The Revealing: Time, Times and Dividing of Times

The Revealing (in Greek, the Apocalypse) is the telling of the history of the age of the Gentiles before it happens. The age of the Gentiles, sometimes called the time of the Gentiles or the church age, began with the final act of the Jewish age, the destruction of Herod's temple in AD 70. This is the third of the three and a half ages (or times) of man--a time, times, and half a time. Enoch was the prophet of the first age (the age of the patriarchs), Daniel of the second (the age of the Jews), and John of the third (the age of the Gentiles). We live near the end of the third age, with the half age yet to come--the age of the dead.

How do we read Bible prophecy? What is symbology, and how can ancient prophecies show us how to read prophecy yet unfulfilled? Is there a prophecy language used consistently throughout scripture? Can the Bible really interpret itself? What is the purpose of prophecy? We will explore all these questions.

The most significant problem facing Bible researchers is identifying those prophecies already fulfilled versus the prophecies yet to be realized. Any scripture researcher must also be fluent in the history of the age. Some who look for fulfillment in the future simply don't see the foretold completion in the past. Ignorance of history causes misunderstandings of what is to come.

Storytelling is the art of conveying to the reader events along a timeline. How does the timeline progress? Does the reader understand that multiple timelines occur simultaneously while the narrator jumps between small pieces of parallel accounts, or does the narrative stay with one timeline to its conclusion before regressing to the beginning of the next narrative? With a culture of Hollywood indoctrinated moviegoers, storytelling of past times may be unfamiliar and confusing.

There are a few simple key principles needed to unlock Bible prophecy for anyone. The symbolic language opens prophecy, parables, and Bible pictures for anyone with the desire to read and study God's Word. The lives of the patriarchs are the patterns of our lives today. God is the ultimate planner and mathematician. When will the time be fulfilled?