Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too much,
because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy for
today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect yesterday's
portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going
to change all of that. Let's experience God's words today
and receive the power we need to live healthy, vibrant lives.
Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author speaker,
Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, good morning, good morning. It is Thursday, April three,
twenty twenty five. Hello, my name is Elle David Harris.
I am your host, and this is your Daily Portion
where we give you God's Word every single day, and
today is no exception. We are continuing in our new
lesson study series how to study Bible Prophecy, and our
caption for today is figurative or literal or literal. We'll
get into that in just a moment, but first I'd
like to say welcome to you and ask you to
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Let's go ahead and pray, and then we will get underway.
Bather and Heaven, thank you for giving us this new
day and for the privilege that you have entrusted to
us to open your word again. And I'm asking you
to please give us unusual understanding, teach us how to
apply these truths to our lives. In Jesus' name, I pray,
Amen and Amen again, figurative or literal. Now, we don't
have an hour to invest together, and so I'm going
to do my best with the time by applying some principles. Okay,
So I'm going to give you a few principles, beginning
with let the Bible define its symbols. Let the Bible
define its symbols. And the Bible reads in First Corinthians,
chapter two and verse thirteen, 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 You see,
sometimes human beings have a tendency to make up stuff
as we go along. Even people who speak what I say,
what I call Christianese, like human beings, have a tendency
of making things up, comparing all sorts of things that
seem to be related to what God is saying in
the scriptures. But the Bible is teaching us very plainly
that we are by the Holy Ghost not to rely
on human wisdom, but to compare spiritual things with spiritual
Number two, there is consistent Bible usage that we need
to observe when God is showing us a symbol as
an example of horns in symbolic Bible prophecy Daniel chapter
seven and verse twenty four, and the ten horns out
of this kingdom are ten kings. Now we know what
the symbol actually means, kings? Got it consistent use the
one that we often reference of a woman in the
Bible Book of Jeremiah chapter six and verse two. I
have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and
delicate woman in this case that is a holy woman.
But this woman in Bible prophecy is a daughter of Zion. Okay,
symbolic Bible prophecy, I need to keep saying that, And
then there are a few reasons for symbolic language. Number
one is for protection. In Matthew, chapter ten and verse sixteen,
the Bible reads, behold, I send you forth as sheep
in the midst of wolves. Be Ye therefore wise as serpents.
So God is giving us protection in these symbols. And
here are some principles. Number one, avoid contemporary interpretations. Sometimes
we try to make it fit into today's language, in
today's concepts, so to the degree that we lose what
God is saying. So don't use modern symbols. Stick to
the Bible meetings, and follow the scripture's usage. Number two,
study Bible wide context, so that means, don't squeeze our
understanding into one passage, don't squeeze it into one or
two books. But see what the Bible says in the
entire scripture, and see where we can compare scripture with scripture.
Look for consistent language in those scriptures, and then follow
the patterns. Don't make up stuff, don't become weary, don't choose,
and I'm saying don't a lot, because these are things
that we do like. Don't choose to just drag it
into our time. In twenty twenty five, before we observe
what God is actually saying. Number three, we had to
understand the purpose protection and persecution, deeper spiritual truth, universal application,
and then of course there are timeless meanings and then
guidelines for interpretation. Check the Bible usage. First, Let's see
what the Bible actually says in its use, and then
look for internal definitions. It's just another way of saying
what I've said already. See what the Bible says about it,
follow consistent patterns, and then consider what was going on
in history, the historic historical context, and then finally, trust
God's divine purpose. The Bible reads in two Timothy, chapter
three and verse sixteen. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God. That means God breathed in the same way
that He breathed his life into us. He breathed his
breath into their nostrils, Adam and Eve, and they became
a living soul in the same way that you are
living today borrowing God's breath. He breathed the truth upon
those humans that He used as as pen men of
what we now call the scripture. So God wants us
to understand the symbols do have meaning, and truth can
be known and wisdom is available. I know I've said
a lot. I've said a lot because this lesson wasn't
designed to be handled in just ten minutes. But you
can rewind and then play it over, okay. And so
the lesson writer wanted us to look for the meanings
of some specific symbols in this listing. In the middle
of the lesson, look up the following texts, allowing the
Bible to be its own interpreter. What is the prophetic
symbol common in the texts in each case, and what
does the Bible say that it represents? Okay? And so
the first symbol that is in Daniel seven and verse seven,
Daniel eight and verse three, Daniel seven and verse twenty four,
beasts and horns. Beasts and horns, what do they represent?
Kingdoms or political powers? Okay? The second one the sword
in Revelation chapter one, verse sixteen, Ephijians six and verse seventeen,
and Hebrews chapter four and verse two. And I'll read
this one, for the Word of God is quick and
powerful and sharper than any two edged sword. And so
here the sword represents what the Word of God. Okay,
let's keep going. Let's keep going. And then number three,
a pure woman, a pure woman Revelation chapter twelve and
verse one. And there appeared a great wonder in heaven,
a woman clothed in the sun, Revelation twenty one and
verse two. The Bible says, and I John saw the
Holy city New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. And so
the city with God's people in it. And then in
Ephiesians chapter five, verses thirty one and thirty two, it's
a long story. These all all represent pure woman, pure woman,
God's faithful and true people, the people of God, while
we are faithful. And of course there is another kind
of woman that is unfaithful, and that would be the
harlot okay. And so this shows how Scripture does four things.
One defines its own symbols, two maintains consistent meaning, Three
provides internal interpretation. And then for and final builds systematic understanding.
We said a lot in just a few minutes, but
these are foundational to our understanding of symbolic Bible prophecy. Peace.
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot
live by bread alone, but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God. This has been your daily
portion with El David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,