12 Truths to Understanding God's Word (Parts 1-3)

[mharrell08]

The following is a basic layout of the 12 Truths paper. This is not a substitute for reading the paper, but to amplify the points Ray makes in the paper. I will try to do the other parts when time allows.

12 Truths to Understanding God's Word

#1  'First the Physical, then the Spiritual'

    [A] "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the Last Adam [Jesus Christ] was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is NATURAL; and afterward that which is SPIRITUAL" (I Cor. 15:45-46).

    [ B ] "It is sown [first] a NATURAL BODY [a physical body which dies]; it is raised [afterward] a SPIRITUAL BODY [which is made immortal and never dies]..." (I Cor. 15:44).

    [C] "Who shall change our [first] VILE BODY, that it may be fashioned like unto His [afterward] GLORIOUS BODY..." (Phil. 3:21).

    [D] "If I have told you EARTHLY things [first], and you believe not, how shall you believe, if I tell you of HEAVENLY [spiritual] things [afterward]?" (John 3:12).


As Paul writes above, God first made mankind into physical beings but for the express purpose of later making us into spiritual beings.

Throughout the Scriptures, God does a physical event to forshadow an eventual spiritual truth. This can be known as a parable, not because the physical event did not literally happen, but because the true worth is found in the eventual spiritual reality. (Examples: trial of Job, Noah's Ark, etc.)

Also, true metaphorical parables are used in scriptures that forshadow an eventual spiritual truth. (Examples: Any of Christ parables, Paul describing 'judgment by fire' [1 Cor 3]).



#2  Jesus Christ taught in Parables only

    [A] "All these things spoke Jesus unto the multitude in PARABLES; and without a parable spoke He not unto them" (Matt. 13:34).

    [ B ] "But without a PARABLE spoke He not unto them..." (Mark 4:34).

    [C] "This PARABLE spoke Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which He spoke unto them" (John 10:6).


Jesus always taught in parables. This is how the gospel was hidden, and has remained so, from the masses of humanity. Not just when He announced He was about to tell a parable but rather ANYTIME He taught, He spoke in the form of parables.

Add in the fact that Christ is the God of the OT, and He does not change [Heb 13:8], this gives us brand new knowledge with our understanding of the scriptures. When God spoke in the Book of Moses, the Psalms, the Prophets, and etc. we understand that even then He taught in parables.



#3 Jesus Christ taught in parables to His disciples and apostles too

    [A] "Therefore speak I to them in parables, because they seeing SEE NOT: and hearing they HEAR NOT, NEITHER DO THEY UNDERSTAND" (Matt. 13:13).

    [ B ] "How is it that you [disciples] DO NOT UNDERSTAND..." (Matt. 16:11).

    [C] "But they [the disciples] UNDERSTOOD NOT this saying, and it was HID from them..." (Luke 9:45).


Even when called, the apostles & disciples did not understand the teachings from Jesus. Even after been given the Holy Spirit, Jesus still used a parable to teach Peter to bring the gospel to the Gentiles [Acts 10:9-16, 24-48].

Jesus Christ does not change [Heb 13:8]. As with His apostles, He will teach YOU by parable. The use of physical examples to relay a powerful spiritual truth for your edification and judgment.



Marques

[grapehound]

Wow, thanks Marques.
I just read this after posting Parallel of Genesis.
Awesome.
Thanks for the commentary and the reminder of this teaching.


Grape

[Samson]

Thank you Marques,

Good Thread, thanks for Posting this information explaining the Physical events that actually happened foreshadowing a greater, more important Spiritual reality. I procrastinated in getting to this as per Our discussion of this, but You did an excellent Job in getting the ball rolling. Some points I appreciated from your first Post found below in blue.

As Paul writes above, God first made mankind into physical beings but for the express purpose of later making us into spiritual beings.

