1. Does the Bible interpret itself?
No it doesn't and any serious Bible student or cult is lying if they said it does. If you are talking about understanding who is the Lamb, the dragon, and the sea, the Bible gives us the answer. However, after studying four major cults I can tell you that their interpretation of Revelation, Daniel, and Ezeckiel are worlds apart but always in line to defend their CONCEPT, not truth.
For example, one group says Babylon the Great is all religions except theirs of course. Another group has it as Rome and one identifies it as the United States. If the Bible interpretated itself we would have the same beliefs. We don't. Another example is Daniel 12 7. One interpretation is the time between 1919-1932. Another group has it ending in 1798. A ttthird major religion identifies the three and a half years just before Jesus returns. The Bible interprets itself? When someone telly you that be ready for their interpretation to convince you they are the chosen ones usually.
The bottom is line is stick to the principles of prophecy and you can't go wrong. The Bible exhorts us to look for the signs and be prepared.
2. Do Bible translations reflect the translators' biases and, if so, can we still know what the truth is?
Yes and yes. Translations reflect translator biases but finding Truth in Christ is possible as the key elements for salvation are clear. Translator biases are brought clearly to light by scholar Jason David BeDuhn in his work Truth in Translation. His work is eye-opening and debunks some myths propounded for decades by mainstream religions and Bible colleges. The examples in Truth in Translation should make us humbler in our explaining of the Bible and show how dependent we are on those who teach us.
No it doesn't and any serious Bible student or cult is lying if they said it does. If you are talking about understanding who is the Lamb, the dragon, and the sea, the Bible gives us the answer. However, after studying four major cults I can tell you that their interpretation of Revelation, Daniel, and Ezeckiel are worlds apart but always in line to defend their CONCEPT, not truth.
For example, one group says Babylon the Great is all religions except theirs of course. Another group has it as Rome and one identifies it as the United States. If the Bible interpretated itself we would have the same beliefs. We don't. Another example is Daniel 12 7. One interpretation is the time between 1919-1932. Another group has it ending in 1798. A ttthird major religion identifies the three and a half years just before Jesus returns. The Bible interprets itself? When someone telly you that be ready for their interpretation to convince you they are the chosen ones usually.
The bottom is line is stick to the principles of prophecy and you can't go wrong. The Bible exhorts us to look for the signs and be prepared.
2. Do Bible translations reflect the translators' biases and, if so, can we still know what the truth is?
Yes and yes. Translations reflect translator biases but finding Truth in Christ is possible as the key elements for salvation are clear. Translator biases are brought clearly to light by scholar Jason David BeDuhn in his work Truth in Translation. His work is eye-opening and debunks some myths propounded for decades by mainstream religions and Bible colleges. The examples in Truth in Translation should make us humbler in our explaining of the Bible and show how dependent we are on those who teach us.