Episode Transcript
Are you ready to experience the amazing love of God and his plan for your life? Are you curious about the fast fulfilling Bible prophecies amidst the rapidly changing world? Secrets of prophecy is your gateway to unlocking these exciting realities. Join Pastor David Price on a journey of discovery that will not only transform your life, but will equip you with inner peace and an unshakable hope to face the future. Well, it's my pleasure to welcome you to secrets of prophecy session number seven.
What are we going to learn in this fantastic episode? I have five discovery points that are drawn from this amazing Bible study. Number one, we're going to ask the question, who does God actually reveal his secrets through? Number two, when will the secrets of prophecy actually be revealed? Number three, what is the main purpose of Bible prophecy as given by God? And why was the Bible written in mysterious symbols? That's a very good question, isn't it? And finally, what warning does God give to us when we are endeavouring to interpret prophecy? So here we are in session number one. Many people are a little bit unsure of what prophecy actually is.
Let's go to the new Oxford Dictionary definition. Prophecy is actually a prediction of future events. It's a forecast.
However, the spiritual gift of prophecy in the Bible has two parts. There's foretelling, which is the predictive side, which is not the biggest side, and there is forth telling. F o r t h, forth telling, and that is the ability to preach the word of God.
So prophets were to be preachers more than predictors of the future. Friends, it's time to ask God to be with us. You know, never should the ancient biblical writings be opened and without prayer.
Gracious heavenly Father, we bow our heads and ask that you'll guide, bless and direct through the power of the Holy Spirit the opening of your word in session seven. We ask it in Jesus powerful name. Amen.
So, friends, it's my pleasure to welcome you to the secrets of Prophecy series. We're in session number seven and we're actually looking at the secrets of prophecy tonight in the secrets of prophecy seminar. In fact, session seven is very, very closely linked to session number eight and I will explain a little bit more about that towards the end of this study.
Why don't we just get started. For those of you who might be online, the study guide is downloadable under the description bar and you're most welcome to do that and you can follow along. However, the programme stands alone and does not need the study guide.
Niels Bohr, a danish physicist, said the prediction is very difficult especially if it's about the future. And so we acknowledge that predicting the future can be quite risky. Notice these great statements.
The horse is here to stay. The automobile is only a fad. So that was advice given to Henry Ford, who started the Ford Motor company from the president of the Michigan Savings bank back in 1903.
And then, Hm, Warner of Warner Brothers in 1927, gave out another very, very risky prediction. He said, who the hell wants actors to talk? And this was the era of silent movies. Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM in 1943, said, I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.
You might have underestimated that a little, don't you think? Then Daryl Zanuck, a 20th Century Fox executive back in 1946, says, television won't last because people will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night. Then the president of Decca Records, commenting on the Beatles back in 1962, said, we don't like their sound. And guitar music is on the way out.
Anyway, friends, there is a whole lot of predictions that were very risky and were proved entirely wrong, you know, despite the risk, a look into history uncovers a variety of cultures fascinated with knowing the future. The prophets who wrote the ancient scriptures used mysterious symbols and time codes to describe over 1000 startling and specific predictions. In fact, these prophecies predicted major events and the rise and fall of nations throughout history.
You know, the most intriguing and controversial Bible prophecies are those that speak about our time. Among other things, the prophet saw the number one, a rapid increase in technology and pace of life. Two, a union of religious and political powers causing war and destruction.
Three, greedy capitalists who use the cheap labour of the poor. Number four, a global economic collapse. Number five, we hear this regularly, the destruction of the environment.
And number six, the formation of global politics and the globalisation of the world. So we must ask the question, what is the purpose and the relevance of Bible prophecy? In fact, why were the prophecies written in mysterious codes and symbols? We must also ask, how accurate is Bible prophecy and what do the prophecies really mean? Throughout this series, you'll discover the keys that unlock the secrets of prophecy. And as the future becomes clear, important teachings will help you discover life's purpose and answer life's mysteries.
So again, it's my pleasure to welcome you to session seven of the secrets of prophecy. Thank you so much for joining us. Let's go straight into question number one.
We're asking the question who claims the ability to truly know the future? We go back to the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament. This is very fitting, isn't it? We go to Isaiah 46 and let's have a look at verse nine and ten. Isaiah gives us a word from the Lord.
A word from the Lord God. He said, remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is no other. I am God and there is none like me declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times, the things that are not yet done.
I'd like to add in another scripture that isn't in your study guides. If you'd like to write in Isaiah 42 and verse nine, this is God in another instance, telling us about his power to be able to predict the future and help us. Behold, the former things have come to pass.
