GOD'S MINISTRY
THROUGH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH
BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Revs. Mr. and Mrs. H. Dean Daniels

E-mail: gods-ministry@hdd-gods-ministry.com

Web-site: http://www.hdd-gods-ministry.com/


INTRODUCTION TO PROPHECY
by
Frank M. Boyd


 

CHAPTER 1

 

THE BIBLE, A BOOK OF PROPHECY

 

The Bible, God’s divine book, the sacred word of the Christian faith, differs in many ways from the sacred writings of other religions - the Vedas and Shastras of Hinduism; the Zend-Avesta of the Zoroastrian fire-worshipers of Persia; the Koran of the Mohammedans - concerning the concept of God, but there is one fundamental difference. That difference is in the fact that the sacred books of all other religions have not a word of prophecy or a prediction of future events, while the Bible is full of such predictions - some already fulfilled, others in process of fulfillment in our day and time, and still others to be fulfilled in the future.

 

            Fulfilled prophecy and attested miracles, constitute the twin pillars which uphold the structure of the inspiration of the Scriptures.

 

The Prophetic Office (Old Testament Times)

 

            The word “prophecy” itself means “to speak forth,” and involves two kinds of utterance, namely, a message for the people of the day and time in which the prophet lived, and predictions of future events for the comfort, warning and guidance of God’s people. Thus the prophet has a twofold character:

 

As forth-teller who brings to light and then proclaims his message. This requires insight. We see this aspect of the prophet’s ministry of old in revealing to Israel her true spiritual condition and then giving forth God’s message warning of impending judgment.

 

As fore-teller, “a seer.” 1 Sam. 9:9. This requires foresight- to reveal in advance the future as if some telescope were placed to the prophet’s spiritual eye through which coming events were brought near and disclosed.

 

Examples and Scope of the Prophetic Office

 

            In Old Testament times God laid His hand on certain men and ordained them to be His mouthpiece, the channel through which He would speak His message to humanity. We find that Enoch (Gen. 5:21-24) prophesied. Jude 14. Moses is distinctly called a prophet of God. Deut. 18:15. Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, and the great voices of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, as well as the so-called “minor prophets,” like Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, etc.- all sounded forth their divinely imparted messages.

 

            In New Testament times we note John the Baptist, that unique character whom God ordained before his birth (Luke 1:13-17) to be His prophet and a forerunner of His Son, who also was a prophet. Deut. 18:15. the ministries of John and of Christ partook of the character of the Old Testament prophet.

 

            God never intended that the function of the prophet should cease. Even in His church He has set some to be “prophets.” Eph. 4:11. This New Testament ministry does not partake so strikingly of the character of predicting future events as did the office in the Old Testament, but rather was it given to complement or throw vivid light by inspired utterances on the Scriptures- the revelation of God already complete. See Acts 21:9, 10; 1 Cor. 14:29-32. These New Testament prophets speak unto the “edification, exhortation, and comfort” of the assembly of God’s people. 1 Cor. 14:30.

 

Definition of Prophecy

 

            Prophecy, then, particularly in the Old Testament sense, is “a miracle of utterance” or “a miracle of knowledge, a prediction of something future beyond the power of human sagacity to calculate.” –Binney.

 

            As illustrations of human inability to foretell future events, think of the following as examples: it would be impossible for any one of us to predict the condition of our own family, even ten years hence. We could not tell whether the family would be intact; who might have passed away, perhaps; what members would have been removed from the circle by marriage, etc. We could not predict the condition of out own city twenty-five years hence, whether it would have increased in population or whether from unseen causes the population would have slumped. Even statesmen who are accustomed to dealing with intricate internal problems, and who have extensive knowledge of the history of the past and of the trend of political movements, are unable to predict the condition of their own country twenty-five years hence. One has said, “It is always the unexpected that happens.” Who would have dared to predict in June 1914 the overthrow of the Romanoffs, the Hohenzollerns, and the Hapsburgs? Who in 1939, when World War II broke out, would have predicted the atomic bomb, the present alignment of the nations, and the chaotic conditions that are prevailing now?

 

CHAPTER 2

 

IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY OF PROPHECY

 

            Some people foolishly say that there is little if any value in the study of prophecy; that if we know the reality of personal Christian experience, what is the need of delving into the future of spending one’s time investigating portions of Scripture that do not directly concern us? The answer is, “All Scripture…is profitable....” 2 Tim. 3:16.

 

            1.  We need to be rounded out in Christian experience. 1 John 3:3. This passage clearly teaches the sanctifying effect in the life of the Christian of the knowledge of the imminence of the coming of the Lord (a prophetic event, still future).

 

            There are two aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit, both of which are necessary to produce a mature Christian experience.

 

             a. The subjective side- the work of the spirit in us. The Holy Spirit does an inward work in the new birth and in the various ministries that follow the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and His work of conforming us through sanctification of the Word into the image of Christ.

