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Member
It is an unfortunate situation in Christian eschatology in general when literalism comes to play in end time understandings.
This unfortunate situation comes about from 'bad theology' in general. The Word of God Primarily engages Spiritual matters. Does same Word address literal matters as well? Of course. But the primary fulcrum is spiritual.
This fact can be derived from many avenues in the scriptures.
God Is A Spirit:
John 4:24
God is a Spirit:
The Word is taught by Jesus in parables stated in numerous places such as:
Mark 4:
33 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.
For example we know in parable that 'wheat' is often equated to 'believers.' Are the believers in parable any less real because they are conveyed as wheat? Or as sheep? Of course not.
Parables are used because they convey unseen or spiritual matters. Setting a believing person next to an unbelieving person would to our external eyes yield exactly zero differences in what is on the inside of such. That is why 'literalism' is such a poor poor tool. Similitude, allegory, parable etc etc can all be deployed and still have 'literal' meanings.
Paul for example constantly used the spiritual comparison to spiritual comparison tools in the majority of his writings and states outright that is how The Holy Spirit teaches:
1 Corinthians 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
What speakings are we then to exempt from those measures? NONE.
The insistence on 'literal external sights' are deemed to utterly fail when such understandings meet Revelation and end time subjects in general.
The 7 churches of Revelation come face to face with the spiritual tool requirement almost immediately in Revelation when the various works of Satan *and the allegorical connections* the entire arena of Satan and devils entails are addressed to the members in all 7 churches.
Of course no one is going to be laying external sights of Satan or devils or Jezebel or any other satanic imposition.
The Word also provides some very simple tools to 'engage' and 'understand' parables/allegories/similitude's.
The most basic scriptural tool was delivered by Jesus right here:
Mark 4:
13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
Jesus taught the above parable many different ways. A similar parable, not 'exactly' the same is taught by Matthew, Mark and Luke. The 'general' intention is identical in all, but the particulars vary by Divine Intentions in part to get the readers off of the blind insistence to literalism.
And if Mark 4 (inclusive of the related parables) are used to understand all parables and Jesus and the Apostles taught in parables and spiritual associations, then how much allegory/parable are we to exclude from the basic measures of parables/similitude's/allegories? Zero. Every last parable, allegory, terms such as 'as' 'like' 'likened' are all in fact allegorical/parable deployments. Anywhere we see terms like thorns or goats or sheep or mountains or hills when they are associated with people are in fact parable/allegory.
Where there is allegory in any account the entire account must be viewed that way.
The Law itself is in fact A PARABLE as shown in Psalm 78:1-2 and Hosea 12:10 where it says that the prophets spoke in SIMILITUDE'S.
Moses was also a prophet. Did Moses therefore speak in similitude's?
Yes.
So, to those unto whom Gods gives understandings, they will be led into understanding parables. Those who don't will not be enjoying either Revelation, end times or eschatology in general and their understandings immediately show their shortcomings. Constantly wrangling, never once agreeing on hardly a single term or view.
That is the fate of literalism meeting Revelation.
Will post more in the direction of SIMPLE (baby step) allegory understandings that any believer can and should be able to come to grips with entirely on their own with a prayer to the Holy Spirit for help in confirmations. At the point where any believer understands our symbiotic process with The Spirit, then the role of Spirit Leading you individually through these matters will come into play and eventually you will be given more and more IF you are cooperative and extended that Hand of God.
Only the honest will be led in.
Not my call.
enjoy!
smaller
This unfortunate situation comes about from 'bad theology' in general. The Word of God Primarily engages Spiritual matters. Does same Word address literal matters as well? Of course. But the primary fulcrum is spiritual.
This fact can be derived from many avenues in the scriptures.
God Is A Spirit:
John 4:24
God is a Spirit:
The Word is taught by Jesus in parables stated in numerous places such as:
Mark 4:
33 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.
For example we know in parable that 'wheat' is often equated to 'believers.' Are the believers in parable any less real because they are conveyed as wheat? Or as sheep? Of course not.
Parables are used because they convey unseen or spiritual matters. Setting a believing person next to an unbelieving person would to our external eyes yield exactly zero differences in what is on the inside of such. That is why 'literalism' is such a poor poor tool. Similitude, allegory, parable etc etc can all be deployed and still have 'literal' meanings.
Paul for example constantly used the spiritual comparison to spiritual comparison tools in the majority of his writings and states outright that is how The Holy Spirit teaches:
1 Corinthians 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
What speakings are we then to exempt from those measures? NONE.
The insistence on 'literal external sights' are deemed to utterly fail when such understandings meet Revelation and end time subjects in general.
The 7 churches of Revelation come face to face with the spiritual tool requirement almost immediately in Revelation when the various works of Satan *and the allegorical connections* the entire arena of Satan and devils entails are addressed to the members in all 7 churches.
Of course no one is going to be laying external sights of Satan or devils or Jezebel or any other satanic imposition.
The Word also provides some very simple tools to 'engage' and 'understand' parables/allegories/similitude's.
The most basic scriptural tool was delivered by Jesus right here:
Mark 4:
13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
Jesus taught the above parable many different ways. A similar parable, not 'exactly' the same is taught by Matthew, Mark and Luke. The 'general' intention is identical in all, but the particulars vary by Divine Intentions in part to get the readers off of the blind insistence to literalism.
And if Mark 4 (inclusive of the related parables) are used to understand all parables and Jesus and the Apostles taught in parables and spiritual associations, then how much allegory/parable are we to exclude from the basic measures of parables/similitude's/allegories? Zero. Every last parable, allegory, terms such as 'as' 'like' 'likened' are all in fact allegorical/parable deployments. Anywhere we see terms like thorns or goats or sheep or mountains or hills when they are associated with people are in fact parable/allegory.
Where there is allegory in any account the entire account must be viewed that way.
The Law itself is in fact A PARABLE as shown in Psalm 78:1-2 and Hosea 12:10 where it says that the prophets spoke in SIMILITUDE'S.
Moses was also a prophet. Did Moses therefore speak in similitude's?
Yes.
So, to those unto whom Gods gives understandings, they will be led into understanding parables. Those who don't will not be enjoying either Revelation, end times or eschatology in general and their understandings immediately show their shortcomings. Constantly wrangling, never once agreeing on hardly a single term or view.
That is the fate of literalism meeting Revelation.
Will post more in the direction of SIMPLE (baby step) allegory understandings that any believer can and should be able to come to grips with entirely on their own with a prayer to the Holy Spirit for help in confirmations. At the point where any believer understands our symbiotic process with The Spirit, then the role of Spirit Leading you individually through these matters will come into play and eventually you will be given more and more IF you are cooperative and extended that Hand of God.
Only the honest will be led in.
Not my call.
enjoy!
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