Creekside Church, Sunday, February 20, 2022
The Nature of Biblical Prophecy
Locations & Times
Creekside Church
660 Conservation Dr, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4, Canada
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, I make known the end from the beginning from ancient times, what is still to come.”
Isaiah 46:9-10 NIV
THREE CATEGORIES OF PROPHECY
ACCORDING TO THEIR FULFILLMENT
FULFILLED PROPHECIES:
Some of the prophecies stated in the bible have already been fulfilled in history since their announcement.
• The first coming of Christ.
* He was to be born in Bethlehem according to (Micah 5:2)
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
* He was to be a descendant of King David (2 Samuel 7:12-13)
* Children would be slaughtered at the place of his birth (Jeremiah 31:15)
* He would be called a Nazarene (Isaiah 11:1)
* He would be betrayed (Psalm 41:9)
* He would be spat upon and struck (Isaiah 50:6)
* He would be crucified with criminals (Isaiah 53:12)
* His hands and feet would be pierced (Psalm 22:16)
* Soldiers would gamble for his clothing (Psalm 22:18)
* He would resurrect from the dead (Psalm 16:10)
• Daniel’s prophecies about the rise and fall of Alexander the Great and the dividing up of his kingdom. (Daniel 11) Daniel was written about 530 BC and Alexander the Great died in 323 BC
• Prophecies regarding Israel’s exile to Babylon. (2 Kings 20:18)
• Jesus’ prediction about the destruction of the temple, which occurred 40 years after his death, burial and resurrection in AD 70. (Matthew 24:1-2)
• The ongoing existence of Israel. Imagine a people group surviving for over 2,000 years scattered throughout the world without a land to call their own. Yet, just as God predicted they continue to exist.
UNFULFILLED PROPHECIES:
These are a category of prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled.
• Jesus will return, visibly, physically, literally. (Acts 1:11; John 14:1-3)
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am." John 14:1-3
• Believers will be raptured. You may have heard of this before. We will unpack it more. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
• The resurrection of the saved and the unsaved (Daniel 12:1-3)
• The recreation of a new heaven and new earth (Isaiah 65:17)
DOUBLE FULFILLMENT PROPHECIES:
What appears to be one prophecy is actually two. There is a near fulfillment and a distant fulfillment.
On the Day of Pentecost, Peter quotes from the prophet Joel to tell the crowd that what they see is a fulfillment of prophecy. He quotes from Joel 2. But only the first half was relevant to that situation. The second half was about the future of even our day.
16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Acts 2:16-21 NIV
In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus is speaking in the synagogue and he opens the scroll and reads from Isaiah 61:1-2 which prophecies about one who is to come who will have the Spirit of God on him and will come to proclaim freedom and good news and bring sight to the blind and set the oppressed free and so on. Jesus stops before the text talks about the Day of Vengeance of our God. Jesus in stopping there is indicating that his time on earth right now is about the first part of Isaiah’s prophecy and his return will fulfill the latter half of the prophecy.
In Luke 1:30-33 the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she is going to have a son and his name will be Jesus and he will reign on the throne of David forever and ever. But Jesus’ reign on the throne of David will not happen until his return. Again, here is a double prophetic announcement.
THREE CATEGORIES OF PROPHECY
ACCORDING TO THEIR PRESENTATION:
1. OBVIOUS PROPHECIES:
The prophetic announcement is easy to understand.
EXAMPLE 1:
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
Micah 5:2 NKJV
EXAMPLE 2:
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
Matthew 24:1-2 NIV
2. HIDDEN PROPHECIES:
When you read the prophetic announcement on its own you may not even realize it is a prophecy.
EXAMPLE 1:
When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
Hosea 11:1
This is originally a reference to the nation of Israel being rescued out of slavery in Egypt.
But look at how Matthew understands it . . .
So, he (Joseph) got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled the what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Matthew 2:14-15
EXAMPLE 2:
This is what the Lord says, "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."
Jeremiah 31:15
Jeremiah was referring to that terrible time when the Assyrians swooped down on the house of Israel like a wolf on the sheep-fold, and carried away their precious offspring into captivity. A great cry and bitter mourning came from Ramah, which was a little town five miles north of Jerusalem.
Yet, Matthew sees it as a prophecy regarding Herod’s slaughter, in a quest to kill Jesus, of the male babies two years and under who were born in and around Bethlehem.
Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."
