Unlocking the 4 Layers of the Bible
I really believe that what you are about to read will spark a new desire and passion in you that you have not yet witnessed before. If you have been in church for more than 10 years, then it’s probably safe to say that you’ve heard most of the popular stories in the Bible.
I’ll be honest, sometimes I hear the same stories over and over that it starts to get mundane. It’s not that the stories are any less important, but I’m left wanting something new and fresh.
Before I go any further, I must say that I’m not promoting Judaism at all. But, I believe that there are some key things that we can learn from Jewish Rabbis and Scholars that will allow us to grab a hold of this new revolutionary thinking.
For centuries, Jewish Scholars and Rabbis have taught that there are 4 Layers of the Bible. Meaning that, they believe that the Bible can be understood in 4 different ways. This is not taking scripture out of context, instead it is grasping a hold of something that may change how you read the scriptures.
So, we have these 4 layers of understanding the Bible. So, what are they? Glad you asked!
•Layer 1 = Primary
Layer one is defined as the primary layer. This is the first layer of understanding the Bible. This is where all new believers start out. You read the Bible as a story. Simple as that. So for example, we know the story of Noah. We know that God commanded Noah to build an ark. We know that he was scoffed at by the rest of the world for what he knew God was telling him to do. We know that God flooded the earth and that Noah and his family was safe. This is an example of the first layer. Basically, you are just reading the Bible as it is written.
•Layer 2 = Practical
Layer two is defined as the practical layer. It is taking scripture and somehow applying it to your life. So for example, we take the story of Noah again. We know that just like Noah, sometimes God asks us to do something that we know that we will be scoffed at. But like Noah, if we are steadfast in what God is calling us to do, God will keep His promises to us. Even in the midst of sarcasm and mockery, we must be steadfast in what God has asked us to do. This is an example of the second layer of the Bible. Taking scripture and applying it to your life.
•Layer 3 = Prophetic
Layer three is defined as the prophetic layer. It is being able to take multiple scriptures of the Bible and linking them to each other which will reveal an understanding of future events. For example, we take the story of Noah again. In Matthew 24:37, Jesus describes the Last Days as being like the days of Noah. So what were the days of Noah like? We know that God was going to bring destruction upon the earth. He warned Noah about the destruction (flood). He told Noah exactly what needed to be done to be saved. The rest of the world mocked Noah. “Where is this flood?”…”Where’s the evidence of this so called destruction?”…”You’re crazy!”.
We know that we live in a world right now where people are acting the very same way. There are many people who don’t believe that either God or Jesus existed in the first place, or they don’t believe that He will come again and bring destruction with him. They mock and ridicule all those who believe, by faith, just as Noah did, of what they believe to be true. That God will come again and will bring destruction to the earth. We can link these two scriptures together which reveal to us that the last days will be very similar to the days of Noah. When God comes back, it will be too late for those who mocked those who believed in God’s word, just like it was too late when the door to the ark was closed and it started to flood.
• Layer 4 = Mystical
Man! I almost hate writing that term down. Especially in the day and age we live in right now. I’m just giving you the term that Jewish Rabbis and Scholars have been teaching for centuries. We know that in today’s world, it’s very common for people to take words and give them new meanings. This is no exception. When we hear the word “mystical” we often interpret that to be of supernatural elements which are “not of God”. However, after thinking about it for a while, I really don’t know what else I would call it.
The fourth layer is something that will be completely new to you. It was to me, until I started understanding what it really entails. Jewish Rabbis and Scholars believe that there are certain understandings of the Bible that can only be given out supernaturally (spiritually) by the Holy Spirit. This is really interesting to me because I can instantly think of several scriptures that talk about how the Holy Spirit will pour out understanding to people in the last days.
I will give you an example, but it will be in my next writing. Let me end by saying that it’s imperative that you have a good foundation in the first two layers before you will even begin to understand the third and fourth layer. It’s like reading a book. You don’t skip to the end of the book, because it won’t make sense. You must start at the beginning and work your way. Familiarize yourself with the scriptures of the Bible. Pray that God will grant the Holy Spirit to pour upon you new understanding of the Bible, that your eyes of understanding will be opened.
Watch soon for my next note. I really believe now is the time when God is starting to unlock some of the best kept secrets and understandings of the Bible. Meant for us!