And new things I declare, before they spring forth. I tell you of them, friends, the ancient pagan religions of the world relied on specially trained mystics and astrologers to communicate with their nature gods and understand the future. Prophetic omens were determined by observing the strange movements of natural events.
The fate of kings and nations was predicted based on the formation of stars and planets, the behaviour of birds, the movement of oil through water, or even the liver condition of dead sheep. So this is how the ancients were able to attempt to predict the future. I want to just take a break from our study guide for a moment and share with you a brief review of divination, astrology and planetary worship.
So let's travel over to France, to the Louvre in Paris, and there we find some fascinating artefacts. And so, did you know that the ancient priests in ancient times used the three things, divination, astrology and omens, in order to divine the future? And as we just shared with you, they would examine the intestines of sacrificed animals to be able to predict what might happen in the future. Here are some of the french texts in the museum talking about divination being done from a study of the intestines.
And here is another display that it talks about how astronomy and horoscopes were linked. And I believe the words there would say something like, astrology took a grand place in the art of divination. So, friends, the ancients would worship the sun, moon and stars.
And of course, they were the heavenly bodies, and so they were very meticulous in keeping their astrological columns. Let's travel over to Delphi in Greece, where there was a very famous oracle, the oracle of Delphi. Kings of the ancient world paid vast sums of money to have their future foretold and would travel over here to encounter a priestess, often called an oracle, who would enter a trance and would try and divine the future.
The story comes to us about King Croesus of Lydia, who asked the oracle the following, should he go to battle and fight the Persians, the oracle said, a great kingdom shall be destroyed. So king Croesus marched out to battle and he was soundly defeated by the persian army. You know, friends, when getting advice about the future, we need to make sure that we know who we're talking to and it's a trustworthy source.
So the ancient Hittites, Romans, Canaanites, the Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians and Greeks all used the following ways of dividing the future. They studied the heavenly bodies. They were also students of astrology, and they all used divination.
And I guess they're not much unlike us. Today. We have an insatiable desire to know the future.
And I noticed that the sessions we did, secrets of prophecy session number two on signs of the times. That was really, really a very popular episode and has had thousands of views on two different sites. So in our desire to know the future, millions of people on planet Earth today read their horoscopes and they try to discover their future.
And so astrology is still practised widely today and many, many people actually believe it and would swear by it. I'm going back to our study guide to remind you that the God of the ancient scriptures declares that he is the only one who can truly predict the future. You know, this unique quality of knowing and telling the things that are not yet done can easily be tested through a study of Bible prophecy.
So with over 1000 clear prophecies and one third of the Bible devoted to prophecy, you can take God's challenge and test if he is real and can truly predict the future. Quite a few leaders throughout history have taken a keen interest in Bible prophecy, and some of them are on the screen. Some of these men made decisions because they believed in God's prophecies.
Others openly tried to defy the prophecies. If you want more information on this, we covered this in detail in secrets of prophecy session number one, which was called who will control the world? In ancient times, King Cyrus, the first great persian monarch, commanded the rebuilding of the jewish temple as a result of the prophecies contained in the books of Isaiah, Daniel and Jeremiah. Then Alexander the Great actually spared the great city of Jerusalem from destruction and worshipped in its temple after he was shown the prophetic book of Daniel.
And I think I covered this in a previous session where the Jews went out and said, what took you so long? Here is a painting that shows the emperor Alexander the Great actually paying tribute to the jewish grand high priest Jadis. And here is another artist in the 18th century who shows the high priest demonstrating to Alexander the Great, the great general of the greek armies, the book of Daniel that predicted his victory over the Persians. And so this is why Alexander the Great did not destroy the great city of Jerusalem.
You know, Jesus Christ told his followers they needed to study and understand the book of Daniel. His life and death were also perfectly matched to the prophecies contained in the Old Testament. And former US president Ronald Reagan worked with Pope John Paul II to overthrow communism.
Why? Well, partly because he feared the prophetic battle of Armageddon. And his wife Nancy was a great believer in astrology. And so you can see the influence that astrology still has on relatively modern politics quite a lot.
Then we remember Adolf Hitler, the great tyrant, the great dictator, who openly opposed the prophetic God of the Bible and did not want to hear anything about the plans of the God of heaven, and he went ahead and defied them. And it's interesting, isn't it, that the snows came early and defeated him in Russia. And also he was prevented from crossing the English Channel by untimely weather events, very, very weird weather events.
And we believe that the God of heaven had his hand in that. Then there was Saddam Hussein, who believed that he was the modern fulfilment of a key character in the prophetic book of Daniel. And that character was King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Saddam's hero.
