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RETURN TO SYLLABUS

DANIEL
LESSON #02
INTRODUCTION TO PROPHECY

• MEMORY VERSE: 2PETER 1:19

• PROPHECY AND THE BIBLE
• PROPHECY MAKES UP A LARGE PART OF THE BIBLE.
• 1/4 OF THE BOOKS IN THE BIBLE ARE PROPHECY
• 1 VERSE IN 5 ARE PROPHECY
• THERE ARE SOME CHRISTIANS WHO AVOID BIBLICAL PROPHECY BECAUSE THEY FIND IT SO CONFUSING OR INCOMPREHENSIBLE. IF YOU ARE IN THAT CATEGORY, PERHAPS THE BOOK OF DANIEL WILL INTRIGUE YOU TO STUDY MORE ABOUT BIBLE PROPHECY.
• WHAT IS A PROPHET?
• THE ROLE OF A PROPHET OF GOD CONSISTED OF TWO PARTS:
• FORETELLING = PREDICTION
• FORTHTELLING = NON-PREDICTION
• IT WAS NOT NECESSARY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE TO BE A PROPHET. HOWEVER, PREDICTION IS OFTEN A VITAL PART OF THE PROPHET’S MESSAGE.
• THE ROLE OF A PROPHET ALSO CONSISTED OF USING HIS LIFESTYLE AS A PART OF HIS MESSAGE. IT WAS NOT JUST A 9 – 5 JOB. WHEN GOD CALLED MEN TO BE PROPHETS, THE CALLING DEMANDED THE SURRENDER OF ONE’S WHOLE LIFE, ONE’S WHOLE SELF, AND EVERYTHING IN ONE’S LIFE.

• WHAT ARE THE LAWS OF PREDICTIVE PROPHECY?
• MAN IS THE AGENT OF FULFILLMENT

• THE PREDICTION COMES TRUE ONLY IF MAN PERSISTS IN HIS EVIL WAYS. PREDICTION DOES NOT CREATE THE EVENT. ALL PROPHECY IS CONDITIONAL. IN OTHER WORDS, THE IDEA WAS THAT IF MAN REPENTED, THE PROPHECY WOULD NOT TAKE PLACE. HOWEVER, BECAUSE MAN’S HEART IS INCURABLY SINFUL, EVENTUALLY THE PROPHECY WILL COME TO PASS.
• FOR EXAMPLE: JON 3:4,10 NAH 2
• PEOPLE REPENTED AND NINEVEH’S FALL WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY FULFILLED. HOWEVER, REPENTANCE DID NOT LAST AND THE CITY FELL ABOUT 150 YEARS LATER IN 612 BC ACCORDING TO THE DETAILS IN NAHUM 2.
• THE PREDICTIONS OF GOD ARE 100% ACCURATE – DEU 18:22

• PREDICTIONS OCCUR IN PROPHECY TO VALIDATE THE WORD OF GOD AND TO VALIDATE THE PROPHET AS A TRUE PROPHET OF GOD.
• EXAMPLES: THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY LASTED FROM 606-536 BC
• THIS CAPTIVITY WAS PREDICTED 150 YEARS BEFORE IT HAPPENED IN 2KI 20:14-18
• JER 25:9-12 PREDICTED THAT THE CAPTIVITY WOULD LAST FOR 70 YEARS.
• THE FALL OF THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE TO THE MEDES AND PERSIANS WAS PREDICTED IN ISA 13:17
• CYRUS WAS NAMED BY THE PROPHET 150 YEARS BEFORE HE WAS BORN.
• PREDICTIONS MUST BE BEYOND THE POWER OF HUMAN FORESIGHT

• THE PROPHECY MUST HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO PASS TO PREVENT THE PROPHET FROM BECOMING THE FULFILLING AGENT.
• PROPHECY MUST HAVE ENOUGH DETAIL TO PREVENT GUESSWORK AND CHANCE HAPPENING.

