a dog
going arf, arf, arf, you know
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scalded and just haphazard
running down the road. So that's
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stretches the meaning of
the word run and so that's
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something you have to deal with.
So in the scriptures there are
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numerous figures of speech, many
many, many figures of speech.
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Fortunately about 80 percent of,
that's about four out of five,
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deal with comparisons and
contrasts. So six main figures
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of speech stand out. The first
would be similes. Similes are
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statements that show
similarity, OK. And similes
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usually are dealing with objects
that are vaguely, they vaguely
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resemble each other because a
simile is a comparison using the
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words like or as and if you
didn't use the words like or as
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you wouldn't even know these
objects resemble each other.
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For example, the kingdom of God
is like a mustard seed. OK...
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How is the kingdom of God like
a mustard seed? Do they look
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alike, smell alike, are they
shaped alike, same color? You
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You know, do they weigh the
same? I mean obviously many of
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those things are not true so
when you're looking at a simile
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comparing two things that
vaguely resemble each other
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the resemblance is usually one
main point of resemblance, OK.
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The kingdom of God and the
mustard seed resemble each in
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that they both start off small
and they grow into something
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huge, something enormous. If you
take a figure of speech and you
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expand it into a full length
feature story now what you get
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is a parable. A parable is
based on a simile, a very vague
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similarity between usually two
entities and now what happens is
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the story, the parable, is
driving home that one point of
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resemblance. So in spite of the
fact that other sentences have
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been added to the simile, they
are not adding more ways they
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resemble each other but they
keep emphasizing from different
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angles that one point of
resemblance. So for example, the
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parable of Lazarus and the rich
man: In the parable of Lazarus
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and the rich man what you have
is two men being compared to
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one another; one is rich, one
is poor. When they die, however,
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they swap places. Now what
is the point of comparison, the
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point of resemblance between
these two guys. Well the idea
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is very simple, that you cannot
judge a book by its cover and
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you cannot judge what a
person's final destiny is by
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just looking at him in this
world. You see, people don't
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come into their final reward
until after they die. So the
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lesson of the parable is again
you know they thought the poor
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man was unrighteous. The
rich man, because the Pharisees
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valued wealth, they thought he
was a righteous man. The fact of
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the matter is we couldn't tell
until after they died because
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no one comes into their final
reward until after they die.
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So that's a parable. Now a
metaphor is different from a
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simile. A metaphor is where two
things that resemble each other
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very strongly are compared and
they resemble each other so much
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you don't need the words like or
as. In fact, you can call one by
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the other one's name. So Jesus
says I am the true vine. What
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Jesus is saying is he and a vine
have a lot in common. So in John
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15:1: I am the true vine and my
Father is the gardener my Father
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is the husbandman, OK, the vine
dresser. It's pointing out one
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point of resemblance right
away that just like a vine has
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someone looking after it, Jesus
has someone looking after him
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and obviously those who are
connected to him. That's the
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Father God. And
these you don't have to
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really stretch your imagination
to see it. It's kind of right
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there in your face.
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Because one is called by the
other's name it's very simple.
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The thing then is that he
expands it into a full length
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story. When you expand a
metaphor into a story you get an
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allegory. See in an allegory
what's happened is sentences are
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added to the original metaphor
and what do they do? They bring
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out more ways that the two
objects resemble each other.
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Because they do resemble
each other in a number of ways.
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So you know Jesus starts adding,
he's got branches and the
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branches are pruned and so on
to bring out more of the various
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ways that he and the vine
resemble each other. The whole
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thing is of course, I am
the true vine because there is a
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counterfeit vine. The nation
of Israel used to be the vine of
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the Lord, but now Jesus says I
am the true vine and the kicker
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is that his Father is looking
after him, no longer looking
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after the nation of Israel. The
Father God looks after him and
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then of course the lesson of
the vine is if you want to come
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under the care of the covenant
God then you need to belong to
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Jesus Christ. Then the covenant
God will be looking after you;
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he's no longer looking
after the nation of Israel.
00:15:09.41\00:15:12.12
Now of course the Bible
uses these over and over again,
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they're found
throughout the word of God.