Question number two, who does God reveal his secrets through? We're in Amos, chapter three, and verse seven. Amos wrote, surely the Lord God does nothing unless he reveals his secrets unto his servants, the prophets friends. Isn't that interesting? God wants us to know the future and he shares those secrets with us.
So who were the prophets? Prophets were men and women who God especially chose to share with us his secret mysteries. Many of these mysteries were predictions for the future or prophecies. Let me just quote on the screen in Alan Bowman's book, is the Bible true? Page 81, some extra material.
He wrote that biblical prophecy of future events is a unique and startling phenomenon of history. I thought that's a very, very significant quote, that the God of heaven is interacting with us to tell us what is coming. And he has a purpose for us, doesn't he? So it's important to also know that Jesus warned against false prophets in Matthew 24 and verse 24.
The easiest way to determine a false prophet is by using the scriptures as a benchmark. Their predictions, if their predictions do not come true or they conflict with the teachings of scripture. You can be assured that they are not a prophet of God.
Let me share with you two quotes, some extra material that I think you might find interesting. This is from Brian Ball's book. Can we still believe the Bible? And does it really matter? He wrote, to disprove prophecy or to discover another book that contains genuine prophecy would seriously undermine confidence in the Bible as the word of God.
So, friends, the Bible has been like an anvil that's taken on all the hammers of the world and still survived and is powerful and one of the best selling books still today around the world. Now, JB Payne's book, the Encyclopaedia of Biblical Prophecy in page 681 says the following. I think you'll find this fascinating.
8352 of 31,124 verses in the Bible actually contain prophetic material that relates to the future. So that percentage is nearly one third of the Bible contains prophecies. It's incredible, isn't it? God does not want us to be unsure of last day events because he's preparing in our hearts the desire to go with him at the second coming and enter into the kingdom of heaven.
And that invitation is extended to everyone who hears these words by the God of heaven. Question three at the top of page six. When will the secrets of prophecy actually be revealed? We go to Daniel, chapter twelve and verse four.
But you, Daniel, the angel Gabriel, tells the prophet, you are to shut up the words and seal the book. That is the book of Daniel until the time of the end, when many shall run to and frozen and knowledge shall increase. Friends, aren't we living in that time now, when people are running here and there and can travel thousands of kilometres around the globe in short amounts of time.
And certainly we would say that knowledge will increase. Not only knowledge that is secular or technical, but also biblical knowledge is increasing as well. The two prophetic books that will be investigated most fully in this series, secrets of prophecy, are the books of Daniel and the revelation.
The Book of Daniel contains prophecies that were concealed or kept secret until the time of the end. See Daniel twelve four. As we just read, revelation, or the apocalypse, comes from the greek word apocalypto, which means to reveal a secret.
It is this book that unlocks the secrets of Daniel and also reveals new prophecies for our time today. You know, although prophecy has always been relevant and now is especially the time to read and understand the secrets of prophecy. So here are the books of Daniel and revelation.
And to just summarise the books of Daniel and revelation. Very, very briefly, briefly, I want to remind you that Daniel and revelation contain both of them symbolic prophecies. And in these symbolic prophecies, the future is being revealed through the prophetic symbols.
God gives us signs and he gives us symbols and he gives us kind of like cartoons that we might understand the future more clearly. Question four says, how did God reveal his secrets to his prophets? We go back to numbers twelve and verse six. I hope you remember this because there is a question on this verse in the quiz.
Then the Lord God said, here now my words, if there is a vision, sorry, if there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make myself known to him in a vision. There's the missing word. And I will speak to him in a, what the scripture says, a vision and a dream.
Did God use these means in Old Testament times and New Testament times? He certainly did. These are the two main ways he spoke to people in numbers, chapter twelve and verse six. So, friends, here is a picture of Daniel in Daniel chapter two.
You know, God used dreams and visions to depict and outline his prophecies. On some occasions, he would speak directly to people, like one Samuel 310, when he spoke to the little boy Samuel in the temple. But usually God speaks through visions.
And while in vision, the prophet saw a range of symbols and world events that formed the basis of the prophecies. Did you know that sometimes God will reveal the keys to unlocking the prophecy within the vision? At other times, the prophets did not understand the meaning, and the meaning would remain a mystery until our day. The time of the end, Daniel 817 26 27.
This is an illustration of Daniel in his later years as an old prophet. And he was very, very concerned about the prophecy was given in Daniel eight. And so the answer was given in Daniel nine by the angel Gabriel.
And I cannot go into that anymore right now because that is secret to prophecy session number eight the next time that we are together. Question five. What is the purpose of Bible prophecy? A very, very important point.
