Where to begin to study prophecy?

[Ed the Ned]

Understanding prophecy has not been one of my strong points and I have dabbled a bit on trying to understand it. There has to be an easier way to begin ones journey into understanding prophecy. Since being on the forum I have noticed many different viewpoints regarding the subject. Could anyone give advice on how to start studying prophecy?

 

[Cornelius]

Obviously you will now get as many views as there are those who study prophecy on the forum

Here is some of what I see: The Old Testament was written with the church in mind. We know this, because God says to us in 1Co 10:11 Now these things (The Old Testament )happened unto them (the Jews) by way of example; and they were written for our (the church) admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.

So we know that hidden within the very words of the Bible , we can find things that are parables that apply to us. Even the prophecies have a spiritual fulfillment. Some prophesies you will see speak directly to Israel and in Romans , Paul tells us who spiritual Israel is at this time: the church. So what physically happened to Israel, you can apply spiritually to spiritual Israel.

Then there is a second major clue that the Lord gives us here :Ecc 1:9 That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: So God is saying that history repeats, which is indeed so. For instance we can look at what happened to the historical cities and nations in the Bible and when we see their names appear again in Revelation, we can know what happened to them physically and then see what will happen in our time spiritually to that, which they represent in our time. (Babylon for instance has a few meanings. Greater and smaller meanings. We are told to come out of her. Obviously not talking about the real city Babylon. In this context there are more than one meaning. One is the apostate religion of our day and the other means the whole world that is not following Christ ) So God speaks in "code" in pictures. He uses things like "mountains" when He speaks about kingdoms. He speaks about "trees", "grass" "sea", when He means people. He calls believers "stars", and likens us to the moon or even the sun, when Christ is manifesting in you.

Animals are normally Gentiles (look at Peter's vision)
Horns are rulers. Heads are Kingdoms. Crowns/diadems are authority and power. Thrones are authority and power as well. Vineyard is a symbol for God's people (we are the vineyard of God) God likens Israel to a Fig tree.

There are so many and if you ask the Lord He will show you how to do this.

Hope that helps a bit
C

 

[Sinthesis]

Understanding prophecy has not been one of my strong points and I have dabbled a bit on trying to understand it. There has to be an easier way to begin ones journey into understanding prophecy. Since being on the forum I have noticed many different viewpoints regarding the subject. Could anyone give advice on how to start studying prophecy?

Cornelius is correct in that there is a lot of figurative language in the Bible. This is key to understanding the meaning of various prophesies. However I would resist trying to apply an interpretation to today's particular circumstances until you have a firm grasp of the original intent of a prophesy. First, study the Old Testament and how prophecy was used by God to proclaim and confirm the truth to the world. Approach the Old Testament as would someone in Jesus' time, and look for meanings whereby any believer over the last 2000yrs could understand something in the same way as you. Yes, history repeats, but the dividing line, the only thing 'new under the sun', is the work of Christ, and he changes everything. This is what makes the New Testament prophesies so much more difficult. Enjoy!

 

[nonbelieverforums]

Understanding prophecy has not been one of my strong points and I have dabbled a bit on trying to understand it. There has to be an easier way to begin ones journey into understanding prophecy. Since being on the forum I have noticed many different viewpoints regarding the subject. Could anyone give advice on how to start studying prophecy?

If you go to my site I have some basic prophecy videos you can watch from three experts who I respect. This should give you a basic handle on the sequence of events.

They are of course of the futurist view. At the top of the videos is an article I just found this morning about the various views of prophecy. This should off set me saying look only at the futurist view and explore other views as well.

http://www.nonbelieverforums.com/forums ... cy-videos/

Vic: I know I am not supposed to give links to personal websites but can we make an exception on this one ??

 

[Vic C.]

LOL, it's in your siggy, you do have over 20 posts and it's in response to a question, so it's all good. :yes We frown upon posting links with the intent of siphoning off members from here to other sites and I know that's not your intention. We also ask that a member have at least 20 posts to show they are an active member and not just here to promote a site. You got that covered too. ;)

 

[GodspromisesRyes]

Yes i agree with what is being said.

