This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Revelation 5:3
DailyBibleStudy.Org
3 And [kai] no man [oudeis] in [en] heaven, [ouranos] nor [oude] in [epi] earth, [ge] neither [oude] under [hupokato] the earth, [ge] was able [dunamai] to open [anoigo] the book, [biblion] neither [oude] to look [blepo] thereon. [autos] KJV-Interlinear
3 And no one in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look into it. NASB
And as far as the ability to look into the future, during our dispensation, the Church Age, there is no one who has or ever will have that ability.
John wrote this book about 96 A.D., and its future contents (from chapter six on) will be revealed, and will occur, in the Tribulation and after.
That leaves our dispensation in between, in which there will not be anyone who will be able to tell the future, look into the future, predict the future, prophesy of the future, or even guess as to what the future holds, without referring to this book of Revelation, and using it as their basis for whatever they want to speculate about.
The doctrine of the Rapture states that it is imminent. That means that it could occur at anytime, from the moment that John finished writing this book, nearly 1900 years ago.
That principle alone means that no prophecy for our Church Age exists, except for the Rapture, which concludes our dispensation, and therefore nobody possesses the gift of prophecy of any type for the period within our dispensation.
And even though specific prophecy does not exist in our dispensation, that does not mean that the trends and the stage setting predictions for the alignment of circumstances in preparation for the Tribulation, cannot be recognized. For we have many such predictions that are there to help us recognize that we are nearing the end of our age.
If there were prophecies for our dispensation, then that would mean that they would have to occur before the Rapture, and that would make it not imminent.
Anyway, all of the year 2000 predictions, the 2012 predictions, the Nostradamus material, the Mayan predictions, the Cayan prophecy, the Baha’i prophecies, and on and on and on. None of these are real. None of these, as well as others, have any basis in fact.
And that is stated here in this verse. No one, no man, no angel, no one in heaven or on this earth, no one in this entire universe, whether man or angel or created being of any kind, or occupants in the land of the dead, can reveal, predict, or say what the future holds.
The word for no man, ‘oudeis,’ does not refer to humanity, but to any sentient being, living or dead, past present or future. And no, means just that. None have ever had that ability, and none will ever have that ability, except to the extent that God reveals the future to them.
God made several detailed prophecies known in the Old Testament, but only one in the New Testament. That being this book as revealed to John.
No one predicted the death of presidents, the world wars, or the price of tea in China. If you have any sense at all, you yourself can predict with a certain degree of ambiguity, almost anything in the future. And sooner or later, someone famous will die, some earthquake will occur, some conflict or crime or whatever, will occur in the future, and you can stand up and take credit for it. And there will be those who will be in awe over your uncanny insight.
In all of these three great realms, heaven, the land of the living, the land of the dead, there was no one to be found.
None could open up the book of the future. No one could even look at it (perceive it, predict it, speculate it).
There is only one basis for all prophecies that are documented in cultures throughout history and from all over the world, and that is because they were spoken of by God to the ancients in centuries long ago.
Beginning with Noah, since after the flood, prophecy of a savior, prophecy of an end of time, have been handed down from generation to generation, and went with each culture as people spread across the planet.
And since Noah, there have been charlatans who have tried to predict the times and dates, either for their own amusement, for fame, or for profit, and none have ever come close.
We are obviously still here.
As for the present, look to God for your spiritual needs, 2 Tim. 2:15.
As for the future, look to God for the direction of humanity, and not to soothsayers or false prophets, Isa. 8:19.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
If you are a Facebook member, then please join the Bible Study Group that best suits you:
Facebook Groups
Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
Two subscription options to receive these daily studies everyday via e-mail, are available here.
