Understanding the Bible Is it true that the Bible is a book that has been explained?
Is it devour because of their pretenses and disguises. They can never devour a prey if they will,
true that it no longer needs to be interpreted by man? Does anybody, today, have the right to
explain the Bible? Let us study these things, one by one. Let us read what was written in
Matthew 10:14-16:
“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house
or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the
land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. Behold, I sent you
forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as
doves.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the one speaking here and he was talking to the 12 Apostles whom
He, Himself, elected. What did our Lord Jesus Christ told His Apostles, whom He
commissioned to preach? He told them as you preach, whosoever shall not receive you, nor
hear your words, when you depart from that house, shake off the dust of your feet. It shall be
more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city,
that rejects you.
If you have noticed, there are several things about these verses that need to be explained for
us to understand God’s admonition fully. But the question is who is going to explain them? We
assure you that we do not have to explain them! For instance, the Bible said that, if nobody
receives the Apostles, they must shake the dust off their feet. Some of those who read it
interpreted it literally. They really shake the dust off their feet. But the point is, what if you
made your visit during the rainy season … when there are no dusts on the road? What if the
road is flooded? What dusts will you shake off then? For us to understand all these, what we
need is the Bible’s own explanation. In Matthew 10:16, Christ said,
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents,
and harmless as doves.”
Let us find out from the Bible. What did our Lord Jesus Christ mean when He said that, He is
sending them “as sheep in the midst of wolves.” Wolves are mountain dogs that eat fellow
beasts. They are carnivores. A wolf is an epitome of fierceness and cruelty. On the other
hand, a sheep can easily be devoured because of its meekness. What now is the significance
of the “sheep” which represents the Apostles, or the Church, being sent “in the midst of
wolves”? And once they are already in the midst of wolves they must be as wise as serpents.
But while they were advised to be wise as serpents, they must also be as harmless as doves!
What does this mean? How must we interpret it? Or, must a preacher, who claims that he has
the authority to explain the Bible, explain it? Is that it? Let us find out from the Bible. What is
the meaning of this particular pronouncement of our Lord Jesus Christ? What did He mean
when He said, “I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves”? Do you know the Biblical
significance of wolves? Let us read Matthew7:15:
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are
ravening wolves.”
What did our Lord Jesus Christ say? The false prophets that come to people, wearing sheep’s
clothing are pastors/preachers whose hearts are filled with pretenses and lies. They pretend
to be like sheep, but in reality, they are ravenous wolves. But of course, they are only able to
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right away show their fierceness and wild nature. Otherwise, the sheep will readily take
caution and run away. In other words, they manage to devour because they pretend to be
meek, like a sheep. Their outer appearance is likened to a sheep, but deep inside, they are
ravening wolves.
Therefore, as far as the Bible is concerned, the “ravening wolves” refer to false teachers.
Beware of them! Some of them even wear coat and tie; others are in Barong Tagalog. They
wear the finest apparels to hide their real identities. Many are deceived by their appearances.
Let us resolve thru the Bible, the meaning of the Apostles being sent like sheep in the midst
of wolves. Thereby, they must be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. What do
these things mean? Let us find out by reading Genesis 3:1-4:
“Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had. And
he said unto the woman; yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden? And
the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But the
fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it,
neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely
die.”
It is in this particular part that we can read about the cunning serpent. It said that the serpent
was more subtile than any other beast in the field, which the Lord God had. And this serpent
spoke with Eve to entice her to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. The serpent had convinced
Eve that even if she eats the fruit, she would not die. Remember, God told Adam and Eve, not
to eat it; if you do, you shall die. But the serpent said, you shall not surely die. Obviously, the
serpent is God’s foe, and the serpent does not really refer to the literal serpent.