I use to have a hard time with it on a serious level but now God opens it up to me greatly. What is most important is to see by the Spirit, to see the OT as a shadow and parable for future prophecy and to understand the bibles symbolism. For instance certian numbers mean certian things always, oil is always the Spirit, seed is the word of God, grass is flesh, water is the word of God and the Spirit unless it is bitter water which is of the world and enemy. old man is fleshly nature etc..... when you learned all these things you will understand the language prophecy is spoken in and then when you learn the parables in the real events in the past you will see the patterns of what is prophecied in the future as history always repeats itself.

 

[Joe67]

Ed, the following two Scriptures will be a help to you as you seek to work out some of the other help offered you by the other brothers here on this thread. These two Scriptures, while being the underlying truth of the Scriptures, are a sample of the historical and spiritual truth revealed through the same words in testimony of the Lord, our God. As you ask God to give you bread in his will and service, he will not give you a serpent. Read and listen. Faith comes by hearing. Watch and see the arm of the Lord. Then you will be given a heart to understand. First the blood, then the water, afterward the spirit of understanding.

Ps 40:6-8
6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. KJV

Heb 10:5-10
5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. KJV

Heb 10:11-14
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.KJV

Joe

 

[brakelite]

Personally I would suggest starting with Daniel 2. The statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream is the foundation of all prophecy associated with the end times. Four consecutive empires from Daniel's time right up to the second coming. Daniel 7 and 8 then repeat the same future history, again starting from the time of Daniel, only enlarging and magnifying certain features.
Symbolism is important. But be consistent. Once the symbol is established as applying to a certain literal thing, don't deviate with a later vision. God remains the same and is consistent with His applications. For example, once you establish that a beast means a kingdom as per the angel's own testimony in Daniel 7, don't be fooled into thinking as many do that the antichrist beast of Revelation means an individual. This kind of changing and altering the symbolic applications can result in confusing interpretations such as trying to understand the woman riding the beast of Rev 17. Is that beast an individual or a kingdom? Is the woman a church or Israel? What makes sense? Can Israel ride upon and control an individual or another kingdom? Can a church however ride upon and control an individual? Or is it a church riding upon a kingdom and controlling the kingdom and being supported by the kingdom? Get the symbolism right, stick to it everywhere, and everything falls into place.

Below are some samples of symbolism you can apply to the book of Daniel and then appreciate history as you compare.
Animals and their Parts

* Horse = Strength and Power in Battle Job 39:19, Psalms 147:10, Proverbs 21:31
* Dragon = Satan or his agency Isaiah 27:1;30:6, Psalm 74:13-14; Rev. 12:7-9; Ezekiel 29:3; Jeremiah 51:34
* Beast = Kingdom/government/political power Daniel 7:17, 23
* Lamb = Jesus/sacrifice John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7
* Lion = Jesus/Powerful King i.e. Babylon Rev. 5:4-9, Jer. 50:43-44, Dan. 7:4,17,23
* Bear = Destructive Power / Medo Persia Proverbs 28:15, 2 Kings 2:23-24, Daniel 7:5
* Leopard = Greece Daniel 7:6
* Serpent = Satan Revelation 12:9; 20:2
* Tongue = Language / Speech Exodus 4:10
* Wolf = Disguised Enemies that hunt in a time of darkness Matthew 7:15
* Dove = Holy Spirit Mark 1:10
* Ram = Medo Persia Daniel 8:20
* Goat = Greece Daniel 8:21
* Horn = King or kingdom Daniel 7:24; 8:5, 21, 22; Zechariah 1:18, 19; Revelation 17:12
* Wings = Speed / Protection / Deliverance Deuteronomy 28:49, Matthew 23:37

# Waters = Inhabited area/people, nations Revelation 17:15
# Mountains = Political or religio-political powers Isaiah 2:2, 3; Jeremiah 17:3; 31:23; 51:24, 25;
# Woman, Pure = True Church Jeremiah 6:2; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-27
# Woman, Corrupt = Apostate church Ezk. 16:15-58; 23:2-21; Hos. 2:5; 3:1; Rev. 14:4; Isaiah 1:21-27; Jeremiah 3:1-3; 6-9

There are a lot more, but that should get you started. God bless.

