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The Fundamentals of Bible Prophecy
The Fundamentals of Bible Prophecy
Why did God inspire the Bible
writers to record prophecies? Could it be because prophecy reveals not only how
but why God intervenes in the affairs of man? After all, prophecy discloses
many details of God's great design. It explains God's actions in human affairs and
how they relate to His revealed plan.
Let's first examine prophetic principles and themes. These fundamentals serve as
keys that unlock the enigmas of prophecy. They make it possible for us to understand
many aspects of prophecy that otherwise appear isolated and unrelated and how they
fit together like pieces of a puzzle.
1. The role of the Messiah
God inspired much of prophecy to relate to the first and second appearances of Jesus
as the Messiah. Prophecy explains the necessity of both His first and second comings
in God's plan for mankind.
The apostles often referred to prophecies Jesus had already fulfilled to prove that
He was the Messiah. But they also often spoke of His second coming. It is
only natural for us to wonder about the prophecies that concern His second appearing-predictions
that could affect our own lives, including perhaps our immediate future.
Therefore, the first important key to an understanding of biblical prophecy is to
recognize that almost all prophecy directly relates to the intervention in human
affairs of one key player: Jesus the Messiah. (The words Messiah and Christ
are from the Hebrew and Greek, respectively. Both mean "Anointed One.")
Though not specifically mentioned in every prophetic passage, the Messiah is the
central figure of prophecy. In fact, a major purpose of prophecy is to reveal the
mission of the Messiah.
Jesus made this clear to His disciples after His resurrection: "Then He said
to them, 'These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that
all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets
and the Psalms concerning Me.' And He opened their understanding, that they might
comprehend the Scriptures" (Luke 24:44-45).
Without knowledge of Christ's role in these prophecies, His disciples could not understand
them. Most prophecies pertaining to the future point directly or indirectly to the
mission and work of Jesus the Messiah.
2. Kingdom of God: focus of prophecy
The prophetic focus of Jesus Christ's mission is the Kingdom of God. During His earthly
ministry "Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming
the good news of the kingdom of God" (Luke 8:1, New International Version).
After His resurrection He came back to His apostles and "presented Himself alive
after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days
and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).
The Kingdom of God-the focus of Christ's message-is a major focus of prophecy. Almost
all biblical prophecy is, in some way, related to the setting up of His rule and
authority over human beings in the literal kingdom He will establish on earth.
The prophet Daniel explained that "the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which
shall never be destroyed; . . . it shall break in pieces and consume all
these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (Daniel 2:44). In a parable Jesus
compared Himself with a "nobleman (who) went into a far country to receive for
himself a kingdom and to return" (Luke 19:12).
In a vision, Daniel saw how Jesus will receive that world-ruling Kingdom. "I
was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with
the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days . . . Then to Him
was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,
and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed" (Daniel 7:13-14).
The apostle John tells us that, when the last of seven prophetic trumpets sounds,
a triumphant announcement will be heard: "The kingdoms of this world have become
the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"
(Revelation 11:15). Jesus Christ instructed every Christian to pray: "Your kingdom
come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Luke 11:2).
The return of Jesus Christ to establish the Kingdom of God will mark the beginning
of the end of the many life-threatening problems the biblical prophets described.
This exciting message of hope is a dominant theme in the writings of the prophets
of God.
3. God's objective: mankind's redemption and salvation
Another purpose of prophecy is to urge repentance and offer everyone forgiveness
through Jesus Christ's suffering and death. This focus on bringing all people
to repentance permeates the prophecies of the Bible.
Jesus Himself said, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ
to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission
of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem"
(Luke 24:46-47).
Through the prophet Isaiah, God reveals the fundamental problem that needs solving.
"These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me" (Isaiah 29:13, NIV).
God describes people as having "heart(s) of stone"-an unyielding attitude
toward God and His instruction. This hardheartedness leads us to lives of selfishness-of
greed, envy and hatred-which bring us ever closer to the brink of destruction.
