Treasuring Christ

Interpretation of Prophecy, Part II:  Chapter 1, “The Apologetic Value of Prophecy.”

Because of its predictive nature, prophecy has an apologetic value.  Although, predictive prophecy is only a branch of prophesy.  Its proper use is for the church.  Evidence of specific, realized prophecy is more necessary to argue for than a general survey.  When arguing for the apologetic value of prophecy, the four prophetic themes are states and kingdoms, the Jewish people, the Messiah, and Jerusalem.

The prophetic agency did not consist of prophecy to Israel only.  It also addressed  other ancient nations and kingdoms.  For these nations, to interact with the covenant people was to come into contact with God Almighty.  There was a general prophecy of destruction to all those that threatened Israel or rebelled against God.  Specific prophesies were given with regard to the role of nations in the history of redemption.

The entire foundation of the nation of Israel rested upon the Divine, prophetic word.  There is scarcely any latter prophet that did not highlight the exaltation of Israel.  Yet, when it came to a generational or individualistic level, there was a conditional substance to which demanded obedience.  Even through deportation, there remained an offer of reconciliation to those who had broken faith with the God of the kingdom.

The magnitude of the prophecies concerning the Messiah was so huge that when interpreting them to himself, Jesus confirmed that all the Old Testament testified to him.  In fact, his life, death, resurrection, mission, and message were founded on these prophetic texts.  The depth of these prophetic texts was shown in that when the Jews missed the inauguration and consummation of the kingdom, this led to the eventual destruction of Jerusalem and Israel itself.



Interpretation of Prophecy, Part I:  Chapter 6, “The Interconnected and Progressive Character of Prophecy.”

Difficulties arise when prophecies are considered apart from their prophetical development.  Understanding comes from seeing the progressive character of prophecy.  This can be seen in the connection of prophesied covenants and the history of Israel.  All prophecy is tied to a common purpose—pointing to and announcing the Messiah.  The prophets are interconnected agents used by God to reveal his purpose and will.

Just as in history, there is a progression, a unity of plan, and a connection of prophetic parts.   The Divine nature of prophecy mandates this.  In prophecy, God has determined the end from the beginning; therefore, there is a consistency in its onward progress.  A common foundation can be traced from the first prophecy (Genesis 3) and the Abrahamic covenant throughout all the following covenants and their prophecies.

Israel’s return from Babylon showed the history and prophetic progression of revelation.  It revealed God’s foreknowledge and providence.  And, even in the last announcements of the prophecy of this age, highlighting both the character and mission of his Messiah, God’s intelligible thread consisted of natural results and future sequels.

What is to be made of one prophet’s use of the words and ideas of another?  Some see this as a sign that prophecy is nothing more than a literary device lacking actual revelation just like any other.  Yet, it must be remembered that prophecy was given to all as soon as received.  Therefore, the overlap that can be seen is not lack of revelation, but progressive revelation—a building on what has come before.  The prophets did not become inhuman automations during the prophecy, but were human agents in an unbreakable prophetic chain.



Interpretation of Prophecy, Part I:  Chapter 5, “The Prophetic Style and Diction.”

Prophetic style and diction ought to be viewed negatively and positively in three peculiarities.  The first peculiarity of the style and diction of prophecy is poetical elevation.  The second peculiarity is figurative representation.  The last peculiarity of the prophetic style and diction is the exhibition of events as present, linked, or future.

It is helpful to determine the character of the prophetic style and diction by stating what it is not.  The majority of scripture is not history written beforehand or undeveloped future, but a sign and witness in revelation.  This helps the interpreter by not forcing historical simplicity into the interpretation.  Therefore, the interpretation that prophecy is merely anticipated history is to be rejected.

Stated positively, the supernatural element always bases itself in the natural.    Yet, the communication that the prophets receive is through the spiritual realm.  The prophecy is to be interpreted as spiritual alone if the prophecy consists only in communication with God, in the spiritual realm.  The prophecy is actual life (history) if the prophet is relating his dealing with and among the people.  Prophecy should only be interpreted historically when there is an indubitable connection with the facts of history.

The three peculiarities about the style of poetry help to interpret prophecy.  First, poetry is greatly used in prophecy; and, the more symbolic prophecy gets, the farther it is removed from history.  Second, the more prophecy is used to veil the truth, the more that truth is spoken in a figurative sense.  Third, though the prophet may see future events, those events often either appear only in the present, in a succession of other prophecies, or without a link to an actual historical era at all.



Interpretation of Prophecy, Part I:  Chapter 4, “The Relation of Prophecy to Men’s Responsibilities.”

What relationship did prophecy have with the hearer’s freedom in thought, action, duty, and outcome?  It must be established whether prophecy absolutely came to pass or if there was room in prophecy for conditions.  This also must be related to God’s kingdom standing in nations and hearts through proclamation in action.

The main concern of these two issues was whether prophecy put forth an irreversible decree of what would come to pass, or whether to some extent God was simply announcing his future dealings—contingent on the obedience of individuals or nations.  There are two camps on this theological issue.  The first states that all prophecies were more or less contingent.  The second that prophecies were not contingent  These two extremes miss prophecy’s revelation of God’s person and purpose of grace.

