PREFACE

To many people the word “prophecy” conveys the idea of something obscure and incomprehensible. The prophetic portions of the Bible they take but little pleasure in reading. Very often they think that one who undertakes to explain the prophecies is presumptuously meddling with things that belong only to God. The prophecies, they say, may be understood when they are fulfilled and not before. PROLI 5.1

This is not as it should be; and it would not be so if in time past man had not dealt presumptuously with the prophecies, giving mere human speculation for exposition, when God has said that “no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,” and so have put darkness for light. For the prophecy, instead of being something obscure, is a light. Prophecy is something foretold; it is history in advance. God, who sees the end from the beginning, and who “calleth those things that be not as though they were,” is able to write the history of an event before it occurs far more exactly than any human pen can write it afterward. Now if we can understand history when written by men, why should it be thought a thing impossible that we should understand the history when written in advance by the Spirit of God? PROLI 5.2

The answer will doubtless be that there are so many symbols used, so many things that cannot be understood literally, that one can never be sure that he has the correct interpretation. But this again is a mistake. There are symbols, it is true. But the Bible itself furnishes an explanation of all these symbols, and by substituting these explanations for the symbols, the prophecy may be read literally. Symbols are used in our common conversation, yet we have no difficulty in understanding one another, because we understand what these figures of speech mean. In like manner, when we accept the Bible explanation of prophetic symbols, we need have no difficulty in understanding the prophecies. By applying these explanations to the symbols in the prophecies already fulfilled, we prove their correctness; and by studying the prophecies that are already fulfilled, we are assured that those that still remain will be as exactly fulfilled. Thus the prophecy becomes the grand proof of the inspiration of the Bible. If we throw aside the prophecy, we cannot demonstrate that the Bible is the inspired word of God. PROLI 5.3

The design of this book is to remove some of the covering that has been thrown over the prophecy by tradition and human speculation, so that its clear light may shine out. This has been done by letting the Bible tell its own story in its own language. No theories are advanced, but the plain predictions are laid side by side with the well-attested historical facts which show their exact fulfillment. Although each chapter of the book is complete in itself, it will be seen that they all point to the one object of the prophecies of the Bible, namely, the consummation of the Christian’s hope. It is hoped that the perusal of this book may strengthen the faith of those who have this hope, and may lead others to love the coming of our Lord. PROLI 6.1

The chapters entitled, “Testimony of the Centuries,” and “The Fall of Babylon,” were furnished by Elder A. T. Jones. It should be stated also that the illustrations in this book are all new, and with the exception of the one of the falling of the stars, were designed especially for this book, being the work of W. A. Reaser, the artist of the Publishing Company. They are prophetic studies in themselves, as well as fine specimens of art. E. J. W. PROLI 6.2