 

             b. The objective side- the great plan of God revealed to us. cf. 2 Peter 1:16-21. In this passage Peter relates the remarkable personal experience which he had on the Mount of Transfiguration and yet, in verse 19, he seems to place more value on the prophetic word as evidence to his flock than on his personal experience, no matter how remarkable that may have been. Weymouth translates verse 19 interestingly- “in the written record of prophecy we have something more permanent.” The Twentieth Century Version translates the same verse- “still stronger is the assurance that we have in the teaching of the prophets.” Someone might have doubted Peter’s word regarding what he saw, but he could now doubt, after weighing the evidence, the marvels of prophecy.

 

            2.  Prophecy holds first rank as evidence of the authenticity and genuineness of Scripture.

 

             a. It appeals to the reason of unregenerate men and requires no spiritual enlightenment to understand it. We have an excellent example of the rank of prophecy as evidence in the test between Hananiah and Jeremiah as recorded in Jeremiah chapter 28. (read this chapter.) There could be no doubt in the minds of the assembled people which of the two men was the chosen instrument of god and who spoke His word.

 

             b. The Bible rests its whole claim to veracity and authority upon fulfilled prophecy. God has ever confirmed His utterances by pre-announcing His purposes and then by bringing them to pass according to His word. cf. Deut. 18:18-22; Isa. 41:21-23; Jer. 28:9.

           

Summary of the Purposes of Prophecy

 

            1.  To vindicate God’s messenger. Jer. 28:9.

            Just as Jeremiah of old was proven to be the divine spokesman in the incident recorded in Jeremiah 28, so Isaiah. Ezekiel, Daniel, the other Old Testament prophets, and our Lord Himself- all are demonstrated to be trustworthy, because their predictions have been fulfilled.

 

            2. To authenticate God’s message.

 

Just as the messenger of God is clearly seen by fulfilled prophecy to be reliable. In Isaiah 41:21-23 God challenges the gods of the heathen nations round about Israel to prove by foretelling future events if they have any power. cf. also Isa. 48:8, 9; 46:9, 10; 48:3.

 

3.  To guide the course of God’s children. 2 Peter 1:19.

 

Prophecy acts to the spiritually enlightened mind as the chat and compass to guide upon the sea of this present life and as a lighthouse whose beams direct the Christian pilgrim into his desired haven and enable him to avoid the rocks and shoals that would wreck his spiritual vessel.

 

4.  To confirm and strengthen faith. cf. Dan. 10:19.

 

Daniel was greatly exercised in spirit during the earliest days of the Medo-Persian Empire concerning the destiny of his own people. He had been fasting and seeking God for three weeks and an angelic being, probably Gabriel, sent to Daniel from God’s throne, brought to him a further revelation of God’s plan for the Jews. Through this revelation and by the presence of the angel he was strengthened and encouraged.

 

So, a clear understanding of the pattern of events, a knowledge from God’s Word of the “signs of the times,” contributes mightily to the spiritual fortitude of the child of God. The prophetic word provides this.

 

5.  To build character.

 

 a. Through intimacy with God.

 

 One of God’s purposes in revealing His plans for the future to His children is His desire for fellowship with them in revealing His mind and heart to them. “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him.” To Abraham, His friend, God revealed the necessity of His judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah. This led to a very intimate conversation between Abraham and the Lord over the preservation of the possible righteous in Sodom.

 

 b. Through hope and expectation. Col. 3:1-3; Jas. 5:7, 8.

 

 For example, the knowledge of the truth of the Lord’s coming enables the Christian to avoid entangling himself in the many worldly movements and practices of these last days which, if entered into, would dull his spiritual sensibilities and perhaps even thwart God’s desire for the Christian's readiness for the Lord’s coming.

 

CHAPTER 3

 

LAWS OF PREDICTIVE PROPHECY

 

            Prophecy, to be genuine and authentic, must conform and does conform to certain definite laws or formulas.

 

            So deep were the impressions made by the study of these laws upon the mind of the writer of this course in his Bible School days, that he still thrills with the contemplation of them. May this be the experience of the student of “Prophetic Light.”

 

            In addition to the facts previously presented, that a prophet is vindicated and his message authenticated by the fulfillment of his predictions, there are definite laws governing predictive prophecy.

 

A prediction must be beyond the power of human foresight or sagacity. In other words, forecast based on observable trends are ruled out.

 

A prediction must contain a sufficient number of detail preclude guesswork.

 

Generalizations or mere suppositions or conjectures, such as “Real estate values will be down next fall,” do not fit the norm of real Bible prophecy. Compare such generalizations with the prediction by Christ that the age down to his coming would be characterized by “wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places” (fulfilled and being fulfilled). The difference is apparent.

