An audio lesson.
Scripture is often unfairly criticized for not being strictly chronological. Actually the basic format of much of prophecy bears it greatest resemblance to human converstions. God is having conversations with us about the future. And the truth is that even most of the secualar histories which we read, are not strictly chronological!
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The world is full of naive assumptions about God and what He might do, or say, or speak, or like.
For instance, some “assume” that all prophecy is strictly linear. That God always talks first about what will happen first. Second He will talk about what will happen second, and so. So they claim, if a passage has a dual subject, then God must first finish talking about Subject A, before He talks about Subject B. Oh?
There are clearly two subjects in Matthew 24, which was first spoken by Jesus around 30 AD. The first is the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. So Jesus speaks of the stones on which the Jewish temple was built, and says,
“… “Don’t you
see all of these things? Most assuredly I tell you, there will not be
left here one stone on another, that will not be thrown down.””
Mtt
24:2
That literally happened in 70 AD, and almost all acknowledge that Matthew 24 does talk about the war that drew to its conclusion in 70 AD!
But also Matthew 24 clearly talks about the end of this present universe. So Jesus says,
“and then
the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the
tribes of the earth will mourn, and they
will see the Son of Man coming
on the clouds of the sky with
power and great glory.”
Mtt
24:30
The issue for most is, where does the first subject stop, and the second subject begin?
We may say, well Bobby is really good at math. Yes, but Billy is really good at sports. That is true but also Bobby is good drama. Yes, and Billy is good at history and geography. And so on. So may go on talking for hours about Bobby and Billy, in a perfectly normal discussion of two normal little boys, or say two perfectly normal politicians running for office, going back and forth between two subjects! Such is not strange in human discussions.
I think it is that the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD is symbolic of the end of our present universe, and Jesus is in Matthew 24 talking back and forth about both subjects. This is in fact a common device used in Bible prophecy. So to see what might apply to 70 AD, we might read the Jewish historian Josephus. And learn more about the end of this universe, we might consider how 70 AD happened.
God can talk to us back and forth about more than one subject at a time if He wants to. It is for us to listen carefully and follow the conversation.
The best way to avoid naive assumptions is first study fulfilled prophecies and see how they work, and then trying to derive our principles from what we see working in fulfilled prophecy. This is done in some detail in my first book, Prophecy Principles.
Scriptures
are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision
of
the original ASV American Standard Version 1901
An audio lesson.
How types and fulfillments work in Scripture, and the example of two sons of David in 2Samuel chapter 7.
Click on the Audio Player to download as an MP3 file.
An audio lesson.
Seeing how the author of Hebrews uses logic and reason to identify a type from the Old Testament.
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An audio lesson.
Answering the objections to figurative language in Scripture.
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Also both the earthly Zion is spoken of in Scripture, and also the heavenly Zion. For instance you can see this in Psalm 11. In Psalm 11 David is being told that he had better run for his life, because the wicked are getting ready to shoot him in the dark, Psa 11:1-2. David then asks very mournfully, if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do, Psa 11:3? Indeed, David has already said that Yahweh lives on Mount Zion.
“Sing
praises to Yahweh, who dwells in Zion,
And declare among
the people what he has done.”
Psa 9:11 WEB
Despite this, David by inspiration also says in Psa 11:4, “Yahweh is in his holy temple.” There is more to point out even here. In English, and in many languages, there is a word for a temple, and word for a palace, and these are different concepts. In Hebrew however the word hekal does double duty as the word for both a king’s palace and a religious temple. In this sense then, the temple of God is really God’s palace to the Hebrew mind. The other term used in Hebrew is to call it “the house of God,” which is the ordinary term for in Hebrew for a “house,” byet, which even further enforces the idea that God lives there, and David did say Yahweh lives/dwells in Zion, Psa 9:11 above.
“But
will God in very deed dwell on the earth? behold, heaven and the
heaven of heavens can’t contain you; how much less this house
that I have built!”
1Kgs 8:27 WEB
But David says more that once more.
“Out
of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth. ”
Psa
50:2 WEB
Or again, and of course Jerusalem is Jeru-salem, David speaks of the original tent of meeting.
“His
tent is also in Salem;
His dwelling place in Zion.”
Psa
76:2 WEB
And God’s rule goes forth out of Zion (a double meaning do you think?)
“Yahweh
will send forth the rod of your strength out of Zion. Rule in the
midst of your enemies.”
Psa 11:2 WEB
Or another time, but perhaps more mysteriously
“Yahweh
is great in Zion.
He is high above all the peoples.”
