Chapter 1 - Introduction
Perhaps some of you are thinking this is an odd question. But due to a fundamental misunderstanding of this word many have been misled, or perhaps as a result of some Christian person or group being overbearing regarding prophecy, have decided to discount the subject entirely. Therefore we need to start with the basics, starting with the word itself. In the English language, the word ‘prophecy’ essentially refers to a prediction. That is also mostly true for the words translated as ‘prophecy’, ‘prophet’ or ‘prophetess’ in the Bible, for example:
Hebrew verb ‘nāḇā’,[1] to predict, to speak by inspiration.
Hebrew noun ‘neḇû’āh’,[2] a prophetic word.
Hebrew noun ‘nāḇiy’,[3] a prophet, an inspired spokesman.
Hebrew noun ‘neḇiy’āh’,[4] a prophetess.
Aramaic verb ‘neḇā’,[5] to predict, to speak by inspiration.
Aramaic noun ‘neḇû’āh’,[6] a prophetic word.
Aramaic noun ‘neḇiy’,[7] a prophet, an inspired spokesman.
Greek noun ‘prophētēs’,[8] a prophet, to tell beforehand.
Greek adjective ‘prophētikós’,[9] words spoken by a prophet.
Greek noun ‘prophētis’,[10] a prophetess, to tell beforehand.
But that is only one element of the use of the term in the Bible, perhaps more importantly we need to next look at is context. Regarding prophets, we find in Scripture that there were prophets of God and there were false prophets. How were the people to know who were speaking for God and who were not? God instructed His people to kill any prophet that claimed to speak for Him whose words did not come true. We read, “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:20-22, see also Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Jeremiah 28:9) We can see the connection of prophecy, namely the ability to speak the truth of something future, to the authentication of the person as a true spokesperson for God.
Prophets were authenticated as being sent from God by informing their audience about a future event. Since God alone knows the future in precise accuracy, when a person proclaims something (typically supernatural or unusual) and it comes true, their audience can accept the message as coming from God. So we can see that there are two major components to a God-given prophecy, one being the ‘event’ that comes true to qualify them as a prophet, and secondly, the message God wants to convey to those people.
You’re probably thinking it wouldn’t take much effort and thought to come up with some predictable event for someone to fake a message, while undoubtedly true, remember that a death sentence awaits them if they’re wrong. Apparently some did try and failed, but many did succeed, as false teaching remains a problem today.
Understanding that only God knows the future, seeing prophecy in the Bible that was fulfilled exactly as prophesied, gives evidence that our Bible comes from God. Written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit. This authentication is often referred to as the “Signature of God.” Just as kings used to impress their signet rings into wax on scrolls to authenticate the message as coming from them, God uses prophecy as proof the message of Scripture is from Him.
Once a prophet is ‘authenticated’ as being a spokesperson for God through some immediate or near-immediate fulfillment of prophecy, God can use them to announce any number of distant prophecies. Including those that may be fulfilled way beyond their lifetime. Prophecies can be fulfilled in minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years or even centuries later.
Many people miss the most important component when they study Biblical prophecy and that is the message itself, which typically has three parts: 1) who it is from, 2) who it is addressed to, and 3) the information being conveyed.
The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies, most of which have been fulfilled, giving strong evidence of the Bible’s origin. But there are still a significant number of prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled. Today there are many Christians that are fixated on the subject of prophecy, spending most of their time on the event that is to occur rather than the message being conveyed. When the message is ignored and emphasis is given to just the prophecy’s prediction and fulfillment, the purpose of the prophecy is largely lost.
What Makes the Bible Different?
If someone were to ask you, “What makes the Bible different than all other writings?” How would you answer that? There are two primary responses Christians typically state to that question, the first being that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, or the person doesn’t know and has no answer. While it is true that the Bible is the Word of God, that response offers little to no evidence of its validity. Unbelievers are typically unimpressed and often then offer the retort, “Prove it!”
The Bible can be demonstrated as being historically accurate, archeologically proven, and a source of invaluable wisdom, but those arguments fail to demonstrate that God is the source. As discussed above, accurately fulfilled prophecy authenticates the Bible as coming from God. No other religion addresses, nor any other religious leader has spoken of events that have been accurately predicted. Prophecy is what makes the Bible different. In this book we will look at both fulfilled prophecy and yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecy, along with a review of the messages associated with those prophecies.
