Fully 1/3 of Scripture is prophecy?

[pm]

We have this couple at church who tie everything back to dispensationial teaching and prophecy. They claim that fully 1/3 of all Scripture is prophecy. I don't see it that way. Has anyone run into this and can shed some light on it?

 

[lukebailey]

It seems to me that it would very much depend on your definition of prophecy.... theirs would be much different than ours.

Just my

 

[Marrow Man]

They might be saying that 1/3 of the Bible is prophetic in nature. That's not the same thing as saying it is "prophecy" in common parlance. The principle meaning behind the idea of prophecy is "forth-telling" rather than "fore-telling." Most people only think of the latter (and there is that element of it in Scripture, of course), but the prophets spent most of their time declaring the truth about God, calling the people to repentance, etc., rather than simply telling the future.

 

[CNJ]

Just got the DVD "Late Great Planet Church: The Rise of Dispensationalism" Volume One from NiceneCouncil.com. It is excellent. The couple needs to consider views outside their own.
Cordially,
Carol

 

[DMcFadden]

What else would it be? Poetry? Gospels? Epistles? Narrative? Isaiah to Malachi is a pretty good chunk of the Bible. From that standpoint, the figure is probably on target. Unfortunately what is often heard when that kind of thing is said is that 1/3 of the Bible deals with the stuff of Hal Lindsay and Tim LaHaye books. Not!

 

[Repre5entYHWH]

if i recall right less than one percent is foretelling things not yet happened (in our day) but i guess that depends on your eschatology. and it's only like 3 percent is foretelling prophecy the rest is forth telling (God communicating a message to people through prophets (repent, etc.)) my numbers could be wrong it it's defiantly in the one digit range