This is a look at some prophesy from the bible. Due to space and my typing I'm going to give some scriptures and I will quote otheres. Grab your bible and let's take a look and see.
(1) Give the same meaning to the words that are in prophecy as words in history; that is, give the same meaning to words in the Bible as you do to words out of it. Unless the Bible gives you an interpretation of the word.
(2) Do not change the literal to a spiritual or symbolic meaning.
(3) Do not seek to find hidden meanings to the words in the Scripture, or add to the Scripture. Be content with what God chose to reveal to us, and never read between the lines, or add to it in order to understand it.
(4) Believe that the prophecy can be understood just as it is without makeing any changes, and that it is simply a record of things to happen at some time after it was spoken. Prophecy should be understood as literal as history. After all, history is a record of what has happen and prophecy is a record of what will happen. Beside if you can't tell what the prophecy is telling you, why was it told?
(5) Forget the ideal that prophecy has to be fulfilled before it can be understood. For if prophecy must be fulfilled before it is understood, then it has failed its purpose in revealing to us beforehand what was to happen.
(6) Do not interpret God's own interpretation of any symbol or prophecy or change God's meaning from that which is plainly clear. God always interprets His own symbols when it isn't perfectly clear. i.e. Dan. 2:38-44; 7:17 Rev.1:20; 12:9 If there is no interpretation of the prophecy then it is as it stand.
(7) Give only one meaning to a passage and that the plain meaning unless it is clear that a double meaning should be understood. In order to understand certain prophecies there are two laws that should be undertood.
A. The law of double reference. In some Scriptures two distinct person are being referred to, the visible person addressed and the invisible person using the visible person as a tool.
B. The law of prophetic perpective. This is when recording future event as if they were continuous and successive, but they are 1000 of years apart. It is like the prophets see things in one vision as one looks at a mountain peaks, where the valley is not seen between the peaks.
Dan.2:1 tells of Nebuchadnezzar having a dream and no one able to tell him about the dream or its content. Dan.2:31-35 Daniel tell the king that God had revealed the dream that he had of the Great Image. The image had a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and clay. The king watch a stone cut without hands which struck the image on its feet and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and the gold were crushed together.
Dan.36-45 gives the interpretation.(1)
This part symbolizes the Medo-Persian kingdom they succeeded Babylon. The two arms symbolize the two nations making the dual kingdom, the Medes and the Persians. This kingdom was inferior to the Babylon Empire, as silver is to gold. It wasn't in power for it overthrew Babylon, but in government, wealth, luxury and glory. In Babylon the king was absolute in power, but the Medo-Persia law was superior to the king who could not alter a law even to improve the people. The third and fourth kingdoms were likewise inferior to the preceding one. This empire lasted about 212 years.
This image symbolizes the third kingdom, the Grecian Empire, under Alexander the Great. The third empire became the greatest in territory of the three kingdoms. This empire began to decay with the death of Alexander. His territory was divided into four parts, which we will see in later prophecy.
This part tells of the Olded Roman Empire that followed the Greece. This kingdom was to be stronger then all the kingdom before it as iron is stronger then gold,silver,and brass. The two legs represent the eastern and the western divisions of the old Roman Empire.
This part tells of the future revised Roman Empire. This is the last part of the image that is to be destroyed by the stone from heaven. This kingdom will be divied one, partly strong and partly weak, as symbolized by the two materials of the feet and toes. the clay represents the rule by the mass of people and the iron is by kings. This two forms of government will not mix together as clay and iron won't. The final outcome will be that kings will again rule in the old Roman Empire territory. Ten kings will raise up and rule and then the anti-christ will rule over them till Christ comes and destroy it.
This is the fore telling of Jesus second comming and destoring the kingdoms of this world. That the cutting the stone out of the mountain without hands was saying that is God not man.