Now, let us find out from the Bible the significance of the serpent, who happened to be God’s
enemy. What kind of serpent is it? Let us read 2 Corinthians 11:3:
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your
minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
If you noticed, the serpent mentioned here is the one that corrupts the innocent minds. This
is not an ordinary serpent. Paul said, “I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve
through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
This serpent is capable of corrupting minds, just like how it corrupted the mind of Eve, who, in
turn, infected, Adam’s mind. Now, who could be this serpent that corrupts minds, who also
happens to be God’s foe? Let us read Revelations 12:7-9: The Bible should no longer be
explained by man inasmuch as the Bible already explains itself. This is what was written:
“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the
dragon fought and his angels. And he prevailed not; neither was their place found any more
in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out
with him.”
Who was the serpent that corrupted Eve? It was the serpent that is fighting against God … it
is the subtile serpent, which the Bible called the great dragon and the old dragon. He is the
devil, or Satan. Who is the cunning and crafty serpent? He is Satan! Now, Satan, whom the
Bible described as cunning, or subtile, is not alone, because as the Bible said, he was joined
by the other angels who also rebelled against God. That is why, if you still recall what was
written in Mat. 10:16, it says, “be wise as serpents.” Therefore, there are many serpents. The
first serpent that was described to be subtile, or cunning, is God’s enemy. He is the devil, or
Satan. But why is it that the Bible mentioned of “serpents”? It is because the devil was able
to convince and convert other angels to rebel against God. That is why they grew big in
number. Now, let us read Revelations 16:14:
“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the
earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”
It speaks of the spirits of the devils. Please, take note, it says “devils.” This means that, there
are more than one devil. In fact, in Luke 8:1-2, it says,
“And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching
and showing the glad tidings: of the kingdom of God; and the 12 were with him. And certain
women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of
whom went 7 devils.”
If you noticed, when Mary Magdalene was healed, seven spirits of the devil were expelled
from her being. That only shows that there are many devils … there are many serpents. Our
Lord Jesus Christ told the Apostles to be wise as serpents, or the devils. However, in what way
is the devil wise? It is cunning and sly. Whenever he speaks, he sounds plausible. If you do
not really know the word of God, you might be enticed by his words … you might even think
that his words really came from God.
Most of our preachers today are like the devil. Why? They speak slyly. Whenever they use the
Bible, they employ deception. If a preacher that is of God will not exercise wisdom and
discernment, there is a risk that he, too, might be deceived. And there is also a great
possibility that, other people might be misled by these wicked preachers, who also use the
Gospel. Only, they explain it with deception. Let us go back to Genesis 3:4-5:
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the
day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good
and evil.”
If we are not going to examine these verses very well, it would appear that, what the serpent
said was right. Those who discredit the Bible say that, the serpent’s words were right because
Adam and Eve did not really die after eating the fruit. In fact, they even begot children. On
the surface, it seemed to be right. That is how plausible a speaker the devil is. Now, in the
midst of devils … in the midst of preachers being led by the devil, the advice that our Lord
Jesus Christ gave is, to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove.
If we are going to analyze the verses further, we will see the flaws in the serpent’s
pronouncement to Eve.
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This is just like what a particular preacher is doing. He claims that he is a God-sent
messenger. And if you do not know how to analyze, you will definitely be cheated by this
man. For example, Revelations 7:2 says, “And I saw another angel ascending from the east,
having the seal of the living God …” After reading this verse, they will ask, “Who is this
angel?” And they will answer, “This angel is our brother, the angel that ascended from the
east.”
And in order to explain the meaning of “the east”, this self-proclaimed preacher will refer to a
book on World History. They will read the part that tells that, the Philippines is in the east.
And afterwards, they will conclude that the God-sent messenger will hail from the Philippines.
And for this reason, they will now claim that, the founder of their church is the angel that
ascended from the east. But, do you know that there were actually two claimants to this
angel? One is from Korea, and the other one is from the Philippines.
Now, let us find out if these preachers are the fulfillment of the words in Rev. 7:2. If they are
not, who could they be? How are we going to identify if a preacher is really God-sent? This is
what you must await for in our next broadcast.
