Rules for Interpreting the Prophetic Word

Rules for Interpreting the Prophetic Word End-time prophecy can be interpreted by rules. The door to error opens when we stray from them. The value of Samuel s school for the prophets 1 is apparent by the way the Old Testament prophets expressed themselves. Because they used the same language and methods in their prophecies, there is structure. There is hope for us to understand what they wrote. 1. Timing is the most important aspect of a prophecy. a. The Bible gives no time line for events before the rapture, but afterwards times are freely stated. If there is a length of time assigned to an end-time event, it happens after the rapture. b. If the prophet knew when his prophecy would take place, he told us. If he did not know, he did not say anything about it. Those who did know used various methods to indicate the timing. 1) When you see in that day, the prophet is starting a new subject and points ahead to the end time. He is not going back to fill in details. 2) Phrases such as the last days, the end, the time of the end, the end of the world, and at that time are references to the Day of the Lord. 3) Sometimes the prophet stated clearly that he was writing about the Day of the Lord by using that title or a variation of it. 4) Often the prophet used the association of a known event to indicate the timing. Jesus used that method in Matthew 24:15 when He referenced the abomination of desolation. We know from Daniel 9:27 that happens in the midst of Daniel s 70 th Week. Jeremiah 23:20 The anger of the Lord shall not return [NIV: shall not turn back], until he has executed, and till he has performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days, you shall consider it perfectly. Isaiah 41:21-22 Daniel 12:1 And at that time (starting a new subject) 2 Peter 3:10 the day of the Lord (the 10 ½ years between the rapture and the return of Christ) Revelation 6:17 the great day of his wrath (the last seven years of the Day of the Lord) Matthew 13:39 the harvest is the end of the world (world=age or dispensation) Revelation 1:10 the Lord s day (a variation of The Day of the Lord) Zechariah 9:1 when the eyes of man as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the Lord (association of a known event) Matthew 24:15 When you see the abomination of desolation Compare With Daniel 9:27 in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease (association of a known event) 2. If the Bible does not make a statement on an issue, what we think, what we have been told, or what we have read could be wrong. What we think might not be wrong, but it could be. People tend to merge their own experiences into their belief system. For example, if their healing does not manifest, they say it must be God s will for them to be sick. This excuse then becomes a part of their doctrine. Nowhere in the Bible will we find a statement that says it is God s will for us to be sick. 2 God has promised to heal us if our faith is intact. Another strongly held assumption is that there are only seven years between the rapture and the return of Jesus. Daniel s 70th Week requires seven years, but we are not told that is the entire time. So, that belief could be wrong. Daniel states there are three 3 ½ year periods. (See Quick Reference 3 Time Periods ) Isaiah 53:5 1 Peter 2:24 Daniel 12:7, 11, 12 7 it shall be for a time, times, and an half; 11 a thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. Daniel 8:13-14 2300 days 1 1 Samuel 19:20 2 Ignore what Job s three friends and Elihu told him about why those things happened to him. Eleanor Schultz www.propheticallyspeaking.org Page 1 of 5

3. Get all the facts before you make a decision. Never make a decision on any subject until you have read every verse in the Bible that relates to that subject. Do your research. Liken it to a scientific investigation. How many times have researchers thought they had the cure to a disease until one experiment proved them wrong? As long as one piece of information is missing, the conclusion could be wrong. It might not be, but it could be. All pieces of information must be in place. The same with prophecy. We must have all the facts before we can make a determination on any prophetic subject. The example that comes quickly to mind is the belief so many Christians hold: the earth will be completely burned up and God will create a brand new one. That conclusion is usually based on one scripture in Revelation coupled with 2 Peter. They ignore the many places where the earth is said to last forever. (See Quick Reference Redemption of the Earth ) Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away: and there was no more sea. 2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Ecclesiastes 1:4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but the earth abides for ever. Isaiah 45:17 you shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end 4. If it has not happened, it will happen. Simple enough. If an event has not happened the way God said it would, then it has not happened. For an event to be fulfilled the way it is presented by the prophet, all elements must be present. For instance, if the return of the Jews to their homeland has already happened, as most say it has, all Jews from the ends of the earth would be in Israel. There would be none left among us, but there are Jews everywhere. After reading the promise of God to take every last one of them back into the land, how can we say that promise has been fulfilled? (See Quick Reference Redemption of the Jews ) Another example is the city of Tyre. Many theologians will argue that Tyre has passed its prime and will never be a major city again. However, Ezekiel clearly states that the island which still exists today will be washed away by the sea and will never be found. According to Isaiah, the mainland city will be uninhabited for 70 years; then, reestablished to make things that support the ministry. Because the fall of Tyre did not result in those conditions, we must conclude that the destruction of Tyre is a future event. (See Quick Reference Tyre ) Deuteronomy 30:4 If any of you be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from there will the Lord your God gather you, and from there will he fetch you. Isaiah 27:12 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, 3 and you shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. Isaiah 43:5-7 Fear not: for I am with you: I will bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west; 6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth: 7 Even every one that is called by my name: Ezekiel 26:19-21 NIV (Island) 19 I will bring up the ocean depths over you and its vast waters cover you 21 I will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more. You will be sought, but you will never again be found Isaiah 23:17-18 (Mainland) And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the Lord will visit Tyre 18 And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord 3 God will dry up the river again, and the whole world will see it. He will bring them back a second time (Isa. 11:11) Eleanor Schultz www.propheticallyspeaking.org Page 2 of 5