 

[D4Christ]

Hi Ed,

Have you prayed for guidance yet? Before I start searching scriptures or websites, I always ask YHWH in the name of Yahushua to guide me to scriptures and websites that he wants me to understand. And when I am on websites I pray that only the information He wants me to understand get thru to me. I have an interest in exposing the New Age movement and often end up on decetiful sites that are full of twisted lies. A couple of times I did not pray for protection as I read the 'antichristian' information and became overwhelming nauseous. As soon as I got off the site I was better in minutes.

Persoanally for me, my path into eschatology started with a question about the rapture. I wanted to know why the chruch preached an immenient rapture where people disappeared before your eyes....a view that is not supported by scriptures. This study inevitably leads you into eschatology because you have to understand the 70th week and ultimatey the end times timeline to understand when we are promised to be rescued (raptured) from the wrath of YHWH.

Blessings,
Deirdre

 

[Ed the Ned]

Thanks for all the guidance so far I am taking it all in. Ed

 

[justvisiting]

I think you will find that most of the prophecies of the OT that are important... are cleared up in the NT with more definitive language...and yes the beast is a man...a man of sin. Just an example of what happens when non-literalists go overboard with symbolism.
2 Thessalonians 2:1  ¶Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3  ¶Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
This is the credential that shows who he is
If you read Revelations you will find symbolism, but even that is often explained. There is more than one beast mentioned in Revelation, but the one that is called "the man of sin", that exalts himself above God is mentioned in Rev. 13. His number is 666. The number of a...man.
When I study I don't think specifically in terms of prophecy. I look for key words that may be repeated...ie. day of the Lord, Day of Christ...abomination of desolation...Daniel 12:11  And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
The best thing you can do when studying scripture, is try to get a general jist of what the chapter or even topic is really about. Picking at specific words, without an understanding of the general meaning of the topic is not good..

I am sure the preterists will disagree with everything I have stated...however, the basic premise of studying scripture is ...let scripture interpret scripture. It's not necessary to go into greek lexicons etc. Most non scholar believers end up with more confusion anyway.
I spent two years in Bible College. I don't know everything, the same as anyone else...but be a Berean in your studies. Don't be stubborn... but be discerning and watch for bad doctrine, study scripture and prove what people say...don't just accept it.

 

[justvisiting]

Joe67 gave a good example of what I meant when I wrote about looking for key words. Ps. 40 and Heb 10
Oftentimes, almost the same terminology is used in the NT because the early believers were taught from the OT. Jesus spent 40 days with them after the resurrection, opening the OT scriptures to them.
There was no New Testament at their time...they wrote it. Their writings are still the words that the Holy Spirit gave them.
2 Peter 1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

 

[guysmith]

Hello Ed,

A good place to start is by asking the question; what is the purpose of prophecy? I have found that God has provided escape instructions which, for those who follow these instructions, will be alive at Christ's advent. This, to me, is the purpose of prophecy and those who ignore these instructions will be martyred during the Great Tribulation period.

In Yehoshua,
Guy Smith

 

[Drew]

..however, the basic premise of studying scripture is ...let scripture interpret scripture.

Will you apply this principle to the "end of the world" language in texts like Matthew 24? Will you go to the Old Testament and see how such language has been used to prophecy the fall of Babylon and of Edom, events that have already taken place? Will you therefore realize that just because the end of the world has not happened yet, this is not a good reason to think that the the fulfillment of New Testaement prophecies that contain such language necessarily lie in the future?

 

[justvisiting]

..however, the basic premise of studying scripture is ...let scripture interpret scripture.

Will you apply this principle to the "end of the world" language in texts like Matthew 24? Will you go to the Old Testament and see how such language has been used to prophecy the fall of Babylon and of Edom, events that have already taken place? Will you therefore realize that just because the end of the world has not happened yet, this is not a good reason to think that the the fulfillment of New Testaement prophecies that contain such language necessarily lie in the future?

