* * *
Installment 1
THE SCRIPTURES give us a composite picture of things in the material world,
past, present, and future. This is not to be a surprise to anyone who
realizes that the Eternal God, the Creator of the universe, has - figuratively speaking - the blueprint of all the ages through which the
physical universe passes. Since God is interested in His children and wishes
them to cooperate with Him in the fullest way possible, naturally He has
revealed to them secrets concerning the past, facts and principles in the
present, and the future glories which are to be theirs throughout the ages
of eternity.
Of the thirty-nine Books of the Old Testament sixteen of these are devoted
to prophecy - prophecy in the correct meaning of the term. The prophets
interpreted history as well as pointed out the future. They explained the
future and pointed out the past course of history, for the enlightenment of
the people of God.
The word in the original Hebrew meaning a prophet simply indicates a
spokesman for God. If he was looking back into the past, he was interpreting
for the edification of his hearers and readers the facts of the history.
Often times the prophet looked at the present and, realizing that the past,
present, and future are linked together by the law of causation, pointed out
the salient, outstanding facts of the present and then delineated the future
and interpreted its significance for us. In view of this broad meaning of
prophecy we are not surprised to learn that, in the Hebrew Bible, such books
as Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings are correctly designated the "Former
Prophets." Those, however, which we call Prophets, namely, Isaiah through
Malachi, are called the "Latter Prophets."
In keeping with the significance of the terms, prophet and prophecy, we
realize that the man who has delved into the Word of God, which records the
past history of the universe and of the race, and who gives us the correct
philosophy of history, is indeed a prophet - though he is uninspired and
cannot lay claim to the infallible inspiration of the Holy Spirit as were
the prophets of the Old and the New Testament. The teacher of God's Word who
has, by diligent search and by the illumination of the Spirit of God been
able to discover the great fundamental principles of God's moral government,
and who is able to see and to discern in the present situation the
application of said principles and of the trend of the present time is
likewise, in the true sense of the term, a prophet. Also those men who study
the Word of God and take it at its face value, believing that God said what
He meant and meant what He said, and who, following
the golden rule of
interpretation* tell us exactly what the prophets said with reference to the
things out ahead of us are likewise prophets in the correct sense. They are
this in that they have discovered the mind of God as revealed in the
Scriptures and are able to see, in the light of the continuity of events,
the working of the invisible hand of the Almighty as He directs everything
toward a great, glorious, and grand consummation, when He will head up all
things in the dispensation of "the fullness of times" in Christ, namely, in
the great Millennial Age.
As we learn in Hebrews 1:1f, God spoke to the fathers in different measures
and in different manners. According to Numbers 12:7,8 He spoke to Moses face
to face. In this intimate manner He did not speak to any of the other
prophets after Moses. He spoke to them in dreams and in visions. At the same
time, when God gave a revelation to His spokesman, often the Spirit simply
inspired the thought and led the divine spokesman to choose or select the
proper words and phraseology that would best convey the idea to his auditors
or readers. We therefore read throughout the Word that
the word of the Lord
came unto . . . In other words, God sent a spiritual communication to the
prophets and they, as ambassadors for Him spoke forth the message, using the
exact words and terminology that were given to them by inspiration. The Holy
Spirit, as we learn from I Corinthians, chapter 2, gave not only the thought
but the words by which those thoughts were expressed. In view of this fact,
there is no wonder that the Apostle Paul spoke of the Scriptures as having
been inspired by the Lord: Every scripture inspired
of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction which is in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be
complete, furnished completely unto every good work (II Tim. 3:16,17). Peter also spoke thus;
And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that
ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn,
and the daystar arise in your hearts: 20 knowing this first, that no
prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation. 21 For no prophecy ever
came by the will of man; but man spake from God, being moved by the Holy
Spirit (II Pet. 1:19-21).
