Since the Bible is a book composed of writings inspired by the Holy Spirit of the Lord, in order to understand it a man needs the illuminating work of the Lord in his heart, for the Lord is the One who makes a man understand the Scriptures correctly. Now, through some passages of the Scriptures and some comments on them, I am going to demonstrate what I have just said.

 

● Before His death, Jesus had said to His disciples: “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken” (Luke 18:31-34). There are some other Bible verses which state that the disciples of Jesus understood neither the Scriptures that spoke about Jesus nor the words of Jesus that predicted His death and His resurrection, which are these: “These things understood not his disciples at the first …” (John 12:16); “But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not ….” (Luke 9:45); “But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him” (Mark 9:32). Please note that the disciples, even though they had believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God who had come forth from the Father, had not yet understood the things that Moses and the prophets had said about the Christ, that is, that He had to suffer and raise from the dead. But why had not those men (who had believed in Him) understood yet the things which had been written about Him? Because the meaning of those Scriptures was veiled from them, and thus they could not understand them. They understood them after Jesus rose again, for it was then that the Lord opened their minds so that they might comprehend them, as it is written: “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures” (Luke 24:44-45); it was then that they “remembered that these things were written of him, and that they [the Jews] had done these things unto him” (John 12:16). What happened to the disciples of Jesus shows us that in order to comprehend the Scriptures which speak about Jesus Christ, it is not sufficient to read them or to hear them, because it is necessary for the Lord to open the minds of those who read them or hear them, so that they might understand them, just as He did toward His disciples when He appeared to them after His resurrection. Therefore, if it was the Lord Himself who made His disciples understand the Scriptures why should we think that nowadays He can’t make people understand the Scriptures without using any person? Is there anything too hard for the Lord? Have the ways of the Lord changed?

 

● When Jesus spoke to His disciples about the Holy Spirit, whom He would send to them after His ascension to heaven, He said to them: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:12-13), and also: “But the Comforter, which [who] is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things…..” (John 14:26). Therefore, we learn from these words that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to teach us all things and to guide us into all truth. Someone may ask: ‘Didn’t Jesus speak those words only to His apostles?’ Yes, Jesus spoke those words to His apostles, however they are addressed to all the disciples of Christ. Obviously, in the Church God has appointed teachers, who have the gift of teaching and thus they are able to teach the doctrines of the Bible, however teachers are not able to make people comprehend the Scriptures, for that’s an ability possessed by the Spirit of God, who was sent from heaven and who dwells in every believer.

 

● One day Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said: “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight” (Luke 10:21). We also acknowledge that God reveals the things concerning the Kingdom of God to those who change and become as little children, while He hides them from those who are very learned and think they are wise and intelligent. And we are, by the grace of God, among the little children to whom God has revealed His Son and the things pertaining to His kingdom, and we praise Him for this, yes, we praise Him because we acknowledge that we have come to the knowledge of the truth because God gave us that understanding which nobody else on the face of the earth could have given to us. We could have listened to the best orator, the most eloquent preacher of the Gospel and of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God, but had it not been for the supernatural intervention of God we would never have understood what is so simple (but many have made it so difficult and complicated by empty words). What is so simple? The message of salvation and the way to be saved.

 

● The apostle Paul said to Timothy: “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things” (2 Timothy 2:7). As you can see, Paul believed that the Lord Himself would make Timothy understand the things he had written to him; not a particular group of believers with the ability to interpret correctly the things he had written, but the Lord Himself.

 

● The apostle Paul said to the Philippians: “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you” (Philippians 3:15). With these words Paul expressed his confidence that if the saints of Philippi did not understand some things he had written to them, the Lord would have made them understand those things by a revelation. As you can see, in these last two verses I have quoted the Scripture stresses the powerful illuminating work of God in the heart of believers.

 

● John wrote: “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him” (1 John 2:27). Therefore, John believed that it was the anointing received from God that would teach the believers about all things, and not a particular group of bishops appointed by the Lord. The words of the apostle John confirm the words that Jesus said about the Holy Spirit when He promised the Holy Spirit to His disciples: “He shall teach you all things” (John 14:26). However, at this point a clarification is needed: the fact that the anointing we have received from the Holy One teaches us all things doesn’t mean that we don’t need the ministers of God, otherwise the Scripture would contradict itself because it states that in the Church God has appointed apostles; prophets; evangelists, pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints and for the edifying of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12). I repeat this concept in these terms: John, by those words, did not mean that since the believers have received the anointing from the Holy One, they don’t need to be taught by anybody, because the believers in Jerusalem “continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:41-42); Paul stayed in Corinth “for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God” (Acts 18:11 - NIV); and he said to Timothy: “These things command and teach” (1 Timothy 4:11), and to Titus: “These things speak ….” (Titus 2:15). John simply meant that we who know the truth don’t need the arbitrary and contradictory teachings about Jesus Christ which are spread by many impostors across the world, because the teachings about Jesus Christ that we have received from the Holy Spirit are true and sufficient to our salvation. We know all the things that can save our souls because the anointing of the Holy One teaches us everything and so we don’t need the diabolical and damnable teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, or the Mormon Church, or the Watchtower Society, or the Unification Church, or some other false church. Therefore, to sum up, although the anointing of the Holy One teaches all the believers, those who have received the gift of teaching must teach the believers the things pertaining to the kingdom of God in order to strengthen them in their faith and to help them grow spiritually, and the believers must continue steadfastly in their doctrine because this is the will of God. Both those who teach and those who are taught must always bear in mind these words said by Paul to Timothy: “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:16). Please note that salvation is promised to the minister who is an example to the believers and teach them the sound doctrine, and also to those who hear his teaching and put it into practice.

