There is probably no other issue that will prove to be more determinative in your understanding of Bible prophecy than whether you interpret it literally or figuratively. Some within the church today insist upon a literal interpretation of the prophetic Scriptures. They tend to look down their noses at all who disagree with them. They even accuse those of interpreting the prophetic Scriptures allegorically of being heretics who deny the plain truth of God’s Word. 

On the other hand, there are others within the church today who insist upon a figurative interpretation of the prophetic Scriptures. They tend to look down their noses at everyone who disagrees with them. They accuse everyone who favors a literal interpretation of the prophetic Scriptures of being simpleminded simpletons who incessantly misinterpret the Word of God because of their silly simplemindedness. 

If we could rise above the fray, however, and take an honest look at both interpretive camps—the literal and the figurative—we would discover that no one in the literal camp always interprets the prophetic Scriptures literally, nor does anyone in the figurative camp always interpret the prophetic Scriptures figuratively. There are times when common sense dictates to those within the literal camp that something in the prophetic Scriptures must be interpreted figuratively, just as there are times when common sense dictates to those within the figurative camp that something in the prophetic Scriptures must be interpreted literally.

There are obviously things in the Bible that are to be understood literally. Take for example the seventh commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14). There’s nothing figurative about this commandment. It’s plain and simple. The Bible says “don’t” and we shouldn’t; case closed. Yet, there are other things in the Bible that are obviously meant to be understood figuratively. For instance, Jesus once said, “And if your right eye offends you, pluck it out, and cast it from you” (Matthew 5:29). It doesn’t require a high spiritual IQ to figure out that this verse is to be understood figuratively, not literally. Our Lord is obviously not advocating that we literally pluck out our eyes and throw them away.  

Sometimes all it takes to determine if something in the Bible should be interpreted literally or figuratively is a little common sense. We use common sense everyday of our lives to make these kinds of determinations about things we hear or read. We hear about some lady getting horribly upset and “having a cow.” We hear someone speak of a torrential downpour as “raining cats and dogs.” Or a friend tells us that he got a speeding ticket for “flying down the road in his car.” Common sense dictates to us that we interpret all of these metaphors figuratively rather than literally; after all, we know that women don’t have cows, it doesn’t rain cats and dogs and automobiles can’t fly.  

There are occasions, however, when common sense alone will not provide us with all that we need to determine whether we should interpret something in the prophetic Scriptures literally or figuratively. On these occasions, we must be careful not to fall into one of two common errors. The first error is to interpret the Scripture too figuratively; that is, to read too much into it. Many people are guilty of reading things into the Scripture that aren’t there. The second error is to interpret the Scripture too literally; that is, to see only the literal surface of the Scripture and to fail to see its deeper spiritual truths. While many today are always warning us about the dangers of over-spiritualizing the Scripture, I fear that the far greater danger today is to overlook the Scripture’s spiritual meaning because of our current equating of literalism with orthodoxy.

As any good Bible student knows, there are some basic rules of hermeneutics—the proper method or theory by which one should interpret the Bible. To begin with, each passage must be studied within its immediate context. No passage can be properly interpreted or implemented if taken out of its context. It has been said, and rightfully so, as proven by many a modern-day cult, that you can twist the Scriptures into saying anything. For instance, the Bible says in one place that Judas went out and hung himself; then, in another place, the Bible says, “Go do thou likewise.” 

Along with interpreting each passage in its immediate context, one should also give careful consideration to each passage’s historical background and grammatical peculiarities. This calls for special attention to be paid to such things as verb tenses, literary type and figures of speech.

Another important rule of hermeneutics is to always compare Scripture with Scripture. All Scripture should be interpreted in the light of all other Scripture. The Bible will not contradict in one place what it says in another. Any perceived contradictions are in our minds, never on the pages of Holy Writ. The serious student of Scripture should always remember that the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible!