When the Word of the Lord thus came to any of His messengers, they,
accordingly as they were inspired, dealt with the past, the present, and the
future - according to the needs of the ones to whom the message came. For
instance, Moses, the great lawgiver, was led by the Spirit of God to give
the historical account of the beginnings of the heavens and the earth and
the great catastrophe that reduced the earth to a condition of desolation
and wasteness. He likewise traced the history of the Patriarchs and finally
came, in his discourse upon history, to the time of God's delivering His
Chosen People from Egyptian bondage. When Israel was at Sinai, God delivered
to her His Law. Moses applied the law to the life of the people to whom he
was ministering. Interspersed in the historical and legal sections of the
writings of Moses are some of the brightest jewels of prophetic utterance to
be found anywhere in the Divine Revelation. When we come to the New
Testament and consider the Four Records of the Gospels, we see that the
inspired Evangelists wrote accounts of our Lord's life, giving samples of
His teaching and of His works. Here likewise are interspersed in this
material prophetic utterances in which our Lord, figuratively speaking,
raised the curtain and gave us a glimpse into the future of the world and of
the eternal state of bliss and felicity with God and the redeemed forever
and ever.
On certain occasions, when the word of the Lord came to various prophets,
God made graphic the message by presenting it in connection with some
vision. Thus the spiritual eyes of the prophets were opened and there were
presented to their startled gaze scenes of the spiritual world and also of
things that had occurred in the past and things that were yet to come to
pass. One of the earliest names given to these divine messengers was "seer."
The word seer meant one who was granted a spiritual vision of truth and one
who delivered in words chosen by the Spirit that which had been presented to
his spiritual vision. From the history of the use of this word and from the
fact that it was supplanted by the later word, prophet (a spokesman for
God), we are logical in concluding that probably in the earlier stages of
Israel's history visions were frequently granted to these ambassadors of the
court of heaven. As the years passed by, there was not the need of the
presentation in such graphic manner of these messages from God.
Toward the close of the monarchy, after the nation had gotten on the
toboggan and was coasting with lightning speed toward destruction, the
vision was again employed by the Lord in stirring up His people and warning
them of the dangers into which they were headed and the glories that await
the servants of God. In the writings of Ezekiel we see many visions. This
prophet was in vision transported from his place among the captives in
Babylon to Jerusalem itself and was shown the actual conditions that were to
be found in Jerusalem and in Palestine. Thus in very clear, vivid, graphic
language, Ezekiel portrayed the real situation back in the homeland to his
fellow-captives. In keeping with this thought, Daniel, younger contemporary
of Ezekiel, likewise was granted various visions. This type of revelation is
called apocalyptic. There is no book in the Scriptures that prepares one for
the understanding of the course of history from the Babylonian captivity
unto the establishment of the kingdom of glory here upon earth as does the
Book of Daniel. In chapter 2 appears the vision of the metallic image which
symbolizes the four different world kingdoms to whom God would give global
dominion. In chapter 7 the same four world empires are presented, but under
different symbolism. The fourth of this series of kingdoms is followed by
the fifth, namely, the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah of
Israel and Saviour and Redeemer of the world. When the captives who wished
to serve God returned under Zerubbabel, the governor of the house of Israel,
and Joshua, the high priest, from Babylon to the Holy Land, God raised up
two prophets - Haggai, an old man, and Zechariah, a young man - who stirred
the returned exiles out of their lethargy and caused them to throw
themselves wholeheartedly into the service of God. Haggai spoke the words of
the Lord, giving evidence of having some privileges of vision; but
Zechariah, the younger contemporary, was granted visions and he portrayed in
the most vivid and graphic manner the future when Israel will return to God,
Jerusalem shall become the capital of the world, and Israel, cleansed and
purified, shall become the channel of world blessing. The Apostle John, in
the Book of Revelation, likewise was led by the spirit to present his
message just as he had received it in vision.
Let us remember that, though the revelation was given in the form of
visions, these communications described spiritual realities. It is for us,
therefore, to ascertain by hard study and by trustful praying the import of
the message whether given in plain words or in the form of a descriptive
vision. Let our prayer be, Open thou mine eyes,
that I may behold Wondrous things out of thy law (Ps. 119:18).
Installment 2 IN the preceding article of this series we have seen the real scriptural
meaning of prophecy - that it refers to things past, present, and future.
We have seen, moreover, that some of the revelations of God came in the
manner indicated by the scriptural formula: The
word of Jehovah came unto . . . We have also seen that, by vision, the revelation was made more graphic
in the case of many of the prophets. In the present study we wish to note
several cases of predictive prophecy in order that we may learn just how to
approach any utterance in regard to the future.
