Over spiritualizing the Bible

[B-A-C]

There are literally hundreds of prophecies in the Bible. Over 350 about Jesus alone in the old testament.
If we boil these down and get rid of some that are duplicates, that still leaves over a hundred or so.

I notice virtually all these prophecies were literal prophecies.
For example Jesus would be born of a virgin, it wasn't a spiritual virgin, it was a literal virgin woman.
When Zechariah says the King will to Jerusalem on a donkey. The True King rode thru Jerusalem literally on a real donkey, it wasn't some spiritual abstract of a donkey.
When Jesus said He would be like Jonah, in the tomb for 3 days, it was literally three days.
When the Bible says Jonah was in the belly of the fish for 3 days. It really was a fish, it really was literally 3 days.
Adam and Eve really existed, they were real people, not some abstract of society at that time.
When it says Jesus would be betrayed by a kiss, He literally was.
When the Old testament says Jesus would be falsely accused, He was.
When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream about famine for 7 years, the famine was literally for seven years.

Now course there are some metaphors and parables in the Bible. But even the parables never disagree with the physical reality of objects used in parables.
In parables trees bear fruit. In real life, trees bear fruit. In parable fish are caught in nets, seeds are planted, weeds grow in gardens, etc...
In real life fish are caught in nets, seeds are planted, trees bear fruit. Nothing is ever told in a parable as an example that can't happen in the real world.

The point here is... the vast majority of prophecies that have already come to pass in the Bible, were literal. Right down to the length of time, how long they would last,
and who would be affected. Israel would become a nation again.. it happened.
The temple would be torn down, it happened.

What are the odds of all these prophecies coming true? If we just take a few. Where Jesus would be born, not just the country, but even the city. His mother being a virgin.
Betrayed by a kiss. In the ground for 3 days. Falsely accused. Buried with a rich man.... all these were written hundreds of years before Jesus was even born as a human.
What are the odds of all these coming true. One in trillions. ...and yet they did come true. Literally every one of them.

So then, why do many Christians try to spiritualize everything in the New Testament, why is everything an abstract to them?
Why do they think the prophecies of the New Testament are somehow dufferent? Why do they spiritualize them into spirtitual only artifacts?

 

[StewardoftheMystery]

A person has to be able to rightly divide between the natural things and the spiritual things, and that only done by one having the Holy Spirit. Because the natural man only knows what he knows naturally.

But whether prophecy is fulfilled naturally or spiritually, it is still fulfilled. It’s not about how man sees prophecy being fulfilled, but about how God sees it as being fulfilled.

A good example of this was the prophecy of the coming of Elijah to make way for the coming of the Lord.

If Jesus had not said that John was Elijah that was prophesied to come, then people would still be looking for Elijah to fulfill that prophecy.

John came in the spirit of Elijah as the angel said. So not all prophecy is fulfilled in a natural way. The law was a shadow of spiritual things to come, but many are unable to hear what the law is saying and showing in those natural ordinances.

People now know that the Passover lamb in the law was to symbolize Jesus the Lamb of God, only because this was revealed to the apostles by the Holy Spirit.

I could list many other examples, but I believe you get my point.

 

[lentz]

There are literally hundreds of prophecies in the Bible. Over 350 about Jesus alone in the old testament.
If we boil these down and get rid of some that are duplicates, that still leaves over a hundred or so.

I notice virtually all these prophecies were literal prophecies.
For example Jesus would be born of a virgin, it wasn't a spiritual virgin, it was a literal virgin woman.
When Zechariah says the King will to Jerusalem on a donkey. The True King rode thru Jerusalem literally on a real donkey, it wasn't some spiritual abstract of a donkey.
When Jesus said He would be like Jonah, in the tomb for 3 days, it was literally three days.
When the Bible says Jonah was in the belly of the fish for 3 days. It really was a fish, it really was literally 3 days.
Adam and Eve really existed, they were real people, not some abstract of society at that time.
When it says Jesus would be betrayed by a kiss, He literally was.
When the Old testament says Jesus would be falsely accused, He was.
When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream about famine for 7 years, the famine was literally for seven years.

