Misinterpretation of Prophecy:-
The story of Christ's life depicted in the New Testament presents us with example after example of misinterpretation of scripture by both the religious leaders and lay people of His time. This misunderstanding is seen by many to be the cause of the great suffering inflicted not only upon Christ Himself, but also upon His followers. A misunderstanding of prophecy, however, is not harmful in itself. The disciples themselves did not correctly understand the prophecies referring to Christ - in many cases even after He Himself had explained their meaning to them. The problem associated with the misunderstanding of prophecy comes not from the misunderstanding itself, but from our holding to a particular interpretation in the face of fulfillment in a manner that runs counter to our interpretation (5:1)

Those, who at the time of Christ, did hold to their own interpretation, despite evidence that the prophecies were being fulfilled in other ways, crucified Him. So great was the faith they placed in their own ability to understand the words and plan of God that their own understanding became in effect their "scripture". Unknowingly, they had let pride obscure their God-given capacity to distinguish the truth. Had any of Christ's disciples blindly held to their particular pre-conceived interpretation of prophecy, that disciple also would have rejected Christ, but they didn't. They struggled to understand and accept the Will of the Heavenly Father, though it is evident from the scriptures that they were gravely shaken by what was happening in their lives. For, although they had been warned in the scriptures regarding the Coming of Christ, there was virtually no way for them to have been fully prepared for what was to come (5:2)

How People Prove Interpretation:-
In spite of the evidence the New Testament gives regarding the inability of people to understand prophetic language before it is fulfilled, and the role that prophecy played in confounding and even leading astray those who would interpret it, there are still many people today, who are sure of their interpretation regarding the Second Coming, and feel very secure regarding what signs will accompany it and what they will look for. I refer here not to any specific group of Christians, or to any particular denomination, but rather to the multitude of Christ's followers from all walks of life, who claim to know what the prophecies mean. And they can "prove" that their interpretation is correct. They do this, of course, by using the Word of God itself (6:1)

Some people articulate their reasoning, and for some it is an inner reasoning that is implied in their approach to scripture. And this reasoning, according to my understanding, goes something like this: (6:2)

"The meaning of the Holy Word is clear and evident. The meaning is based, not on our interpretation, but on what the Bible itself gives as the proper interpretation, knowing that because we are only human, our own interpretation will be flawed, whereas the Bible's explanations are perfect. These interpretations given by the Bible are easy to understand - even obvious to those who are fair minded - once they have been carefully thought upon, or pointed out and explained by someone who understands them (6:3)

"A proper interpretation never excludes any part of the Bible, but encompasses all parts. At the same time, recognizing that some aspects of scripture have more relevance to prophecy than others, not all scripture can be given equal weight. That is, a proper interpretation is based on a knowledge of the relative importance of the different aspects of the Bible, and because we have taken into account the Bible in its entirety, our interpretation is not narrow minded (6:4)

"The proofs are conclusive and complete, i.e. there are no holes in an interpretation of this kind or things that don't make sense. Of course, there are some things that cannot be known or explained, but these are such things as are only known of God, but surely God has given us enough of His word to enable us to recognize the Christ, when He comes. There are no contradictions in our reasoning. Our interpretation stands on the Revealed Word of God .. period. So in a sense, it is not our interpretation, but God's interpretation that we are following (6:5)

"Regarding the interpretation of others, we can see in the teachings of other Christian Faiths either flaws in their interpretations, or errors in their understanding, or outright disregard for scripture. We understand what others have either overlooked in their study of scripture or what they have added. Unlike others, however, we refuse to tamper with scripture; we know that you can neither add nor subtract from the Word of God (6:6)

"In a word, we 'follow the scriptures'" (6:7)

This is seemingly sound reasoning, and one that appears to provide a good foundation for the interpretation of scripture. There is, however, a problem with this: others use the same reasoning and come up with different results - different interpretations. Indeed, this reasoning (i.e. that we can figure it all out ourselves), when applied to the practice of religion, has led to Christianity breaking up into hundreds of sects, with most, but not all, claiming, of course, to be the correct one. (6:8)

That so many people can be so sure that they correctly understand the prophecies regarding the Second Coming, while at the same time giving widely differing scenarios of the events that will take place (or have already taken place), is in itself the greatest sign of the nature of prophecy: namely that it is a mystery until it is fulfilled.

