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Teachings, Prophecy, Structure, Christ. Read the commentaries second, or when you are truly puzzled. Read God's Word directly. With His Spirit. Humbly. And in Prayer. Delight in His Word. Ask, Seek, Knock. Ask the Lord in prayer for guidance when reading His Word. He is so delighted that you are interested. Give Him Praise. Ask for His Truth in prayer, and He will give you a path to walk down, a path where you may seek the correct answers. And when you arrive at your correct destination, knock on the door. It will be opened to you by your Father. In order to understand the future, we must understand the past. To interpret prophecy, you must read the prophets. Do not look to current events in order to interpret prophecy. This is a pitfall, so keep your steps and your lantern in front of you. The day of fulfillment will come in the future, but it is often seen first in the past. Study ancient history when you read the prophets. Seek trustworthy sources to understand the ancient names, places, and times. Never allow pagan source material to aid in the interpretation of of spiritual matters; never intermarry Ba'al with Christ. Do not mix light and darkness. And beware those that do; they are vipers by the way, along the path. Beware the arrogant academic, and know for sure that pride was the enemy's downfall. Symbols: Remember, symbols can be fluid, but the general idea about the symbol remains true. Context is key. For instance, Christ is compared to a lion. So is the enemy. So are earthly kingdoms, like Babylon. So are Godly kingdoms, like Israel. The general idea is that lions are strong, powerful, the king of the beasts, an apex creature. That holds true in all these instances. The lion as a symbol can be used to describe therefore something powerful and destructive, like an individual or a kingdom, that is either good or evil. God is a force that destroys wickedness, and a disciplinarian for the children He loves. The enemy is a force that tries to tempt and destroy God's people. Yeast is the same way. It is used to describe sinfulness or righteousness. Unleavened bread is without sin, or in the New Testament, Christ talks about the yeast of the Pharisees. But Christ also talks about the yeast as a symbol of righteousness, the Holy Spirt is the yeast in the bread in His parable about the kingdom. I've heard people misinterpret this, rigidly believing that yeast can only mean something sinful; they missed the general idea of yeast. It works through the whole until it is all worked through, and the bread expands, all of it is filled with the yeast. It can be either a wicked spirit, or a Holy Spirit. What yeast is working in your life? Mountains are large and impressive geographical points on a map. Symbolically, they are great kingdoms connected to a geographical location. That is why kingdoms like Edom (Mt. Seir) are called mountains. Heads of great beasts are mountain kingdoms. ~~~~ Horns are individual kings and dynasties. Beasts are kings and their mutable but ongoing kingdoms of a specific geographical point. Horns then can sprout out of beast's heads. The Bear in Daniel 7 is both Cyrus the Great who started the kingdom of Persia, but it continues to this day, long after the fall of the Achaemenid Empire. The Ram in Daniel 8 in contrast is the Achaemenid Empire specifically; it is trampled by Javan (The coastland peoples, whose father was Javan, see Genesis 10. Javan then included the nation we call Greece today, and had territories along the coast of Anatolia, in Alexandria, in southern Italy, at Antioch, around the Black Sea, etc. See Genesis 10 genealogy). It has two horns, the king of the Medes and the king of Persia. Stars are angels (see Daniel) and messengers more generally, like pastors of the 7 churches in Revelation. Christ is often seen as a messenger in the Old Testament, the Word of God; He is called the Angel of Yahweh. He calls Himself God multiple times. He goes up in flame during a sacrifice in Judges. He forgives and cleanses Joshua the high priest from sin in Zechariah. He leads Israel out of bondage in a cloud as He leads and redeems people from sinful bondage and idolatry. Who does that sound like to you? Know the Savior. He wrestled Jacob, a man who Jacob calls God. He appears with two other men who are angels to Abraham, and Abraham calls Him God. Know that your Savior was there all along, hidden in the Old and revealed in the New. Linen is a perceivable reflection of our spiritual state. The man clothed in linen is Christ. Water is people, nations, tongues. The deep deep water is the Abyss, where fallen souls go after they die. Abaddon (Destruction of souls) is there. Water is a symbol for life. Deserts and wasteland in the ancient near east can be places that were severely judged by God. See Babylon. See Edom. Look on Google maps, and see that Mt. Seir was once well watered; you can see where there were waterways, but they are now long gone. Remember, great civilizations spring up around waterways, like Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus River, and the Yellow River. Water then is a symbol for life. There is fishing and transportation and drinking fountains and trade and irrigation on waterways; civilization thrives in these places. Virgins and Harlots are cities. A virgin city is one that has not been conquered, and maintains a strong ethnic identity. A harlot is a city that was taken over and conquered by other nations, and the people are mixed. A Harlot trades with many others nations like the coastland cities and becomes rich. In contrast to the Harlot in Revelation, the Bride of Christ is the church, pure and united in Christ. Wind and Wings scatter the children of Israel all over the map. 2 Wings mean one direction. 