Among the basic rules of hermeneutics is what has been referred to as the Golden Rule of Biblical Interpretation. According to this Golden Rule, when the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense we should seek no other sense. In other words, unless the commentary of other related Scriptures or the immediate context of the passage under consideration indicate otherwise, we should always take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual and literal meaning. 

I personally like this paraphrased version of the Golden Rule of Biblical Interpretation: When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense we should seek no other sense, lest we be led into nonsense. Permit me to illustrate what is meant by “nonsense.” 

Why Fire Engines Are Red. 

Fire engines are red because they have eight wheels and four people ride them. Eight and four is twelve. Twelve is a foot. A foot is a ruler. Queen Elizabeth was a ruler. Queen Elizabeth was the name of a ship that sailed on the sea. Fish swim in the sea. Fish have fins. The Finns fought the Russians. The Russians are red. Fire engines are always rushin’, so fire engines are always red. 

Obviously, the above is nothing more than a bunch of nonsense. It has absolutely nothing to do with why fire engines are red. 

If we’re not careful, we can be guilty of twisting the sacred Scriptures into nonsense with our imaginative interpretations. Whether it’s the espousing of some secret “Bible Code” deciphered by the calculations of computer geeks or some esoteric meaning revealed by a supposed divine epiphany to some self-proclaimed present-day seer, there is no shortage of people today attempting to impose their nonsense on the plain sense of the Scripture. While we, the lone stewards of the Scripture, must guard the sacred text against such debasement at the hands of others, we must also see to it that we are never guilty of handling the Scripture in some willy-nilly fashion.

We simply must not take liberties with the Scriptures by interpreting them too figuratively. We should never read too much into them, make something of them that we shouldn’t or stretch them further than God ever intended for them to go. Though much of the Scripture must be interpreted figuratively in order to be properly understood, we must not employ elastic exegesis so as to make the Scripture pliable enough to encompass every figurative figment of a hyperactive imagination.

As important as it is to steer ourselves clear of interpreting the Scriptures too figuratively, the far greater danger today is that of interpreting the Scriptures too literally. As I’ve already remarked, literalism is commonly equated with orthodoxy in many a contemporary Christian circle. Therefore, many Christians today exclusively interpret the Scriptures literally, for fear of being accused of apostasy over some allegorical understanding of the Bible’s apocalyptic literature. Yet, much of the Bible’s apocalyptic literature is hyperbolic and figurative, making its literal interpretation both inadequate and inaccurate.

To have any chance at interpreting the Bible correctly, especially at interpreting the prophetic Scriptures correctly, I believe that there are three vital truths that every Christian must know. 

1. THE WHOLE BIBLE IS ABOUT JESUS 

To the religious leaders of His day, our Lord once said, “Search the Scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life” (John 5:39-40). According to Jesus, He is the subject of Scripture. He is what the Bible is all about. The Scriptures were written to “testify” of Him. This explains why The Baptist Faith & Message—our Southern Baptist confession of faith—boldly declares: “All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.”

No matter what or where you are reading in the Bible, it is in someway or another telling you something, teaching you something or showing you something about Jesus Christ. For this reason, our ministry’s confession of faith contains the following statement on the Scriptures: “We believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired, inerrant and infallible Word of God. It has Christ for its subject, salvation for its end, and truth, without error for its content. It is therefore the sole authority for faith and practice.”

The prophetic Scriptures are no different from the rest of the Scriptures. They too are all about Jesus. For instance, consider the first words of the first verse of the first chapter of the Bible’s most famous prophetic book: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1). Many people believe that Revelation is a book about the revelation of the future; however, the book plainly states in its opening salvo that it is about the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The purpose of the Book of Revelation is the same as the purpose of all of the other books of the Bible; it is to reveal Jesus Christ to us. In fact, the purpose of the whole Bible—the written Word of God—is to get us to Christ—the Living Word of God. If the Bible can’t do this for us, it really can’t help us, since it’s Jesus alone who can save us.

