Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.    Matthew 5:6, NKJV

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15, ESV

But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. Matthew 24:36, ESV

Can anyone really understand the Bible? This is the very question that many sincere men and women have asked throughout the centuries. It is also the very question that many lazy and insincere men and women have asked, if for no other reason than to give themselves an excuse for not even trying. Either way, it's a legitimate question, and one that I believe the three verses above will help to answer.

The first verse is from the sermon on the mount. It was, of course, preached by Jesus, and every teaching and promise contained in that sermon is infallible. So then, here is the first key to understanding what we can: We must strongly desire to find out what God's will is. It is such a strong desire that Jesus compares it to a hunger and a thirst. What do you do when you are hungry? You eat. What do you do when you are thirsty? You drink! A child of four could answer these questions, but it is interesting to note how many adults will feign ignorance when it comes to seeking God's will. If we really hunger and thirst for that will, we will do what it takes to satisfy those longings. And Jesus Himself has promised that we will be able to do so. 

The second passage we read above is from the Apostle Paul. More accurately, it is from his writings, but the source of his writings was the Holy Spirit who inspired Paul and the rest of the writers of the Scripture to record precisely what God wanted them to write. In reality, therefore, the instruction contained within the Bible has one unimpeachable source: God! So, when Paul writes the commandment to do our best to rightly handle the word of truth, we can only conclude that it is possible to do so. In fact, correctly handling the word of truth is required, and God has never required anything that is impossible for us to accomplish.

The third verse reveals another aspect of God's word. The context for this verse is three questions that Jesus has been asked by his apostles. The first two questions involved Jesus' prophesies concerning the destruction of the man-made temple at Jerusalem and the end of the age (likely referring to the Mosaic age). Jesus answered these two questions, but the third He did not. It too involved a prophesy, this one involving His second coming. Jesus pointed out that even He did not know that day or hour, nor did anyone else except God. This verse shows us that there are some prophesies contained within the Scriptures that we are not capable of understanding. 

This would be helpful to remember the next time someone tells you that they have discovered when the second coming is going to occur. When you hear such interpretations of the time of Jesus' second coming, it would be good to remember that even Jesus was not given this information. I doubt that God would share with your favorite preacher something that He did not reveal even to His only begotten Son. 

So, then, we are left with these three things: First, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness - and I believe that part of this righteousness includes God's Word - will be satisfied. In other words, we can know everything God wants us to know about His will if we will desire it to the point of having a genuine hunger and thirst for that will. Second, we are commanded to do our best to correctly handle the word of truth. This means we can understand those things plainly stated and clearly revealed within the Bible, if we will do our best. And third, we are told that there are some things when it comes to prophesy that we simply cannot know. While it is true that most of the New Testament is not prophesy and therefore can be understood, those things that are prophetic in nature must be approached with a realistic humility that God may not reveal the meaning of these things until Jesus comes again.

The questions we need to answer, then, are clear: Do we long to know God's word to the point that we have an actual hunger and thirst for it? Are we doing our best to correctly handle these words of truth that are contained within the Scripture? Finally, are we willing to accept that there are still a few things about prophesy that can only be determined when these events unfold at the end of time? 

The answer to these questions will very likely determine whether or not you will be pleasing in God's eyes. They will also very likely determine the level of peace and joy that are reserved for those who are interested enough in following Christ to the point that they will actually do their best to find His will and then do it.