Psa
99:2 WEB
Yes, Yahweh is in His holy temple, Psa 11:4a, and then he tells us,
“Yahweh is on his throne in heaven,” Psa 11:4b
The palace of God, the real palace, is in heaven.
“5
Yahweh examines the righteous,
But the wicked and him who
loves violence his soul hates. Psa. 11:6 On the wicked he will rain
blazing coals; Fire, sulfur, and scorching wind shall be the
portion of their cup. ”
Psa 11:5-6 WEB
Earthly Zion is only symbolic, a type, of the true palace of God and His throne.
WEB
is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the
original ASV American Standard Version 1901
However, generally there are hints that a person, place, thing, or event is symbolic of something else
An example of this is the prophecy of a son of David who will build a temple of the Lord, in 2Sam 7:12-16. Solomon is the immediate subject of this prophecy, and he did build a literal temple in Jerusalem in the 10th century BC. Still Solomon is symbolic of Jesus who is now building a spiritual temple for God. The tip off is the parts of this prophecy which really DO NOT FIT SOLOMON! Parts of this prophecy only fit Solomon, and parts only fit Jesus, and parts fit both, but in different ways. There is a complete discussion of this prophecy in Prophecy Principles, in the section called “Type and Anti-Type, Symbol and Fulfillment.
Many different kings are spoken of in the prophecies of Daniel. Some of them are very easy to identify, for instance Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in Dan 2:38, and Alexander the Great and the four Greek kings who succeeded Alexander in Dan 8:20-22. Others require more research. It seems that Antiochus IV Epiphanes (215-163 BC) is clearly described in more than one place in Daniel’s writing, including Dan 11:21, 27-35. Antiochus IV tried to force Greek paganism on the Jews, and spectacularly failed. He put an idol of “Zeus” in the temple in Jerusalem, and offered a pig as a sacrifice on the altar there. This is described in the these prophecies as “the abomination of desolation,” Dan 11:31, etc. Idols are commonly called an abomination to God in the Old Testament. These are well known events in ancient history.
For also clearly, not everything ascribed to “Antiochus IV” happened in ancient times, especially Dan 11:36-45. Nor does everything said about “the abomination of desolation” fit the events in those same days. These are signs of either 1.) a false prophecy, as many liberal argue, or 2.) Antiochus IV is symbolic of some other ruler who will come later, and parts of these descriptions fit Antiochus IV, and parts fit someone else in later times! When?
Jesus clearly speaks in Matthew 24 of both the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and the end of the world, and says,
““When,
therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which
was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place
(let the reader understand),”
Mtt 24:15 WEB
So Jesus does indicate the idol of “Zeus” was also symbolic … and part of what He says will happen, clearly DOES NOT fit 70 AD! Keep in mind that Matthew 24 talks about TWO subjects!
These issues are described in much more detail in both Prophecy Principles, and in Revealing the Christian Age.
WEB
is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the
original ASV American Standard Version 1901
There are other terms for symbolism.
“who
serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, even as
Moses was warned by God when he was about to make the tabernacle, for
he said, “See, you shall make everything according to the pattern
that was shown to you on the mountain.””
Heb 8:5 WEB
So when a person, place, thing, or event in history is symbolic of some future person, place, thing, or event, it might be called a “copy,” or a “shadow,” or a “pattern.” In this verse the word translated “pattern” is the the word tupos, which also sometimes translated as “type,” as for instance in Rom 5:14 in the New American Standard 95 ed., and the New King James Version. Other words are also used at times.
As Moses said,
“Yahweh
your God will raise up to you a prophet from the midst
of you, of your brothers, like me; to him you shall
listen;”
Deut 18:15 WEB
That is an unequivocal statement of symbolism, and has been discussed in more detail in previous posts.
And Adam is announced as a type of the Christ. He is the head and the first of new race of men who will all be like Him.
“Nevertheless
death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those whose sins
weren’t like Adam’s disobedience, who is a foreshadowing
of him who was to come.”
Rom 5:14 WEB
“Foreshadowing” is here another translation of the Greek word tupos or “type.”
The Greek word is anittupos (anti-tupos), and in Greek the word or prefix anti has the idea of replacement. Thus an anti-type is the fulfillment/replacement for the symbol, the type. Antitupos is used in this sense in 1 Peter 3.
“19
… while the ark was being built. In it, few, that is, eight souls,
were saved through water. 21 This is a symbol
of baptism, which now saves you …”
1Pe 3:19-20 WEB
So Peter says that the waters of Noah’s flood, while destroying the wicked, floated Noah and his family to safety, and that is a “symbol” (antitupos) of baptism. The New King James Version gives a very literal translation here: “There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism …”
So here is another type which is announced in Scripture, the waters of the flood being symbolic of baptism.
