Some people may consider the study of prophecy as being a specialized type of study and too difficult for them. But the subject is both necessary and of absorbing interest when rightly pursued. The apostle Peter (II Pet. 1:19) exhorts the believer to give heed to the "light" which prophecy sheds upon the otherwise obscure and mysterious plan of God. The word "prophecy" in the Bible is used in a twofold sense: (1) as meaning a forthtelling or an exposition of something; and then (2) as a foretelling or a prediction of some future event. A prophet is one who speaks for God or one who tells before — one who predicts, foretells, prophesies. In other words, the prophet both preached and expounded God's Will and purpose in the immediate present and then of His future purpose still to be fulfilled. The first was given in order to warn and encourage to immediate obedience — the second to reveal His plans which would never fail even if His people failed. Prophecy sheds light on the darkness of the past, present and future. Looking at the past, prophecy illuminates and interprets history. Prophecies often reveal why certain events in Biblical history were allowed to happen as they did. The history of the Babylonian captivity is one example of this. As related to the present, fulfilled prophecy provides one of the strongest proofs of the divine inspiration of the Word of God. The predictions about Tyre, Sidon, Egypt and Babylon were written or uttered centuries before they became facts in history. By comparing the prediction with its fulfillment, we see proof that the prophet was inspired by God. See Mr. Armstrong's booklet, Proof of the Bible for an exposition of these prophecies. Prophecy for the future encourages hope for a better world and inspires faith. What still remains to be fulfilled will come to pass. Faith to believe this is based upon what has already been fulfilled. Not all prophecies are merely foretellings of catastrophic events meted out by the wrathful vengeance of a harsh God. Many of the prophecies foretell a time of peace, of happiness, of restoration, of joy, of great prosperity and physical wealth for those who are serving God. Many prophecies merely foretell, in advance, certain events which are to happen — the rise and fall of nations, the course of world affairs.
What is Prophecy?
Prophecy is a chronicle or outline of the great plan God is working out here below. It describes this plan in detail. Prophecy is history written in advance. History is a chronicle of human systems being cut off from God. It is a record of events that have befallen man as a result of his rebellion against God's government rather than submitting to it. World historians try to center their information around rulers, powers and wars. To a lesser extent they covered religion, economics, education, etc. They wrote a chronicle of civilization man built without God. God controls the affairs of men and nations, but historians rarely see this control. God's historians — the prophets — write ahead of time showing where man would go, how God will intervene and the course that His Plan will take. Prophecy takes up where history leaves off. It is the continuation of history in advance. God works out future history through human agencies, even though He intervenes. Since God knows human nature, He knew in advance what man would do and how He would intervene in human affairs. He uses Israel primarily as His tool and is only concerned with other nations as they come in contact with Israel.
Study Methods
The student of Biblical prophecy can use two study methods. He may take each prophetical book separately and examine and analyse its contents sentence by sentence. Or he may trace certain subjects through the Bible as a whole. It would be best to study the books first and subjects afterwards. In dealing with the books, the question of their date has to be considered. They have to be studied, so far as possible, in chronological order and in connection with the history of the times in which they were written. The prophetic books fall into three groups: First, there are those written before the Captivity. In the northern Kingdom of Israel were Jonah, Amos, Hosea and Micah. In the southern Kingdom of Judah were Joel, Isaiah, Obadiah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah and Jeremiah (part). The second group was written during the Captivity. This includes Jeremiah (part), Ezekiel and Daniel. The third group was written after the Captivity and includes Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. The following order of study is the best to begin with: (1) Isaiah, Hosea and Micah, (2) Jeremiah, (3) Daniel and Ezekiel, (4) Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Once we have a general idea of the date of the writer, we can consider the subject matter, characteris tics of each book, and its main subdivisions. Disregarding the divisions into chapters in some cases, study the book in portions according to the nature of their contents. This study will be helped by asking various questions as the Bible is read: What part is history and what prophecy? What part is visionary and what real? What is figurative and what literal? What statements are conditional and what absolute? What parts have been fulfilled since the prophecy was written, either sooner or later, and what still remain unfulfilled? What belongs to the Northern Kingdom of Israel and what to the Southern? What is for Israel and what is for the world at large? Passing from books to subjects, there are certain chapters which may be regarded as keys to prophecy, either because they present a prophetic scheme in outline, or because they call special attention to subjects of special interest. The following are examples:
Genesis 12 - The outline promises made to Abraham and his seed.