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Absolutely. Figures of
speech are everywhere. Two more
00:15:16.63\00:15:19.67
figures of speech and I'll just
do them quickly. One would be
00:15:19.71\00:15:25.00
analogy. You know, let's see
blank is to sadness as a smile
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is to happiness. What is
the blank? Well the blank is
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obviously a frown. A smile is to
happiness is the key. The part
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of the analogy that's complete
is the key. A facial expression
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gives away happiness. What is
the facial expression that gives
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away sadness. Obviously it's a
frown. So that's how you're able
00:15:49.42\00:15:54.50
to tell which way it works. Paul
uses analogies over and over
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again. In fact, analogy was one
of the main teaching tools of
00:15:59.42\00:16:03.90
the first century. The rabbis
used them. In fact, Hillel, you
00:16:03.93\00:16:08.38
may remember, there were
two great rabbis in Jesus' day,
00:16:08.41\00:16:12.54
Hillel and Shamai. Hillel
compiled seven principles of
00:16:12.58\00:16:16.64
interpretation, all of them are
wrapped around analogies. Jesus
00:16:16.68\00:16:21.00
used at least five of Hillel's
seven principles. Paul used them
00:16:21.04\00:16:25.41
all. So they're very important.
So learning how to tell what
00:16:25.45\00:16:30.15
analogies are enables you to
understand a lot of Paul that
00:16:30.18\00:16:34.20
seems to escape people. Once
you recognize that the bigger
00:16:34.24\00:16:38.10
relationship between the things
he says makes it easier. Then
00:16:38.14\00:16:42.66
there's also idiom. Idiom
is an exaggeration that is mind
00:16:42.69\00:16:46.31
boggling. For example, the
apostle Paul says in Romans
00:16:46.35\00:16:49.92
9, he starts off with I'm
telling the truth, I'm not
00:16:49.95\00:16:53.45
lying. What he's about to tell
is so startling like people are
00:16:53.49\00:16:57.74
going to go WHAT? You can't be
serious. So what he's going to
00:16:57.78\00:17:02.00
say is that for his kinsmen
according to the flesh, he
00:17:02.03\00:17:06.28
wishes he was accursed, cut off
from Christ. Now does he mean
00:17:06.32\00:17:10.74
that? No. Don't take it
literally. It's an idiom. What
00:17:10.77\00:17:14.13
Paul is doing is he has feelings
that run so deep about his
00:17:14.17\00:17:18.84
disappointment over his fellow
Jews rejecting Jesus that he can
00:17:18.88\00:17:23.52
only get them across by
exaggerating, stretching. So he
00:17:23.55\00:17:27.97
tells a whopper. You know, like
you said, he tells a whopper in
00:17:28.01\00:17:32.22
order for people to get
the message. Boy, his feelings
00:17:32.25\00:17:35.64
really run deep. OK. Now those
are figures of speech. Figures
00:17:35.68\00:17:39.64
of speech, again, are the same
thing as before only they've
00:17:39.67\00:17:43.93
been stretched beyond normal.
A symbol is different. A symbol
00:17:43.97\00:17:48.20
doesn't represent itself.
A symbol always represents
00:17:48.23\00:17:51.97
something else and a symbol
always represents something
00:17:52.01\00:17:56.84
greater than itself. So symbols
are like signs. Signs never
00:17:56.87\00:18:01.63
point to themselves, they always
point to something else. Symbols
00:18:01.67\00:18:04.86
always point to something
greater than themselves. Now
00:18:04.89\00:18:08.76
there were three guidelines for
interpreting symbols. If people
00:18:08.80\00:18:12.17
will follow them they'll stay
out of trouble. The first one is
00:18:12.21\00:18:15.55
that symbols are so flexible
you cannot assign permanent
00:18:15.58\00:18:20.93
meanings to them.
Ah, that's important.
00:18:20.96\00:18:22.99
See for example what represents
Jesus? Well we could say the
00:18:23.03\00:18:27.56
lion represents Jesus; he's the
Lion of the tribe of Judah. But
00:18:27.59\00:18:32.37
a lion can also represent Satan,
the roaring lion who seeks whom
00:18:32.41\00:18:37.20
he may devour. At the same time
you can't just say a lion only
00:18:37.24\00:18:41.96
represents Jesus because Jesus
is also represented by the lamb.
00:18:41.99\00:18:47.05
So they're so flexible you can't
assign them permanent meanings.