Like, yes, we know that God is kind and he wants us to know the future. But in John 1429, Jesus gives us something more. He said, and now I've told you before, it comes that when it does come to pass, that you may believe there is a very, very significant point.
So the primary purpose of prophecy is to give us confidence to trust in the God of the scriptures. God has provided a logical foundation for our belief system. And it's not just a faith based on traditions or our culture, because there have been many gods throughout history, but the creator God asks us to believe him on the basis of the accuracy of his predictions.
So if God created the past and can see the future, you can trust him to take care of of your life today. I'd like to share with you some screens and some extra material not found in the study guide. I'd like to quote Sir Isaac Newton, a great scholar, not only a scientist, but also a theologian.
This is his book, observations upon the prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St John, page 251 to 252. Quoting Isaac Newton, he wrote, the design of Goddesse gave the prophecies of the Old Testament, that after they were fulfilled, they might be interpreted by the event and his own providence, and then be manifested thereby to the world. For the event of things predicted many ages before will then be a convincing argument that the world is governed by Providence.
I want to now take you to Ea Raoul's book, Prophecy speaks. And page number 16, this is what we read. He wrote, the Bible stakes everything.
What does it do? It stakes everything on its ability to foretell the future. If the Bible claim to make genuine predictions is true, it is a miracle of foresight far beyond the ability of human sagacity to discern or to calculate, in other words, human wisdom. And it is the highest evidence of the supernatural knowledge of the prophet.
We're in question number six, asking what approach does God use to outline his prophecies? We're going to revelation, chapter one and verse one. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants things which must shortly take place. And he, God, sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John, the apostle John, who'd been the disciple who was with Jesus.
So, friends, what does this mean? That the prophecies of the Bible were signified, in other words, put into signs and symbols. Many of these symbols depict imagery of mystical animals, colours, metals and even people. So throughout this series, we'll uncover intriguing prophetic symbols such as 666 and the mark of the beast, the great red dragon, the seal of God, the battle of Armageddon, the beast from the bottomless pit, the time, times and half a times, the Lord's day and the Antichrist.
Friends, these are going to be very, very much involving topics that will really stretch your brain. But you know what? The answers are deeply satisfying. Let's now go to two key aspects that make up Bible prophecy.
Once again, these two items will be in the quiz, so please take note. Two key aspects of Bible prophecy are the prophetic symbols. A variety of symbols are used to represent nations, people, religious movements and political events.
In total, 60 symbols can be identified, with each symbol playing an important role in portraying the full meaning and significance of each prophecy. Part B, there's numerals. Did you know that great men throughout history, such as Isaac Newton and Leonardo da Vinci, have been intrigued with the symbols and the meaning of biblical numerals? Not only are there many time periods in the Bible that predict when certain events will occur, but certain numbers also represent a spiritual meaning.
In total, at least twelve numbers can be identified as holding special significance. I'm now going to take a moment to share seven of these numbers with you. You can look up the rest yourself.
They're available online. So let's go to maybe some of the most popular numbers in scripture. I start off with the number three, the number of the Godhead expressing unity.
The number six is the number of man. It was the day that Adam and Eve were created. It also refers to man's sinfulness, our slavery under sin.
It talks about labour. Six days shalt thou labour in the fourth commandment in Exodus 28 to eleven. It also is a symbol of Satan because it's sin and fallenness and brokenness.
And it also covers the 666 number that we will discuss in a few sessions. Time otherwise known as the number of the beast. The number seven many people know already is the number of completeness or perfection.
And then there is a number above it, the number eight, which is a number above perfection. And this refers to new beginnings and even the number of the resurrection that Jesus rose on that day. Number ten represents testimony, law, responsibility and also completeness.
When we make lists up here on earth, we often call it our top what? That's right, our top ten. The number twelve stands for power and authority. Twelve.
In the Old Testament, many people remember the twelve tribes. Twelve and the New Testament. Many people can quote off the twelve disciples or twelve apostles.
And in terms of the kingdom of heaven, there is another twelve. And that is the twelve gates into the new Jerusalem, the great city of God. Did you know that 40 is also an incredible number? It stands for being tested, going through trials.
Also a probationary time, a time of judgement. If you'd like to look up more of these numbers, then you can just type into your search engine the meaning of numbers in the Bible and you'll be astounded at what you find there. Friends, it's interesting to note that the ancient pagan religions, like those at Stonehenge, also used signs and symbols to represent spiritual beliefs, particularly in reference to worship of the nature gods.
During the early to Middle Ages, as the church blended in with the surrounding pagan cultures, some of these symbols were incorporated into christian art, rituals and traditions. You actually may recognise some of these symbols. Firstly, there was the egg, standing for birth, and the fertility goddess.