The concept of deism acknowledges the existence of God (or some supreme being) that created all things, but that supernatural entity does not interact with that creation. To a deist everything was ‘set into motion’ and then essentially abandoned. Deists also believe that God will not interact with humans and certainly will not intervene in times of difficulty, calamity, disaster, or respond to any form of prayer. The Bible disproves that concept repeatedly as prayer is answered and prophets were sent to convey divine blessings, instructions, judgments and wisdom. Biblical prophecy alone disproves deism. Throughout Scripture God has certainly interacted and intervened with humans, and that interaction continues today.
Understanding that God desires all humans to come to Him (see 1 Timothy 2:1-6; 2 Peter 3:9), but wants them to choose without compulsion (no mandates, obligation or undue persuasion). This would require an eternal God to interact with a finite existence without any drama (like something outrageous that would automatically instill humanity’s worshiping response). If God was to suddenly ‘pop’ into His creation and say “Hi,” the result would probably drive the observers to their knees or lower. Prophecy is given to men and women so that God can communicate with His creation without the experience turning into something that becomes more important than the message.
In Search of the Proper Interpretation of Prophecy
The interpretation of any Biblical prophecy requires the same discipline of any serious Bible study. Commentators and theologians that study the Word of God recognized the need to be consistent in the way words and word context are interpreted, especially since the Bible was written under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So several processes have been developed through the years to help guide Scriptural interpretation: Here is a quick summary of three of those processes: 1) Hermeneutics - In Christianity it refers to the process of knowing how to properly and consistently interpret the Bible (see 2 Timothy 2:15); 2) Exegesis - An important component of hermeneutics (pronounced ex-e-ge-sis), just as the name implies (based on the Greek word ‘ek’[11] for ‘out’ or ‘out of’) it provides the basic rules that are used to closely examine each verse with the goal of finding the proper interpretation out of the definition, meaning and context of the text; and 3) Expositional Constancy - Another component of hermeneutics where the meaning of a word is generally defined by its first use in the Bible and that definition remains consistent throughout Scripture.
We must always remember Peter’s warning, “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:19-21) This warning is often overlooked as many false teachers and theologians gain notoriety through fanciful interpretations which can innocently mislead others. All of which underscores the need for prayer for discernment and understanding prior to reading the Bible!
With that being said, we need to face the reality that within Christianity there is no unity as to how to interpret Scripture, let alone Biblical prophecy. Why? Sadly, the answer is very convoluted and unnecessarily complicated and probably would require a separate book, perhaps more than one, to review all the reasons why. We will examine a few of the issues in the following “Warning - Controversy Ahead!”
A controversy is not just a simple disagreement of what is considered to be true, its roots go far deeper than that. A controversy typically stems from a long-held opinion or belief that is being challenged. Often emotionally defended and passionately debated.
Everybody has a worldview[12] that is unique to them, and through the ‘process’ of their worldview they decide what is true and what is not. When it comes to theology or more specifically, Biblical prophecy, most believers are influenced by two major factors: 1) presuppositions, and 2) their theological background (which can be the source of those presuppositions).
A presupposition can be defined as something understood and assumed to be true prior to a discussion, a debate, or similar course of action. There are common presuppositions that come into play everyday, such as when someone hands something to read to someone else, they presuppose that the person can read. Or when someone sits down in a chair they presuppose that the chair can handle their weight. But when it comes to what we believe to be true spiritually, these examples become superficial in comparison as they do not convey the serious nature of a presupposition that can influence how we think. For example, if we believe there is no alien life from other planets, then it is likely that when someone suggests otherwise, the subject is dismissed. The same dismissal can occur in our thinking about God, for example, if we believe God is incapable of doing something or that He is limited in any way, then that presupposition acts as a barrier to the truth and prevents us from believing that God is truly omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient.
Today, nearly two-thousand years after Jesus returned to heaven, it would be an understatement that Christianity has become splintered. While the gospel message is simple, the theological differences between churches, denominations, ministries, and Christians, can be significant. If a person is brought up in a particular belief (or way of thinking) they are likely going to defend that point of view with great zeal. Many long-dead theologians have developed and written their interpretation of Scripture that many people have followed and hold true. As these writings provide guidance, they often become the primary source for their teaching, preaching, and worship. We need to remember that since some of these writings are contradictory to each other, they all can’t be true. Which ones, if any, are true? Sadly, due to the fact that these theologians are now dead, very few leaders are willing to review and change if necessary. We further need to remember that the only book that will matter when we die is the Bible. At that time we will not be able to point to some other person and say, “I believe in what they wrote,” we need to have an understanding of what is true based on our own thinking. The question we need to ask ourselves is, are we willing to risk your eternal destination on someone else’s ideas?