00:18:47.08\00:18:52.11
Let the context tell
you what symbols mean.
00:18:52.14\00:18:55.81
Now that would keep, I say
keep us out of a lot of trouble,
00:18:55.85\00:19:00.12
realizing that what may be
true in this case depends on the
00:19:00.15\00:19:04.10
context, may not be true over
here. And if you try to assign
00:19:04.14\00:19:08.06
the same meaning to that
symbol you can get off base.
00:19:08.09\00:19:11.30
You can get into a lot of
trouble. Now another guideline
00:19:11.33\00:19:14.96
is that because symbols only
approximate. Remember they're
00:19:14.99\00:19:18.58
pointing to something greater
than themselves, you cannot make
00:19:18.61\00:19:22.17
the symbol and what it
represents synonymous with each
00:19:22.20\00:19:24.93
other. You can't take all the
little details and... So work
00:19:24.97\00:19:28.87
with the symbol in the general
sense. For example, the head of
00:19:28.90\00:19:32.77
gold in Daniel chapter 2.
Don't start trying to make
00:19:32.80\00:19:35.68
interpretations about eyelashes
and eyes and the nose and the
00:19:35.72\00:19:39.71
mouth and the ears and all of
that and the chin has a beard on
00:19:39.74\00:19:44.13
it instead of being clean shaven
I mean, the thing is head,
00:19:44.16\00:19:48.59
general idea. The head is the
top, the chief of something, you
00:19:48.63\00:19:53.29
know, in the first place. So
work with headship that way. OK.
00:19:53.32\00:19:58.05
The third is the most important.
Symbols always follow a pecking
00:19:58.09\00:20:02.79
order. They do. That is if
there's a higher symbol in the
00:20:02.82\00:20:08.66
same context, then the symbol
you want to interpret gets its
00:20:08.69\00:20:12.77
meaning from the higher symbol.
So you always interpret the
00:20:12.81\00:20:16.40
highest symbol first, otherwise
you may misunderstand the
00:20:16.44\00:20:20.19
symbols that rely on it for
meaning. So for example like
00:20:20.23\00:20:23.84
Daniel chapter 2. Everybody
wants to interpret the body
00:20:23.87\00:20:27.14
parts but you can't interpret
the body parts until you
00:20:27.18\00:20:30.84
interpret the higher symbol,
but body and understand its
00:20:30.88\00:20:34.57
symbolism, then you can
understand what the body parts
00:20:34.61\00:20:38.23
mean. So the body for example
in Daniel 2 represents history
00:20:38.27\00:20:42.51
that unfolds in the days of
Daniel till the end of time.
00:20:42.55\00:20:46.95
How does it symbolically do
that? Well are any of the body
00:20:46.99\00:20:50.81
parts out of place? No they're
there. They're all in place.
00:20:50.85\00:20:55.25
So that as you go from head to
toe, as the symbol unfolds, then
00:20:55.28\00:20:59.49
everything unfolds in order, in
its place. OK. Number two, are
00:20:59.53\00:21:04.06
there any gaps in the body? No.
If there were gaps in the body
00:21:04.10\00:21:08.72
then it would unfold up to the
gap, pause and then resume on
00:21:08.75\00:21:12.72
the other side. So there are no
gaps. So the history represented
00:21:12.75\00:21:17.69
by the body is uninterrupted
history. And then third, you're
00:21:17.72\00:21:22.59
dealing with a body that doesn't
have any amputations. If there's
00:21:22.63\00:21:26.62
an amputation, the history could
only unfold up to the amputation
00:21:26.66\00:21:30.54
and then it would have to stop
because there would be nothing
00:21:30.57\00:21:34.36
left to continue. So we don't
have any amputations so the
00:21:34.39\00:21:38.16
body of Daniel chapter 2
represents history that unfolds
00:21:38.19\00:21:41.89
continuously. So if you're going
to interpret the body parts now
00:21:41.93\00:21:45.53
you have to understand that
the body represents history that
00:21:45.57\00:21:50.02
unfolds in sequence, in order,
uninterrupted and continuously.
00:21:50.06\00:21:54.26
OK. Now let's go to the body
parts. What do the body parts
00:21:54.29\00:21:58.02
represent? They represent
the kings and the kingdoms that
00:21:58.05\00:22:02.53
operate during that history.