In John, chapter 8, we have a discussion or debate which the Lord Jesus had
with the scribes and the Pharisees at Jerusalem, when He attended the last
Feast of Tabernacles during His personal ministry. It became quite evident
to all who were looking on that the leaders of Israel were bent and
determined in their vigorous opposition to Jesus. He, with His penetrating
divine vision, looked behind outward appearances and detected the presence
of the great enemy of both God and man that was moving them on in their
bitter opposition to Him. He therefore declared that His opponents were
children of their father, the devil, since he was stirring them up and
moving them to such unreasonable measures of opposition. In their
discussion, they claimed to be the children of Abraham, but Jesus showed
that they were not children of that venerable patriarch, though they had
been born of Jewish parentage.
They had the Abrahamic blood, but they did not have the Abrahamic spirit.
They had been blessed of the Lord, in that they were living at the very time
when the Messiah would come and with their physical eyes were looking upon
Him, yet they did not appreciate that fact, the reason being that they did
not know Him nor the Scriptures which were read every sabbath in their
synagogues. Even under the old covenant there was such a thing as knowing
God in a personal manner. This fact is seen in the following quotation:
Thus saith Jehovah, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let
the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches;
24 but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he hath understanding, and
knoweth me, that I am Jehovah who exerciseth loving-kindness, justice, and
righteousness, in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith Jehovah (Jer.
9:23,24).
The Apostle Paul told the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia that their brethren in
Jerusalem fulfilled the Scriptures in condemning and crucifying the Messiah
simply because they did not know Him nor the Scriptures. These facts show
that, even though the spiritual blessings enjoyed by the Old Testament
saints were far less than those we possess today, yet they could - and many
of them did - know God and had spiritual discernment. But these Jews with
whom the Lord clashed on this occasion should have rejoiced that they were
living in Messianic times, and that actually Messiah had appeared and was in
their midst for the purpose of working out redemption's scheme. But no,
instead of rejoicing in the great unparalleled spiritual blessings which
were granted to them, they were actually, with all the force and power of
their being, opposing the Messiah who was the Son of God, and who entered
the world by miraculous conception and virgin birth.
In showing the Jews, with whom He was arguing, that, though they did have
Abrahamic blood, they did not have the Abrahamic spirit, Jesus declared to
them Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day;
and he saw it, and was glad (John 8:56). What is the significance of the term,
Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and
was glad? In view of the trend of the
thought the facts of the context show that the day to which Jesus referred
was the very time when He was present with them, that is, the time of His
first coming. These opponents, though they were Jews - yet they were not in
the true sense because they did not know God and recognize His
Messiah - should have been rejoicing in the fact that they were living at
that time when God had graciously, in the person of Jesus Christ, left
heaven and had come to this earth in order to work out their redemption and
that of the world. The fact that they did not rejoice to see Him and His
time - to observe the miracles which He performed and to hear the words of
grace which proceeded from His lips - was proof positive that they were not
real Israelites in the correct and true sense of the term. In marked
contrast with them and their attitude, Jesus said Abraham, whom they claimed
to be their father, rejoiced to see His day, Christ's day - that time when He
appeared on earth the first time. Evidently from this language Abraham was
given a promise by the Lord that He would in vision see the day when Messiah
would appear upon earth in order to work out human redemption. When this
vision was shown to him he saw, doubtless crystal clear, the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Babe of Bethlehem the Man of Galilee, the Man of sorrows,
throughout His entire career. He saw the agonies of the Saviour in the
Garden; he saw Him suspended upon the cross as He suffered the death-throes
of one of the crudest methods of the execution of a criminal possible; he
saw Him lying cold in death in the tomb; he saw the spirit of Jesus
descending to Hades and making the announcement concerning the completion of
redemption's scheme. He saw His spirit come forth from Hades and re-enter
that body which was then glorified. He saw Him walking out of the tomb, the
conqueror over all the forces of satanic power, thus bringing life and
immortality to light through the gospel. Finally, after the forty days,
following the resurrection, He saw Him ascend to glory and sit down on the
right hand of the majesty on high. Thus Abraham in spirit was carried
forward from his day and time, which was approximately two thousand years
before Christ, to the time when the Babe of Bethlehem was born. And he saw
the entire life of our Lord and His glorious triumphant conquest over Satan
and the perfecting of the plan of redemption.
