Exegesis vs Eisegesis

[B/W Photodude]

I see the word exegesis a lot here at Adventistan, but I have come across another word that I never see here, although I see it in action.

Biblical exegesis is a systematic process by which a person arrives at a reasonable and coherent sense of the meaning and message of a biblical passage. Ideally, an understanding of the original texts (Greek and Hebrew) is required. In the process of exegesis, a passage must be viewed in its historical and grammatical context with its time/purpose of writing taken into account. (from Theopedia)

The "other" word I have come across is eisegesis. Eisegesis is the act imposing meaning onto a text and is often described in terms of reading "into" the text rather than "out of" it. Therefore it is the opposite of Exegesis. (from Theopedia)

Without taking any current issues into this, exegesis has also been defined by some as reading Scripture to see what God says. Eisegesis occurs when someone takes a belief and searches Scripture to prove they are correct. You can find a number of current ideas which are very contrary to what Christians and Jews have believed for thousands of years, but now emotional issues and "social justice" have people trying to wrap the Bible around their new ideas. You can get into all kinds of theological difficulties when you take this approach to studying God's word.

[Gregory Matthews]

Good post.  I have used both words in a number of my posts.

[JoeMo]

Eisegesis has also been used here to "prove" certain prophecies about the end times.  Like relating Daniel 12:1 ("Michael will stand up") referring to Michael Pence or Jesus returning at the last trump referring to Donald Trump.

[JoeMo]

IMHO, it is eisegesis when people claim Revelation 19:10 ("For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”) refers to the writings of Ellen White.  Yes - I have heard that from the pulpit more than once.

[B/W Photodude]

5 hours ago, JoeMo said:

IMHO, it is eisegesis when people claim Revelation 19:10 ("For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”) refers to the writings of Ellen White.

It would seem that you should just get off the fence and say either Mrs. White is totally wrong regarding receiving visions and messages for the church or she is who she says she is. I personally believe that end time events are such that the church is blessed to have had her service as a messenger of God. She did not want it and I am sure that someone would have eventually been chosen for the position if she hadn't. All that said, I still believe the Bible is first in being the source of beliefs and she would have agreed with it.

One of the things brought out in the sabbath school lesson today is that the intervention to end the conflict has begun in heaven. This followed the verses in Revelation where the souls under the alter asked "How long?" So after nearly 2 millennia of "silence" from heaven, we have the prophecies of EGW.

The very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God. “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different agencies, to unsettle the confidence of God’s remnant people in the true testimony.—Selected Messages 1:48 (1890)

He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. Matthew 10:41

[JoeMo]

2 hours ago, B/W Photodude said:

It would seem that you should just get off the fence and say either Mrs. White is totally wrong regarding receiving visions and messages for the church or she is who she says she is.

I am not on the fence concerning Mrs. White.  I believe she is a respected and inspired expositor of Bible truth.  I do not believe her to be the inerrant prophet that the White Estate and the Church proclaim her to be.  She herself said she was not a prophet. And I certainly don't believe that Rev. 19:10 refers to her writings when it talks about the Spirit of prophecy.  Furthermore, I don't believe that accepting or not accepting her as a prophet is a salvational matter.

[B/W Photodude]

23 hours ago, JoeMo said:

I am not on the fence concerning Mrs. White.  I believe she is a respected and inspired expositor of Bible truth.  I do not believe her to be the inerrant prophet that the White Estate and the Church proclaim her to be.  She herself said she was not a prophet. And I certainly don't believe that Rev. 19:10 refers to her writings when it talks about the Spirit of prophecy.  Furthermore, I don't believe that accepting or not accepting her as a prophet is a salvational matter.

I think we often times get into semantical arguments. So, a look at some of the definitions of a prophet may be in order:

Prophet

a person who speaks for God or a deity, or by divine inspiration.

one of a class of persons in the early church, next in order after the apostles, recognized as inspired to utter special revelations and predictions. 1 Cor. 12:28.  <<And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.>>

a person regarded as, or claiming to be, an inspired teacher or leader.

a weather prophet; prophets of doom.

Of all the spiritual gifts, Paul would have one have the skill of prophecy:

1 Corinthians 14:1-5 - Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. ... 3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. ... 5 I would that ye all spake with tongues but rather that ye prophesied: ...

In the OT, there were schools of prophets. Note how the students in one of these schools followed Elijah as he was going to his translation.

A person is often said when preaching, to be speaking for God. Technically, a preaching pastor is a prophet.

Mrs. White did not claim to be a prophet. However, when someone is humbled by the task they do and guard against self importance, why would you think she would claim the title of prophet even when she was?

One of my favorite pastors discusses the great movements that God has raised up. He notes that there have been three great movements in the history of the world. Carefully looking at Bible history, you can easily see it. The first was the Jewish people starting with the calling of Abraham out of Ur. The second was the Christian movement as symbolized by the pure woman in revelation, and the third was the remnant raised up after 1844 and represented by the Sabbath keepers looking for the Second Coming (aka SDAs). All these movements had great prophets (defined as doing the will of God and having the gift of prophecy. Paul is said to have had all of the spiritual gifts). 

So, I have no problem seeing Mrs. White as a prophet and would expect nothing less than she would decline to claim the title. You will notice in the definitions that a prophet is one "regarded" as a prophet.

Another issue is that Mrs. White had many visions, which I believe were from God just like Paul, Isaiah, Ezekial, John, and many others had. In the light of her visions, it seems a stretch to say she is just a good writer.

My concern comes when people start trying to chisel away at her work as a messenger. People have attempted in so many ways to diminish what God did through her. And when you attempt to diminish her work, you are really trying to diminish what God has done.

Nothing of what I have written should be construed to say she was above the Bible. It seems that people are always ready to read someone else, but oh no, not Mrs White! (I am not against reading others writers.) So, today, we seldom hear what she wrote from the pulpit. Only a small fraction of the SDA church even reads her writings. For that matter, not a lot even read their Bibles.