THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING YOUR BIBLE

 

Author:  Ken C. Cross

Most of what I watch on television these days involves either sports or documentaries. I particularly enjoy documentaries that deal with Biblical subjects in some manner. I don’t watch them to find out what I don’t know, but rather to find out how “the world” is currently portraying Scripture. What I find most amazing is the extent educated people will go to try and disprove the Bible.

Recently, I watched two programs that really have nothing to do with each other, but both pointed out the need for us all to be sure that we know what the Bible says and don’t completely rely on others to interpret Scripture for us.

One show dealt with the doomsday 2012 prophecies. According to the program, the ancient Greeks, ancient Romans, Chinese, and Mayan Indians all have December 21, 2012 pegged as the date for the end of the world. There is even a company that has created a computer program (called Web-Bot) that agrees with these predictions.

In the program many experts spoke of the convergence of many independent predictions from different eras and locations. There was even a Biblical “expert” who said that the book of Revelation had no relevance to our present time, but was a coded message written solely for first-century Christians.

Even a basic knowledge of the Bible would have shown these teachings to be false. In this instance, the Bible refers to a “covenant with many” that the Antichrist will be a part of and the signing of that agreement will be what starts the final seven-year clock ticking down (Daniel 9:27). Since no such agreement was signed in 2005, clearly the 2012 date is not correct. Furthermore, it is clear from scriptures outside of Revelation, that the final book of the Bible is not speaking only of first-century events.

The other show detailed the tragic events in February-April 1993 involving the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco, TX. The program detailed, through recordings and interviews with those that escaped, the beliefs that David Koresh held-namely that he was the second coming of Jesus Christ and that he had the power and authority to open the Seven Seals of Revelation chapter 6 (Koresh was referring to Revelation 5:6-9).

This case is more complex and more insidious. Over 80 people died as a result of being brainwashed by Koresh. He was able to convince his followers that he was God incarnate and, and as such, he had special insight into the Scriptures. The depth of the brainwashing is evident in the fact that many of the survivors still hold to the beliefs Koresh taught, even though they lost husbands, children, and friends in the fire that ended the standoff. While the government did make some mistakes in executing the operation, at no time did the FBI prohibit the people from escaping the building and leaving Koresh to his own devices.

 

Koresh is an example of a dangerous type of person. Jesus spoke of the likes of Koresh when he warned of false prophets and false Christs deceiving even the elect, if possible (Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 23-25). Koresh took a small portion of the Bible and twisted it to his own ends, then convinced others that he, and he alone, had the true knowledge of Scripture. The apocalypse Koresh claimed was upon him and his followers was clearly not taking place. If only those in the compound had read Matthew 24 for themselves, instead of relying solely on Koresh to explain the Bible to them, they would have been able to get free from this man’s grasp.

The reason why these types of people and ideas are believed by such a large number of people is that many of them are intimidated by the Bible and believe that only those with years of formal training and study can understand what it says. This concept goes against everything God has actually ever said about His word. God clearly meant for all of us to know what He is saying. While some of the language may be peculiar, the Bible is certainly not some mystic book that can only be understood by a select few.

Also, many teachers and laymen will take portions of the Bible out of context in order to fit them to their theology. The Bible is not a series of verses or stories that can be chopped up as we sit fit to suit our own desire to determine what God is saying. While the use of a verse or verses as inspiration or to illustrate a point is a good thing, taking a verse or verses out of context and then forming a religion or a philosophy on such a verse is doomed to failure. The Bible is a single book—from Genesis to Revelation—that was meant to be taught and learned in its entirety. If we, as humans, attempt to dissect the Bible and use only those pieces that fit our agendas, we are doing the Scriptures (and ourselves) a great disservice. We must allow Scripture to interpret Scripture.

When we allow others to tell us what the Bible says instead of going to the source, it becomes easy for Satan to twist God’s word and deceive us. It is imperative that every Christian studies the Bible daily. If you do, you will discover, as I have, that God reveals new things each time you go through His word.

The only defense against the doctrines of this world and the deceptions of false prophets and false christs is the knowledge of God’s word. If you are not already doing so, please go to your local Christian bookstore and find a study guide. Then commit to taking 10-20 minutes everyday where you use the guide and read your Bible. The cost is small and the rewards are infinite.