Finally, from an Adventist perspective, there is the example of Ellen G. White. Many Adventists have assumed that Ellen White’s words were more directly chosen by God, that she saw clear pictures of actual events in her future. But even with Ellen White the descriptions of the future came in the language of her past. What was the language of her past? The English language of 19th Century America. God met her where she was and worked within that framework.
While Ellen White clearly addressed the future, you will not find a single statement in all of her writings that clearly describes anything that is unique to the 20th Century or beyond. You will look in vain for a description of computers, nuclear war, space travel, the internet, or any explicit description of the details of World War II in her writings. When she describes events that lie ahead of her times, she does so in language that is firmly rooted in her time and place. For example, when she describes the police forces of the world moving in to attack the saints at the very end of time, what weapons do those police carry in their hands? Swords! An 1847 statement on the second coming of Jesus describes the reactions of slaves and their masters at Jesus’ return. These descriptions were appropriate in the middle of the 19th Century, but no longer in today’s world.
I was once challenged on this point. A person stood up and reminded me of Ellen White’s comments regarding balls of fire falling on New York City at the end. He suggested that this could be a description of nuclear war in our future. I thought for a moment, and then asked if he was familiar with the song, “And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there!” He indicated that he knew the American national anthem.
I asked him, “Do you know when that song was written?”
He thought for a moment, “1814?”
“Right,” I said, “Even the language of the fireballs, whatever that will mean when the time comes, is consistent with the language of Ellen White’s past.” So our knowledge of a more contemporary prophet confirms the evidence collected from our survey of fulfilled prophecies throughout the Bible.
In conclusion, I’d like to share a few practical cautions about prophetic interpretation: 1) I think Christians in general and Adventists in particular tend to be a little too certain that we understand exactly what God intends to do before He does it. Perhaps it arises out of the human temptation to play God, Who alone knows the future. But the history of people’s interpretations of Revelation ought to be a warning to us. Time and again, interpretations that made perfect sense at one point in time proved to be dead wrong when the actual fulfillment came. We should not expect point by point correspondence in all details between prophecy and fulfillment. Fulfillments are best recognized when they occur and not before.
2) The primary purpose of prophecy is not to satisfy our curiosity about the future, but to teach us how to live today. God uses a vision of the future to encourage and motivate real people in the real circumstances of everyday life. Although prophecy is predictive, its primary purpose is to teach us something about God and change the way we live long before the fulfillment comes.
3) We tend to read Revelation as though it was written to our own time, place and circumstances. We bring to our reading associations and concepts that would never have occurred to John or His contemporaries. Such readings almost inevitably leads to a distortion of the text and of its original intention. The language of Revelation is the language of John’s past not ours.
But if Revelation was written in the language of another time and place, it raises an important question. How can study of Revelation be relevant to us in our time and place when it was written for people in another time and place? How can we bridge the gap between their day and ours? How can we safely find a word from the Lord for today in the writings of those who lived and wrote in the distant past? By reading these predictions in the light of the fulfilled prophecies in the Bible. This is what I seek to do throughout my commentary on Revelation published at Ministry4Thinking and Thebattleofarmageddon web sites.
Monthly Archives: September 2024
Fulfilled Prophecy in The New Testament
A look at the messianic prophecies in the Old Testament leads us to a seventh important principle of Bible prophecy, stated a couple of times by Jesus: “I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.” (John 14:29; cf. 13:19) Did Jesus say, “I’ll tell you ahead of time so that you will know the future in advance? I’ll help you make a chart where all the events are lined up so that you can spot your place in history at all times?”
No He did not. He was saying that if you pay careful attention to His words, you will recognize the time of fulfillment when it comes, not before. When the prophesied events occur, you will recognize them and the fulfillment will be clear. It was clear that Jesus was the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies once His life was lived out. But the prophecies did not allow people to predict the exact course of His life in advance. God is not predictable. That means that prophetic fulfillments are best recognized after they occur, not before.
