Gò0dNews Ministry Spotlight
A Closed Book?
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by Brent Goodge
o you ever get confused by all the theories about
Instead of trying to look around and guess what each
what apocalyptic prophecy is trying to tell us?
symbol represented, the Reformers simply looked through
If you walk into a Christian bookstore with 500
the Bible to see how those symbols were used or explained
available titles on the subject, it’s hard to imagine any two
in other passages. That doesn’t sound like an idea that
authors would understand the material the same way. The
should be revolutionary. It sounds pretty basic, actually.
old adage seems like it could be modified to apply here: “Three Christians, five opinions.” Did Jesus intend it to be this way? It’s true that, at the time Daniel was written, the book was pronounced by the
For example, when Revelation 12:3-4 says that the dragon’s tail threw one-third of the stars of heaven to earth, the Reformers didn’t dig through the history books to find a massive meteor shower. They found in Revelation 12:9
angel as being sealed up “until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:4). But Jesus told His listeners to understand the Book of Daniel (Matthew 24:15). Some have erroneously claimed that Revelation was also sealed, but the words of Revelation itself declare the opposite (Revelation 22:10). In fact, the very name of the book, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” coupled with the blessings promised to those who read, hear, and keep the words of the book, make such an assumption impossible (Revelation 1:1-3). Even so, with all the vastly divergent opinions about the meaning of Revelation, how can anyone possibly know whose
that the dragon was Satan and in Revelation 1:20 that stars
opinions might be anywhere close to accurate? Remember
represent angels. Using the Bible as its own interpreter, they
that Revelation is part of the Bible, which Jesus declared to
discovered that Satan’s fall from heaven included the fall of
be truth (John 17:17). And Jesus promised the Holy Spirit
about one-third of the host of heaven’s angels along with him.
would lead us into all truth (John 16:13). Many Christians today would be surprised to learn
I’d like to challenge you to study the apocalyptic prophecies for yourself, allowing the Bible to interpret itself.
that the Reformers had generally consistent views on the
It’s not always easy. But Jesus promised you will be blessed.
apocalyptic prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. The
You don’t have to go it alone. The Ethiopian eunuch needed
divergence of denominational understandings began
help understanding how to study the Bible (Acts 8:30-31).
largely through the efforts of the Counter-Reformation. The
Thunder in the Holy Land is a free Bible study program to
Reformers came to similar conclusions because they used
help you understand how to find the prophetic answers in
what today might be considered a novel idea of interpreting
the Bible for yourself. Please prayerfully consider starting
Bible prophecy: they allowed the Bible to interpret itself.
your journey today at DaltonThunder.com.
34 // June 2021
