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Explaining Prophecy
Judgment prophecies
can be lifted, set aside if the parties affected repent and turnaround from
their former course - on the other hand, if God has promised blessings but then
that person or group disobeys him and does evil, he will not do what he had
said he would do - then again, if one has repented, turned around, and a
judgment prophecy has been lifted, it can be reinstated if that person or group
returns to their former evil ways 
Christian Publishing
House
Most understand the word “prophecy” to be another word for prediction.
The Hebrew, navi and the Greek prophētēs (prophet),
carry the meaning of one who is a proclaimer of God’s message and need not
necessarily be foretelling of the future.
He may very well be proclaiming a moral teaching, an expression of a
divine command or judgment, but they also mean a foretelling of something to
come.
Below, we will be considering the secondary meaning of prophecy, one
who foretells the future, not the primary meaning, one who forth tells the will
and purpose of God, i.e. a proclaimer.
Just as it is true of all these genres, there are principles that both
writer and reader were aware of, and did not need to be explained.
We, however, are far removed from their time and need to be introduced
to these principles.
The Prophetic Judgment of Nineveh
Deuteronomy 18:20-22 – “20But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in
my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of
other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ 21And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know
the word that the LORD has not spoken?’— 22when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD,
if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD
has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be
afraid of him.”
Jonah 3:4 – “4Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called
out, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’”
Jonah 3:5 – “5And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put
on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.”
Jonah 3:10 – “10When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God
relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not
do it.”
Based on Deuteronomy 18:20-22, does Jonah 3:4-5 and 10 not prove that
Jonah was a false prophet?
No, both Jonah and the Ninevites were aware of a principle that is
often overlooked by the modern-day reader.
Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel give the answer, or the principle that that
readers of that time would have understood about judgment prophecy.
Jeremiah explicitly explains the rule of judgment prophecies, when he
writes, “If at any time I say that I am going to uproot, break down, or
destroy any nation or kingdom, but then that nation turns from its evil, I will
not do what I said I would.” - (Jeremiah
17:7-8, GNT)
The opposite is true as well,
Jeremiah 18:9-10 Good News Translation (GNT) – “9On the other hand, if I say that I am going to
plant or build up any nation or kingdom, 10but then that nation disobeys me and does evil,
I will not do what I said I would.”
Yes, if one turns back from their evil ways, endeavoring to obey God’s
Word, he will not receive the condemnatory judgment that he deserves.
That a repentant, evil person’s previous wicked deeds will not be held
against them, God states,
Ezekiel 33:13-15 – “13Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he
trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds
shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die. 14Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall
surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and
right, 15if the
wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks
in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall
not die.”
Regardless of all that one has done throughout their life, it is their
standing in God’s eyes at the time of the divine judgment, which God considers.
Therefore, God goes on to say through Ezekiel,
Ezekiel 33:14-16 – “14Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he
turns from his sin and does what is just and right, 15if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back
what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing
injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 16None of the sins that he has committed shall be
remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely
live.”
Supposed Unfulfilled Prophecy
In the days when Micah was prophesying, c. 777-717, the king, the
heads of the Jerusalem government, the religious leaders, the priests, and some
prophets, were deserving of nothing but death.
All were guilty of causing the life of their fellow countrymen, all
for the sake of greed. They were guilty of false worship, bribery, lies, and
wicked behavior.
These leaders used false prophets, who were not true spokesmen of God.
Therefore, the real prophet, Micah, shouted,
Micah 3:12 – “12Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem
shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.”
The destruction occurred in the late seventh-century B.C.E., just as
it was prophesied. As we can see below, Micah 3:12 was quoted over a century
later in Jeremiah 26:18.
Jeremiah 26:16-19 Updated American Standard Version (UASV) – “16Then the officials and all the people said to
the priests and the prophets, ‘This man is not worthy of death; for he hath
spoken to us in the name of Jehovah our God.’ 17Then rose up certain of the elders of the land,
and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying, 18Micah the Morashtite prophesied in the days of
Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying: ‘Thus
says Jehovah of hosts,
“‘Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of
ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.’
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah
put him to death? Did he not fear Jehovah and entreat the favor of Jehovah, and
Jehovah changed his mind about the misfortune, which he had pronounced against
them? But we are committing a great evil against our own souls.”
