How the Church Lost the Hebrew Reading of Scripture — And Why God Is Restoring It Now
The earliest believers read Scripture the way Jesus and the apostles did — literally, covenantally, prophetically. They believed with absolute confidence that “not one jot nor tittle will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew ).
Every prophecy of His First Coming was fulfilled exactly as written.
But history turned.
Jerusalem fell.
The Temple burned.
Israel was scattered “to the four wind... moreHow the Church Lost the Hebrew Reading of Scripture — And Why God Is Restoring It Now
The earliest believers read Scripture the way Jesus and the apostles did — literally, covenantally, prophetically. They believed with absolute confidence that “not one jot nor tittle will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew ).
Every prophecy of His First Coming was fulfilled exactly as written.
But history turned.
Jerusalem fell.
The Temple burned.
Israel was scattered “to the four winds” (Deuteronomy 28:64).
To the Gentile Church looking out across the Mediterranean world, Israel’s disappearance made literal prophecy seem unlikely. And when Greek philosophy declared the physical “lower” and the spiritual “higher,” the pressure to reinterpret Scripture became immense.
Into this world stepped Origen — brilliant, devout, passionate, and deeply shaped by Plato. He faced critics like Celsus, who mocked Christians for believing in a crucified Messiah, a bodily resurrection, a literal Israel, and a future kingdom (1 Corinthians ).
To defend the faith, Origen developed a new method:
literal meaning = lowest
spiritual meaning = highest
Israel = symbol
Jerusalem = metaphor
the kingdom = spiritualized
But the prophets spoke with unflinching clarity:
“I have spoken it; I will bring it to pass; I will do it.” (Isaiah )
“He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.” (Jeremiah )
“They shall look on Me whom they pierced.” (Zechariah )
These are not metaphors.
These are covenants.
Augustine and The City of God: Where Allegory Became the System
No theologian shaped Western Christianity more than Augustine. His City of God provided the interpretive architecture the Church lived inside for 1,000 years.
He taught:
“The promises of the Old Testament regarding Israel are to be understood spiritually in the Church, the true Israel of God.”
(City of God, XVII.3)
And:
“The Church even now is the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of heaven.”
(City of God, XX.9)
And:
“The heavenly city is the true Jerusalem.”
(City of God, XV.1)
These lines became the Western hermeneutic:
Israel → the Church
Jerusalem → heaven
David’s throne → spiritual rule
The kingdom → the present age
But the prophets insisted:
“For the LORD will again choose Israel and set them in their own land.” (Isaiah 14:1)
“I will plant them in their land, and they shall never again be uprooted.” (Amos )
“The law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3)
Spurgeon warned:
“Spiritualizing robs the people of God of their inheritance.”
R.C. Sproul added:
“When Scripture is allegorized, its authority is weakened.”
Yet these warnings were centuries away. Augustine’s framework held absolute sway.
The Reformers: They Restored the Gospel — But Not Prophecy
Luther and Calvin overturned Rome’s system of works and restored Scripture to its rightful place.
But they did not reform eschatology.
Reason 1: Both men stood inside Augustine’s worldview. They rejected Rome’s rituals but kept Augustine’s allegorical interpretation of Israel and the kingdom.
Reason 2: Prophecy was not their battlefield. They fought indulgences, sacraments, and the papacy — not Israelology or eschatology.
Reason 3: Israel was still scattered. Jerusalem still trampled. No land. No nation. No visibility. A literal fulfillment of Israel’s restoration seemed impossible.
And so Luther and Calvin held onto allegory — the only framework they had.
But the prophets had already spoken:
“In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell secure.” (Jeremiah )
“The LORD will be king over all the earth.” (Zechariah 14:9)
“I will take you from the nations… and bring you into your own land.” (Ezekiel )
Ed Hindson captured it perfectly:
“The Reformers gave us the right Bible but the wrong interpretation of prophecy.”
The Modern Church: An Inconsistent Hermeneutic
Today, roughly two-thirds of Christians interpret prophecy inconsistently.
They affirm that every prophecy of Jesus’ First Coming was literal:
— Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
— Pierced hands and feet (Psalm )
— Despised and rejected (Isaiah 53:3)
— Raised on the third day (Hosea 6:2)
Not one is symbolized.
Not one is spiritualized.
But when the Bible speaks of the Second Coming — where there are six times more prophecies — the method changes.
Suddenly:
Israel becomes “the Church.”
Jerusalem becomes “heaven.”
The kingdom becomes “the heart.”
The Mount of Olives becomes “poetry.”
The millennium becomes “a metaphor.”
Yet Scripture says:
“His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives.” (Zechariah 14:4)
“All flesh shall see the glory of the LORD.” (Isaiah 40:5)
“The LORD will roar from Zion.” (Joel )
Chuck Missler asked:
“If every prophecy of His First Coming was literal, why would the six times more prophecies of His Second Coming be anything else?”
There is no biblical reason.
Only a philosophical one.
Daniel Saw This Moment
Daniel was told:
“Seal up the book until the time of the end; many will run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
(Daniel 12:4)
For centuries prophecy seemed sealed — not because Scripture was unclear, but because Israel was absent.
But in 1948, Israel returned.
In 1967, Jerusalem returned.
Hebrew revived.
The exiles returned from “the north country and all the countries” (Jeremiah 23:8).
Every key prophecy reopened.
Knowledge increased.
Literal interpretation became unavoidable.
Daniel’s words came alive.
Israel’s return isn’t just prophecy fulfilled —
it is the unlocking of prophecy itself.
The Way Back Is the Way Forward
Back to the worldview of the prophets.
Back to the worldview of Jesus:
“Jerusalem will be trampled… until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke )
Back to the worldview of Paul:
“The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Romans )
Back to the worldview of Ezekiel:
“I will put My Spirit within you… and bring you into your own land.”
(Ezekiel )
Israel’s scattering once made allegory seem reasonable.
Israel’s regathering has made allegory impossible.
God fulfilled every prophecy of the First Coming literally.
He will fulfill every prophecy of the Second Coming the same way —
with greater precision, greater certainty, and greater glory.
The Church will regain its prophetic power the moment it lets God mean exactly what He said.
SGT Dinah Scivoletti
Joan of Arc Priory
God Above All
