Some Guidelines to the Interpretation of Prophecy, Pt. 2

(Continuing excerpt from Victor Buksbazen on interpretation of prophecy.  Bibliographical information will appear at the end of the Aug. 5, 2017 post.)

3.      We need to respect the sound principle of interpretation which says: “When common sense makes good sense, seek no other sense.” Bible readers (and teachers) have been known to get lost in the attractive alleys and mazes of prophetic speculation, because they disregarded the above common sense principle.

4.     The historical circumstances under which the prophet lived and labored are all important factors which help us understand his message. Places, persons, nations and events to which the prophet refers set the stage for his activities and anchor them in the history of the age.

5.     Although a specific historical situation usually is the occasion for the prophet’s utterance or action, he is by no means limited to that particular incident or event but may make it an occasion for a pronouncement concerning events which are yet to happen, either in the near or distant future.

6.     This leads us to the principle of double reference. A prophetic statement may refer to a currently existing situation and announce what God will do about it immediately. From there the prophet may proceed to predict what God will eventually do in the distant future or even in the last days. Sometimes these prophecies blend into one vision, as when one scene in a film fades out and another is superimposed upon the first. The point of transition from one vision to another is not always clearly marked. For instance in Isaiah 14:4-11, there is a taunting song against the king of Babylon and his coming downfall and destruction. However, from verse 12-17, the taunt takes on a cosmic character, describing the arch enemy of God, Lucifer. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning; how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” (v. 12).

          A parallel situation is found in Ezekiel 28 where from verse 2 to 10 there is a prediction about the destruction of Tyre with all its pride and wisdom. From verse 13 to 15 the oracle transcends any human being or earthly dominion, and becomes a taunting song against Satan himself:

          Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God. . . .

          Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth. . . .

          Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

7.     Prophecy is either didactic or predictive and sometimes a mixture of both. Didactic prophecy (forthtelling) seeks to lay bare or correct the moral and spiritual shortcomings primarily of Israel. Since Jehovah is eternal and His character unchangeable, therefore His judgment and His dealings with Israel are prophetic of His dealings with other nations consistent with His own righteousness and their knowledge of God (Jer. 9:25-26). The Apostle Paul emphasized this fact when he wrote: “For if God spared not the natural branches [Israel], take heed lest he also spare not thee [the Gentiles]” (Rom. 11:21).