Yes, we have every reason to believe that Abraham not only saw Messiah at
His first coming and rejoiced in the redemption which He purchased for
mankind, but he saw Him when He will rend the heavens, descend to this
earth, mount the throne of David, lift the curse, and establish a reign of
righteousness from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of earth. We
are logical therefore in believing that Abraham, in vision, was thus carried
forward over the span of two thousand years of history to the first coming
of Christ, and that he likewise surveyed all Messiah's redemptive career,
including the Age of Grace and the great consummation when He returns in
glory and power to reign in righteousness for one thousand years.
Isaiah lived and engaged in his ministry in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz,
and Hezekiah, the latter half of the eighth century before the Christian
Era. In the year that King Uzziah died, the prophet was granted a vision of
the Lord Jesus Christ as He will sit in the great millennial Temple and will
reign over a peaceful world. This is seen in Isaiah 6:1-5:
In the year that
king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up,
and his train filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim: each one
had six wings; with twain he covered his face and with twain he did fly, 3
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy holy, is Jehovah of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory. 4 And the foundations of the
thresholds shook at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled
with smoke. 5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of
unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine
eyes have seen the King Jehovah, of hosts.
The prophet declares that he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and
lifted up, and his train filled the temple. The question immediately
arises, "What temple?" There have been several Temples, and there will yet
be two more. Solomon built the great Temple of Israel upon his accession to
the throne and power in Israel. This sacred edifice was destroyed by
Nebuchadnezzar at the time of the Babylonian captivity. Seventy years later,
when the exiles who wished to serve God, went back to the land of their
fathers under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua, they built the Temple
which is known in history as Zerubbabel's Temple. This structure was
insignificant in comparison with that which had been erected by Solomon.
When Herod the Great, by conniving and by political maneuvering at Rome,
obtained authority over Judaea, he had a mania for building. He therefore,
in 20 B.C. began to tear down the Temple at Jerusalem piecemeal and began to
rebuild it upon a more magnificent and grander scale. The work which was
thus begun in 20 B.C. was completed, according to the very best accounts we
have, around A.D. 64. But in A.D. 70, when Titus captured Jerusalem, this
Temple was destroyed, the Jewish nation was overwhelmed, and the survivors
of that catastrophe were sold in the slave marts of the world, into bondage.
In the very time of the end, according to prophetic prediction, the Jews
will rebuild their Temple, which will be standing during the time of the
Tribulation. Isaiah the prophet, chapter 66:1-5, foretold that it would be
built. Psalm 74 sees its being destroyed in the Tribulation. Jesus assumed
its standing in the middle of the Tribulation, as we see in Matthew 24:15ff.
Paul likewise assumed its existence in the middle of the Tribulation (II
Thess. 2:1-12). John in the Book of Revelation, chapter 11, likewise
described it. But, as just stated, this Jewish Temple, will be destroyed.
But when Jesus comes back to this earth, being invited by the penitent
remnant of Israel to return, He will rebuild the Temple and will sit upon
His throne, wearing a double crown, that of royalty and that of priesthood
(Zech. 6:9-15). This Temple is the one which is described very fully in the
last section of Ezekiel, chapters 40-48.
Which of these Temples is the one that was shown to Isaiah in the passage
which we have under consideration? The third verse of this chapter gives the
keynote; And one [seraphim] cried unto another, and
said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full of his
glory. Let us remember
that these verses give us a vision, a vision of Jehovah in His Temple. The
prophet therefore sees Jehovah seated upon the throne. At that time the
earth is full of God's glory. This statement gives us the time when this
vision will be fulfilled, the era of the great millennial kingdom.
Since we know that this is a vision of Christ in His glory, which position
is confirmed by John 12:41, we know that Isaiah was carried forward in
vision, from the latter part of the eighth century when he lived, across the
centuries to the glorious second coming of our Lord.