I’ll be honest, sometimes I hear the same stories over and over that it starts to get mundane. It’s not that the stories are any less important, but I’m left wanting something new and fresh.
Before I go any further, I must say that I’m not promoting Judaism at all. But, I believe that there are some key things that we can learn from Jewish Rabbis and Scholars that will allow us to grab a hold of this new revolutionary thinking.
For centuries, Jewish Scholars and Rabbis have taught that there are 4 Layers of the Bible. Meaning that, they believe that the Bible can be understood in 4 different ways. This is not taking scripture out of context, instead it is grasping a hold of something that may change how you read the scriptures.
So, we have these 4 layers of understanding the Bible. So, what are they? Glad you asked!
•Layer 1 = Primary
Layer one is defined as the primary layer. This is the first layer of understanding the Bible. This is where all new believers start out. You read the Bible as a story. Simple as that. So for example, we know the story of Noah. We know that God commanded Noah to build an ark. We know that he was scoffed at by the rest of the world for what he knew God was telling him to do. We know that God flooded the earth and that Noah and his family was safe. This is an example of the first layer. Basically, you are just reading the Bible as it is written.
•Layer 2 = Practical
Layer two is defined as the practical layer. It is taking scripture and somehow applying it to your life. So for example, we take the story of Noah again. We know that just like Noah, sometimes God asks us to do something that we know that we will be scoffed at. But like Noah, if we are steadfast in what God is calling us to do, God will keep His promises to us. Even in the midst of sarcasm and mockery, we must be steadfast in what God has asked us to do. This is an example of the second layer of the Bible. Taking scripture and applying it to your life.
•Layer 3 = Prophetic
Layer three is defined as the prophetic layer. It is being able to take multiple scriptures of the Bible and linking them to each other which will reveal an understanding of future events. For example, we take the story of Noah again. In Matthew 24:37, Jesus describes the Last Days as being like the days of Noah. So what were the days of Noah like? We know that God was going to bring destruction upon the earth. He warned Noah about the destruction (flood). He told Noah exactly what needed to be done to be saved. The rest of the world mocked Noah. “Where is this flood?”…”Where’s the evidence of this so called destruction?”…”You’re crazy!”.
We know that we live in a world right now where people are acting the very same way. There are many people who don’t believe that either God or Jesus existed in the first place, or they don’t believe that He will come again and bring destruction with him. They mock and ridicule all those who believe, by faith, just as Noah did, of what they believe to be true. That God will come again and will bring destruction to the earth. We can link these two scriptures together which reveal to us that the last days will be very similar to the days of Noah. When God comes back, it will be too late for those who mocked those who believed in God’s word, just like it was too late when the door to the ark was closed and it started to flood.
• Layer 4 = Mystical
Man! I almost hate writing that term down. Especially in the day and age we live in right now. I’m just giving you the term that Jewish Rabbis and Scholars have been teaching for centuries. We know that in today’s world, it’s very common for people to take words and give them new meanings. This is no exception. When we hear the word “mystical” we often interpret that to be of supernatural elements which are “not of God”. However, after thinking about it for a while, I really don’t know what else I would call it.
The fourth layer is something that will be completely new to you. It was to me, until I started understanding what it really entails. Jewish Rabbis and Scholars believe that there are certain understandings of the Bible that can only be given out supernaturally (spiritually) by the Holy Spirit. This is really interesting to me because I can instantly think of several scriptures that talk about how the Holy Spirit will pour out understanding to people in the last days.
I will give you an example, but it will be in my next writing. Let me end by saying that it’s imperative that you have a good foundation in the first two layers before you will even begin to understand the third and fourth layer. It’s like reading a book. You don’t skip to the end of the book, because it won’t make sense. You must start at the beginning and work your way. Familiarize yourself with the scriptures of the Bible. Pray that God will grant the Holy Spirit to pour upon you new understanding of the Bible, that your eyes of understanding will be opened.
Watch soon for my next note. I really believe now is the time when God is starting to unlock some of the best kept secrets and understandings of the Bible. Meant for us!
Thank you for the post. I was actually googling "layers of Scripture" when Google gave me this blog post. I actually was looking for kind of "hacking the Bible to get in Heaven" information, but now I understand that God through Google and your post tells me that only things I should do are reading the Scripture more and applying the Scripture to my life. :)
Thank you!
Thank You!
Hector Rivera