Biblical Prophecy

Biblical prophecy, or the belief phenomenon that certain passages in the Christian and Jewish Bible predict future events, is a central tenet of certain Christian traditions. On this page you will find a listing of the prophetic books found in the Bible, common themes in the prophetic books, and information about two controversial symbols in the book of Revelation, 666 and the concept of the Antichrist. Other issues which are covered are the gift of prophecy and the evangelical emphasis of prophecy interpretations.

Prophetic passages from various parts of the Bible, particularly the books of Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Revelation are considered to be divinely inspired revelations given to the prophets by God. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/prophecy?qsrc=2888 http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/Biblebasis.html Biblical prophecy began with God's covenant with Abraham for a homeland, all of the land between the Nile and the Euphrates, to be shared by the descendants of his sons, Ishmael and Isaac. After many years of enslavement in Egypt and 40 years of wandering in the Sinai dessert under the leadership of Moses, the descendants of Abraham did enter the promised land.http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=DIV1&byte=1801 Belief in this prophecy led policy makers in the United States government to support the re-establishment of the nation of Israel after World War II.

While some of the prophetic books address specific historic periods of Israel's history and span the events leading up to and following the return from exile in Babylonia, there is a common theme: how to properly worship God, the principals of justice and equality, and caring for oppressed and mistreated people. http://www.americanbible.org/brcpages/PropheticBooks

Mainstream Protestant and Catholic theology sees prophecy as a gift that ceased with the writing of the Book of Revelations, despite the prophetic sayings of saints and mystics within the Christian tradition. There are some that argue that Christianity is a perfect state where one simply has to accept its doctrines, while others believe that God continues to divinely inspire and guide his people.http://www.christian-prophecy.org/reviews.html

Revelation is a complex and confusing book which can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Even the number 666 seems to have actually been 616 in the oldest manuscript.http://www.religioustolerance.org/666a.htm There is a widespread misinterpretation of chapter 13, according to Phillips Stevens Jr., an anthropologist at the University at Buffalo.

Stevens says, "The mark of the beast, 666, signifies those in thrall to the emperor and thus opposed to Christianity, and is most probably the numerical equivalent of the Hebrew letters for Nero." Various biblical scholars have pointed out that there are several 'beasts' in Chapter 13, referring to Rome, Roman emperors and Roman cults of god- and emperor-worship....many of the strange elements in 'Revelation' signify events, people or institutions familiar to first-century Christians. Stevens also notes that the first and second Letters of John use the term "Antichrist", which means "lawless one" in Hebrew, to denote lapsed Christians. The contemporary Antichrist legend has ancient beginnings in Babylonian mythology and Jewish notions of an Anti-Messiah.http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1577&letter=A It has evolved over time, with a significant contribution by Hildegaard of Bingen in the 12th century. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/explanation/legend.html

Some evangelical forms of Christianity that are practiced in the United States and other parts of the world believe that world events as they are being shaped today reflect the prophecies that are given in the Bible. In the past, there are been many followings of religious leaders that have claimed to have foretold specific dates for the return of Christ and Armageddon, such as the Millerites in the 19th century and the year 2000 predictions. http://www.google.co.cr/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CAYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abac.edu%2Fsocial%2Fawright%2FSOSC1100%2FPPT%2FThe%2520Millerites.ppt&ei=jzeNS6vJCZr4tAO6hOHaAw&usg=AFQjCNHTKONEWdXMUivICyD61GBr_VfadQ&sig2=o903l1QlFqa9IuUWYo2IBg In contemporary culture, many conferences have been held to explain "the signs" contained within the book of Revelation and their relevance to current political and world events. Belief and rigid adherence to specific human and political interpretations of prophecy and meanings of Biblical scripture characterize some evangelical groups. http://www2.luthersem.edu/ctrf/Papers/2008_Fitch.htm