Introduction to Prophetic Studies by Gerry Watts

Introduction to

Prophetic Studies

by Gerry Watts

My Journey

Although I was brought up in a Baptist Church (Counterslip Baptist in Bristol, UK), which gave me a basic grounding in the Scriptures, it wasn't until my late teens (while I was emerging from a huge state of darkness and rebellion, having spent some years in the Heavy Metal/Biker scene) that I became really interested in studying the Bible much more seriously. The main reason for this new-found enthusiasm was due to an interest in the subject of Biblical Prophecy. Even in my early teens, I had an interest in prophecy and events related to the Second Coming of Christ. I can recall one of the first times I led a Bible Study in the youth group at church (the 'After Eight' meeting) when I was about 14 years old, and the subject I picked was 'The Second Coming of Christ.' Nevertheless, it was some years later, after my period of rebellion, that I really got hooked.

I was fascinated with the subject when I read Hal Lindsey's Late Great Planet Earth about twenty years ago, when I was in my early twenties. This truly started my exciting journey into prophecy and the study of God's Word. Then not too long after, I began to study and write. I couldn't get enough of studying this amazing book, the Bible. After a while, I naturally (and supernaturally) felt the call of the Father upon me to be a teacher of the Scriptures. So I obeyed and entered the school of Christ - and here I am. The journey is still interesting and fascinating, and the more I learn, the more I marvel at the precision and accuracy of the Bible and God's sovereign control of history - as well as His immense love for us all.

All I can say is, forget the 'prophecies' of Nostradamus and other so-called seers and mystics - no other is equal to the Hebrew prophets of the Bible! They are the genuine article, because they were truly inspired by the Spirit of God, and God really spoke to them in the Form of His Son, The Word - and the accuracy and foresight of their predictions, of which the majority is now history, is utterly astounding! It defies all probability. I am so glad that God is truly in control of this world and the destiny of all mankind. And the final end of that Plan and Purpose is one of GOOD NEWS!

Anyhow, getting back to my journey of Truth - inevitably, this has meant that a number of so called 'traditional' doctrines have had to go as the Light has increased, getting back to what the Scriptures really teach. This has given me a fresh understanding of various misunderstood 'traditional' doctrines (most notably the error of 'eternal torment in Hell' and the truth of Universal Reconciliation). Of course, as I've continued to study Biblical prophecy over the years, this also has led to a number of changes and adjustments in my original beliefs in some areas (in particular, the error of the 'pre-tribulation rapture' as well as a slightly different view of the 70 Weeks prophecy, amongst others). But this is good and right, for the light must increase as the journey progresses.

Although God used Hal Lindsey's books to start me on my quest for deeper truth (and others like Dave Hunt, J. Dwight Pentecost, Clarence Larkin, H. A. Ironside, etc), I nevertheless have seen over the years (particularly the past four years, 2003-2007) that the system of Pre-Millennial Dispensationalism (or Futurism) certainly has its flaws (as do a number of its teachers), some of which are fundamental errors. Yet having said that, I still firmly believe that this system contains a lot of truth and it can be a useful tool for teaching us some basic principles of interpretation. We mustn't completely throw out the proverbial baby with the bath water!

Nevertheless, like Israel in the wilderness, we can't remain camped in the same place all the time, for the Glory will always move on, taking us to a deeper and higher place in truth - but we ourselves must also move and follow the Presence of God if we wish to experience the spiritual blessings. Sadly, many church denominations, ministries and systems of interpretation, besides individuals within them, have remained camped in one place - and the Glory has moved on!

Methods of Interpretation

I hope you will bear with me here, as this 'introduction' may appear a little long for some, but I wish to lay out some important details and background information to show you where I'm coming from, laying a good foundation, so to speak. Prophecy is a big subject and there are a number of differing interpretations out there, so I need to say a little about this before we get stuck into the main meal of the subsequent studies. I don't really like 'theological' chatter myself, but sometimes it is necessary to understand the various points of view.