5. If an event cannot happen after the rapture, it will happen before. Applying an event that will happen after the rapture to today s scenario requires some adjustment of the prophecy. For example, the blood moon teachings that are so popular. The Bible definition of a blood moon is not an eclipse. There must be some adjustment of the Bible version in order to apply an eclipse as the moon turning into or as blood like the prophets predicted. (See Quick Reference Blood Moon ) Another example is the Jewish temple that must be built on the site that King David purchased for it. 4 Circumstances after the rapture will not be favorable for its rebuilding. The Antichrist will be persecuting the Tribulation Saints immediately after the rapture and later he will be sitting in God s temple. If he will be in the temple, and if Jesus is to return to it, the temple must be built before the rapture. Joel 2:30-31 Acts 2:19-20 Revelation 6:12 Matthew 24:15 When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, 5 spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to his temple 6. If there seem to be contradictory statements in the Bible, we are missing some facts. Look for a third statement that will explain the apparent contradiction. One violation of this rule has spawned the debate over who can be born again and who cannot. On the one hand, God chose those who will be in heaven before He created the universe. Those are the only people who will be saved. He wrote their names in the book of life when He chose them. Revelation 17:8 whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world Mark 13:20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect s sake, whom he has chosen, he has shortened the days. The apparent contradiction is that anyone who believes can be saved. John 3:16 that whosoever believes on him shall be saved 1 John 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in The clarification is this. In God s foreknowledge, He knew who would believe and be born again before He created the universe. He chose them based on the decisions He knew they would make. 7. Do not observe a current event, and then look in the Bible to find a place where it might fit. This should be an obvious rule, but many times we have seen it broken. For example, I heard a pastor a few years ago stumble through a sermon trying to explain the riots that were taking place in Egypt from a biblical perspective. He chose Daniel 11:5-19 I guess because it mentions Egypt and applied historical events to modern-day issues. That passage is a brief summary of the Divided Grecian and Roman Empires. The passage serves the purpose of spanning the time and setting the stage for the rise of the Antichrist in verse 20. God. Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, 1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, 4 2 Samuel 24:18-25. Currently, the Dome of the Rock occupies that space. 5 Satan in the person of the Antichrist sitting in God s temple showing himself that he is God. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 Eleanor Schultz www.propheticallyspeaking.org Page 3 of 5

8. Prophetic events, as recorded in the Bible, are literal happenings. Spiritual lessons may be drawn from the prophetic passages, but the events are literal. One of the most accepted violations of this rule is the teaching on Babylon as a financial system. I guess that is because the ancient Babylon was destroyed and most do not realize that it will be rebuilt in the end time. Detailed descriptions of its end-time activities, beauty, and destruction are given in Revelation 18. Babylon is a city that will be destroyed as a part of the Battle of Armageddon. It is the only city that the Bible indicates might be destroyed by a bomb. People will stand far away for fear of the fallout. The angel acted out how the destruction will happen by casting a large stone into the water. This will be Babylon s final destruction. 9. Prophets do not exaggerate. Usually, the prophecy is understated. The death and resurrection of Jesus is a great example. Isaiah stated the fact and left out the intensity of this scene. 10. There is only one fulfillment of each prophecy. The theory of double fulfillment is just that a theory. Double fulfillment does not take into account every single detail. History repeats itself only in general terms, but never precisely. A true fulfillment will include all details of the scenario, and that can only happen once. Partial fulfillments are documented in the Scriptures; however, they are not the fulfillment. The example in Acts was a local situation that was applicable to the apostles. The prophecy as recorded in Psalm Two is a global situation that will be fulfilled around the time of the Battle of Armageddon. 11. The prophets never contradict each other. Apparent contradictions are added details to the same event. The references on the right are all talking about the same subject: the Battle of Armageddon. They target different aspects of the same event. Revelation 18:8-10, 21 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her. 9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning. 10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying Alas, alas that great city of Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour is your judgment come 21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. Revelation 16:19-21 (7 th vial) And the great city [Jerusalem 6 ] was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [NIV: which brought us peace] was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Acts 4:24-28 25 Who by the mouth of your servant David has said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? Psalm 2:1-2 Revelation 16:13-16 River Euphrates, Kings of the east, Satan s evil spirits Zechariah 14:1-5 impact on Jerusalem Jeremiah 50:21-46 impact on Babylon Ezekiel 38:12 impact on Israel 6 Zechariah 14:1-5 Eleanor Schultz www.propheticallyspeaking.org Page 4 of 5

Revelation 19:17-21 conclusion of the battle 12. Prophets spoke as though the incident had already happened. Prophets saw the completion of events, so they recorded them as though they had already happened. When prophesying the fall of the end-time Babylon, the angel saw the conclusion of the city s destruction. From heaven s perspective, it is already a done deal. It just has not manifested yet. Jesus, the greatest Prophet, used the same method when He spoke of Satan s fall from heaven. Almost with one voice the church has accepted that Satan was cast out of heaven at the time Jesus was resurrected from the dead. Given that Jesus was speaking before He died and rose, He must have been speaking prophetically. The question must be asked, Of which event was He speaking His resurrection or the resurrection of the saints? Revelation places the exit of Satan from heaven at the time of the rapture. See Class Notes, Lesson 8, Rapture Revelation 18:2 And he [the angel] cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, Luke 10:18 I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Revelation 12:7-11 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceived the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him 13. The prophets often used names of ancient people or places to tell of a future person or people who share the same characteristics. There are no Assyrians in the world today, but Isaiah speaks of the Assyrian doing things the ancient leaders did not do. He also speaks of the Philistines, 7 so a reference to them would be anyone who lives in the same location that the ancient civilization occupied. The prophet Habakkuk did the same thing when he referenced the Chaldeans. The Chaldean is the Antichrist. Isaiah 31:8-9 Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited. 9 And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem. Isaiah 11:14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west Habakkuk 1:6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs. 7 The word philistines means strangers in the land. Eleanor Schultz www.propheticallyspeaking.org Page 5 of 5