When it comes to unfulfilled prophecy, a little tentativeness is advisable. It was the lack of such tentativeness that led David Koresh to destruction. He thought he knew exactly what God wanted him to do and exactly how to bring about the result that God had in mind. But he was wrong. It is critical that we search the Word to gain an understanding of unfulfilled prophecy. At the same time we need to maintain a sanctified tentativeness about our conclusions. We must leave God the freedom to be God.
The book of Revelation continues the pattern we have seen all the way back to the book of Genesis. When John wrote the book the events described in it were almost entirely future. Yet the basic language of the book of Revelation is the language of John’s past. Revelation is filled with the Old Testament. For example, notice the latter part of Revelation 13:
“And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth.”
Rev 13:13-14
At the time of the Exodus Pharaoh’s magicians deceived him by using magical arts. In Revelation 13 the magical art is to bring fire down from heaven to earth as Elijah did on Mount Carmel.
He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.
Rev 13:14-15
This is a reminder of Daniel 3 where Nebuchadnezzar set up an image and threatened to kill anyone who refused to bow down and worship it.
He also forced everyone small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
Rev 13:16-17
This phrase has a history too. In Deuteronomy 6, the Ten Commandments were to be worn on the forehead and the hand. So the mark is in some way a counterfeit of the Ten Commandments. In order to understand the mark of the beast, you have to understand the Old Testament background–the language of the past that John was using.
This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.
Rev 13:18
The number 666 also has an Old Testament past. The image of Daniel 3 was 60 cubits high, 6 cubits wide and (presumably) 6 cubits deep–666. 666 is also the amount of income Solomon received in the year he turned away from the Lord (1 Kings 10:14). To the Hebrew mind set, the number 666 could be a pointer to the apostasy of Solomon, the son of David.
So when it comes to the book of Revelation we have to understand that God meets people where they are. He gives prophets lessons about the future in the language of the past. The book of Revelation, like other books of the Bible, comes in the language, culture, and historical setting of the inspired writer.
Fulfilled Prophecy After the Return from Exile
What actually happened when Israel returned from Babylon? Compared to the texts we’ve been reading, the fulfillment was disappointing. Remember principle 2: God is not predictable. There were many residents of Israel and Judah who read the texts of Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, and others. I can imagine them making out charts to outline in advance just what God was going to do. But God’s work, when it came, wasn’t quite what the predictors expected.
On the twenty-first day of the seventh month,
the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:
“Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah,
to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest,
and to the remnant of the people.
Ask them, ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory?
How does it look to you now?
Does it not seem to you like nothing?
But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,’
declares the LORD.
‘Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak,
the high priest.
Be strong, all you people of the land,’
declares the LORD,
‘and work.
For I am with you,’
declares the LORD Almighty.
‘This is what I covenanted with you
when you came out of Egypt.
And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’
“This is what the LORD Almighty says:
‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth,
the sea and the dry land.
I will shake all nations,
and the desired of all nations will come,
and I will fill this house with glory,’
says the LORD Almighty.
‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’
declares the LORD Almighty.
‘The glory of this present house
will be greater than the glory of the former house,’
says the LORD Almighty.
‘And in this place I will grant peace,’
declares the LORD Almighty.”
Hag 2:1-9 NIV
In this text the Lord notes the disappointment of the people as they view the fulfillment of the prophecies of return from exile. Yet He affirms that the fulfillment is nevertheless a true fulfillment. They were tempted to question the fulfillment. That’s something to keep in mind as we approach unfulfilled prophecy– as we approach the book of Revelation. From Münster to Waco, people have tried to use the material in Revelation to gain a detailed “knowledge” of the future that God did not design for them to have. We all need to be reminded that the same God who is consistent is not predictable.