Matthew 2:17-18 NIV
3. APOCALYPTIC PROPHECIES:
Apocalyptic does not mean the end of the world . . . it means to uncover or reveal
It is a kind of literature than most of us are familiar with and it’s written to a different culture from what we live in and it is critical that we understand that as we seek to interpret this kind of literature.
• It is highly symbolic
• The symbols are designed to evoke emotion and help the reader feel what the prophecies were about.
• It was designed to bring comfort and encourage people who were oppressed.
• It was to tell those reading that their enemies would one day be conquered.
There are five (or four depending on how you count) primary ways that people understand apocalyptic literature and in particular the book of Revelation.
The historical . . . Revelation is a symbolic representation that presents the course of history from the Apostle’s life through the end of the age. The symbols in the apocalypse correspond to events in the history of western Europe, including various popes, the Protestant Reformation, the French Revolution, and rulers such as Charlemagne. Most interpreters place the events of their day in the later chapters of Revelation.
The idealist . . . Revelation is a symbolic portrayal of the spiritual cosmic conflict between the kingdom of God and the powers of evil. The events of Revelation are not tied to specific historical events.
The futurist . . . Revelation is to be understood as presenting what was future to the author John and what is future to us as well.
The Full Preterist . . . All the prophecies found in Revelation were fulfilled in 70 A. D. and we are now living in the eternal state, or the new heavens and the new earth.
The Partial Preterist . . . Most of the prophecies of Revelation were fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 but chapters 20-22 point to future events such as a future resurrection of believers and return of Christ to the earth. Partial preterists view full preterism as heretical since it denies the second coming of Christ and teaches an unorthodox view of the resurrection.
All views believe . . .
• God is sovereign and in charge of all that occurs in history and its ultimate conclusion
• In the physical second coming of Christ (Except for full preterism and some forms of idealism.)
• In the resurrection from the dead.
• There will be a future judgment.
• In an eternal state in which believers will be with God, and unbelievers will be separated from Him.
• In the importance of the study of prophecy and its edification for believers.
“Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. "
Revelation 1:19 NIV
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF PROPHECY IN THE BIBLE?
IT GIVES US HOPE:
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
Romans 15:4
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
IT MOTIVATES US TO LIVE HOLY AND GODLY LIVES:
. . . what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
2 Peter 3:11b-12a
IT INCREASES OUR FAITH:
”I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He.”
John 13:19
Isaiah 46:9-10 NIV
THREE CATEGORIES OF PROPHECY
ACCORDING TO THEIR FULFILLMENT
FULFILLED PROPHECIES:
Some of the prophecies stated in the bible have already been fulfilled in history since their announcement.
• The first coming of Christ.
* He was to be born in Bethlehem according to (Micah 5:2)
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
* He was to be a descendant of King David (2 Samuel 7:12-13)
* Children would be slaughtered at the place of his birth (Jeremiah 31:15)
* He would be called a Nazarene (Isaiah 11:1)
* He would be betrayed (Psalm 41:9)
* He would be spat upon and struck (Isaiah 50:6)
* He would be crucified with criminals (Isaiah 53:12)
* His hands and feet would be pierced (Psalm 22:16)
* Soldiers would gamble for his clothing (Psalm 22:18)
* He would resurrect from the dead (Psalm 16:10)
• Daniel’s prophecies about the rise and fall of Alexander the Great and the dividing up of his kingdom. (Daniel 11) Daniel was written about 530 BC and Alexander the Great died in 323 BC
• Prophecies regarding Israel’s exile to Babylon. (2 Kings 20:18)
• Jesus’ prediction about the destruction of the temple, which occurred 40 years after his death, burial and resurrection in AD 70. (Matthew 24:1-2)
• The ongoing existence of Israel. Imagine a people group surviving for over 2,000 years scattered throughout the world without a land to call their own. Yet, just as God predicted they continue to exist.
UNFULFILLED PROPHECIES:
These are a category of prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled.
• Jesus will return, visibly, physically, literally. (Acts 1:11; John 14:1-3)
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am." John 14:1-3
• Believers will be raptured. You may have heard of this before. We will unpack it more. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
• The resurrection of the saved and the unsaved (Daniel 12:1-3)
• The recreation of a new heaven and new earth (Isaiah 65:17)
DOUBLE FULFILLMENT PROPHECIES:
What appears to be one prophecy is actually two. There is a near fulfillment and a distant fulfillment.
