“The prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21)
As the words in 2 Peter 1:21 state, the prophecies were not originated by the speakers, but rather the speakers were moved by the holy Spirit to speak God’s thoughts. We find that the Bible for the most part is a record of God’s thoughts, recorded by prophets and other special servants of God.
The Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:10-12 states, “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.”
The Apostle Peter in Acts 3:20,21 gives us an additional clue as to what the prophets were prophesying about and what they desired to look into:
“And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”
The two things of which all the prophets spoke were the coming Messiah, who would be the great Deliverer, and his kingdom, which would be the means of bringing blessings not only to Israel, but to the whole world of mankind.
The golden thread of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is the promise of the Savior and his kingdom.
The Apostle Peter, in Acts 3:22,23, quotes one of the first of these prophecies (Deuteronomy 18:17-19):
“And the Lord said unto me [Moses], They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet [Jesus] from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”
The account in Acts 3 continues:
“Ye [the Jews of Peter’s day] are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.”
Then in Acts 4:1,2 we read of the reaction to Peter’s interpretation of this scripture:
“The Sadducees came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 3:25-26).
The Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 9:6,7 states, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
These are but two of the beautiful promises that are a part of the continuous theme of the Bible. Some others are as follows: Isaiah 40:5; Revelation 15:4; Jeremiah 31:33,34; Philippians 2:10,11; Numbers 14:21; Zephaniah 3:9; Isaiah 52:10; Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:8,16,29; Isaiah 35:8-10; Isaiah 65:21-24; Revelation 20:1-3; Psalm 98:9; Isaiah 26:9; Isaiah 2:4; 1 Chronicles 16:31-34.
We find that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, a record in which he reveals his thoughts to us; and we find, as we would expect if God is the Author, that the account is beautiful, consistent, and not contradictory.
Acknowledgement:
The above content is from http://www.dawnbible.com
The Booklet “How To Study the Bible And Have It Make Sense” can be read here:
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