In concluding this special phase of study, let us look at Jeremiah 4:23-26:
I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void;
and the heavens, and they had no light. 24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo,
they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro. 25 I beheld, and, lo,
there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26 I beheld,
and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof
were broken down at the presence of Jehovah, and before his fierce anger. Jeremiah had a vision in
which he saw the heavens as black as ink and the earth reduced to a state of
chaos, wreckage, and ruin. Was the prophet carried backward in vision to the
catastrophe recorded in Genesis 1:2, or forward into the future? A very
important question. When a person reads verse 27 which follows our quotation
immediately, he will see that Jeremiah declared that this vision will be
fulfilled yet in the future, in the day of Jehovah - the time of the
Tribulation. Thus it is clear from these facts that Jeremiah was likewise
carried forward in vision by the Spirit and saw the wrecked earth. It is
hoped that from this short study the reader may be able to see the
importance of ascertaining the proper point of view from which to view the
prophecies of the Scriptures. Unless a person discovers this proper
perspective, he cannot interpret prophecy aright.
Installment 3 WE HAVE already seen in this series that the word "prophecy" as used
originally in the Scriptures was applied to the narration of past events,
present circumstances, and future outlooks. In other words, the prophets
were inspired when they narrated past events, and when they evaluated the
present and revealed the future. The inspiration of the Holy Spirit was just
as essential for them when they were recalling the past - as they did in the
most accurate manner, which proposition has been absolutely proved by
archaeological discoveries - as when they foretold the future.
The crowning proof of the inspiration of the messages of the prophets and
Apostles is seen in the fact that they alone properly diagnosed human nature
and described the infallible cure for the sickness of the soul of man. Their
prescription works! When the scriptural analyses of man's condition and his
needs are compared with the views and prescriptions that are offered by
ordinary men, the emptiness and the shallowness of such human theories
become apparent. The uncovering of the future by the prophets, as seen from
their point of view, has been proved, by the course of history, to have been
infallibly guided by the Spirit of God. We have every reason, therefore, to
place absolute and unqualified confidence in every utterance of Moses, the
prophets, and the Apostles.
We have also seen that, in order for anyone to understand predictive
prophecy properly, he must note well whatever time element may be given in
any specific prophecy before he can interpret correctly the prediction.
Sometimes checks are postdated. By a person's doing this, he is telling the
bank not to honor the check until that future day arrives. Thus it is with
the prophecies. They are good only when the time arrives that is indicated
by the chronological data that thus stamps them as to when they are to be
fulfilled. On this point let us study minutely two psalms.
Psalm 90
Psalm 90, written by Moses and possibly the oldest one in the book, is
indeed very illuminating. It sweeps forth from eternity in the past through
the ages that intervene between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, and comes
flashing to the time of the creation of Adam, then onward to the day of
Moses. The Eternal God, as set forth in verses 1 and 2, existed from all
eternity in the past. The last clause of verse 2,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God, properly rendered and studied in the light of
the context, should be translated this way: Even from age to age, thou wast
God. The correctness of this interpretation is seen when one realizes that
in verse 2 the prophet is still looking back toward the past and is speaking
of a time prior to the creation of the universe. As the Hebrew is translated
in our English versions, all eternity - before the creation of the universe,
the time during which the material cosmos is in existence, and ages of the
ages of all future eternity - is by this translation thrown back prior to the
creation of the universe. This position is of course an absurdity. In
contrast to God's having existed throughout all eternity, Moses refers to
the longevity of the human family prior to the Flood. A glimpse at Genesis,
chapter 5, shows that the antediluvian patriarchs' lives approximated a
thousand years. But that civilization was wiped out by the Flood, a
catastrophic Judgment.
In verses 7-11 Moses comes to his own day and time, and speaks of God's
having dealt in wrath and indignation with His Chosen People, whose span of
life has been reduced to threescore years and ten,
Or even by reason of strength fourscore years. The best commentary on God's dealings with the
generation of Moses is the Book of Numbers.
Thus having reviewed the judgment of the Flood disaster and of God's strokes
upon Israel in the wilderness wanderings, Moses is carried forward in his
thinking out to the time when the nation again sins against God. On account
of this rebellion the stroke of judgment falls. Clearly he saw the situation
and, identifying himself with his brethren, he prayed that the Lord would
lead the nation to get us a heart of wisdom, that they might evaluate
their situation, see their mistake, and recognize that their only hope is to
pray for Jehovah, against whom they sin when He appears, to return to them
and bring deliverance. This is set forth in verses 12-17.