The Earth is Round For centuries, men believed that the earth was flat. The Bible asserts
otherwise. People in the 15th century feared sailing because they thought they would fall at
the edge of the flat earth. Yet the Bible revealed the truth more than 1,000 years before man
discovered it for himself.
It took a long time for science to discover what was recorded in the Bible more than 2,500
years ago. Copernicus invented the first globe in 1475 to demonstrate that the earth is a
sphere. Galileo constructed the first astronomical telescope to study the sky. Columbus
believed the earth was sphere with his voyage to North America in 1492. Finally, Magellan
and his men sailed around the earth and proved it to be spherical in shape. These major
events did not occur until the 15th century.
The fact of a spherical earth was clearly proclaimed in the Bible by the prophet Isaiah nearly
twenty-eight centuries ago. In chapter 40 verse 22 of the book of Isaiah we read:
“It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as
grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent
to dwell in.” (KJV)
When Isaiah wrote this verse, he used the Hebrew word “khug” to describe the shape of the
earth. Although this word is commonly translated into the English word “circle,” the literal
meaning of this word is “a sphere.” It is also used in Proverbs 8:27:
“When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the
depth: (KJV)
The word “khug” here is translated “compass”, referring to the surface of the ocean taking on
a spherical shape. The earth is also said to be spherical as other verses like Job 26:10, and
Amos 9:6 states:
(Job 26:10, KJV) “He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to
an end.”
(Amos 9:6, KJV)
“It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he
that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The
LORD is his name.”
Moreover, the Bible was shown to be scientifically accurate in the observation made by the
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
Chief of a Planetarium Unit (Manila) Mr. Elmer Escosia pointed out the observation of a lunar
eclipse proves that the earth is round. During a lunar eclipse, he said, you will find the one
covering the moon is a round object and that round object is the earth. According to him, the
earth’s shadow always takes a circular bite out of the moon during a lunar eclipse, which
would only be possible with a spherical earth. This scientific principle is just one of the
evidences that demonstrate the Bible’s historical accuracy – a discovery that proves how
authentic the Bible is. (Source: How Authentic the Bible Is? | ADD Productions | 2004)
The Megiddo Seal There have been numerous seals excavated in Palestine, many having
been the seals of ministers and high officials. Some contain personal names of people
mentioned in the Bible including kings of Israel and Judah. No seal has been discovered as of
yet, which actually belonged to a king of Israel or Judah.
Seal of Megiddo
This seal was discovered in 1904 during the earliest excavation of Megiddo, led by Gottlieb
Schumacher. This was a seal belonging to a royal minister in the 8th century BC. It is
engraved with the figure of a roaring lion (symbol of the kingdom of Judah) with a beautiful
curved tail and was skillfully executed. The inscription reads "Shema" on top, and "Servant of
Jeroboam" on the bottom.
"Shema servant of Yarob'oam"
The inscription actually proclaims the name and rank of its owner, one of the ministers of
King Jeroboam II who reigned from 787-747 BC. The word "servant" is the Hebrew word
"ebed" and is mentioned in the Bible as one of high dignity in the government. Many seals
have been discovered with similar inscriptions like "the servant of the king."
King Jeroboam
2 Kings 14:23-25 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam
the son of Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years. And he
did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of
Nebat, who had made Israel sin. Jeroboam means, "may the people grow numerous." He was
Jeroboam II, the son of Joash, king of Israel. The Lord had pity on Israel in the north, according
to the prophet Jonah, and allowed Assyria to weaken Damascus and Hamath to relieve Israel
of the Syrian yoke. Jeroboam II came in and conquered the territory (II Ki 14). This made the
Northern Kingdom powerful and wealthy, although the prophet Amos protested against their
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boasting. It is interesting that he chose the name Jeroboam, since Jeroboam I was the first
King of the Northern Kingdom in the early 10th century BC, who Solomon sought to kill, he
fled to Egypt and gained refuge by King Shishak until Solomon died. Jerobaom I was at
constant war with the House of David in the south and he is mentioned as the one who had
led Israel into idolatry. According to the Bible every king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
was evil.
