Prophecy

One quality of a writer is being able to recognize that someone else has written something in a way that they could not do themselves.

While researching for this second post on prophecy, I read an article by Bob Deffinbaugh that covers everything I would like to mention today.  His article is focused more on the study of prophecy that has not been fulfilled yet, but many of his statements are useful for our consideration of prophecies about Jesus.



You can click here to read his article on The Purpose of Prophecy.

His first nine points are what drew me into the article.  I will list them here, but he discusses them more fully in the article.

1.  Some Old Testament prophecy was indirect rather than direct prophecy.

2.  While prophecy may be figuratively or symbolically revealed, we can expect it to be literally fulfilled.

3.  Old Testament prophecy has almost always been fulfilled in a way that no one expected.

4.  Some prophecy may very well have multiple fulfillments.

5.  God reveals prophecy partially and progressively.

6.  We recognize prophecy partially.

7.  Prophecy is particularly profitable to those who can look back on its fulfillment.

8.  Biblical prophecy was seldom fulfilled in the lifetime of those who received it.

9.  All prophecy is pertinent to the present.



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