Then there was the sun face, which, of course, always stood for the sun God. The next one was the pentagram, which was a union and a balance between the spiritual realm and the elements of nature. Then there was the solar wheel, the sun God, referring to the circle of life.
There was also a crescent moon, representing the sacred feminine, the all seeing eye, representing spiritual enlightenment, and the chalice, often representing goddesses or female procreational hearts. Let's go to question number seven. What do you need to do to gain the most benefit from Bible prophecy? We go to revelation, chapter one and verse three.
Here is an amazing blessing. God says, blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it for the time is at hand. Friends, are you aware that just by doing this particular Bible study and coming online for this session that you are pronounced a blessing over by heaven? Blessed is he who reads, those who hear and those who keep the things which are written in the word of God.
Did you know that the books of Daniel and revelation are important for us to read and understand? What is even more important is that we keep or put into action the things we learn from God's word. Did you know that God wants us to worship him out of love? And the highest form of worship is what? Obedience. There's a word that's not very popular today in any context, is it? Did you know that true happiness is not winning lotto or millions of dollars, but true happiness is always the consequence of loving obedience to God and his word, because that leads to peace of mind and joy in your heart, to know that you're right with God.
Many people base happiness on being at a certain place or time and being in a certain situation. But the true Christian can recreate that within himself or herself wherever they go, because they take the peace of God with them and they will not allow their peace and joy to be stolen by external events. Let me challenge you with that question.
Eight. Why was the Bible written in mysterious symbols? Jesus said in Luke eight and verse ten, and he said to you, it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that seeing they might not see, and hearing they may not understand. Friends, spiritual things are spiritually discerned.
And so many times Jesus gave parables that were cloaked in symbols or stories to try and hide great truths from those who were trying to take his life and destroy them. Let me share with you two other scriptures not in this particular study guide. You might like to write them down.
I'm going to take you now to Daniel 1210. We're asking the question, why was the Bible written in mysterious symbols? The prophet Daniel wrote in the Old Testament, many shall be purified, made white and refined, speaking about the righteous, those who follow the lamb wherever he goes, that is Jesus Christ. But the wicked, the evil one, shall do wickedly.
And none of the wicked shall understand. But the wise shall understand. So, friends, the Bible was written in symbols that the wise would understand what was going on when God didn't want the wicked to understand and either attack God's people or destroy God's word.
I'm going to take you now to another scripture that you might like to write down. Psalm 119, verse one. 1130.
That's psalm 119, verse 130. David, the psalmist wrote, the entrance of your words gives life. God's word gives light.
It gives understanding to the simple friends. God can make the hard things plain, and that's what his word promises to do. We're asking the question, why was the Bible written in mysterious symbols? There are three reasons.
Let's go to part a. At the top of page eleven. A number of prophecies predicted the downfall of empires and described nations and global political powers in less than flattering terms.
So the Bible was at risk of being destroyed by those who opposed God's people and denied its teachings. The major prophecies were placed into a code for protection. Jesus said that seeing they might not see and hearing they might not understand.
Therefore, the prophecies were cloaked in symbolism and codes. Part the Bible was written in mysterious symbols and codes to help increase our faith. You know, Bible prophecy is not really difficult to understand, but it does take time and commitment.
Readers need to dig into each prophecy like that here in Daniel two to determine its meaning and search the scriptures to discover the keys to each symbol. Your faith will increase as you learn more about God and see his amazing love and care for people throughout history. See Romans, chapter ten and verse 17.
And point number three. The Bible was written in mysterious codes and symbols to effectively communicate the messages of God. Symbols are a powerful form of communication.
Companies spend millions of dollars creating symbols that touch a chord within the community and effectively communicate the meaning and personality of their brand. We're now asking, who is the central character of Bible prophecy friends, you can know all the prophecies inside out, back to front and upside down. If you don't know who the prophets are about, then there's not much point in revelation.
One. One we read that the book is the culmination of all the prophecies in the Bible, and it is actually a revelation of the son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. So, friends, although.
Sorry, let me take you now to John 539, an extra scripture. This is what Jesus said you search the scriptures for. In them you think you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me.
You know, friends, in terms of salvation, many people think it is about knowledge, that we need to know everything. But it's not what you know. The book of God and the plan of salvation is about what? That's right.
It's about who you know. And Jesus said, you can to the Jews. You spend all this time reading the scriptures, but you don't even know that they're being written about me.
Although the prophecies outline future events, the focus of Bible prophecy is always the Lord Jesus Christ. There are many prophecies that refer specifically to Jesus, describing unique names, his appearance, his character, and the way Jesus interacts with his people. Question ten what are the keys to understanding Bible prophecy? So, friends, in order to understand the prophecies, the following principles need to be followed.