Is this another unfulfilled prophecy? Did not Jeremiah himself
say, “Jehovah changed his mind about the misfortune, which he had
pronounced against them”?
Verse 19 of Jeremiah [chapter 26] indicates that Micah’s preaching may
have been instrumental in the revival under King Hezekiah (see 2 Kings 18:1–6; 2 Chronicles 29–31).” (Barker and Bailey 2001,
82) The New American Commentary authors go on to say,
Lamentations describes the awful fulfillment of this prophecy (see
Introduction, p. 30). It is ironic that those who thought they were the
builders of Zion (verse 10) actually
turned out to be, in a sense, its destroyers.
The Lord, because of their breach of covenant, used King
Nebuchadnezzar’s Neo-Babylonian army to raze Jerusalem and its temple.
They were reduced to a “mound of ruins” (translating
the Hb. word ʿîyyîn) similar to an archaeological tel and to Ai (see also comments on 1:6), foreshadowing
the Roman destruction of A.D. 70.
Jerusalem became a place suitable only for wild animals. And the
temple mount that thronged with worshipers became as deserted as when Abraham
almost offered Isaac there on Mount Moriah (Genesis
22:2, 14). (Barker and Bailey 2001, 82)
Yes, there is no reason to view Micah’s words as an unfulfilled
prophecy. What we have here is a following of the above rule, with a qualifying
clause, so to speak.
As God said through Jeremiah, “If at any time I say that I am
going to uproot, break down, or destroy any nation or kingdom, but then that
nation turns from its evil, I will not do what I said I would.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
However, “if I say that I am going to plant or build up any
nation or kingdom, but then that nation disobeys me and does evil, I will not
do what I said I would.”
In other words, the king, the governmental leaders and the priests
heeded Micah’s warning, repented, and were forgiven for a time, with the
judgment prophecy lifted.
However, they fell back into their former ways, even more grievously
than before. Therefore, Micah’s prophecy was reinstated.
It is as Jeremiah said in 26:19, “But we are committing a
great evil against our own souls.”
Therefore, Jeremiah was saying, Micah prophesied, the people repented,
God forgave them, and now Micah’s words will be carried out, because of the
current generation of God’s people ‘committing a great evil against
their own souls.’
As we can see from the above, judgment prophecies are based on a
continued wrong course by those receiving condemnation.
However, both the condemned and the one proclaiming the prophecy knew
that the judgment would be lifted if they reversed course, and repented.
This was even expressed by Jonah himself. “But, it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
And he prayed to Jehovah and said, “O Jehovah, is not this
what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to
Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger
and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.” (Jonah 4:1-2)
However, it is also true, if one goes in the opposite direction after
having repented, returning to the sinful ways, the judgment will be reinstated.
Prophetic Language
The prophet is much like the poet, in that he is given a license to
express himself in nonliteral language. Generally, he is working with images
that are far more effective than words themselves.
Matthew 24:29-31 - The Coming of the Son of Man – “29Immediately after the tribulation of those days
the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars
will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son
of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the
Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.31And he will send out his angels with a loud
trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end
of heaven to the other.”
The above cosmic terminology need not be taken literally. It is a part
of their tool kit, which enables them to make it clear that God is acting in
behalf of humans. (See Daniel 2:21; 4:17, 25, 34–35; 5:21)
The sun is not going to be darkened, the moon will not stop giving its
light, the stars are not going to fall from the heavens, nor will the heavens
be shaken.
What is being communicated here is that following the tribulation when
God is going to judge humans, the righteous will receive life and the
unrighteous will cut off from life. (verses
34-45)
While we do not take cosmic terminology literally, we do discover its
meaning, and this is what we are to take literally.
Acts 2:14-21 - Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost
“14But
Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: ‘Men
of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear
to my words. 15For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the
third hour of the day. 16But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
“’17And in
the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all
flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men
shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18even on my male servants and female servants in
those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.19And I will show wonders in the heavens above and
signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;20the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon
to blood,before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21And it shall come to pass that everyone who
calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”
In all occurrences, prophecy proclaimed in Bible times had meaning for
the people who heard it; it served for their guidance as well as each
generation up unto the time of its fulfillment.
Usually, it had some fulfillment in that time, in numerous instances
being fulfilled during the days of that very generation.
