VIII. Understanding OT PROPHECY

     While Israel considered all of those who God had spoken to/thru as "Prophets" (former/pre-canonical vs. Latter/canonical), the Biblical "Prophets" refer to the Four Major writing prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel) and 12 "minor" prophets. Major/minor refer only to the relative size of their writings, not the importance of the ministries.  Their ministries fell between 800-400 B.C.  Along with the "writing" prophets, the OT Historical narratives mention at least two dozen other "prophets" which God sent to speak to Israel.

The Nature of Prophecy

     Our difficulty with the Prophetic literature usually relates to misunderstandings about their function and form.  Popularly, “prophecy” is equated with “predicting the future” and then only in regard to the 2^nd Coming.  This is simply a false concept.  It is fostered by TV preachers and paperback theology writers who are obsessed with dispensationalism and attempt to “proof-text” current events as “signs of Christ’s return,” but ignore literary context in doing so.  As an example, Jack van Impe has cited Nahum 2:4 as a prediction of automobiles in the streets of Jerusalem at the time of Christ’s return.  He also chopped the phrase “war in heaven” out of Revelation 12:7 and claimed that the Bible predicts “satellite warfare” between the United States and Russia at the time of Christ’ return.  Billy Graham cited “naked” in Revelation 3:17 as a prediction of 20^th century immorality as a sign of the nearness of Christ’s return.  Such “prophecy interpretations” are, simply, irresponsible and evidence of poor scholarship.  No wonder much of what some end times enthusiasts believe never comes to pass - God has NOT failed on His promises, but men have badly twisted and misused His Word to endorse their own goofy ideas.

     The modern reader is far-removed from the original historical/cultural setting of the Prophets.  The Hebrew and Greek terms for which the English word “prophecy” is used refer forth-telling a word from the Lord.  A Prophet (nabi) was a mouthpiece/one who spoke for another, hence YHWH’s prophets are those sent by Him to speak for Him.  There were prophets of God who left writings and those who did not, there were a few prophetesses, and Israel had some major troubles with false prophets (men who claimed to be God’s spokesmen, but had not been sent or commissioned by Him).

     The vast bulk of Old Testament prophetic writings were aimed at the spiritual problems of Israel in the Prophet’s own time.  Thus, their main task was to “afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted.”  A much smaller element, and often missing altogether was “prediction” for a future situation (usually the near-future of Israel or a neighboring nation about to be judged).

     The major problem with much popular “prophecy interpretation” is that it is viewed as always being "foretelling" or "predictive."  Consider that: (1) less than 2% of O.T. prophecy is Messianic, (2) less than 5% of O.T. prophecy describes the New Covenant Age, and (3) less than 1% concerns events yet to come.  Old Testament historical narratives tell us about the Prophets and what they did, while the Prophetic Oracles (Prophetic books) give us God's message through the prophets.

The Prophetic Ministry

     While the modern image of a Biblical prophet is some loony guy standing on a street corner with a sign proclaiming “the end of the world is at hand,” this is not an accurate picture of what most of God’s spokesmen were like.  Neither Moses (Exodus 3-4) nor Jonah (Jonah 1:1-3) were anxious to go where God wanted to send them and tried to avoid the mission.  Amos does not sound like he wanted to be a prophet either, but was doing what God told him to do (Amos 7:14-15).  Isaiah was willing to go, but admits his sin in comparison with God’s holiness (Isaiah 6).

     Most of the Prophets were sent to Israel to encourage the nation to repent and stay within the will of God - to be a godly nation, from which the Messiah could arise.  When Israel turned away from YHWH and followed the religious beliefs and practices of their heathen neighbors, the prophets were sent to “call them back” (2Chronicles 35:15-16; Jeremiah 7:25).

     First of all, the Prophets identified Israel’s sins[1] and called them to repentance.  Daniel did the same with the Babylonian ruler, Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:26-27), who did a better job of listening and submitting to God’s purposes than Israelites tended to do!

     Second, when Israel did not repent, the Prophets “brought charges” against Israel for breach of covenant (Isaiah 1:18; Hosea 4:1-3; 12:2; Micah 6:1-2).  Witnesses were called in[2] and punishment assessed as a “sentence” (2Kings 17:22-23).

     Third, the later prophets had to explain that Jerusalem’s fall to Babylon was not evidence of the superiority of Babylonian gods over YHWH, but was punishment for Israel’s covenant violations brought on by YHWH Himself (Isaiah 10:5-12; Jeremiah & Lamentations).

