For Now We See Through A Glass, Darkly

1st Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

This is one of the most important passages of Scripture in God's inspired Word. Granted, there are no unimportant Scriptures passages. The Word of God teaches and acknowledges that as believers we have a limited understanding.

No preacher, Christian or theologian has the Bible all figured out. I humbly believe that certain portions of the inspired Holy Bible are less likely to be discerned unless somebody is going through certain hardships or situations. Granted, no portion of Scripture is of any private interpretation. That is, no one can claim that God gave them something unique that no one else can learn from studying God's Word. 2nd Peter 1:20, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”

Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) prophetess Ellen G. White (1827-1915) bizarrely claimed to have received over 2,000 visions and dreams from God. She wickedly appointed herself as a last days prophetess to confirm Bible prophecies. Miss White was a blatant FALSE PROPHET! God does not speak to anyone today through dreams or visions. What saith the Scripture? Hebrews 1:1-2, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.”

God speaks to humanity today through the written Word of God. Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980) said that Jesus and the Bible are twins. I like that. Jesus is the Living Word; the Holy Bible is the Written Word (John 1:1-3, 14; Revelation 19:13).

The older I get, the more I realize how much I don't know and understand. I am now 59 years of age. I absolutely cannot believe how old I am. In my soul I still feel like I am a teenager. I don't feel old, but my body does. My eyes cannot see as well as they used to. My ears do not hear as good as they used to. My hair is all gone on top of my head. I have typical Male Pattern Baldness, which began at age 25. I got rear-ended by a church bus in 1992, which caused Cervical Degenerative Disk Disease. At work I tumbled 15 feet down a conveyor slide in 2005 which worsened my injury. I have undergone two major neck surgeries in 2009 and 2010, the second of which surgery rendered me 100% worse. My body is broken and tired.

At best all we can do is study the Bible using available study resources; such as, Bible dictionaries, Bible land maps, Bible commentaries, lexicons, et cetera. Jesus promised that the indwelling Holy Spirit will guide and teach us (John 16:13). God authored His Word in such a way that it is like a puzzle, not easy to understand. Even the Apostle Peter acknowledged in 2nd Peter 3:16-17 that the writings of Paul were hard for him to understand. Ironically, I find Peter's writings more difficult to understand than Paul's writings. Go figure!

There has been much confusion and debate over the timing of the Rapture. I admit that the way the Bible is put together, it is not easy to paint a clear picture of Bible prophecy. I am firmly convinced of a Pretribulation Rapture, but it is mainly because no other doctrinal position fits the puzzle of Bible prophecy that I conclude a Pretribulation Rapture. Jesus warned in Mark 13:32-37 that NO MAN (not even the angels or Himself) know the time of His return. Only a Pretribulation Rapture supports the truth taught in this remarkable passage of Scripture.

If you have difficulty understanding the Holy Bible, join the club, you're not alone. We all struggle to understand it. Did Jephthah sacrifice his daughter by killing her, or did she remain  virgin for the rest of her life? Since she bewailed her virginity, I think she remained a virgin.

Did it take Noah a full 120 years to finish the ark? Ken Ham says it was only seventy something years to complete the ark. I humbly think it took 120 years since “God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing” (1st Peter 3:20).

Did the Church begin on the Day of Pentecost, in the earthly life and ministry of Jesus, in the middle of the book of Acts, or back with the first family in Genesis? Acts 7:38 speaks of “the church in the wilderness.” It seems to me that the church started way back with the first family. As families moved away from each other and cities were built, the need arose for a surrogate family; hence, local New Testament churches.

Is the earth young, or is it billions of years old? Psalm 102:25, “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.” The psalmist specifically says that the foundation of the earth itself is “old.” If you study the Hebrew words in the first two chapters of Genesis, I don't see how any Bible student could deny an old earth view. Those who think dinosaurs lived 4,500 years ago are just as ignorant as flat-earthers.

Granted, the Bible says we see through a glass darkly. That is, we don't have confirmation of many truths. That is why there is so much debate, arguments and contending for the faith.

That being said, we are commanded by God in numerous Scripture passages to contend for the faith. Jude 1:3, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

I heard a Baptist pastor recently say that we ought not debate over minor issues. He included “eternal security” as one of the minor issues. Dear reader, the matter of eternal security is NOT a minor issue, and we absolutely should make a fuss to debate over this matter. So, we must use wisdom. Knowledge is knowing something. Wisdom is knowing what to do with it.

Although there are many Scripture passages where by rightly dividing the Word of Truth we can find the correct interpretation, yet there will always be other obscure passages that are more difficult to determine with any certainty what God meant. The Scripture acknowledges this reality in 1st Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

When asked a difficult or unlearned question it is perfectly okay to say, “I don't know the answer.” 2nd Timothy 2:23, “But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.” The Scripture discourages us from getting into heated debates over foolish things and impossible questions that have no obvious answer. We need to choose our battles wisely. We will never know the answer to every question, nor does God intend for us to understand everything.

That is why we are taught in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” The Bible is telling us this because there will always be things that we cannot even begin to understand.

Mankind cannot even determine how big the universe is. Our telescopes can peer 46.5 billion lightyears into the Observable Universe, but we will never be able to see further since light beyond that point will never reach us, due to expansion of the cosmos. There will always be more things we do not understand, than we do understand. God made it that way. I humbly believe the reason why is so that we would have to blindly trust Him. Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”