How to Read the Bible & Understand Prophecy
Lesson #7: Foreshadowing
One of the most impressive features of the Bible is its accuracy in foreshadowing the occurrence of future events. The biblical word for foreshadows is prophecy. From the Old Testament to the new, the prophetic messages recorded in the Bible are cohesive, they solidify the Bible’s integrity and provide valuable information to the reader.
The prophetic nature of the Bible testifies of God’s omnipotence. Only God can inspire a writer from one generation to write about things and events that are set to take place at a later point in time. As you read the Bible, you will develop a knack for spotting prophetic texts and other forms of foreshadowing.
Read the following texts from the Old Testament that foreshadowed Jesus’ life here on earth. Then read the fulfilment of those texts found in the New Testament…
Isaiah 7:14 (KJV) Foreshadow > > > Matthew 1:18
Isaiah 40:3 (KJV) Foreshadow > > > Matthew 3:3
Isaiah 53:3 (KJV) Foreshadow > > > Matthew 27:31, Mark 3:22
Zechariah 11:12 (KJV) Foreshadow > > > Matthew 27:9
Psalm 22:18 (KJV) Foreshadow > > > Matthew 27:35
Prophecies can be found embedded within some of the Old Testament stories and also scattered throughout various books of the Bible.
Read the following chapters in the Bible to see how they foreshadowed the life and actions of Jesus…
Exodus Chapter 16 Foreshadow > > > John Chapter 6 (the bread of life)
Ruth Chapter 4 Foreshadow > > > Matthew 20:28, Galatians 3:13 (Christ the Redeemer)
When various texts with prophetic qualities are compiled together, we learn more about who Jesus was and what occurred in His life. In this same manner, information concerning the future has also been foreshadowed in the scriptures. Due to the complete fulfillment of the texts, concerning Jesus’s life, we know that the texts foreshadowing what’s to come on earth will also come to pass one day (Isaiah 34:16).
In Zechariah 14:1 KJV, read about what will happen when Jesus returns for the final time ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Who will be with Jesus when He returns? Read Revelation 14:1 KJV ___________________________________________________________________________
What will be established here on Earth when Jesus returns? Read Revelation 21:1-3 KJV ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Those who are not aware of the symbolic nature of the words “heaven”, “earth”, and “sea” would think that there was a contradiction in Revelation chapter 21. How can the kingdom of heaven come down from heaven and be established here on Earth, if the heaven, Earth and sea are no more? As we saw in the last lesson, when you take those symbolic words into account, you will understand that because the “Old Covenant world” (heaven and earth) have passed away, there are no more “Old Covenant bound people” (sea). A New Covenant between God and all believers will be fully realized, when Christ returns for the final time with the 144000 saints, to judge the whole world (1 Corinthians 6:2).
What will be given to those who choose to believe in God and follow Jesus Christ?
Read Psalm 25:12-14 KJV
____________________________________________________________________________
Read Psalm 37:11 KJV
_____________________________________________________________________________
Read Matthew 5:5 KJV
____________________________________________________________________________
Information concerning what will happen to those, who choose not to believe in God and follow Jesus, has also been foreshadowed in the scriptures.
Read Psalm 37:9 KJV
____________________________________________________________________________
Read Psalm 37:22 KJV
____________________________________________________________________________
Read Revelation 21:8 KJV _____________________________________________________________________________
It’s quite amazing how the Bible has revealed that over time people would pass down inaccurate teachings found in the Bible. And it is now evident today, some believers have been conditioned to believe in traditional doctrines, over what is actually written in the Bible…
Read 2 Timothy 4:3-4 KJV
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Read this prophecy in Jerimiah 16:19 KJV to see what people will be saying when Christ returns in the future ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
With practice, it will become easy to spot a verse or a chapter in the Bible that is prophetic in nature. The first rule of thumb is to read the surrounding texts. If the text seems out of place or off topic, in relation to the other texts, there is a good possibility that it is prophetic.
Read an example of this in Isaiah 9:1-6 KJV
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Another way to identify a prophetic text is to examine the message itself. If the message ends with visions or talk of a perfect world, or refers to things that clearly have not taken place in the world as of yet, it is a foreshadow of things to come. There are some folks who believe that everything in the Bible has symbolically already come to pass. But most people would agree that evil still exists in the world, therefore certain prophecies are still yet to be fulfilled.
Read Revelation 21:1-7 KJV to see an example of what is still yet to come.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Needless to say, the easiest prophecies to spot in the Bible are those that the Bible indicates as being prophetic from the start. These prophecies are usually linked to a vision provided by God to one of His chosen people.
