Prophecy is both exciting and frustrating. Most Christians are intrigued by biblical predictions, but at a loss when it comes to understanding them. Feeling overwhelmed by its complicated history and literature, we often disregard this part of the Bible.

But God did not give us prophecy just so that we would ignore it. And prophecy is extremely valuable to us when we interpret it rightly. When we understand the prophets’ motivations and methods, we are better equipped to discover the significance of their words for today.

Course Goals:

• Explain the role of prophecy throughout the Bible.
• Survey the major genres and functions of biblical prophecy.
• Provide a biblical, responsible method for interpreting prophecy and applying it in the modern world.

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This lecture explores the confusion about prophecy, a prophet’s experience, original meaning and New Testament perspectives on Old Testament prophecy.

This companion video answers the following questions:

• What makes prophetic books so difficult to understand?
• Did the Holy Spirit dictate his revelations to the prophets?
• What is organic inspiration?
• To what extent did the prophets understand their own prophecies?
• Why is it important to search for the original meaning of biblical passages?
• Why should we avoid reading the prophetic texts atomistically, or in isolation from their literary context?
• What is the danger in reading prophetic texts ahistorically, or in isolation from their historic context?
• What is grammatico-historical exegesis?
• How can we draw practical modern applications from biblical prophecy without ignoring the prophet’s original intention?
• How did the Old Testament prophets understand the “day of the Lord”?

This lecture explores the job titles, transitions and expectations of a prophet.

This companion video answers the following questions:

• How is the job of a prophet different from that of a simple fortune teller?
• What does the Hebrew word “nabi” (nah-VEE) communicate about the role of prophets?
• In what ways were prophets called to be seers?
• In what ways were prophets called to be messengers?
• What regulations for kingship did Israel’s kings violate, leading to an increase in the number of prophets during the monarchical period?
• What role did the prophets play in holding Israel and its leaders accountable to God’s law?
• Why was there so much prophetic activity prior to God’s exiles of Israel and Judah from the Promised Land?
• What were the major concerns of the post-exilic prophets?
• What is the relationship between divine covenants and ancient Near Eastern treaties?
• How was the prophetic office related to the covenant God established with Israel?
• How did the prophets serve as God’s covenant ambassadors or emissaries?

This lecture examines humanity and covenant, Israel and covenant as well as salvation and covenant.

This companion video answers the following questions:

• In what ways were God’s covenants with Adam and Noah more universal than later covenants?
• What is the covenant of works?
• If God promised natural stability in his covenant with Noah, why do we still experience so many natural disasters?
• How can people today serve as God’s image and live out his mandate to fill the earth and rule over it?
• Why are God’s covenants with Abraham, Moses and David understood to be more national in character?
• How did Old Testament prophets depend on Moses’ covenant?
• Why did God choose David’s royal line to be a permanent dynasty in Israel?
• How is the new covenant similar to and different from the covenants of the Old Testament?
• What did God intend to convey to the nation of Israel through Hosea’s marriage to Gomer and their children’s names?
• What is the invisible church?
• Why did the prophets so frequently call Israel to “circumcise their hearts” to the Lord?

This lecture explores covenant ideals, judgments and blessings.

This companion video answers the following questions:

• What is a covenant?
• How has the discovery of ancient Near Eastern treaties helped us understand biblical covenants?
• How do all biblical covenants display God’s benevolence?
• Are divine covenants unconditional, or do they include an element of human responsibility?
• In what ways did biblical covenants require loyalty?
• How do the Ten Commandments demonstrate that God’s relationship with his people is based on his grace and mercy?
• What is the relationship between faith and works in the Christian life?
• What is saving faith?
• What does Leviticus 26 teach us about God’s patience in bringing divine judgment?
• If some of God’s blessings are contingent on our obedience, does this mean that our good works contribute to our salvation?
• How did God promise to bless Israel and Judah after the judgment of exile?

This lecture examines how Old Testament history provides the context for properly understanding Old Testament prophecy.

This companion video answers the following questions:

• What are the consequences of ignoring the historical situation of biblical prophecy?
• What do we know of David’s character after he took the throne in Jerusalem?
• Why did the nation of Israel divide into two nations: Israel and Judah?
• What was the Syrian-Israelite coalition, and why was it formed?
• Why did Israel fall to Assyria?
• What happened during the Sennacherib invasion of Judah when Hezekiah was king?
• What was the prophet Hosea’s message to the northern kingdom of Israel?
• Why did Judah fall to the Babylonians?
• What was Joel’s main message?
• What was Ezekiel’s main message to Judah?
• How did the post-exilic prophets address the restoration period in Israel?

This lecture examines three different kinds of literature within Old Testament prophecy: historical narratives, communication with God and communication with people.

This companion video answers the following questions:

• How can identifying the different kinds of literature that appear in the prophetic books help us interpret them more responsibly?
• Why did prophets write some of their prophecies as historical narratives?
• Why did prophets sometimes use symbolic actions in their prophecies?
• How does understanding the historical context help us interpret Isaiah 7?
• What is the value of prophetic laments?
• What kinds of messages did Old Testament prophets communicate to God’s people?
• What is the significance of the cows of Bashan in the oracle of judgment from Amos 4?
• What are the elements of a covenant lawsuit?
• What are some of the blessings we receive from the new covenant prophesied in Jeremiah 31?
• What does repentance from sin look like?

This lecture explores four topics related to prophetic words about the future: God’s sovereignty, human contingencies, degrees of certainty, and desired outcomes.

This companion video answers the following questions:

• What is God’s immutability?
• In what ways is God immutable?
• Why must God’s eternal plan be immutable?
• What do theologians mean by the providence of God?
• What is divine foreknowledge?
• How does Jeremiah 18 teach that God allows for human contingencies to alter the outcomes of prophetic predictions?
• Why is it that some prophecies in Scripture don’t come to pass as predicted?
• What do we learn about the influence of human reactions to predictions in the story of Jonah?
• Why does God sometimes put conditions on his prophecies?
• What was the main purpose of biblical prophecy?
• Can some prophecies have implicit conditions that are never explicitly stated?

This lecture focuses on how prophetic eschatology developed through the historical periods of: Moses, the early prophets, the later prophets, and the New Testament.

This companion video answers the following questions:

• What is eschatology?
• How does Moses use the term “latter days” in Deuteronomy 4?
• What does Joel 2 teach us about the “day of the Lord”?
• Why was Israel not fully restored after the 70 years of exile were completed?
• What does Leviticus 26 teach us about how God’s judgment might be increased when Israel doesn’t repent?
• What is the Old Testament background of the New Testament gospel?
• How did the Old Testament prophets characterize God’s eschatological kingdom?
• Why do some theologians refer to the entire time from Christ’s first coming to his final return as the “last days”?
• How does the New Testament reveal that the final stage of human history came through Jesus Christ?
• What is inaugurated eschatology?
• How are Old Testament themes of exile and restoration fulfilled now in the continuation of God’s kingdom?
• Why is it important to believe that Jesus will return to earth?
• How will the new heavens and new earth compare to the Old Testament temple?
• How should we respond to the fact that at the consummation of God’s kingdom, creation will experience God’s redemption?