If your theological beliefs require ignoring any portion of Scripture, needs to be unfoundedly allegorized, or depends on the use of a different document to decipher, please pray before continuing to read. Ask the Holy Spirit to grant you discernment, as the study of prophecy, especially end-time prophecy, can result in the ‘tail’ wagging the ‘dog’. The idiom, “the tail wagging the dog,” refers to a situation where something or someone is being controlled or manipulated by a less important entity, often a group or person that would not normally be in control. Here, in this illustration, we are looking at the tail representing the ‘rear’ of time relating to eschatology, the study of end times. Placing the study at the “rear end” of theology (literally true in the case of the book of Revelation as it is at the end of the Bible). It seems that many theologies and Biblical interpretations begin with an analysis of eschatology instead of from the beginning of Scripture. For example, if your theology doesn’t allow for a thousand year reign of Jesus on earth, then that theology needs to account for any prophecies that haven’t occurred yet. Everything in the Bible needs to fit, portions of Scripture cannot be ignored or left out as being superfluous.
Prediction Verses Confirmation
It would be an understatement to say that the subject of Biblical prophecy is very popular, as indicated by the vast number of books published. Some books examine Scriptural text, like this one, to determine what God said and meant, while others look ‘underneath’ the text in search of clues. It should not surprise anyone to see that below the surface of the Bible is an amazing world of its own. What does that mean? To understand we should first try an experiment. Write a few sentences or a paragraph that has the total number of words divisible by seven, the number of letters divisible by seven and the number of vowels and consonants divisible by seven. Go ahead try it, not so easy is it? Thanks to scholars like Dr. Ivan Panin (1855-1942), who discovered the heptadic (sevenfold) structure of the Bible, we know that the Bible is far more complicated than a collection of stories. If anyone ever wanted to create anything similar, the structure alone would require the use of several very powerful computers. The sevenfold nature of the Bible is only one of many elements that comprise its structure. The more one “scratches the surface” or uses the latest software to dig into Scripture, the more one discovers that there is even more detail beyond what has already been discovered. Somewhat akin to peeling a large onion! But in this case, one really big and never-ending onion. A complexity one should expect from the Word of God.
Scholars and theologians have spent many a lifetime investigating and studying the Bible’s composition and structure. Often attempting to track down the answers to life’s puzzles, predict the future, or perhaps find that “elusive secret.” God’s Word has been dissected and placed under a microscope from the beginning. Some look to find answers (Dr. Panin became a believer as attested in his book, “The Structure of the Bible: A Proof of the Verbal Inspiration of Scripture,” published in 1891), while others look to find vindication (or errors). Regardless of the reason, we need look at an old, but wise idiom, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater!” (derived from a German proverb that was even quoted by Martin Luther) Which means, do not discard something invaluable when trying to get rid of something believed to be unusable or bad. We can adapt it here to mean, don’t get so involved with the inner workings of the Bible to the point you miss the message! But with that said, there is a potentially greater problem with using Bible prophecy to predict the future. While in some cases it is possible to be fairly accurate in a prediction, that is not the role of Biblical prophecy. Confirmation that the message came from God is the primary purpose of prophecy, not to predict events. There may be times when a prediction will be inevitable, but just like one studying the “inner workings” of the Bible to the point of neglecting the message, we can do the same when searching the Bible for things to predict.
Is the number seven significant to God? The quick answer would be an absolute yes! Although there is no direct passage or verse in the Bible that clearly states why, it is nonetheless clear that by the use of the number seven, not only found in the structure of the Bible as discussed above, it also appears to convey the concept of completion. What does that mean? In the Bible many of the lists of various things, events, people, etc., we find that the count often adds up to seven, representing a ‘complete’ set. What does completion represent? In simple terms it means that the plan, design, or intent is done, finished. In God’s eyes the number seven represents His perfection, both the Hebrew (‘tāmiyd’)[13] and the Greek (‘téleios’)[14] words translated as ‘perfect’, convey the concept of completion. When God is done with something or someone, they are perfect. Just as every believer is made perfect through the blood of Jesus.