In Luke 24:44-45, the resurrected Christ attempts to help His disciples over the hurdle of doubt by “opening their understanding” to “the Scriptures.” Christ does this by walking them through the Scripture and showing them everything “in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning [Him].” Like Christ’s disciples, we will never arrest our doubts or truly understand God’s Word until we too are seeing Jesus in “the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms.” In other words, we’ll never understand the Bible until we’re seeing Jesus in every verse on every page.

Of course, all of this translates into the fact that much of the Bible, especially types-of-Christ, with which the pages of Scripture are riddled, must be interpreted both literally and figuratively. It’s really not a matter of either-or, but of both-and. Permit me to demonstrate the recurring demand for dual interpretations in order to rightly divide the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

Was there a literal King of Salem named Melchizedek? Yes; and you may read about him in Genesis 14:18-20. Yet, according to Hebrews 7:1-28, his appearance in Scripture is to be understood figuratively. He was a type-of-Christ, typifying Christ as our eternal High Priest.

Was there a literal Passover lamb sacrificed by the children of Israel in Egypt? Yes; and you may read about it in Exodus 12:1-51. Yet, according to the Apostle Paul, its appearance in Scripture is to be understood figuratively (1 Corinthians 5:7). It was a type-of-Christ, typifying Him as “our passover [who was] sacrificed for us” so that the judgment of God will pass over all who believe in Him—the consummate paschal Lamb.

Was there a literal rock from which Israel received life-saving water in the wilderness? Yes; and you may read about it in Exodus 17:1-7. Yet, according to the Apostle Paul, its appearance in Scripture is to be understood figuratively (1 Corinthians 10:4). It too was a type-of-Christ, typifying Christ as our life-saving spiritual sustenance in the wilderness of this fallen world.

Was there a literal tabernacle in the wilderness and later temple in Jerusalem? Yes; and you may read about them in several places in the Scripture. Yet, the Scripture also teaches in several places that both the tabernacle and the temple are to be understood figuratively. They both serve as types-of Christ, typifying His miraculous and multifaceted ministry.

In all of these examples, there is a literal surface to the Scripture, but beneath the literal surface lies the Scripture’s deeper spiritual meaning. To fail to figuratively mine beneath the Scripture’s literal surface is not only to rob ourselves of the Bible’s most precious gems of truth, but also to greatly impoverish ourselves spiritually. 

2. THE OLD TESTAMENT IS PHYSICAL ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE SPIRITUAL TRUTHS THAT WE ARE TAUGHT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT 

In a remarkable passage of Scripture, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, the Apostle Paul teaches us that Old Testament stories; such as: Israel’s miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, guidance in the wilderness by a cloud, eating of life-sustaining manna from Heaven and drinking of life-saving water from a rock, are all recorded as “examples” for us, “upon whom the ends of the world are come.” In other words, the Old Testament is comprised of physical types and shadows that serve as illustrations of the spiritual truths we are taught in the New Testament. 

It is often said, and rightly so, that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. Herein lies the importance of studying the Old Testament in these New Testament times. Even though we are no longer under the Old Covenant, the study of its types and shadows sheds invaluable light upon the realities and substance of the New Covenant. Indeed, without a proper understanding of the Old Testament no one can possibly understand the New Testament. 

Let’s pinpoint an Old Testament example of a New Testament truth. In His famous Sermon on the Mount, our Lord teaches the following profound truth: “But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). Although there are many Old Testament examples of this New Testament truth, we will limit our consideration to one: King Solomon’s request for wisdom (1 Kings 3:5-15).

After being crowned his father David’s successor, Solomon had a dream in which the Lord appeared unto him. In the dream, God promised to grant Solomon a wish. Solomon could have wished for anything he wanted. He could have wished for long life, for victory over his enemies or for fabulous wealth. Instead, he wished for wisdom. First and foremost, Solomon wanted to please God by wisely governing God’s people. 

