BIBLE: Perfect But Not Complete, Why?

The Bible is Under Scrutiny

But how could the Bible be so called incomplete when it is esteemed perfect and holy by millions? This could certainly be a new end-time understanding!

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right” (2 Timothy 3:16, NLT).

Most Controversial Book

Despite the verse above, the Bible is persistently the most controversial book especially to modern minds today.

History accounts unmask several writings in the Bible being the results of deliberate alterations to fit personal and corporate “choices” without mention of contemporary translators continually rewriting them based on their own personal orientations in their honest efforts to clarify what the book truly imparts amidst religious confusions among modern minds in a modern culture and philosophy, to say the least, even in Christendom.

The Work of God is His Work

In view thereof, where is truth? How do we deal with this? 

Look, the Work of God is God’s Work. Even with the greatest of human ingenuities, they have no power to derail. The Bible is a book that points to spiritual things in which bare human minds have no power to fathom. Hence, we can never be with God, as He actually planned to attain though finally mentioned fulfilled in Revelation 21:3, unless we worship Him in Spirit. 

Worship in Spirit

Do we worship God in spirit? How? It’s in the way we think by rational means and philosophical approach which type of worship can be done anywhere, anytime and in any circumstances, and not by those practices, vain as they are, using material things without them the attachment to God is not felt.

For instance, the designation of place of prayers and worship, the need of utensils, the rigid corporate rules that have to be followed first before approaching “altars,” the dressings, haircuts, tithes and offerings, etc., all these without them, the feel of God cannot be achieved.

“Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that” (Mark 7:13, NIV).

“. . . I want no more of your pious meetings. I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them! When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen . . .” (Isaiah 1:13-15, NLT).

God wants us to understanding truths about Him in the right way using end time approach. Read this >>>. By mere thinking on God, we already connects to God spiritually. But to feel relationship with Him, we need to know and understand Him. but do we really know God. 

In olden times, people used to offer physical things, like burnt offerings, as a way of attracting God. Sadly, though in improved forms, many Christian religions today still practice physical worship in which God has to say in one of their traditions:

“When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony? (Isaiah 1:12, NLT).

The burnt offerings by Israelites was supposed to be temporary only, not the real aspiration God has with man which sadly at the end He came to hate when they abuse it. God has to be frank, saying: . 

“What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the LORD.“I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats” (Isaiah 1:11, NLT).

They were expected to become basically developed about basic behaviors to curb sins that hurt them especially the young and the powerless among them:

“Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows” (Isaiah 1:16-17, NLT).

The time is coming

God said “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way” (John 4:23, NLT).

His intervening “—indeed it’s here now—” statement, He explains that the practice He desired to worship Him in spirit has become to sprout to grow gradually toward fullness, like the proverbial Mustard Seed (Mark 4, 30-32) which starts small, growing a big tree over a span of times. Hence, this little heard spiritual approach by the woman have their general fullness by the whole generations come the end of times. Spiritual worship matters to God.

Minds in the End Times

Interestingly, why is God primarily focused on end-times? The Bible is replete in this account.

Spiritual understanding is not solely guided by antiquated accounts of the historical Bible. Sadly, many religious leaders in Christianity are stuck in this book, saying there’s no other.

While understanding spiritual things of God beginning from the Bible, it must culminate with “advance understanding”  n the last days.

The Bible mainly imparts hints of introductory basics and raw truths where the need for “advance understanding” is still needed to get deeper to God.

This include, but not limited to, facts about the following:

• Kingdom of God
• Virgin Mary
• Church
• Hell and Heaven

The Bible lacks sufficient explanation about these matters.

Major understanding was not available in biblical times onward until man reached ripe Age, and it is today.

The Bible and in the way we look at physical things both play together to get deeper to God.

Surprisingly, the physical things are better understood in the last days to effectively guide deep understanding on spiritual things.