 

A sufficient time must elapse between the prediction and its fulfillment to preclude any agency of the prophet or of his contemporaries in bringing about the result.

 

For a group of commissioners of a great city to say that by a certain year a beautiful park area will be realized in that city and then for them to plan for and construct that park is not prophesying or fulfilling prophesy.

 

Note.- Dr. A. T. Pierson says: “Certain things characterize all Bible prediction; viz., remoteness of time, minuteness of detail, novelty of combination, mystery of contradiction.” For illustrations of the last two points see Ezek. 12:13, and Jer. 34:2, 3, and the historic explanation of the seeming contradiction of these two prophetic utterances, one by Jeremiah in Jerusalem and the other at the same time in the land of Babylon. Cf. 2 Kings 25:1-7.

 

“Fulfilled prophecy is a proof of inspiration because the Scriptures’ predictions of future events were uttered s long before the events transpired that no merely human sagacity or foresight could have anticipated them, and these predictions are so detailed, minute, and specific, as to exclude the possibility that they were fortunate guesses. Hundreds of predictions concerning Israel, and the land of Canaan, Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, and numerous personages- so ancient, so singular, so seemingly improbable, as well as so detailed and definite, that no mortal could have anticipated them- have been fulfilled by the elements, or by men who were ignorant of them or utterly disbelieved them, or who struggled with frantic desperation to avoid their fulfillment. It is certain, therefore, that the Scriptures which contain them are inspired. ‘Prophecy came not in olden time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.’ 2 Peter 1:21.” –Scofield.

 

Laws of Simple and Compound Probability

 

            Often unbelievers in the miraculous nature of Bible prophecy will resort to statements such as, “It was just a coincidence,” etc. But there is an accurate, arithmetical formula which can be applied to any supposed prediction, which will reveal the extent of its genuineness and miraculous nature.

 

            This formula consists in the laws of simple and compound probability. The law of simple probability is:

 

            A prediction with one detail or feature has one chance in two of fulfillment; as for example, “It will snow on Christmas day.” It is obvious that either it will or will not snow on that day, two possibilities, one of which will fulfill the prediction.

 

            The law of compound probability is:

 

            A prediction with two features has one chance in four of fulfillment, and every detail added makes the probability of fulfillment less and less. As, for example, “Snow, accompanied by high winds, is the weather forecast for Christmas Day.” This ratio of probability may be expressed in mathematical terms by the fraction one-half (one chance in two) multiplied by itself as many times as there are features in the prediction. Again, the fraction of probability of fulfillment of a prediction with three features- “It will rain October 10th; the rain will come from the north; and the drops will be big”- would be arrived at by multiplying one-half by itself three times: 1\2 x 1\2 x 1\2 or 1\8; that is, one chance in eight, or with four details 1\2 x 1\2 x 1\2 x 1\2, or 1\16. In other words a prediction with four details or features would have one chance in sixteen of being fulfilled.

 

            The intricate interrelation between the details of a prophecy and the rapid increase of the ratio of probable fulfillment, as details are added, can be illustrated by the warp and woof of cloth in which every thread of the warp touches every thread of the woof at right angles. In other words every detail of a genuine prophecy has a distinct relationship to every other detail, all of which makes the fulfillment so complicated.

 

            There are 333 details in the predictions of Scripture concerning the person and career of Messiah. The fraction of probability in this case would be expressed 1\2 (333), or one-half multiplied by itself 333 times. The result of this mathematical problem will give the fraction in round numbers of one over 84 plus 97 ciphers; thus:

 

                                    1                                 

     840000000000000000 (97 ciphers)

 

            In other words, the prophesies concerning Christ had one chance in all this multiplied of being fulfilled. To sum up the matter, only Omniscience could foretell events in such detail concerning a coming Deliverer, and only Omniscience could bring about the fulfillment of these marvelous prophecies logic and reason, even on the part of the unregenerate man who impartially examines these facts, will admit the supernatural therein.

 

CHAPTER 4

 

INTERPRETATIVE LAWS OF PROPHECY

 

In addition to the laws of predictive prophecy and those of simple and compound probability, there are several laws which apply to the field of interpretation and with which the student of the Word should be familiar.

 

Testimony to Jesus.

 

First in importance is the fact that all prophecy, whatever its subject matter, has some relation to God’s great plan of redemption and realizes its focus in a witness or testimony to Jesus, the Messiah, in whom every phase of redemption is to be consummated. He is the focal point of it all. Revelation 19:10 reads … The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, or according to Weymouth’s translation: “Testimony to Jesus is the spirit which underlies prophecy,” or as Goodspeed renders it: “For the testimony of Jesus is what inspires prophecy.”

 

            While the book of Revelation is a special unveiling of Christ in His relations to the church, to Israel, to the nations and to every individual human being, it is further true that all prophecy, all Scripture, is the unveiling of Him personally.