For a start, I don't believe that any one system of hermeneutics (the science of interpretation) has all the truth. The three main systems of interpretation that have a great bearing on our subject of prophecy, particularly in relation to NT prophecy and the vision of Revelation, are

a) Dispensationalism (or Futurism)

b) Preterism (or past fulfillment) and

c) Historicism.

There is obviously truth in all these systems, but there are also inconsistencies and errors as well, particularly in Preterism, and also Dispensationalism. Although Dispensationalism has had the greatest influence in my studies over the years, Preterism (meaning past fulfillment), or should I say Partial-Preterism, has also taught me a lot, particularly in recent years. They both contain useful principles, but ultimately I believe they fall far short of the truth as stand-alone systems of interpretation.

I strongly believe that to arrive at a proper understanding of Scripture, we need to use the literal-historical-grammatical method of interpretation, which also allows for allegories and metaphors where appropriate. God is the Creator of laws and principles, and He's a God of order, not chaos, so it follows that there are simple laws that need to be heeded if we are to understand His Word. This includes certain grammatical laws, as well as certain spiritual laws. We must remember, as the Apostle Paul said, that Scripture uses spiritual words and phrases to communicate spiritual things to us (1 Corinthians 2:13), as well as using natural language to communicate natural things. It's just a matter of rightly dividing the word of truth in this regard. This is the approach that I use in these studies.

Historicism

I have found that the most consistent method of interpretation that uses these principles accurately and consistently is Historicism. This method acknowledges the past fulfillment of prophecy, and also the future fulfillment of certain texts, such as the Day of the Lord, while also recognising the spiritual or allegorical fulfillment in the Body of Christ Ecclesia. It understands that the book of Revelation is a prophecy of the Church Era from the first century AD to the Return of Christ. In other words, generally speaking, it continues on from where the book of Daniel and others left off, giving us a preview of history in advance using biblically coded signs and symbols.

I am greatly indebted to the work of Fred P. Miller in introducing me to the method of historical parallelism. I was led to his site while searching for some confirmation of my fresh understanding of Daniel's time periods, which have to do with the events of Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Maccabees, and I hadn't previously come across this specific understanding before. I found the confirmation I needed when I discovered Fred's work. I would recommend his books Revelation: A Panorama of the Gospel Age and Zechariah and Jewish Renewal. I do not agree with all his conclusions, yet his knowledge and insight is invaluable. I believe that there are two ways of viewing the book of Revelation using this Historical method, both of which are valid, and I will attempt to show this in these studies.

Futurism and its Problems

The method of Futurism would be the next in line, but it places too many divisions in Scripture where there are none, particularly in relation to Israel and the Church, and the coming 'millennial' kingdom. It also emphasises a future literal fulfillment of certain prophetic texts that have already been fulfilled in history - literally or spiritually, or both! One of its greatest errors is the interpretation of Daniel's prophecy of the 70 Weeks (or Sevens), in which it breaks off the final 'Week' of 7 years and places it in the future as a 'Great Tribulation.' According to this theory, a Rapture takes place before this Tribulation begins (a pre-tribulation rapture). I was innocently led astray with this interpretation for nearly 20 years!

The simple truth of the matter is that the full 70 Weeks of 490 years has already been fulfilled, as will be shown later in these studies. It began with Ezra's return to Jerusalem in 458 BC and was all fulfilled in Jesus Christ Himself by 33 AD, after which followed the events of the Roman/Jewish War of 66-70 AD. In fact, there aren't two rulers in this prophecy, as usually taught (and as many versions seem to suggest), there is only the Messiah, the Ruler. It's all about Jesus Christ.

During these past years, I could be forgiven for believing that a number of things in the book of Revelation were to be taken literally, particularly the numbers in it. This is why I believed in a literal period of three and a half years still yet to come, even though I knew that there wasn't going to be any '70th Week' still left to be fulfilled in the future. Nevertheless, I have now realized that, generally speaking, the numbers in the whole of Revelation are to be understood symbolically - and believe it or not, this must include 'the 1000 years' (the Millennium) of Christ's Reign! (Some time periods can also be interpreted using the day-for-a-year method, taken from Ezekiel 4:5-6).

The Millennium: Literal or Symbolic?