Bible prophecy, however, reveals how God will ultimately deal with this problem:
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you;
I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I
will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will
keep My judgments and do them" (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
Prophecy explains God's plan to bring this change of heart-otherwise known as repentance
and conversion-to all people and solve the root problems that threaten to
destroy us. So far only a few have repented and allowed their hearts to be converted
through the power of God's Spirit. The rest of humanity must yet be brought to repentance
and this change of heart.
To better understand prophecy, we must realize that, although God inspired the historically
fulfilled and future aspects of prophecy for the benefit of all people, most people's
hearts have not changed. Their attitude and actions reflect a hardened "heart
of stone" (see Ezekiel 36:26 and Romans 8:7). To understand God's dealings with
humanity, we must not overlook this fact.
The Bible likens God's relationship to mankind to that of a father with his children.
Children often disobey their fathers, rebelling against them and choosing actions
that disappoint and at times even anger them. But that doesn't lessen a father's
patience, hope and love for his children. Keeping this perspective in mind helps
us understand biblical prophecies of God, as our heavenly Father, relating to and
interacting with us as His children.
4. Specific dates rare
Bible prophecy analyzes the past and provides a vision of the future (Isaiah 46:9-10).
It often reveals specific events and sequences of events. But rarely does it reveal
the exact time when events will occur.
It is only natural that we want to know when and how prophecies will come to pass.
Christ's disciples were no exception. When He appeared to them after His resurrection,
they asked Him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to
Israel?" He answered, "It is not for you to know the times or dates the
Father has set by his own authority" (Acts 1:6-7, NIV).
The principle reflected here holds true for most prophecies. God seldom reveals the
specific times of their fulfillment. People's attempts to identify specific fulfillment
dates for undated prophecies tend to reap a harvest of embarrassment.
We need to take Jesus at His word. It is not God's purpose that we know the exact
time of the fulfillment of most prophecies. He wants us to recognize the many prophecies
that have already been fulfilled. Their fulfillment assures us God's promises
are accurate and reliable.
Christ's disciples asked on another occasion, ". . . When will these
things be?" (Matthew 24:3). They wanted to know how they could recognize when
His coming was imminent, when the end of the present world-the age under satanic
sway and influence-was near.
Jesus gave them no specific date. But, in subsequent verses, He cautioned them not
to conclude that such horrendous occurrences as wars, famines, uncontrollable disease
epidemics and devastating earthquakes are specific indicators that the end of this
age is imminent. ". . . All these things must come to pass,"
He advised, "but the end is not yet" (verse 6). Such immense disasters
would be only "the beginning of sorrows" (verse 8).
When His disciples asked for a sign to show the approximate date of His return, Jesus
gave no such sign. Rather, He stressed the need to "take heed"-to be spiritually
alert and on guard-that they should not be deceived (verse 4).
Although Jesus Christ and the apostles made it plain that Christians can and should
watch for indications that His return is near (Luke 21:28-31; 1Thessalonians 5:4-6),
nowhere does the Bible give a date for Christ's return or related events.
5. Duality in the Bible
Prophetic statements sometimes apply to more than one fulfillment, a principle we
could call "duality." A prime example of duality is Christ's first coming
to atone for our sins and His second coming to rule as King of Kings.
Also, the Bible speaks of someone's descendants as his "seed." In some
passages the word seed implies both an individual (the Messiah) and multiple
descendants (people of Israelitish descent).
Such dual themes are common in Scripture. The apostle Paul, for example, wrote about
"the first man Adam (becoming) a living being" and "the last Adam
(Jesus Christ) (becoming) a life-giving spirit"
(1Corinthians 15:45). Paul noted that physical circumcision was evidence of God's
covenant with Abraham's offspring, but God defined spiritual circumcision-a converted
heart-as the key to a Christian's relationship with God (Romans 2:27-28). Paul wrote
of the spiritually circumcised-the Church, rather than a physical race of people-as
being the "Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16).
Jesus specifically alluded to the dual application of some prophecies in Matthew 17:11-12. Asked about the prophecy of "Elijah," who would precede the coming
of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5), Jesus responded: "Indeed, Elijah is coming first
and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already . . ."