It Needs Empowering Spirit

Don’t get this wrong.  While we are capacitated to understand, it is only in form. We  still need empowering spirit of God, the substance of understanding.

If the mind is empowered spiritually by God, it can absorb invisible realities by looking at visible things, by way of analogy:

“because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them. For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity” … (Romans 1:19-20, WEB).

At this juncture, another fact emerged, that physical things that we touch can impart spiritual truths through the power of discernment God gives which He gives in massive degree in the end times.

The Bible is perfect in its time but not until it is complemented and completed by new end-time understanding in times when massive developments are attained by Mankind.

“But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase” (Daniel 12:4, NLT).

Knowing God’s matters requires “advanced understanding” that comes only by the time the spiritual God pours His empowering Spirit to foolish humans to be able to see since he makes

“. . . the blind will see . . .” (John 9:39, NIV).

The Bible is One of the Sources

In view of the above realities, the Bible will now come generally as just “one of the sources” notwithstanding parts which intruders altered.

How? By the power of wisdom as promised coming in this end time of the Ages through God’s Spirit. The power of wisdom can see truths even from murky biblical literary due to altered verses.

Controversial and conflicting verses which this book is replete of can likewise be fine tuned to what God implies all along imply. We can understand God even out from complicated issues like the Bible as He can turn or generate good out from distorted matters.

When is the Exact Time of End-Times?

The hope is in the God-promised Holy Spirit poured upon us in this end-times of the Ages, enabling minds to understand the rather impossible to comprehend . . . the spiritual things and matters of God.

Peter, with the eleven other apostles exclaimed to people:

 “. . . Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this.  These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:

 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.

In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy.

And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below—blood and fire and clouds of smoke.

The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the LORD arrives.

But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.’^c” (Acts 2:14-21, NLT)

Note: ^c2:17-21 Joel 2:28-32).

When is the exact time of the Last Days?

Peter was referring to their days as last days, but it’s the beginning of last days. Peter was moved by this Man, Jesus Who came showing wonderful works no human can ever accomplish. He concluded these as miracles, wonders and signs that made him conclude his days was last days.

“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene^d by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know” (Acts 2:22, NLT).

Note: 2:22 Or Jesus of Nazareth).

Peter was half correct. The Last Days God is a long period of time beginning at Christ’s first coming culminating in a major impact in the last days in the Ages when people increase in systematic capabilities in communication and transportation. 

“But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase” (Daniel 12:4, NLT).

This could be one factor God waited for in which man becomes capable of spreading the gospel quickly worldwide, efficiently and effectively.

Worship God in Spirit in End-Times

Notice, “worship him that way!” In what way? By spiritual way!

The end-times are times that people worship God in spirit.  The world is changing. The people are informed. This is the time God has been waiting for coming.

“But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way” (John 4:23, NLT).

This is the failure of many human world religions today, so much that they added up corporate rules and traditions they just conveniently promulgate by their human standard of whims and caprices including material objects they attributed or dedicated to God He never wish so to be the way.

Traditions that Nullified Gods Matters

In one of the accounts from the Bible, the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked Christ, saying,

“Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.”

Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,

‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’^d

For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”

Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition.  For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’^e and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’^f  But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’^g  In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents.  And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”

Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.^h”(Mark 7:5-15, NLT).

d7:7 Isa 29:13 (Greek version).
e7:10a Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16.
f7:10b Exod 21:17 (Greek version); Lev 20:9 (Greek version).
g7:11 Greek ‘What I would have given to you is Corban’ (that is, a gift).

h7:15 Some manuscripts add verse 16, Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. Compare 4:9, 23.

The age-old tradition claimed by Pharisees and teachers of religious law supposed to be observed by the disciples of Christ was actually wrong.  And this was what Christ said nullified the matters of God (Mathew 7:13, NIV).

To be continued . . .

Photo Credits, Free Images:

• Ben White on Unsplash Man and Bible
• John-Mark Smith on Unsplash Bible Book