• THIS IS THE PHENOMENON OF COMPOUND PROBABILITY.
• EVERY TIME YOU ADD A DETAIL, YOUR PROPHECY IS LESS AND LESS LIKELY TO COME TO PASS.
• FOR EXAMPLE: MESSIANIC PROPHECIES GIVE 333 DETAILS ABOUT THE COMING OF CHRIST.
• THAT MAKES IT A PROBABILITY OF 1 CHANCE IN 840 (WITH 97 ZEROS AFTER IT) THAT IT WILL COME TO PASS.
• THE LAW OF DOUBLE REFERENCE

• AN UNDERSTANDING OF THIS LAW IS ESSENTIAL TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF BIBLE PROPHECY, AND YET MOST CHRISTIANS HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT.
• DEFINITION: A PROPHECY PARTIALLY FULFILLED AT ONE POINT IN TIME TO BE COMPLETELY FULFILLED AT A LATER POINT IN TIME.
• FOR EXAMPLE: THE FIRST AND SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
• ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE JEWS MISSED SEEING JESUS AS THE MESSIAH WAS BECAUSE OF A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING REGARDING DOUBLE REFERENCE.
• THERE ARE MANY BIBLE PROPHECIES THAT TALK ABOUT THE FIRST COMING AND THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST ALL WITHIN ONE VERSE. THE JEWS FAILED TO SEPARATE THE TWO COMINGS.
• EXAMPLE: DAN 7:2-8
• VERSE 7 WAS FIRST FULFILLED BY THE ROMAN EMPIRE. HOWEVER, VERSE 8 HAS NOT YET BEEN FULFILLED.
• FROM WHERE DOES THIS PRINCIPLE COME AND WHY DOES GOD USE DOUBLE REFERENCE?
• GOD ESTABLISHED THIS PRINCIPLE WITH THE JEWS.
• A RABBINIC RULE OF SCRIPTURE INTERPRETATION SAID THAT IF A FUTURE EVENT WAS MENTIONED MORE THAN ONCE, IT WOULD HAVE A DUAL OR DOUBLE FULFILLMENT.
• GOD USED THIS PRINCIPLE BECAUSE THE PROPHET HAD A MESSAGE FOR HIS OWN DAY AS WELL AS A MESSAGE FOR THE FUTURE IN ORDER TO FULFILL GOD’S PLAN.
• HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF. BECAUSE THE SIN NATURE OF MAN IS PREDICTABLY EVIL. WARNINGS FOR ONE GENERATION ARE VALID FOR ANOTHER GENERATION.
• GOD HAS PLACED IN HISTORY PARTIAL FULFILLMENTS SO MAN WOULD KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR AT THE END OF TIME.
• THE FIRST FULFILLMENT WOULD BE AN ASSURANCE OF THE SECOND FULFILLMENT TO COME.
• IF MAN SEES GOD COMPLETE THE FIRST FULFILLMENT, HE WILL KNOW THAT WITHOUT A DOUBT GOD WILL COMPLETE THE SECOND FULFILLMENT.
• THE FIRST FULFILLMENT IS A VALIDATION OF THE PROPHET AS A TRUE PROPHET OF GOD. THEREFORE IT MUST OCCUR SOMETIME WITHIN THE PROPHET’S LIFETIME SO HIS IMMEDIATE AUDIENCE WOULD RECOGNIZE THAT THE MESSAGE CAME FROM GOD.
• WHAT WAS NOT FULFILLED IN THE FIRST FULFILLMENT MUST APPLY TO THE SECOND FULFILLMENT. WHAT HAS BEEN FULFILLED IS OFTEN CONSIDERED AS TYPICAL OR AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT REMAINS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED.

