This is a very important topic, and something I have been meaning to start a thread on. But too busy these days, what with gardening season in full swing, and this black Greek final cloud hanging over my head! (Just joking, studying is very productive, and I am learning lots and consolidating a lot about Greek, and anxious to move forward!)
Suffice it to say, there are some true things on this thread, and some very wrong things. JMHO, of course! Take Revleation, for example. It is apocalyptic literature. It simply does not abide by the same rules as narratives or poetry or a systematic theology like Romans.
We translated Rev. 5, and found out basically anything goes. The basic rules of Greek, like the gender and number of an adjective agreeing with the noun or pronoun don't even apply at times. Was John, not a native Greek speaker, in such a hurry writing down his vision, that he didn't even get the Greek right? This is why people that come up with these rigid ideas about Revelation are just clueless. Because it is a "revelation" but not necessarily to us, to our time. It could be to John's time, to comfort them. There could be a few words written to the far distant future. Who knows? Some is theology, woven into the lines and words!
Too bad so many people in the 20th century wrecked Revelation by their ridiculous outlines of how everything would be fulfilled by 1987. Or was it 88 or 89 or....?
But getting back to studying the Bible, there are rules by which we need to interpret the bible. If people are serious, I would urge them to get "How to Study the Bible for All Its Worth" by Gordon Fee.
And context, context, context! That means, the Bible was written to those people. So what is Deuteronomy saying to the Jews, before they cross into the Promised Land? This must come before any attempt to apply the book to today. Then, what kind of literature is it? The geneologies will have a different way of being interpreted than a proverb, or a prophecy. Speaking of prophecy, get your definitions correct, before you prove that Jesus is returning after the 4 Blood Moons. Hagee really blew that one.
Finally, when we have looked at the whole Bible, each book, and chapter, we can see the pattern of the Bible being the revelation of Jesus Christ from Genesis to Revelation. How do we fit into that picture, as a church and individuals? That is the last question we should ask. But God will answer it.
And the Holy Spirit will guide. But if He is guiding into some completely weird revelation, no one has ever seen before, either you are Martin Luther, or the wrong spirit is guiding you.
Finally, read the Bible! From Genesis to Revelation, all year, every day. You simply cannot get a sense of what God is saying and doing if you only read one line devotionals, or the books of someone else. And that means, yes, the geneologies count! Of course, if you speak Hebrew, they mean a lot more, but still, find the names of important people and where they are. And also, listen to the way God wants us to grow and follow him.
The Bible is the most exciting, most information, deepest, most important book ever written. No part of it is "boring." Slog through the hard parts, and one day, they will become interesting. I'm reading through Leviticus and into Numbers right now. I used to think those were boring books. Now, every word seems interesting. The fault, dear Brutus, was not the books, but me!
Read, read, read the bible! That is the way to begin to study!