This came as the greatest shock of all to me, which caused the whole system of Dispensationalism to come crashing down before my eyes, in spirit. ("Wow," I said to myself, "this means I must now be a post-millennialist or an a-millennialist! You've got to be kidding!"). I have come to see that Revelation 20 is essentially describing the spiritual events that transpired at Christ's First Advent, with the establishing of the spiritual Kingdom of God at Pentecost, resulting in Satan being bound and no longer keeping the world in the darkness of myths and idolatry; and the truths revealed through Paul concerning the spiritual position and blessing of the Body of Christ Ecclesia, right up to the coming Day of the Lord.

It is also describing a final period of this present age (which I believe we're already experiencing) in which Satan is being loosed to deceive the nations en masse through a return to moral depravity and the spiritual darkness of ancient Babylonian religion, causing an immense spiritual battle for the Ecclesia of God, in a time that will result in a counterfeit era of 'Peace and Security.' Ultimately, though, God will triumph in judgment when Christ returns in the fiery Day of the Lord.

   What convinces me that the 1000 years in Revelation 20 is not a literal future millennium is the fact that, when studying the NT texts - in an unbiased manner, that is - that deal with the coming Resurrection and Judgment, for both believers and unbelievers, it becomes clear that all these events occur in the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, the day and hour of His Return (also referred to as His Arrival or Presence or Coming or Revealing or Manifestation or Unveiling) - the Second Advent. It also includes the establishing of a New Heavens and a New Earth - ALL IN THE SAME EVENT! The present heavens and earth are going to be shaken like never before, so that only the unshakable kingdom of God will remain. Why do you think that Jesus and the Apostles warned about loving the world and everything in it - because it's all destined for the fire of God!

Consider these texts.

"Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him."

(Revelation 1:7 NIV)

Jesus also said the following to the Jewish leaders of His day,

   "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

(Matthew 26:64 NIV)

Now, if these Jewish leaders, who are now long dead, are to see Christ in this manner at His Return, and they are the ones who pierced Him, then the general resurrection and judgment must occur during this great Day of the Lord! In fact, that's what the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats is about (Matthew 25:31-46).

Peter, in his second letter, confirms Jesus' words that, in relation to the Day of the Lord, the present heavens and earth shall be passing away or disappearing (Matthew 24:35-37), because once more God will shake the earth and the heavens (Hebrews 12:26-29).

"Yet the heavens now, and the earth, by the same word, are stored with fire, being kept for the day of the judging and destruction of irreverent men...Now the day of the Lord will be arriving as a thief, in which the heavens shall be passing by with a booming noise, yet the elements shall be dissolved by combustion, and the earth and the works in it shall be found. At these all, then, dissolving, to what manner of men must you belong in holy behavior and devoutness, hoping for and hurrying the presence of God's day, because of which the heavens, being on fire, will be dissolved, and the elements decompose by combustion! Yet we, according to His promises, are hoping for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness is dwelling."
(2 Peter 3:7-13 CV)

This is exactly what Jesus is describing in the following text, part of the Olivet Discourse.

"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror (literally 'be frozen with fear'), apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

(Luke 21:25-28 NIV)

Think about it! More will be said on this in the following studies.

It's amazing that this one passage of Revelation 20 and its 'Millennium' is the basis for the main schools of thought on the whole subject of Biblical prophecy (pre-millennial, post-millennial and a-millennial). Yet we must remember that this is a vision full of signs and symbols! And brothers and sisters - whatever we do, let's not cause division and faction on the basis of our prophetic interpretation, though it has to be said, there are elements that strike at the heart of the gospel, and this we need to stand for, no matter what - but always in a spirit of love and grace.

Dispensationalism - We have a Problem

So - if there isn't going to be a literal millennial kingdom to come, in which earthly Israel will rule with Christ from Jerusalem, with a literal rebuilt Temple; plus there isn't a 7 year (or 3.5 year) Tribulation or a Pre-trib Rapture - then the whole basic system of Dispensationalism (or futurism) disintegrates!

