Prof Zebulon No E9

H) Prophecy (The different types)

Biblical prophecy is always true and it always comes to pass; God wants it that way and that's it! . With this in mind, let us look at some different types prophecies and do some analysis.

The first prophesy in the Bible is, rightfully so, about Jesus Christ and can be found in Genesis 3:15. When Moses, with the help of the writings of Adam, penned this verse, it was future for him, but we have seen it come to pass. The Old Testament is full of this type of prophecy where the events were future for the writer but past for us; one only has to read the book of Daniel to realize this.

A second type of prophecy is where the events were future to the writer and also to us. The Second Coming of Christ is the first one of this type that comes to mind. Hebrews 9:28 says: "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation". There are hundreds of verses of this type in the Bible.

A third type of prophecy is where the writer is a participant and he writes what he sees as if the events were happening in front of him but still remain in the future for him and even for us. This type of prophecy is found in the book of Revelation where the Apostle John pens the events during the Tribulation Period. The Bible says: "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter" Rev 1:17. The Bible is the Revelation of God and He wants us to study it and do exactly what we are doing right here.

J) Doctrine (Applied to everyday life)

In the Bible, doctrine is never separated from real life. Let us look at the doctrine of water baptism. As we know, John the Baptist is the one who introduced it for the remission of sins. In Luke 3:3 the Bible says: "And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins".

However, water baptism was very well known amongst the Jews because they had a ceremony for proselytes (someone who wants to become a Jew) where the new followers were circumcised, taught the Word of God and were immersed in water (baptized). So when we say that doctrine is always attached to real life, imagine the reaction of the Jews when John required them to be baptized to become followers of the One for whom he was unworthy to tie His sandals. The Jews who accepted this baptism must have been ostracized by their families and their acquaintances for their blatant disregard of Jewish tradition; they were already Jews, they didn't need to be baptized. Biblical doctrine has always been attached to real life because without that, the Bible would not be the life-transforming tool that it is in the hands of God. Doctrine must be applied to real life if we are to:" Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" Matthew 5:48.