To properly understand the Old Testament there are few concepts that readers should understand before studying the Word of God, here are two important points to consider.
Tetragrammaton
In the Genesis 2:4 we are introduced to what is known as the proper name of God, as it is thought to have been formally given to Moses at the burning bush, as it is a derivation of the phrase, “I AM WHO I AM,” (see Exodus 3:14). The name is represented by the Hebrew letters ‘yod’ (‘Y’), ‘he’ (‘H’), ‘waw’ (‘W”) and ‘he’ (‘H”), 'YHWH'.[15] Many refer to it as the Tetragrammaton (a term that simply means a word consisting of four letters). Tradition tells us that any reference to God was so highly regarded and respected (see Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 28:58) that any reference to God should only be written without vowels and never be spoken. Since the ancient Hebrew alphabet did not have any vowels (all 22 letters being consonants, a form of abjad writing), the vowel sounds were never written, so no one knows how to properly pronounce the name (the language now includes vowel markers to aid in understanding and vocalization).
Scholars through the years have developed several pronunciations of the name including ‘Jehovah’, ‘Yehovah’, ‘Yahweh’, ‘Yehōyāh’, etc. The name can be found nearly 7,000 times in the Old Testament. Most English language Bibles simply use the word ‘LORD’ in all capital letters instead of attempting to translate or transliterate His proper name. However, when the text reads 'Lord' (with only the first letter capitalized) it typically represents the Hebrew word 'Adonai’, referring to God being Lord, and when all letters are lowercase it applies to a human lord or master.
There is another variation of the Tetragrammaton found in the Masoretic Text (first Old Testament Hebrew text compiled with vowel sounds), same Hebrew letters, but potentially different pronunciation, it is most often translated as ‘GOD’ (all caps).[16] The shortened version ‘Yah’[17] (or the letters ‘yod’ and ‘he’) is seen over 70 times in the Old Testament, this two-letter Hebrew name is typically found in poetry, while most often translated and depicted as “LORD’, it can be found transliterated as ‘Yah’ in some Bible versions.
It is interesting to note that there remains significant discussion whether the third letter should be called a ‘vav’ or a ‘waw’ (depicted as ‘YHVH’), a consonant, picking up a ‘V’ sound, instead of the double ‘U’ or ‘W’ sound (making it a vowel). The discussion is fueled by something Josephus wrote when he was describing the Jewish High Priest’s headpiece: “A miter also of fine linen encompassed his head, which was tied by a blue ribbon, about which there was another golden crown, in which was engraven the sacred name [of God]; it consists of four vowels.”[18]
Anytime there is visible appearance of God in the Old Testament in a tangible form, it is considered a theophany. Some examples include Genesis 12:7-9; 18:1-33; 32:22-30; Exodus 3:2-4:17; 24:9-11 and Deuteronomy 31:14-15. While some visible forms include sights like a cloud by day or a pillar of fire at night, some appear more human like, and are considered a Christophany (see Genesis 16:7; 18:1; 22:9-14; 28:13; 32:24-31; 48:13-16; Exodus 3:2; 24:9-11; Numbers 22:22-35; Joshua 5:13-15), these would be pre-incarnation visits of Jesus. Since Jesus has always existed and is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (see John 8:58; Hebrews 13:8; Revelation 1:4, 8), we know that He has always existed, not just since the day of His earthly birth, as recorded in the gospels. The apostle John explains, “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” (John 1:18, NIV)
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 5012.
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 5016.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 5030.
[4] Strong’s Hebrew 5031.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 5013. Note: Aramaic words of the Bible are included in Strong’s list of Hebrew words.
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 5017.
[7] Strong’s Hebrew 5029.
[8] Strong’s Greek 4396.
[9] Strong’s Greek 4397.
[10] Strong’s Greek 4396.
[11] Strong’s Greek 1537.
[12] See “What is a Worldview” in the Appendix.
[13] Strong’s Hebrew 8548.
[14] Strong’s Greek 5046.
[15] Strong’s Hebrew 3068.
[16] Strong’s Hebrew 3069
[17] Strong’s Hebrew 3050.
[18] Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987). The works of Josephus: complete and unabridged (p. 708). Hendrickson.