This is question ten, part a, we need to understand the symbols. This can be quite easily achieved as the Bible provides the keys to what they mean. Question ten, part what are the keys to understanding Bible prophecy? We need to pray for spiritual enlightenment.
The Bible says that spiritual things are spiritually discerned. First, corinthians 214. Ask God to help you understand the prophecies.
After all, he developed them. Friends, have you noticed that I never begin the secrets of prophecy seminar or any of my online seminars, the prophecy seminar or the revelation seminar that are on this YouTube channel. I don't do this without beginning with prayer.
Never should the Bible be opened without prayer. We're looking at what are the keys to understanding Bible prophecy in part C, we need to see the prophecies as signposts in time. Some people get confused when they view the prophecies as relevant only to the time of the Bible writers misunderstandings can occur.
Also when we apply all the prophecies to the end of time. Throughout this series, you will see predictions covering a time period from their inception through to the end of time. God provides signposts or events throughout time which highlight where we are in human history.
Part D we need to allow the Bible to interpret itself, it's essential we allow God to unlock the secrets of prophecy. By comparing scriptures, we can avoid speculation and allow the Bible to interpret itself. Understanding the Old Testament in particular is the foundation for understanding the Bible.
Prophecies. Of the 404 verses in the Book of Revelation, more than 270 refer back to the history, imagery, imagery and prophecy of the Old Testament. Let me just give you an example of how this works.
So let's travel back to the Old Testament to see how it is wrapped up and fulfilled and enlarged upon in the New Testament. So ancient Israel's economy centred around the sanctuary and its sacrifices, and we will look at this in, I think, just three sessions time. Now, in the sanctuary and its sacrifices, the lamb, of all the animals was the most prominent.
It was the most prominent sacrificial animal. Now, in John chapter one and verse 29, the disciple John wrote when Jesus was coming down to be baptised, behold the lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world, meaning he would be baptised and then later he would die for the sins of the world. Now, what's interesting is that later in the book of Revelation, John combines this Old Testament understanding of the sacrificial lamb with the lamb of God, who dies for the sin of the world.
Because in the book of Revelation that John the Revelator wrote, in other words, the disciple John, 26 times in the book of Revelation, Jesus is referred to as the lamb. So, friends, can you see that the Old Testament is the foundation stone and bedrock for all the New Testament prophecies? Some of you might be asking, why did the lamb actually have to die? And why was its blood sprinkled inside the old Testament Hebrew sanctuary? Well, I'm directing you to two more sessions in session nine, rebuilding the temple. We're going to go into that subject very, very deeply.
We're in question eleven. We're asking what are some of the key symbols of prophecy? So I just want to take a moment and tie together some more themes. When we think about the two beasts of Revelation 13, I wonder if you remember what they are.
There's beast number one, verses one to ten. And that was the SB starting with s. Yes, that's right, the sea beast.
Then there was a second beast from verse eleven onto verse 18, and that was known as the lb. The what? The land beast. And it was a land like beast, but later on it would change its character and become a persecuting power, like a dragon.
Now, we're not going to get into that topic tonight, but I'm just showing you how the Old Testament and the New Testament fit together. And furthermore, the beasts that we find in the book of Revelation are often based on what we've learned previously in Daniel, chapter seven, verses 17 and 23, where Daniel tells us exactly what beasts in prophecy actually represent. So I want you to get this point very firmly in your mind that the Old Testament, ancient biblical writings are actually the unlocking key for understanding the prophecies of the New Testament.
You just can't take a beast in the New Testament or the Book of Revelation and say, well, I think that represents this nation in the world who's a warlike nation. You just can't do that. You have to understand the pattern and symbolism that comes through from the Old Testament.
We're asking in question eleven, what are some of the key symbols? And we're looking at some of the key symbols of prophecy. The top of page 13, obese, stands for a kingdom or a political power. Did you understand and know that the use of animals as symbols or cartoons for a nation is still common today? For instance, the kangaroos, of course, are Aussies.
The Kiwis are New Zealanders. The Springboks are South Africans. And the eagle is often used to portray Americans.
Here is another symbol of prophecy, a woman. A woman stands for a church in Jeremiah six two. Did you know in Bible prophecy, a pure woman is the symbol of a pure church and a corrupt woman is the symbol of a corrupt church.
Another symbol used is water or waters, representing many peoples. Revelation, 1715. Did you know that even today a large number of people are referred to as a sea of faces? Interesting, isn't it? Then the word day can also stand for a time period of one year.
See Ezekiel, chapter four. Six. One of the most important numerical codes is the day for a year principle.
