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Biblical Prophecy: Past, Present, and Future

Biblical prophecy demonstrates God's sovereignty over history and His faithfulness to His promises. The study of fulfilled prophecies, those being fulfilled today, and future prophecies reveals the reliability of Scripture and God's unchanging character throughout time.

Introduction to Biblical Prophecy

The most important purpose of biblical prophecy is that it points to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 3, 2:04). There are over 100 prophecies recorded in Scripture concerning the coming of Christ, spanning from at least 4,000 years before His birth to about 400 years before His birth (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 3, 2:31).

Fundamental Principles of Prophecy

Understanding biblical prophecy requires careful attention to certain foundational principles. A prophet is simply a person who speaks for God—they are people called by God to be His spokesperson (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 1, 1:31). While we often think of prophecy only in terms of predicting the future, anyone who delivers God's message functions as a prophet in the wide sense (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 1, 1:54).

Characteristics of Biblical Prophecy

Prophecies can deal with matters both small and great. Small matters might include finding lost donkeys (1 Samuel 9:20) or discovering a coin in a fish's mouth (Matthew 17:27). Great prophecies concern events like the flood, the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus's death and resurrection, and the end of the world (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 1, 3:15).

Prophecies can cover either short or long periods of time. Some are fulfilled the very same day they are given, while others, like those concerning Christ's first and second comings, take thousands of years to fulfill (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 1, 6:29). As 2 Peter 3:8 reminds us, "with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day" (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 1, 8:24).

Prophecies can be either conditional or unconditional. Unconditional prophecies, such as Christ's birth, death, resurrection, and return, will be fulfilled regardless of human response (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 1, 9:06). Conditional prophecies depend on whether people meet certain conditions, as seen in Jonah's prophecy concerning Nineveh or God's principle stated in Jeremiah 18:7-10 (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 1, 9:20).

Interpreting Symbolic Language

Some prophecies use plain literal language, while others employ symbolic language, types, or acted-out symbolism (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 1, 12:56). A crucial principle for interpretation is that truths taught in symbolic language in Scripture are also taught elsewhere in plain literal language (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 1, 17:43). Therefore, one should always look for plain literal passages to interpret symbolic ones, rather than launching into imagination.

Prophecies Fulfilled Before Christ's Birth

Of the approximately 767 prophecies in Scripture, 390 were fulfilled before the birth of Jesus Christ (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 2, 3:54). These fulfilled prophecies served as assurance to God's people that the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah would also be fulfilled, pointing to the reliability of God's Word (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 3, 0:52).

The Period of the Patriarchs

During this foundational period, God established His covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, promising land, offspring, and that through Abraham all nations would be blessed (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 2, 4:54). This covenant was not based on Abraham's worthiness but on God's faithfulness (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 2, 7:06).

The Period of the Judges

This period, from the death of Joshua (1405 BC) to the coronation of King Saul (1050 BC), was characterized by a recurring cycle of relapse, retribution, repentance, and rescue (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 2, 9:44). While less prophecy is recorded during this period, there were still prophetic elements, including prophecies about the victories of Gideon, Deborah and Barak, and the birth of Samson (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 2, 10:17).

The Period of the Kings

This era produced significant prophecies, including those about the Savior coming from David's family, the division of Israel into two kingdoms, and prophecies concerning various dynasties and kings (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 2, 10:53). During the latter part of this period and after the return from Babylonian captivity, 16 literary prophets emerged—four major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel) and twelve minor prophets (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 2, 11:52).

Historical Context of Judgment and Restoration

In 722 BC, the Assyrians destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel and deported the people as God's judgment for their idolatry (Rugged 1-20-19, 1:47). Isaiah, beginning his ministry in 740 BC, foresaw the coming judgment on Judah through Babylon. In Isaiah 39:6, he prophesied: "Days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your ancestors have stored up until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord" (Rugged 1-20-19, 4:25).

Remarkably, Isaiah also predicted both the restoration of the people from captivity (Isaiah 40:2) and named the specific king who would release them—Cyrus of Persia (Isaiah 44:28)—decades before the Persian kingdom even existed (Rugged 1-20-19, 8:33).

Prophecies Fulfilled by Christ

Three psalms written approximately a thousand years before Christ's birth demonstrate remarkable prophetic fulfillment (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 3, 3:01).

Psalm 2: The Anointed King

Originally composed as a coronation song for Davidic kings, Psalm 2 finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Jesus applied the title "anointed one" to Himself when reading from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue (Luke 4:18) (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 3, 4:53).

The psalm's description of nations conspiring "against the Lord and his anointed" (Psalm 2:2) was fulfilled when Herod, Pontius Pilate, Gentiles, and peoples of Israel gathered against Jesus (Acts 4:27) (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 3, 7:51).

The declaration "You are my Son; today I have begotten you" (Psalm 2:7) is applied to Christ's resurrection in Acts 13:33 and to His superiority over angels in Hebrews 1:5 (Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 3, 10:01).

Psalm 22: The Suffering Servant

Psalm 22 is quoted more frequently in the New Testament than any other psalm, providing a detailed preview of Christ's crucifixion (Desert Flower #5 Totality of the Word, 9:16).

Specific fulfillments include: - The cry "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1) spoken by Jesus on the cross (Matthew 27:46) (Desert Flower #5 Totality of the Word, 10:01) - The scorn and mockery described in verses 6-7 (Psalm 22:6-7), fulfilled in Mark 15:29 (Desert Flower #5 Totality of the Word, 10:51) - The thirst described in verse 15 (Psalm 22:15), fulfilled in John 19:28 (Desert Flower #5 Totality of the Word, 11:36) - The piercing of hands and feet (Psalm 22:16) (Desert Flower #5 Totality of the Word, 11:54) - The casting of lots for clothing (Psalm 22:18), fulfilled in John 19:24 (Desert Flower #5 Totality of the Word, 12:24)

Psalm 16: The Resurrection Victory

Psalm 16:8-11 prophesies that God's faithful one would not see decay (Desert Flower #5 Totality of the Word, 19:34). When David died, his body decayed, but this psalm points beyond itself to the Messiah whose body would not decay—Jesus Christ (Desert Flower #5 Totality of the Word, 19:56).

The Suffering Servant in Isaiah

Isaiah 52-53 presents one of the most detailed prophecies of Christ's suffering. Isaiah describes the Messiah as one who "shall be exalted and lifted up," yet "so marred was his appearance beyond human semblance" (Isaiah 52:13-14) (Desert Flower #5 Totality of the Word, 21:53). The prophecy details how "he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities" (Isaiah 53:5) (Desert Flower #5 Totality of the Word, 23:09).

Living in the Last Days

The Old Testament concludes with [Malachi 4](https://www.biblegateway.com