As time went on it gradually became clear that God’s mighty act in returning His people from the Babylonian Exile was not going to be the final event of earth’s history. Attention more and more shifted to God’s greatest act of all– the arrival of the Messiah. But that raises a fresh question. Many people assume that the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament have more of a point by point fulfillment than the prophecies we have been looking at. Is this really so? Are the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament an exception to the rule that God uses the language of the past to describe events in the future? Are the messianic prophecies more predictable than the general trend? Let’s look at a few examples.
“‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD,
‘when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
and do what is just and right in the land.
In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
The LORD Our Righteousness.’”
Jeremiah 23:5-6
What do we learn from this text? First, the Messiah is coming and he will be a king like David. David’s kingship provides a historical model for what the Messiah will be like, a model of wise and just rulership. But obviously not every action of David provides a model for the righteous Messiah. The Messiah will be like David, but his life will not be an exact replay of David’s reign. The line from prophecy to fulfillment here is not totally predictable.
A second aspect to this prophecy is found in the title given to the Messiah, “The Lord Our Righteousness.” There was a king reigning in Judah at the time when Jeremiah gave this prophecy. His name was Zedekiah, which in Hebrew means , “the Lord is my righteousness.” Jeremiah tells us that the Messiah, when He comes, will be a king like Zedekiah. While Zedekiah did not live up to his own name, his name was still a model of what the Messiah would be like. The Messiah would play the role that Zedekiah was supposed to play. He would be the One who perfectly carried out the righteousness of God. So the messianic prophecy of Jeremiah 23 uses the language of the past and the present to project an image of what Messiah would be like.
Let’s go back to another prophecy in Isaiah:
“Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, ‘Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.’ But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test.’ Then Isaiah said, ‘Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the
Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.’”
Isaiah 7:10-16
This prophecy is talking about a king named Ahaz and a prophet named Isaiah. Ahaz is worried about two nations seeking to conquer his kingdom. Isaiah is offering him a sign from the Lord. God sends him a message that a young woman (Hebrew can be read either “a young woman” or “a virgin”) will conceive and have a child. The good news for Ahaz is that before the child is ready to eat solid food and before he knows right from wrong, the two nations will be destroyed. So this prophecy of the Messiah grows out of an immediate situation. God uses the language of the present to describe the future. In the time of the Messiah God will deliver His people just as Ahaz was delivered in Isaiah’s day (Isa 9:1-7).
In Zechariah, a small book at the end of the Old Testament, we see the same principle operating again:
“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the war-horses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.”
Zechariah 9:9-10
Here we see the language of Ephraim, Jerusalem, and the river Euphrates (just the River” in the text). In the language of the people’s time and place there is also a description of the Messiah. But using texts like these, could anyone have predicted the exact course of Jesus’ life? No. Should it surprise us that some understood these texts to predict that the Messiah to be a powerful king who would dominate the political forces in His world? Even Jesus’ own disciples, after copious hints, failed to understand Jesus’ Messiahship until Pentecost. Only after having known Jesus, walked with Him, and received God’s interpretation through the Spirit, could the life of Jesus be seen as the fulfillment of these very prophecies.
The Old Testament Prophets: A New Creation
I am emphasizing these principles because they provide the basis for making a sound analysis of unfulfilled prophecies. Many people treat unfulfilled prophecy as if it were written directly to them and to their own time and circumstances. They forget that when God gave the prophecy He did not use the language of their day but the language of the prophet’s past. I cannot underestimate the importance of this principle. When you study a book like Revelation, the content concerns the prophet’s future, but the language is the language of the prophet’s past. We should not expect a point by point correspondence between every detail of the prophecy and its fulfillment.
This last assertion is clearly illustrated in another passage from the book of Isaiah, one that is often used in conjunction with the book of Revelation.
“Behold, I will create new heavens
and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.
I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.”
Isaiah 65:17-19
Most people think of this passage as a description of our future. In fact, the book of Revelation actually uses this text to talk about the New Jerusalem that God has prepared for His people. But here in Isaiah, God is talking about the Exile and the Return. Some of the language has taken on an extended meaning over time (confirmed by inspiration), but when Isaiah writes he’s talking about the Exile and the Return. If you read the chapter in context, you will see that it doesn’t talk about eternal life and heaven, but rather about people living longer lives on this earth.
