The Great Eagle #2

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent” (Revelation 12:14 KJV).

Who or what is this “great eagle?”

God the Holy Spirit designed the Scriptures with their own built-in dictionary. When a particular word or phrase appears, the Bible has defined it either in the immediate/situational context (the same passage) or the remote context (a passage elsewhere in the Bible canon). Sound Bible study is exegesis—literally, “to lead out.” When exegetic, we explain the meaning of Scripture by simply letting the Bible speak. This is in contradistinction to eisegesis—that is, “to lead in.” We are eisegetic when we express our own opinions or denominational biases. Exegesis is to let the Bible say what it says and mean what it says, to draw out its meaning; on the other hand, eisegesis is to force into the Bible text a meaning the Holy Spirit never intended. Oftentimes, what is passed off as “Christianity” is merely eisegesis.

Here is an example of exegesis: “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he [Jesus] expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). Christ took the meaning out of the Hebrew Bible; He avoided a distorted view by simply letting the Scriptures speak. Compare this to the eisegesis here: “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15,16). These Bible corrupters (members of Christendom!) are “wresting” God’s words—twisting them all out of shape, obscuring their pure meaning.

The bald eagle is known for its majesty, strength, and longevity. Consequently, in 1782, it was chosen as the symbol for the United States of America. However, is this the key to unlocking the meaning of today’s Scripture? Let us use the Bible’s built-in dictionary to determine if this is exegesis or eisegesis….

Bible Q&A #860: “What does ‘discomfit’ mean?”