As a result of putting God first, Solomon not only received what he wished for, but also what he didn’t wish for—long life, victory over his enemies and fabulous wealth. Here, in this Old Testament story, is a physical picture that unveils for us a profound truth that was taught by our Savior in His most famous New Testament sermon. Undoubtedly, this highlights for us the value of Old Testament study in these New Testament times.

While it is essential for us to learn from the Old Testament, it is a grave error for us to live in it. According to the Apostle Paul, we are not to live in the shadows of the Old Testament; that is, in the Old Testament’s types-of-Christ, but in the substance of the New Testament; that is, in Jesus Christ Himself (Colossians 2:16-17). For instance, why should we still observe the shadow of the Jewish Sabbath, when the substance of it can now be enjoyed daily by every Christian who is at rest in Christ (Hebrews 4:1-11)? 

Just as Paul instructs us to shrug-off the condemnation of others over our failure to observe “sabbath days,” we should also spurn any contemporary eschatology that is vague on New Testament substance and fraught with Old Testament shadows. Too much of today’s interpretation of the prophetic Scriptures is based upon a literal reading of Old Testament types and shadows rather than upon a figurative interpretation of them that points us to what they actually symbolize; namely, present-day spiritual realities. As a result, many contemporary Christians have bought into a spiritual “back to the future,” believing that the ultimate fulfillment of Bible prophecy will be a return to Old Testament types and shadows, such as: the reestablishment of national Israel, a rebuilt Jewish temple, a re-instituted Levitical priesthood, and the restarting of animal sacrifices.

3. THE BOOK OF REVELATION IS A BOOK OF SIGNS AND SYMBOLS 

In the very first verse of the very first chapter of the Book of Revelation, we are told that the Bible’s most famous prophetic book was “signified” by an angel to Christ’s servant John. To signify something means to communicate it in signs and symbols. The Book of Revelation is therefore a book of signs and symbols. 

As a self-proclaimed book of signs and symbols, the Book of Revelation necessitates a figurative rather than literal interpretation. Now, this is not to say that nothing in the book is to be taken literally, but that the book itself can only be properly interpreted figuratively. In this book, candles aren’t necessarily candles, stars aren’t necessarily stars, beasts aren’t necessarily beasts, and cities aren’t necessarily cities. Instead, these things are symbolic of other things. Thus, to properly understand the Book of Revelation, one must first understand what its signs and symbols symbolize.

It is here, specifically, at the insistence that prophetic symbolism must be understood symbolically, that many in the contemporary church cry, “Foul!” According to them, anything other than a literal interpretation of Scripture runs afoul of Christian orthodoxy. They not only propose that a figurative interpretation of the prophetic Scriptures leads to a misrepresentation of the sacred text, but also to a downright denial of scriptural truths.

Out of fear of being branded by today’s literalists as a heretic, many a contemporary Christian has sunk down into the fictional world of Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. Yet, such a literal interpretation of the prophetic Scriptures, especially the Book of Revelation—a book of signs and symbols—invariably leads to a misunderstanding of all portions of divine revelation that necessitate a figurative interpretation. This is particularly true of the prophetic Scriptures and the Bible’s hyperbolic apocalyptic literature. 

Did you know that Jesus Christ did not literally interpret all prophetic Scriptures? In Malachi 4:5, Malachi, the last of the Old Testament prophets, predicted that “Elijah the prophet” would come before “the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” According to Jesus, this prophecy was figuratively, not literally, fulfilled in John the Baptist (Matthew 11:13-14; 17:10-13). Obviously, Elijah did not literally come in the person of John the Baptist, but the Baptist figuratively fulfilled this prophecy by being so much like Elijah, by coming “in the spirit and power of Elijah” and by having a ministry like Elijah’s; that is, a ministry of turning the people back to God in preparation for the promised, coming Messiah (Luke 1:15-17).

