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Interpretation
The obstacle which prevents the so-called religious man from accepting the teachings of God is literal interpretation.. (dp 35:2). see
Paul warns that Christians WILL come to believe in fables: (2ti 4:3-4) see
A. There are obvious limitations to an exclusive literal reading. For example..
1."You must be born again." (joh 3:3) see
2."Let the dead bury their dead." (luk 9:60) see
3."Circumcise the foreskin of your heart." (Deu 10:16) see
4."He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." (luk 3:16) see
B. Therefore, portions of the Bible must be understood symbolically as the Bible clearly says:
1."Real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal" (rom 2:29) see
2."we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught us by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.. they are spiritually discerned." (1co 2:13-14 niv) see
3.".. Paul's) letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort.." (2pe 3:16 niv) see
4. Both Christ and the Apostles interpret Old Testament prophecy spiritually.. and provide both authority and example for doing so. [see "Every Eye (shall) See" where Luke relates Jesus fulfilling a remarkable prophecy spiritually (luk 3:4-6)] see
5."All the texts of the holy Testament have intrinsic spiritual meanings. They are not to be taken literally." (saq 111). see
C. The over 23,000 sects of Christianity (World Christian Encyclopedia) arise from the difficulty of interpreting the Bible - of which we are warned in both the Hebrew and the New Testaments:
1. Old Testament - "closed up and sealed till the time of the end" (dan 12:9) see
2. New Testament - No one found to "loose the seals" until the "Lamb of God" appears (rev 5:1-5) see
3."Judge nothing before the time until the Lord come" (1co 4:5) see
D. Why would God make scripture so challenging and difficult to interpret?
1."For the Word of God is.. sharper than any two-edged sword.. discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart." (heb 4:12) see
2."Know verily that the purpose underlying all these symbolic terms and abstruse allusions, which emanate from the Revealers of God's holy cause, hath been to test and prove the peoples of the world; that thereby the earth of pure and illuminated hearts may be known from the perishable and barren soil. From time immemorial such hath been the way of God amidst His creatures, and to this testify the records of the sacred books." (kiq 49). see
The key to understanding interpretation of any scripture, including the Bible, is the "Twofold Language" as elucidated in the Kitab-i-Iqan:
"It is evident unto thee that the Birds of Heaven and Doves of Eternity speak a two-fold language. One language, the outward language, is devoid of allusions, is unconcealed and unveiled, that it may be a guiding lamp and a beaconing light whereby wayfarers may attain the heights of holiness, and seekers may advance into the realm of eternal reunion. Such are the unveiled traditions and evident verses already mentioned. The other language is veiled and concealed, so that whatever lieth hidden in the heart of the malevolent (seeking to disprove?) may be made manifest and their innermost being be disclosed." (Kitab-i-Iqan 254-255).
Summation: In the "last days" and at "the end times" the seals of the Scriptures were to be unloosed and the words unsealed; and now at the close of the Prophetic Cycle, Bahá'u'lláh has unlocked the Scriptures of all Faiths and provided the scriptural keys for the unity of the world and the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth.
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