 

Development from seed to full maturity.

 

Messianic prophecy, particularly, begins in an all comprehensive seed-prophecy of Gen. 3:15 and develops into the blade, then the ear and then the full corn in the ear. In other words, prophecy is permeated with divine life and has grown from this miracle seed into a mighty, spreading tree, full of the fruits of God’s great redemptive purpose. (We shall be studying Messianic prophecy in a later chapter.)

 

The law of prophetic double reference.

 

            This law may be stated somewhat as follows: “Prophetic double reference is a method by which a prophecy of a person or event near at hand or immediate in fulfillment is made the means of teaching a deeper truth or of foretelling a future happening more remote. One event, near at hand in fulfillment, may be typical of a more remote fulfillment. Again, one obvious person addressed may be representative or typical of another hidden personality behind the scenes.”

 

            To illustrate. We meet this law in Isa. 7:13-16 and in Isa. 8:1-4. in the perspective of the promise of the Virgin Son there is blended a local coloring in the foreground, immediate in its fulfillment in the time of king Ahaz-“Butter and honey shall he eat that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that thou (Ahaz) abhorrest shall be forsaken by both her kings (Rezin, Pekah)” vv. 15, 16. The fulfillment of this immediate aspect of the prophecy seems to be in the record of 8:1-4, where the birth of Isaiah’s son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, is to be the sign to that present generation of the failure of the confederacy of the kings of Israel and Syria.

 

            Another striking example of the law of double reference is found in Ezek. 28:1-9, where part of the prophecy is addressed to Ethbaal, the then reigning king of Tyre, a type of the Antichrist. However, there are elements in the prophecy which cannot possibly refer to any human being, but point to another personality (Satan) behind the scenes, or incarnate in the human. Satan inspired these godless kings of past history and he will give “his power and his seat and great authority” to a beast-king of the end-time. cf. also Gen. 3:14, 15 and Matt. 16:23, where the Lord addresses the serpent in one case and Peter in the other, but detects another personality concealed.

 

            The term “Israel” is used with a double designation in Scripture. In its broad, or generic, sense, it refers to the whole people, the twelve tribes and their descendants, who sprang from the loins of Israel (Jacob), their forefather. In its restricted sense it refers to the northern kingdom of the ten tribes, who split off from the house of David at the time of the secession under Jeroboam. The northern kingdom is also designated by the tribal name of Ephraim.

 

4. The law of prophetic perspective.

 

            “The law of prophetic perspective is a method of describing future events as if they were continuous and in immediate sequence.” cf. Isa. 61:1-3 and Luke 4:17-20. In reading the Book of Isaiah, the Lord Jesus leaves off after the words “the acceptable year of the Lord,” closes the book, and tells the people, “This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Had He continued to read and then given such and explanation of the passage, His word would have been untrue, for the “day of vengeance of our God” has not yet come and already a gap of almost two thousand years has elapsed since the beginning of “the acceptable year of the Lord,” and still “the day of vengeance” has not arrived. In other words, the prophet sees both advents as one would look at distant ranges of mountains, the intervening valleys not being visible, until one climbed to the top of the nearest range. This is “prophetic perspective.”

 

CHAPTER 5

 

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES

 

            The Old Testament prophecies are almost endless in number and almost infinite in detail. These are concerning the nations surrounding Palestine, viz., Babylon, Egypt, Tyre, Edom, No (Thebes), etc. as well as many concerning Israel.

 

Examples of Prophetic Fulfillment

 

1. Tyre. Ezek. 26:1-14.

 

            This prophecy is dated in the year 595 B.C. The first six verses of the chapter give us a general statement of the coming overthrow of the city at the hand of more than one nation. Verses 7-11 deal particularly with the siege of Nebuchadnezzar against Tyre for 13 years, from 585 B.C. to 572 B.C. The city defied every effort of the king to take it, but finally through hunger the inhabitants were forced to submit. Nebuchadnezzar was so angered at this stubborn resistance that he destroyed the city and left it almost an utter ruin. Verse 12, however, did not find its fulfillment until 240 years later, when Alexander the Great asked permission of the inhabitants of Tyre, who had removed themselves to an island stronghold one-half mile out in the Mediterranean Sea, to come and worship in their city. He was refused, because the Tyrians knew that if he ever entered their city their doom was sealed. When he arrived on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea with his armies he was confronted with this island stronghold which defied capture. The city was taken by Alexander’s armies literally scraping (as the prophecy states) the stones, timber and dust (the rubble) of the old ruins into the Mediterranean Sea, thus making a causeway over which Alexander marched and captured the city. Verses 13 and 14 have found their fulfillment in that Tyre has never been rebuilt, and the glory of the once populous commercial center has been dragged in the dust.