The disciples understood that the "Elijah" who had come already was John
the Baptist (verse 13). But Christ's clear implication is that another "Elijah"
will precede His second coming, announcing His return just as John the Baptist preceded
Christ's first coming.
Another prophecy with dual application is Jesus' Olivet prophecy (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), so named because He gave it on the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem.
Many conditions described in this prophecy existed in the days leading up to the
Romans' siege and destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. But Christ makes it clear
that similar conditions would prevail shortly before His return.
In the Olivet prophecy, Jesus spoke of an "abomination of desolation."
Daniel's prophecy about the abomination of desolation was fulfilled in 167 B.C. by
Antiochus Epiphanes, but Jesus predicted a similar future condition (see "The
Coming 'Abomination of Desolation,' pages 22-23).
We must carefully examine the context of prophecies to understand their meaning and
discern whether the prophecy seems incomplete after its first fulfillment. It is
equally important to avoid reading duality into passages that do not support such
interpretation. We should take great care to properly discern whether duality is
a factor in any particular prophecy.
We should also understand that virtually all interpretations of how prophecies may
be fulfilled are speculative to some degree, and often we may recognize a prophecy's
fulfillment only after it is well under way or already has taken place.
6. Cause and effect in prophecy
Another fundamental principle applicable to Bible prophecy is the correlation of
cause and effect. The principle of cause and effect is often implicit in foretelling
events. Human nature is quite predictable, especially to God, who made us and knows
how we think. Therefore, God can foretell broad trends-and resulting disasters-based
on His understanding of cause and effect. Expressed another way, God allows people
to reap what they sow (Galatians 6:7-8) individually and, many times, collectively.
He does this for our long-term benefit.
Many of the calamities that come on people are the consequence of their own sins
and hostilities toward each other. The prophet Jeremiah well expressed this principle:
"Your own wickedness will correct you, and your backslidings will reprove you"
(Jeremiah 2:19). However, God sometimes exercises control over the consequences of
human activities and conflicts to accomplish His objectives. At times He dramatically
intervenes to alter the course of history. His actions-including personal and collective
punishments-are tools He uses to accomplish a greater purpose.
God spoke of the cause-and-effect principle to Moses when He gave ancient Israel
His law. He inspired Moses to warn Israel: "Beware that you do not forget the
Lord your God by not keeping His commandments . . . (lest) when your heart
is lifted up . . . you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my
hand have gained me this wealth' . . . Then it shall be, if you by any
means forget the Lord your God . . . , you shall surely perish. As
the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you
would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 8:11-20).
Here God told the people of Israel that their future would be determined by their
choices. This was prophecy, but it was prophecy predicated on people's decisions.
If the Israelites chose to obey God and acknowledge that their blessings came
from Him, they would receive His blessings and protection. But, if they forgot God
and disobeyed Him, they would suffer the consequences that befall all
disobedient people.
Later, in two of the five books of Moses, as revealed in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, God offered examples of the blessings He bestows on people who choose to obey
Him. He also lists the devastating consequences they will incur if they disobey Him.
Take the time to study these two chapters. If you carefully examine them you will
greatly increase your understanding of cause and effect in regards to Bible prophecies.
These passages illustrate God's blessings for obedience and punishment for disobedience.
They establish the basis for most of the later prophetic indictments and punishments
that God pronounces on Israel and other peoples.
The underlying principle is simple: God ultimately, if not immediately, reacts to
people's behavior. People of all nations determine much of their own future by
how they respond to God and His instruction. King David noted this when he wrote,
"The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in
the net they have hidden" (Psalm 9:15, NIV).
Once we comprehend that God's response to people can be based on the principle of
cause and effect-blessings for obedience and calamities for disobedience-many of
the misconceptions and mysteries about prophecy disappear. Other aspects of prophecy
become much easier to comprehend.
7. Prophecy's greater context
Prophecy is not given or fulfilled in a vacuum. Prophecy provides us far more than
a simple list of predictions. It analyzes attitudes and behavior-past, present and
future-and reveals God's perspective and reactions. We cannot correctly understand
Bible prophecy without some knowledge of the background of the period and culture
of the prophet who utters any particular prophecy.
