Bible prophecy topic
Understanding Prophecy
What Bible prophecy is, why God gave it, and how to study it. 11 questions, each answered from the books of Apostle Mary Banks with the scriptures it rests on.
What is Bible prophecy?
Bible prophecy is both the foretelling of future events and the declaration of God's heart, mind, and will, given through people moved by the Holy Ghost rather than by their own will.
Why did God give us prophecy?
God gave us prophecy so that His heart, mind, and will could be made known to His people, both to foretell things to come and to reveal what could never be known by natural means, and so that Christ could be revealed and confirmed to the Church.
How should we study Bible prophecy?
Bible prophecy must be studied by letting Scripture interpret itself, never through private interpretation, while paying close attention to the landmark scriptures that show the timing and order of end time events.
Is the Book of Revelation meant to be understood?
Yes, Scripture teaches that Revelation is meant to be understood, not feared, once its structure and the meaning of its symbols are grasped through careful, Scripture guided study.
Why is Revelation called the Revelation of Jesus Christ?
Revelation is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ because the entire book is a divine unveiling concerning Him, given to Him by God the Father to show His servants the things that must shortly come to pass, culminating in His coming and crowning as Lord of lords and King of kings.
How do the seven Seals work as a table of contents for Revelation?
The seven seals in Revelation 5 through 7 work like a table of contents by revealing, in advance, the major agents, themes, and events that are written inside the sealed book, which is Revelation chapters 8 through 22; each seal previews something the reader will meet again once the book itself is opened and read.
What are the main dispensations or ages in God’s plan?
Scripture reveals seven major dispensations, or periods of time in which God deals with His people in a distinct way: Innocence, Conscience, Human Government, Promise, Law, Grace and Truth, and finally the Millennium.
How do Daniel and Revelation fit together?
Daniel was told to seal up his prophecy of the end times until the appointed time, and Revelation shows that very sealed book opened, revealing in far greater detail what Daniel foresaw.
What does it mean that no man knows the day or the hour?
It means that while the Lord's return can be recognized as near through the signs Jesus gave, the exact day and hour of His coming is known only to the Father, not even to the angels or to the Son in His earthly ministry, so believers are called to watch and be ready rather than try to calculate the precise moment.
Can anyone set a date for the return of Christ?
No one can know the exact day or hour of Christ's return, since Scripture plainly states that only the Father knows it; still, the timeline and season of His coming can be discerned through prophetic events and genealogies.
What is the difference between the Day of Christ and the Day of the Lord?
The Day of Christ refers to the coming of the Lord Jesus for His Church, being caught up to meet Him in the air, while the Day of the Lord is the separate period of God's wrath and judgment poured out upon a rebellious world that follows.