Pastor Bob:

  Your tract on Tishri (Historical Events that happened on Rosh Hashanah) aligns perfectly with my theology.  I am a retired aircraft engineer and Protestant theologian who is active as a  Prison Chaplain.  I take exception with the use of one word, however—allegory.  I believe strongly in allegory in the Bible.  What follows is my definition of allegory.

 

Simile is word that shows a comparison between two things using the word “like” or “as”.            He is like a bear.

Metaphor is a direct comparison between  two things.                                                                                  He is a bear.

Parable is an extended simile.  He is like a bear who tears up dwellings and attacks people in remote locations…

Allegory is an extended metaphor.  He is a bear who tears up dwellings and attacks people in remote locations…

 

Notice that there is no spiritualization involved here.

 

The first and greatest parable of Jesus (The Sower Mt 13:5-8, Mk 4:3-8, Lk 8:5-8) is actually an allegory.  Why?  It begins simply with: Behold, the sower went out to sow…  The word “like”, “as”, or “comparison” was not used.  So what?  As a literary technique, allegory just increases the poignancy.  Big deal!  The Hebrews just did not have that literary distinction in their vocabulary.  This is also Jesus’ greatest Allegory or Parable because understanding it is the key to understanding the others.

 

Allegory and Parables are used in the OT and NT.  They are the keys to grounding the facts to the people, otherwise we have historical events with no direct application to today’s world.  The Allegory makes that connection.

 

The story of Abraham (Father) sending his servant (Holy Spirit) looking for a Bride (Bride of Christ) for Isaac (Jesus Christ) in Genesis 24 is a powerful allegory.  Notice, however, at the very end of this story what time Isaac met his bride to be for the first time.  In Verse 63 the meeting or Rapture was toward evening.  I maintain that the Rapture will at least commence in the evening at the start of the new Hebrew day—not midnight as you have  posited.

 

Yours in Christ,

Ron Banuk