What is the Allegorical Method of Interpretation?
by Dr. Ken Matto
 
(Gal 4:24 KJV) Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
 
The word “allegory” is the Greek word “allegoreo” and is used only once in the New Testament. It basically means to speak figuratively. It is used to explain something while using the image of something else. For example, a common allegory would be the Passover as a figure of Christ. God said, “when I see the blood, I will pass over.” Those that had the blood on their doors did not suffer any loss of life because God had passed over them. It is the same with Christians, not one of us will appear before the Great White Throne Judgment, because we are covered by the blood. It is a proper allegory or figure. Now the question remains, can the allegorical system be abused? The answer is yes. Let me give an example.
 
(1 Ki 2:19 KJV) Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand.
 
The Roman Catholics use allegory to try to make their people believe that this is a picture of Mary reigning with Christ in Heaven. Since Roman Catholics do not question their leaders, they accept it. Harold Camping claims that Old Testament Israel is a blanket figure of the New Testament church. He arrives at this conclusion by allegory. Now there are many parallels between ancient Israel and the church. As far back as Corinth, Paul was warning them that the things that happened to ancient Israel were written for their admonition, and of course, that warning is to the church right down to the last day.
 
(1 Cor 10:11 KJV) Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
 
The word “admonition” is the word “nouthesia,” the warning.
 
Summary
While allegory is an accepted method of interpretation, extreme care must be used when applying it. A person just cannot make a blanket statement that something represents something without proper biblical justification for believing that. Allegory can be used to skew someone’s thinking toward a teaching. When representations are created within a system to persuade others into accepting it, this is abuse of the Scriptures. For example, in the Depart Out Teachings, its adherents are pulling Scriptures, with judgment in them, out of context, and are applying it to the church without any biblical justification. Scriptures which were once interpreted as the end of the world such as Sodom and Gomorrah, are now interpreted as the death of the church. This is what happens when you go from the spiritual meaning to the hyper-allegorical meaning.

Origen is the heretic which Camping has patterned himself after - This quote is from his book "Wheat and Tares"

"As we look back on the early theologians of the church age, something of great significance surfaces. One of the earliest theologians of the church age was a man named Origen who was born in the year A.D. 185. He was a Bible teacher in the town of his birth, Alexandria, and then later, he established a Bible school in Caesarea. In the 1959 edition of The Encyclopedia Britannica, a church historian writes that Origen was "the most distinguished and most influential of all the theologians of the ancient church, with the possible exception of Augustine." This church historian calls special attention to Origen's teaching of Bible interpretation or Bible hermeneutics, and says that Origen "distinguishes a three fold sense of Scripture, a grammatical-historical, a moral, and a pneumatic (spiritual), the last being the proper and highest sense." The historical record shows that Origen taught some doctrines that were not as Biblical as they should have been. But in the matter of Bible interpretation, it appears that he was entirely correct. These very same principles of interpretation have been taught by Family Radio during the past several decades (see "First Principles of Bible Study"), even though Family Radio was completely unaware of Origen's teachings." 


Origen’s Gnostic Belief System

 
Gnosticism was and is a belief that all matter is evil and that freedom comes through knowledge. The word Gnostic comes from the Greek word “gnosis” which means “knowledge.” The Gnostics of the first and second century had approximately eight basic beliefs.
 
1) They claimed to have a higher knowledge than that of Christianity.
2) They believed they were Spirit while others were soul and body.
3) They believed that matter was evil.
4) Their views produced sensuality and asceticism.
5) They rejected the Old Testament and God.
6) They allegorized the Scriptures to create a bridge between Gnosticism and Christianity.
7) They saw Christ as an inferior god to ones they created such as Demiurge or TheArtificer.
8) They believed that Christ’s body was an illusion.
 
Even before the death of the Apostle John, a Gnostic named Cerinthus was already denying the deity of Christ. Origen (185-254 AD) was a heretic and Gnostic and along with Clement of Alexandria (d. 215 AD) helped to corrupt the manuscripts giving us the false versions of today. Here are 14 of Adamantius Origen's beliefs. When he taught, he wore the pagan robes of the pagan philosopher plus he castrated himself based on his Gnostic views of the evil of the flesh.
 
