Why the OT prophets are insufficent to determine eschatology

Gregory Thompson

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The religious leaders of Jesus' day rejected Jesus as the messiah because he did not come in the image of verses 3-5 below. Apparently, those verses didn't apply to the actual birth and life of Jesus. This is one reason why Scripture from the Old Testament cannot be used effectively to determine what is going to happen with New Testament prophecies. Somethings are said that will not be applied to reality and only God knows which are which.

Isaiah 9

1 ¶ Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Another reason is because in Acts 1:7 Jesus said the Holy Spirit was given to us for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel - but the times that the Father has set in His power, is not given to us.

Because of these two (and possibly other) factors, reading prophetic passages that sound similar in the old testament and inferring meaning into the new testament writings can cause an immense degree of confusion, as it has already done in the church since the degree of understanding (that the writer's have) is different.
 

Pavel Mosko

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Actually when I read the New Testament, I find that the Pharisees were too confident that they knew everything in the OT. They were like one of our present day Revelation enthusiasts who think they got everything mapped out etc. with comments like"no prophet comes out of Nazareth". They basically assumed Christ was born there, which was true for most of the populace like 97% or more, but the idea that someone could emigrate there from a different part of Israel and be a prophet was not something they considered even though people at times did move around for various reasons in the ancient world especially with disasters and wars.
 
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Dave L

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When Jesus proved the kingdom is spiritual and not physical, all the physical icons became symbols of spiritual realities. Jesus = the temple. John the Baptist = Elijah. The Church of believers = Israel with the unbelievers removed. David's Throne = God's Thone in Heavenly Jerusalem above where Christ is presently seated.... and so on.
 
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Brian Mcnamee

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The Pharisees were right that those passages relate to the Messiah and indeed Jesus will fulfill all of them. They did not understand the passages about the new covenant or Isaiah 53, psalm 22 and the symbolism of the laws being ritual prophecies of the great atonement. They did not see Abraham offering Isaac his only son as prophetic either where God stopped Abraham and named that place On This Mountain God will provide Himself a Sacrifice. They confused the main narrative of original sin and the line of the seed of the woman crushing the head of the serpent. They had a lot more stuff wrong than taking some kingdom prophecies as literal.
The debate as to weather or not these are still to be fulfilled is a good one. I expect them to be and see a complete before and after picture with hundreds of specific details of what it is going to be like before and after Jesus comes in power dominion and authority to take the throne of David and rule with a rod of iron. It is a glorious future that emerges through the fires of the tribulation horrors.
 
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Timtofly

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Those who accept the amil position, still deny that Jesus will set up the kingdom for 1000 years. Since it never happened, they just assume it never will. Those prophets all died, their prophecy not worth any thing. Passing the prophecy into the New Heavens and earth does not count. That reality was not the reality of David. If the kingdom is to go on forever, then it will have to be established and then presented as an everlasting one.
 
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