Throughout the Scriptures, God does a physical event to forshadow an eventual spiritual truth. This can be known as a parable, not because the physical event did not literally happen, but because the true worth is found in the eventual spiritual reality. (Examples: trial of Job, Noah's Ark, etc.)

Jesus Christ does not change [Heb 13:8]. As with His apostles, He will teach YOU by parable. The use of physical examples to relay a powerful spiritual truth for your edification and judgment.

Here are some Scriptures that contrast the Physical realities with the greater Spiritual realities.

Colossians. 2:16-23 " So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a feast day or new moon or sabbaths, which are a SHADOW OF THINGS to come, but the SUBSTANCE is of CHRIST. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of Angels, intruding into things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, GROWS WITH THE INCREASE THAT IS FROM GOD, Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourself to regulations-Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle, WHICH CONCERN ALL THINGS THAT PERISH WITH THE USING- according to the commandments and doctrines of men. These things indeed have an APPEARANCE OF WISDOM IN SELF IMPOSED RELIGION, false humility, neglect(asceticism) of the body, but are OF NO VALUE against the indulgence of the flesh." (caps mine for emphasis)

Read Hebrews Chapter 9, certain verses for emphasis as follows: Verse 11-But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Verse 12 Not with blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood He entered the Most Holy place once for all, having obtained Eonian redemption. Verses; 23,24- Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the Holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

                        Kind Regards, Samson.

[Deborah-Leigh]

Jesus Christ does not change [Heb 13:8]. As with His apostles, He will teach YOU by parable.

Marques, I found that in THAT statement from you ~ Galactic if not Apocalyptic measures of vast Godly meaning.

You add a most Stately contribution dear Samson.

Blessings dear brothers
Arc

[Marky Mark]

Why would parables be the preferred way of instruction?

Joh 4:24 God is spirit, and those who are worshiping Him must be worshiping in spirit and truth."

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

1Co 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.



Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:



Php 3:3  For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.



Peace...Mark

[Deborah-Leigh]

Hi John
You ask a VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION : Why would parables be the preferred way of instruction?

Plain statements of facts are boring John. VERY BORING! Parables are real living in Spirit and in Truth!


God works like this: You want to learn to ski which is a metaphor for wanting to know Jesus.  Facts are like enrolling in a five year course that guarantees that once you qualify, you will KNOW everything about skiing. Job thought he knew God. Well, he didn't now did he? Now if you really want to go skiing, or even if you would never in your life want to go skiing, or if you hate skiing, then this is for you! Read the next few paragraphs real carefully. Pay attention, and maybe, God willing, you'll get the drift of skiing, parables and facts. If you have lost me by now and don't have a clue where I am going with this, that's good. You are on your way! You're doing fine! Keep going! WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!


Okay, FACTS work like this. You go to University to learn how to snow ski. The first year you have to learn the history. You have to pass the exams before you graduate to second year. Then you have to learn about the construction, anatomy and physics of the ski. You write the exam.  You pass.  Then you qualify for year three.


Year three you learn about the ski resorts. That's a very exciting year. You get to visit some of the top resorts in the world. All expenses are paid by the University. This is only for third year graduates. That starts the adrenalin pumping, the pride and self aggrandizement begin to kick in. The University attracts new students because of you. What happens in Babylon is the same. Seniors get all pumped up and excited. It is not because the year three students know something. It is because they are going somewhere that no one else is going. They still don't know how to ski, but who's going to tell them that, except a Ray Smith advocate of the Truth, if there are any in your area!


If God doesn't appoint you to bump into any of that rare bread, then it is likely that you'll get to go on the holier-than-thou pre-view of ski resorts in the world. This is like cutting a deal with Satan who has offered you the Kingdoms of the world. You don't want to go all the way so you compromise. That you don't yet have a clue how to ski, is no big deal to you anymore. You are skiing high on the adrenalin rush of being admired and going places.


