How to Interpret Bible Prophecy
Many Christians today do not study Bible prophecy, because they think that it cannot be understood and that it is not important for a Christian to know. But I want to show in this article how important Bible prophecy is to us today, and how to study it so that you can get a clearer understanding of prophecy.
In the beginning of the book of Revelation it says that it is the "revelation of Jesus Christ". So the book of Revelation is to "reveal" something about Christ Jesus and the things that are to come to pass. Now if it is called a "revelation", then clearly it is important and there for us to be understood. If we look at a prophecy that Jesus gave Himself, then we can see how important it is for us to understand Bible prophecy.
In Matthew 24, Jesus gave a prophecy that the city of Jerusalem would be destroyed. and completely flattened, having not one stone left upon another. Jesus warned His people that they should flee to the mountains when they see the sign that the destruction is about to happen. Now in AD70, the Roman army came against the city of Jerusalem, but withdrew unexpectedly. Some of God's people (Christians) saw this as the sign to flee, and they did. But over 1 MILLION Jews stayed in the city, not heeding the prophecy of Jesus and the Roman army came back and destroyed the city as Jesus said. So why were the 1 million Jews killed? Because they did not heed the warning contained in the prophecy of Christ.
So you can see that prophecy is important for us to understand and heed the warnings contained therein. But how do we study prophecy and how can we understand it? Well, there is a simple rule that can help us interpret Bible prophecy. Obviously, the most important rule is to pray to God and ask for wisdom and understanding before you study, but the other simple rule to help you is this: Let the Bible interpret itself. What does that mean? Well, let me give you an example.
In Revelation 13 there are two beasts. Now these beasts are the two main "entities" that cause the world to take the mark of the beast. So it is pretty important to find out what these beasts are right? If we use the simple rule of letting the Bible interpret itself, then we can begin to understand what these beasts are. In Daniel 7 there are more beasts. Four to be precise, and later in that chapter it says that the fourth beast is the fourth kingdom on the earth. Bingo! We've just learned what beasts are in Bible prophecy. They are kingdoms!
So this is how to interpret Bible prophecy. When you come across a word that isn't clear as to what it means, then use the rest of the Bible to interpret it. Find that word elsewhere in the Bible to see what it means.
Some of the most solemn warnings are found in Bible prophecy, and we need to find out what these warning are about and heed them. So we need to study it, and by using this simple rule you will begin to understand what all the symbols are, and the more you study, the more you will understand.
In the beginning of the book of Revelation it says that it is the "revelation of Jesus Christ". So the book of Revelation is to "reveal" something about Christ Jesus and the things that are to come to pass. Now if it is called a "revelation", then clearly it is important and there for us to be understood. If we look at a prophecy that Jesus gave Himself, then we can see how important it is for us to understand Bible prophecy.
In Matthew 24, Jesus gave a prophecy that the city of Jerusalem would be destroyed. and completely flattened, having not one stone left upon another. Jesus warned His people that they should flee to the mountains when they see the sign that the destruction is about to happen. Now in AD70, the Roman army came against the city of Jerusalem, but withdrew unexpectedly. Some of God's people (Christians) saw this as the sign to flee, and they did. But over 1 MILLION Jews stayed in the city, not heeding the prophecy of Jesus and the Roman army came back and destroyed the city as Jesus said. So why were the 1 million Jews killed? Because they did not heed the warning contained in the prophecy of Christ.
So you can see that prophecy is important for us to understand and heed the warnings contained therein. But how do we study prophecy and how can we understand it? Well, there is a simple rule that can help us interpret Bible prophecy. Obviously, the most important rule is to pray to God and ask for wisdom and understanding before you study, but the other simple rule to help you is this: Let the Bible interpret itself. What does that mean? Well, let me give you an example.
In Revelation 13 there are two beasts. Now these beasts are the two main "entities" that cause the world to take the mark of the beast. So it is pretty important to find out what these beasts are right? If we use the simple rule of letting the Bible interpret itself, then we can begin to understand what these beasts are. In Daniel 7 there are more beasts. Four to be precise, and later in that chapter it says that the fourth beast is the fourth kingdom on the earth. Bingo! We've just learned what beasts are in Bible prophecy. They are kingdoms!
So this is how to interpret Bible prophecy. When you come across a word that isn't clear as to what it means, then use the rest of the Bible to interpret it. Find that word elsewhere in the Bible to see what it means.
Some of the most solemn warnings are found in Bible prophecy, and we need to find out what these warning are about and heed them. So we need to study it, and by using this simple rule you will begin to understand what all the symbols are, and the more you study, the more you will understand.
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