Now course there are some metaphors and parables in the Bible. But even the parables never disagree with the physical reality of objects used in parables.
In parables trees bear fruit. In real life, trees bear fruit. In parable fish are caught in nets, seeds are planted, weeds grow in gardens, etc...
In real life fish are caught in nets, seeds are planted, trees bear fruit. Nothing is ever told in a parable as an example that can't happen in the real world.

The point here is... the vast majority of prophecies that have already come to pass in the Bible, were literal. Right down to the length of time, how long they would last,
and who would be affected. Israel would become a nation again.. it happened.
The temple would be torn down, it happened.

What are the odds of all these prophecies coming true? If we just take a few. Where Jesus would be born, not just the country, but even the city. His mother being a virgin.
Betrayed by a kiss. In the ground for 3 days. Falsely accused. Buried with a rich man.... all these were written hundreds of years before Jesus was even born as a human.
What are the odds of all these coming true. One in trillions. ...and yet they did come true. Literally every one of them.

So then, why do many Christians try to spiritualize everything in the New Testament, why is everything an abstract to them?
Why do they think the prophecies of the New Testament are somehow dufferent? Why do they spiritualize them into spirtitual only artifacts?

I agree that people try and spiritualize everything in scripture.
If we just let God say what he wants to say and believe it.
Like the church replacing Israel.
Scripture teaches just the opposite if you just read what it says.

 

[Waggles]

So then, why do many Christians try to spiritualize everything in the New Testament, why is everything an abstract to them?
Why do they think the prophecies of the New Testament are somehow different? Why do they spiritualize them into spiritual only artifacts?

I am not familiar with this claim.
Could you provide examples of this please?

 

[B-A-C]

I am not familiar with this claim.
Could you provide examples of this please?

A few examples:
Jesus with return in the flesh, only in Spirit, ( some teach, in fact He has already done so, and this is all the second coming really is )
The millennial kingdom will be spiritual only. It may be on the Earth, but no one will physically be able to see it. ( In fact some believe we are already in it )
The New Jerusalem will be Spiritual only, it may come down out of heaven, but no one who is alive will be able to see it. ( In fact some believe it has already happened )
The won't really be a physical new heavens and new Earth, they will be spiritual only. ( Some teach the old Earth and old heavens will remain )
The tribulation will be spiritual in nature only, people won't really face any physical threats.

Adam and Even weren't really real people, they are just an abstract representation of society at that time.
There wasn't really a flood that physically covered the whole Earth, God contained the flood "in a box" so that only the part of the Earth Noah could see was flooded.
Creation wasn't done in six literal days, but six days means billions of years for some reason. This is simply adding things to the Bible that aren't there.

A few partial ones....
The division of Gentiles and the biological Jews. Almost always Jews in the old testament are biological Jews ( this is true ).
Most of the time in the new testament, when it is talking about biological Jews, but there are some passages where it is talking about "spiritual Jews". ( Gentiles who are Jews )
However not every single passage in the New Testament that mentions Jews, is talking about Gentiles. In fact the majority are not.

In some cases this goes on to Spiritual gifts.
We can pray for people to be spirtually healed ( salvation ) or emotionally healed, or psychologically healed, but God doesn't do physical divine miraculous healing anymore.
( I'm not denying God heals in these ways also )

Jer 29:8; "For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream.
Jer 29:9; 'For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,' declares the LORD.
Jer 29:10; "For thus says the LORD, 'When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.

This passage says 70 years. Not seventy generations, not 70 decades, not seventy centuries. It says what it means, and it means what it says.

There are dozens more. But these are a few examples.

 

[Jonathan_Gale]

So then, why do many Christians try to spiritualize everything in the New Testament, why is everything an abstract to them?
Why do they think the prophecies of the New Testament are somehow dufferent? Why do they spiritualize them into spirtitual only artifacts?

The answer？One word: Gnosticism. Material things bad, spiritual things good. “Secular” practice bad, “sacred” practice good. People come to church to escape from reality, instead of being empowered by the Holy Spirit to face reality, so what is supposed to be a relationship between Christ and his church is degraded to a religion, known as “moralistic therapeutic deism.” That’s why Christianity in the west is doomed - powerless.

 

[Waggles]

That’s why Christianity in the west is doomed - powerless

Thank God for Pentecostal elect where the power of God is still manifest.