Understanding Bible Prophecy
Stories
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit
Series VI, Cycle B
Object:
One of my parishioners once wrote me asking for some help in understanding the confusing imagery in the book of Daniel. He wrote, "Prophecies and the interpretation of prophecies. Could they be just a little more vague? Still, they are fascinating...." Indeed, they are, and for some, they have become immensely profitable as well. A cottage industry has grown up on Christian television presenting prophecy "experts" who are ready to interpret ambiguous passages both on the air, sustained by the financial support of faithful viewers, and in their widely sold books and videos.
Probably the best-known of these folks is a fellow by the name of Jack Van Impe who, along with his wife, Rexella, operates the Jack Van Impe Ministries World Outreach Center, located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. On a typical show, Rexella begins by reporting a recent news event, which ranges from a major headline story to some obscure oddity. Van Impe then interprets the item by quoting some biblical passage, often from Daniel or Revelation or something similar, giving the occurrence a spin that relates it to the coming rapture or Armageddon or the second coming of Christ or all of the above. His interpretations are always based on biblical texts, so for the uninitiated, they sound most authoritative. At the close of every program, Jack extends an invitation to all to accept Jesus Christ and be born again, which is promptly followed by Rexella asking viewers to purchase one of their multitude of books, videotapes, or other media products. Over the years, Van Impe has set many specific years and dates for the return of Jesus, but he has had to continue to adjust his prediction since many of these dates have come and gone.
The biggest problem I have with his approach is that, with all these scripture texts he quotes, he takes them out of context, and that is always dangerous. An example I have used before: "Cain killed his brother Abel" -- Genesis 4. "Go and do likewise" -- Luke 10. "What you are about to do, do quickly" -- John 13. All scripture, but, frankly, you can prove anything you want using scripture if you are willing to use it incorrectly. Remember this: A text without a context is a pretext. I'm going to repeat that. A text without a context is a pretext. Keep that in mind as you listen to Jack Van Impe or any other of these prophecy "experts."
I do not mean to pick on Van Impe because, quite frankly, he is just carrying on a tradition that goes back centuries. Our text from Deuteronomy has Moses addressing the Israelite people as they wandered in the wilderness. They are worried about the future and they want some answers. Moses is warning the people about searching for those answers in inappropriate places. He warns about following after folks who practice sorcery or divination. "Sorcerer" in the Old Testament is related to the word for clouds, perhaps referring to discerning events through weather. It is used of those who engage in astrology, using the positions of the stars and planets to foretell events. Divination, another general term for predicting the future, often involves some sort of holy man casting bones or arrows on the ground, so that, depending on how they lie, he can know the future. Moses says not to go there. Instead, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him" (Deuteronomy 18:15).
Truth be told, there does seem to be something in all of us that wants to know the future. Millions of people consult horoscopes, Ouija boards, fortune-tellers, palm readers, attend channeling seminars, or conduct séances. Some even turn to the Bible -- that's free. Where we get into difficulty in dealing with biblical prophecy is in expecting it to give something it never intended. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for "prophet," nabi, and in the New Testament, the Greek word, prophetes, both mean someone who announces or brings a message from God, one who speaks by divine inspiration as the interpreter or spokesperson for God. It might be a message of warning, of promise, or even a prediction of future events. Biblical prophecy is much better understood as forthtelling rather than foretelling, though. The modern equivalent would be more preacher than predictor.
Sometimes the two go together. For example, back in the early '90s, as our nation found itself embroiled with an adversary in the Middle East, an old sermon of mine included the following:
What will happen to Saddam Hussein?... As proud and arrogant a man as he is, there is an old, old story of which he should take note. It seems some little frogs had just had a harrowing experience down at the swampy meadow, and they came hopping home to report their adventure. "Oh, Father," said one of the little frogs, all out of breath, "we have just seen the most terrible monster in all the world. It was enormous with horns on its head and a long tail and hoofs...."
"Why, child, that was no monster. That was only an ox. He isn't so big! If I really put my mind to it I could make myself big as an ox. Just watch me." So the old frog huffed and puffed and blew himself up. "Was he as big as I am now?" he asked.
"Oh, Father, much bigger," cried the little frogs.
Again the father frog huffed and puffed and blew himself up, and asked his children if the ox could be as big as that.
"Bigger, Father, a great deal bigger," came the chorus of little frogs. "If you blew yourself up until you burst you could not be as big as the monster we saw in the swampy meadow."
Provoked by such disparagement of his powers the old frog made one more attempt. He blew and blew and swelled and swelled until something went POP. The old frog had burst.
As scripture says, "Pride goeth before destruction." Saddam, he who has ears to hear, let him hear.1
Was I going out on much of a limb in "prophesying" problems for Saddam? Not really. No more than anyone in recent years who warned of the dangers to New Orleans in the event of a serious hurricane. Some things are pretty predictable.
Notice something I did not do in that sermon. I did not say that Saddam Hussein was the Antichrist referred to in 1 John or the beast of Revelation nor any other such thing. And this is where some of our "experts" get into trouble. They take these current individuals or events, overlay them on the biblical material, and draw conclusions that are simply not warranted.