Nevertheless, having tolled the bell of Futurism's doom, I have to say that the one thing that Dispensationalism correctly understands a little is the doctrine of the Ages and the Administrations (though they call the latter dispensations, but the basic principle is correct). Scripture clearly teaches about Ages and Administrations, as any good concordance will prove, and there are a number of articles on this site that show this to be true. They also have some revelation of the Mysteries (more accurately called Secrets) of the New Testament, which other methods ignore or misunderstand. Jesus began to reveal the Secrets of the Kingdom through His parables, and then it was given to the Apostle Paul to enlarge on this and to reveal the rest. It will be shown in the following studies that one of the greatest and most important secrets that he revealed in relation to prophecy is the Secret Administration of Grace (Ephesians 3:1-12). This means that the Last Days are being extended indefinitely.

So, not only is it true to say that the 'time of the end' arrived at Christ's First Advent, particularly in relation to the end of the Old Covenant system, and fleshly Israel's place as the chosen nation, it is also true to say that there is a greater 'time of the end' yet to come in relation to Christ's Return. This was originally a secret that only Paul revealed in full. For further details, see the The Last Days and Prophecy Fulfilled.

Preterism or 70 ADism

And finally, in relation to methods of interpretation, there is Preterism, which, on the opposite side to Futurism, correctly sees the past fulfillment of prophecy, both literal and spiritual, as having already occurred, yet it allegorises all remaining prophecy as being fulfilled in the Church. This is partially, but not entirely, correct. It's greatest error is to deny, at least in practice, that the book of Revelation is a Prophecy, because it views it all as being fulfilled in the First century AD in the destruction of Jerusalem, including Christ's supposed Second Advent. This is clearly incorrect and denies the prophetic nature of Revelation and the full manifestation of the kingdom of God - which is still yet future.

The best historical evidence that we have is that John received the vision of Revelation towards the end of Emperor Domitian's reign, and he reigned from 81-96 AD. This is well after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, so on this note alone, most of the preterist system collapses.[1]

We must be very cautious about that which says that 'the Day of the Lord is present' or has already taken place (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3) implying also that the resurrection has occurred (2 Timothy 2:17-18), because the First Resurrection for Overcomers is intimately linked to the Day of the Lord, that is, Christ's Second Advent (John 6:39-40; Hebrews 9:28; Revelation 20:4-6). It is true to say that these things are present now IN SPIRIT, by faith, but the actual fullness or manifestation of it all hasn't occurred as yet. In answer to these false teachings, Paul tells us "Don't let anyone be deluding you by any method..." (2 Thessalonians 2:3 CV) and then he goes on to give some specific information about what we are to expect before that Day arrives, which ties in with the prophecies of Daniel and Jesus.

We shall see that 'the Apostasy and the man of lawlessness' that Paul talks about in 2 Thessalonians 2 has already taken place in the events of Emperor Constantine and the Christianization of the Roman Empire, and the rise of Papal Rome and the Holy Roman Empire. The Apostasy still continues within Christendom in general, as well as in Islam (both being viewed as the horns of the False Prophet), and will last until the end of this age. We shall be looking at this in the following studies.

Be that as it may, there are some partial-preterists who view things a little differently from Preterists in general. One of these teachers was Philip Mauro, from whom I've learned a great deal. His work, The Seventy Weeks, helped me to see that the 70 Weeks prophecy, and much of what Jesus prophesied in the Olivet Discourse, has been fulfilled (though I don't agree fully with some of his conclusions). In fact, I aim to be using a large portion of Mr. Mauro's work in the study on Daniel 11.

My Viewpoint

Anyhow, to sum things up, I wish to say loud and clear that I don't adhere to any one system completely, nevertheless, I believe the 'A-millennial' Historicist approach is the view that is nearest in line with the whole teaching of Scripture, incorporating literal, historical and allegorical interpretation in accordance with sound teaching and the facts of history. So I would say that we are now in a symbolic millennium (or more accurately, the brief period that follows it where Satan is released to deceive the nations again - see Revelation 20), after which Christ will return to establish the New Creation in fullness, which is ultimately the New Age of Tabernacles.

That is to say, there are three major eras that are represented by the three main Feasts of the Lord.