Like our Lord, the Apostle Peter also understood the figurative aspect of the Bible’s apocalyptic literature. He boldly proclaimed on the Day of Pentecost that the coming of the Holy Spirit was in fulfillment of the prophecy of the ancient Prophet Joel (Acts 2:14-21; Joel 2:28-32). It is easy to see in the birth of the church and the commencement of the church’s Gospel preaching, the Pentecostal fulfillment of Joel’s predicted outpouring of the Holy Spirit and obtainable salvation for “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord.” What is not so readily apparent, however, is the Pentecostal fulfillment of Joel’s predicted “wonders in heaven” and “signs in the earth.” 

How did Pentecost fulfill Joel’s prediction of “blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: The sun [being] turned into darkness, and the moon into blood”? Since we know from the preaching of Peter that Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled at Pentecost, despite the fact that these elements of it were not literally fulfilled, we are forced to either look for a figurative fulfillment of these elements of the prophecy or to admit a biblical contradiction? Confident that the latter is an impossibility, we turn to the former for an answer to our quandary. 

Pentecost was, among other things, a commemoration of God’s giving of the Law to Israel. It commemorated God’s coming down in the midst of His people in power at Mount Sinai. This historic event in the history of Israel was accompanied by “signs” and “wonders” commensurate with those contained in Joel’s prophecy (Exodus 19:10-25). The sight of it all was so frightening that even Moses was terrified and trembled with fear (Hebrews 12:21). 

Although not accompanied by such literal and terrifying signs and wonders as warnings to one and all of the inaccessibility of a Holy God, Pentecost served as a fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy and the substantive realization of all that Sinai symbolized and Pentecost commemorated. God once again came down in the midst of His people in power. This time, however, it wasn’t on Mount Sinai to give birth to His Old Testament people—Israel—but on Mount Zion (Jerusalem) to give birth to His New Testament people—the church (Hebrews 12:18-24). Instead of coming down in “fire and smoke” to give His Law, which was written on stone tablets, God came down at Pentecost in “cloven tongues like as of fire” to give His Spirit, so that His Law could henceforth be written on the “fleshly tablets of human hearts” (Jeremiah 31:31-33; 2 Corinthians 3:3). 

Unlike the accompanying signs at Sinai, which served as warnings to one and all of the inaccessibility of God, the accompanying signs at Pentecost; such as, every man hearing the Gospel in his own language, served as proof of the accessibility of God to all who place their faith in Jesus Christ. Whereas Sinai served as the giving of the letter of the Law, resulting in the death of 3,000, Pentecost served as the giving of the Spirit of the Law, resulting in the salvation of 3,000 (2 Corinthians 3:6; Exodus 32:28; Acts 2:41). 

In spite of Peter’s plain proclamation of its Pentecostal fulfillment, Joel’s prophecy is still seen as awaiting some further and future fulfillment by today’s literalists, who insist upon literal blood, fire, vapor of smoke, a darkened sun, and a bloody moon. It is this kind of biblical interpretation that gets smoke in our eyes and keeps us from seeing the true spiritual meaning of many a biblical prophecy. By losing ourselves in the search for literal smoke we end up missing the profound spiritual significance of both Joel’s prophecy and the Day of Pentecost.

Like our Lord and the Apostle Peter, James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem, also interpreted some biblical prophecies figuratively. In the first church council, the Council at Jerusalem, James interprets the Prophet Amos’ prediction of the restoration of the Tabernacle of David as being fulfilled by the Gentiles’ acceptance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 15:13-18). According to James, the salvation of the Gentiles was the predicted rebuilding of David’s fallen tent.   

The Tabernacle of David, unlike the temple in Jerusalem, had no separating courts and dividing walls. It was open for all men to approach God. Thus, James interpreted Amos’ prophecy as being figuratively fulfilled by the fact that the Gospel makes it possible for all men, Jews and Gentiles, to once again come to God. The prophecy of Amos was not literally fulfilled by the putting up of a tent to house temple furniture and furnishings, but it was figuratively fulfilled by the Gospel’s “whosoever will may come.” 