Genesis 17 - Covenant confirmed with Abraham.
Genesis 49 - The blessing of the tribes.
Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 - The promises and threats set before the people when they were about to enter Canaan.
Deuteronomy 32 - The prophetic song which gives the scheme of Israel's fall and rising again through all time.
Isaiah ll (tied in with Rom.11) - Christ coming to rule.
Isaiah 13, 14 - The fall of Babylon and the restoration of Israel.
Isaiah 24-27 - The restitution of all things.
Isaiah 53 - The Sin-bearer.
Jeremiah 30, 31 - The return of Israel and the making of a New Covenant.
Jeremiah 50, 51 - The punishment of Babylon.
Ezekiel JS, 39 - The role of Russia and the Asiatics in the latter days.
Daniel 2, 7 - The rise and fall of empires.
Daniel 9 - The Seventy weeks prophecy leading to Christ.
Daniel 11 - Overall prophecy from Alexander the Great to endtime.
Daniel 12 - The endtime.
Hosea 7 - Sin and punishment of Ephraim (Britain).
Micah 4 - Millennium ushered in.
Zechariah 12-14 - The downfall of those who attack Jerusalem.
Malachi 4 - The fate of the wicked.
Matthew 24, 25 - Christ's prophecy concerning the endtime and His second coming.
Romans 9-11 - The prospects for Israel and Gentiles.
Revelation 6 (tied in with Mat.24) - Events preceding Christ's return.
Revelation 11 - Return of Christ.
Revelation 12 - History and future of true Church.
Revelation 13, 17 - History and future of false Church.
Revelation 20-22 - Closing scenes in the world's history.
Arrangement of Prophecies
Knowing the proper arrangement of the prophecies gives a greater understanding of them. Fraser says:
The obscurity of the prophecies arises partly from the language in which they are conveyed, but chiefly from the manner in which they are arranged. The labours of the learned have already thrown so much light on the language of prophecy, that it can be no longer unintelligible to the attentive reader.... The arrangement of the prophecies is not so easy a matter; to bring together the several passages which refer to the same event, so as to view it by their united light (Alexander Fraser, A Key to the Prophecies, pp. 7-8).
The prophets wrote about four main subjects: (l) the nation of Israel, (2) Christ as the promised Messiah, (3) the Gentile nations who come in contact with Israel and (4) the endtime and the establishment of God's government during the Millennium. As Angus says, "The great end and theme of prophecy is CHRIST; either in His person and office, or in the establishment of His kingdom (Joseph Angus, The Bible Handbook, p. 246).
The Millennium
The Millennium is a period which the prophets speak about frequently and give many descriptions. When we see that the prophet is referring to the Millennium, it is a key to open up the meaning of the other events connected with it in the same section of prophecy. From their relation to the Millennium, we can know the general order of events in other prophecies. Base all prophecies in the Old Testament on the summary outline given by Christ in Matthew 24 and the Book of Revelation. The overall outline of prophecy begins with Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28-30. Daniel 2, 4, 7-12 bridge the gap between the Captivity of Israel to our day now. Daniel 2 and 7 with Revelation 17 and 18 fill in endtime details. Revelation 12 and 13 give others. Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 are major prophecies tying in with Revelation 4, 5, 6. This brings a tie in with Revelation 11, 20, 21.