1) The era of Israel under the Old Covenant (the Law) was equivalent to Passover;

2) The era of the Spiritual Body of Christ under the New Covenant (Grace) is equivalent to Pentecost.

3) The coming Age of the New Creation, which will be established at Christ's Return, is represented by Tabernacles.

Yet whatever disagreements I have with others, the most important thing is love; and making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in peace with other believers. The victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death is the foundational issue, and walking in obedience to the Master's commands.

   Another useful method of interpretation worth mentioning here is Midrash, which confirms the view that Biblical prophecy is being fulfilled in cycles and patterns, leading to an ultimate fulfillment. For further details see Midrash and Prophetic Patterns. A number of years ago, I found the teaching of Jacob Prasch of Moriel Ministries very useful in regard to the subject of Midrash, though he is very 'dispensational' in his outlook.

Bible Translations

There is something else just as important as interpretation (if not more so) when studying Scripture - and that is translation. We need to know that the original words and intent of the writers (and ultimately of God Himself) are revealed as clearly as possible through correct translation. The two main versions of the Bible that I use are the New International Version (NIV) and the Concordant Literal Version of the New Testament; and available portions of the Concordant Literal Old Testament (CV). The CV is one of the most accurate translations that I know of. For further information see The Concordant Version. I am greatly indebted to A. E. Knoch, and others associated with him in the work of the Concordant Publishing Concern, in enlarging my understanding of the Scriptures, but I have to say that I firmly believe that their 'ultra-dispensational' approach of separating Bride and Body is unscriptural and very misleading.

It is true to say that there isn't any particular version of the Bible that is 100 % accurate due to the difficult nature of translating ancient languages such as Hebrew and Greek into modern English. On top of this, we have almost two thousand years of Church history that has introduced numerous errors into the Scriptures over the centuries, contrary to what many Christians like to think (such as believing that the Authorised King James Bible is virtually perfect - I'm sorry to say, but it's not! - and that all so-called 'orthodox' doctrines are the original doctrines of the early church). Yet having said that, God has given us enough evidence and information to find the truth, but we have to search hard and dig deep if we wish to find it all.

Therefore, there are also other versions that I occasionally consult to check certain texts, such as KJV, English Septuagint (LXX), Young's Literal, and the New English Bible (particularly for use of the Apocrypha when studying the history of the Maccabees). I also use a number of Concordances, namely, Strong's, Wigram's Hebrew Concordance, and the CV's Keyword Concordance of the NT. The LXX has proved very useful in the studies on Daniel particularly. (Apparently - as I haven't personally checked out every instance - virtually all Old Testament quotes in the New Testament are taken from the Greek LXX. This is not to say that the LXX is divinely inspired, but overall it seems to get the Divine stamp of approval because of its use in the NT).

The book of Daniel especially has been greatly criticised over the years by those who do not wish to believe in the divine origin of the Bible. This criticism is largely due to its amazing accuracy of fulfilled prophecy in history (which could only occur by supernatural means), as well as some of its 'seeming' contradictions in relation to historical dating. Yet to those who approach this book in faith, and who are willing to search out the truth, the problems and contradictions will inevitably disappear.

In the following studies, wherever possible I have sought out at least two or three reliable sources to confirm a particular truth or fact, whether it is regarding translation or historical facts or dates, as this follows the Biblical principle of 'every matter being established out of the mouth of two or three witnesses' (Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1). Even where there are variant translations of certain words, phrases or sentences, as will be shown, the truth is made evident in both versions of the text.

In recent years, I have been reading and researching the works of Josephus (especially The Jewish War and Antiquities) and other historical sources, much more than I have done in the past. This has helped me to see even more clearly how many prophecies have already been fulfilled. I have found some of the answers to certain questions I had by reading these works of Josephus.

Personal Revelation

It needs to be said that I have read much over the years, and I have researched a lot of material, especially in recent years, and I am indebted to a number of wonderful teachers and scholars for some of the things that I have learned, and I try to give credit to them where credit is due (some of whom are mentioned above. Two others I wish to mention are Stephen E. Jones and Ernest Martin. A number of their books have aided me in my research in recent years). I am very aware that there is a lot of stealing and plagiarism out there amongst many teachers and preachers, and I wish to avoid this at all costs and to walk humbly before my God in truth and righteousness. Nevertheless, it also needs to be emphasised that I have come to my own conclusions by myself, under the influence of God's Holy Spirit, through my personal study of Scripture and of history.