For MORE: see - in Context (index) (quotes) (6:9)

These Words Constitute a PROPHECY-
What is the flaw with the reasoning given above? Can the Bible not speak for itself? Of course it can. It does. However, the only thing is, there is no way for us to understand fully what it means - more specifically, there is no way for us to tell which words of the Bible are to be taken literally, and which symbolically. We can all agree on what it "says", but not on what it "means" (7:0)

The Bible rarely states anything to the effect that "These words constitute a prophecy", and never gives us clues such as "this prophecy has a literal meaning" or "this one has a symbolic meaning", or "this prophecy has both a literal and a symbolic meaning" and then goes on to indicate which parts are to be taken literally, and which symbolically. Rather, prophecies are simply stated, and as we shall see, sometimes without even a clue that they are indeed prophecies (7:1)

FILLING in the DETAILS-
Along with an inability to distinguish which words should be taken literally, and which words symbolically, another obstacle presents itself before us. Even in the case where the words might have a purely literal meaning and therefore could be understood correctly (if there were some way for us to know that the meaning was purely literal, which there is not), practically all details are absent in the picture given by prophecy. The prophecy uses but a few words, to express what are sometimes great, even magnificent themes or events. This leads to a rather natural, but possibly fatal consequence: we ourselves fill in the details of the picture. We read the words, we make sense out of them, and by this we form a picture of what they mean. This picture, then, becomes our "vision" of what will happen. (7:2)

Our picture may or may not be the true picture (7:3)

The inadequacy and the deceptiveness of forming a picture through words can be easily demonstrated. Simply have a friend get a picture that you have never seen, say, from a magazine, and then have the friend describe it for you. As it is described, you will "see" in your mind an image. Afterwards, take a look at the actual picture. The picture will not be the same as you imagined. As you study it, you will then understand what was "meant" by the words that your friend used to describe it. This is a rather simple experiment, which you may want to try. It demonstrates the inadequacy of words in trying to convey something which can really only be conveyed by the sense of sight. In any case, we're going to try a variation on this right here which will more closely illustrate the subtleties involved in trying to fully understand the meaning of a prophecy before it is fulfilled. Here we will begin not with the picture, but as in the case of our attempting to understand prophecies, with words: (7:4)

Read the following sentence which I have entitled "The Traveler": (7:5)

The traveler, weary from a long journey, arrived at a vast plain stretching as far as the eye could see, and stopped to rest before continuing (8:1)

As you read these words, you see an image. This is what words are used for much of the time. The prophecies of the Old and New Testaments are full of images. Christ Himself constantly offered images to illustrate His teachings and so did His disciples after Him. But we must realize that the images that words provoke in us actually often come more from our own imagination than from the words themselves. No one but ourselves knows exactly what we "see" because we see with the imagination that is particular to us (8:2)

Now, imagine, if you will, that this sentence, which I have called "The Traveler", were a prophecy and that you were awaiting its fulfillment. What would you look for? By what event or sign would you know that it was fulfilled? Well, you would look for the picture you see in your mind, the same thing we do when we await the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Second Coming. We have a "picture" we are waiting for, a vision of what those glorious signs will bring (8:3)

Now, let's examine what is happening here. "The Traveler" is 26 words long, but to make a picture from these words, we have to add details - details that simply aren't in those 26 words. Of course, the details we add may indeed be true, but, then again, they may not (8:4)

We have to assume many things, otherwise we can't "see" a picture. There's no harm done in adding details; it's automatic, a natural outcome of the capacity of the human mind. However, what would happen if this "prophecy" were fulfilled in a way that didn't match our picture? What would we do? How would we react? Is it possible that we would miss the fulfillment because of a preconceived notion of how it "should" be fulfilled? Or could we accept that a higher wisdom was operating and could we adjust our thinking. Could we keep our assumptions from getting in the way? (8:5)