     The Prophets had a number of literary devices that they could use: (1) the lawsuit (Isaiah 3:13-26; Hosea 3:3-17; 4:1-19), (2) the "Woe" oracle that usually included an announcement of distress, the reason for the distress, and a prediction of doom (Habakkuk 2:6-8; Revelation 8:13-11:19), (3) the "Promise/Salvation" motif - "In that day..." pictures some kind of radical change (Amos 9:11-15), and (4) the repeated theme/principle statement (Jeremiah 5:9,29; 9:9; Amos 1:3,6,9,11,13; 2:1,4,6).  Similar to the forms of proverbs, the Prophets used poetic parallelism: synonymous (Isaiah 44:22), antithetical (Hosea 7:14), and synthetic (Obadiah 21).

The Old Testament Prophets and the Future

     It was NOT the OT prophets' primary task to predict the distant future.  Most of the future they predicted is now long past.  They spoke in the context of Israel's relatively immediate future, not OUR future!

     Daniel predicted things from his time (ca. 606-536 B.C.) down to 70 A.D. and the second fall of Jerusalem and Temple in 70 A.D.  From Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah, Israel had a pretty good idea of what to expect as they awaited the Messiah’s appearance: Four kingdoms would rule the Middle East (Daniel 2 & 7) and the Messiah would appear during the time of the fourth kingdom, specifically 483 years after the official decree to restore Jerusalem, after which the Messiah would be killed, Temple offerings would cease, and Jerusalem and Temple would be destroyed (Daniel 9:24-27).  Daniel 8 foretold things to occur about 430 years in the future from Daniel’s time and these things were associated with the “time of the end” (8:17,19) – but the end of what?  Apparently, the end of the Old Testament covenant era.

     Hosea predicted that Israel would have to go without a sacrifice for awhile, idolatry would finally be absent, and the Davidic royal line would cease for awhile, but the promised Messianic king of David’s line would come (Hosea 3:3-5).  Essentially, Hosea was looking beyond the Intertestamental era to Messiah’s first coming.

     Ezekiel foretold that Judah would be restored from Babylonian exile, dwell peacefully for many years, then be assaulted later on and eventually drive the invaders out (Ezekiel 36-39).  Ezekiel was predicting that, following the Babylonian era, Israel would enjoy 200 years of peace under Persian rule (536-336 B.C.), then be assaulted by the Syrian Greeks under Antiochus IV (170-142 B.C.).

     Messianic Prophecy - As for the Messiah, Israel had enough information to know such things as when to expect Him (from Daniel 2 & 9), the place of His entrance as a child (Micah 5:2; Isaiah 7:14), that He would have divine attributes (Isaiah 9:6-7), that He would be rejected/ suffer/ die/ be exalted (Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12), a new covenant would be established (Jeremiah 31:31-34), and Temple offerings would cease and then Jerusalem and its Temple would be destroyed (Daniel 2 & 9:24-27), and that His blessings would first come to Israel and then spread to the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:5-6).  There are some other things, but the central focus of Old Testament prophecy was the Old Testament period down to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and NOT the 2^nd Coming.  This “first coming” emphasis for Old Testament prophecy was clearly taught by Jesus and the Apostles - Luke 18:31-33; 24:25-27,44-47; Acts 3:18-26; 13:27-33; 1Peter 1:10-12; Revelation 19:10.

     Secondary Meanings? - There is no "law of double fulfillment"!  There is nothing in Biblical prophecy that dictates “multiple” fulfillment for prophecy.  The closest I can come to a “double fulfillment” is Isaiah 7:14, which obviously applied to a baby soon to be born in Isaiah’s time (Isaiah 7:10 - 8:4) and also to the later birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:22-23).  However, rather than double fulfillment, the only part of Isaiah’s prophecy that applies to Jesus is the special sense in which God actually was with us through the incarnation, while the bulk of Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 7:10 – 8:4) pertains to something about to happen in Israel during Isaiah’s lifetime.  Beyond that, and especially in 2^nd Coming matters, I doubt that there are any “double fulfillments” yet to come.

The Interpretation of Prophetic Writings

     Since the Old Testament Prophets were, primarily, addressing their own generation, be sure you know the time of the prophet and the historical setting.  Crucial to understanding the Prophets is to understand the general flow of Israel’s history – {1} the divided Monarchy period (931-722 B.C.), {2} Judah’s last century after Assyria had taken the northern kingdom away until the Babylonians came to destroy Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple (722-586 B.C.), {3} Judah’s 70-year period of exile in Babylon (can be divided three ways: Babylonian influence 609-539 B.C. / exiles in Babylon 606-536 B.C. / Temple desolation 586-516 B.C.), and {4} Israel’s post-exilic period to the coming of John and Jesus (536-4 B.C.).