 

2. Egypt. Ezek. 30:6, 12-16.

 

            The history of Egypt for 2500 years is a fulfillment of Ezek. 30:13. There has been no reigning prince in Egypt for this length of time. Verses 14-16 deal mostly with God’s judgment upon the populace and the magnificent city of Thebes (No).

 

            “The grandeur of this ancient Egyptian city beggars description. The temple of Luxor presents to the traveler at once one of the most splendid groups of Egyptian grandeur. The extensive propylon, with two obelisks and colossal statues in front, the thick groups of enormous columns, the variety of apartments and the sanctuary it contains, the beautiful ornaments which adorn every part of the walls and columns, described by Mr. Hamilton, cause in the astonished traveler and oblivion of all he has seen before. If his attention be attracted to the north side of Thebes by the towering remains that project at great height above the wood of palm trees, he will gradually enter that forestlike assemblage of ruins and temples, columns, obelisks, colossi, sphinxes, portals, and an endless number of other astonishing objects that will convince him at once of the impossibility of a description….It is absolutely impossible to imagine the scene displayed without seeing it. The most sublime ideas that can be formed from the most magnificent specimens of our present architecture would give a very incorrect picture of these ruins; for such is the difference, not only in magnitude, but in form, proportion and construction, that even the pencil can convey but a faint idea of the whole. It appeared to me like entering a city of giants, who, after a long conflict were all destroyed, leaving the ruins of their various temples as the only proofs of their former existence.”-Belzoni. From “Wonder of Prophecy” by Urquhart.

 

            The glory of this magnificent city must have been of surpassing grandeur. God promised to bring it into the dust. He fulfilled His Word, yet left enough evidence remains in the ruins to reveal the great height from which she was debased.

 

3. Babylon. Isaiah 13, 14; Jeremiah 50, 51. See particularly Isa. 44:27, 28 and 45:1, 2. Cyrus, an instrument of God, is here called by name 150 years before his birth and 200 years before his kingdom was set up. Note also the announcement of how Babylon was to be captured in Isa. 45:1, 2.

 

            Babylon was built on both sides of the river Euphrates, which flowed through the midst of the city. Herodotus, the Greek historian, says that the river Euphrates, in passing through Babylon, was walled on either side, and that the brazen gates in these walls gave entrance to the city (vv. 1, 2). He records that on the night that Belshazzar was slain, these gates, by a strange oversight, were left open, and that the army of the Medes, having diverted the course of the river (44:27), marched up its dry bed and , entering the city, through the open gates, became master of it after the siege of two years. Belshazzar and his government deemed the city impregnable.

 

            4. Judea. Lev. 26:27-34.

 

            This passage was written about 1500 B.C., and before Israel ever entered the land of Palestine. It was partially and temporarily fulfilled at the time of the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, but found its final and complete fulfillment at the time of Israel's great apostasy in rejecting Christ. The history of the nation from that time on has been a striking commentary of the inerrancy of God’s Word.

 

            a. “I will destroy your high places and bring your sanctuaries into desolation” (30, 31).

 

            The temple of Solomon and the idolatrous worship in high places of Israel were done away with by Nebuchadnezzar. Later the magnificent Temple of Herod, to the Romans one of the wonders of the world as it stood upon Mt. Moriah, giving it the appearance of being snowcapped, whose golden dome reflected the bright rays of sun, was completely destroyed by the Romans under Titus, A.D. 70.

 

            b. “I will scatter you among the nations.”

 

            The Jews were scattered at the time of the capture by Titus, but their complete scattering was accomplished in A.D. 135. a false Messiah by the name of Barchochebas, arose and led the fanatical Jews against the Romans, and they successfully resisted the Roman armies for some time until an able Roman general, Julius Severus, was summoned to subdue them. It is said that 500,000 of the Jews were killed at this time and many more thousands were taken and sold into slavery.

 

            c. “Your enemies shall dwell therein.”

 

            After the dispersal of the Jews the land was put up for sale by the Emperor Hadrian and was bought by the Gentiles, who flocked in to settle the land.

 

            d. “I will make your cities waste.”

 

            The threat, “your cities shall be a waste,” has long since been abundantly fulfilled. Travelers have spoken of the desolation of Palestine with positive amazement. Captain Condor refers to Judea as “this ruined land.” Of the Shefelah, or western lowlands, the most fertile and thickly populated district of the land of Israel, he says: “The ruins are so thickly spread over hill and valley that in some parts there are as many as three ancient sites to two square miles.” “Wonders of Prophecy”-Urquhart.

 

            Recent years have witnessed the fulfillment of another group of prophetic Scriptures in the beginnings of the restoration of the land of Palestine in preparation for the events of the end-time under the rule of Antichrist.

 

            e. “Ye shall eat the flesh of your sons.” cf. also 2 Kings 6:29.

