Smoodock's Blog

For nearly the whole period of my own Christian experience, I had been interpreting the Old Testament prophecies, for the most part, literally. This is the way in which I was taught, and it is also the manner in which most of my commentaries etc. interpret Biblical prophecy. It is only lately (summer of 2017) that I began to question this method of interpretation (hermeneutic). Certainly, I knew Jesus wasn’t a literal lamb, when the text called him the Lamb of God, but for the most part it was through the literal interpretation of the word of God, that I perceived the scriptures, including the prophets.

Nevertheless, I have recently found that it is impossible to seriously and sincerely hold this point of view, if one believes in the inspiration of scripture (i.e. sola scriptura – cf. John 10:35). For example, the Lord, through Malachi, tells Judah that he loved them, but the Jews asked how that was possible, considering how they’ve been judged. Then the Lord said the proof of his love is that he loved Jacob and hated Esau (Malachi 1:2-3). That is, he judge Edom and wouldn’t allow him to rebuild, but he is permitting Judah to rebuild after her captivity in Babylon.

Edom’s judgment is of particular interest when it comes to our eschatological understanding of the New Testament. Notice how Isaiah describes that judgment. He says of Edom:

And all the powers of the heavens shall melt, and the sky shall be rolled up like a scroll; and all the stars shall fall like leaves from a vine, and as leaves fall from a fig tree. My sword has been made drunk in heaven; behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and with judgment upon the people doomed to destruction. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is glutted with fat, with the blood of goats and lambs, and with the fat of goats and rams; for the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in Edom. (Isaiah 34:4-6; emphasis mine)

Notice the language of Isaiah and how similar it is with 2Peter 3:10-12. Certainly, if we take this literally there couldn’t be two days in which the heavens and the earth were destroyed and rolled up like a scroll. Jeremiah 25 told of a sword which would come down on Edom and they would never rise up again. Obadiah prophesied of the Day of the Lord in which Edom would be judged for their cruelty toward their brother Israel in the day of their judgment (Obadiah 1:10-16).

Here’s the point. Malachi tells us that Edom’s judgment by the time of his prophecy was an accomplished fact (Malachi 1:2-3)! Wow! The heavens and the earth were destroyed? The sky rolled up like a scroll? How could that be—literally speaking? But there’s more! In the day of the Lord’s vengeance the rivers of Edom would be burning pitch and the dust of the land would be brimstone forever(Isaiah 34:9-10), yet the land would be inhabited by wild birds (Isaiah 34:11). What kind of wildlife – i.e. birds or beasts – could live in such a land? Therefore, these prophecies cannot be interpreted literally. Literalism simply doesn’t make sense here. So what are we to do?

Notice that Malachi says that the Lord shall come suddenly to his Temple and will purify the sons of Levi, or the priesthood (Malachi 3:1-3), yet he also claimed that incense would be offered everywhere among the gentiles, and the Lord’s name would be great among them (Malachi 1:11). Therefore, Malachi was predicting a change of Temple worship, because under the Mosaic Covenant one could sacrifice and burn incense only in the Temple at Jerusalem and then only by the Levitical priesthood. What does this mean? Remember, the prophets prophesied, but did not know the nature nor the time of their prophecies (1Peter 1:10-12).

Peter interprets Malachi spiritually! Malachi spoke of the Lord purifying Levi, so he could offer pure sacrifices (Malachi 3:3), but Peter spoke of his readers in Asia Minor (1Peter 1:1-2) being a spiritual House, a royal priesthood, who was able to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1Peter 2:5).

What does this mean? Peter tells us that he and the other New Testament writers had a more sure word of prophecy (2Peter 1:16-19). In other words the New Testament writers were able to see what the Old Testament prophets were unable to see about their own writings (cf. Matthew 13:16-17). Therefore, the Apostles and other writers of the New Testament were the official interpreters of the Old Testament prophets, not modern day scholars who contradict the Apostles in an effort to show the literal interpretation of scripture. The Apostles interpreted the Old Testament prophecies spiritually. We have no mandate from God to do otherwise.