Putting It All Together
Throughout this course we have learned that the prophets were much more than predictors of future events.
They were God's spokesmen.
They preached to real people living in real situations, calling them to repentance, warning of judgment, and offering hope to those who would return to the Lord.
That original message is where every study of the prophets must begin.
We also learned that the prophets often spoke through poetry, symbolism, visions, and dramatic imagery. Those forms of expression were not meant to confuse their readers. They were powerful ways of communicating God's message and were understood by those who first heard them.
As we read the prophets today, we should remember the principles we learned in our earlier studies.
Read each prophecy in its historical setting.
Ask what the prophet was saying to his own generation.
Pay attention to the literary style.
Recognize symbolic language.
Compare Scripture with Scripture.
Above all, allow the New Testament to explain God's promises whenever it does.
The prophets also remind us that God's plan unfolded gradually.
They saw the coming King.
They saw the suffering Servant.
They saw the new covenant.
They saw the outpouring of God's Spirit.
But they did not always see how those promises would fit together.
The New Testament reveals that they all come together in Jesus Christ.
That is why Christians read the prophets through the light of the gospel.
The New Testament does not replace the prophets.
It completes the story they began to tell.
When we follow that pattern, the prophetic books become much less intimidating.
Instead of searching for hidden codes or trying to match every prophecy with today's headlines, we begin listening to the message God originally gave through His prophets.
Only then do we follow that message forward as the New Testament explains its fulfillment.
The prophets were faithful witnesses to God's holiness, His justice, His mercy, and His unfailing promises.
Their message still speaks today because the God who sent them is the same God who fulfilled His promises through Jesus Christ.
If you remember one lesson from this course, let it be this:
Read the prophets as the prophets intended to be read, and then allow Jesus and His apostles to show you how God's promises reached their fulfillment.
That approach will keep your Bible study grounded in the text and centered on Christ.
Continue Your Study
No book of the Bible has produced more questions—or more disagreement—than Revelation.
Should it be read like a newspaper?
Or like the Old Testament prophets?
What do its signs, symbols, and visions mean?
In our next course, we'll apply the same principles we've learned throughout this library and allow Revelation to speak in its own language, in its own context, and in the light of the rest of Scripture.
Related Bible Studies
How Does the Bible Interpret Itself?
How Do We Recognize Different Kinds of Bible Literature?
The Kingdom of God
The Temple of God
Companion Video
Putting It All Together
Read First. Conclude Later.