You’ll find them on newsstands and in bookstores–a new array of books about the Bible, with a different twist. They all claim to reveal some new, hidden, secret codes contained in the Bible; and the average person thinks, "Wow! This is great. New revelations which computers have brought to light."
It’s true that computers have done a lot of awesome things for Bible students. Scholars have taken the texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls and computerized them, analyzing word patterns and synthesizing missing portions of the text. All of that is helpful and illuminating.
But what about secret codes and new revelations which are just coming to light? Is there any real truth in them? Not really. Statistics and how you handle the control factors can prove almost anything. This fad of trying to make the Bible reveal its hidden secrets isn’t new at all.
Even in Paul’s day, groups attempted to claim distinctive insights to God’s revelation. Gnostics they were called, and Paul condemned them. At the beginning of this century, someone measured the pyramids in Egypt and converted those numbers to prophetic utterances and thrilled audiences with their "precise, allegedly scientific, findings". But, in fact, their discoveries failed. They were based on myth, not truth. The New Testament condemns this kind of "hidden secrets" revelation.
Don’t waste your time or money on hidden revelations, but focus on clear biblical truth. Make it a practice to get into the Book every day. Study it and make it yours.
The Bible is an anthology of books with Old Testament books falling into five major divisions, at least in our English Bibles. The New Testament has four divisions: the Gospels, a book of history, the letters to different churches and individuals, and then a book which is prophetic, dealing with the end times–the book of Revelation.
When you read and study the Bible, there are three questions that you need to ask and answer.
Question #1: "What does it say?" Taking a notebook and writing a paragraph or two summarizing what you have read will sometimes help you retain the core of what you have read or studied.
Question #2. "What does it mean?" Am I qualified to answer that? you may ask. Of course you are. God’s Word was not given to intellectuals or clerics who have the monopoly on truth, but to common men and women. Usually, the obvious is exactly what God intended you to think. Go with it.
Finally, Question #3: "How do I apply this to my life?" This is the practical part–you now apply truth to reality. It’s here that the Word makes a visible difference. Forget the mysteries. Go with the obvious.
Resource Reading: 1 Timothy 4; 2 Timothy 3