In this last section of this psalm it is quite evident that Moses was
carried in vision out beyond the time when Jehovah comes to His people. The
prophets constantly spoke of the time when Jehovah would come to His people,
and they would reject Him and thus sin against their own souls. Recognizing
this fact, and seeing that the solution of Israel's problem lay in their
repudiation of the national sin and praying to Jehovah, who alone can solve
their problems, to return, Moses thus leads his nation in this penitential
confession and prayer.
The face meaning of these verses must be accepted. The information
presupposed in this passage must be gathered from related ones. When I
recognize this fact, and when I look at such a passage as Isaiah 53:1-9, I
immediately recognize that this petition is the same one as that which is
set forth in Isaiah 53:1-9.
When a person thus runs the gamut of the ages that are surveyed in this
psalm, he recognizes the fact that Moses was viewing the great disasters
that have come, first to mankind in general in the days of Noah; secondly,
to the Hebrew people in the days of Moses; and thirdly, to the Jewish people
in this age when they, not having wisdom, reject Messiah at His first
coming. Moses - seeing that the time will come in the history of Israel when
the nation will, in genuine repentance, repudiate its national sin and pray
for Him to return and deliver them - introduces this petition by the words,
Return, 0 Jehovah; how long? Thus the latter part of Psalm 90 is dated at
the time when convicted and penitent Israel will plead for Jehovah to
return. On this point the reader should carefully study Hosea 5:14-6:3.
Psalm 95
Psalm 95 is a most important portion of the revelation of God. No one can
properly understand the Hebrew Epistle of the New Testament (possibly the
most profound portion of the entire Word of God) who does not properly
understand Psalm 95.
From a general knowledge of the Word we understand that Psalm 95 was spoken
by King David (Heb. 3:7-11,15; 4:7). The historical background of this psalm
is to be located at the time of the giving of the law (Ex., chaps. 19-24).
When the Lord spoke from the heights of Sinai the Ten Commandments, the
frightened hosts of Israel pleaded with Moses that God would no more speak
to them, but that He should deliver His messages to the great leader and
lawgiver, and that he in turn should relay them to the children of Israel.
The hosts of Israel made every kind of promise that they would be obedient
to the heavenly voice. Keeping this experience in mind, the Lord promised
that He would raise up to Israel a prophet saying,
I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I
shall command him
(Deut. 18:16-19). Since Israel did not want God to speak to her directly,
the Almighty promised that He would raise up a prophet, a spokesman for
Himself, who would deliver His message to her.
David, who was inspired by the Spirit of God, and who knew this promise of
God's speaking to Israel through this future prophet, uttered the prediction
found in Psalm 95. David lived approximately five hundred years after Moses
made the original prediction. But he was carried out from his day and time
to the time when God would raise up this prophet who would speak to her.
This prediction, viewed in the light of the Gospel Records, quite obviously
referred to the first coming of our Lord, who made His advent in the first
century of the present era - a thousand years after David uttered Psalm 95.
Being thus transported into the future in vision to the first century, the
king, as God's spokesman, viewed the situation in Palestine of the first
century and saw this prophet through whom the Lord would speak, as He
engages in His ministry. Thus David called to his brethren of a thousand
years hence to come and accept this one without hesitation and to render the
worship and the praise due to Him. He insisted on their doing this because
Jehovah is a great God, And a great King above all
gods, who is the
Creator of the material universe, and who is the Shepherd of His people
Israel.
In the second half of the psalm (7b-11) David began his oracle with the word,
Today. What is the meaning of this term? Obviously it refers to the
time of Jehovah's coming to earth in fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18:15-18 and
this present prediction. It therefore means the time when Messiah comes to
be with His people. When we read this in the light of Hebrews, chapters 3
and 4, we know that this word, today, refers to the time of our Lord's first
appearance upon earth.
King David - in vision seeing Messiah at His first coming therefore pleaded
with the Jewish people of the time of our Lord not to harden their hearts
when they would hear God speaking in the person of Jesus Christ. It is clear
therefore, that the word Today, dates the prophecy and its fulfillment at
the time of Messiah's first coming. Knowing the proper perspective, a
person is in a position to interpret the psalm.
All prophecies and predictive psalms must be examined carefully in order to
determine the date when they are to be fulfilled. If this is not done,
strange and foreign interpretations will be placed upon the Word of God.
* "When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other
sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal
meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of
related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths indicates clearly
otherwise." Return to text. |