2Peter
1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The student of Bible prophecy must build line upon line, precept upon precept ….. here a little, there a little …. in the process of rendering the correct meaning of the Lord’s prophetic scriptures …. at the same time one must seek the Lord’s guidance along the way with prayer and dedication to the task
Proper motive is paramount as well …. those who abuse the prophetic scriptures by using them to promote personal gain of any kind …. drawing attention to themselves, seeking power and influence, attaching prophecy to support false doctrines, and any form of material gain …. all of this will be detected by the Lord and He will spoil the game for those who do it, and for those follow
He has said that many would come in His name and would deceive many …. most who do this very thing today are using Bible prophecy in their false teaching designed to mislead others …. the serious student of the Bible must avoid being tempted to create pseudo-christian follies for the purpose of deceiving others
Here is the setting that I recommend for the trained and gifted interpreter of the Lord’s prophetic word …. Jesus Christ alone is the Spirit of all prophecy:
Always seek the Lord’s guidance through prayer and meditation
Do so with no other motive than to understand and to convey your discoveries
Know that He will lead you into much knowledge and discernment upon the asking
Realize that it will take the time of His choosing …. there are no short cuts
Do not be overly influenced by any others, but strive to test all teaching against the backdrop of the prophetic scriptures
Read the book of Revelation first and become very familiar with the content even though you will not understand everything at first …. then add the details of the other prophetic scriptures each in turn
Learn that Revelation is the direct word of the Lord Himself and that the literary structure is one of repetition as the narrative moves forward
Discover the building blocks of prophecy realizing that there is no other reliable source apart from the scriptures of the Bible prophets and the Lord's direct inspiration
Be willing to adjust your view as you learn and if you discover contradiction or incongruency in your view you must return to the drawing board knowing that the visions are without error and totally compatible with each other
Here are a few of some very significant precepts well worth discovering:
Understand that there is a breach in the time line of the visions between the Lord’s first and second advents
Know that national Israel is a theme that runs throughout the scriptures from the nation’s beginning and its future …. seek to understand His continued purposes for Israel apart from all other nations
Do not mix Israel and the church ….. replacement theologies are flawed and can be very deceptive
Know that the Lord intends to immortalize today’s church of both those asleep and those living at the time just before He brings His coming judgment against an unbelieving and intransigent world …. He will deal with the balance of Israel and the nations during the coming tribulation period
Some will turn and believe during this coming time of great upheaval on the earth, but most will not, and these will be killed and lost forever .... most of those who do turn during the period will be martyred for their faith
Know that the Lord intends to eliminate all human self government during His coming time of trial and testing ….. He will then rule a mortal kingdom on the earth for 1000 years from Jerusalem
He will gather all of the surviving mortals of the tribulation at the end of it and separate those that believe from those that do not …. the believing mortals will enter and populate His millennial kingdom on the earth …. the others will be rejected
The immortal church and those believers added who are martyred during the tribulation period will rule with Him during His millennial kingdom on the earth …. and for eternity
All of the spirits of the unbelieving human dead from the beginning of creation will be gathered at the end of His coming millennial kingdom on the earth and burned in His lake of fire
He will then create new heavens and a new earth for tose who follow and believe which will last for eternity
Bible prophecy is the very essence of the proof that the Bible is what it claims to be …. the word of the living God and the testimony of Jesus Christ who is both God and human
Those who are truly called to seek, understand, and convey these things to others carry the gift of prophecy by being able to present it in truth and without error .... but only that which is contained within content of the prophetic scriptures …. nothing is to be added …. the Bible is complete and finished .... only the Lord and His Bible prophets are the accepted originators [Revelation 22:17-21]
One must study thy self approved for this mission …. there is no “magic” in the process …. a very unique and disciplined mission that the Lord directs and expects of those by His choosing [2Timothy 2:15-26]
1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The student of Bible prophecy must build line upon line, precept upon precept ….. here a little, there a little …. in the process of rendering the correct meaning of the Lord’s prophetic scriptures …. at the same time one must seek the Lord’s guidance along the way with prayer and dedication to the task
Proper motive is paramount as well …. those who abuse the prophetic scriptures by using them to promote personal gain of any kind …. drawing attention to themselves, seeking power and influence, attaching prophecy to support false doctrines, and any form of material gain …. all of this will be detected by the Lord and He will spoil the game for those who do it, and for those follow
He has said that many would come in His name and would deceive many …. most who do this very thing today are using Bible prophecy in their false teaching designed to mislead others …. the serious student of the Bible must avoid being tempted to create pseudo-christian follies for the purpose of deceiving others
Here is the setting that I recommend for the trained and gifted interpreter of the Lord’s prophetic word …. Jesus Christ alone is the Spirit of all prophecy:
Always seek the Lord’s guidance through prayer and meditation
Do so with no other motive than to understand and to convey your discoveries
Know that He will lead you into much knowledge and discernment upon the asking
Realize that it will take the time of His choosing …. there are no short cuts
Do not be overly influenced by any others, but strive to test all teaching against the backdrop of the prophetic scriptures
Read the book of Revelation first and become very familiar with the content even though you will not understand everything at first …. then add the details of the other prophetic scriptures each in turn
Learn that Revelation is the direct word of the Lord Himself and that the literary structure is one of repetition as the narrative moves forward
Discover the building blocks of prophecy realizing that there is no other reliable source apart from the scriptures of the Bible prophets and the Lord's direct inspiration
Be willing to adjust your view as you learn and if you discover contradiction or incongruency in your view you must return to the drawing board knowing that the visions are without error and totally compatible with each other
Here are a few of some very significant precepts well worth discovering:
Understand that there is a breach in the time line of the visions between the Lord’s first and second advents
Know that national Israel is a theme that runs throughout the scriptures from the nation’s beginning and its future …. seek to understand His continued purposes for Israel apart from all other nations
Do not mix Israel and the church ….. replacement theologies are flawed and can be very deceptive
Know that the Lord intends to immortalize today’s church of both those asleep and those living at the time just before He brings His coming judgment against an unbelieving and intransigent world …. He will deal with the balance of Israel and the nations during the coming tribulation period
Some will turn and believe during this coming time of great upheaval on the earth, but most will not, and these will be killed and lost forever .... most of those who do turn during the period will be martyred for their faith
Know that the Lord intends to eliminate all human self government during His coming time of trial and testing ….. He will then rule a mortal kingdom on the earth for 1000 years from Jerusalem
He will gather all of the surviving mortals of the tribulation at the end of it and separate those that believe from those that do not …. the believing mortals will enter and populate His millennial kingdom on the earth …. the others will be rejected
The immortal church and those believers added who are martyred during the tribulation period will rule with Him during His millennial kingdom on the earth …. and for eternity
All of the spirits of the unbelieving human dead from the beginning of creation will be gathered at the end of His coming millennial kingdom on the earth and burned in His lake of fire
He will then create new heavens and a new earth for tose who follow and believe which will last for eternity
Bible prophecy is the very essence of the proof that the Bible is what it claims to be …. the word of the living God and the testimony of Jesus Christ who is both God and human
Those who are truly called to seek, understand, and convey these things to others carry the gift of prophecy by being able to present it in truth and without error .... but only that which is contained within content of the prophetic scriptures …. nothing is to be added …. the Bible is complete and finished .... only the Lord and His Bible prophets are the accepted originators [Revelation 22:17-21]
One must study thy self approved for this mission …. there is no “magic” in the process …. a very unique and disciplined mission that the Lord directs and expects of those by His choosing [2Timothy 2:15-26]
Last edited: