Prophecy can appear confusing enough, without having to make it even more confusing at the start.
We have heard how Scripture interprets itself. This applies both to doctrine and prophecy of God.
In both doctrine and prophecy, if we begin with any Scripture giving a starting key to interpretation, then the rest can fall neatly into place with study of all Scripture. But if we ignore the first keys, then we are lost in endless confusion and debate from the beginning.
Ex: The Word was God. Now we can read all Scriptures, knowing the Word was God.
The same goes for prophecy.
1.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Antichrists are false apostles. Now we can teach about antichrists as false prophets.
2.
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
This beast has the number of a man, so he is a man. Now we can teach about this first beast and other beasts following, as being men.
3.
And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
The first appearance of 'The Antichrist' in Revelation is of a man riding forth to conquer. He seems to be left out of subsequent arguments about beasts and antichrists in Revelation. Now we can teach about antichrists as conquering ministers, riding in on their whited horses to save the day of unlearned novices.
4.
If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption.
But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
NT doctrine teaches destructive men are beasts. Now we can teach about beasts of prophecy, as being destructive ministers in the God.
The main flaw of long unending arguments, that leap back and forth from OT prophecies to those of Revelation, is by not even acknowledging the NT doctrine of Christ, that supplies simple keys to open the door to interpretation of prophecy. They fly right over those keys without a thought, because like fly-over country, it's just not interesting enough to scholarly elites. In their minds, that's too easy and simple.
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
5.
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
The two descriptions of Lucifer in Ezek 12, and that of the dragon revealed in Rev 12, are completely different. In the first he appears as God created him a perfect angel of God, and the second is how God sees, after making himself the enemy of God and father of all lies against His written word.
The first image is as God made him, and is still seen by angels with his jewels and sounding pipes. The second image is how he made himself a dragon of spiritual and ministerial error.
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
In NT doctrine, men also make themselves beasts of ministry, working to destroy the faith of Jesus, rather than to edify the believers. Men too are created good in the image of God, as angels are, but some are then described as beasts in the image of the dragon with heads, horns, and crowns.
Just as angels still see the jewels and pipes of the fallen angel Lucifer, so do men still see the arms and legs of the man of sin. But by prophecy of Scripture we all can see, like God and His Word, the spiritual and ministerial image of the dragon and his beasts: they are similar in appearance, because they are similar in lying ministry.
He that was created in the image of God, and is not conforming to the image of His Son, and yet is transforming himself into the ministerial image of the god of this world.
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Both Lucifer and his apostles come in the appearance of saving light, with angel's jewels and bright faces of men, but God reveals the true filthiness of spirit and ministry, that they bring in unawares as dragon and beasts.
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
Any interpretation that is not first measured by the doctrine of Christ, is doomed to endless meaningless debates about nations, kingdoms, unions, and systems of men.
We have heard how Scripture interprets itself. This applies both to doctrine and prophecy of God.
In both doctrine and prophecy, if we begin with any Scripture giving a starting key to interpretation, then the rest can fall neatly into place with study of all Scripture. But if we ignore the first keys, then we are lost in endless confusion and debate from the beginning.
Ex: The Word was God. Now we can read all Scriptures, knowing the Word was God.
The same goes for prophecy.
1.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Antichrists are false apostles. Now we can teach about antichrists as false prophets.
2.
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
This beast has the number of a man, so he is a man. Now we can teach about this first beast and other beasts following, as being men.
3.
And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
The first appearance of 'The Antichrist' in Revelation is of a man riding forth to conquer. He seems to be left out of subsequent arguments about beasts and antichrists in Revelation. Now we can teach about antichrists as conquering ministers, riding in on their whited horses to save the day of unlearned novices.
4.
If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption.
But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
NT doctrine teaches destructive men are beasts. Now we can teach about beasts of prophecy, as being destructive ministers in the God.
The main flaw of long unending arguments, that leap back and forth from OT prophecies to those of Revelation, is by not even acknowledging the NT doctrine of Christ, that supplies simple keys to open the door to interpretation of prophecy. They fly right over those keys without a thought, because like fly-over country, it's just not interesting enough to scholarly elites. In their minds, that's too easy and simple.
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
5.
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
The two descriptions of Lucifer in Ezek 12, and that of the dragon revealed in Rev 12, are completely different. In the first he appears as God created him a perfect angel of God, and the second is how God sees, after making himself the enemy of God and father of all lies against His written word.
The first image is as God made him, and is still seen by angels with his jewels and sounding pipes. The second image is how he made himself a dragon of spiritual and ministerial error.
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
In NT doctrine, men also make themselves beasts of ministry, working to destroy the faith of Jesus, rather than to edify the believers. Men too are created good in the image of God, as angels are, but some are then described as beasts in the image of the dragon with heads, horns, and crowns.
Just as angels still see the jewels and pipes of the fallen angel Lucifer, so do men still see the arms and legs of the man of sin. But by prophecy of Scripture we all can see, like God and His Word, the spiritual and ministerial image of the dragon and his beasts: they are similar in appearance, because they are similar in lying ministry.
He that was created in the image of God, and is not conforming to the image of His Son, and yet is transforming himself into the ministerial image of the god of this world.
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Both Lucifer and his apostles come in the appearance of saving light, with angel's jewels and bright faces of men, but God reveals the true filthiness of spirit and ministry, that they bring in unawares as dragon and beasts.
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
Any interpretation that is not first measured by the doctrine of Christ, is doomed to endless meaningless debates about nations, kingdoms, unions, and systems of men.
