November 7, 2006 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

The following is from the Advanced Bible Studies course “Understanding Bible Prophecy,” which is available from Way of Life Literature.

It is a fact that Bible prophecy, especially to the eye of the unbeliever, may appear somewhat obscure. There is symbolism in Bible prophecy that must be interpreted by a diligent comparison of Scripture with Scripture. The prophecies are not always given in a concise, logical order, but are scattered throughout the text of Scripture. We don’t pretend to know all of the reasons for this, but there is one reason that is given in the Word of God itself.

As with the parables, some things in Scripture are given both to reveal truth and to hide truth (Matt. 13:10-17). The truth is plain to those who believe, but obscure to those who disbelieve. There is a sense in which this is true of the Bible as a whole and of the prophecies in particular. For the believer, there is ample evidence that the prophecies of the Bible are precise and that they have been fulfilled exactly; but the unbeliever looking at the same prophecies sees only confusion.

The prophecies pertaining to the destruction of Tyre in Ezekiel 26 are an example. The believer sees their exact fulfillment in the events of history; but many unbelievers mock those same prophecies and say they were off the mark. For example, they point out that Tyre still exists even though the prophecy says, “… thou shalt be built no more” (Ezek. 26:14). The believer sees that old Tyre was completely destroyed as the prophecy predicts and that the city has never been rebuilt in that place. The ruins, in fact, still exist today. The modern city of Tyre is in a different location. Thus, the believer rejoices in the accuracy of God’s Word. The unbeliever mocks such reasoning and says the prophecy of Scripture failed. The believer sees that the complete destruction of Tyre took centuries and was accomplished by many subsequent nations and understands that this is what the prophecy foretold (Ezek. 26:3), but the unbeliever sees the continued existence of Tyre for many centuries as evidence that the prophecy failed.

Thus, the same prophecy is viewed differently by people depending on their spiritual condition and relationship with God.

1 Corinthians 2:14 says the things of God in the Scriptures are foolishness to the unbeliever and that he cannot understand them because he has no spiritual discernment.

2 Corinthians 3:14-17 says there is a veil over the unbeliever’s mind and heart, but when he turns to the Lord that veil is removed by the Spirit of God.