GOD DIDN’T MAKE KNOWING HIM EASY
What God has to say regarding symbolic meanings of the Bible may be summarized in two words: mystery and secrets. We know this because God has told us that it is a mystery in his many references to dark sayings, proverbs and riddles, figures of speech, words of the wise and riddles, dreams and visions, enigmas, difficult problems, shadows, types and patterns, parables/taunts/proverbs, and symbols, signs and allegories. These symbolic meanings remain mysteries and secrets for Old/First Covenant religionists, but are available for discovery by New Covenant disciples.
Religion provides a useful service to people who are unwilling to seek out the mysteries of God themselves. Religious leaders convince lazy religionists that they (i.e. the religious leaders) know everything worth knowing about God. Religious leaders) convince their followers that they will learn everything they need to know about God if they will come to their religious services, listen to sermons, read their books, buy their music, and pay a price called a tithe or offering. It is a commercial transaction in which knowledge of God is dispensed in exchanged for money.
The ones who teach are false prophets, and the ones who listen to their teachings are deceived because they listen to the voices of false prophets — not to God’s spoken voice. When false prophets reduce God to simple sermons, books or songs, they totally miss the mystery and depth of God that is available only to people who listen to his voice.
STUDY TIP: Only New Covenant disciples are able to interpret the mysteries and secrets hidden in the symbolic language of the Bible. They are able to interpret the many Symbols, Signs, Types, Parables, Copies, and Shadows found in the Bible because God has written his laws on their hearts.
The ability to hear God’s spoken voice is the sign that indicates when God has written his laws on the hearts of someone. It can be said, therefore, that people who deny the ability to hear God’s voice also deny that God’s laws are written on their hearts. That denial confirms that those people are Old/First Covenant religionists who interpret the Bible literally — not symbolically.
The ability to hear God’s spoken voice is evidence that someone has been born again. Only people who have been born by the spirit are able to hear the words of the spirit of God spoken to the heart. All others are born of the flesh. They only understand human wisdom and are unable to understand spiritual words.
Religious leaders try to explain Bible mysteries with intellectual explanations embellished with clever human knowledge and no small amount of imaginative speculation. Religious people who are hungry to know more about God, but unable to hear his voice, eat up this unclean food thinking that their leaders are anointed with special knowledge and insights that are not available to them. Religious people consume the words (i.e. teachings and writings) of false prophets thinking that doing so makes them righteous. They wrongly believe that taking human words into the human mind is the same as hearing God’s spoken voice in the heart. Therefore, they do not realize that they are actually sinning by eating the unclean food served to them by trees of knowledge of good and evil.
Religious leaders tend to ignore most mysteries because they don’t understand them and can’t explain them. All religious people think that if they understand a few basic doctrines and practice their religion more or less faithfully they will be right with God. For them, understanding mysteries is optional and not all that important. It may not be important to them, but we know that understanding is important to God because he has made all scripture available for training in righteousness.
Failure to seek understanding about mysteries is an indicator of the way people feel about God. They are content with knowledge that God is love and that he loves them, but anything beyond that is optional. Failure to seek understanding also says much about the desire to be righteous.
Knowledge about God exists in Biblical mysteries and symbolism — not in simplified doctrines deduced from literal interpretations of the Bible. People who seek to understand mysteries show that they hunger and thirst for righteousness. People who vigorously ask, seek and knock for understanding of mysteries show that they love God with their heart, mind soul and strength. All the rest are just religious.
We may rightly conclude from all the mysterious, symbolic language of the Bible and the mysteries that surround God are puzzles to be solved. And from the fact that there are so many religions, we may rightly conclude that none of these religions have solved the puzzle and that their love for God is lukewarm.
Religious people who depend on religious leaders to explain mysteries will never come to understanding of God and his ways. As long as they trust false prophets to teach them about God, God denies understanding because they willfully and ignorantly insert an idol (i.e. teacher) between themselves and God instead of listening to God’s voice. In God’s eyes these religious leaders are idols and the people who listen to them are idolaters.
STUDY TIP: See Religion is Idolatry, Religion is the Kingdom of False Prophets and this link about adultery and prostitution for more about how God sees the relationship between religious leaders and followers.
Also see Literal or Symbolic Interpretation Part 1.
One of the first indications of God’s mysterious character is found in his revelation of himself to Moses and the Israelites in a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. These images symbolize his mysterious, spiritual qualities which are only observable with spiritual eyes and are not observable with natural eyes or available through human understanding.
Because we are able to gain some limited understanding of the Bible through literal interpretation, we think we understand God and the Bible. But, because God works in mysterious ways, it is not well understood that this level of understanding is based exclusively on human wisdom of natural words written by men and spoken by men. It is not based on spiritual understanding that is available only to New Covenant disciples (i.e. people taught by the spirit of God).
As further evidence that the Bible is mysterious and hard to understand, we observe the fact of many religious denominations that all claim to worship the same God. If the Bible were simple and universally understandable, there would be no need for so many denominations to establish different doctrines and create distinctive worship practices. Moreover, there would not be two religions (i.e. Jews and Christians) that claim to love and serve the same God.
What happens, it seems, is that in their literal interpretations of the Bible, people find a unique scripture or two that they think they understand and that logically seems to represent God. Then they teach and preach that doctrine and find others who agree that it seems true. Before you know it, a movement, a denomination and church is formed. What they have created, however, is only a golden calf, a religion made by man. It is not God. It is man’s limited conception of God based on a few select scriptures which have been literally interpreted — but not spiritually discerned.