So you get to year four. This is the deal breaker year. You go forward or you flunk out.  You have to learn all the dangers inherent in skiing.  You have to learn what to do if you have an accident. You must learn who to sue if you have any casualties. It is then that you get this real sober look on your face like the Priests in Babylon. You realize you don't know how to ski. Behind closed doors you are reminded of this fact if ever you step out of line. The biggest lesson in year four is to learn how to avoid judgment. You have also to learn how to worship and pay homage to your peers. If you don't succeed, you fail. Imagine the pressure! Well you don't have to if you've been there!


By Fifth year, you've started to lose some hair or it has simply gone a bit greyer. Your bones are less oiled and your muscles are starting to get stiff. You are not getting younger. So you use your brains, and your God given tenacity. The final lesson to learn is how to pay for ski lessons. You learn how much the lessons cost. This is the easiest year of all but it carries the hardest lesson. You have to abort your naive dream that you could ever literally ski. You have to put that dream on the altar and crucify it. You pass your exam with flying colors BUT YOU STILL CAN"T SKI! Facts do that to you. The letter of the Word kills.

Here's the clincher...You need to go hide. Your life is to avoid every and any ski slope, which are just metaphors for Spirit and Truth.  Ray Smith students can literally enjoy with great happiness and exhilaration, the snowy ski slopes of uncorrupted beauty and joy.  You might curse, despise or hate coming into contact with anyone who has been skiing! You might even enroll as a Lecturer of the nearest University to your home. You might not  want to face the fact that you have wasted so much  time in Babylon,  learning nothing worth anything. If you are well respected in Babylon you might want to go back, forget skiing and get a job. You may even be so well admired that you can open your own University, face book or web site to pass on the ski instructions to others looking for facts, ever learning and never coming to the Truth.


There have been very prominent persons who are greatly respected, admired and approved of their congregations who have been inspired to build to themselves and their believers, big Universities to the art of skiing! We have such a monolith right next door. You know what I mean. How many Churches are out there? OR, ayou may get so despondent and feel like dropping out. If you get to that point, like maybe some of the lurkers,  guests and members have become, here in this Forum, you might meet God Who is the finest ski instructor of all. He makes the slopes, the gradients, the snow and the equipment. He even regulates the weather! With HIM there is No such thing as free will! He can transform crutches to state of the art ski sticks for the biggest ride of your life!


To those genuine lovers of snow skiing. You have met a genuine instructor, to snow ski in the white capped mountains of God. Hell is a false teaching. You can see the peeks of Everest that is the ever Rest of God. God controls everything. You can see the sun reflect off the pristine untroubled snow. That is His Son. Jesus Christ saves and He includes everyone in the world in the end time Harvest. You can soar with the wind as you follow the snow driven pure heart of God, through  ice, cutting wind on your face and healing sun on your skin. There are so many metaphors in that sentence – YOU PUT THEM IN!  You'll sweat out joy and laughter. You will learn to ski right over the University of Hard Knocks. For your diploma, you will graduate in joy and peace and the thrill of knowing God like no other fact finder can ever impart to you.


John You ask : Will Jesus always use this mode of instruction in the future, parables instead of a plain statement of facts?

Answer : Thank God, He will! ...and most deeply profound and ever rising thanks be ever to HIM...which are also ~ Parables for the ski slopes of Spirit and of Truth!
I hope you got the answer John. If you did, I hope that you never let it go!

Watch this Thread for more ski slopes...there are  more to come....check up above...GaryK and below, Mark, just landed a slope...way to go brothers! God is the Height measured by any slope, not the position to one another but to God. ~ that too, is a Parable!

Happy skiing Blessings
Arc

[GaryK]

Php 3:4  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
Php 3:5  Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
Php 3:6  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Php 3:7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Php 3:11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15  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.
Php 3:16  Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
Php 3:17  Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Php 3:18  (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
Php 3:20  For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Php 3:21  Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.



Ecc 12:12  And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.