Archaeological Excavations
Excavations at Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, have the enormous wealth that
existed in Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II in the eighth century B.C. Excavations reveal
that Jeroboam II refortified the city with a double wall, thirty-three feet in width, which made
their fortifications so substantial that the mighty Assyrian army took three years to capture
the city (2 Kings 17:5). There was a beautiful palace of limestone with a strong rectangular
tower massive outer court, the archaeologist, professor Yadin, has said of the buildings
uncovered at Hazor and attributed to Jeroboam that they are "among the finest of the entire
Israelite period." This jasper seal discovered at Megiddo no doubt demonstrates the
prosperity of Israel during this time.
The Biblical Comparison
It is very interesting that the Jasper Seal of Megiddo would contain the symbol for the
Southern Kingdom of Judah. But in examining all of the circumstances involved and seeing
what the Bible says it is no wonder that the prosperous and victorious Northern Kingdom of
Israel would boast with a symbol of their rival. Lets go back just a few verses and see what
happened just before Jeroboam II became king: 2 Kings 14:12-14 And Judah was defeated by
Israel, and every man fled to his tent. Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of
Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh; and he went to Jerusalem,
and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate--four
hundred cubits. And he took all the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the
house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to
Samaria.
Israel in the north had conquered Judah in the south and carried away the contents of the
Jerusalem temple to Samaria, along with titles to large tracts of Judaean land. This would no
doubt have made Jeroboam feel that he was entitled to exercise his power over the southern
kingdom and use Judah's symbol as a symbol of his own.
This is another amazing verification of history and the Bible, where archaeology not only
confirms the accuracy of God's Word, but also answers some of the difficult questions in
Scripture.
Other Discoveries Referencing the Kings of Israel and Judah
There have been more discoveries mentioning the kings of Israel and Judah including:
• A seal with the inscription "Abijah the servant of Uzziah," which is almost identical to the
way it is mentioned in the Bible.
• A clay seal on which is written "Ahaz (son of) Jotham King of Judah" If physicians only followed the above instructions early in history many lives would have been
saved. It was not until 1847, when Dr. Semmelweis wrote a book about hand-washing and
changing clothes after doing autopsies and surgeries before going to the next patient. When
• Another reference is an inscription on a building of the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III
his rules were followed mortality dropped by 80 percent.
stating that "Jehoahaz (Ahaz) of Judah" paid tribute to the Assyrian king."
Many centuries before Semmelweis, however, God gave to Moses detailed instructions on the
• The burial inscription of king Uzziah has been found with instructions not to open the tomb, safest method for cleansing the hands after handling the infected living. Proper modern
not bad advice considering that Uzziah was a leper. method for washing hands is "The hands should be vigorously lathered and rubbed together
for at least 15 seconds under a moderate-sized stream of water..
• Ration lists have been recovered from Babylon which have the names of Johiachin and his
The scriptural method specified not merely washing in a basin, but repeated washing in
sons who had received rations from the Royal Court.
running water with time intervals allowed for drying and exposure to sun to kill bacteria not
washed off. The soap used is even more remarkable. It was made by burning together in a
• It is also interesting to note that the seal of Gedaliah, who was not a king but an appointed fire the following: a young cow, cedar wood, hyssop branches, and scarlet wool. The washing
governor has also been found. solution contained an irritant, cedar-wood oil, that would encourage scrubbing; an antiseptic,
hyssop oil, that would kill bacteria and fungi; and a scrubbing element, wool fibers, that
would dislodge the bacteria. Even today, hospitals often use a similar granular soap because
(Excerpted from www.bible-history.com)
it is difficult to remove granular soap from the hands in less than 15 seconds.
Sanitation and the Bible Here are some rules of Sanitation found in the Bible:
Historical Accuracy of the book of Luke At one time, scholars did not view Luke's
historical accounts in his Gospel and Acts as accurate. There appeared to be no evidence for
"All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall
several cities, persons, and locations that he named in his works. However, archaeological
dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be." (Leviticus 13:46, KJV)
advances have revealed that Luke was a very accurate historian and the two books he has
authored remain accurate documents of history.
