Page 24 - Through New Eyes

16 THROUGH NEW EYES

Paul at Ephesus (1 Corinthians 15:32; Acts 19), etc. By associat-
ing the beast with the number 666, he alluded to the dimensions
of Nebuchadnezzar’s idol (Daniel 3:1), to Solomon’s fall into sin
(1 Kings 10:14), and more. 12
Second, Biblical .ymbol.s do not exist in isolation. Symbols

have meaning within a set of symbolic relations, or within a
symbol system. This means that symbols have to be interpreted
within the ‘symbolic design” in which they are located. Within
such a symbolic design symbols function as part of a “network
of relationships .“ 13

In the Bible, the entire symbolic world is one organized and
unified worldview, a worldview that actually takes its rise in the
first chapters of Genesis. The symbolic meanings and associa-
tions of earth, sea, rocks, stars, plants, animals, serpents, trees,
fruit, and all else are set out in these chapters. The rest of the
Bible simply unpacks their meanings.
Third, in coming to understand Biblical symbolism, we may
receive some clues from other ancient literature, but we must
always have clear-cut Bib[ical indication for any symbol or image we think
we have found. We don’t want to read the modern secular world-
view into the Bible, but we don’t want to read the corrupt world-
view of ancient Near-Eastern paganism into it either. In recent
years, failure to keep this rule in mind has marred many poten-
tially useful studies of Biblical symbolism and typology. 14
Fourth, the heritage of the Church in .ystematic theology and in the
histoy of exegesis is always a check on wild speculation. According to
Ephesians 4:8, the ascended Christ has given gifts to men, and
these gifts are explained in verses 11-12:

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and
some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the
equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building
up of the body of Christ.

The godly wisdom of these gifts, these men, is part of the
treasure of the Church, and to ignore it is to despise the gifts of
the Spirit.