The Gift of Prophecy

Unity of Scripture

First and foremost, in harmony with the frequent New Testament citation of the Old Testament, ⁵ we must recognize a fundamental unity and continuity throughout Scripture. This continuity is illustrated in references to an “everlasting covenant” (e.g., Gen. 17:7, 13, 19; Ps. 89:3, 4; 105:8-11; Jer. 32:36-41; Heb. 13:20) and “the everlasting gospel” (Rev. 14:6, 7; cf. Heb. 4:2). We should also recognize that the New Testament writers significantly clarify expectations regarding Israel, the covenant, and God’s plan for humanity. In addition, we should not be surprised to find some modifications to earlier prophetic hopes based on this “everlasting” or universal perspective in view of Israel’s response to Jesus (e.g., Matt. 28:18-20; John 10:14-16; Acts 2:27-36; Rom. 9-11; Gal. 3:16; 6:15, 16; 1 Thess. 2:14-16; Rev. 21; 22). Consequently, many of the prophecies that might have been fulfilled in an earthly Israelite kingdom (e.g., Isa. 65:17-25) will find fulfillment only in the new earth after the millennium (Rev. 20:7-21:5). With these foundational principles in mind, we will now consider how they are carried out in practice by the Bible writers. Before approaching our main task of analyzing how the various Bible writers interpret Scripture, we need to consider how they related to its implicit historical claims. GOP 106.1