Understanding Prophecy

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Understanding Prophecy</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id267.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How To Apply The Bible To Your Life"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id268.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How To Study A Book of the Bible"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Understanding Prophecy</B></div> <div> <B>How to Understand the Bible, Part 7</B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, February 17, 2002pm</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Defining Prophecy</B></div> <div> A. General Sense: Speaking forth the word of God.</div> <div> B. Specific Sense: Speaking and writing accurately of events before they occur.</div> <div> C. About 20 percent of the Bible is predictive prophecy (both already fulfilled and not yet fulfilled).</div> <bR> <div> <B>Purposes of Prophecy</B></div> <div> A. To comfort – facing difficulties in light of what God will do (2 Chronicles 7:13-14).</div> <div> B. To convert – sharing the future so the unprepared can get prepared (Acts 17:29-34).</div> <div> C. To challenge – compelling believers to live rightly before God (Titus 2:11-14, 1 John 3:2-3).</div> <bR> <div> <B>Follow the Customary Rules of Language</B></div> <div> A. This includes everything we have studied so far.</div> <div> B. Avoid allegorizing without warrant.</div> <div>      Revelation: Actual events or cycles of history?</div> <div>      Revelation 20: The meaning of 1000 years – literal or just a really long time?</div> <div> C. Understand figurative language properly. Figurative language was intended to mean something literal.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Understand the Historical Background of the Prophecy</B></div> <div> A. Did a particular event or situation prompt the prophecy?</div> <div>      Joel: A locust plague was an occasion to talk about the future Day of the Lord</div> <div> B. Is there a stated purpose?</div> <div>      1 Thessalonians 4:13: The death of Christians leads to a discussion on the Rapture of the church and resurrection.</div> <div> C. What was happening in the world?</div> <div>      Haggai and Zechariah: Israel had returned from captivity to their own land.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Discern the Prophecy in Relation to the Comings of Christ</B></div> <div> A. Jesus Christ and his Kingdom are dominant themes in the Bible.</div> <div> B. Jesus Christ came once and is coming again.  Which coming does the prophecy refer to? </div> <div> C. Examine Isaiah 9:2-7, as well as Isaiah 61:1-2 and Luke 4:16-21</div> <bR> <div> <B>Recognize the Dual Nature of Many Prophecies</B></div> <div> A. Near and far fulfillments.</div> <div>      Isaiah 7:13-17 and Matthew 1:23</div> <div> B. Multiple fulfillments.</div> <div>      Joel 2:28-32 and Acts 2:16-21</div> <bR> <div> <B>Understand the Prophecy in the Light of the Progress of Revelation</B></div> <div> A. Later revelation is built on earlier revelation.</div> <div> B. Later revelation does not change earlier revelation.</div> <div>      Luke 17:20-21: The Kingdom of God “within you” does not negate the OT promises of a literal kingdom.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2002, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>