In looking at Peters quote from Joel, it must be asked; did they see
those cosmic events on Pentecost?
Yes, the cosmic terminology is expressing that God was acting on
behalf of those first Christians.
A new era was being entered and God did pour out His Spirit, and sons
and daughters did prophesy, both in proclaiming a message and in the
foretelling of further events.
However, let us delve even deeper into prophecy and how they are to be
interpreted. Before moving on, let us briefly offer what we have learned this
far:
· Judgment prophecies can be lifted, set aside if the parties affected
repent and turnaround from their former course.
· On the other hand, if God has promised blessings but then that person
or group disobeys him and does evil, he will not do what he had said he would
do.
· Then again, if one has repented, turned around, and a judgment
prophecy has been lifted, it can be reinstated if that person or group returns
to their former evil ways.
· Prophets have a license to use prophetic language, cosmic terminology
that evidences that God is working or acting within humanity.
· While we do not take cosmic terminology literally, we do discover its
meaning, and this is what we are to take literally.
Interpreting Prophecy
If we are to understand and interpret prophecy correctly, we must
first have a grasp of figurative language, types, and symbols.
We have already dealt with figurative language back in chapter 5, and
typology is addressed throughout this book. In addition, the reader should
carefully consider CHAPTER 24, New Testament Writers Use of the Old Testament.
We will follow the same interpretation process here that we would
elsewhere, grammatical-historical interpretation, which attempts to ascertain
what the author meant by the words that he used, which should have been
understood by his original readers. (Stein
1994, 38-9)
It was the primary method of interpretation when higher criticism’s
Historical-Critical Method was in its infancy back in the 19th century (Milton Terry), and remains the only method of
interpretation for true conservative scholarship in the later 20th century into
the 21st century.
Grammatical Aspect
When we speak of interpreting the Bible grammatically, we are
referring to the process of seeking to determine its meaning by ascertaining
four things:
(a) the meaning of words (lexicology),
(b) the form of words (morphology),
(c) the function of words (parts of speech), and
(d) the relationships of words (syntax).
In the meaning of words (lexicology), we are concerned with
(a) etymology- how words are derived and developed,
(b) usage how words are used by the same and other authors,
(c) synonyms and antonyms -how similar and opposite words are used,
and
(d) context-how words are used in various contexts.
In discussing the form of words (morphology), we are looking at how
words are structured and how that affects their meaning.
For example, the word eat means something different from ate, though
the same letters are used.
The word part changes meaning when the letter “s” is added to it to
make the word parts.
The function of words (parts of speech) considers what the various
forms do.
These include attention to subjects, verbs, objects, nouns, and
others, as will be discussed later.
The relationships of words (syntax) are the way words are related or
put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. (Zuck 1991, 100-101)
Historical Aspect
By “historical” we mean the setting in which the prophet’s book was
written and the circumstances involved in the writing. … taking into
consideration the circumstances of the writings and the cultural environment.
We must keep in mind that even though many of the prophetic utterances
were meant for the generation, in which they were spoken, or shortly
thereafter.
Even if it is not the immediate generation, all prophetic utterances
had some type of meaning to the prophet’s generation, be it hope in some future
person or event, or the knowledge of a judgment that is coming or could come as
a result of their behavior.
For example, maybe the Israelites are under persecution and oppression
by the surrounding nations, and the prophecy is for a protector that is to rise
up, and set matters straight.
Even though they do not know, who the protector is, or the exact time
of his appearance, they do know that God cannot lie, nor has he ever lied, and
so, they can have hope and faith in his words.
Moreover, they would have also known that if they fell back into false
worship, God could withdraw his prophetic message of a savior.
The context in which a given Scripture passage is written influences
how that passage is to be understood.
Context includes several things:
· the verse(s) immediately before and after a passage
· the paragraph and book in which the verses occur
· the dispensation in which it was written
· the message of the entire Bible
· the historical-cultural environment of that time when it was
written. (Zuck 1991, 77)
We will end this chapter here. However, our next chapter, chapter 10,
will walk the reader through a portion of a prophetic book.
We have chosen the book of Isaiah (Isaiah
66:1-14), which is a favorite of many, even viewed as the
fifth Gospel, because it speaks of the coming Messiah so much.
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