• MUCH OF BIBLE PROPHECY IS GIVEN IN SYMBOLIC FORM

• PROPHECY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT IS WRITTEN IN THE PAST OR THE PRESENT TENSE SIMPLY BECAUSE HEBREW HAD NO FUTURE TENSE.
• THE PROPHET SEES IT AS A COMPLETED EVENT IN SPACE AND TIME VERY MUCH THE WAY GOD VIEWS IT FROM OUTSIDE THE SPACE TIME CONTINUUM IN WHICH WE LIVE.
• WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS IN INTERPRETING PROPHECY?
• THE METHODS OF PROPHETIC REVELATION. GOD REVEALS HIMSELF AND HIS PLAN FOR MAN THROUGH::
• TYPES (PREFIGURES)
• SYMBOLS
• PARABLES
• DREAMS OR VISIONS
• WHY IS PROPHECY SO DIFFICULT?
• THE LIMITED VISION OF THE PROPHET IS ONE REASON WHY PROPHECY IS SO DIFFICULT.
• THE PROPHET NEVER SEES THE WHOLE PICTURE. GOD ONLY GIVES HIM A SMALL PART OF THE WHOLE.
• THEREFORE THERE IS A JIGSAW ASPECT OF FITTING PROPHETIC PIECES TOGETHER–THE TIMING OF EVENTS.
• NATURAL ASSUMPTION DETERMINES SOME OF THE PLACEMENT (LOGIC)
• FOR EXAMPLE: DANIEL TELLS US THAT IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD, THE JEWS WILL AGAIN OFFER ANIMAL SACRIFICE. THEREFORE, WE CAN PRESUME THAT THE JEWISH TEMPLE WILL BE REBUILT SOME TIME BEFORE THAT HAPPENS.
• SCRIPTURE DETERMINES SOME OF THE PLACEMENT
• FOR EXAMPLE: REV 13 ANTI-CHRIST AND THE FALSE PROPHET OCCUR TOGETHER SO WE KNOW THEY ARE ASSOCIATED IN THE SAME TIME SPAN
• SOMETIMES A TIME SEQUENCE IS GIVEN IN SCRIPTURE
• DAN 9:24-27 DANIEL’S 70 WEEKS
• DAN 12:11-12
• DAN 8:14
• HOW DO WE ARRIVE AT AN INTERPRETATION FOR BIBLE PROPHECY?
• YOU CAN’T TAKE SYMBOLS LITERALLY. ONE MUST COME UP WITH A MEANING FOR THE SYMBOLS
• WE ARRIVE AT THE INTERPRETATION OF SYMBOLS BY COMPARING SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE AND IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PASSAGE IN WHICH THEY OCCUR
• PRINCIPLES FOR PROPHETIC / SYMBOLIC INTERPRETATION
• DETERMINE AN ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SYMBOL’S NATURE
• DETERMINE OLD TESTAMENT MOSAIC SYMBOLS AND THEIR MEANINGS IN CONTEXT WITH MOSAIC TRUTH
• THE IMPORT OF EACH SEPARATE SYMBOL IS TO BE SOUGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE FROM ITS NAME
• EACH SYMBOL HAS BUT ONE MEANING HOWEVER DIFFERENT THE CONNECTION IN WHICH THEY MAY OCCUR
• EACH SYMBOL HAS ALWAYS THE SAME FUNDAMENTAL MEANING
• DETERMINE IF EACH SYMBOL IS A PRIMARY SYMBOL OF IMPORTANCE OR SIMPLY A SYMBOL OF SECONDARY IMPORTANCE

HOMEWORK
DANIEL 1
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHERFOR CORRECTION

• APPLICATION OF INTRODUCTION TO PROPHECY:
• THINK ABOUT ALL YOU KNOW AT THIS POINT ABOUT PROPHECY, AND WRITE WHAT EFFECT THAT HAS ON YOUR PERSONAL:FAITH IN AND BELIEFS ABOUT:
• GOD, THE FATHER.
• FAITH IN AND BELIEFS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST, THE SON
• PREPARATION FOR DANIEL 1
• READ DANIEL 1:1-21
• WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT DANIEL’S CHARACTER IN THIS CHAPTER? MAKE A LIST OF DANIEL’S CHARACTERISTICS
• MEMORY VERSE: 1COR 10:31