Seems to fit.   At least to me.

gk

[Yab Yum]

What was the truth that Jesus hid with parables?

[Kat]

Hi Yab Yum,

Parables are just stories that are not literally true and there is a lesson being taught behind the story. But it is the spiritual aspect that is the higher 'hidden' lesson that only the Holy Spirit teaches to those that have it.

Here is where Ray explains this.

http://bible-truths.com/lake8.html -----------------------

The words that Jesus spoke were "spirit"—

"...the words that I speak unto you, they are SPIRIT..." (John 6:63).

Jesus taught the multitudes in parables only—

"All these things spoke Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spoke He not unto them" (Matt. 13:34).

All parables have a SPIRITUAL lesson. Not one of Jesus' parables was to be taken literally.

But to understand spiritual parables, and words of spirit, one must HAVE THE SPIRIT—

"...for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God ... the things of God knows no man but the Spirit of God ... the Holy Spirit teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual ... But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned ... But we [believers in Christ] have the [spiritual] mind of Christ" (I Cor. 2:10,11,13,14,16).

Notice what Jesus said when His disciples asked Him concerning the parables:

"And the disciples came, and said unto Him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given ... Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they UNDERSTAND" (Matt. 13:10,11, & 13).

Having "ears to hear" means having spiritual discernment in UNDERSTANDING what one hears. Notice that we must "...see with our eyes, and hear with our ears, and should understand with our HEART..." [then God would] convert us and HEAL [save] us (Matt. 13:15).

I have no doubt that some reading these messages from the Scriptures, are beginning to understand. I mean REALLY UNDERSTAND and thank God for this spiritual understanding. If you are such an one, then GOD IS CALLING YOU! You are beginning to "taste" of the good and spiritual things of God.


http://bible-truths.com/lake1.html ----------------------

The fact is there are many many truths in the Bible that are not literally true.

Jesus "said" that the bread He gave His disciples at the Lord's supper was His body. Yet, Jesus Himself explains in other places that this was not literally true. He gave them literal bread, and not His literal physical flesh. What that bread represented, and symbolized, was indeed, His body--but not his physical body.

Jesus said that the words that he spoke were SPIRIT (John 6:63). Jesus Christ changes not. His words are STILL spirit and they certainly were spirit when John wrote the words of Christ regarding His unveiling or revelation. Just as we physically feed on physical bread for PHYSICAL LIFE, thus also we spiritually feed on Jesus Christ's spiritual body for SPIRITUAL LIFE.

Understand this! Some think that by accepting the Scriptures as they are given (in the case of Revelation that means AS SYMBOLS), that somehow this "spiritualizes away" the teaching. What? It is the "spiritual" aspect of these symbols that IS THE REAL THING; THE REAL UNDERSTANDING! Physical things "pass away" whereas spiritual things are eternal! The very FACT that this book is written in "symbols" is proof positive that the understanding of them is SPIRITUAL and not physical or literal.

Symbols, metaphors, and parables ARE NEVER LITERALLY TRUE! But they powerfully demonstrate SPIRITUAL TRUTHS!
----------------------------------------------------------------

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[Deborah-Leigh]

 Hi John

The opening paragraph to the skiing essay,  was all about 1 + 1 = 2! The paragraph explained how parables are like Math.  You have to know the symbols!  I was clueless how that paragraph was to fit with skiing so it got cut out!  Now YOU have the last laugh!... That's how much I knew!!!

You will always be handsome to me!

Yours truly
Arc

[indianabob]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

We may be shocked and pleasantly surprised when we are resurrected and see in the mirror what our appearance is when we have a resurrected body. I imagine that it will be a reflection of how God sees us rather then how we have seen ourselves.
Can you imagine the royal potter making a vase to hold the spirit of God that is not beautiful.

All you plain appearing people get ready for a pleasant surprise.

Bob

[Deborah-Leigh]

Delightful Bob!

[Dawidos]

Yeah, well spoken Bob.