Understanding the Bible

Is it true that the Bible is a book that had already been explained? Is it true that it no longer needs to be interpreted by man? Does any one today have the right to explain the Bible? Let us study these things, one by one. Let us read what was written in Mat. 10:14-16—

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. Behold, I sent you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the one speaking here and he was talking to the 12 Apostles whom He, Himself, elected. What did our Lord Jesus Christ tell His Apostles whom He commissioned to preach? He told them that as they preach, whosoever shall not receive them, nor hear their words, when they depart from that house, they should shake off the dust of their feet. It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment, than for that city that rejects them.

If you have noticed, there are several things about these verses that need to be explained for us to understand God’s admonition fully. But the question is, who is going to explain them? We assure you that we do not have to explain them! For instance, the Bible says that, if nobody receives the Apostles, they must shake the dust off their feet. Some of those who have read this interpreted it literally. They really shake the dust off their feet. But the point is, what if you made your visit during the rainy season when there are no dusts on the road? What if the road is flooded? What dusts will you shake off then? For us to understand all these, what we need is the Bible’s own explanation. In Matthew 10:16, Christ said—

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”

Let us find out from the Bible. What did our Lord Jesus Christ mean when He said that, He is sending them “as sheep in the midst of wolves?” Wolves are mountain dogs that eat fellow beasts. They are carnivores. A wolf is an epitome of fierceness and cruelty. On the other hand, a sheep can easily be devoured because of its meekness. What now is the significance of the “sheep” which represents the Apostles, or the Church, being sent “in the midst of wolves?” And once they are already in the midst of wolves, they must be as wise as serpents. But while they were advised to be wise as serpents, they must also be as harmless as doves! What does this mean? How must we interpret it? Or, must a preacher, who claims that he has the authority to explain the Bible, explain it? Is that it? Let us find out from the Bible. What is the meaning of this particular pronouncement of our Lord Jesus Christ? What did He mean when He said, “I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves?” Do you know the Biblical significance of “wolves”. Let us read Mat.7:15—

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

What did our Lord Jesus Christ say? The false prophets that come to people, wearing sheep’s clothing are pastors/preachers whose hearts are filled with pretenses and lies. They pretend to be like sheep, but in reality, they are ravenous wolves. But of course, they are only able to devour because of their pretenses and disguises. They can never devour a prey if they will right away show their fierceness and wild nature. Otherwise, the sheep will readily take caution and run away. In other words, they manage to devour because they pretend to be meek, like a sheep. Their outer appearance is likened to a sheep, but deep inside, they are ravening wolves.

Therefore, as far as the Bible is concerned, the “ravening wolves” refer to false teachers. Beware of them! Some of them even wear coat and tie; others are in Barong Tagalog. They wear the finest apparels to hide their real identities. Many are deceived by their appearances.

Let us resolve through the Bible, the meaning of the Apostles being sent like sheep in the midst of wolves. Thereby, they must be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. What do these things mean? Let us find out by reading Gen. 3:1-4—

“Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had. And he said unto the woman; yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die.”

It is in this particular part that we can read about the cunning serpent. It said that the serpent was more subtle than any other beast in the field, which the Lord God had made. And this serpent spoke with Eve to entice her to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. The serpent had convinced Eve that even if she ate the fruit, she would not die. Remember, God told Adam and Eve, not to eat it; if you do, you shall die. But the serpent said, you shall not surely die. Obviously, the serpent that is God’s foe, and the serpent does not really refer to the literal serpent.

Now, let us find out from the Bible the significance of the serpent, who happened to be God’s enemy. What kind of serpent is it? Let us read 2 Corinthians 11:3—

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

If you noticed, the serpent mentioned here is the one that corrupts the innocent minds. This is not an ordinary serpent. Paul said, I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. This serpent is capable of corrupting minds, just like how it corrupted the mind of Eve, who, in turn, infected, Adam’s mind. Now, who could be this serpent that corrupts minds and also happens to be God’s foe? Let us read Revelations 12:7-9. The Bible should no longer be explained by man inasmuch as the Bible already explains itself. This is what was written—

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels. And he prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Who was the serpent that corrupted Eve? It was the serpent that is fighting against God … it is the subtle serpent, which the Bible called the great dragon and the old dragon. He is the devil, or Satan. Who is the cunning and crafty serpent? He is Satan! Now, Satan, whom the Bible described as cunning, or subtle, is not alone, because as the Bible says, he was joined by the other angels who also rebelled against God. That is why, if you still recall what was written in Matthew 10:16, it says, “be wise as serpents.” Therefore, there are many serpents. The first serpent that was described to be subtle, or cunning, is God’s enemy. He is the devil, or Satan. But why is it that the Bible mentions of “serpents?” It is because the devil was able to convince and convert other angels to rebel against God. That is why they grew big in number. Now, let us read Revelations 16:14—

“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

It speaks of the spirits of the devils. Please take note, it says “devils.” This means that, there are more than one devil. In fact, in Luke 8:1-2, it says—

“And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings: of the kingdom of God; and the 12 were with him. And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went 7 devils.”

If you noticed, when Mary Magdalene was healed, seven spirits of the devil were expelled from her being. That only shows that there are many devils … there are many serpents. Our Lord Jesus Christ told the Apostles to be wise as serpents, or the devils. However, in what way is the devil wise? It is cunning and sly. Whenever he speaks, he sounds plausible. If you do not really know the word of God, you might be enticed by the devil’s words … you might even think that the devil’s words really came from God.

Most of our preachers today are like the devil. Why? They speak slyly. Whenever they use the Bible, they employ deception. If a preacher that is of God will not exercise wisdom and discernment, there is a risk that he, too, might be deceived. And there is also a great possibility that, other people might be misled by these wicked preachers, who also use the Gospel. Only, they explain it with deception. Let us go back to Genesis 3:4-5—

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

If we examine these verses very well, it would appear that what the serpent said was right. Those who discredit the Bible say that the serpent’s words were right because Adam and Eve did not really die after eating the fruit. In fact, they even begot children. On the surface, it seemed to be right. That is how plausible a speaker the devil is. Now, in the midst of devils, in the midst of preachers being led by the devil, the advice that our Lord Jesus Christ gave is, to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove.

If we analyze the verses further, we will see the flaws in the serpent’s pronouncement to Eve. This is just like what a particular preacher is doing. He claims that he is a God-sent messenger. And if you do not know how to analyze, you will definitely be cheated by this man. For example, Revelations 7:2 says, “And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God …” After reading this verse, they would ask, “Who is this angel?” And they would answer, “This angel is our brother, the angel that ascended from the east.

And in order to explain the meaning of “the east,” this self-proclaimed preacher will refer to a book on World History. They would read the part that tells that the Philippines is in the east. And afterwards, they would conclude that the God-sent messenger will hail from the Philippines. And for this reason, they will now claim that the founder of their church is the angel that ascended from the east. But, do you know that there were actually two claimants to this angel? One is from Korea, and the other one is from the Philippines.

Now, let us find out if these preachers are the fulfillment of the words in Rev. 7:2. If they are not, who could they be? How are we going to identify if a preacher is really God-sent? This is what you must wait for in our next publication.