 

            This scripture was literally fulfilled during the straitness of the siege of Jerusalem, A.D. 70. when some of the Jewish soldiers were passing down a street within the city they smelled the odor of roasting flesh, and, slipping into a nearby house, they discovered a Jewish mother withdrawing her own child from the oven.

 

CHAPTER 6

 

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES CONTINUED

 

            5. Samaria. Micah 1:5, 6.

 

            Literally has every word of the prophecy concerning Samaria’s debasement been fulfilled. There is little to indicate the situation of the once proud capital of Omri and Ahab. The hill upon which it was situated is cultivated for olive trees, vineyards and corn. “The stones of the great city have been taken up by the cultivators and piled together or thrown down the hillsides. Samaria has been changed into the ‘heap of the field’ and into the ‘plantings of a vineyard.’ Its stones are poured down into the valley and its very foundations laid bare.” “Wonders of Prophecy”-Urquhart.

 

            6. Jerusalem. Micah 3:12.

 

                        a. “The mountain of the house … as high places of the forest.” South of the Mosque of Omar there is a place 350 feet in extent, filled with lofty cypresses and other trees. This is the place where the temple, the House of the Lord, had its situation on Mt. Moriah.

 

                        b. “Become heaps.” Today heaps of ruined walls and towers mark the place where once the royal seat of David was, and where the glory of God was manifested in the Temple.

 

            Jerusalem has been the most besieged city in all the world. In Bible times it was overrun by the Assyrians, then in 587 B.C. it was captured by Nebuchadnezzar and the kingdom of Judah was sent into exile. Again, in 320 B.C. it was captured by Ptolemy I of Egypt and its fortifications were demolished; in 168 B.C., Antiochus, king of Syria, destroyed the walls and devastated the city. Pompey, general of the Roman armies, captured the city in 65 B.C., and then in A.D. 70 Titus captured the city and fulfilled the prophecy of the Lord in Matthew 24 in the destruction of the Temple, when not one stone was left upon the other that was not thrown down. In A.D. 135 it was again devastated by Julius Severus, Roman general. Chosroes II of Persia captured and devastated it in A.D. 614, Caliph Omar in A.D. 637, and then it was captured by the Crusaders in A.D. 1099. After a long siege it was taken by the Saracens, who reconquered it under the leadership of Saladin in A.D. 1187. It was held by the Moslems until 1917.

 

                        c. “Ploughed as a field.” Portions of Mt. Zion outside the present walls are now plowed and cultivated.

 

                        d. New Testament prophecy concerning Jerusalem. See Matthew 24; Luke 21; Mark 13.

 

            Note especially Matt. 24:2. At the siege of Jerusalem by Titus he gave specific orders that the temple built by Herod was to be spared, but the Roman soldiers were so angered at the Jews because of their stubborn resistance that they burned the Temple. It was afterwards razed to the ground until literally there was not “one stone left upon another.” Luke 21:24. We need only to read casually through the history of the Jews since the time of Christ to realize that this scripture has been fulfilled. Jerusalem has been “trodden down of the Gentiles”; but the change noted by the word “until” is about to be realized, for the groundwork is being laid for the fulfillment of God’s Word for the restoration of the Jews to their own city and land.

 

            True, they are endeavoring by their own efforts, with no intelligent dependence upon God, to re-establish Palestine as their national home in the turmoil of disturbed relations with Great Britain and the Arabs. Zeph. 2:1, 2. These efforts are doomed to failure, because their final restoration is to be on the basis of their national repentance (Zech. 12:10, 11), and it will be by direct divine intervention at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. cf. Isa. 43:6, 7; 62:1-4; 65:17-25; Rev. 1:7, et al. It is interesting to note the effort of Satan through the Roman Emperor Julian, A.D. 354, to thwart Scripture concerning the complete cessation of their Temple worship. Hosea 3:4, 5; matt. 23:37-39. we shall let the historian Gibbon tell the story:

 

            “He (Julian) resolved to erect on the commanding eminence of Moriah a stately temple which might eclipse the splendor of the Church of Calvary on the adjacent hill of Calvary…and to invite a numerous colony of Jews whose stern fanaticism would always be ready to second…the hostile Pagan government. At the call of the great deliverer, the Jews from all provinces of the empire assembled on the Holy Mount of their fathers. The temple has in every age been the ruling passion of the children of Israel. In this propitious moment the Jews forgot their avarice and the women their delicacy. Spades and pickaxes of silver were provided by the vanity of the rich and the rubbish was transported in mantles of silk and purple. Yet on this occasion the joint effort of power and enthusiasm was unsuccessful.” “Wonders of Prophecy.”

 

            Ambrose, bishop of Milan, Chrysostom and Gregory, even rabbis-all report the strange event which occurred at this time.