Key words winds in symbolis denotes wars,strife, and judgments from God. (Jer.25:32-33; Rev.7:1-3; Dan.7:1-3). Seas are people (Rev.17:15). Beasts represent kingdoms and rulers (Dan.7:17,23-24; 8:20-23; Rev.13:1-18; 17:8-17). Heads represent kingdoms (Dan.7:6;8:20-23; Rev.17:8-17). Horns represent kings or rulers of kingdoms (Dan.7:23-24; Rev.17:12-17). The vision is given in 7:1-14 and the interpretation given by God is given in 7:15-28
The lion is symbolizing Babylon, this is the same as the Head of golden on the image of Dan.2. The four beasts are symbols of four kingdoms from Daniel day to the eternal Kingdom of God (Dan.7:17-25). The wings on the lion is the swiftness of the conquest of the chaldeans as Hab.1:6-8, and Ezek 17:1-24 states. The wings being plucked off and standing up on its feet with a man heart given to it, represent that it was no longer as strong as a lion that could rush out and conquer like befor. Aman heart weak and faint took over it strenght.
The bear symbolizes the Medo-Perisa empire as the silver in the image of Dan.2. It raising up on one side to stand represent the military strenght and influence of the Persians. The three ribs in its mouth of the Medo-Presian conquests of Lydia,Babylonia, and of Egypt.
The leopard symbolizes Grecia which is the brass in Dan.2 image.The four wings of a fowl represent the swiftness of Alexander conquest, which is also similar to the lion in point (1). The four heads it has are the four divisions of the empire after the death of Alexander.
This beast symbolizes Rome just as the iron in the image of Daniel 2. It had great iron teeth and was very strong for it conquered all befor it. It had TEN horns and latter a little horn, making eleven altogather. The little horn had eyes of a man and spake very great things. This beast represent the old Roman Empire. The ten horns and the little horn are ten different truths which we will see next.
The ten horns represent ten kingdoms that come out of the territory of the old Roman Empire in the last days and exists at the time of the second comming of Jesus Christ. Thus this makes the fifth kingdom that is dealt with in this chapter. This correspond with the ten toes on the image of Dan.2 and the ten horns that are on the beast and the dragon in Rev.12:3; 13:1-4; 17:8-17, for all exist at the same time and are destroyed by the same way and person.
Dan.7:24 "And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings." This is the rise of the anti-christ and the other six will give him their kingdom, Rev17:13 then he will be the eighth kingdom of Rev.17:8-17.
The statement is clear that the "little horn" comes after the ten kingdoms not before. That he has nothing to do with their rise to power for he is after they are formed. The little horn is future and the same as the beast of Rev.13 as proved by the following:
A. Both are conquerors (Dan.7:8, 20-24; Rev.6:1-2).
B. Both speak blasphemies (Dan.7:8, 20-26; Rev.13:5).
C. Both prevail against saints (Dan.7:21-25; Rev.13:7).
D. Both control the ten horns (Dan7:20-25; Rev.13:1; 17:12-14).
E. Both change the times and laws (Dan.7:11,21-27; Rev.13:1-7).
F. Both are slain and are given to the burning flame by the same person and at the same time Dan.2:44-45; 7:8-11, 18, 21-22, 25-27; Rev.19:11-21).
G. Both reign over the ten horns until the Ancient of days came (Dan.2:44-45; 7:8-11, 18, 21-22,25-27; Rev.17:12-14; 19:11-21).
H. Both are destroyed at the second coming of Christ (Dan.2:44-45; 7:9-14; Rev.19:11-21).
I. Both last for the same length of time (Dan.7:25; Rev.11:2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5; 19:11-21).
J. Immediately following both, the Kingdom of Heaven is set up (Dan.2:44-45; 7:9-14, 21-27; Luke1:32-35; Isa.9:6-7; Rev.19:11-21; 20:1-6).
K.
Please forgive the mess still under construction. Outline taken from God's plan for Man written by Rev. Finis Jennings Dake......More to come.
