Many chiasmic movements like the JW’s, quote 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired of God,” to promote the concept that everything written in our modern Bible is God’s direct thoughts, that the Bible contains secret messages that only by revelation by a superior being, can anyone know without divine revelation.
One cited expression is the Bible’s phrase “circle of the earth.” According to WT, this really means “sphere,” not simply “circle!” (They have some ridiculous explanation on the Hebrew, which is completely idiotic, from my recollection.) They have some wacky explanation that somehow this simple statement, a “circle,” really means sphere! Their explanation is that only those to whom God spoke to would know this super-secret knowledge, that the earth is a sphere, not a flat surface, a “circle!” (Take note of their “Revelation Climax…” book illustration of John in heaven, looking down upon a “sphere” earth, with the 4 angles! – Simply ridiculous!)
On closer examination, there is no “is” in the Greek text of 2 Timothy 3:16. A friend of mine suggested that a better translation could be, “All Scripture, inspired of God…” (no “is”) In other words, it is a clarifying addendum, but not a statement of some divine revelation! Also, the “circle of the earth” was a common understanding of people for thousands of years. They believed the earth was a flat circle, with a dome-like “heavens!” There is no indication that God or any superior intelligence gave out super-secret information, that the earth is really a “sphere.”
This leads me to another concept that I’m sure I’ll get some controversy with! That most of the Bible doesn’t claim to be “inspired,” and the Bible was written by those who made no such claim, and in fact denied it!
Is there anything that says that somebody got some revelation about Genesis? That is, “God said…” something about the beginnings of the earth? NO! Men wrote down what was the then “history” of their world at that time! They made NO claim to a revelation by a superior being! I get a little perturbed when folks criticize the Genesis account, based on modern science, in that the writers never claimed to have divine inspiration!
Interestingly, in the New Testament, Luke’s account has the opening words “many have undertaken to complete a statement of the facts… I traced all things from the start.” Did he have a revelation? He doesn’t say he did. He wrote down what “facts” he had gotten from eyewitnesses (Luke 1:2). The Apostle Paul, in several places, said something like “not the Lord’s by my thoughts!” So, are those “words” inspired? NO! And I’m sure that much of what is considered the Bible today can be attributed to man’s search for God, no “inspiration” implied or expressed! From my perspective, the Bible is Man’s search for God, NOT God’s search for man!
My 2-cents!
Cyber!
