Spiritualizing Scripture

Some say this is spiritualization of the text, making the land to be the person of Christ. Rather, it is the specific intention of scripture. The prophets spoke in pictures. This is the language style that the Hebrew used. This is well known and accepted. Scripture has to be interpreted by its context and by its genre. Genre means the kind of text it is.

If it is Hebrew prophetic text then it used pictures to portray meaning, especially when the meaning is beyond usual human understanding. For the most part the Hebrew could not understand prophetic texts about Messiah unless redemption was expressed in the context of their current experience.

It is the stated intention of scripture that pictures, shadows and types are used to portray the redemption and kingdom of Christ. This is not miss-allegorising. Concerning terms such as Israel the prophets specifically stated that this meant God’s elect (Is 42:1, 45:4, 65:9).

And I will bring forth a Seed out of Jacob and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains; and Mine elect shall inherit it and My servants shall dwell there. (Is 65:9).

Dispensationalists say that they go by the literal interpretation of scripture. Actually they do not. They allegorise many passages. They suppose that Ezekiel 36 by “double fulfilment” speaks of a second return of the Jews to the land before Christ’s return, while it was fulfilled over 400 years before Christ by the return of the captivity from Babylon and the nations of the north.

They allegorize the six days of creation in Genesis 1 to be 6,000 years of human history from creation until now, supposing that Christ will reign in Jerusalem for the 7th day (1,000 years). Genesis does not say this. Allegory is one of the roots of their hermeneutics.

Allegory in itself is not wrong. John Bunyan wrote the classic Pilgrim’s Progress, which is an allegory. Allegory is wrong when it misrepresents the intent of scripture, or invents themes not in the scripture. Good allegory is useful. Scripture often uses allegory, but we must be faithful to the scripture’s intent.