     The prophetic books are not, generally, a single oracle, but a collection of several given at different times.  Example - if you read Ezekiel 36-48, be sure to note that this is NOT one long oracle, but is really two, with a clearly defined break at 40:1.

     It is always possible to "misread" prophecies that are unfulfilled or which have a historical fulfillment that we are not aware of for the simple reason that what we expect or imagine meaning or a fulfillment that does not match God's intentions (see: Matthew 16:21-23; Acts 13:27).  Another common reason for prophetic confusion lies in the inability to distinguish two distinct elements in prophecy itself - the message for the Prophet's own time (Isaiah 58:1; Micah 3:7,8; Jeremiah 23:22; Daniel 3:16-18; 4:26,27) as opposed to predictions of things to come (Amos 3:7; Isaiah 46:10).  The problem is compounded by teachers who define "prophecy" as predictions of things to occur at the end of the world, because "predictions of the future" are only one element of prophecy and not everything which is in the Prophet's "future" is necessarily still future for us - some of the Prophet's "future" may now be in our past!

     It is an undeniable fact that some predictions ARE often misunderstood and their fulfillments missed (John 1:10-11).  One of the prime reasons for this is tied to the erroneous expectations/teaching that become popular at times (Matthew 16:21-23; Luke 24:25- 27; Acts 3:17).  We find such being mentioned in connection with Paul (Acts 22:3; Galatians 1:14; 1Tim. 1:13) and the religious leaders in Jerusalem (Acts 3:17; 13:27).  We see this same problem in our own time as multitudes zealously cling to notions such as the supposed orthodoxy of salvation by "faith alone," when the only Biblical occurrence of the phrase denies justification “by faith alone” (James 2:24).

     In the area of "prophecy," we encounter popular discussion of numerous phrases with little resemblance between the current notions and the original, contextual meaning of the phrases.  One often hears of "the signs of the times" in reference to things allegedly pointing to the return of Christ, although the only Biblical context for the phrase (Matthew 16:1-4; cf. Luke 12:56) is referring to the many evidences credentialing Jesus as Messiah in his first coming that Jewish leaders’ of that time were unable to recognize.  What are we to make of Billy Graham preaching a sermon on "the signs of the coming kingdom," when Jesus plainly said that the kingdom was NOT coming with observable "signs" (Luke 17:20-21 NAS).  We hear all kinds of elaborate schemes about "antichrist" being a single, end-time world leader who will control Europe and start WWIII, but the only Biblical occurrences of the term describe numerous first-century apostates and false prophets who denied the Father and Son (1John 2:18-22; 4:1-3; 2John 7).  Beware the human ability to take Biblical words and phrases out of their Biblical context and then build these into theories and doctrines that have little apparent connection with Biblical teaching.  Be certain that doctrines are derived FROM Scripture, rather than READ INTO Scripture!

     Below are some simple suggestions for developing a better understanding of the Bible and its prophetic "mysteries."  First, collect everything on a given topic (ex. "kingdom of God", "Israel," "antichrist", etc.) in the Bible (noting context, covenant, dispensation, etc.) before theorizing or interpreting passages in Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, or the Revelation according to some theoretical scenario that you have already embraced.  .  Second, always allow the Prophet to explain his own symbolism/ prophecy (Daniel 2,7,8; Revelation 1:20; 17:15-18).  Third, always allow the NT to interpret the OT, where it does.  If you regard Jesus and apostles as inspired by God to be the "foundation" of the New Covenant (Ephesians 2:19,20), then let them explain the OT to us as they claim to be authorized to do!  Fourth, use an Exhaustive Concordance to locate all the places in Scripture where a word/phrase appears and draw conclusions or form your theology only AFTER you have found everything that the Bible actually says about it!

     What is the "mystery" of Revelation 10:7?  To begin with, try looking up the word "mystery" in your concordance and see if the rest of the NT can give you any insights (cf. Romans 16:25-26; 1Corinthians 2:1-8; Ephesians 3:1-11; Colossians 1:25-28).

     What is "the Great City" in the Book of Revelation (16:19; 17:18; 18:10)?  First, collect everything in the book of Revelation about “the great city” and the Harlot.  Second, use your concordance to collect and examine all of the prophetic references to a city as a “harlot” in the OT.  Consider Revelation 11:8 and what the rest of the NT writings says about what famous city is known for murdering Prophets and saints.

