A discussion of prominent errors in the interpretation of prophecy
One does not have to guess concerning the modus operandi of Satan: the Bible spells it out for us. He is a liar and the father of lies, and deception is his specialty. Should we then be surprised that he is busy with his deceptive handiwork in the area of end-time prophecy?
Daily we are deluged with this new fulfillment or that. And the one thing they all have in common is that there is not a shred of Biblical evidence to support them. From Hale-Bopp to the Oslo Accords to smart cards. Little wonder the world judges Biblical prophecy on a par with grocery store tabloids.
Fortunately, the solution to this problem is simple. Believers must follow the counsel of Paul and begin to examine carefully everthing having to do with prophecy (see I Thessalonians 5:21). That means we must no longer blindly accept the word of men, regardless how many books they have sold or how often they appear on television. There is but one authority in prophecy, and that is our Lord speaking through the Scriptures. "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10). Moreover, as we approach those Scriptures, we must do so in faith, relying on the Holy Spirit both to teach us and to deliver us from erroneous beliefs (see I John 2:27).
CONFUSION OVER THE NATURE OF BIBLICAL SIGNS
What exactly is a Biblical sign? It is a precurser for a prophesied event or period. A true sign will be so clear that it can be identified by anyone who is watching for it. Its purpose is often to mark a turning point, a beginning or an end. For instance, on the Pentecost after Messiah was ressurrected, the disciples did something miraculous. Supernaturally, they began proclaiming the gospel in languages which were foreign to them. Peter identified that as a sign which had been predicted by the prophet Joel. "And it shall be in the last days that I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and daughters shall prophecy" (Acts 2:14-21). That sign linked their time to the "last days" and marked a turning point in Biblical history.
BIBLICAL SIGNS vs. CONDITIONS
Concerning the end-times, the Bible reveals few signs, but many conditions. A condition is a general statement describing circumstances at a given time. Because it is subjective and lacks the definiteness of a sign, a condition should never be used as a precursor for a prophesied event. To illustrate why this is so, consider I Timothy 3. It says that in the last days men will be lovers of money. Clearly, one cannot determine when the last days begin based on such a subjective condition.
A lot of embarrassment can result by using conditions to predict end-time events, yet the prictice is not uncommon. One well-meaning teacher has assembled 45 "related end time components," each of which is evaluated and given a number between 1 and 5. These are then totalled as part of what is called a Rapture Index. This index is held out as a gauge of the "type of activity that could serve as a precursor to the rapture." In other words, though they are not signs, it is suggested that when taken as a whole these components may function as a sign! What is remarkable about this is that hardly any of the listed components are even mentioned in the Bible, much less prophesied as signs for the end-times. Among the non-Biblical conditions are such items as: unemployment, oil supply,debt, leadership, crime rate, globalism, civil rights, world unrest, and liberalism. Clearly, practices such as these are pure speculationand have nothing to do with Biblical prophecy.
SOME OF THE MOST COMMON ERRORS IN PROPHECY
The 70th Week of Daniel. A great many errors in prophecy have their roots in misunderstandings from the ninth chapter of Daniel. In fact, a whole host of well-known (yet erroneous) positions spring from three verses within this difficult passage. We are speaking of verses 24-27. Based solely on these, it is taught that:
The first thing you should realize is that everything prophesied in Daniel 9:24-27 was fulfilled over 1,900 years ago. As a matter of historical record, Prince Titus of Rome destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70. From Luke 21 it can be shown that this destruction was, in fact, the abomination of desolation which Jesus prophesied. What's more, it can be shown that no future treaty was ever indicated in the passage. (If a new treaty had been indicated, you would have seen the Hebrew phrase for making a covenant, which is "to cut a covenant.") What the text actually indicates is that, through His death, Messiah would make effectual the covenant which had been prophesied in the days of Jeremiah. The Book of Hebrews strongly confirms this interpretation. There we read, "And for this reason, He is the mediator of a new covenant, in order that since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives" (Hebrews 9:15-17).
Not long ago, the ministry of a young prophecy teacher was severely discredited over these very interpretations. He had become convinced the Oslo Accords (signed in 1993) was the treaty mentioned in Daniel 9. From this he calculated the mid-point of the Tribulation had to be late March 1997. At that time, he claimed the temple sacrifices would cease. His immediate problem, of course, was that none of these predictions came to pass. The root problem, however, was a wholesale misunderstanding of Daniel 9. Case in point: The well-publicised treaty with Israel is simply not taught in Scripture. For that reason it cannot possible serve as a sign for beginning the Tribulation, nor as a guide to the supposed mid-point breaking of the treaty (an event which also is not revealed in Scripture).
Wars and Rumors of Wars. Most prominent prophecy teachers focus a lot of attention on the wars which erupt with regularity around the world. Interestingly, wars and rumors of wars were specifically excluded as signs by none other than Jesus, Himself. He said, "And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end" (Matthew 24:6).
New World Order / European Common Market. An inordinant amount of attention is also devoted to developments concerning the New World Order or the European Common Market. The idea is that when geo-political conditions are right, Antichrist will rise to power. According to Scripture, however, that process should be reversed; when Antichrist comes to power, then the predicted geo-political conditions will come to pass. At the time of the first seal of Revelation 6, a command is given from the throne of God wherein a man is sent out "conquering and to conquer." That man is the Antichrist. This will take place shortly after Satan is cast down to earth by the arch-angel Michael (see Revelation 12:9). That is why Scripture says Antichrist's coming "is in accord with the activity of Satan..." (II Thessalonians 2:9). It is helpful to note that there are other passages which confirm this order. Revelation 17:12-13 tells us that ten kings, who do not yet have kingdoms, will receive authority as kings with the beast (Antichrist) for one hour. This is so they can give their power and authority to the beast. Daniel has essentially the same message. "...he [Antichrist] will give great honor to those who acknowledge him, and he will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price" (Daniel 12:39). So, we see it is Antichrist who gives the ten kings their kingdoms, and not vice versa.
There are a number of other prophetic subjects which are misused as well, but these are the most significant. Gaining a correct Biblical posture on these issues will go a long way toward restoring a measure of credibility to prophecy ministries.
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Last Updated March 17, 1998 by Larry Simmons