NEW INTERPRETATIONS!
DO 2829 12/91
--How to Take'm!--By Maria
Maria #178
(Note: This Letter was written in 1991, shortly after Dad gave the series "It Could Happen This Year." The first 12 paragraphs were published in ML #2744, "Presenting Endtime Prophecy to the Public," pg.98 of this Daily Bread.)
1. I think it would be good for you to review some of the things Dad has written on interpretation of prophecy. Now would be a good time to read and review the "Interpreting Bible Prophecy" compilation (ML #2210, DB8). I don't think we should try to take everything that Dad has said in the past and make it perfectly coincide with what he's just said now. I also don't feel that I need to try to understand why what he said in the past may be different from what he has said now. But I think that's a problem that some of our people have; they sort of feel that Dad has let them down if he changes his mind or if he modifies or corrects something he's said previously.
2. I don't know of any prophet of God who has ever interpreted everything that he's gotten from the Lord exactly 100% correctly. We're all fallible human beings and we're just not perfect. We can't be perfect, no matter how much we hear from the Lord and no matter how well we can receive and give out the Lord's Words, even in direct prophecy! Sometimes we just miss it on our interpretation.--Not necessarily because we made a mistake, but because often the Lord just isn't expecting us to get a perfectly accurate 100% correct interpretation.
3. Sometimes He hides some things from us deliberately. Recently Dad and I were discussing how it seems that the Lord sometimes likes to deliberately throw us off the track and even make us think that time is shorter than it actually is. However, during such times we don't know whether the Lord is trying to do that to us or not; maybe He is and maybe He isn't.
4. Of course, the question comes up, "Why doesn't the Lord tell us these things, directly and definitely?--Why would He want to hide it from us?" Well, maybe the Lord wants to see whether we'll voluntarily choose to get on the ball and whether we'll really get busy of our own volition, because we actually want to, just going by faith that time is short and that we'd better hurry up and do our best for Him. Maybe He prefers that we make our own choice rather than be more or less "forced" into action because we think we have to, because we know definitely that this is all the time we have left, so of course we have to get on the ball, of course we have to do something about it.
5. Maybe He wants to see how many of us are going to really serve Him wholeheartedly and fervently because we love the Lord so much we don't want to risk not doing our best. He sometimes lets His prophets be fallible and not always know everything and not always be able to figure everything out exactly the way it is, and not even be able to always interpret things correctly.
6. He wants people to look to Him and not get their eyes so much on any one person that they can't tolerate that person making a mistake or they can't see that person being fallible. The Lord wants to be the only one who is worshiped or esteemed so highly! If we lose faith because another person is not perfect, we're looking at things completely the wrong way and have the wrong attitude!
Nobody Is Perfect!--Except the Lord!
7. Nobody is perfect but the Lord! Everybody is going to make mistakes. You may say, "How can a prophet of God possibly make mistakes?--After all, he's the mouthpiece of God, and we've got to believe in what he says because he's giving us the Words of God!" That's why the Catholics decided to distinguish between when their leader, the Pope, is speaking under inspiration, as "the oracles of God," or when he is speaking just as a man, to give him a little leeway to make mistakes when he is not under inspiration, so people will be a little more tolerant. It's an acknowledgment that no one is perfect and that even great men of God aren't totally accurate all the time, no matter how anointed they are by Him for their special job.
8. We make it a little more difficult on our prophet by expecting that every single thing that he says is absolutely perfect and has to be completely accurate and there can't be any fallibility in it.
9. No prophet is perfect! No teacher is perfect! Nobody is perfect! No matter what kind of highly enlightened humans they may happen to be, they're still not perfect and they're bound to make some mistakes, even in their teaching, even in their instruction.--Or even in their interpretation of a revelation.
10. And if Dad and I aren't perfect, then of course we're going to make some mistakes. And that means we're not always going to be completely correct in everything we say. And because we say so much, not confining ourselves only to spiritual matters, but also spending a lot of time trying to instruct you in all of life's matters, trying to show you how to base even the most practical things on Godly principles, we risk being wrong more often than other spiritual leaders, who deal mainly with spiritual principles and not so much with earthly practicalities and how those principles can be applied in our everyday lives, in everything we say and do.
11. Our religious service is everything in life! It's not just going to church or moral do's and don'ts. But we, as your leaders, have been commissioned by the Lord to instruct you in "all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27), in all matters of life.--Be they "spiritual" or "practical," be they the principles or the practice. We have to try to deal with everything, from caring for babies, raising and training children, safety on the road, outreach ministries, administration and business, etc.! This is a much more formidable task than merely preaching you an occasional sermon on the high and lofty ideals of prayer and love and faith.