Once the teaching of those select doctrines catches on, other churches are formed around a common belief regarding those select doctrines. If many churches subscribe to that teaching, there is eventually enough critical mass for a denomination.
While this movement is gaining momentum, preaching and programs tend to affirm the select scriptures that support the doctrines on which the denomination is based. Other scriptures that do not support those doctrines are ignored at best, and rejected at worst.
The scriptures that are ignored or rejected remain in the category of “mystery” because no one in the denomination bothers to study them to gain understanding about the mystery. They are content with the religion they have created and have no motivation to ask, seek and knock so they might understand the wisdom of God that is hidden in the mysteries. Furthermore, denominational leaders do not encourage denominational adherents to study those scriptures either. As a result, everyone in the movement remains ignorant about the mysteries.
STUDY TIP: Human wisdom is found in the literal interpretation of the Bible. Spiritual wisdom is found in the symbolic meanings behind the literal words. See the following links for more about literal and symbolic interpretation of the Bible:
Neither Jews nor Christians like to acknowledge that mysteries comprise the majority of the Bible. And yet they deceptively claim that that the Bible is the source of their religious faith. Worse yet, because people focus their studies on select scriptures to the exclusion of scriptures that are hard to understand, they fail to discover other scriptures that should be considered when forming doctrinal statements. Or, it can be said that they fail to discover other scriptures that should be considered when forming a picture of God. Obviously they have chosen to ignore these scriptures:
Psalm 78:1-4: 1 A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! 2 I will open my mouth in a Proverbs; I will utter dark sayings from of old, 3 things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders which he has wrought.
COMMENTARY: This Psalm tells the purpose for understanding the an ancient mysteries (i.e. parables and dark sayings) of God. It is so that we might teach our spiritual children about God and the things he does for his people. In other words, we do not seek understanding for spiritual titillation that feeds our soulish needs to be spiritual and be seen as spiritual. The knowledge is for teaching others about God so that they might be drawn to him.
Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
COMMENTARY: Note that the secrets are revealed so that we may follow all the words of the Law. The Law here is the Torah which is also called the Mosaic Law. But it is not the strict letter of the law that God wants people to obey. He wants them to obey the Spirit of the law which is the law written on their hearts according to the promise of the New Covenant.
Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants;
COMMENTARY: God hides revelation from those who think they are wise and intelligent. He makes revelation know to infants who know that they know nothing and live to learn with excitement like an infant. Being open minded and ready for discovery about God is especially difficult for people who have been in church for a long time.
Matthew 13:34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable.
COMMENTARY: A cursory review of red letter verses confirms that this is true. And what was not a new parable, was often an explanation of First Covenant scriptures that were misunderstood and misapplied. That Jesus did not speak without a parable confirms scriptures in First Covenant books about God speaking secrets in parables and dark sayings.
Matthew 13:10-13 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 13 The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’
COMMENTARY: From these scriptures we learn that secrets will be revealed to some some people but not to others. How do you know which category you are in? If you are a true disciple, you will know the secrets, and if you are not a true disciple you will not know.
Numbers 12:8: With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in dark speech; and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”
Proverbs 1:1-9: The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: 2 That men may know wisdom and instruction, understand words of insight, 3 receive instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity; 4 that prudence may be given to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth– 5 the wise man also may hear and increase in learning, and the man of understanding acquire skill, 6 to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and reject not your mother’s teaching; 9 for they are a fair garland for your head, and pendants for your neck.
Daniel 5:11-12: There is in your kingdom a man in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him, and King Nebuchadnez’zar, your father, made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chalde’ans, and astrologers, 12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshaz’zar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”
COMMENTARY: This scripture appears to talk about a unique man (i.e. Daniel), but it should be interpreted to refer to any New Covenant disciple. God includes this story of Daniel to show what is possible for any New Covenant disciple who does not eat (i.e. participate in) the food of religion or worship religious gods.
John 16:17-31: Some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” 18 They said, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he means.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him; so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’?20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name. 24 Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. 25 “I have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name; and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from the Father. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” 29 His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure! 30 Now we know that you know all things, and need none to question you; by this we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?
COMMENTARY: Jesus’ disciples would not have received understanding unless they had wondered about his teaching and asked each other what he meant by it. This kind of inquisitiveness is key to acquiring understanding of the deep things of God. Those who think they know what God is trying to say because they understand the literal words will not receive spiritual understanding because they already think that they are wise.
The issue of “asking” here is not about asking for something in prayer like people normally do when praying. What God is talking about here is asking for spiritual understanding. Answers will come to New Covenant disciples (i.e. those who ask in Jesus name/character) who constantly acknowledge their lack of understanding of difficult scriptures and their desire to have God give them spiritual understanding beyond the literal meanings of scripture.
We see here also that belief is tied to spiritual understanding of the Bible.
Job 33:9-19: You say, ‘I am clean, without transgression; I am pure, and there is no iniquity in me. 10 Behold, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as his enemy; 11 he puts my feet in the stocks, and watches all my paths.’ 12 “Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you. God is greater than man. 13 Why do you contend against him, saying, ‘He will answer none of my words’? 14 For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while they slumber on their beds, 16 then he opens the ears of men, and terrifies them with warnings, 17 that he may turn man aside from his deed, and cut off pride from man; 18 he keeps back his soul from the Pit, his life from perishing by the sword. 19 “Man is also chastened with pain upon his bed, and with continual strife in his bones;
COMMENTARY: Saying that God speaks in one way, and in two is a confirmation of the “first the natural, then the spiritual” principle.
Verses 15 through 19 indicate that spiritual understanding, when it comes, will have chastening effect that will turn men from their deeds (i.e. religion).