In Bible prophecy, a prophetic day equals a literal year. As an example, 1260 days, as in revelation, chapter twelve and verse six represent a literal 1260 years when being used in a prophetic context. Question twelve, what warning does God give when interpreting prophecy? We go to second, Peter 120.
And Jesus wrote, I'm sorry. Peter wrote, knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. I want you to remember that the prophecies of the scripture are not for us to guess about or make up interpretations about.
What do we mean by this? Friends, prophecies are to be interpreted through an understanding of the Bible, not through personal guesswork. What you or I may think it means is not as important as what God says the actual prophecy means. This series of study guides will cover a broad range of important Bible teachings.
There are some on the screen. In each case, we'll look into the context of specific Bible statements and move through the Bible to discover the overall meaning. Friends, what we're telling you is very, very simple.
You do not need to have a PhD degree or a master's or a bachelor's. You can actually understand God's word yourself if you have read and learned and sometimes memorised passages in the Old Testament, because then you will understand their context when you read the New Testament. So the Bible does actually interpret itself and it is internally consistent.
Question 13 is a beautiful promise. What promise does Jesus give to those who actually obey his word? We're in revelation 22, verse 14. Listen carefully, this is in the quiz.
Blessed are those who do his commandments that they might have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city. There's actually two promises in that verse, aren't there, friends, the Bible promises you the gift of life if you choose to accept it. Choosing Jesus means more than just a verbal affirmation.
It involves loving him and a willingness to obey him. Understanding the prophecies of the scripture help you know and love God more fully and provide clear direction for these last days of earth's history. So we have three points that we need to remember.
Number one, to summarise, we need to remember that only God knows the future and the secrets of prophecy are understood best by allowing the Bible to interpret itself. Thirdly, we need to remember that Jesus is actually the centre and the heart of all the prophecies. There's three relational questions I'd like you to think through.
Number one, how could a correct understanding of prophecy impact your spirituality? Well, I have two scriptures or two promises I'd like you to memorise. Write down the references I'd like to share with you. Jeremiah 20, 911.
It's such a beautiful promise, for I know the plans I have for you, and that's often what we get in prophecies. God's plans declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.
Friends, the prophecies give us God's plans and give us a hope in the future. And if we have a hope in the future, those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They'll soar on wings like eagles.
They'll run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. That's another one of my favourite verses from Isaiah 40, verse 31.
We're going to relational question number two. In what ways do you think an understanding of prophecy will give you hope for the future? Well, friends, one of my favourite texts is Romans chapter 15 and verse 13. I'd like to share it with you and I hope that you'll write it down and memorise it.
Paul wrote to the church at Rome, may the God of hope. I think one version says, may the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. You know, we're asking the question, in what ways do you think an understanding of prophecy will give you hope for the future? Friends, when we connect with God's word, then God gives us hope.
From reading his word and understanding the prophecies, we're filled with joy and peace. And as we continue to build up our faith and trust in him, we then overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit into the lives of other people. Surely that is an incredible divine and supernatural event.
Question three, what do you think you can do in your approach to Bible study to ensure Jesus remains at the heart of prophecy instead of just focusing on future facts and events? I think that's a very good question. My answer would be, and I'm sure there's many different answers, and I acknowledge that. I ask myself, what does this prophecy actually teach me about the Lord Jesus Christ? So we're going to ask you now, what is your response to what you've learned in session number seven, knowing the importance and relevance of Bible prophecy, would you like to know God better by further investigating the meaning of Bible prophecy? I'm hoping that your answer to that would be yes.
All right, before we do the quiz, let's go through the discovery points and some of the answers here will help you in the quiz. Number one, who does God reveal his secrets through? In Amos three, seven, we're told he reveals his secrets through his servants, the prophets. Number two, when will the secrets of prophecy actually be revealed? The answer is at the time of the end or the end of time.
Some people get mixed up between the time of the end and the end of time. I often say it's easy to remember using the Thanksgiving turkey in America during October. Over there, the turkey on the farm is living in the time of the end.
But come early November, when thanksgiving day comes around, that would be chop chop. The end of time. I hope that will help you remember the difference between the time of the end and the end of time.
Number three, we're asking, what is the main purpose of Bible prophecy? Jesus said that ye may believe so, friends, very simply, it is to have more confidence, more trust, and more faith in the God of heaven. Number four, why was the Bible written in mysterious symbols and codes? We covered this comprehensively. There were three reasons for protection of God's word and God's people.
To increase our faith and communicate the gospel and great truths of scripture very, very efficiently and effectively. Number five, what warning does God give us when we're interpreting prophecy? It's very, very important to remember not to become the guesswork of men. In other words, it is not to be of any personal interpretation where we decide to make up the answer ourselves.
