Prophetic Figure of Speech?

Prophetic Figure of Speech?

Ezekiel 20:46 – “Son of man, turn toward the south, and speak out against the south. Prophesy against the open scrub land of the Negev, 47 – and say to the scrub land of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the LORD: This is what the sovereign LORD says: Look here, I am about to start a fire in you, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The flaming fire will not be extinguished, and the whole surface of the ground from the negev to the north will be scorched by it. 48 – And everyone will see that I, the LORD, have burned it; it will not be extinguished.’” 49 – Then I said, “O sovereign LORD! they are saying of me, ‘Does he not simply speak in eloquent figures of speech?’”

Imagine all the time spent in receiving and delivering messages of warning from God only to have the messages discounted as nothing more than figures of speech or parables and not meant to be treated as real.

Jesus understood this kind of reaction when He said in Matthew 13:13-14 – For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand. And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: ‘You will listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely yet will never comprehend.

Paul encountered a similar reaction when He spoke to the epicurean and Stoic philosophers and they were asking, “what does this foolish babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) – Acts 17:18.

What do you think?  Are all prophecies in the Bible to be taken as figures of speech and not to be considered seriously?  Can we really afford to take that point of view with all the history of fulfilled prophecy that the Bible has been right about?  Ezekiel expressed his frustration about this reaction to God and this is where the chapter closes.  The next chapter continues with messages of judgment with the confirmation “Then everyone will know that I am the LORD” – Ezekiel 21:5.

Will you discount all that God has done for you to convince you that He is real?  Though the messages of God seem enshrouded by figure and parable, look carefully at what has already happened and know that the blood of Jesus was really spilled for you.  His resurrection is real and therefore hope beyond the grave is real too.  The veil will soon be lifted from the figures of speech and we will see things as they are.  May we see the reality of Jesus by faith before that happens.  Let’s believe in Jesus today!