The Intended Meaning of
Apocalyptic Prophecy is Determined by
Valid Rules
Larry
Wilson
December 2007
Wake Up America Seminars
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The Value and
Importance of Rules
Most Christians have
not heard about nor considered the
necessity of having valid rules of
interpretation. I often hear from
people who claim they have studied
the Bible prophecy for many years and
they are usually offended at my
response to some conclusions they are
anxious to defend.
My standard comment is
this: “Just send me your rules,
not your conclusions. I am well
acquainted with all the prophetic
pieces in Daniel and Revelation. I
will do a simple test using rules to
see what the result may be.”
This doesn’t go over to well
because most Christians do not use
valid methods (rules) of
interpretation. Even popular TV
prophetic expositors do not realize
that they are merely supporting a
private interpretation when they
promote what was given to them.
Here’s the point again: A
private interpretation requires a
private interpreter. Without the
private interpreter sitting in the
driver’s seat, no one else could
reach the same conclusion.
Scientists achieve
advances in the study of genetics by
working at the cellular level. After
years of studying various cells
within the human body, scientists
have been able to determine how
certain cells operate. In more and
more cases, they have been able to
predict the behavior of cells under
controlled circumstances because they
now know something about the
behaviors of amino acids and
proteins. Research scientists are
constantly looking for
“consistent behaviors”
within their studies and once the
behavior of a specific amino acid or
protein on a particular cell is
understood, drugs are compounded to
produce the desired results.
Pharmaceutical companies spend
billions of dollars on this type of
painstaking research because they
know once a constant behavior is
detected and controlled a cure can be
produced.
Consistent Behavior
In a similar way, the
four rules in Daniel have been
distilled through a careful study and
analysis of Daniel’s prophecies.
The visions within Daniel behave in a
predictable way and this behavior
allows us to decipher things about
the meaning of prophecy that we could
not otherwise know. For example, here
is a consistent behavior that occurs
throughout the books of Daniel and
Revelation. Each prophecy has a
beginning point and an ending point
in time, and the events in each
prophecy occur in the order in which
they are given. This rule
may sound simple, but it has profound
ramifications.
Consider the results
of violating this self-evident
rule. If the events given within each
prophecy of Daniel do not occur in
their given order, how can the
order of events be authoritatively
determined? This question brings up
an even greater question. Does the
Bible speak for itself or must it
have an external interpreter? After
many years of study on this question,
I conclude the Bible stands alone. It
speaks for itself and the Bible is
its own interpreter. The constant and
predictable architecture within
Daniel’s prophecies is the basis
for Rule One. Putting this rule in my
words, the rule is: Each
apocalyptic prophecy has a beginning
point and an ending point in time and
the events within each prophecy must
occur in the order they are given. Keep
in mind; I did not invent this rule.
Rather, I am expressing a
self-evident behavior that recurs
without exception throughout the book
of Daniel (as well as Revelation).
The Four Rules
I hope you will print
this article and refer to it from
time to time because the following
four rules will be often discussed in
this chat group. The four rules
embedded within the book of Daniel
until the time of the end are:
1. Each
apocalyptic prophecy has a beginning
and ending point in time and the
events within each prophecy must
occur in the order they are given.
2. A
fulfillment of apocalyptic prophecy
occurs when all the specifications
within that prophecy are met. This
includes the order of events outlined
in the prophecy.
3
Apocalyptic language can be literal,
symbolic or analogous. To reach the
intended meaning of a prophecy, the
student must consider: (a) the
context, (b) the use of parallel
language in the Bible, and (c)
relevant statements in the Bible that
define that symbol if an element is
thought to be symbolic.
4. God
measures apocalyptic time in two
ways: (a) a day for a year, and (b)
as literal time. The presence or
absence of the Jubilee calendar
determines how God measures time.
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