The Future of Biblical Prophecy

I was reading a recent commentary (September 6, 2023) from Paul Craig Roberts as he discussed the ongoing and increasing “pestilence” from the Covid injections resulting in death and maiming people for life. He attributed this to the fulfillment of “the Book of Revelation.” He also cites other realities, unchecked authoritarian rule, sexual perversity, misinformation, weaponized rule of law, wantonness and so forth.

Is what we are witnessing in our time a fulfillment of Revelation? It sure seems like it could be. How can we know for sure?

Prophetic Viewpoints of Future Fulfillment

There are basically two systems of interpretation that would conclude that the Revelation is yet to be completely fulfilled in the future: Dispensation-alism and Historicism. In regard to the second coming of Jesus Christ, both systems point to a future time when the Christ shall return to set everything aright and usher in the everlasting Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Thus, in this respect, both systems can be described as futurists. Most professing Christians believe in a yet future coming of Jesus Christ.

A Lesson in Biblical Interpretation

My purpose here is not to examine those futuristic viewpoints, but to point my readers in a more fundamental direction so that they can determine for themselves what the Bible says on this subject. Herein is a brief analysis of how prophetic texts should be interpreted.

First, all prophetic texts, whether in the Old or New Testaments, must unfailingly take into account the immediate as well as broader contexts and allow the Bible to interpret itself. This is not an easy task, because it simply takes ongoing and diligent study. The prophetic texts are to be understood in respect to the overall theme of the Bible – what it’s about and to whom it is written.

Second, great care of an objective nature must be taken into account to examine prophetic texts based on the fundamental truth that there is “only one possible meaning of a text”:

There is only one possible meaning of a text or utterance, and that our goal is to understand the author’s intention in writing that text. – Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard, Jr., Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, p. 376

What did the author intend to communicate and what did his audience understand the author to write or speak? What meaning did the author most reasonably intend and his readers most reasonably understand that meaning to be?

Hence that meaning of a sentence which most readily suggests itself to a reader or hearer, is, in general, to be received as the true meaning, and that alone. – Milton Spencer Terry, Biblical Hermeneutics, p. 205

Why then are there so many varied and conflicting opinions as to what the Bible says and means with respect to the subject matter of the coming of Jesus Christ, or any other doctrine, for that matter? Please let the following two quotations offer an answer:

When we find that in the explanation of certain parts of the Scriptures no two interpreters out of a whole class agree, we have great reason to presume at once that some fatal error lurks in their principles of interpretation. – Ibid., p. 161

Those who read the Bible only from the perspective of their immediate personal circumstances, who forget that the passage was originally written to somebody else, cut short the interpretive process and, thus, miss some of what the text says. They understand the message strictly in terms of the events going on in their own lives and ignore the perspective of the text and its original recipients. – Klein, Blombery and Hubbard, Jr., Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, p. 7

We cannot underestimate the power of this fundamental principle if there is the full intent within the interpreter to accurately determine what the Bible says and means.

One cannot allow personal feelings, current events and culture, not to mention religious dogmatic creeds and traditions, to nullify the original context of the original author and audience in history and language. We must be ever conscious and ruthlessly strict with the application of this unchanging common sense principle. Thus, we shall be referring to it repeatedly as we examine the evidence of the biblical text and history of that time as we study prophecy.

Third, we must understand and correctly identify the nature of prophetic language in order to determine the class of literature, such as metaphor, simile, and hyperbole. I discuss this in my book, The Biblical Story of Prophecy, chapter 2. Many mistakes in interpretation have been made when a text is seen as literal when it is actually figurative.

What’s the Point?

What does the interpretation of prophetic texts really matter for our lives anyway? Is it just academic as to whether Jesus Christ is yet to return in the future or whether He has already returned (my view)?

My answer is “Yes.” It has important implications in respect to our mindset in this present time. Does the belief in Jesus’ future coming cause us to conclude that all we have to do is wait for that moment in time? Does this cause us to conclude that there is nothing we can do that will be of any real consequence in regard to the establishment and manifestation of the Kingdom? Have we just been in a holding pattern for 2,000 years waiting for that return of Jesus Christ? Are we simply powerless to address and rectify the ongoing deterioration and destruction of our nations until He returns?

We had better get this right. My question is, therefore, are we waiting for Jesus to return in a global display of glory or is Jesus waiting for us?

Rather than having the perspective of waiting for Jesus to come back to set things in order and usher in His Kingdom of righteousness, order and peace, it is time to embrace our privileges and responsibilities to manifest His Kingdom now.

We tend to think nothing can be done in the face of such powerful and long-standing opposition. But we must be transformed in our perspective and purpose by the renewing of our minds. Either the Kingdom is here and available in power or not. If it is not, then what is your divinely ordained purpose and mission?