It's time to go into our five quiz questions. Now, I want you to know that this quiz in this session is scored out of ten points instead of five. So there are more than one answer correct in some of the questions.
So you can put a, b or c, or all of them. A, b or c. Let's go to question number one.
How did God reveal his secrets to his prophets, but confine your answer to numbers, chapter twelve and verse six. What did God say in numbers, chapter twelve and verse six. Did God reveal his secrets to his servants and prophets in dreams? A, b envisions, or c via the urine and thummim, the epilepsy and stones on the priest's outfit.
All right, I hope you've locked in your answer. And the answer based on numbers twelve, six, is very simply, a and b. God revealed his secrets to his servants of prophecy.
Numbers, twelve, six, as dreams and visions. In other places, the urine and thummim were also given to indicate the will of God. Question number two.
What are the two key aspects of biblical prophecy? The ones that the study guide highlighted. You need to remember, a, was it numerals? B, was it time periods? Or C. Was it symbols? Or was it a combination of those? What are two key aspects of biblical prophecy? Numerals, time periods, or symbols? And I'd like you to lock that answer in a, b or c, or a combination of those, and your answer is.
That's right, a and c it was numerals and symbols. Time periods are a part of it, but the two key aspects are always the symbols and the numerals. Time periods are not always a part of prophecy.
Question three. Why was the Bible written in symbols? A, for its own protection. B, to increase our faith.
Or c. To effectively communicate its message. Or it might be all three.
Please lock in your answer or answers. Now. The answer is to question three, a, b, and c.
Give yourself a score out of three points for that one. It was for our own protection and its protection to increase our faith and to effectively communicate the messages of God. Question four, what warning does God give when interpreting prophecy? A.
He told us, don't try and understand prophecy. Prophecies are only to be understood up in heaven. B.
Don't try to interpret it at all as you're going to be wrong. Well, C, we are not to guess at what it means personally. Please lock in one of those answers.
What warning does God give when interpreting prophecy? A, b or c. And the answer is, that's right, it's c. We're not to guess at what it means.
We're not to have a private interpretation that we make up, that is, denying and rejecting the context of scripture, especially when many of the prophecies are based on the Old Testament. Number five, what promise does God give to those who obey his word? A. Right to the tree of life b.
Write to the tree of knowledge of good and evil. C. Write to enter in through the city gates or in through the gates of the city.
And that is based on revelation 20 214, what promises God give to those who obey his word? A, b or c, or a combination of those. Please lock your answer in now. And the answer is a and c.
We are given right to the tree of life, and we won't be able to get to that unless we're given the right to enter in through the city gates. Give yourself a score out of five. And I hope that that quiz was a bit of fun and triggered some memory points for you.
As a review of this session's Bible study, let's have a look at our secrets of prophecy. Wall of biblical truth in session six. Last time we looked at seven steps of following Jesus Christ and found out that we need to surrender to him every day to live a successful christian witness for the kingdom of heaven and not be an embarrassment.
In session seven, the secrets of prophecy. In this session that we're sharing right now, we've learned that the prophecies were given to help us to believe more in Goddesse and have a greater faith. What are we going to study in session number eight? In secrets of prophecy? We're going to look at a fantastic mystery man of Bible prophecy.
And this is specifically what we're going to learn. What Old Testament book or chapter was rabbinically cursed? In other words, you are not to read it or you are cursed. Number two, how long was the Old Testament jewish nation given to repent in terms of a time period.
Three, which foreign king of four allowed the Jews to return home? And number four, what was predicted to happen to Jesus Christ prophetically during these time periods? And number five, what is the main point of this time prophecy. That is a fantastic study. I am going to encourage you to download the lesson which is in the description bar if you are online and have a look at that lesson before we do it together.
It's quite involved. It involves some mathematics and I think it'd be wise to do it ahead of time. Let us pray.
Gracious heavenly father, we want to thank you tonight for this amazing foundation stone as we're looking at how to understand prophecy. We thank you that Jesus Christ is the heart of all the prophecies, that he loves us and he wants to have a strong relationship with us. I thank you for hearing and answering this prayer.
Continue to bless us as we study your word and we ask this in Jesus precious name. Amen. So friends, I'd like to thank you so much for being with us for the secrets of prophecy session number seven and look forward to sharing with you next time in session number eight.
Thank you and bye for now.
Secrets of Prophecy with Pastor David Price has been brought to you by 3ABN Australia radio. For more resource in this series you can visit the YouTube page trueblue SDA all one word that's trueblue SDA.