Now, before continuing, take a moment to think about "the traveler" for whom you are hypothetically waiting (8:6)

In the picture, what do you see? (8:7)

Did you assume that the traveler was on foot? What if he arrives on horseback, or by canoe? Did you assume that the traveler was alone? What if he is a soldier in an army? What if he is the commander of an army? Did you assume that the traveler would cross the plain? What if after resting, for some reason he turns around and returns the way he came? Did you assume that the traveler was to stop for a short while? What if he marries, and raises children before continuing. Did you assume that the traveler was to live? What if he dies as he rests? Did you assume that the plain was empty? What if a city were built there? And did you assume that the traveler was a man? What if the traveler is a woman? (8:8)

To illustrate how we automatically form a "picture", and how this picture may vary from the one intended, I have, through my "what-if's" suggested certain details that may have been associated with the fulfillment of this "prophecy". I have not tried to be clever or deceptive in this. The only "rule" I have followed in suggesting these, is that if it were not ruled out by the "prophecy", then it could be part of the "fulfillment" (8:9)

As we study, in the following chapters actual prophecies and their fulfillment, we will see that God is not even bound by this "rule"; indeed, of course, He is not subject to any "rule" whatsoever, and fulfills prophecies according to His wisdom. Using the life of Christ as an example of the fulfillment of prophecy, we will see that even things that seem to be clearly ruled out in a prophecy, may indeed be present in the fulfillment. And if this weren't enough to confound anyone who would place their confidence in their own understanding of the scriptures, this may be: things that are clearly stated as elements of the fulfillment of a prophecy, may be absent in the actual fulfillment. Moreover, the Word of God gives no explanation as to why this is the case. It is as if God is telling us that, through the events that have come to pass in the life of Christ, we are to understand the meaning of the prophecies referring to Him. For this is exactly what has happened. Now that we have knowledge of Christ and His life through the word of God in the New Testament, we can go back to the Old Testament, and understand His words. Without the New Testament, we cannot understand them (9:1)

Now if, as shown in the example of "The Traveler", common words are subject to widely differing interpretation, how could we possibly assume to have grasped the correct interpretation of the holy words we have been given that describe the Advent of the Lord? (9:2)

The tongue of the prophets described things that others could not perceive. Like a man seeing a coming thunderstorm that his blind friend cannot see, so the prophet sees and tells of things to come (9:3)

We, who read their words, or the words of Christ, are not prophets. Yet, generally, we assume we understand the precise meaning of their words. And though to make this assumption is a perfectly natural thing to do, now that we have the life of Christ described in the New Testament before us as the supreme example of how all assumptions were blown to smithereens at His Coming, can we persist in this practice? (9:4)

The prophecies of the Bible are like seeds, and their fulfillment is like the plants into which these seeds grow. By looking at the seed, there is no way to tell what shape or color or form lies within it. It is only after the seed develops into a plant that we know the "meaning" of the seed (9:5)

In the same way, by studying the words of a prophecy, there is no way to tell what it signifies, or what future events will fulfill it. It is only after the prophecy has been fulfilled that we can understand what the words of the prophecy mean (9:6)

IMPLICATIONS for the SEEKER-
So what does all this mean to us? Is this just a new way of looking at prophecies and their interpretation? I believe it means much more than this. For if we consider thoughtfully, we can see that there is implied in the story of the life of Christ something far more important than anything that I have stated so far, in fact, something of infinite significance to the seeker of Christ. It is this: Although God did not reveal to us plainly how we should know who the Messiah was, and although His Coming ran counter to everyone's expectations, we were expected to accept and follow Him anyway (9:7)

I use the word "we" here to refer, in one sense, to the children of God - of whom we are all a part - past, present and future. But there is another, more appropriate significance in using the word "we". In one very important sense, those spiritual principles which governed the people at the time of Christ are applicable to all who currently inhabit the planet - for Christ said that He would return, and when He does, "we" must accept and follow Him no matter how He comes, whether His coming fits our particular interpretation or not (10:1)

End of Quote

1st Coming - Understanding Prophecy
D. Yamartino