“Never again will there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;
he who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere youth;
he who fails to reach a hundred
will be considered accursed.”
Isa 65:20
This is not a description of heaven the way the Revelator sees it (Rev 21:4)! Heaven as we understand it doesn’t include death. But as a description of the mighty things God plans to do when they return from Exile, this text makes sense. In other places Isaiah has described the Exile in the language of the Exodus. But aspects of God’s future mighty act are so great they can only be described in the language of Creation. Remember the principle of spiritualizing the type? Using the language of Creation doesn’t mean that Isaiah is describing the very end of earth’s history– creation language was also used in the description of the Exodus (Exod 14:21-22). In this case the language of creation describes what will take place after the exile to Babylon.
Daniel. You may be thinking, “OK. I see your point when it comes to Isaiah. But isn’t Revelation an apocalyptic book, more like Daniel? Surely in these types of books the prophet speaks directly about the future. He’s not speaking to his time and place but to our time and place. Shouldn’t we read those books differently than the other prophets?” A fair question. But a look at the evidence suggests that even in apocalyptic passages like Daniel 7 the language of the past is used to describe the future. In Daniel’s vision the sequence of future kingdoms is described in the language of creation.
“Daniel said, ‘In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea’” (Daniel 7:2). Does the language of the winds blowing over the sea sound familiar? We’ve seen similar language already in Genesis 1:2. The vision of Daniel 7 begins with an echo of the chaotic waters before creation. Then after Daniel’s description of a series of animals we come to a fascinating statement in verses 13-14:
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Daniel 7:13-14
The highlighted language reminds us of Adam’s dominion over the creatures of the earth (Gen 1:26-28). That dominion was exercised when he named the animals (Gen 2:19-20). So in Daniel 7, as in other Old Testament prophets, the language of creation is applied to the prophet’s future: winds churning on the sea, animals appearing, and a son of man (a second Adam) who is given dominion over these animals. So Daniel 7 describes the future history of the world as a new creation of God. Once again the language of the past is used to describe the future.
What excites me about this reading of Daniel 7 is that this prophecy made perfect sense at the time Daniel was writing. God’s people were right in the middle of the Exile at that time. Daniel and his people were captives in Babylon. How would Daniel view the animals in Daniel 7? They represented the nations who were oppressing the people of God. These nations are portrayed as vicious, ravenous beasts.
So what was the message of the vision to Daniel and his people? Something like this. “Just as Adam had dominion over the animals after creation, so the Son of man will have dominion over these nations that were oppressing you and your people.” The message of Daniel 7, in other words, was that God was still in control. The world seemed out of control because wicked nations were doing evil things to the people of God. But God’s people were not to be discouraged. God had not lost control of the situation, in spite of appearances.
Remember the principle that God meets people where they are? We see that very clearly in Daniel 7. God gives a message to Daniel about the future of the world. But His purpose was also to assure Daniel that He was in control of the present circumstances as well. In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had a vision similar to Daniel’s with a similar interpretation. But there was one major difference. In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the nations of the world were symbolized by an idol. That makes sense because Nebuchadnezzar was a pagan king, to him the nations of the world were shining examples of the gods they worshiped. These nations were something to be excited about. But to Daniel these same nations were vicious, ravenous beasts who were hurting his people. God gave the same message to each “prophet” in terms they would understand. When God reveals the future, He uses the language of the prophet’s past. God meets people where they are. We should not, therefore, expect point by point fulfillment of every detail, even in apocalyptic prophecy.
The Old Testament Prophets: The New Exodus II
Micah.
A contemporary of Hosea was the prophet Micah. He prophesied to the kingdom of Judah (just to the south) a short time after the prophecy recorded in Hosea 2. He too follows the pattern that we noticed in Hosea. In talking about the Exile, he uses the language of the Exodus.