1) He believed the Holy Spirit was a feminine force.
2) He believed in Soul Sleep
3) He was a very strong proponent of Baptismal regeneration
4) He believed that Jesus was only a created being and Gnosticism taught that Jesus became Christ at his baptism but that he was never God. He was a just a good man with very high morals.
5) He believed in the doctrine of Purgatory
6) He believed in transubstantiation
7) He believed in the transmigration of the soul and reincarnation of the soul.
8) He doubted the temptations of Jesus in Scripture and claimed they could have never happened.
9) The Scriptures were not literal. He was the father of allegory.
10) Genesis 1-3 was a myth, not historical or literal, as there was no actual person named "Adam."
11) Based upon Matthew 19, a true man of God should be castrated, which he did to himself.
12) He taught eternal life was not a gift, instead one must grab hold of it and retain it.
13) Christ enters no man until they mentally grasp the understanding of the consummation of the ages. (It was Frederick Dennison Maurice in the 19th century who defined eternal life as coming to a knowledge of God. This is the essence of Gnosticism.)
14) He taught there would be no physical resurrection of the believers.
 
Origen's belief system clearly indicates that he was a Gnostic Greek Philosopher and not a true child of God. For who can hold these 14 beliefs and still consider themselves saved? The greatest corruption of the biblical manuscripts happened in the 2nd century in Alexandria when the true Antiochan manuscripts were mutilated to adapt to the beliefs of the Gnostics and Arians.
 
A 2nd century heretic named Marcion, discounted Matthew, Mark, and John and only accepted Luke, but only after he "corrected" it to fit his Arian beliefs. Arianism taught doctrines created by a man named Arius. He believed especially that the Son is not of the same substance as the Father but was created as an agent for creating the world. Arius was a Greek Philosopher (250-356 AD) who also taught that God was unknowable and that Christ was created and not fully divine. His teachings were declared heresy at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.
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Scriptures declaring the Pre-Bethlehem Deity of Christ
(Micah 5:2 KJV) But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
 
Note: One who is everlasting has no beginning and no end and therefore is not created. Only God is everlasting. This verse speaks about the Lord Jesus Christ who is eternal God. If God changes His appearance from a Heavenly body to an earthly body as the Lord Jesus did in the incarnation in no way diminishes His Deity.
 
(Isa 9:6 KJV) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
 
Note: A child will be born who will be called the Mighty God and Everlasting Father. The only person who fits this description is the Lord Jesus Christ. This verse teaches us that Christ is eternal God and His incarnation in no way diminishes that fact.
 
(Isa 7:14 KJV) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
 
Note: This verse teaches us that the name of the son shall be “God with us.” It does not say that He will become God at a future time by some type of ritual like baptism.
 
(Col 1:15-16 KJV) Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: {16} For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
 
Note: Here we have straight talk that the Lord Jesus Christ was also the Creator. It speaks of Christ because in Verse 15 it talks about Him being the image of the Invisible God and only Christ fits this person.
 
(Rev 4:11 KJV) Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
 
Note: Here is a word picture of Christ in Heaven being worshipped as the Creator and only God is to be worshipped.
 
(Titus 2:13 KJV) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
 
Note: This verse teaches plainly that the Lord Jesus Christ is not only Saviour but He is the Great God.
 
Summary
The Bible clearly states in the above verses and many others in both Old and New Testaments that the Lord Jesus Christ is eternal God. He never ceased to be God in the incarnation. The Gnostic belief that He became God when He was baptized is a blatant heresy and what is to prevent people from saying or believing that when we become baptized we become God. That would fit right into the New Age teachings about man being god as Shirley MacLaine claimed some years ago. The Lord Jesus Christ is God and no amount of Gnostic heresy will ever change that truth. The Gnostics are responsible for the massive attacks against the Lord Jesus Christ in the modern versions and therefore the modern versions must be rejected on this fact alone. Please refer to my article “The NIV hates the Lord Jesus Christ” available for free at: www.scionofzion.com/niv_hates.htm 
 
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