 

            “Whilst Alypius, assisted by the governor of the province, urged with vigor and diligence the execution of the work, horrible balls of fire, breaking out near the foundation with frequent and repeated attacks, rendered the place from time to time inaccessible to the blasted and scorched workmen, and the victorious element continued in this manner, obstinately and resolutely bent, as it were, to drive them to a distance. The undertaking was abandoned.” “History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.”-Gibbon.

 

CHAPTER 7

 

MESSIANIC PROPHECY

 

            As noted in Interpretive Laws of Prophecy, the great subject of prophecy, both direct and related, is the Coming Deliverer, promised by God at the time of the fall of man. The focus of prophecy, then, is Messiah and the purpose of prophecy is to exalt Him- “that in all things he might have the pre-eminence.”

 

            Prophecy proceeds from outline to detail. The larger, more general statements are first given, then the intricate and detailed follow.

 

The First Prophecy Concerning Christ

 

            The first prophetic statement concerning the Coming Deliverer is found in Gen. 3:15- “The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpents head.” This is very general and broad in scope and could have been fulfilled in any man descended from Eve. When Cain was born Eve thought he was the realization of this promise. The last clause of Gen. 4:1 may be translated: “I have gotten the man, even Jehovah (the Coming One).”

 

The Messianic Line Prophetically Restricted

 

            God began then to restrict the lineage of Messiah, making prophecy, as it proceeds to unfold, more and more intricate and difficult of fulfillment.

 

            Upon the death of righteous Abel, God raised up a new seed, Seth, who in turn was the progenitor of Noah, who, with his family of three sons, survived the judgment of the flood. Of these sons Shem was chosen from whose line Messiah was to come and upon whom the blessing of God peculiarly rested. Gen. 9:26, 27.

 

            Note further that it was from Shem that Abraham came, the great father of the faith clan, who was called of God to leave his own kindred to go into a divinely appointed country. Gen. 11:10. 25-27, 31; 12:1-3; 15:1-4; 18:18. Abraham was to be the father of people as numerous as the stars of the heavens and as the sands of the seashores. These two symbols seem to indicate that his offspring was to be of two different kinds, a heavenly and an earthly, a spiritual and a natural.

 

            Then the line of Isaac is designated. Gen. 17:18, 19; 18:10; 21:1-3. Ishmael and all his descendants are thus eliminated as the source from which a Deliverer was to come. Jacob is pointed out to be the ancestor of Messiah and Esau and his descendants are eliminated. Messiah, then, could not come from any of the Arab peoples descended from Ishmael, nor could He come from the Edomites.

 

            Of Jacob’s sons, Judah is chosen to be the head of messiah’s lineage. Gen. 49:8-10. This is a very striking prophecy. Note the important statement: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come and unto him shall the gathering of the peoples be.”

 

            The most prominent of Jewish commentators affirm that Shiloh is the Messiah. The passage states that He is to come before “the sceptre departs from Judah or a lawgiver from between his feet.” In other words, the tribal distinction of Judah should not be lost until Shiloh (the Messiah) come. The fact is that the tribe of Judah retained its tribal traditions and genealogies long after the ten tribes lost their distinction. When Jesus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, appeared, the genealogies were there to substantiate His claims, but shortly after His ascension (A.D. 70) they were all burned in the Temple when Titus destroyed Jerusalem. But those genealogies are preserved to us today in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

 

            How remarkably has the phrase, “to him shall be the gathering of the peoples” (literal), been fulfilled! The followers of Christ are found in every tribe and tongue, in every land and clime. The peoples (nations) have surely been gathered to him.

 

            Note also the prophecy of Balaam, the hireling prophet. Num. 24:7-19. Balaam, without desiring it and contrary to the directions of Balak that he should curse Israel, blesses him (Israel); and with divine prophetic foresight sees Israel's deliverance from her enemies, of which Edom and Moab are typical, this deliverance coming from a kingly personage who should shine forth as a Star out of Jacob. You will remember that Christ is called “The Bright and Morning Star.” Rev. 22:16.

 

The Prophetic Ministry of Messiah. Deut. 18:15-22.

 

            Moses, the great leader and prophet of God’s people, Israel, was told by Jehovah that He would raise up another prophet to His people like unto Moses himself. This was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ who came about fifteen hundred years later. Truly, Christ was a prophet like unto none other who preceded Him, for “never man spake like this man.”

 

The Royal Lineage of Messiah

 

            In God’s promise to David that his house and his kingdom should “be established forever” and his “throne established forever” (2 Sam. 7:14-16), the element of the royal lineage of Messiah is introduced. In David’s last words (2 Sam. 23:1-5) we see his unswerving faith in God’s promise to him. Isaiah and Jeremiah both give the prophetic interpretation of the promise to David, showing that he was to be a particular son of Jesse; and these prophets confirmed the covenant made with David. See Isa. 11:1, 2, 10, 11; Jer. 23:5; 33:17-21.

