The divine purpose of prophecy was to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus Christ and can be stated in a threefold summation:
First, the purpose of prophecy was to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus Christ into the world.
In his address before king Agrippa Paul mentioned this fact as the ultimate purpose of prophecy. He said: Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. -Acts 26:22,23
That this was the preparatory purpose of prophecy is further seen in the use that Paul made of these prophecies in his epistles.
Paul applied this principle:
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. -Rom 15:4
This passage clearly indicates that the things written, the O.T. prophesies, have their application to us in the N.T. Prophecy was an O.T. preparation for the New Testament truth.
Secondly, the purpose of prophecy was to prepare the world for the spiritual nature of the teaching of Jesus.
On this point Peter speaks: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into --1 Peter 1:9-12
The point in 1 Peter is that the prophets prepared the world for the distinction between the temporal and the spiritual concept. The kingdom of the O.T. was a temporal thing, but the kingdom of Jesus Christ, which is the antitype of the typical kingdom of the O.T., is the spiritual in all of its aspects. One had its temporal settings and its temporal surroundings, while the other exists in its spiritual factors.
This is why Jesus said: And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:20,21.
It is inside everyman who is inside it. When the man is in the kingdom, the kingdom is in the man; if it is in him, he is in it. That is the spiritual feature of the kingdom of Christ.
But Jesus said that the kingdom cometh not with observation Neither the transit of the surveyor nor the theodolite of the astronomer can measure the boundaries of the kingdom of God. Its territory is neither geographical nor astronomical it is within you. This is why obedience is required in order to enter it. Hence Jesus said: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. --Matt 7:21
The preparatory purpose of prophecy was to point out the spiritual aspect of the teaching of Jesus with reference to the kingdom of God in the world; that it was not the be temporal, earthly, worldly kingdom.
Third, the purpose of prophecy was to bear witness to the truths of Christianity. Discoursing to the Jews upon His mission into the world in John 5 Jesus referred to the witness of the scriptures of the O.T. to the truths of the new.
And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me -- John 5:37-39
Occasionally, it is said that we understand the New Testament in the light of the Old Testament, but the reverse is truer we understand the Old Testament in the light of the New Testament. One thing we know, the inspired apostles had to point out to the Jews themselves what their own scriptures meant. The Jews believed their prophets and their prophecies, but these same Jews were mistaken about what their prophecies meant, and they were wrong in their application of the prophecies. The inspired men of the New Testament had to say to the Jews, This is what was spoken by the prophets. Dipping back into the Old Testament, and taking a certain prophecy, in the New Testament writer would say to the Jew, this is that, in which case that was this and this was that when a New Testament writer so applied it.
The prophecy meant what inspiration intended at the time it was spoken, regardless of the ancient Jewish misunderstanding or modern postponement theories.
The New Testament interpretation proves that the Old Testament prophecy has been fulfilled. (I will develope this thought later.)
your servant in Messiah, Jesus,
charlesj
First, the purpose of prophecy was to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus Christ into the world.
In his address before king Agrippa Paul mentioned this fact as the ultimate purpose of prophecy. He said: Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. -Acts 26:22,23
That this was the preparatory purpose of prophecy is further seen in the use that Paul made of these prophecies in his epistles.
Paul applied this principle:
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. -Rom 15:4
This passage clearly indicates that the things written, the O.T. prophesies, have their application to us in the N.T. Prophecy was an O.T. preparation for the New Testament truth.
Secondly, the purpose of prophecy was to prepare the world for the spiritual nature of the teaching of Jesus.
On this point Peter speaks: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into --1 Peter 1:9-12
The point in 1 Peter is that the prophets prepared the world for the distinction between the temporal and the spiritual concept. The kingdom of the O.T. was a temporal thing, but the kingdom of Jesus Christ, which is the antitype of the typical kingdom of the O.T., is the spiritual in all of its aspects. One had its temporal settings and its temporal surroundings, while the other exists in its spiritual factors.
This is why Jesus said: And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:20,21.
It is inside everyman who is inside it. When the man is in the kingdom, the kingdom is in the man; if it is in him, he is in it. That is the spiritual feature of the kingdom of Christ.
But Jesus said that the kingdom cometh not with observation Neither the transit of the surveyor nor the theodolite of the astronomer can measure the boundaries of the kingdom of God. Its territory is neither geographical nor astronomical it is within you. This is why obedience is required in order to enter it. Hence Jesus said: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. --Matt 7:21
The preparatory purpose of prophecy was to point out the spiritual aspect of the teaching of Jesus with reference to the kingdom of God in the world; that it was not the be temporal, earthly, worldly kingdom.
Third, the purpose of prophecy was to bear witness to the truths of Christianity. Discoursing to the Jews upon His mission into the world in John 5 Jesus referred to the witness of the scriptures of the O.T. to the truths of the new.
And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me -- John 5:37-39
Occasionally, it is said that we understand the New Testament in the light of the Old Testament, but the reverse is truer we understand the Old Testament in the light of the New Testament. One thing we know, the inspired apostles had to point out to the Jews themselves what their own scriptures meant. The Jews believed their prophets and their prophecies, but these same Jews were mistaken about what their prophecies meant, and they were wrong in their application of the prophecies. The inspired men of the New Testament had to say to the Jews, This is what was spoken by the prophets. Dipping back into the Old Testament, and taking a certain prophecy, in the New Testament writer would say to the Jew, this is that, in which case that was this and this was that when a New Testament writer so applied it.
The prophecy meant what inspiration intended at the time it was spoken, regardless of the ancient Jewish misunderstanding or modern postponement theories.
The New Testament interpretation proves that the Old Testament prophecy has been fulfilled. (I will develope this thought later.)
your servant in Messiah, Jesus,
charlesj
