The 4 Steps To Understanding Biblical End Time Prophecy

Understanding the Bible’s end time prophecies is not as hard as you might think. The main reason it seems so out of reach to many people is because the vast majority of self-proclaimed end times “experts” do not know or explain how to go about logically proving what the prophecies mean, and instead rely on their creative imaginations to say, “I think it means this.”

Because of this, the average Christian who is curious about the end times prophecies in the Bible, despite listening to a plethora of end times “experts” and reading books by these “experts”, comes away thinking consciously or unconsciously, “Nothing has actually been proven to my logical mind”, and thus is left with the subtle hopeless feeling that it is virtually impossible to really know or logically prove what the prophecies mean.

This hopeless feeling is unnecessary. My goal for this article is to help you see that it is possible to understand the Bible’s end time prophecies because it is possible to logically determine, through simple use of common sense, what system of rules should be used to interpret them, and how to use that common sense system of rules to prove what any Biblical prophecy means.

Although the four steps to understanding Biblical end times prophecy I’m going to share with you in this article are simple, it still takes some significant time to apply them. That’s why I say that although Bible end times prophecy is not as hard as most people think, it’s not necessarily easy. In this article I will mention my book on the end times several times, not as a cheap sales pitch, but because my book not only explains the four steps I’m going to share with you in greater depth, it also reflects hundreds (if not thousands) of hours worth of work applying these steps to gain an accurate, logically provable interpretation of most of the most important end times prophecies in the Bible. Simply put, it's a massive shortcut for those of you interested in applying the four steps I'll share in this article.

This article will give you the basic knowledge you need and get you started on the right path toward understanding the Bible’s fascinating and vitally important prophecies about the last several years of this age, which could very well occur within our lifetimes or our children’s lifetimes.

So, without further ado, here are the four basic steps to understanding the Bible’s prophecies about the last days of this age.

STEP 1: Determine the set of rules you will use to interpret the Bible and its prophecies.

Unfortunately, most Bible prophecy “experts” never explain what set of rules they are using to reach the interpretations they espouse. This is because they are not using any set of rules! They are just using their creative imagination to make up whatever interpretation sounds good to them! This is why, after listening to them or reading their writings, you come away with an uneasy feeling, thinking, “OK…maybe…they claim to be an expert and they bombarded me with information…but they didn’t prove it to my logical mind! They just said, ‘I think it means this.’”

You see, 1 Thessalonians 5:21 commands the use of logic to “test everything” and discover truth (it is impossible to test without logic). It is impossible to logically prove the meaning of any passage in the Bible, including any end time prophecy, without having a set of logical interpretation rules to follow.

The logical set of rules we must use to interpret the Bible is not complicated. We just need to realize that the Bible is communication from God to humans, and thus when interpreting this communication, we should use the common sense rules of language and communication used by all of humanity without fail in all of its communication.

So here’s the first thing you must do if you want to have any hope of understanding Biblical end time prophecy:

Understand the common sense rules of language and communication used without exception in all human communication, and apply them with no exceptions when translating and interpreting the Bible and its prophecies.

In my book on the end times I explain the most important common sense rules of communication and show you how to use them to interpret Bible end time prophecy in such a way that the interpretation can be logically proven.

Unfortunately, most self-proclaimed Bible prophecy “experts” (even bestselling authors) routinely break the common sense rules of language and communication when interpreting Bible prophecy. This obviously results in confusion and error. For example, they will explain a prophecy as being symbolic without explaining the logical reason why - without proving - that the passage should be taken symbolically. Then they will say “the symbolism means this” without explaining the logical reason why - without proving their interpretation by showing you how they applied a logical system of interpretation rules to come to that conclusion.

In my book on the end times, on the other hand, I explain to you a logical, common sense system of rules for determining - proving - whether a prophecy is literal or symbolic, and if it is symbolic, I give you a logical, common sense system of rules for determining - proving the meaning of the symbolism.

Which brings me to the second step you must take if you want to understand any Biblical prophecy:

STEP 2: Determine whether the prophecy is literal or symbolic.

You can logically prove whether any Bible prophecy is literal or symbolic simply by applying the common sense rules of language and communication to the prophecy.

You see, when listening to each other in everyday communication we (usually unconsciously) use a set of simple rules to determine whether what a person is saying to us is meant to be taken literally or not. Most communication is literal, but sometimes people say things that are not meant to be taken literally – they might use an expression, or a metaphor, or an analogy, or symbolism. When a speaker does this, he or she will (usually unconsciously) always, without exception, use one or more clear indicators to let the hearer/listener know that they are not being literal.

This is why young children sometimes have a hard time picking up on non-literal communication – they have not yet learned the simple indicators that tell us, “OK, the communicator doesn’t want to be taken literally here, they are using an expression, or a metaphor, or an analogy, or symbolism.”

In my book on the end times I explain the three simple indicators that all of humanity uses to let each other know when they are not being literal in their communication. I also give you specific examples from Bible end time prophecy to illustrate how to apply this common sense system so you can logically determine and prove whether a prophecy is literal or metaphorical/symbolic. Then I give you a logical, common sense system for determining and proving the meaning of any symbolic prophecy, not using your creative imagination, but using Scripture to interpret Scripture.

