Prophecy in its Context

mikesw

Active Member
Prophetic writings are given in a certain context. That context must be recognized as a strong element influencing interpretation. It can be noted that OT prophetic books (or passages) have a contemporaneous address of problems of Israel and are initially to those people of Israel. At the same time, these prophetic books speak of the continuing problem of those people into the future. Thus, the future time informs that later people of judgments happening to them if they still don't heed the message.

Thus we have:
1. The book addressed to the people contemporaneous to the prophets
2. The book informing a future of impending judgment
3. A problem of behavior and beliefs having continuity within that people
4. The content of a writing has to have relevance to the group addressed

This fourth point has relevance also in the writings to the Christians in the first century. These letters are not designated to solve problems for future Christians but rather those who are the original audience. (some variances from that principle can be explained.) This is not to disregard that principles can be gleaned for Christians of later centuries, but these have to be assessed in light of the original usage and how a general principle might be extracted.

Revelation therefore must be considered roughly under those four points. So a critical aspect is that the writing has to have a specific audience of that era to whom the message was relevant. In a sense, the original audience would not be interested in the writing and would not see a need for themselves or a reason to preserve the writing.

I would then constrain item 2 by noting the judgment is not upon the Christians. Similarly, this is not finding a continuing fault with Christians into a distant future as if to follow the pattern of the prophets writing to the people of Israel. Upon reading Revelation in this context, general principles might be extracted for Christians of future generations.
 
Another detail for the context is to relate milestones and time markers shared among prophecies and thus tying those prophecies together and creating a timeline. I know people do this for whatever theory they are interested in. But I mean that we may find something that absolutely was done. Then, upon finding prophecies of events preceding that, those prophesied events also mus be complete. This is especially helpful if the apocalyptic language is too cryptic in the "earlier" event to just analyze individually. Basically, the concept of using the plainer text not only to explain the less clear ideas but also to establish the timelines. Steve Gregg using the foal of a donkey passage to show that Zechariah 9 and 14 refer to first century events.
Refer to #list of bible audios and #session on Zech 14:1-5(mp3) for his explanation of this point.

That connection of sequenced time events is one approach for which I have assembled themes and associated verses to aid in the analysis of prophecy in a broader fashion. Even this approach can run into snags but still gives a better basis for making sense of prophecy and placing prophecy in its proper place.
 
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@mikesw

Greetings Mike, I'll allow you to make a few post before commenting ~I can see where you are heading and it sure looks like Preterists teaching to me, but we shall see to what degree you are heading toward, of course any degree toward preterism is so much different than the way I see the scriptures teaching concerning eschatology events
 
What should be evaluated in this thread is whether the contextual elements of prophetic writings are generally irrelevant or need to be altered for logical reasons. For example, are we to read the OT prophets out of the context of their concern for their own people? I find the only continuity and comprehensibility of the texts when centered around the people of Israel. That framework still allows us to recognize the extension of benefits to all peoples in fulfillment of the promises to Abraham. (This is not to disregard that other nations are called to task within the framework of nations interacting with the Israel people.)
 
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