On the Day of Pentecost, Peter quotes from the prophet Joel to tell the crowd that what they see is a fulfillment of prophecy. He quotes from Joel 2. But only the first half was relevant to that situation. The second half was about the future of even our day.
16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Acts 2:16-21 NIV
In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus is speaking in the synagogue and he opens the scroll and reads from Isaiah 61:1-2 which prophecies about one who is to come who will have the Spirit of God on him and will come to proclaim freedom and good news and bring sight to the blind and set the oppressed free and so on. Jesus stops before the text talks about the Day of Vengeance of our God. Jesus in stopping there is indicating that his time on earth right now is about the first part of Isaiah’s prophecy and his return will fulfill the latter half of the prophecy.
In Luke 1:30-33 the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she is going to have a son and his name will be Jesus and he will reign on the throne of David forever and ever. But Jesus’ reign on the throne of David will not happen until his return. Again, here is a double prophetic announcement.
THREE CATEGORIES OF PROPHECY
ACCORDING TO THEIR PRESENTATION:
1. OBVIOUS PROPHECIES:
The prophetic announcement is easy to understand.
EXAMPLE 1:
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
Micah 5:2 NKJV
EXAMPLE 2:
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
Matthew 24:1-2 NIV
2. HIDDEN PROPHECIES:
When you read the prophetic announcement on its own you may not even realize it is a prophecy.
EXAMPLE 1:
When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
Hosea 11:1
This is originally a reference to the nation of Israel being rescued out of slavery in Egypt.
But look at how Matthew understands it . . .
So, he (Joseph) got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled the what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Matthew 2:14-15
EXAMPLE 2:
This is what the Lord says, "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."
Jeremiah 31:15
Jeremiah was referring to that terrible time when the Assyrians swooped down on the house of Israel like a wolf on the sheep-fold, and carried away their precious offspring into captivity. A great cry and bitter mourning came from Ramah, which was a little town five miles north of Jerusalem.
Yet, Matthew sees it as a prophecy regarding Herod’s slaughter, in a quest to kill Jesus, of the male babies two years and under who were born in and around Bethlehem.
Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."
Matthew 2:17-18 NIV
3. APOCALYPTIC PROPHECIES:
Apocalyptic does not mean the end of the world . . . it means to uncover or reveal
It is a kind of literature than most of us are familiar with and it’s written to a different culture from what we live in and it is critical that we understand that as we seek to interpret this kind of literature.
• It is highly symbolic
• The symbols are designed to evoke emotion and help the reader feel what the prophecies were about.
• It was designed to bring comfort and encourage people who were oppressed.
• It was to tell those reading that their enemies would one day be conquered.
There are five (or four depending on how you count) primary ways that people understand apocalyptic literature and in particular the book of Revelation.
The historical . . . Revelation is a symbolic representation that presents the course of history from the Apostle’s life through the end of the age. The symbols in the apocalypse correspond to events in the history of western Europe, including various popes, the Protestant Reformation, the French Revolution, and rulers such as Charlemagne. Most interpreters place the events of their day in the later chapters of Revelation.
The idealist . . . Revelation is a symbolic portrayal of the spiritual cosmic conflict between the kingdom of God and the powers of evil. The events of Revelation are not tied to specific historical events.
The futurist . . . Revelation is to be understood as presenting what was future to the author John and what is future to us as well.
The Full Preterist . . . All the prophecies found in Revelation were fulfilled in 70 A. D. and we are now living in the eternal state, or the new heavens and the new earth.
The Partial Preterist . . . Most of the prophecies of Revelation were fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 but chapters 20-22 point to future events such as a future resurrection of believers and return of Christ to the earth. Partial preterists view full preterism as heretical since it denies the second coming of Christ and teaches an unorthodox view of the resurrection.
All views believe . . .
• God is sovereign and in charge of all that occurs in history and its ultimate conclusion
• In the physical second coming of Christ (Except for full preterism and some forms of idealism.)
• In the resurrection from the dead.
• There will be a future judgment.
• In an eternal state in which believers will be with God, and unbelievers will be separated from Him.
• In the importance of the study of prophecy and its edification for believers.
“Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. "
Revelation 1:19 NIV
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF PROPHECY IN THE BIBLE?
IT GIVES US HOPE:
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
Romans 15:4
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
IT MOTIVATES US TO LIVE HOLY AND GODLY LIVES:
. . . what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
2 Peter 3:11b-12a
IT INCREASES OUR FAITH:
”I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He.”
John 13:19