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Hoyte Nelson's Poems/ Reflections & Biblical Essays
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Essay Interpreting Prophecy (Through the teachings of Christ, and the Apostolic Revelations)“Even
the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made
manifest to his saints” Colossians 1: 26). How blessed are we who now live in the Light of the
knowledge of Jesus Christ and the apostolic revelations as they relate to the OT
prophesies. First,
we Christians are so blessed in that we now have a more complete understanding
of that which was “longed for” in OT Prophetic times; things veiled in the
“mystery” that they could not see, but is now revealed to us in the life and
ministry of Jesus, and His church now unveiled in the Apostolic records”
(Ephesians, chapters 1-9). The
unveiling of that which the OT fathers, as well as the prophets, had only a
vague glimpse. For example: Adam’s only hope rest solely in these
words: “And I will put enmity between you
and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the
head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3: 15). That simple
promise was not only Adam’s only hope, but also it was the only hope for all
generations to come. Again, Abraham, who is called
“the father of the faithful” (Romans 4: 16), had only the promise that
through his seed, the families of the earth would be blessed. (Genesis 12: 3)
Prophet after prophet added glimpses to the “blessed hope” as
generations waited for Abraham’s promise to be fulfillment in the person of
Jesus Christ. It is interesting how God would give to His prophet’s glimpses of
prophetic truth in the midst of their contemporary everyday life situations -
having to do with far-distance events, and immediately return to the subject
matter in which He was leading them. It was from these “glimpses” of
prophetic truth that they sought to understand the messianic promises. (Psalms
69: 21) We today, have the advantage of knowing the mystery
in which God, in His sovereign will, chose to “hide” from the prophets of
old. The Apostle Paul gives us this insight
into this truth: “The mystery which has
been hidden from the past ages and
generations, but has now been manifested to His saints” (Colossians 1:
26); that is, that the Gentiles would one day be heirs with the Jews
(Israel) in the messianic hope as the “Israel of God” (Galatians 6: 15,16).
This “mystery” is also emphasized in Paul’s letters to the Romans,
Ephesians, and Colossians. (For example, Read Ephesians 3: 1-11). It was not
until the “fullness of time” (The first Advent of Christ) that God’s
people fully began to understand the meaning of the prophetic (messianic) hope
as was now fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Luke 24: 25-27). The subject for this article, “Interpreting
prophesy through the life and ministry of Christ” is to point out the
necessity of understanding the fact that the Old Testament Prophets were not in
a position to understand all New Testament realities. This was because God had
chosen to hide certain things from them until the time was right for them to
comprehend the truth (Romans 9: 6,23). It seems to me that a student
of prophesy would be wisely counseled if he were instructed to study the Life of
Christ, and the teaching of His apostles, and from this vantage point, study the
OT prophets. For an example: Joel’s prophecy concerning the coming of the Holy
Spirit could only be understood in the light of Pentecost
(Acts 2); this is true of all prophecy related to Israel’s distant
future that can only be completely understood in the light of NT truth.
For a student of scripture to
try to interpret Old Testament prophecy without first having an understanding of
its fulfillment in the New Testament truth would be subject to all kinds of
speculations and misleading doctrines. Allow me this illustration: If a student
were given an assignment to write about the Mighty Mississippi River, and he
only researched the tributaries leading into the Mississippi River; his report
would be misleading, and so it is in studying prophecy without the benefit of
New Testament unveiled truth. Secondly, we must not forget
that there are many prophecies given to God’s people in OT times that were
fulfilled in their day, etc. This article has reference only to the
“Messianic” promises and the fulfillment of them in New Testament times.
(Luke 24: 25-27) When Jesus had fulfilled His mission in the first Advent, just
before He ascended by to the Father, He told His disciples to wait for the
promise of the Father. (Acts 1: 4) This promise was first given to the prophets
of old, but were not fulfilled until Pentecost (Ezekial 11: 19). Therefore, these early
disciples were also lacking in their understanding of the scope of their task;
powerless to accomplish their commission, and blind as to the “mystery” that
had been kept secret from the days of old.
[The mystery that prophets as well as the angels longed to look into (1
Peter 1:10-12). They not only lacked the gifts of Pentecost, but they also
lacked the knowledge that the Gentiles would now be fellow heirs with the Jews
as the Israel of God. Without passages like these, (Acts chapters 2, 10,11, and
15); we would still be in darkness]. It is of great importance that we understand
the meaning of the “KEYS “ as promised to the apostle Peter, without which
the tongues of Pentecost would also be without meaning. Peter was given the Key
that opened the door to the non-Jew as a part of God’s family in Christ Jesus
i.e., one with the Jews as the “Israel of God.” For example: Peter at
Pentecost, (Act 2), and Peter’s experience at Joppa, (Acts 10,11), are
directly related to the Jerusalem conference, (Acts 15:12-17), etc. The Apostle Paul was God’s appointed
messenger to unveil the “mystery” hid in ages past. This mystery that the
true kingdom of Israel is spiritual, and include both Jew and Gentile,
(Galatians 3: 14). The “wall” that once separated the Jew and the Gentile is
forever gone, we are now one body in Christ forever. (Ephesians 2:14). The OT Prophets did more than just prophesy concerning the distance future; by and large, their prophecy was only part of their total prophetic ministry. It was through them that God guided His people from the time of their Exile out of Egypt, until the Messiah came. The Prophets were God’s instruments of divine council to Kings as well as to His people; not only prophesying, but as shepherds (pastors) to the people of God. Prophecy was the “hope” that sustained them across the years of their wondering; that “hope” is today fulfilled in Jesus Christ. We are now living in the expectation of the soon coming of our Lord to establish His eternal kingdom in the New Heaven and the New Earth, (2 Peter 3: 13; Isaiah 65: 17; Revelation 21:1 through 22: 21). I began this Essay: “Interpreting
prophecy through the teachings of Christ, and the Apostolic Revelations,” and
will now close by emphasizing three points of interest in this regard: Remember
the encounter with Jesus of the two men on the Road to Emmaus? This is what
Jesus said, “O foolish men and slow of
heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for
the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning
with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning
Himself in all the Scriptures”
(Luke 24: 25-27). I would like to close by pointing two other passages that
emphasizes this same truth: John 5:39, Jesus says, “You search the Scriptures
(OT) because you think that in them you have eternal life; it
is these that testify about Me.” The Apostle Paul says in 2
Corinthians 3: 14, “But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil
remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.” |