In a broad sense, prophecy related God’s kingdom standing in opposition to rival nations.  In this sense, the settled purposes of God were absolute.  Yet, there was also that class of prophecy in which God used both promise and threat to make his people advance in holiness.  In this sense there was no hint of change in God himself, but he did shape the heart and emotions of his people.  His prophecy was contingent on their obedience.

With regard to his relationship of kingdom rule in the hearts of his people, we might see a new connection to threat and promise.  God showed goodness by using threat to keep his people faithful.  What must be understood is that when he breathed judgment, he relented when there was repentance.  Also, he did not continue speaking words of blessing to a hard-hearted people that were against him.  He was using prophecy to expose the hidden intentions of the heart.



Interpretation of Prophecy, Part I:  Chapter 3, “The Proper Sphere of Prophecy—The Church.”

The recipient and sphere of prophecy was the church.  This sphere was not in the sense of an organized institution with a temporal location, but the people of God from all time before and after Christ.  The aim for God was to communicate his ethical will to his people, blessing them for obedience and cursing them for disobedience.

The intention of this prophecy was not to satisfy the church’s hunger to know what the future might hold, but to be a light to guide her to faithfulness in the darkest of times.  This explains why prophecy came in unequal portions and at irregular times.  Often, God prophesied the church’s good by condemning the evil of her adversaries. This is the mode of the first prophetic promise and continues through both Testaments.

In understanding the prophecies of good intention toward the church, there was implied within them a sense of condition.  As the people walked in disobedience, the prophets would not prophesy good, but would threaten coming judgment.  The promises of good had their fulfillment because of Christ and the people’s relation to him.  These promises were for all believers from all time.

Though these promises may have come within different covenants or ages, they were given to one unified church with all the benefits offered to her.  Therefore, it reveals the mind of God and the life that pleases him throughout all ages and covenants.  All prophecies should be viewed in this ethical sense.  Moreover, many prophecies will only be understood as meeting their fulfillment in this sense.  Even predictive prophecy should not be understood merely as evidence of miraculous revelation, but as a supernatural call for men to submit to him.



Interpretation of Prophecy, by Patrick Fairbairn, Part I:  Investigation of Principles:  Chapter 2, “The Place of Prophecy in History, and the Organic Connection of the One with the Other.”

There was a strong relationship between prophecy and history.  They cannot be separated from each other.  A survey of the Old Testament history of prophecy reveals this intermingling and inner-connectedness.  Scriptural prophecy was interwoven with history and biblical history was imbued with prophetic purpose.  Neither can they be separated from each other, nor can they be understood apart from each other.

The first prophetic word was an historical outline of all events to come.  It was a summation of history.  After the flood, a patriarchal line of prophetic promise and fulfillment began.  After Jacob, centuries of prophetic silence passed before the dawn of the Mosaic age of prophecy.  Another prophetic silence was followed in the time of Judges by a moral school of prophecy that focused on calling people to live in belief and obedience.  The last age of prophecy centered around the kingdom of Israel until Christ.

Scriptural prophecy was interwoven with history.  Both the nature of God and his commitment to seeing his kingdom come on earth demanded this.  Prophecy birthed history and guides it toward its prophesied consummation.  This does not mean that prophecy’s divine message from God can be understood by historical events.

History was intermingled with prophecy throughout.  This was the foundation for Christ and his kingdom.  For example, all prophecy before Christ’s coming was meant to point toward this higher prophetic realization of the inauguration and consummation of his kingdom.  All of the Old Testament is full of a prophetic element that is carefully laid out to reveal God and his Messiah.

Interpretation of Prophecy, by Patrick Fairbairn, Part I:  Investigation of Principles:  Chapter 1, “The Proper Calling of a Prophet, and the Essential Nature of a Prophecy.”

In its strictest sense, the word prophecy is often used of predictive oracles.  Prophecy ought to be understood in a much broader sense.  The essential nature of prophecy reveals this.  This broader sense is need for a proper understanding of the definition and nature of the call of the prophet.

First used of Abraham, the term prophet is found in Genesis 20.7.  Without any understanding of where the word comes from, it was designated to him as one who was admitted into the counsel of the Almighty.  The expression was fleshed out in the relationship between Moses and Aaron in Exodus 4.15, 16 and 7.1.  There, the prophet was a receiver of communication and a spokesman to the people.

Within the calling of a prophet, there were differing levels of communication, reception, and communion.  There was a higher calling among prophets which consisted of prophecy that affected the present.  The two greatest examples of this higher calling found in Moses and Jesus Christ. Unlike his relationship with other prophets, God spoke to Moses while he was awake and face-to-face.  Yet, the relationship that God had to Christ was that of Father to Son, while God to Moses was that of a master to servant.

There were three elements essential in all prophets.  First, it was essential that the prophet had direct communication with God.  Second, the message received by the prophet was delivered as from God, not just the word from a prophet.  Third, the prophet had to faithfully proclaim or write down the revelations that he received.  The predictive nature of prophecy was then used to validate that a prophet had heard from God, was called to proclaim, and had faithfully delivered God’s message.