Interpreting Prophetic Scriptures

The interpretation of revelation is often contrary to the obvious. The scribes and Pharisees were perfect
examples of this in their approach to prophetic scriptures. The tradition of the elders was more than a
collection of their customs; it was the theological interpretation of the Torah, the first five books of the
Old Testament. As centuries passed, those traditions were written down in what became the Talmud. To
the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus was a lawbreaker because He did not keep the traditions of the elders.
These religious leaders could no longer distinguish between revelation (the Torah) and interpretation
(the Talmud). To them, the interpretations and applications were obvious and indisputable. This
tendency to mix up revelation and interpretation shows up in every generation. The Pharisees
misinterpreted the prophets’ true revelations about the Messiah and thus missed the purpose of God
for their generation by rejecting Jesus. One of the characteristics of prophetic revelation is that it is
sometimes parabolic or symbolic; thus, it is only fully understood after future events have taken place.
From the Old Testament perspective, it was not altogether 29 Prophetic Administration: Revelation,
Interpretation, and Application clear what the Messiah would look like. The prophets foretold the
coming of both a kingly Messiah and a suffering servant, but no one considered that both were the same
person. Obviously, kingly messiahs aren’t servants, and they don’t suffer. Even the disciples had a hard
time with it. The Gospels show how baffled the disciples were. The messianic secret is a theme that runs
throughout the Gospels. They had a difficult time figuring out who Jesus was and the nature of His
eternal earthly kingdom. The Gospel of John, which was probably written a few decades after the others
(around a.d. 90), looks back at Jesus with greater hindsight. In John’s Gospel, there is no mystery about
Jesus’s identity. Clear affirmations of His deity are found in the first verse and throughout the entire
book. For the disciples, and even for some of the Pharisees and scribes, the interpretation of events
foretold in prophetic revelation was difficult while they were happening, but their meaning became
crystal clear after the foretold events had taken place. We have to be careful about locking into precisely
our interpretation of prophetic revelation before the events happen lest we miss what God is saying to
us