12. Of course, telling you that we're not perfect, that we make mistakes, might cause some people to wonder, "Then how can we know when you're correct and when you're not correct?--Here we take what you say as the very Word of God! But if you tell us that you make mistakes, then we're going to be continually wondering about things because we won't know what is correct and what is incorrect!" If we say one thing one place, and later on we say something different, then our enemies all yell "false prophet," and even a lot of our faithful followers have to resist and fight the doubts that the Devil tries to hit them with: "See, that's a contradiction!--The Letters aren't right after all!"
13. In most cases, the problem isn't really the prophet, the problem is the people and the way they take things, the way they interpret--or misinterpret--them. If you want to worry about seeming contradictions, look at the classic case in the Book of Proverbs. One verse says "Answer a fool according to his folly," and the next verse says, "Answer not a fool according to his folly!" (Pro.26:4,5). The Lord probably allowed that to be put in there to see what people's response would be. Are they going to criticize and yell, "That's a contradiction!" as many do, or are they going to interpret it wisely and judge righteous judgment and see that there are always several different sides to the story, and that in the case of one fool, you would answer him according to his folly, and in the case of another fool you would not answer him according to his folly. It all depends on the situation.
14. The reason people sometimes have a problem with the Letters is usually because of a lack of understanding. Or they don't know how to properly handle it when the Lord clarifies something for the prophet or shows him something new or different from what He's shown him before. They don't know how to take things in the right context, or how to interpret or apply things, to "rightly divide the word of truth" (2Tim.2:15).
15. Or they get too dogmatic about a position or interpretation that Dad has taken in the past. Even though Dad has always tried to differentiate between a revelation received directly from the Lord, and what is his own interpretation, idea, conjecture or theory, or just a possibility--such as "What If"--people just naturally like to have everything down pat. They tend to cling to the old theories that they've been comfortable with, and they resist--and sometimes even resent--changes that might blow their nice little preconceived ideas apart.
16. Dad has also been very faithful to back what he's taught us with lots of scriptures, and has even said, "You don't have to believe what I'm telling you unless it's confirmed by the Bible." Of course, in this present age we deal with a lot of subjects that don't necessarily have specific confirmations in the Bible. Dad has given a lot of important, practical instruction for us today that they didn't even think of or need back in Bible times, so of course there aren't any specific scriptures in the Bible to back them up. For example, you probably won't find too many verses about not staying out too long in the sun or how to take care of your survival needs, repair your automobiles, etc.--All kinds of things like that.
Why People Stumble When Dad Presents
New or Different Teachings!
17. If people are bothered because Dad changes his mind or his interpretation about something, we can't exactly say to them, "Your problem is that you're looking too much to man and not enough to the Lord!" Because of course they look to Dad as the Lord's representative and as the voice of God. And herein is the dilemma. The prophet does speak the Words of God. But not every single word that comes out of his mouth 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is always anointed and inspired by the Lord. No one has ever been 100% inspired in all that they say and do, except Jesus Himself!
18. We've even published Letters in which Dad got discouraged and sank to the depths of despair, lamenting his own frailties or imperfections, shortcomings, etc. Things like that show the humanness of the prophet, and his own spirit and own personality. We publish things like that for the purpose of showing our Family that the prophet is human, he is not perfect, and to encourage others that if he who is the prophet of God can have those kinds of trials and difficulties and still be used of the Lord, then certainly they can rise above their difficulties and adversities and still be useful to the Lord too!
19. Of course, I think it's easier for people to understand Dad having personal trials of discouragement or even making mistakes in his presentation of statistics and names and places, or having lapses of memory about past events, than it is for them to accept changes in his interpretation of Bible prophecy or predictions of the future.
20. People can often tend to feel quite sensitive, disappointed or "let down" if they believe that someone they have trusted and put their confidence in to know all the answers, doesn't know everything after all. I think perhaps it's almost a matter of pride sometimes. They've believed certain things and have taught them to others, and then they find out that maybe some of those things are not so sure or certain any more. It makes them feel humbled or embarrassed.
21. Actually, this has happened very rarely with Dad, that he has changed his mind or his teachings on something. When he has, it's mostly been on matters of the interpretation of Bible prophecy and the future, which of all the topics or subjects he's taught us is probably the most mysterious and the most complicated and hard to fathom! This is evidenced by the fact that there are virtually thousands of completely different interpretations by all the different theologians and denominations of the same passages of scripture in Revelation and Daniel, etc.
22. I think Dad has been very accurate in his teaching and in his predictions, and has generally seen and conveyed the Lord's picture very clearly, and only in some peripheral details has it been a little unclear at times. But even Paul said, "Now we see through a glass darkly" (1Cor.13:12). Not until we get to Heaven are we going to see everything really clearly.
