The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

I. Christ the Fountainhead of Inspired Prophecy

Christ Himself was recognized by His contemporaries as a prophet, and so acknowledged Himself. He personally exercised the gift of prophecy in a remarkable way. (Luke 7:16; 13:33; 24:19; Matthew 13:57; 21:11; John 4:19; 6:14; 7:40; Ephesians 2:20.) But He was, of course, infinitely more than a prophet; He was at once the Son of God and the Son of man—the matchless Saviour of men. And His life on earth was bound up with the miracle of prophecy by a multiple cord of fulfillment. Indeed, Jesus Christ constitutes the greatest single witness of all time to the verity and precision of inspired prophecy. Not only was He the Interpreter of the Old Testament prophets—the Fulfillment of their predictions and the Embodiment of their spiritual message—but He was also the Reality to which the impressive Mosaic shadows and symbols pointed. ² Further, He was both the divine Foreteller and the Forthteller for God; He was the revelation of the very thought of the Father, for He was the Word of God incarnate. PFF1 136.1

Let us now examine some of the specific prophetic teachings of Christ that relate to our quest. Although eschatology was not His chief concern, it was nevertheless a vital part of His message. The multitudes among whom He lived and moved needed immediate healing from sickness and from sin more than they needed doctrinal discourses on the end of the world. But Jesus did not fail to blend, in parable, promise, and prophecy, the clear assurance of present redemption along with the glowing hope of Christ’s return and the coming kingdom of glory. His eschatological teachings are numerous and comprehensive and run like a golden thread through the fabric of His instruction. PFF1 136.2