Interpretation of Prophecy
The interpretation of prophecy is important and is governed by certain principles which need to be applied conscientiously if difficulties are to be overcome and errors avoided or corrected. Here are seven important principles: (l) Truth about Israel. Approximately one third of all the Bible is devoted to prophecy — and about 90 percent of all that prophecy still pertains to our day, right now. Many whole books of Scripture, especially in the Old Testament — Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and all the so-called "minor" prophets — are devoted exclusively to prophecy. The prophecies of the Bible have been grievously misunderstood because a vital key, needed to unlock prophetic doors to understanding, had become lost. That key is a definite knowledge of the true identity of the American and British peoples in biblical prophecy. It is the understanding of the fact that the twelve tribes of Israel were divided into two nations called the House or Kingdom of Judah and the House or Kingdom of (ten-tribed) Israel. Prophecies cannot be understood without this key. And since seven-eighths of the entire Bible refer to the literal, social and historical affairs of Israel and Judah, not to understand the distinction between the House of Israel and House of Judah is to misunderstand seven-eighths of the Bible. The very understanding of the differences between the two houses of Israel is the key by which almost the entire Bible becomes intelligible. This key is fully explained in Mr. Armstrong's book, The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy. (2) Chronology. Prophecies are very seldom written in chronological order. Some events are grouped together, but are in actual fact widely separated in time order. The actual frame-work, or super-structure of all the prophecies is found in two prophetic books — Daniel and Revelation. And in the Book of Revelation alone do we find events of the various other prophecies co-related in order of time sequence. It is an index giving the general order of events and their relation to each other. This book is written with a story-flow, relating one future event to another in time order — with occasional insets injected into the continuous story-thread. This is a vital key to understanding a large portion of the other prophecies. See Mr. Armstrong's booklet, Book of Revelation Unveiled at Last, for more details. But God's Plan — His chronological time table — cannot be understood without knowing the meaning of the Holydays. The Holydays mentioned in the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus picture God's Plan for bringing about His purpose. They picture the different epochs in the Plan of spiritual creation. They mark the dispensations and picture their meaning. Mr. Armstrong's booklet, Pagan Holidays — or God's Holydays — Which? explains the meaning of these Holydays. (3) Duality in Prophecy. A duality runs through every phase of God's Plan. There was the physical creation and there is a spiritual one still in process. There was the first Adam — material and earthy. And there is the second Adam — Jesus Christ who was spiritual and from heaven. There was the Old Covenant with material promises and the New Covenant with spiritual aspects. This same dual principle also runs through prophecy. First, there is a former or preliminary fulfillment which is merely a type or forerunner of a second and final climactic fulfillment which is to occur during this crisis at the close (Isa. 41:22 and Eccles. 1:9; 3:15). The events mentioned in the prophecies may have already been fulfilled as a type sometime in the past. But the major fulfillment will take place in this twentieth century — in the next few years. This duality is a master key which unlocks dozens of prophecies. Many prophecies cannot be understood without applying this vital key. (4) New Testament Prophecies. Prophecies which concern the Church must never be confused with those referring to Israel as a nation and the future Kingdom of Israel. This especially applies to the prophecies in the New Testament. (5) Bible Interpretation of Symbols. Prophecy must be first understood as having a literal meaning. It is not always symbolical or figurative. It must be taken literally unless the context or scriptures elsewhere makes it clear that symbolical or figurative language is being used. It is true, of course, that prophecy is often expressed in figurative language. But in all such instances, however, the natural and obvious meaning will be found within the context of the passage itself. Symbols are also often used in prophecy. The book of Revelation especially is filled with symbols. A symbol is something which stands for something else. These symbols are not always shown clearly as to what they represent. God uses symbols to hide the meaning until His time should come for the meaning to be revealed. The Bible is written with "another tongue" (Isa. 28:10-11) — a tongue which uses unknown SYMBOLS. But the Bible always interprets its own symbols. God has to tell us what they mean as only He knows what they represent. God tells us the meaning in plain language in another part of the Bible, if not in the context itself. He uses the same symbolical word and explains clearly what it means there. Therefore, if we don't