 

The Royal Line Established by Genealogical Records

 

            One might wonder why so much space in the first chapter of Matthew and the third chapter of Luke is taken up with a long list of names difficult for us to pronounce. But they have a most important and definite place in Holy Writ. They are there to substantiate Christ’s claim to be “son of Abraham, son of David,” in fulfillment of the covenant promise. Matt. 1:1. Scan these two records and you will note that the one in Matthew traces the line of Christ back from Joseph, Jesus’ foster father, to the familiar names of Jesse, Obed, Ruth, Boaz, Judas (or Judah), Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham.

 

            Jesus’ foster father, Joseph, is seen to be in direct succession to the throne of David through Solomon. But Christ, though the legal son of Joseph, if He had been the actual son of Joseph, had no right to the throne, because of a curse pronounced by God on the house of Jeconiah. Jer. 22:24-30.

 

            By this pronouncement of God He has carefully guarded the great truth of the virgin birth of Christ. If Jesus were the son of Joseph by natural generation, He would be under Jeconiah’s curse, would have no claim to the throne of David, and we would have no Saviour in Him.

 

            Thus enters the purpose of the second genealogical record recorded in Luke, chapter three. You will note the repetition of the familiar names from Matthew’s record in verses 31 to 34 of the record in Luke. But in verse 31 the name of Nathan, son of David, appears. While in verse 23 Joseph is designated as son of Heli, in Matthew 1:16 he is clearly begotten of Jacob. He could not be the actual son of both men. The explanation lies in the words “begat” and “the son of” (note italics). Sons-in-law in Hebrew genealogical records appear as sons. Evidently Heli was the father-in-law of Joseph and the actual father of Mary, who traces her line back to Nathan, son of David.

 

            Consequently, being the actual son of Mary by supernatural generation, Jesus our Lord, avoided the curse pronounced on Jeconiah, and by the marriage of Mary and Joseph he became legally the son of Joseph and inherited the rights and succession to the throne of David through Joseph’s lineage from Solomon. He was indeed not only Israel's Messiah, nut “King of the Jews” as appeared in the subscription over His head on the cross.

 

            How wonderful are the wisdom of God and the “ways” of the accomplishment of His divine purpose “past finding out!”

 

The Deity of the Messiah

 

            In the prophetic mold not only is the Savior and Messiah seen to be the “Son of man,” coming forth through a defiantly designated family tree, but a more mysterious revelation is introduced, a purely supernatural element. The Deliverer is to be virgin born. His name is to be “Immanuel” (Isa. 7:13-14), the “Mighty God,” “the Everlasting Father,” (Father of eternity or of the ages). Isa. 9:6, 7. He Himself is the Progenitor of the ages (Heb. 11:3), the Originator of the material creation (Col. 1:14-17), the great Architect of the “eternal purpose” of God.

 

            The Old Testament itself speaks of God’s Son in Prov. 30:4. This verse is the answer to the oft-repeated question of the Jewish seeker after truth, “Can God have a son?”

 

CHAPTER 8

 

MESSIANIC PROPHECY CONTINUED

 

The Time of Messiah’s Appearance

 

            Chapter nine of Daniel and particularly the portion, verses 24 to 27, is chronologically the most important prophetic passage in Scripture, for upon a clear understanding of it depends a sane, intelligent, symmetrical interpretation of other prophetic Scripture, especially the Book of Revelation. (The student should read these verses very carefully).

 

            In view of the fact that we shall no doubt recognize this passage further in other relations to Bible truth, we will give it somewhat comprehensive treatment here. Daniel (student of prophecy-Dan. 9:2) was earnestly seeking God at the expiration of the seventy-year period of Babylonian captivity. Jer. 25:11, 12. Babylon had been overthrown by the Medes, and the children of Israel were about to be permitted to return home by decree of Cyrus, first ruler of the Medo-Persian Empire. 2 Chron. 36:22, 23.

 

            To Daniel appeared the angel Gabriel who brought to him a further revelation of the divine purpose for Israel. Let the student keep in mind the following points as outlined by Alva J. McClain:

 

The entire prophecy has to do with Daniel’s “people” and Daniel’s “city,” that is, the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. (v. 24).

 

Two different princes are mentioned, who should not be confused: the first is named Messiah the prince (v. 25); and the second is described as the prince that shall come (v. 26).

 

The entire time-period involved is exactly specified as Seventy Weeks) v. 24); and these Seventy Weeks are further divided into three lesser periods; first, a period of seven weeks; after that a period of threescore and two weeks; and finally, a period of one week (vv. 25, 27).

 

The beginning of the whole period of the Seventy Weeks is definitely fixed at “the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem (v. 25).

 

The end of the seven weeks and threescore and two weeks (69 weeks) will be marked by the appearance of Messiah as the “Prince” of Israel (v. 25).