Monthly Archives: August 2019

Prophecy is NOT Rigidly Chronological, 2Sam 7:12-16

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Sometimes it can hardly be chronological at all.

This prophecy in 2 Samuel 7 has two subjects in mind. The general subject is the building of the“house” of David, the family line of David. David had wanted to build “the house of God,” the temple of God. God told David that He would not allow David to build Him a house, because he had been a man of war, not a man of peace.

Instead, God tells David, that God will build a house of David, a family of David, which will last forever. Then He tells David that his son will “build a house for my name,” 2Sam 7:13.

“12 When your days are fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who shall proceed out of your bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; 15 but my loving kindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before you: your throne shall be established forever.”
2Sam 7:12-16 WEB

The issue is that Scripture says that this prophecy is fulfilled by Solomon (for instance in 1Kgs 8:17-20), but it also says that Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy. Hebrews 1:5 is a quotation from 2Sam 7:14 and applies it to Jesus the Christ!

“ … and again,
“I will be to him a Father,
And he will be to me a Son?””
Heb 1:5 WEB

Both Solomon and Jesus are “sons” (descendants) of David. Solomon built a literal temple, a literal house of God. Jesus, beginning in the first century of our age is building spiritual temple, a spiritual house of God, the church.

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. ”
1Tim 3:15 KJV

How much time separate Solomon and Jesus?

Well, as a minimum, about 1,000 years. Notice that evidently Solomon is symbolic of Jesus, that is to say, Solomon is a “type” of Jesus. We might say in modern English that Solomon is a “prototype” of Jesus.

Notice that part of this does not fit Solomon at all.

Solomon’s kingdom was not “established forever,” 2Sam 7:16. Solomon’s kingdom ended in 586 BC when Jerusalem fell and the city was destroyed.

Notice that part of this does not fit Jesus at all.

Jesus was not a disobedient son of His Father, so the part, “if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men;” (2Sam 7:14) does not apply to Jesus at all. The two subjects, Solomon and Jesus are intertwined, with no clear line of division.

You CANNOT divide up this prophecy by either subject
(Solomon and Jesus), or by time.

It just cannot be done. A full discussion of this prophecy and its fulfillment is in Prophecy Principles.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

MOST Secular History and MOST Prophecy is NOT Rigidly Chronological

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And we should NOT expect them to be.

Scripture often comes in with a great deal of criticism for the perceived lack of chronological order in the discussion of future events. An oriental trait we are told. Much of this very unfair criticism. Actually, very little secular history is rigidly chronological.

Take for instance Will Durant.

Will Durant is a very popular, and very readable, historian of the mid twentieth century. Copies of his series “The Story of Civilization,” extends from pre-Christian times to the story of Napoleon in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Used copies are available all over the place, yet all eleven of the thick large format volumes are still in print.

Will Durant is generally chronological.

The first volume is Our Oriental Heritage, and the last volume is The Age of Napoleon.

But Durant is not strictly chronological.

In between though are many volumes which overlap each other. For instance, volumes like The Renaissance, and The Reformation, and The Age of Reason Begins.

Take for instance Volume V, The Renaissance. It generally covers from 1304 to 1576. But if you look inside, what Durant calls Book II covers “The Florentine Renaissance” from 1378-1534. Then, much as if Florence were not in Italy, Book III covers “Italian Pageant,”1378-1534. Then Book IV covers “The Roman Renaissance, 1378-1521! (But isn’t Rome also in Italy?)

And there are many internal chronological inconsistencies, for instance when he goes into detail about this or that trend in art. Generally chronological? Yes! Strictly chronological? No!

If you look around, most histories are the same way.

The Bible is generally chronological.

It starts with the creation of our present universe, and ends with the yet to come end of this present universe, and the creation of a new universe where sin and death and decay and entropy are not operating principles.

But Scripture is not strictly chronological.

For instance, the books of Kings and Chronicles are different accounts of generally the same period of time. And really the books of the prophets, from Isaiah to Malachi are generally sprinkled in time through out the period of the books of the Kings and Chronicles!

Isaiah is not strictly chronological.

Yes Revelation talks about the end of this present universe. But the end of the universe is also discussed in last part of Isaiah chapter 2. Also it is discussed in middle of Isaiah 13. Then it is discussed in some detail in Isaiah 24.

Isaiah is putting the events of his day, and of our day, into the larger context of where history, and this universe, is headed.

Often we should think of prophecy as a Father’s conversations
with His children about the future.

And if you want to follow the conversation, you have pay attention to the conversation, and note shifts in mood, or subject or time. It is much like a movie where there are no signs which say, “The next day back at the ranch,” we sense, or should sense, the change of time or location.

Joseph, Never Referenced as a Type, Part III of III

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Joseph went to a far country to receive a crown.

Then Joseph was shipped off to a far country, where he became a leader of Egypt. Jesus also went to a far country to receive a crown. ““A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.” Lk 19:12 WEB. It was the far country of heaven.

“9 Now this, “He ascended,” what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.”
Eph 4:9-10 WEB

Near age 30, Joseph became second in command to all.

“Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without you shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.””
Gen 41:44 WEB

Joseph became the Vice-President of Egypt. Likewise Jesus became second in command. All authority is given Him in heaven and on earth, Mtt 28:18.

“ … But when he says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that he is excepted who subjected all things to him.”
1Cor 15:27 WEB

There is more than can be told here.

Joseph had a revealing to his brothers, and he told them who he really was in Genesis chapter 45. Jesus had a revealing to this world in the first century, and will yet be revealed as the True Christ of God to the Jews, and He will yet save the Jews as a nation, as all the prophets and Paul in Romans chapters 9 through 11 reveal.

Joseph did not take personal revenge, and indeed saved his brothers from death. So will Jesus, yet to come in history.

Is there a more perfect type of Jesus than Joseph?

There is much more to tell of the parallels between Joseph and Jesus. One of the most important things to notice is that, despite all of these parallels between Joseph and Jesus, Joseph is NEVER mentioned in the New Testament as a type of the Christ!

NOTICE: Not ALL types and shadows are IDENTIFIED.

If we study types and shadows, can we make mistakes, and perhaps “see” things which are really not there? Yes, that is possible.

“… In those are some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and unsettled twist, as they also do to the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”
2Pe 3:16 WEB

Even so, not everything is spelled out. We are supposed to use our heads and think and learn from the many Biblical examples of both good and evil. We must read and think and learn!

To not use the Bible examples/types of both good and evil is like playing with half a deck of cards.

We are warned, “Don’t despise prophesies.” 1Thes 5:20 WEB.

If we make a point of avoiding prophecy and the symbolism/typology of prophecy, then we also avoid the many warnings and admonitions we should heed, and will never come close to having or delivering “the whole counsel of God,” Acts 20:27 WEB.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901