What it boils down to is three simple questions you can ask about any Bible prophecy that will lead you to logically determine whether it is literal or symbolic, and if it is symbolic, to a logically provable interpretation of the symbolism. In the book I explain all this to you in detail and teach you the three simple questions to ask about any Bible prophecy that will enable you to determine – logically prove – what it means.

After you understand the set of rules you must use to interpret Biblical end time prophecy, and know how to apply them to figure out if any prophecy is literal or symbolic (and logically prove the meaning of it if it is symbolic), you are then ready for STEP 3.

Steps 1 and 2 enable you to figure out what the Bible is saying will occur. Step 3 will enable you to begin figuring out the order in which these events will occur.

STEP 3: Separate the interludes in the book of Revelation from the rest of it.

The book of Revelation is chronological – except for a few interludes. It tells the story of future events at the end of this age in the order in which they will occur – except for a few interludes. If you try to read through the book of Revelation without separating out the interludes and treating them differently (as non-chronological), you are going to be very confused!

The interludes in Revelation are like Old Testament prophecies. Old Testament end time prophecies, unlike the book of Revelation, are not in any chronological order. They are scattered all over the place, and we must use other clues and chronological “hooks” in Scripture to determine when they are going to occur in the general order of major end time events. The book of Revelation is the primary chronological “hook” that enables us to understand the general order of the major events that are going to occur at the very end (the last several years) of this age. (There is also one other helpful chronological “hook” in Scripture, which I explain as the #2 Little-Known Key To Understanding the Book of Revelation in my book on the end times. But the book of Revelation is the main chronological end times timeline we have in Scripture.)

So the first step in sorting out what end time events are going to happen when, is to treat the interludes in the book of Revelation separately from the rest of the book, as if they are Old Testament prophecies, so that you don’t muddle up the nice chronological “7 Seals then 7 Trumpets then 7 Bowls” order of events in Revelation.

It is also helpful to realize that the interludes in Revelation are carefully placed next to and surrounding certain massively important events in Revelation’s chronology, in order to highlight those key events. In my book on the end times I explain why each interlude is placed where it is, and why the events they highlight are so important. Then I explain the events described in each interlude itself, and when they will occur chronologically in relation to the rest of the end times events the Bible predicts.

STEP 4: Determine the order in which the major end time events predicted in Scripture will occur.

Amazingly, most people who study Biblical end times prophecy, and even most Bible prophecy “experts”, never do this! Often they only focus on two or three end times events, never giving you a broad overview of all the major events that will occur, and the order in which they will occur. Or they get so caught up in understanding small details (like, for example, the “1290 days” and the “1335 days”) that they can’t see the forest for the trees. It’s not that these details aren’t important, it’s just that the major events are far more important. It’s the major events that are going to surprise and confuse most people on earth (including most Christians), not the little details!

Failing to understand the “1290 days” and the “1335 days” is not going to cause anyone to doubt their faith in God; but failing to understand that a massive worldwide earthquake and a false flag “alien” attack are coming certainly will! It astounds me that many people who study end times prophecy, and even most of the so-called “experts”, get lost trying to understand the fine details and never even bother to fully understand and warn people about the major events that are going to traumatize and confuse humanity.

You have no business trying to understand all the fine details of Bible prophecy until you have a mental picture of the major events and the order in which they will occur. Trying to understand little details of Biblical prophecy before learning the big picture chronology is like trying to learn calculus before learning how to add and subtract.

You must have a clear picture in your mind of all the major events that will occur in the end times, and the order in which they will occur, if you want to have any hope of being prepared for these events. This big picture overview is also essential for understanding the Bible’ clear instructions for believers to escape the traumatic effects of these major events, and how to know when to begin following them.

(If you think the rapture is going to save you from these difficult end times events, I would simply refer you to Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:29-32 where He says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days…” and then describes the rapture. My book also has more information on the relative timing of the rapture and exactly where the rapture is found in the book of Revelation. It’s hidden from most English Bible readers by mistranslation of a couple words in a key verse.)

In my book on the end times I clearly outline the major traumatic end time events predicted by the Bible, and the order in which they will occur. Once you have the big picture in mind, you have a framework that will enable you to understand smaller details, and to understand God’s clear Scriptural instructions for escaping the effects of the most traumatic end time events (I explain these instructions in the book as well).

Conclusion

Now you know the four steps you must take if you want to understand Biblical end times prophecy. As I said, they are simple, but not necessarily easy. It takes time and effort to apply them. But they will help you start off in the right direction in your study, saving you from much frustration and valuable time that would have otherwise been spent fumbling around in the dark. I hope they’ve been a help to you.

And again, I genuinely hope this article is helpful to you, I don’t intend it to be a cheap sales pitch for the book. Whether you choose to follow these four steps on your own or to read my book as a shortcut (it’s a product of hundreds of hours spent applying these four steps to understanding Bible prophecy), I pray the Lord will guide you in your study so that you can know beforehand the events that are going to occur in the near term future, and prepare for them, rather than being blindsided and confused by them as most of humanity will.

God bless, Marc Speed

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Copyright 2012 Marc Speed

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