Big Question – Good News Unlimited

Big Question – Good News Unlimited


The Big Question 94: Is There a Secret Code to Understanding the Bible?

February 22, 2022
Radio Version:

Is there a secret code to understanding the Bible?

Well, this is a fascinating question. Yes, there are secrets codes embedded in the Bible, but they’re not the ones you might think. And yes, there is an ultimate code that will totally unlock the meaning of the Bible, and I’m going to tell you what it is. I can tell you, because it’s not so secret!



But first, let me tell you about the secret codes of the Bible. The cultures from which the Bible came, the Hebrew and Jewish cultures were very big on the idea that numbers had symbolic meanings that pointed to spiritual realities. So, every number had a meaning that went well beyond the scientific idea of numbers as we understand them today. Just as a few examples, the number three represented divinity, the number four represented the world, and the number give represented the grace of God, and so on. Similarly, the names of people and places, colours, and different kinds of materials, and so on, all had spiritual meanings.



But, and this is an important but, the Bible is meant to be understood plainly and simply. Throughout most of the Bible, you don’t need to understand any of that symbolism to understand what God is trying to tell you through the Bible. If you do, it will just enhance your understanding, that’s all.



So, it’s not a secret code in the sense that you have to crack it in order to understand the Bible. Not at all! In fact, there are people who get so caught up with the whole business of numbers in the Bible – and it can get pretty complicated by the way – that they miss the whole point of what the Bible is trying to say.



But there is an ultimate “code” if you like, that if you understand it, will unlock the real meaning of the whole Bible.



So here it is: the purpose of the entire Bible is ultimately to point to Jesus and to his saving death and resurrection. If you don’t understand that then as you read the Bible you will end up going down all kinds of winding valleys and gulches, and you’ll lose sight of where you should be heading. You will find yourself obsessed with history, genealogies, dates and prophecies, and you’ll lose sight of the point of all these things. And the point is to lead us to focus on Jesus Christ and him crucified for our sins, and victorious over death.



Jesus told the Jewish people that that’s where they had gone wrong in reading the Bible. They’d focused on so many details that they’d lost sight of the whole point, and he was it! The prophecies ultimately pointed to him. The stories of the Old Testament ultimately pointed to him. All of the history of the Bible was ultimately leading up to him.



“Christ and him crucified” should be like your special super-power glasses that you put on whenever you’re going to read the Word of God. It’s the ultimate secret code for understanding the Bible.



The Big Question 94: Is There a Secret Code to Understanding the Bible?

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