 

● The apostle Paul said to the Corinthians: “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Today, by the grace of God, besides the writings of the Old Testament that speak about Jesus, we have also the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John which speak very clearly about the birth of Jesus, His life, His teachings and powerful works, His death and His resurrection, however many of those who read and hear the Gospel written by those men, don’t understand it, and among them there are millions and millions of Roman Catholics across the world. They have the pope, the cardinals, the bishops, the priests, and many theologians, but the Gospel is veiled to them. Why is it veiled? Because their minds have been blinded by the devil, their minds have been darkened, and thus they can’t see the light emanating from the Gospel of God. What man must do in order to be saved is written very clearly, yet what is written so clearly is pitch dark to them. Why? Because their leaders have darkened the Gospel through their tradition they handed down, so what is light to us is darkness to them; and how great is that darkness! As the Jews when they read the Old Testament have a veil which covers their hearts and prevents them from recognizing that the prophetic Scriptures were fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, so there is a great number of men who read or hear the Gospel but their minds are blinded. They are on the way of destruction and as long as they don’t repent and believe with their heart in what they read or hear they will not be able to understand the Gospel. As you can see, a man can understand the Gospel only through the illuminating work of God in his heart, thus we reject the doctrine which says that a particular group of people has the power to make people comprehend the words of the Gospel.

 

In conclusion, there are two kinds of people in this world: those who have understood the Scripture because they have humbled themselves before God and the Lord has opened their minds to understand it and they continue to understand it because the Spirit of God guides them into all truth; and those who live in darkness with their minds blinded by the devil because they refuse to humble themselves before God and prefer to hear the human precepts rather than the precepts of God so clearly written in the Bible.

 

Last but not least, in reading the Holy Scripture, each of us must divide the word of God rightly (2 Timothy 2:15), which means that we must interpret it correctly otherwise we will give space to false doctrines. I could give you many examples to show you that if we don’t do this, we will give space to false doctrines, but I will give you only one example. Jesus Christ one day stated that His Father was greater than He (John 14:28); now, it is evident that if those words are taken out of context and they are not compared with other words they might lead us to believe that Jesus was not God during the days of His flesh; whereas, if we compare them with other Bible passages we will realize that this is not the true meaning of those words of Jesus. Therefore, I exhort you to read carefully the Scriptures and when you find some difficult passages, I urge you to pray and to look for the right explanation of those passages in the Bible, for I am fully persuaded that the Scripture explains the Scripture. I tell you from personal experience that often a verse or a passage becomes clear when studied in the light of other Bible statements on the same subject, and that if we compare Scripture with Scripture, we are guarded against becoming unbalanced in our views. As for some particular passages which seem not to have a Biblical explanation, I exhort you not to worry, because God has not promised to reveal us all secrets and mysteries during our earthily life, as it is written: “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God….” (Deuteronomy 29:29). Remember that even Paul, who was a man full of divine wisdom who wrote most of the New Testament epistles said: “I know in part” (1 Corinthians 13:12). As for those biblical passages which seem to oppose science, I tell you these things: first, the Bible is always right, while scientific discoveries or thesis have many times proved to be nothing but lies, so beware of all those who affirm that the Bible opposes science, for when it seems so it is not the Bible which opposes science but rather science which opposes the Bible; second, even though the Bible does not describe things in precise scientific terms, it does not give misinformation: so when the Bible states that the sun rises (Ecclesiastes 1:5), it does not tell a lie, for actually that’s what every human being sees with his own eyes. Is it not true that we see the sun rise in the east? On the other hand, even the Naval Almanac uses the term ‘sunrise’, and nobody dares to charge the Almanac with error. Therefore, the Bible describes the rising of the sun not in scientific terms, but as it appears to be. Remember this: had God used advanced scientific terminology in the Bible, which He could have, people would have understood nothing. I say it again, beware of all those who state that the Bible opposes science, for the Bible cannot oppose the truth (thus, it cannot oppose true scientific discoveries, for true scientific discoveries confirm the truthfulness of the Bible), for it is truth (John 17:17). Since the One who inspired the writers of the Bible is the Creator of all things, who thus knows everything about the universe, and at the same time He is the God of truth, who loves truth but hates falsehood, even when His Word deals with matters of science it tells the truth, even though it does not use an advanced scientific terminology. Let God be true, but every man a liar.

Let me say now some words about the method of interpretation which we should use in reading the Bible. The literal method of interpretation is the only consistent approach, in contrast to the allegorical method. By the literal method of interpretation, I mean understanding the words of the Scripture according to their ordinary, customary, apparent meaning as determined by grammar, context, and historic usage. Of course, this method does not exclude symbolism, but it means that we should only attribute a figurative or symbolic meaning when the context or wording itself indicates such. So we can attribute a symbolic or figurative meaning to recognizable figures of speech, parables, types, or symbols indicated as such in the Scripture, and some prophetic references. However, we should be always very prudent when we interpret allegorically those parts of the Scripture which can be interpreted in this way, lest we give allegorical interpretations which are inconsistent with the teaching of the Scripture. The history of the Church teaches us that over the centuries many false teachers and prophets have brought into the Church many false doctrines and damnable heresies using the allegorical method of interpretation. Furthermore, I tell you to beware of all those who take the Bible figuratively, thus they give allegorical meaning to everything or nearly everything that is written in it, for they are greatly mistaken: these people have adopted this method of interpretation for they want to evade the clear meaning of statements they do not want to accept, for they are rebellious people who want to live according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit. They make the Bible say things which it doesn’t say: they will bear their sin. 

 

 

 

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