     When studying a difficult passage, always be on the lookout for other passages that may be referring to the same thing in different terms (caution: be careful not to equate things that have similarities but also distinctive differences).  Always consider parallel accounts of the same thing which use different words, for one may clarify/explain the other or show what is the intent/emphasis (ex. Matthew 24:15-22 & Luke 21:20-24).  Refrain from dogmatizing your present conclusions on difficult issues, for you may learn some new facts later and have to eat your old view in favor of a revised one.  Jesus had to deal with a group of "prophecy-interpreters" who were sure they had it all figured out, but failed to recognize their Messiah or God's intentions (John 2:18- 22; Matthew 16:21-23; Acts 13:27).

     There is a simple way to know when at least some predictive prophecy has been fulfilled - examine later revelation for inspired declarations of fulfillment.  Here are some examples.

     1) God’s promise to Abraham, that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5; 22:17) and sand of the seashore (Genesis 22:17) was fulfilled by the time of Solomon (Deuteronomy 1:10; 10:22; 26:5; 1Kings 4:20)

     2) God’s promise that Israel would possess all of the Promised Land (Genesis 15:18-21; Josh.1:1-6) was fulfilled long before Jesus came the first time (Joshua 11:23; 21:43-45; 1Kings 4:21; 8:56; 2Chronicles 9:26; Nehemiah 9:7-8,24)

     3) God promised that Israel would be dispersed/re-gathered from their land for disobedience (Leviticus 26:33-45; Deuteronomy 28:15ff; Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos) and this was fulfilled in the exile to/return from Babylon (606 - 516 B.C.; see: Daniel 9:7-13; Nehemiah 1:7,8; Zechariah 7:8-14; 8:9,13,15).

     4) David predicted a conspiracy against the Lord and His Anointed One, although God would install His Messianic king anyway and then warn the nations to “honor the Son” before He returned in judgment (Psalm 2), which the Apostles understood to be fulfilled in the first coming of Jesus (Acts 4:24-28)

     5) Joel (2:28-32) predicted the eventual outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon “all flesh” (Jews & Gentiles), which the Apostle Peter declared to be fulfilled in connection with the events of Pentecost and what followed (Acts 2:16-21).

     6) Amos predicted that, after the return from Babylon, God would restore the “fallen booth of David” and then all the nations would participate in God’s blessings (9:11-12), which James saw as fulfilled with the first coming of Jesus and the subsequent income of believing Gentiles from Paul’s first missionary journey into Asia Minor (Acts 15:13-19).

     7) Matthew’s Gospel cites many prophecies fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus (Matthew 1:22-23; 2:15,17f; 3:3; 4:14; 21:1-5; etc.)

     8) Malachi (4:5-6) predicted that an “Elijah” would come before the great and terrible day of the Lord.  While some prophecy buffs, obsessed with the 2^nd coming, think this is yet to come, I find the words of the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:11-20) and Jesus (Matthew 11:7-15; 17:10-13) convincing that this prophecy has already been fulfilled in John the baptizer!

     Some prophecies had time limits within themselves, so that you can find a fulfillment simply on the basis of the historical limits.  The prophecies of Daniel (2,7,8,9) were tied to a progression of four empires to rule the Middle East from Daniel's time to the first coming of Messiah, with no "church-age gaps" hinted at so you "stretch" the prophecies to refer instead to the second coming.  Jesus limited the arrival time for the messianic kingdom to the lifetime of his hearers (Mark 9:1).  Only those with previously embraced prophetic scenarios to protect will be confused by such material.

     Consideration of historical perspective will offer possibilities for other prophecies, such as the Seleucid-Maccabean struggles of 170-142 B.C. for Ezekiel 36-39 and the triumphal entry, destruction of Jerusalem, and Turkish occupation for Ezekiel 43:1-4 and 44:1,2.  Hosea 3:3-5 seems to be looking to the Intertestamental era and first coming of Jesus.  Consider the later use of such phrases as the "Last Days" (Isaiah 2:1-4; cf. Acts 2:16-17; 1Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 1:1-2; Hebrews 9:26; 1Peter 1:20) and the "New Heaven and Earth" (Isaiah 11:6-9; 65:17-25; 66:22; cf. 2Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1f).

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Charles E. McCoy

3/13/2006

Email Chuck at: chuck@severnchristian.org