Baptism is NOT a work of man! You do not DO baptism, rather you ARE baptized. Baptism is something you must SUBMIT to.
“For
by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body,
whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have
been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
1Cor 12:13 KJV
The One who works in baptism is the Holy Spirit of God, changing your soul, and washing you in the blood of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, all you did was to have a bath.
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
In truth many things in history are astonishing. Who, ahead of time, would have ever believed that the tiny Greek army at Marathon, could ever have defeated the giant Persian army which was meeting them. The Athenian army numbered a mere 11,000 men. The Persian army is estimated to have been as much as 65,000 men. In normal military terms three to one odds means you will almost automatically lose. Six to one odds? It is almost unbelievable that you could win. And this is verified history. Astonishing!
Or take the Russo-Finnish War at the beginning of World War II. Who would have ever believed that tiny Finland could fight mighty Russia to a standstill? Where other small countries were smashed beneath Russian boots, Finland was able to come out of the war, not conquered, but with a negotiated peace. In ordinary human terms, and in ordinary historical terms, that was an impossibility. However, it happened, and that is verifiable history.
Also, both of these examples are astonishing things happening in history, and in theory, without the influence of an All Powerful God intervening! Or were they? Remember Scripture says,
“The
horse is prepared for the day of battle;
But victory is with
Yahweh.”
Prov 21:31 WEB
Actually astonishing things happen happen all the time, and we hear or see of them in news, but it only if it linked to an Almighty God that we are not supposed to believe it.
So Scripture again and again uses symbolism, and parallels to teach about things we would otherwise have difficulty understanding or believing. How do you describe God when He literally comes to see us in the flesh! They were told He would be like Moses in many ways, like David, like Solomon, like a passover lamb, and so forth.
How do you communicate what “she” is like, and how “she” operates?
“She” is like ancient Babylon, she is like the merchant empire of Tyre in Old Testament times. She is like ancient Rome. She is a rich and nasty whore. She is said to be a mystery religion, with which the ancients were well acquainted. (See previous posts on the mystery religions.) She foments conflicts and wars in order to make more money, and all the blood shed on the earth is in her, Rev 18:24.
He will be like the Caesars, like King Ahab of Israel, like Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Selucid Empire. He will be like a living/corpse idol.
It will be like it was the days of Noah. It will be like just before Sodom and Gommorah were destroyed. It will be like the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (read Josephus accounts of this war).
WEB
is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the
original ASV American Standard Version 1901
So Isaiah gave Ahaz a sign anyway.
The World English Bible (WEB) is correct here: “the virgin shall conceive.” The Hebrew word for a virgin is almah, and it describes an unmarried “maiden,” who would in normal circumstances would be a virgin. The word also occurs in Gen 24:43, Ex 2:8, Psa 68:25, Prov 30:19, and Song of Solomon 1:3, 6:8. Jewish translators around 200 BC when translating the Old Testament into Greek, choose to translate the word as the Greek parthenos, which is unequivocally a virgin.
It seems to speaking in the immediate context of Ahaz and Judah’s dilemma. It seems to speak of child to born soon. This child will eat curds and honey (KJV) and before the child is old enough to refuse the evil and choose the good (just a small number of years) the land of the two kings who are fighting against Ahaz, will be abandoned,
Isa 1:16!
In other words, Isaiah confirms what he told Ahaz earlier, that Israel and Aram will not be able to overcome Judah … without the interference of any foreign powers.
Some say it was a wife of Ahaz. In Prophecy Principles, in the section called “We Sit,” I discussed the prophecy as if it had reference to Isaiah’s wife having a baby, and how that would be analyzed. Other also have done the same or similar things. Clearly Isaiah is telling Ahaz that he should NOT enter treaties with pagan powers, but that he should trust in the Lord, and everything will be alright. This would be the first prophecy.
But as we have already seen, trusting God or believing God, is not in Ahaz vocabulary.
Isaiah has one of his sons with him when he meets Ahaz, Isa 7:3. She is sometimes represented as one of Ahaz’s wives or whoever. But still … how can you call them a “virgin.” That is the implicit tension in the prophecy. These are signs of a type, when something does not really fit.
He was to come as a child, and to be “Mighty God, Eternal Father” in Isa 9:6 WEB as discussed in Part III of this series.
The answer of the angel is,
“The
Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one
who is born from you will be called the Son of God.”
Lk 1:35
WEB
Of course this would be no big trick with the God who made heaven and earth and everything they contain. This would be second prophecy, and the true anti-type of whoever had a baby in the eighth century BC.
Your answer may depend on whether you decide to a priori rule out God as working in history!
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