Have you ever wondered why it is that two men who read the same passage of scripture come up with two totally different interpretations? These two men are both Christians and love God and read the same Bible and yet see things so differently? Is it because one spends a lot more time in the Bible then the other? No one of these two men has made a (paradigm shift) Inside each of us are (concept) which has been planted there by others. We interpret the Bible through these (concept) which has long been developed within us wither the information is true of false.Our ideas are developed through these concepts and over a period of time we see life and interpret scripture through them. Most people don't question the (concepts) they have been taught by others,. Beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second hand, by family members or Church leaders when we are very young without examination." If you were born into a Jewish family that had Jewish concepts of the Bible in almost every case you would think Jewish. And if you were born into a Muslim family in almost every case you would hold Muslim concepts about the Bible. We all view the Bible through the concepts we have been taught. In most cases we all believed just because Pastor Mark went to a Theological Seminary he has the right concepts of the Bible. However in a lot of cases Pastor Mark also received second hand information that was passed down by others.
Long held concepts and traditions can also be wrong. A good example. At one time most of the Nation of Israel held the (concept) that the Messiah the seed of David was going to be a earthly king that would brake the Roman yoke and set up a (physical kingdom) John 6:14-16. The Jews knew the Messiah was coming, and they expected him in that generation, but they had (a concept) to look for something that was contrary to what actually came. (John 12:12-16) In this manner they were blinded to the first coming of Christ and his (spiritual kingdom) John 18:36.
They did not believe it, even though they know time-wise that was when the Messiah was to come. 90% of the Jews believe the (concept), without thinking or studding it for further clarification and information (Matthew 27:15-25).
There are two words called (paradigm shift) which means you (changed) your (way of thinking). There were more fair-minded Jews among the Nation of Israel and over time, they made a (shift) in their (concepts and thinking ) and began to believe that a (spiritual King) could reign over a (spiritual kingdom) Acts 2:29-41. 10% studied and analyzed all the details and finally made a paradigm shift to came to another conclusion.
The Bereans who Paul tells us about in Acts 17 were among the 10% of people that were rethinking. They studied their Scripture and analyzed the details and came another conclusion.
Acts 17:10-11 (NKJV) Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
The Bereans, "were more fair-minded" in that they: (1) "received the word with all readiness," (2) "searched the Scriptures daily." Apparently they had the true spirit of open-mindedness for the word of God and sought to understand "whether these things were so" which Paul had spoken.
The Bereans cry for information was "Sola Scriptura" -- the Scriptures alone! The Bereans made a (paradigm shift) The primary rule of hermeneutics is to let (Scripture interpret Scripture). This means that no part of Scripture can be interpreted in such a way as to render it in conflict with what is clearly taught elsewhere in Scripture. It is important therefore to have a proper (concept) of the (nature) of Chris’s parousia. Scripture never contradict, Scripture. People contradict scripture the scripture does NOT contradict its self.
We will now examine the (reason for my paradigm shift) in Scriptures about the parousia of Christ which is very simple. First we will examine how the saints in the Old Testament understood the (specific nature) of God in the clouds. In biblical language "clouds" are symbolic of God's wrath and judgment against the enemies of His people. David said that the Lord delivered him from his enemies while descending on clouds (Daniel 18:3-15).
Of course, clouds also speak of God's divine "presence" and power. The Lord said that He would ride into Egypt on a cloud to punish them: "Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud, and is about to come to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them" (Isaiah 19:1). In these verse, the Lord did not literally ride on a clouds however, Egypt did receive this judgment at the hands of the Assyrians (Isaiah 20:1-6).
When God used the means of a nation or people to carry out his judgment, his “presence or parousia” was said to have come in the clouds. "This type of apocalyptic language was well known to all in the Jewish communities. This language was studied by all the congregation of Israel on the Sabbath and in the synagogue. It was passed down and spoken in homes from generation to generation. That is why Jesus chose to use apocalyptic language as He described His soon return in judgment on the people of His day.
Jesus promised Caiaphas, that he would "see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven.” This prophecy is cut from the same cloth as Daniel which speaks of a "appearing" or “parousia” of the Son of Man. "I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. (Daniel.7:13-14).
By this statement Jesus was claiming to be divine, Israel's Messiah, the Son of God, as stated by the prophet Daniel. Caiaphas the high priest understood Jesus was quoting Daniel that is why Caiaphas accused Jesus of blaspheme. (Matthew 26:65) Only the God of Israel could ride the clouds of heave in judgment (Psalm 104:1-3; Isa. 19:1-3; Joel 2:1-2; Nah. 1-3) The inspired apostle John stated that the Jew sought the more to kill Jesus because He was making himself equal to God (John 5:18, 8:58).
As a ruler and High Priest of Israel and fleshly seed of Abraham who rejected his Messiah, he would see Jesus return in judgment. A fleshly concept of Jesus literally coming on the clouds was contrary to the nature of Caiaphas' understanding of the Old Testament prophets.
Remember Scripture never contradict, Scripture. In Acts 1:11 there is a prediction of the “parousia” of Christ and the angels told the disciples Jesus would return in the same manner (nature). What was the manner? Verse 9 holds the answer. And a clouds received him out of their sight. The angels also tied the disciples to the “his parousia”. This same Jesus, who was taken up from YOU into heaven, will come in like (manner as YOU) saw Him go into heaven.
There are other scriptures from the Old Testament that shows the Israelites had a different concept of (the nature) of the (Parousia) other then a physical parousia of Christ? Clouds are depicted as the"chariots of God" and indicative of his MAJESTY. In Job 22:12ff Job exalts Jehovah as the one who is in the height of heaven and covered with thick clouds.
In Zephaniah 1:14-16 we are told the "great day of the Lord is near;" and that it would be a day of "wrath," "distress," and a "day of clouds," when the Lord would come. We know this is a prediction of the impending judgment on Jerusalem, 1:4ff. This judgment came in 606-586 BC. Similar language is found in Nahum in the prediction of Nineveh's fall. Jehovah "has his way in the whirlwind...and the clouds are the dust of his feet." El Shaddai would come, the mountains would melt, the earth would be destroyed at his presence when he came on the clouds. We know that Nineveh was destroyed, not by a literal coming of Jehovah out of heaven on the clouds, but by the invading armies of the Chaldeans and Medes in approximately 612 BC. Homer Hailey's book, A Commentary on the Minor Prophets, is a good commentary to study.
In Psalm 18 which is a highly apocalyptic description of David's deliverance from Saul the former shepherd tells how Jehovah "bowed the heavens...and came down with darkness under his feet, he rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies."
Jehovah had acted to deliver his servant and thus he had come. He had acted and his actions had vindicated his righteousness, thus he was depicted as coming in majesty in the clouds. Psalm 68:32-35 also speaks of God who "rides on the heaven of heavens" and "his strength is in the clouds." Again the concept is his majesty and sovereignty. Psalms 104:3 tells us God "makes the clouds his chariots" and "walks on the wings of the wind."
