QUESTION:
In the first paragraph of "The Inerrant Bible Reader", Ted Wise wrote about the computers, which analyzed the Bible and got visions for the future out of this. That's really strange, isn't it. I personally don't believe it .... On the other hand, the Bible was written at the early Mid-age (if I'm right?). That means for 800 to 1000 years the stories and had been told from one to the next generation. I can imagine that some parts have changed over the years.
ANSWER:
Frank,
I'm glad you don't believe in the new Bible numerology. I certainly agree with you on that! I find it very strange that in the modern world such odd old superstitions can coexist with the very latest in computer science. Things like this remind me of how convinced the Apostle Paul was that The Word of God was incomprehensible to mankind without God's help.
According to Paul's letters, he knew he had the Spirit of God and that he was, as he says, "An Apostle out of time". It is true that he didn't write anything that would indicate that he thought his words would be compiled into a document like the one he was so familiar with, The Torah or Law.
However, Paul was a Pharisee before his conversion to Christianity and he wrote about the how he came to understand the supernatural nature of the Scriptures. He said this about his own pre Christian life and about his former fellow scholars, "But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart..." (2 Corinthians 3:15)
We Christians believe that this is also true of the New Testament because Paul went on to say, "But whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away". When I think about the meaning of the word "supernatural", it doesn't seem at all strange that God exists outside of the known universe and as a result must reveal Himself if mankind is to know Him. How can man know of God's presence when we only have sense organs that respond to the material of the cosmos? Also we have no scientific instruments that can detect the immaterial.
I think it is our pride that keeps us from understanding that The Living God reveals Himself to mankind at His own discretion. He is not "found" as some Christians seem to believe. In the Bible God said this about Himself to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion". Kind of makes one wonder if they will receive that mercy.
Ted Wise
3 November 1997