Of course, we cannot talk about biblical prophecy without dealing with this last book in the New Testament, Revelation. This one, in particular, has been a goldmine for the so-called "experts" and a challenge to virtually everyone else. Anytime I ask a group what they might like to do for a Bible study, the hands-down request winner is Revelation.
The truth is the book of Revelation is not that difficult to understand if you have some basic background. It is written in a unique style called "apocalyptic" which is unfamiliar in our day, but was much better known during the period between the Old and New Testaments. Apocalyptic writing, with all its wild imagery -- ten-horned, seven-headed beasts, dragons, wild animals, and so on -- functioned as a kind of pictorial narrative about God and justice and answers the inevitable question, namely, "If there is a good God who is in control of things, why doesn't God do something about all the present evil?" The apocalyptic writer's response: God will -- the story is not over yet. The book of Revelation that we find in our Bibles dealt with a specific situation being faced by the people to whom it was addressed and who were suffering persecution under Emperor Domitian at the end of the first century for refusing to participate in Emperor worship. It was meant to comfort and encourage.
Apocalyptic language is symbolic, not literal. Think poetry, not photography. If you get too tied to a literal reading, don't be surprised if you get to heaven and find yourself walking on streets of gold but that you have turned Jesus into a sheep. The words were for inspiration, not information. The cryptic language that our generation might find so confusing was merely to avoid unnecessary risk -- monster beasts represent monstrous people, and those who heard these words first would have had no difficulty in interpreting them.
The message of Revelation to that embattled group of first-century believers was simply keep the faith; despite all that might lead you to believe otherwise, the emperor is not ultimately the victor, God is. Those words have comforted the hearts of who knows how many persecuted people down through the centuries. Hans Lilje, a bishop in the church in Germany during the time of the Nazis, said he never really appreciated the book of Revelation until Hitler came. Perhaps that is why we have so many wacky interpretations of Revelation in our land: We have never had the kind of persecution that those to whom it was addressed underwent, and thus have no clue about how it really speaks. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
One day I was in my car, driving along, when I saw the marquee of a local church that said, "Simply Teach the Bible Simply." That sounds good, until you run into material like we have been discussing here.
Understanding Bible prophecy. Yes, we would dearly love to know the future, but, remember these things as you look for it in the pages of scripture:
* a text without a context is a pretext;
* be skeptical of making unwarranted conclusions based on overlaying biblical material with twenty-first-century events and individuals; and
* forthtelling more than foretelling.
Understanding Bible prophecy. Tomorrow's headlines today? No. What we do find, from beginning to end, is a living, loving Lord who controls it all, and in these troubled times, that is good news indeed.
––––––––––––
1. From an unpublished sermon titled, "And Now, the Latest News," preached at St. Paul Presbyterian Church, Greensboro, North Carolina, 1/24/93.
Probably the best-known of these folks is a fellow by the name of Jack Van Impe who, along with his wife, Rexella, operates the Jack Van Impe Ministries World Outreach Center, located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. On a typical show, Rexella begins by reporting a recent news event, which ranges from a major headline story to some obscure oddity. Van Impe then interprets the item by quoting some biblical passage, often from Daniel or Revelation or something similar, giving the occurrence a spin that relates it to the coming rapture or Armageddon or the second coming of Christ or all of the above. His interpretations are always based on biblical texts, so for the uninitiated, they sound most authoritative. At the close of every program, Jack extends an invitation to all to accept Jesus Christ and be born again, which is promptly followed by Rexella asking viewers to purchase one of their multitude of books, videotapes, or other media products. Over the years, Van Impe has set many specific years and dates for the return of Jesus, but he has had to continue to adjust his prediction since many of these dates have come and gone.
The biggest problem I have with his approach is that, with all these scripture texts he quotes, he takes them out of context, and that is always dangerous. An example I have used before: "Cain killed his brother Abel" -- Genesis 4. "Go and do likewise" -- Luke 10. "What you are about to do, do quickly" -- John 13. All scripture, but, frankly, you can prove anything you want using scripture if you are willing to use it incorrectly. Remember this: A text without a context is a pretext. I'm going to repeat that. A text without a context is a pretext. Keep that in mind as you listen to Jack Van Impe or any other of these prophecy "experts."
I do not mean to pick on Van Impe because, quite frankly, he is just carrying on a tradition that goes back centuries. Our text from Deuteronomy has Moses addressing the Israelite people as they wandered in the wilderness. They are worried about the future and they want some answers. Moses is warning the people about searching for those answers in inappropriate places. He warns about following after folks who practice sorcery or divination. "Sorcerer" in the Old Testament is related to the word for clouds, perhaps referring to discerning events through weather. It is used of those who engage in astrology, using the positions of the stars and planets to foretell events. Divination, another general term for predicting the future, often involves some sort of holy man casting bones or arrows on the ground, so that, depending on how they lie, he can know the future. Moses says not to go there. Instead, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him" (Deuteronomy 18:15).