Early in the Middle Ages, the dreaded disease leprosy had killed countless millions of people;
and later the Black Death took another sixty million. Not until the physicians of the day gave
One of the greatest archaeologists is the late Sir William Ramsay. He studied under the
up leadership to religion was the plague brought under control. The church took as its guiding
famous liberal German historical schools in the mid-nineteenth century. Known for its
principle the concept of contagion as embodied in the Old Testament, Leviticus.
scholarship, this school taught that the New Testament was not a historical document. With
this premise, Ramsay investigated biblical claims as he searched through Asia Minor. What he
"You shall set off a place outside the camp and, when you go out; and you shall have an
discovered caused him to reverse his initial view. He wrote:
implement among your equipment, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and
turn and cover your refuse." (Deuteronomy 23:12,13, KJV)
“I began with a mind unfavorable to it [Acts], for the ingenuity and apparent completeness of
the Tubingen theory had at one time quite convinced me. It did not then in my line of life to
Up to the close of the eighteenth century, hygienic provisions, even in the great capitals,
investigate the subject minutely; but more recently I found myself often brought into contact
were quite primitive. It was the rule for excrement to be dumped into the streets that were
with the Book of Acts as an authority for the topography, antiquities, and society of Asia
unpaved and filthy. Powerful stenches gripped villages and cities. It was a heyday for flies as
Minor. It was gradually borne in upon me that in various details the narrative showed
they bred in the filth and spread intestinal diseases that killed millions. Diseases such as
marvelous truth.”
cholera, dysentery, and typhoid fever could have easily been controlled by following God's
provision in Deuteronomy. A medical historian writes that this directive is "certainly a
Luke's accuracy is demonstrated by the fact that he names key historical figures in the
primitive measure, but an effective one, which indicates advanced ideas of sanitation."
correct time sequence as well as correct titles to government officials in various areas:
Thessalonica, politarchs; Ephesus, temple wardens; Cyprus, procouncil; and Malta, the first
"He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. ... Whoever touches
man of the island.
the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the
Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of
In Luke's announcement of Jesus' public ministry (Luke 3:1), he mentions, "Lysanius tetrarch
purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him. ... The clean person
of Abilene." Scholars questioned Luke's credibility since the only Lysanius known for centuries
shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day he shall purify himself,
was a ruler of Chalcis who ruled from 40–36 B.C. However an inscription dating to be in the
wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean...” (Numbers 19:11-
time of Tiberius, who ruled from 14–37 A.D., was found recording a temple dedication which
22)
names Lysanius as the "tetrarch of Abila" near Damascus. This matches well with Luke's
account.

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In Acts 18:12-17, Paul was brought before Gallio, the proconsul of Achaea. Once again
archaeology confirms this account. At Delphi an inscription of a letter from Emperor Claudius
was discovered. In it he states, "Lucius Junios Gallio, my friend, and the proconsul of Achaia . .
." Historians date the inscription to 52 A.D, which corresponds to the time of the apostle's
stay in 51.

In Acts 19:22 and Romans 16:23, Erastus, a coworker of Paul, is named the Corinthian city
treasurer. Archaeologists excavating a Corinthian theatre in 1928 discovered an inscription. It
reads, "Erastus in return for his aedilship laid the pavement at his own expense." The
pavement was laid in 50 A.D. The designation of treasurer describes the work of a Corinthian
aedile.

In Acts 28:7, Luke gives Plubius, the chief man on the island of Malta, the title, "first man of
the island." Scholars questioned this strange title and deemed it unhistorical. Inscriptions
have recently been discovered on the island that indeed gives Plubius the title of "first man."

"In all, Luke names thirty-two countries, fifty-four cities, and nine islands without error." A. N.
Sherwin-White states, "For Acts the confirmation of historicity is overwhelming. . . . Any
attempt to reject its basic historicity must now appear absurd. Roman historians have long
taken it for granted." (Source: www.leaderu.com)