23. But we should be so glad that Dad is willing to step out by faith to give what the Lord shows him, even though he may not always be able to see everything in exactly 100% perfect perspective. His desire to be obedient to the Lord in warning the world and faithfully passing on His messages is far greater than any concern or worry he may have about others who would criticize or ridicule him just because he might not have gotten every detail exactly correct.
24. Other cases in which we have changed our instruction or teaching over the years have been because times have changed, situations have changed, the Family has changed, the world has changed. The Lord never said that our methods had to stay the same! Our basic message of Salvation is unchangeable, yes, but some people have mistakenly thought that we were throwing out the Lord's message when we changed some of our methods. They have confused the methods with the message.
25. For example, a lot of people were stumbled when Dad first presented the FFing message. And then a lot of people were stumbled when Dad stopped our FFing! When Dad encouraged everyone to flee the north and head for southern mission fields, it was not only a great challenge and inspiration to a lot of our folks, but it was a real test and trial for a lot of people as well. And then when Dad started encouraging people to return to their northern home fields, that was a test and trial for quite a few folks too! We've had quite a few methods that have radically changed over the years. Through all of these transitions, those whose eyes were more on the methods than the message frequently stumbled or wondered what was going on!
26. Another source of stumbling has been when Dad has said something that simply went beyond our natural reasoning and carnal logic. For example, a lot of people were very surprised at Dad saying Saddam was a man of God when the whole world--including most of us--were convinced about what a villain he was! Was Dad wrong?--No, of course not! We were the ones who were wrong in not understanding what the Lord meant by this. As Dad explained later, God meant that Saddam was the Lord's man for the hour to accomplish His purpose in the world, and to direct events in the way that the Lord wanted them to go. God can use anyone, even the Devil! All things are God's, even the Devil--and even those who work for the Devil. Therefore, even the Devil could be called an instrument of God, or God's tool for the job for which God created him (Isa.45:7; Amos 3:6; Luk.4:6). God even told Jeremiah that the heathen king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, was "My Servant!" (Jer.27:6-8).
27. But of course, we all jump to conclusions and try to fit everything the prophet says into our mold and the way we see things! And if it doesn't fit our ideas or the way we think things should be, then we begin to get doubtful and question instead of looking at the overwhelming monumental evidence that Dad is preaching the truth and is on the right track. All too easily we allow ourselves to be distracted by some little point for which we can't find a reasonable explanation that satisfies us.
Riding the Wave and Trusting the Lord
About New Interpretations!
28. The way I take Dad's interpretations of Endtime events--interpretations that change from time to time as he tries to see things more clearly--is to ride the wave, roll with the punches and just try to look at things the way Dad is seeing them. I try to see them the way he is seeing them. When the Lord gives him an interpretation or application that may be new or different from what he's taught before, I lay aside what I've heard previously and just start out fresh with what he has now said.
29. When Dad has a different idea or changes his mind about something, I change my mind too, and I accept that new idea. I let go of what he has said before. I don't dwell on what he has said previously, especially if it doesn't seem to fit with what he's saying now. I realize that he's learning as he goes, just the way the rest of us are, and as he has often said, "A wise man is wiser today than he was yesterday!"
30. I also trust the Lord that whatever Dad is saying, even if it may not be 100% accurate in every little detail and exactly the way things are going to turn out, the Lord is having him say what He wants him to say. He's having Dad say whatever he's saying for a purpose. That purpose may not always be to show us precisely the way things are going to be. In some cases it may be to test our faith in God's prophet, or to see if we will interpret him correctly, to see if we'll still have faith that he is God's prophet--even if he isn't always able to give us exact dates and times and places.
31. Maybe the Lord is deliberately hiding some of these things from him to test us, or to keep us guessing so that we will be less comfortable and secure. Like Dad has often said, "The most uncomfortable place for a Christian is a comfortable place," and the minute we get comfortable, or the minute we get secure and feel we are able to definitely predict certain times and events, then we tend to sort of settle down in a rut.
32. I think the Lord is often checking our attitude and testing us to see how we're going to respond to what we hear. His purpose is often more than just to deliver the content of a message to us. Sometimes He's more interested in how we'll take that content, what we'll do with it, how we'll respond to it and God's prophet who has given it. There's not one human prophet of God who has ever lived who has been completely accurate in everything they've said! Does that mean they aren't prophets of God? No, of course not!
33. Dad has often called different men real prophets of God, even though it's pretty obvious that in a few things they had missed the mark and were wrong. If they're right most of the time, and are right in the basic and most fundamental and important matters, then we've considered them to be true prophets of God, even if in a few minor matters they've been proven wrong at some time or other. If they're giving out God's message and they're right in all the basics and fundamentals, all the essential and most important matters, then it doesn't disqualify them as prophets of God just because they make a few mistakes here and there.
