Threefold Prophecy:
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Prophecy is not just a prediction of future events. It hold keys and patterns which translate into 3 main categories:
1. Future Literal Events
2. Spiritual Events
3. Personal Spiritual Events.
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Future Literal Events:
As the name states, a literal set of events takes place which falls into line with prophecy, usually couched in symbology, and hidden semantics which until the event, just prior to the event or right after the event takes place make no sense to a reader. Thus a thing can be in written form for 2000+ years and be unfathomable until the culture and civilization reaches a certain level of technology for full understanding of how it can happen, or when the political/social stage is set to reflect the event.
This issue can lead to false prediction and can lead to the faithless having more ammo in the fight against the faithful.
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Spiritual Events:
Prophecy can and usually does carry with it a Spiritual Event, or spiritual side. Prophecy is couched in terms which leads the faithful to seek out a spiritual path or position which is reflected in prophecy. One prophecy can read as a literal prediction and as a Spiritual Truth which is applicable spiritually for all time. Therefore the Insistence that God's Kingdom comes down to Man and resides in Man is a spiritual truth, meaning that God's kingdom is within all - but also is a literal prediction of the Literal God's Kingdom coming to Earth. (New Jerusalem: Revelation 21:1-3 )
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Personal Spiritual Events:
Prophecy also has the added side of applying to individuals through all of time. Each individual is a reflection of all history, their personal paths, spiritual progress in life reflects the greater historical progress of humanity as a whole. Individuals are called to walk the Path and to experience in a single life time the progression of humanity through its spiritual evolution. Sadly not all individuals do this, many are called but few finish the journey. Oft times an individual gets stuck upon the details of the Spiritual, indeed this is the problem of The Church (all denominations) they get stuck upon the details and progress ceases.
Those few rare individuals who proceed down the path attain what is known as "enlightenment". Perhaps these are the Saints:
Revelation 13:7
Revelation 13:10
Revelation 14:12
Perhaps they become angels, messengers of God patiently waiting for the rest of humanity to catch-up.
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The Latter Days:
There is no denying that we are in the Latter Days. This is the literal interpretation of Prophecy, it applies spiritually and individually as well, but in the instance that I speak I am using prophecy literally.
The Latter days are not the Last Days or the Time of Jacob's Trouble or The Tribulation. It is the years that lead up to these last days of this Age of Man. Troubling times they may be, they are not the Time of Jacob's Troubles.
I believe that these days are as terrible as they are wonderful in that we see the great Work of God defining and moving the players and pieces onto the stage, preparing for the Opening Act of the Final Days of Mankind's Self Rule. I believe, no, I KNOW that we are in those Latter Days and that the stage is being prepared and the conditions are being met to usher in the Tribulation.
That is the Age that is ending. Mankind is not designed to rule himself. That has been the whole point of the Bible, of history, to demonstrate that we are incapable of ruling ourselves wisely, justly and with Love.
God and only God can do that. Since the Fall of Adam (mankind not the individual) Adam (mankind) has been given the "gift" of being allowed to try to organize and rule himself and the world (perhaps even the universe) by his own rules.
We as individuals try it on for size as well. The enlightened few learn to turn their lives, their wills over to the hands of a Higher Power. I use Higher Power here because all religions (expect satanism) explain that as a human being we need the guidance of the Divine in order to reach our full potential. We each have or own personal "latter days" and our own personal "Tribulation" which either makes or breaks us. A few will turn to "Satan".
Please note the Quotes around "Satan" there. This is to say that some of us will turn our lives over to those things which are not of the Divine as we go through our time of trouble in our personal lives. Not a Literal being "devil" or Lucifer.
This is why we are directed to "worship" God. Worship is not as we perceive it to be. It has deeper hidden meanings which are difficult to express in short. Suffice it to say, part of Worship is to enter into a relationship of equality with God where God is the Leader and we follow not because we ourselves can not lead, but because we are part of God.
It is a marriage of Man and God which like the marriage of two people is where two individuals become one being. That "oneness of all things" that is highly spoken of by many religions but rarely understood by all people.