Biblical Literalism and Intelligence Level

[Jerry Shugart]

Every Old Testament prophecy about Jesus Christ was fulfilled literally.

When was this prophecy fulfilled literally?:

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth" (Jer.23:5).​

When did the Lord Jesus reign and prosper and when did He execute judgment and justice in the earth?

I say that that will not happen until He returns to the earth and then sits upon His throne. The Lord Jesus said:

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory" (Mt.25:31).​

A "literal" reading of both of these passages which I quoted demonstrates that not all of the prophecies concerning the Lord Jesus have been fulfilled, as you imagine.

 

[northwye]

One problem with Christian Zionist literalist interpretation is that this theology goes back to the Old Testament for its doctrines, which tend to be more physical and literal in nature. Look, for example, at Genesis 17: 10-14 and compare this to Hebrews 11: 8-16.

"And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4. As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations." Genesis 17: 2-4

Genesis 17: 4 says Abraham will be the father of many nations, and the people of the Old Covenant and Christian Zionists following them assumed this meant many peoples or nations would come out of Abraham's physical seed. It turns out that in the New Testament, Abraham was to be the father of a huge number of different nations and peoples through his spiritual seed. See Galatians 3: 16-17, and Galatians 3: 26-29. Christian Zionists cannot hear this.

Continue in Genesis 17: 10-14, "This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
11. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
12. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
13. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant."

Genesis 17: 10-14 is all about that which is physical or literal, not about spiritual things.

Now look at Hebrews 11: 8-16, "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10. For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
12. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
13. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
15. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
16. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."

"By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10. For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."

And, "But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."

The New Testament in Galatians 3 and in Hebrews 11 talks about spiritual things, and not physical or literal things. Yet Christian Zionism does not deal with this difference.

An understanding of the promise to Abraham cannot be fully understood by the physical-literal language of Genesis 17, but is more fully understood by the language of Galatians 3: 16-17 and 26-29 and by Hebrews 11, especially Hebrews 11: 9-10 and Hebrews 11: 16.

The New Testament texts, which are not as physical and literal as the text of Genesis 17, gives us a spiritual understanding of the covenant with Abraham which the physical-literalist Old Testament approach alone does not provide.

 

[steko]

One problem with Christian Zionist literalist interpretation is that this theology goes back to the Old Testament for its doctrines, which tend to be more physical and literal in nature. .

Yeah, big problem.

Should this be believed....literally?

Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Why do you recommend that what GOD says should not be believed.....literally?

 

[steko]

One problem with Covenantal Metaphoricalism is that it gives people an excuse not to believe what GOD says....literally.

 

[WatchmanOnTheWall]

Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.

1 Corinthians 1:27
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Apologies if this has been said already here.

 

[daqq]

One problem with Covenantal Metaphoricalism is that it gives people an excuse not to believe what GOD says....literally.

Actually the Master uses that thinking against you. Show me where the following kinds of statements are ever said to be metaphoric, allegorical, or non-literal:

Matthew 5:27-30 KJV
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Where are the bold highlighted statements in the above passage said to be non-literal, or allegory, or metaphor? Do not the physical literalists such as yourself tell us all the time that unless the passage makes it clear that it speaks in allegory, or a parable, or metaphor, we are supposed to take the straight forward literal physical meaning? Yes, that is what you all say. Why therefore are you not getting busy plucking out your eyes and chopping off your hands and feet? It is because in reality it is you yourself who decides in your own mind that this is not meant to be taken in a literal physical way. The point is not that it should be taken literally and physically but that it is nowhere even hinted that this is to be taken as an allegory, or a parable, or metaphorical. The result is this: physical literalists show themselves hypocrites for making such judgments themselves, (most of the time not even realizing they are doing so), when they actually have no justification for doing such a thing in many cases where they do so; and that places their entire mindset at odds with the way the scripture should genuinely be read and understood. It makes you the judge of what will be taken as literal and what you will accept as allegory, and therefore, an unjust judge of the scripture. Either read it all one way or read it all the other, (that really is the difference between the covenants and the old and new, that is, how one reads the very same texts). If you are going to read most of it in a literal and physical sense then you actually have no excuse for not doing what the above passage states to do, (it even threatens you with hell if you do not comply; so now you have a double whammy if you interpret hell as a literal physical place of eternal conscious torment, lol). You are therefore much better off to start seeing the metaphor, parable, and allegory in all things, for that is primarily what it all concerns: the teachings of a loving Father to his children. The physical literalist way causes violence, war, killing in the name of God, and results in death. That may not be so obvious sitting at home enjoying the modern western way of life but history has proven over and over again what I have said.

 

[Zeke]

Actually the Master uses that thinking against you. Show me where the following kinds of statements are ever said to be metaphoric, allegorical, or non-literal:

Matthew 5:27-30 KJV
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Where are the bold highlighted statements in the above passage said to be non-literal, or allegory, or metaphor? Do not the physical literalists such as yourself tell us all the time that unless the passage makes it clear that it speaks in allegory, or a parable, or metaphor, we are supposed to take the straight forward literal physical meaning? Yes, that is what you all say. Why therefore are you not getting busy plucking out your eyes and chopping off your hands and feet? It is because in reality it is you yourself who decides in your own mind that this is not meant to be taken in a literal physical way. The point is not that it should be taken literally and physically but that it is nowhere even hinted that this is to be taken as an allegory, or a parable, or metaphorical. The result is this: physical literalists show themselves hypocrites for making such judgments themselves, (most of the time not even realizing they are doing so), when they actually have no justification for doing such a thing in many cases where they do so; and that places their entire mindset at odds with the way the scripture should genuinely be read and understood. It makes you the judge of what will be taken as literal and what you will accept as allegory, and therefore, an unjust judge of the scripture. Either read it all one way or read it all the other, (that really is the difference between the covenants and the old and new, that is, how one reads the very same texts). If you are going to read most of it in a literal and physical sense then you actually have no excuse for not doing what the above passage states to do, (it even threatens you with hell if you do not comply; so now you have a double whammy if you interpret hell as a literal physical place of eternal conscious torment, lol). You are therefore much better off to start seeing the metaphor, parable, and allegory in all things, for that is primarily what it all concerns: the teachings of a loving Father to his children. The physical literalist way causes violence, war, killing in the name of God, and results in death. That may not be so obvious sitting at home enjoying the modern western way of life but history has proven over and over again what I have said.

Yep, Luke 17:20-21, Matthew 11:11, Galatians 4:24, Acts 17:24, 1Cor 3:16, 2Cor 3:6, Luke 9:60, John 11:25, Mark 12:27, Matt 13:11-15, Galatians 1:12,.................................................John 18:36.

 

[1Mind1Spirit]

You are therefore much better off to start seeing the metaphor, parable, and allegory in all things, for that is primarily what it all concerns: the teachings of a loving Father to his children. The physical literalist way causes violence, war, killing in the name of God, and results in death. That may not be so obvious sitting at home enjoying the modern western way of life but history has proven over and over again what I have said.

 

[Swifty357]

Pentecostal believers base everything off emotions and experiences so I can see them scoring the lowest on IQ tests. Plus the word of faith heresy comes from them which would take a low IQ to believe the gospel is a get rich quick scheme.

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