Any Old Actress

Time is conspicuously absent in some spots. Even when tense is present in scripture it bears no resemblance to the static framework we normally function in. Rather, it becomes a sort of fluid time, taking on plastic qualities. Bible prophecy can easily read like a history book, illuminating a series of events as they occur and reoccur in parallel scenarios. The prophecies of the succession of ancient empires (Daniel chapters 2 & 7) also directly correlate to a succession of modern nations. Of course, this ambiguity of interpretation leads to debate and controversy amongst linear minded Bible ‘scholars’. Only one interpretation can be right and final, the other similarities are mere coincidence that can be reasoned away with blind denial. Never mind that a given pattern repeats itself with unerring consistency. But the profound utility of these prophecies lies in their ambiguity. When you quit expecting unexplainable silver bullets from the scriptures, it becomes readily apparent that prophecies offer an equation, a formula, to predict an outcome. It’s not a miracle when the meteorologist determines that it will rain after observing weather conditions and referencing past data. Neither does this data apply to only one storm system. We live in an ordered universe and find patterns on scales both microscopic and macroscopic. The Hebrew prophecies recognise this and find their accuracy amongst the configurations of this ordered universe and not on some timeline of limited perspective.
In addition to timeless applicability with its parallels and overlaps, this prophetic method carefully tailors itself to the individual. The prophecies usually point to a state of the heart of mankind, or an impending interaction with the self-existent One. And these are not the sort of conditions that can be easily scheduled in a universal Day-Planner. (E.G. ‘note to self - expect apostasy and damnation near turn of century, arrange repentance session with local pastor’. Expecting prophetic events to neatly fit in a convenient timeframe amounts to expecting countless emotional beings and a highly individualistic God to all meet for a pre-arranged lunch date. Not only is the expectation ridiculous, but it’s every bit as banal and trifling as the cited example. Alternately, the ambiguity of the prophecies allows the interaction of God and man to progress at a natural pace and the culmination of the prophecy to occur at any point of the pattern. This is a very ordered reconciliation of patterns and the essentially arbitrary nature of the human heart and the absence of time results in an unforced equilibrium.