understand the meaning of a symbolical word, we must look it up in a concordance. We must search for God's own interpretation and never apply our own. As an example, if you want to know what the "great red dragon" in Revelation 12:3 represents, locate the word "dragon" in the concordance. You will find that the word "dragon" also appears in Revelation 12:9 where it says the "great dragon" is called the Devil. Therefore, the "dragon" of verse 3 is the Devil. (6) Context and Parallel Passages. Prophecy, like all other parts of Scripture, must be read in the light of its proper context. The total scheme of prophecy must also be considered. Isolated passages must be studied in relation to other prophecies on the same subject and in the same setting. Several passages of the Old Testament prophecies are quoted and explained in the New Testament. Every passage of this kind is a key to open up the whole section of prophecy connected with it. Since no prophecy is of private (capricious) interpretation (II Pet. 1:20-21), each prediction must be compared with others on the same topic and with history — both secular and Biblical. "Parallel predictions will often throw light upon one another, and recorded fulfillments will explain predictions or parts of predictions still unfulfilled" (Joseph Angus, The Bible Hand-book, p. 246). (7) Language of the Prophets. Girdlestone has well said:
That which makes the language of prophecy so vivid and yet so difficult is that it is always more or less figurative. It is poetry rather than prose. It abounds in peculiar words and expressions which are not usually to be found in prose writings of the same date. It is rich with allusions to contemporary life and to past history, some of which are decidly obscure. The course of individuals, the rise and fall of nations, the prospects of the world at large, are all rapidly portrayed in realistic language. As we read we ask ourselves whether the figures which thus pass over the page in such quick succession are to be interpreted literally or ideally (R. B. Girdlestone, The Grammar of Prophecy, p. 48).
The prophets often speak of the remote future as if it were the present from their point of view (Rom. 4:17). They also sometimes speak of the future as having already happened in the past or use terms for the future that have been borrowed from the past. And when the precise time of individual events was not revealed, the prophets described them as being continuous. They used certain prophetical expressions which have special meaning. The prophet Isaiah frequently uses the expression, "in that day." Whenever he says this, he means the "day of the Lord" — the latter days just before Christ returns (Isa. 2:2, 11-12). "Ye shall know that I am the Lord" is a favorite expression used by Ezekiel. The prophets will give several parallel views of the same period of time. They run over the same events, yet enlarge in one view on events slightly touched in another. At other times, the prophets briefly relate events, and afterwards enlarge on the whole or part of the period to which they are referred. Or sometimes they narrate the series of events briefly, and enlarge only on the concluding events. According to Fraser:
The prophets sometimes stop short in describing the progress of events, and introduce matter which, at first view, appears foreign to the subject. Upon investigation, it will be found that they pause to answer objections which naturally occur from their subject, and are tacitly understood, though not expressed.... At other times the prophets interrupt the detail of events, in order to make a practical application of some important fact foretold; showing the influence it ought to have on those who hear it, but especially on those who see it accomplished, according to their several situations (Alexander Fraser, A Key to the Prophecies, p. 26, 28).
The prophets will also rapidly pass from one event to another. Two events mentioned close together may be thousands of years apart in their fulfillment. Enemies of the Church are described by the prophets as being the same as the former persecutors of Israel. The term Babylon is used to signify Rome which is also described as being Sodom and Egypt. Biblical prophecy can be understood. Daniel said the "wise shall understand" them (Dan. 12:9-10). The way to get wisdom — to come to understand the Bible prophecies — is to first fear and obey Almighty God (Prov. 1:7; 2:6; 9:10). Next, one must learn to respect, to fear, to tremble before the divinely-inspired Word of God — to fear to misapply, to misinterpret, wrest, distort and twist the sacred Word of God (Isa. 66:1-2). Girdlestone put it aptly when he said:
In a word, watchful care and accuracy in dealing with words, fidelity to the text, thorough study of the historical books which set forth God in Providence, an honest determination to be led by the Spirit of Truth and not by a foregone theory — these are the requirements of the man who would deal thoroughly and loyally with the prophetic Scriptures (R. A. Girdlestone, The Grammar of Prophecy, p. 105).
It is only when one has truly come to fear God, to obey God, has repented and received God's Holy Spirit, that true understanding of the prophecies of God can be comprehended (I Cor. 2:14).
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