Truth be told, there does seem to be something in all of us that wants to know the future. Millions of people consult horoscopes, Ouija boards, fortune-tellers, palm readers, attend channeling seminars, or conduct séances. Some even turn to the Bible -- that's free. Where we get into difficulty in dealing with biblical prophecy is in expecting it to give something it never intended. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for "prophet," nabi, and in the New Testament, the Greek word, prophetes, both mean someone who announces or brings a message from God, one who speaks by divine inspiration as the interpreter or spokesperson for God. It might be a message of warning, of promise, or even a prediction of future events. Biblical prophecy is much better understood as forthtelling rather than foretelling, though. The modern equivalent would be more preacher than predictor.
Sometimes the two go together. For example, back in the early '90s, as our nation found itself embroiled with an adversary in the Middle East, an old sermon of mine included the following:
What will happen to Saddam Hussein?... As proud and arrogant a man as he is, there is an old, old story of which he should take note. It seems some little frogs had just had a harrowing experience down at the swampy meadow, and they came hopping home to report their adventure. "Oh, Father," said one of the little frogs, all out of breath, "we have just seen the most terrible monster in all the world. It was enormous with horns on its head and a long tail and hoofs...."
"Why, child, that was no monster. That was only an ox. He isn't so big! If I really put my mind to it I could make myself big as an ox. Just watch me." So the old frog huffed and puffed and blew himself up. "Was he as big as I am now?" he asked.
"Oh, Father, much bigger," cried the little frogs.
Again the father frog huffed and puffed and blew himself up, and asked his children if the ox could be as big as that.
"Bigger, Father, a great deal bigger," came the chorus of little frogs. "If you blew yourself up until you burst you could not be as big as the monster we saw in the swampy meadow."
Provoked by such disparagement of his powers the old frog made one more attempt. He blew and blew and swelled and swelled until something went POP. The old frog had burst.
As scripture says, "Pride goeth before destruction." Saddam, he who has ears to hear, let him hear.1
Was I going out on much of a limb in "prophesying" problems for Saddam? Not really. No more than anyone in recent years who warned of the dangers to New Orleans in the event of a serious hurricane. Some things are pretty predictable.
Notice something I did not do in that sermon. I did not say that Saddam Hussein was the Antichrist referred to in 1 John or the beast of Revelation nor any other such thing. And this is where some of our "experts" get into trouble. They take these current individuals or events, overlay them on the biblical material, and draw conclusions that are simply not warranted.
Of course, we cannot talk about biblical prophecy without dealing with this last book in the New Testament, Revelation. This one, in particular, has been a goldmine for the so-called "experts" and a challenge to virtually everyone else. Anytime I ask a group what they might like to do for a Bible study, the hands-down request winner is Revelation.
The truth is the book of Revelation is not that difficult to understand if you have some basic background. It is written in a unique style called "apocalyptic" which is unfamiliar in our day, but was much better known during the period between the Old and New Testaments. Apocalyptic writing, with all its wild imagery -- ten-horned, seven-headed beasts, dragons, wild animals, and so on -- functioned as a kind of pictorial narrative about God and justice and answers the inevitable question, namely, "If there is a good God who is in control of things, why doesn't God do something about all the present evil?" The apocalyptic writer's response: God will -- the story is not over yet. The book of Revelation that we find in our Bibles dealt with a specific situation being faced by the people to whom it was addressed and who were suffering persecution under Emperor Domitian at the end of the first century for refusing to participate in Emperor worship. It was meant to comfort and encourage.
Apocalyptic language is symbolic, not literal. Think poetry, not photography. If you get too tied to a literal reading, don't be surprised if you get to heaven and find yourself walking on streets of gold but that you have turned Jesus into a sheep. The words were for inspiration, not information. The cryptic language that our generation might find so confusing was merely to avoid unnecessary risk -- monster beasts represent monstrous people, and those who heard these words first would have had no difficulty in interpreting them.
The message of Revelation to that embattled group of first-century believers was simply keep the faith; despite all that might lead you to believe otherwise, the emperor is not ultimately the victor, God is. Those words have comforted the hearts of who knows how many persecuted people down through the centuries. Hans Lilje, a bishop in the church in Germany during the time of the Nazis, said he never really appreciated the book of Revelation until Hitler came. Perhaps that is why we have so many wacky interpretations of Revelation in our land: We have never had the kind of persecution that those to whom it was addressed underwent, and thus have no clue about how it really speaks. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
One day I was in my car, driving along, when I saw the marquee of a local church that said, "Simply Teach the Bible Simply." That sounds good, until you run into material like we have been discussing here.
Understanding Bible prophecy. Yes, we would dearly love to know the future, but, remember these things as you look for it in the pages of scripture:
* a text without a context is a pretext;
* be skeptical of making unwarranted conclusions based on overlaying biblical material with twenty-first-century events and individuals; and
* forthtelling more than foretelling.
Understanding Bible prophecy. Tomorrow's headlines today? No. What we do find, from beginning to end, is a living, loving Lord who controls it all, and in these troubled times, that is good news indeed.
––––––––––––
1. From an unpublished sermon titled, "And Now, the Latest News," preached at St. Paul Presbyterian Church, Greensboro, North Carolina, 1/24/93.