See Daniel 9:21-23 KJV _________________________________________________________
See Revelation 1:1 KJV _________________________________________________________
As you read through the entire Bible, it will be useful to highlight all of the texts that you encounter that seem prophetic in nature. As you continue to read and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, the messages will come together seamlessly to paint a bright picture of the future, for those who believe.
The prophetic nature of the Bible testifies of God’s omnipotence. Only God can inspire a writer from one generation to write about things and events that are set to take place at a later point in time. As you read the Bible, you will develop a knack for spotting prophetic texts and other forms of foreshadowing.
Read the following texts from the Old Testament that foreshadowed Jesus’ life here on earth. Then read the fulfilment of those texts found in the New Testament…
Isaiah 7:14 (KJV) Foreshadow > > > Matthew 1:18
Isaiah 40:3 (KJV) Foreshadow > > > Matthew 3:3
Isaiah 53:3 (KJV) Foreshadow > > > Matthew 27:31, Mark 3:22
Zechariah 11:12 (KJV) Foreshadow > > > Matthew 27:9
Psalm 22:18 (KJV) Foreshadow > > > Matthew 27:35
Prophecies can be found embedded within some of the Old Testament stories and also scattered throughout various books of the Bible.
Read the following chapters in the Bible to see how they foreshadowed the life and actions of Jesus…
Exodus Chapter 16 Foreshadow > > > John Chapter 6 (the bread of life)
Ruth Chapter 4 Foreshadow > > > Matthew 20:28, Galatians 3:13 (Christ the Redeemer)
When various texts with prophetic qualities are compiled together, we learn more about who Jesus was and what occurred in His life. In this same manner, information concerning the future has also been foreshadowed in the scriptures. Due to the complete fulfillment of the texts, concerning Jesus’s life, we know that the texts foreshadowing what’s to come on earth will also come to pass one day (Isaiah 34:16).
In Zechariah 14:1 KJV, read about what will happen when Jesus returns for the final time ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Who will be with Jesus when He returns? Read Revelation 14:1 KJV ___________________________________________________________________________
What will be established here on Earth when Jesus returns? Read Revelation 21:1-3 KJV ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Those who are not aware of the symbolic nature of the words “heaven”, “earth”, and “sea” would think that there was a contradiction in Revelation chapter 21. How can the kingdom of heaven come down from heaven and be established here on Earth, if the heaven, Earth and sea are no more? As we saw in the last lesson, when you take those symbolic words into account, you will understand that because the “Old Covenant world” (heaven and earth) have passed away, there are no more “Old Covenant bound people” (sea). A New Covenant between God and all believers will be fully realized, when Christ returns for the final time with the 144000 saints, to judge the whole world (1 Corinthians 6:2).
What will be given to those who choose to believe in God and follow Jesus Christ?
Read Psalm 25:12-14 KJV
____________________________________________________________________________
Read Psalm 37:11 KJV
_____________________________________________________________________________
Read Matthew 5:5 KJV
____________________________________________________________________________
Information concerning what will happen to those, who choose not to believe in God and follow Jesus, has also been foreshadowed in the scriptures.
Read Psalm 37:9 KJV
____________________________________________________________________________
Read Psalm 37:22 KJV
____________________________________________________________________________
Read Revelation 21:8 KJV _____________________________________________________________________________
It’s quite amazing how the Bible has revealed that over time people would pass down inaccurate teachings found in the Bible. And it is now evident today, some believers have been conditioned to believe in traditional doctrines, over what is actually written in the Bible…
Read 2 Timothy 4:3-4 KJV
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Read this prophecy in Jerimiah 16:19 KJV to see what people will be saying when Christ returns in the future ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
With practice, it will become easy to spot a verse or a chapter in the Bible that is prophetic in nature. The first rule of thumb is to read the surrounding texts. If the text seems out of place or off topic, in relation to the other texts, there is a good possibility that it is prophetic.
Read an example of this in Isaiah 9:1-6 KJV
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Another way to identify a prophetic text is to examine the message itself. If the message ends with visions or talk of a perfect world, or refers to things that clearly have not taken place in the world as of yet, it is a foreshadow of things to come. There are some folks who believe that everything in the Bible has symbolically already come to pass. But most people would agree that evil still exists in the world, therefore certain prophecies are still yet to be fulfilled.
Read Revelation 21:1-7 KJV to see an example of what is still yet to come.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Needless to say, the easiest prophecies to spot in the Bible are those that the Bible indicates as being prophetic from the start. These prophecies are usually linked to a vision provided by God to one of His chosen people.
See Daniel 9:21-23 KJV _________________________________________________________
See Revelation 1:1 KJV _________________________________________________________
As you read through the entire Bible, it will be useful to highlight all of the texts that you encounter that seem prophetic in nature. As you continue to read and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, the messages will come together seamlessly to paint a bright picture of the future, for those who believe.