When Christ came the first time, the people of God missed out on “the time of their visitation” (Luke 19:44). This was due in no small part to Israel’s insistence upon a literal interpretation of Bible prophecy. The Jews were expecting a military king riding on a charger, so they overlooked a meek King who rode into Jerusalem on a colt. They expected their Messiah to save them from Rome, so they overlooked Him who came to save them from sin. They were looking for an earthly kingdom, so they overlooked Him who came to establish a heavenly kingdom. As a result of a strict literal interpretation of the prophetic Scriptures and a refusal to “spiritualize” anything that the prophets had predicted, Israel, who looked for a Messiah to deliver them from Rome, ended up rejecting their Messiah and being destroyed by Rome.

Even our Lord’s disciples were still questioning Him about an earthly kingdom for Israel just prior to His Ascension (Acts 1:6). Interestingly, He had just instructed them to go to Jerusalem and wait until they received “the promise of the Father,” which He described to them as a soon coming baptism with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4-5). Yet, this stupendous promise of the pouring out of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was like water on a duck’s back to Jewish disciples who were obsessed with an earthly kingdom for Israel. 

Our Lord responded to His disciples question by instructing them to leave such matters in the hands of the Almighty (Acts 1:7). He then attempted to divert their attention from an earthly and exclusive kingdom for Jews to a heavenly and inclusive kingdom for all men. He did so by explaining to them that they were about to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to take His message not just to “Jerusalem and all Judea,” but also to “Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). 

In Mark 9:1, Jesus promised His contemporaries that some of them would “not taste death, till they [saw] the kingdom of God come with power.” When was this promise of our Lord fulfilled? Obviously, it was on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given to empower Christ’s witnesses to advance God’s kingdom by the preaching of a world-wide Gospel. Yet, just prior to this most momentous event, Christ’s disciples were still focused on a coming kingdom for their own people rather than a kingdom coming with God’s power.

According to Jesus, His “kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Furthermore, it has already come, as proven by his miraculous works; such as, casting out devils “with the finger of God” (Luke 11:20). Contrary to the thinking of many, Jesus taught that “the kingdom of God doesn’t come with observation” (Luke 17:20-21). You can’t say here it is or there it is, for “the kingdom of God is within you.” It is found in the hearts of men who have voluntarily submitted themselves to the rule and reign of Christ. 

The Scripture teaches that the kingdom of God has come, is here and is coming. It commenced at Christ’s first coming, coming with the power of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. It continues today in the hearts of believers, who are Christ’s Spirit-empowered witnesses and willing subjects. And it will be consummated at Christ’s Second Coming, when all things shall be summed up in Him who shall reign forever and ever!

As we approach the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, I’m afraid that the people of God today are once again failing to understand the prophetic Scriptures due to our insistence upon a literal interpretation of them all. For instance, consider the following:

1. In today’s church, we’re all hung up on a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, instead of upon the church, which is “the temple of God” and “the new Jerusalem” (Ephesians 2:21-22; Revelation 21:1-27). 
2. In today’s church, we’re all hung up on “Mount Sinai”—the reinstitution of the Levitical priesthood and animal sacrifices—instead of upon “Mount Zion”—“the heavenly Jerusalem” and “city of the living God,” within which all men are priests, having been cleansed from their sin by “the sprinkled blood” of their High Priest and “Mediator” Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:18-24). 
3. In today’s church, we’re all hung up on natural Jews who are outwardly circumcised in the flesh and children of Abraham because of their physical birth, instead of upon supernatural Jews who are inwardly circumcised in the heart, transformed into a new creation in Christ, and children of God because of their spiritual birth (Romans 2:28-29; Galatians 6:12-16). 
4. In today’s church, we’re all hung up on national Israel and its Jewish exclusiveness, instead of upon spiritual Israel and its universal inclusiveness (Romans 2:29-30; 10:12; Galatians 3:36-29; 6:16).
5. In today’s church, we’re all hung up on Old Testament types and shadows, instead of upon New Testament substance and realities. 

