Why Correctly Interpreting The Bible Matters
It is important to interpret the Bible through these five lenses:
Lens #1: The historical context and content
Lens #2: The covenant its under, old or new
Lens #3: The speaker's or writer's original intent
Lens #4: The original words written or spoken
Lens #5: The original audience's understanding of what was spoken or written
Here is one example of why interpreting the Bible through these five lens is important.
The majority of Bibles translate the words of Jesus in Mark 9:47-48 this way,
"And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out.It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into HELL, where‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’"This is an incorrect translation.
The correct translation is (Literal Standard Version):
"And if your eye may cause you to stumble, cast it out;it is better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God one-eyed, than having two eyes, to be cast into the GEHENNA of firewhere their worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched"Notice the change from "hell" to "Gehenna."
In these verses, Jesus is speaking to an audience of first-century Jews under the old covenant of law.
They understood how Jesus was using the word Gehenna.
In Mark 9:48, Jesus quotes directly from Isaiah 66:24, which reads:
“And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”Isaiah 65-66 is specifically about old covenant Israel who transgressed the law and would experience judgment by fire brought about by the armies of another nation.
In Mark 9:47, the Greek word Gehenna was understood by old covenant Israel to represent fire-based judgment by God upon them for their violations to the law, just as when God sent the Babylonian armies to burn Jerusalem and the temple to the ground in 2 Chronicles 36.
In Mark 9:47-48, Jesus was not talking to the modern-day reader about burning in hell where worms eat those in hell and the people in hell never die.
As a matter of fact, Jesus never spoke the word hell.
Not once.
In Mark 9:47-48, Jesus was speaking to the first-century audience of old covenant Israel who, in the judgment of God, would experience fires as their cities were burned by the Roman armies.
The original audience understood the words of Jesus.
These fires occurred from AD 66 to 70 and ended when the Roman armies burned Jerusalem and the temple to the ground.
Matthew 22:7 directly refers to this burning.
"He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city."The burning of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70 was God's final old covenant judgment on Israel.
This was Gehenna (not hell).
The burning of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70 is what Revelation is about.
It is critical this be understood.
Here's why.
Videos are shown at some churches with small children present depicting people burning in hell and being eaten by worms.
These videos were more prevalent years ago in some mainstream churches.
This is child abuse...religious and mental child abuse that follows a child into adulthood.
The way to avoid the gross misinterpretation on Mark 9:47-48 is to follow the five lens of Bible interpretation as mentioned above.
The translations cannot be trusted.
Let me say that again.
The translations cannot be trusted.
This is clearly seen in their interpretation of Mark 9:48.
We have to investigate the Bible for ourselves.
We must interpret the Bible through the five lens above so that we do not misapply the Bible.
One last point.
When we show videos to young children and teenagers about the events of a future fulfillment of Revelation, this very well could be child abuse...because the judgment events of Revelation were poured out on old covenant Israel from AD 66-70.
The judgments are not for us.
If this blog was helpful, you may enjoy reading Brad’s Books on Revelation.
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