“As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will show them my wonders.’
Nations will see and be ashamed,
deprived of all their power.
They will lay their hands on their mouths
and their ears will become deaf.
They will lick dust like a snake,
like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come trembling out of their dens;
they will turn in fear to the LORD our God
and will be afraid of you.
Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy.
You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
You will be true to Jacob,
and show mercy to Abraham,
as you pledged on oath to our fathers
in days long ago.”
Micah 7:15-20
Did you notice the word “again” in the above passage? “You will again have compassion on us.” “Again” combined with “As in the days when you came out of Egypt,” makes it clear that this is talking about a “New Exodus” which will be modeled on the first Exodus out of Egypt.
The principle of “spiritualizing the type” is very strong in this passage. The new Exodus will be as much spiritual as literal. God’s purpose for the New Exodus is to forgive His people and to restore their hearts to Him. He’s not primarily interested in having a nation with political power on His side. God is interested in a spiritual relationship with His people. He is not satisfied with merely a “name” relationship. He wants a heart relationship of genuine intimacy. In that sense this Exodus will transcend the previous one.
In Micah 7 the Exile and Return are once again described in terms of a New Exodus. But instead of the Red Sea, we have the “depths of the sea.” The sea here is not a physical barrier that will be physically divided, it is the place where they leave their sins behind. Micah prophesies that they will leave their sins and transgressions in Babylon and when they come back home, they are going to be faithful to God. So the prophecy of the Exile builds on the language of the Exodus in a spiritual way.
Isaiah.
Isaiah prophesied just a few years after Hosea and Micah. He too describes the Exile in the language of the Exodus.
“The LORD will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand
over the Euphrates River.
He will break it up into seven streams
so that men can cross over in sandals.
There will be a highway for the remnant of his people
that is left from Assyria,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from Egypt.”
Isaiah 11:15-16
In this text it is the Euphrates River that functions as a parallel to the Red Sea of the Exodus. A highway of return from Assyria would cross over the Euphrates River. It will be a New Exodus all over again. When Israel comes out of captivity it will pass through the Euphrates River in a way similar to the way Israel passed through the Red Sea.
Do you remember the principle that God is consistent? What God did for His people in Egypt, He will do again when they return from the Exile. Isaiah uses the language of the past to describe the future. But that isn’t all that is going on here. The Exile can be described in terms of the Exodus but God is not bound to the entire pattern. Did Israel actually return from Assyria? No. By the time of the Exile, Israel was no longer in existence. Only Judah was left. Assyria was also destroyed and Babylon has become the new superpower. Not only that, did the remnant of God’s people actually pass through the Euphrates River in sandals? No, there were bridges across the Euphrates River right in the city of Babylon. How do you explain the anomalies in this prophecy? God meets people where they are. At the time Isaiah was written, Israel had not yet been destroyed and Assyria still ruled the territory of Babylon. So the prophecy was given in the context of the time, place and circumstances of Isaiah’s day. When the fulfillment came circumstances had altered the case.
The Euphrates River did dry up, however. That happened when Cyrus, king of Persia, came and surrounded Babylon. Since Babylon’s walls seemed too difficult to take by siege Cyrus tried to find some way to get around its defenses. He did that by diverting the Euphrates River–drying up its waters–and marching his soldiers along the river bed, under the walls, into the city. In principle the Exodus happened again, but many details were different this time. God is consistent but He is not predictable. He meets people where they are at each stage of the historical drama.
Another text in Isaiah takes a slight turn from the previous one. It begins with the language of the Exodus again, but then shifts to something new.
“This is what the LORD says–
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
‘Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.’”
Isaiah 43:16-19
In this passage the Exodus still provides the model for the return from exile. There are references to passing through the waters, and the destruction of chariots, horses and armies. But the event to come is also a new thing that will transcend the Exodus. The past provides the language for the future, but once again God is creative and the fulfillment is not bound to the pattern in every detail.