Spiritual truth is something that comes from God alone, yet it becomes ours by revelation and illumination. Some of the conclusions I've reached in the following studies (particularly in relation to certain parts of the Seventy Weeks prophecy and the time periods at the end of Daniel) are entirely my own, in so far as I didn't come across them anywhere else until recently, and these findings have only confirmed to me what the Spirit was already showing me.

Therefore, although numerous books and articles have been written on the subject of Biblical prophecy, I still believe that I have something to offer in regards to this important subject. There is a lot of spiritual illumination coming forth in these days, and there are many of us who can play a part in this as servants of the living God. The Great Prophetic Plan of God is something that we all need to grasp and understand because it shows us, and the world, who the one true God really is, and that He is certainly in control of history, and He ultimately has a wonderful plan for us all. I hope you enjoy the articles in this section. May you be enlightened and blessed.

(Links to the works of the above mentioned teachers can be found on my Links Page, while some may appear in these studies)

[1] It has recently come to my attention, through reading the excellent work of Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr, Before Jerusalem Fell: Dating The Book of Revelation (and others), that the weight of evidence for the writing of Revelation, both externally and internally, actually leans heavily toward the early date of c. 65 AD, during the reign of Emperor Nero. The evidence also indicates that the whole New Testament canon was completed before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, which makes a lot of sense.

There are actually two early traditions in Church history for the composition of Revelation: a) during Nero's reign (c. 60's AD), and b) during Domitian's reign (c. mid-90's AD). It would appear as though the late date under Domitian's reign was essentially based on the writings of Irenaeus, yet his statement is open to question, both as to translation and interpretation. The strongest evidence for the early date is the internal witness of scripture itself, and the huge importance of the fulfillment of prophecy concerning Israel and Jerusalem in 70 AD. Jesus did say that those 'days of vengeance' and 'wrath' and 'great affliction' would be the fulfillment of all that has been written (Luke 21:20-23).

Consequently, if Revelation was actually written before the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD, then the Partial-Preterist view is correct - at least on one level. Therefore, contrary to what I said above, the whole system of Preterism doesn't collapse, but instead becomes a valid, and extremely probable, way of interpreting the vision of Revelation.

   I am strongly convinced that the vision of Revelation can be interpreted on three levels of truth. This view carries much weight when it is understood that this is the last divine vision given in Scripture, so we should expect something very extraordinary in relation to its message.

   If John did indeed receive this vision about 65 AD, during the persecution of Nero, as the evidence strongly suggests, then the primary interpretation is the Partial-Preterist view that this was largely a prophecy of the Jewish War, and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD, thereby ending the Old Covenant era of ancient Israel, and firmly establishing Christianity as the New Covenant kingdom.

   The secondary interpretation is the Historicist view that it is prophesying many key events of this present Church Era until the Second Advent of Christ, and that essentially, Revelation carries on where Daniel left off (with a little overlap). I would say that whereas Daniel was largely prophesying the Times of the Hebrews under the Old Covenant, John in Revelation is largely prophesying the Times of the Nations under the New Covenant (as well as prophesying the end of the Old Covenant system and the 'days of vengeance' upon Israel and Jerusalem).

   The third interpretation is the purely allegorical view that views these things as purely spiritual truth that can be applied to any and every generation, both now and in the age to come. This is the wonder of God's Word!

My understanding of Biblical prophecy is therefore a 'Partial-Preterist - Historicist - A-millennial' viewpoint!

I have also come to see that the largely futurist 'dispensational' teaching of Christian Zionism is, in fact, heresy, because it seeks to re-establish Judaism and the 'middle wall of partition' of a literal temple, in complete contradiction of the New Covenant in Christ for all nations. It strikes at the heart of the gospel message which Paul vigorously defended.

   There will be more on these things in the following studies.

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