Because they're part of a body
00:22:02.56\00:22:07.01
now are they really separate
kingdoms that take turns
00:22:07.04\00:22:09.73
dominating the world or are they
connected in some way? Are they
00:22:09.77\00:22:14.84
like progressive parts of one
unfolding empire that dares to
00:22:14.88\00:22:19.80
challenge the kingdom of God
for supremacy? Well very simple
00:22:19.84\00:22:23.65
way to understand that. Go
to parallel revelation in Daniel
00:22:23.69\00:22:27.84
chapter 7. We have these beasts
that parallel the body parts of
00:22:27.87\00:22:31.99
Daniel chapter 2. The first
beast is the lion and the lion
00:22:32.02\00:22:35.89
represents Babylon. OK, we don't
have time to go into all the
00:22:35.93\00:22:39.63
symbolism. You can study this
for yourself and of course I
00:22:39.66\00:22:42.90
hope you're going to do that
because that's what we're here
00:22:42.93\00:22:46.98
for is to get you to study for
yourself. So the lion represents
00:22:47.02\00:22:51.04
Babylon. The second beast
represents Medo-Persia, it's a
00:22:51.07\00:22:54.51
bear, OK! Question: Where is
the lion when the bear comes up
00:22:54.54\00:22:59.85
out of the sea? Answer: Look
at the bear. What does the bear
00:22:59.88\00:23:04.47
have in its mouth? Ribs. Three
ribs representing the remains,
00:23:04.50\00:23:09.73
it's a carnivorous beast, of its
three victims, Lydia, Egypt and
00:23:09.76\00:23:15.47
Babylon. So where is Babylon? In
the belly of the bear. OK. Let's
00:23:15.50\00:23:21.18
cut to the chase. We'll go to
the fourth beast that comes up
00:23:21.21\00:23:25.53
out of the sea. OK. When the
fourth beast comes up out of the
00:23:25.56\00:23:31.55
sea... Let's do it this way.
What kind of claws or nails does
00:23:31.59\00:23:36.96
the fourth beast have? In Daniel
chapter 7 you're expecting iron
00:23:36.99\00:23:42.33
iron nails, right, or iron
claws that's what they are. No.
00:23:42.36\00:23:44.52
Actually they're made of brass
or bronze depending upon your
00:23:44.55\00:23:46.68
translation. Where does it get
brass or bronze claws? From the
00:23:49.64\00:23:53.25
previous beast, Greece. So
Greece is inside of the fourth
00:23:53.28\00:23:58.62
beast. And the object here is
to understand that in the fourth
00:23:58.66\00:24:02.32
what Daniel says. The three
beasts lose their dominion for
00:24:05.30\00:24:08.92
awhile but they go on,
they exist in the fourth beast.
00:24:08.96\00:24:12.51
The continuity then is the
ideology goes through all of it.
00:24:12.55\00:24:16.54
Absolutely. Think of it this
way geographically. Babylon is
00:24:16.58\00:24:20.50
defeated. Does it disappear? No.
Medio-Persia swallows it up and
00:24:20.54\00:24:23.29
expands the borders. Greece
comes along and conquers Medo-
00:24:23.32\00:24:26.58
Persia. Does Medo-Persia
disappear? No. Neither does
00:24:26.61\00:24:30.23
Babylon, both swallowed up into
the third beast who expands the
00:24:30.27\00:24:33.22
borders and then the fourth does
the same with the first three.
00:24:33.25\00:24:36.17
So their all connected to
one another. They are successive
00:24:36.20\00:24:40.63
stages of one developing world
empire. I mean, understand.
00:24:40.67\00:24:45.07
When is Babylon finally
destroyed? Well, chapter 2.
