Prophets

Rico · #1 06-01-2008, 09:27 PM

Eph 2:20 (KJV)
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

The Lord has been dealing with me about this verse, particularly the part that says "and prophets". It's not that I believe I have learned all I am going to learn from studying the apostle's doctrines. I simple feel led to get a better understanding of the OT prophets. I know so little about them.

With that said, I have some questions for those of you who have studied the prophets.

How did you go about studying the prophets?
Where did you start?
How were you able to know if a prophecy was dealing only with Israel and not with the Church?
What measuring stick do you use to determine if your interpretation of what the prophets said is correct?

Confession time: My biggest fear is that I will end up like so many who study prophecy. Eventually those studies lead to end time prophecies and they become every flavor of end time prophecy nut case found under the Sun. I am crazy enough without adding prophecy as another reason for my being committed.

Thank you in advance for your help.

mizpeh · #2 06-01-2008, 09:34 PM

The context of Eph 2:20 is the church or body of Christ. Maybe starting with the prophecies of the Messiah, the new covenant, and the acceptance of the Gentiles or anything relevant to the NT church might be appropriate.

Rico · #3 06-01-2008, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mizpeh

The context of Eph 2:20 is the church or body of Christ. Maybe starting with the prophecies of the Messiah, the new covenant, and the acceptance of the Gentiles or anything relevant to the NT church might be appropriate.

That's a good suggestion. I've done some studies on Messianic prophecies before. I am after something else though. I have heard some really good messages preached out of the OT prophets. They gave me the impression that the books of the prophets give excellent insight into the inner workings of God's mind. I believe the key to putting on the mind of Christ lies in understanding how God thinks; that is, as much as man is capable of understanding an infinite God. How does He reason? What process does He use in granting the term "holy" to something? That's the sort of stuff I am after. In that process, I know I will learn more about Messianic prophecy, but that isn't really my purpose in studying the prophets.

mizpeh · #4 06-01-2008, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rico

That's a good suggestion. I've done some studies on Messianic prophecies before. I am after something else though. I have heard some really good messages preached out of the OT prophets. They gave me the impression that the books of the prophets give excellent insight into the inner workings of God's mind. I believe the key to putting on the mind of Christ lies in understanding how God thinks; that is, as much as man is capable of understanding an infinite God. How does He reason? What process does He use in granting the term "holy" to something? That's the sort of stuff I am after. In that process, I know I will learn more about Messianic prophecy, but that isn't really my purpose in studying the prophets.

His thought are higher than our thoughts..............

Why don't you seek the mind of Christ by following the example that Jesus left us? Study Jesus, His reactions, His attitude, His desires. You may have a difficult time understanding God the Father unless you study His attributes but Jesus is much more accessible to us in that He is God with us.

Job 33:6-7, 1 John 2:6, Rom 15:1-3, Phil 2:5-8, John 13:15, 1 Peter 2:21-22, Matt 16:24

Rico · #5 06-01-2008, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mizpeh

His thought are higher than our thoughts..............

Why don't you seek the mind of Christ by following the example that Jesus left us? Study Jesus, His reactions, His attitude, His desires. You may have a difficult time understanding God the Father unless you study His attributes but Jesus is much more accessible to us in that He is God with us.

Job 33:6-7, 1 John 2:6, Rom 15:1-3, Phil 2:5-8, John 13:15, 1 Peter 2:21-22, Matt 16:24

Sister, I've done loads of that kind of studying. I have always studied people's behaviour. It's one of those things I do. I've learned that I can tell a lot about someone's motives by their behaviour. I have learned about the Lord through studying His actions and responses to people in the Gospels and other areas of the NT. It's just that I have had that "and prophets" stuck in mind and spirit for quite some time, and the time has come to explore what "and prophets" can teach me about God. I am sure the journey will be a fascinating one. I just hope I don't end up caught in the trap of dealing with end time issues no one can really decipher.

mizpeh · #6 06-01-2008, 10:16 PM

Okay, but remember there are many more prophets in the OT than the ones with their own books! Even John the Baptist was called a prophet.

Rico · #7 06-01-2008, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mizpeh

Okay, but remember there are many more prophets in the OT than the ones with their own books! Even John the Baptist was called a prophet.

Cool. I am going tomorrow to a Christian bookstore. Looking for some information on prophets is on my list.

Sister Alvear · #8 06-01-2008, 10:39 PM

I believe in prophets...

Sam · #9 06-01-2008, 11:17 PM

Isaiah has been called "the fifth Gospel" because of so many references to Jesus, His ministry, and His suffering and death.

When Jesus met up with a couple of disciples after His resurrection, Luke said that "beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." Luke 24:47

And Peter says that the Spirit of Christ within them who "testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow" 1 Peter 1:10-11

There is an article about Old Testament prophecy at
http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=412

#10 06-02-2008, 07:27 AM

Remember RICO, God never does ANYTHING without first reveailing it to his Prophets.. they are the great secret keepers of God