The Bible reveals the origin of the human race and its ethnic divisions (Acts 17:24-26;
Deuteronomy 32:7-8). It records the rise and fall of empires and reveals reasons
for their successes and their downfalls. It explains the origin of sin and its effect
on history. These factors are essential background information to coming to an understanding
of prophecy.
Prophetic books such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel are filled with history
that includes analysis of conditions existing at the time they were written. They
contain instruction, correction, warnings and pleas for change. They present options,
sometimes vividly explaining potential consequences.
Prophecy cannot be separated from history. It reflects the far-reaching perspective
of the Bible. An accurate biblical worldview requires an understanding of God's view
of the history of the world and how He influences it.
We need to recognize that God intervenes in the affairs of men to fulfill His purpose.
But it is just as important that we understand His perspective. This places prophecy
in its proper context.
Prophecy out of context is easy to misinterpret. This is why irrational interpretations
of prophecy have abounded throughout the centuries.
8. A satanic age
Another key to Bible prophecy is an understanding of the role and effect of Satan
the devil. His influence over the world is so pervasive that Paul called him "the
god of this age" (2Corinthians 4:4). An understanding of Satan's influence
is necessary if we are to understand prophecy. The devil exerts a powerful influence
over human affairs.
The Bible contrasts "this age" of Satan's rule with "the age to come"
(Matthew 12:32; Ephesians 1:21). Christians must struggle "against the rulers
and authorities and the powers of this world's darkness, against the spiritual powers
of evil in the heavenly world" (Ephesians 6:12, New Century Version). The past
century alone has witnessed many evil rulers influenced by the prince of darkness.
The apostle John tells us that Satan "leads the whole world astray" (Revelation 12:9, NIV) and "the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one"
(1John 5:19).
Before God created the heavens and earth, He made angels. An angel of high rank chose
to become an adversary to God and was therefore renamed Satan, which
in Hebrew means "adversary." Revelation 12:4 indicates that Satan (also
called a dragon; verse 9) drew a third of the angels into rebellion. The angels who
follow him are demons, comprising the "spiritual hosts of wickedness" of
which Paul warns us (Ephesians 6:12).
The "age to come" (Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30) will be free of Satan's influence.
God let the apostle John see in vision "the dragon, that ancient serpent, who
is the Devil and Satan," being seized and bound for 1,000 years "so that
he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended" (Revelation 20:2-3, New Revised Standard Version).
The imprisonment of Satan begins the prophesied age to come, when "the kingdoms
of this world . . . (will) become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ"
in the Kingdom of God (Revelation 11:15).
With the devil bound, the world will experience peace under Christ's rule. "Of
the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's
throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness
from that time on and for ever . . ." (Isaiah 9:7, NIV).
9. The destiny of man
God created man to rule over His creation, to supervise everything, including every
living creature. "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He
created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said
to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over
the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that
moves on the earth'" (Genesis 1:27-28).
Eventually God will greatly extend that rule. ". . . 'What are human
beings that you (God) are mindful of them, or mortals, that you care for them? You
have made them for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned them with
glory and honor, subjecting all things under their feet.' Now in subjecting all things
to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see
everything in subjection to them" (Hebrews 2:6-8, NRSV).
Amazing as it may seem, God desires to place everything He has created under our
control, in harmony with His will as our Creator. But, in our present human state,
that is impossible. Remember, though, that Jesus Christ was also a human being. He
was once in the flesh just as we are. Today He shares power over everything in the
universe with our heavenly Father (Matthew 28:18). (For more information about the
future God has planned for everyone who faithfully serves Him, be sure to request
your free copy of What Is Your Destiny?)
The time will come when Christ will share His authority with all who become the immortal
children of God. He promises us, "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with
Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne"
(Revelation 3:21).
Our heavenly Father also tells us, "He who overcomes shall inherit all things,
and I will be his God and he shall be My son" (Revelation 21:7). This is the
destiny God promises to everyone who surrenders his will to Him.
To properly understand prophecy, we should familiarize ourselves with these
biblical concepts. Now let's take a look at God's promises and the covenants on which
all biblical prophecy is based.
©1999 United Church of God, an International Associtaion
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