hi everyone!
an example
ISAIAH 40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
ISAIAH 40:2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.
ISAIAH 40:3 A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (ESV)
Jerusalem's warfare is ended before the voice in the wilderness, which Matthew connects with John the Baptist.
so I'm thinking that no, prophecies are not always written in the order they will happen.
your thoughts?
I believe there are two dimensions to God's prophecy: they're "multi-layered", but "scheduled".
Because God doesn't exist linearly but eternally (was, is, will be) I believe when he prophesies poetically about a subject he's speaking about
that subject from
all points in time at once, so he covers every layer that is happening and will happen to that subject, which may not be at the same instances in time. So to us (who are linear beings) it seems out of order.
For example, when God was prophesying about Israel he was talking about:
- Israel (the man, Jacob in his time)
- Israel (the kingdom, in their time)
- Israel (Christ, his firstborn in his time)
- Israel (the modern state of, presently)
- Israel (the Church / children of God / Body of Christ, spiritually)
...each "Israel" above is true, so God
was talking about one, and
is talking about another, and
has been talking about yet another...all at the same time. So some elements of prophecies concerning Israel may applying to one or the other "Israel", or all of them.
However, when he gives a prophecy complete with mathematical time frames (or calendar schedules) of a specific event, that event will play out in the order God has provided at the specific time designated.
A perfect example of these dimensions playing out is Daniel's 70th week prophecy...
God gave a specific mathematical timeframe (i.e. schedule) of events...however, because there are multiple "Israels" the prophecy actually applies more than once. And if multiple "Israels" exist at the same time then the prophecy is layered for multiple fulfillment. I think this is why God gave us the "a day for a year" and "what has been is what will be" principles when trying to understanding prophecy:
- Israel the nation was given 70 Weeks (490 year) before destruction, so likewise...
- Israel (Christ, the firstborn) had 70 Weeks (490 days) to complete his ministry before death...which interestingly began in the 70th week of the nation's time frame.
- Then the state of Israel is almost in its 70th year of existence in May, which - if "trouble" erupts - would fulfill Jeremiah's original 70 year prophecy that Daniel was studying.
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So if we liken God's prophecy to a grand clock; God's prophecies can have several "gears" (i.e. several layers) moving independently...but each gear *must* tick through its unique set of "teeth" *specifically in order* (i.e. schedule)...but as far as God is concerned, all he had to do was say "let the grand clock be" once (and then men wrote it down). I believe this is why Christ said we can't toss out any of scripture until *everything* is finished.
Matthew 5:18
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."