Interpreting by the Spirit,
Not the "Letter" that Killeth!
34. Interpreting things by the letter of the law can get you very confused! But if you interpret things in the Spirit, everything will fall into place and everything will be clear. You've got to balance scripture with scripture and principle with principle and situation with situation.
35. I believe that in the Lord's eyes, this is one of the most important lessons of leadership. You cannot be a mature, responsible leader until you have learned to have a wise balance in your leadership and in your decision-making and in your discerning of situations. The Word says, "A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just balance is His delight" (Pro.11:1).
36. I also believe the Lord allows everything that has been printed in the MO Letters for a certain purpose, and that purpose is not necessarily always for the sake of giving us 100% perfectly accurate information on everything. I think the Lord doesn't want us to get so stuck in a "letter of the law" mode. "The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life!" (2Cor.3:6). He wants us to interpret things according to His Spirit. He wants us to "judge not according to the outward appearance, but to judge righteous judgment" (Jn.7:24). He wants us to balance things justly and wisely. I think He's trying to teach us to live by the spirit of the law and not the letter, to show us that nobody can be perfect by the letter of the law.
37. If we try to hold the prophet to every word he's ever said and insist on trying to make everything completely coincide and all fit together perfectly, it just won't work. It's impossible for fallible human beings--even those who are filled with God's Spirit and speaking His Words--to be right in everything they say! And the more they say in print, the more chance they're going to have of making mistakes and being inaccurate.
38. But the Lord doesn't allow His true prophets to be incorrect or to be inaccurate in any of the fundamental matters. We might make a slip of the tongue where we say one word when we mean another word, or we may get our details a little mixed up. We may get some historical facts wrong because of a poor memory. Or our reasoning may even be faulty, inadequate or incomplete in some minor matters.--Which, if so, the Lord usually helps us to better understand and correct our error later on. Dad even wrote a whole Letter about this very subject. (See ML #1492, "Thank God for the Good!")
39. Dad may have changed his mind and may have gone back and forth about whether the confirming of the Covenant is going to be secret or it is going to be open, but in the very important basic matter of the Endtime and the shortness of time, he has never wavered! And in fact, the only reason he has changed his opinion on some of those details is because the Lord has not seen fit to clearly and definitely reveal these. So don't blame the prophet. If anything, hold the Lord responsible!
40. Aren't you thankful that the prophet has attempted to deal with these matters? Haven't we learned some things through them, even if we don't always have exact dates? Haven't we been thankful that we've had some insight, even if it hasn't been perfect insight?
41. I think the thing that really concerns some people more than anything else is that they worry, "If Dad is wrong on this, then he could be wrong on other things! So how do we know what is right and what is wrong? How can we order our lives by something we're not even sure about?" Well, my answer to that would be, you should have the faith to believe that God's in control, and that He is faithful to lead and guide His prophet. So you can just go by whatever Dad says. Trust it and take it as the Lord's instruction and guidance for you; don't doubt it. It's the best counsel you have, so use it and live by it. And if Dad comes out later with an adapted version or revised version, then you can revise at that point as well.
How Adaptable Are You?
42. That too is a test from the Lord, to see if you're willing to change, to see how adaptable you are.--To see how stuck in your rut you are, to see how much you're depending on your own system and your own viewpoint and opinion that you've established for yourself!--Or to see if you're willing to just go when the Lord says go, or change when He says change. How much are you willing to be ruled by the Lord or by others? Are you so into your personal rut that you think you have everything down so pat and so right that you're unwilling to make any changes?
43. If so, that smacks of self-righteousness, thinking that you know it all! The Lord doesn't want you to have that attitude, He doesn't want you to think you know it all! Maybe that's why He hides things from His prophets sometimes, so you will have some insecurity, so you will have some questions, because the Lord doesn't want us to get too set in our ways and too sure that we know it all and become too "right" about everything. That would make us too proud and self-righteous.
44. He wants us to have some questions, some insecurity, some unsettled feelings of not knowing everything, not knowing the future. That way we can look more to Him and depend more on Him and not on our own strength and our own facts and figures and our own knowledge and our own system of knowledge that we think we have down so beautifully. "Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God!" (Psa.55:19b).
45. Like Paul says, "We see through a glass darkly" (1Cor. 13:12). In other words, His prophets get the basic ideas from the Lord, the general picture, but it's not perfect; it's usually somewhat muddied. It's foggy; it's misty; it's not a clear picture; it's not perfect. We just don't know everything perfectly. We may try to; we strive to, but we often fail. The Lord just didn't make us that way. He didn't create us to be perfect channels. Sometimes I wish He would have, because it seems like it would have been a lot better for Him if He had! But He knows best, and I think He allows our frailties and weaknesses just to test your faith and keep you desperate and dependent on Him alone. PTL!
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family