Near and Future Fulfillment of NT Prophecy

[mikew]

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So I'm just asking in the most general terms, what if we have a New Testament prophesy that is commonly thought to refer to Nero, for example. Nero would satisfy the terms of the Prophesy as a "first" fulfillment. Does this then render the prophesy "checked off", so that we can say, "That one is fulfilled, it's done. We can leave it for the history books"? OR, is it possible that some future political figure of uncommon wickedness and influence could represent a larger, more comprehensive "second" fulfillment of prophesies related to the antichrist? Thus, those who say the prophesy refers to Nero would be quite correct. But Nero proves to be a "type", or just a "first fulfillment" of a more terrifying, more fully realized global tyrant of the kind thought to be on the horizon by other Christians?

The first thing in end-time study is to see to whom the prophecy is given and then to find the purpose of that prophecy. This process will negate extra viewpoints that aren't based on scriptures -- such as trying to give a second fulfillment when only one is specified.

The typology expressed in scripture was to point to the fulfillment in Christ Jesus. The physical was pointing to the heavenly reality. Believers are now the temple. So we ought not expect this fulfillment of the temple to be yet a type of something to come -- scripture just doesn't point us in that direction.

[BlackUmbrella]

Thank you all for your responses; they have been very helpful. I guess the lesson, then, would be this:

If the fulfillment of the prophecy seems clear, that's that. There is no grounds for speculation about any future fulfillment.

[mikew]

Thank you all for your responses; they have been very helpful. I guess the lesson, then, would be this:

If the fulfillment of the prophecy seems clear, that's that. There is no grounds for speculation about any future fulfillment.

Your conclusion likely is true regarding the types of passages you brought up. But there may very well be prophecies that have not been fulfilled. I see the encircling of the camp of the saints as a future event and the resurrection of the Last Day doesn't seem to have happened. But the thing about this resurrection is that there may not be any preceding events pointing to this event.

To me it seems that the focus of prophecy was to describe the great transitions occurring in the world when God decided to send His Son. This was a period when the temple was cast down, the promises to Israel were fulfilled. There were great wars. Eternal life became an offerring to all men. The kingdom of God was to begin.

Maybe now we don't have so many prophecies to follow cause we are more in the time of just exercising faith toward God. We don't have the transitions to face, the transitions of the first century.

[RickC]

It looks like this thread might be "done"...and I'm kind of late....

I was going to say that with "the son of David" in prophecy; the Bible itself leads us to Christ, the ancestor {son} and ultimate inheritor of David's throne: Jesus, The Lion of the Tribe of Judah: Case closed.

But with the 666 man, who I personally believe to be Nero, there's nothing in scripture that points to "another fulfillment of the 666 man." The Book of Revelation, as well as the rest of scripture doesn't give us any reasons to "look for a new Nero" or to, otherwise, expect one: Case closed.

Of course, there will be and has been other antichrists since Nero. That possibility will always be "open" till Jesus comes back....

Well, at least I showed up!