00:24:45.10\00:24:49.08
When the rock, the stone, that's
uncut by human hands smashes the
00:24:49.12\00:24:53.90
statue. Notice it doesn't
say the fourth kingdom but the
00:24:53.93\00:24:57.04
statue, treating it as one
entity, on the feet and the head
00:24:57.08\00:25:00.16
of gold, chest and arms of
silver, belly and thighs of
00:25:00.19\00:25:02.82
brass, legs of iron, feet
of mixed iron and clay are all,
00:25:02.86\00:25:05.42
destroyed, and I love this part,
together. They're all destroyed
00:25:05.46\00:25:08.71
at the same time. Now if you go
into the New Testament and you
00:25:08.74\00:25:12.61
look in Revelation chapter 13,
verse 1: The dragon stood on the
00:25:12.65\00:25:15.93
sand of the seashore and then I
saw a beast coming up out of the
00:25:15.96\00:25:21.22
sea having 10 horns and seven
heads and on his horns were 10
00:25:21.26\00:25:25.29
diadems and on his heads were
blasphemous things. Now that's
00:25:25.33\00:25:29.33
what it is. But then he
describes what it looks like in
00:25:29.36\00:25:32.14
verse 2: And the beast which
I saw was like a leopard and his
00:25:32.18\00:25:35.66
feet were like those of a bear,
and his mouth like the mouth of
00:25:35.69\00:25:39.36
a lion and the dragon gave
him his power and his throne and
00:25:39.39\00:25:42.60
great authority. Did you notice
what it is? It's a composite of
00:25:42.63\00:25:46.35
the first three beasts. So here
it is. They are interconnected
00:25:46.38\00:25:50.18
in one developing thing. Now,
what's the implication of this?
00:25:50.21\00:25:54.08
There are several. Number
one because the history unfolds
00:25:54.12\00:25:57.96
without interruption
continuously and in sequence
00:25:57.99\00:26:02.24
then you cannot take the
body parts and move them around.
00:26:02.28\00:26:05.26
Understood, yes, yes.
See all the body parts are in
00:26:05.29\00:26:07.79
where they are and frankly this
is not Daniel's idea, this was
00:26:07.83\00:26:11.22
God's idea. So when you try
to move the body parts and say
00:26:11.26\00:26:14.22
well this should really be
at the end of time and really
00:26:14.26\00:26:17.15
shouldn't be here because it
really represents the last seven
00:26:17.19\00:26:20.47
years of earth's history or
something, you're insulting God.
00:26:20.50\00:26:24.72
OK. The second thing is because
the beasts live on in their
00:26:24.75\00:26:28.94
successor and they
exist without interruption
00:26:28.97\00:26:31.86
continuously, then when you
start looking, say at the end of
00:26:31.90\00:26:35.40
time, for Rome well it can't
be Rome that just comes up again
00:26:35.43\00:26:38.83
at the end of time. It has to be
a Rome that's been with us ever
00:26:38.86\00:26:42.44
since it first came on the scene
and exists without interruption
00:26:42.47\00:26:46.02
continuously. Now
that's a powerful tool for
00:26:46.05\00:26:48.15
correct interpretation, the fact
that there's continuity and each
00:26:48.19\00:26:52.75
is part of the
successive one. That's powerful.
00:26:52.78\00:26:54.98
Exactly. Now you begin to
understand why Babylon is fallen
00:26:55.02\00:26:59.60
is fallen, because it falls
twice. It falls the first time
00:26:59.63\00:27:03.27
historically and it's replaced
by Medo-Persia you know in the
00:27:03.30\00:27:06.73
succession, but then at the end
of time it's finally ultimately
00:27:06.76\00:27:10.16
destroyed and when it's
destroyed all the beasts are
00:27:10.19\00:27:13.05
destroyed and the
kingdom of God reigns supreme.
00:27:13.09\00:27:15.88
Yeah, yeah. That's a good
understanding of the figures and
00:27:15.92\00:27:20.02
symbols and it keeps you,
Lee, from error. It keeps you
00:27:20.05\00:27:24.08
centered and it gives you sort
of a historicists perspective.
00:27:24.12\00:27:28.68
You can't change the history.
Each follows the other and is
00:27:28.71\00:27:33.24
part of the other.
Absolutely, absolutely.
00:27:33.27\00:27:35.55
That's a good understanding.
Good information. Thank you very
00:27:35.59\00:27:38.78
much Doctor. Praise the Lord.
00:27:38.81\00:27:41.21
Bible study can be interesting,
can be fun, can be a blessing
00:27:41.25\00:27:44.30
when you follow a few very
simple rules. Our time is all
00:27:44.33\00:27:47.70
gone. Join us again on Issues
and Answers. God bless you.
00:27:47.73\00:27:51.07
We'll see you soon.
00:27:51.10\00:27:52.13