4 Wings mean in all four directions. See cherubs in Ezekiel and see Daniel 7. 6 wings are nearest God. Another pair for this special proximity. Wings are protection, like a mighty God protecting His people, or a mighty kingdom protecting their subjects. Wind is direction, the four cardinal directions: N, S, E, W. Wind is the power of Heaven, a great force that moves. Wind is the breath of life in all living things. The rainbow is a covenant of peace, and associated directly with God. See Ezekiel and Revelation, and of course the covenant with Noah. Metals are dispensations/eras: Gold is to bronze As silver is to iron. Gold and Silver are more royalty. Bronze and Iron are less royal/less expensive and more practical. Bronze is used in older warfare and ceremonial objects of bronze, the lesser "gold". Iron is more abundant and harder than bronze when it is combined with carbon to make steel. The ultimate in warfare, the least in kingly ceremony. It is in contrast to gold, the highest metal in ceremony, and the least in warfare. Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest are Messianic symbols. Christ as High Priest/sacrificial lamb, and Christ returned as conqueror and completer. Cyrus the Great is a Messianic symbol in Isaiah. He allows the return of God's people after the Babylonian exile. Elisha is a Messianic figure. The miracles are remarkably similar to Christ's miracles. Joseph, the son of Jacob, is a Messianic figure. The rejection of his brethren and later kingship acknowledged by his brethren. Moses is a Messianic figure. "A prophet like me will come." King David is a Messianic figure. King Hezekiah is a Messianic figure. See Isaiah 7:14-16. Elijah is a symbol for John the Baptist, the voice in the wilderness in Isaiah 40:3. Elijah is a symbol for another prophet to come in the end times, see Revelation and Malachi. Elijah, then, seems to be a symbol for the prophets, in particular the prophets that herald the coming of Christ and His return. Lampstands are churches. See also Zechariah 4:2. “I see a solid gold lampstand,” I replied, “with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven spouts to the lamps." This is the second temple being rebuilt under Zerubbabel the governor, who has the signet ring and carries on the Davidic line during Zechariah's time prophesying. The book of Zechariah is the Old Testament book most like the book of Revelation. 7 7s is a Jubilee. There is a return of the land. Slaves are freed. Trees are often specific individuals/the nations those individuals represent. Nebuchadnezzar was compared to a tree in a vision he received in a dream in Daniel chapter 4; Joshua and Zerubbabel were the two anointed tree symbols in Zechariah 4:14. The Fig Tree is Israel. Abraham is the Father. Isaac the Son. Remember when Abraham was ready to sacrifice Isaac. Jacob is Israel, the Spirit of God indwelling His people. These three are the three measures of meal that Christ uses in His parable. The Yeast is the Holy Spirit given after Christ ascends to heaven, and the church expands greatly, the kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven: In Luke 17:20-21 Jesus says, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” It begins as a spiritual kingdom, the church age. But it will become a concrete kingdom ruled with an iron rod from Jerusalem by Christ Himself when He returns. This is called the Millennial Kingdom in Revelation, and the enemy is bound at this time. How can we be in the Millennial kingdom now if Satan is bound during that time? Paul says Satan is still the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air. When the Rock returns, when it comes crashing into the feet of the last kingdom of earth destroying all the earthly kingdoms before (the feet made of clay and iron in Daniel 2) then the government will be on His shoulders. We who are in Christ will be resurrected and will rule with Him during this time. The Vine is Christ. The Root is Christ. The Rock is Christ. Remember Moses. The Temple is Christ's body. The Bread from Heaven (Manna) is Christ's body given to us for nourishment. The Tree of Life in Genesis is Christ; remember, trees are people symbolically. The wine is Christ's blood shed. Cup filled up completely is God's wrath filled in a cup. God is patiently waiting, patiently sending prophets and His Word to those He loves; the continued rejection of His Word meant the cup was filled higher, even to the brim. When it is poured out, it is God's wrath come to fruition. |
There is no greater fool than the fool who thinks he is wise.
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