It was the Apostle Paul who wrote, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Truly, today’s church needs to get its attention off the visible, physical and temporal, and get its attention on the invisible, spiritual and eternal. If we fail to do so, we’re going to miss out on what’s going on in these last of the last days.

Permit me to conclude with a current and clear example of the danger of interpreting the prophetic Scriptures too literally. There are only three monotheistic faiths—faiths that believe in only one God—in all of the world today. The oldest of the three is Judaism; the next is Christianity; and the youngest of the three is Islam. 

All three of our world’s monotheistic faiths trace themselves back to the same man, Abraham. Judaism traces itself back to Abraham through Isaac, Abraham’s son by his wife Sarah. Islam traces itself back to Abraham through Ishmael, Abraham’s son by his wife’s handmaid Hagar. And Christianity traces itself back to Abraham through the “promised seed of Abraham,” Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16, 26-29).

Judaism is a Jewish religion. It distinguishes between Jews and Gentiles, elevating Jews alone as the chosen people of God. Although Gentiles can become Jewish proselytes, they can never become Jews. Consequently, all Gentile adherents to Judaism are allotted second-class status, since they are merely proselytes to the Jewish faith and not the true progeny of Abraham. 

Islam is an Arab religion, despite the fact that most of today’s Muslims are not Arabs. Islam’s founder, the Prophet Mohammed, taught that Arabs were superior to all other people. According to Mohammed, Arabs should be loved for three reasons. First, because Mohammed himself was an Arab. Second, because the Koran is written in Arabic. And finally, because the only language spoken in paradise is Arabic.

Unlike the other two monotheistic faiths, Christianity is a universal faith. Our God is “no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). “Whosoever will may come” to Christ, and when we come to Christ, there is “no difference” between us in Christ (John 3:16; Revelation 22:17; Romans 10:12; Colossians 3:11). It doesn’t matter if you are an Arab or a Jew. It doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile. It doesn’t matter if you are red or yellow, black or white. All that matters is that you believe in Jesus, and all who believe in Jesus become one in Him. We’re all equal; the ground at the cross is level.

For centuries, Arabs and Jews have been fighting over Middle-Eastern real estate. As natural descendants of Abraham—the Jews through Isaac and the Arabs through Ishmael—both claim rightful ownership of the land God promised to Abraham. The refusal of either side to relinquish their claim to the Promised Land is deeply rooted in their respective religions. Thus, the Middle-East has always been and will continue to be the hotspot of our world and the world’s foremost flashpoint. 

Unlike the Jews and Arabs, who are the physical descendants of Abraham, Christians, who are the only true spiritual descendants of Abraham, should not be hung up on Middle-Eastern real estate. Instead, we should be looking for what Abraham looked for himself. What was it that Abraham, who the New Testament identifies as “the father of all who believe,” both Jews and Gentiles, was really after. According to the famous Faith Chapter of the Bible, it wasn’t Middle-Eastern real estate, but “a better country, that is, and heavenly [one]…whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10, 16).

Abraham wasn’t concerned about a promised plot of dirt in the Middle East, but about what it symbolized and represented, a promised place prepared for him by Christ in the Father’s house (John 14:1-3). Rather than being all enthralled over whether Jews or Gentiles control Middle-Eastern real estate, what we ought to be enthralled over is whether or not Jews and Gentiles are going to Heaven. It’s time that today’s church got its feet off terra firma and it’s head in the clouds—that is to say, it’s time we stopped concentrating on the literal earthly patterns and shadows of heavenly things and started concentrating on what they symbolize; namely, the heavenly things themselves (Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 8:5; 9:23-24; 10:1). Only then will we be able to rightly interpret for our times and implement in our lives the truths of the prophetic Scriptures.