I know your dogma on preterism. I can only say when you go in with predetermined ideas, that is what you will come out with.
Any text...taken out of context...is a pretext...which requires much proof-texting...because it is really no text at all. The most knowledgable men on scripture, don't have to write erudite epitomes, first because they are in no way confused, secondly, because scripture easily supports what they say.
Your theories to me... are nothing but "the 16 theory of Solomon", which require tomes of scripture, which will never prove anything, because they were all started on the wrong predetermined premise anyway, and required much leaning on ones own understanding.
AS STATED PREVIOUSLY...WE DISAGREE.

 

[veteran]

Get a copy of The Companion Bible, a 1611 KJV Bible that the 19th century Christian scholar E.W. Bullinger put together with tons of real scholar level side margin notes, and around 198 Appendixes that will help show you the terms of figurative speech in God's Word, along with many other key points of both OT and NT prophecy, and with many Massorah notes that exist within the oldest OT manuscripts.

 

[Drew]

I know your dogma on preterism. I can only say when you go in with predetermined ideas, that is what you will come out with.

Please give us the evidence that you have that "I have pre-determined ideas" that I bring to the text?

As an obedient Christian, you would not make such an accusation without evidence - that would be bearing false witness. So please, tell us the evidence you have that this is how I approach the scriptures.

 

[justvisiting]

Get a copy of The Companion Bible, a 1611 KJV Bible that the 19th century Christian scholar E.W. Bullinger put together with tons of real scholar level side margin notes, and around 198 Appendixes that will help show you the terms of figurative speech in God's Word, along with many other key points of both OT and NT prophecy, and with many Massorah notes that exist within the oldest OT manuscripts.

Bullinger was a staunch Dispensationalist. But his form of Dispensationalism is not that of C.I. Scofield or Clarence Larkin. Bullinger, contrary to popular and traditional belief, affirmed that the church of the “One Body†did not actually begin until after Acts 28. Interestingly, this doctrine was one that developed over time, and reached full fruition in a series of articles written during 1911-1913, and published in the periodical “Things to Come.†The articles were later published in book form as “The Lord Hath Spoken: Foundations of Dispensational Truth.â€Â

While not its original purpose, this book really serves as systematic refutation of Preterist theology. Dr. Bullinger was familiar with the arguments put forward by Preterists, and after studying their system he discovered that they had some valid points. Yet after further study, he concluded that they were wrong in placing Christ’s parousia in A.D. 70, as the hope of Israel had already been set aside in Acts 28, and a new parenthetical Dispensation inaugurated. The parousia, once imminent during the Acts period, now lies on the other side of this present Dispensation.
Being as how you wanted to use Bullinger. Seems you beat yourself with your own argument. He also was a hyper-dispensationalist.
Taken from this site: http://antipreterist.wordpress.com/2009 ... bullinger/

No I don't plan on reading him either.

 

[veteran]

I didn't say I agreed with everything Bullinger believed. As a matter of fact, I've yet to meet anyone that I can honestly say I totally agree with, so obviously that's not the point of the excellent work Bullinger did in The Companion Bible, and also other of his works like The Witness To The Stars.

Nor am I a Dispensationalist, though I do agree God's Plan of Salvation has taken progressive periods to unfold. What Christian wouldn't agree that the Old Covenant period was one progression, and the New Covenant another?

Bullinger also fell to the Pre-tribulationalist "secret rapture" idea that sprang from his era, but I believe in a post-tribulation coming of Christ.

The fact that many disagree with certain doctrines Bullinger accepted, but still declare the excellent work he did within The Companion Bible, a 1611 KJV study Bible, should raise interest, for I know many post-tribulationists that have benefited much in their own Bible study from the work he did in The Companion Bible. It's pretty easy to know when Bullinger is staying within scholarly facts from archaeological evidence vs. men's traditions like the "secret rapture". Also, there's no other study Bible out there which has the rich Massorah notes in the Old Testament part of The Companion Bible.