Theology - Prophecy - The Holy Spirit and Prophecy - by Randall Nelsen

Theology

"The Nature of Prophecy"

By Randall Nelsen

In order to comprehend eschatology and prophecy; we must first understand that they are not comprehended through a persons intellectual capabilities and perception alone. Prophecy is Divine and where there is prophetic illumination there is always the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Pray that the Lord grant you the Wisdom to discern first the contextual understanding and then the historical and contextual application of the scripture. This understanding is the base and foundation on which you build begin to build the house of your spiritual perception.Next and more importantly ask that the Lord teach you the deeper spiritual application of the Word. The Logos is Gods word in totality, but the Rhema is the word that speaks to you wherever you are spiritually speaking, or in other words your need at the present time.This Word is unchained and provides us our spiritual sustenance which is our daily bread, the manna sent from heaven . It is the (Rhema ῥῆμα) of the Logos. the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. - John 14:26
This is a good illustration. Gods Word in totality is the (Logos λόγος) which is like our spiritual toolbox in totality. It is all of Gods Word, the whole Bible.The Holy Spirit illuminates the specific word the Rhema to us through the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. This is the specific divine revelation of the Lord for our situation.This is the Spiritual tool that God gives us out of his toolbox (the Logos) for our specific need. This is why you can read the same scripture a thousand times and on a certain day in a certain need, his Word, speaks to your heart. This is why i believe it is an error for scholars to declare that complete understanding is derived only through intellectual in the fields of theology. I am referring to all human based knowledge. The following are just a few examples

1. Biblical Linguistics or Textual Criticism - This includes origin and etymology the study of  Hebrew and Greek, Hermeneutics, exposition, Exegesis, and the philosophy of Languages

2. The Study of History - Historical or Sociological methods of interpretation- this includes cultural studies and biblical archeology.

3. All fields or spheres of  Systematic Theology

 Lets get back to the main topic which is Prophecy. Prophecy is difficult because of Partial fulfillment. Partial Prophetic Fulfillment  means that prophecy can work or apply to multiple time periods and figures. It can apply to the specific person or author of the text and also to an event or person that has not yet occurred. It can also apply to several events, past, present, or future. Prophecy is often disguised because of symbolism, typology, and its unlimited nature.
Here is an example that Jesus quoted  41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”
43 They said to Him, “The Son of David.”
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”’?[a]
  JESUS WAS QUOTING 

PSALM 110

 The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.

Here we see the fascinating dual nature of Prophecy
David prophesied in psalm 110. Was not God the father speaking to his son, yet this confounded the pharisees because they just saw part of the picture the words of King David.

Jesus then explains the Prophetic Picture. Jesus also clearly illustrates the prophetic link between the Old and New testament. 

⁴⁵ If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” ⁴⁶ And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.