Dr Norman Geisler reviews Hank Hanegraff’s Apocalypse Code
Hank Hanegraff’s wrote a book called ”Apocalypse Code” Dr Norman Geisler does a brilliant scholarly book review and rebuttal of Hanegraff’s book that attacks premillennial dispensational theology. Here is just a small sample of Dr Geisler’s summery.
This brings me to my chief concern about The Code-it is based on an allegorical method of interpreting prophetic Scripture that, if applied to other teachings of Scripture, would undermine the salvation essentials of the Christian Faith. Let me illustrate the extent to which The Apocalypse Code goes in allegorizing away the literal truth of Scripture from above cited texts. It transforms -
- The plain meaning of the Bible into a so-called “deeper” meaning
- Literal promises into spiritual ones
- Unconditional promises into conditional ones
- Jewish tribes into Gentiles
- A thousand years into eternity
- A literal resurrection into a spiritual one
- Land Promises for National Israel into spiritual life in Christ
- A literal mark of the Beast into a mere symbol of identity with him
- Physical clouds into mere symbols of judgment
- A literal earthly throne of David into a heavenly reign of Christ
- Two literal witnesses into literary representatives of the Law and Prophets
- Cosmic judgment into the destruction of a small city (Jerusalem)
All of this Hank is fond of calling “Reading the Bible for all it is worth.” Well, for all it is worth, this is not reading the Bible; it is a serious misreading of the Bible. So serious a misreading it is that were it a reading on an essential doctrine of the Bible - like the virgin birth, the sacrificial atonement, the bodily resurrection, or the second coming-it would be a rank heresy!
It is sad that a man who has fought so hard for so long against cults and aberrant teachings has himself succumbed to a method of interpreting the Bible that is not significantly different from those used by the cults which he so vigorously opposes.
Full article Dr Geisler’s website does not allow direct linking to the article you will have to get the article from his “articles” pull down menu
Date posted: Monday, January 14th, 2008 1:39 pm | Under category: Replacement theology
RSS 2.0 | Comment | Trackback
Correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t allegory, imagery, and symbolism typical in apocalyptic literature? As apocalyptic literature, should we not read Revelation, parts of Daniel, etc. differently than other books of the Bible?
I do not intend to make judgment regarding Hanegraff’s book here (I have not yet read his book), nor do I intend to evaluate Dr Norman Geisler’s review of his book (I have not yet read his review). The above statement does raise questions in my mind, however. Apocalyptic literature carries with it certain characteristics, does it not? Why, then, would this “allegorical method of interpreting prophetic Scripture” Geisler refers to, be “applied to other teachings of Scripture?” Should poetry be read and understood in the same manner as historical narrative or parables? To read the story of the virgin birth and interpret it in the same manner as apocalyptic literature would be absurd. This is a straw man.
HI Adam,
Yes there is allegory, imagery, and symbolism in apocalyptic literature but we also know why those literary devices were used. If that were done with other Christian theologies without strong foundation for doing so we would have lost the gospel.
Allegory of non prophetic passages has been used by unstable men in the past so it is not a straw man argument. The Gnostic’s of the early church were coming up with all kinds of heretical doctrines by using their allegorical method for interpreting scripture. Augustine did a great deal to refute these teachings. Even today we have people who pick and choice how they want to allegorize clear non prophetic biblical passages in order to make it fit their neo-pagan Oprahanity. Catholicism allegorize certain non prophetic passages for some of their doctrines. Cults do so as well.
What is really going on is that people like Hank are spiritualizing Bible prophecy to the New Covenant Church without any indication from the author that the prophetic fulfillment is not meant to be taken literally. Many of the passages they allegorize make it clear in the text that the author is talking about real literal future events on the earth (not some nebulous event in the spiritual kingdom).
So what it comes down to is that they do this because they think the spiritual Church replaced all literal promises to Israel and thus they see no future fulfillment’s to the Jews even though the passages themselves make it abundantly clear that real Jews on earth will suffer end time judgments followed by spiritual restoration for Israel. They rob the prophets of the meaning of their prophecy just to satisfy their near sighted theology and make 1/6 of the Bible meaningless statements taken most anyway any like minded replacement theology denomination wants to spin them.
All past prophecy of the prophets was always fulfilled in a literal sense even though literary devices were used and so will all future Bible prophecy.