Is it impossible to understand prophecies?

Prophecies are not necessarily understood automatically. 

For more information:

Prophecies are not necessarily understood automatically:
Click here

Now it is NOT impossible to understand prophecies. For example:

1) In the Bible, people managed to understand prophecies before they came to pass. 

2) Prophecies can be explained by people who came to understand them.

3) Prophecies can include a call to action, and so understanding the prophecies can also be implicitly expected for the people receiving them to even be able to act accordingly. 

4) Prophecies can use a certain language to describe something, and the language used in prophecies can be understood in certain ways. 

You can find more details below:

1) In the Bible, people managed to understand prophecies before they came to pass:

People can come to understand prophecies before they came to pass.

For example, it is written about "PETER" (John 21:17) that "Jesus says (to) him, “Be-feeding My sheep. Truly, truly, I-say (to) you, when you-were younger you-were-girding yourself and walking where you-were-wanting (to go). But when you-become-old, you-will-stretch-out your hands and another will-gird you and bring (you) where you-are not wanting (to go)”. Now this He-said SIGNIFYING (BY) WHAT-KIND-OF DEATH he-will-glorify God" (John 21:17-19).

Later, before experienced death, the same "PETER" (2 Peter 1:1) would have displayed an understanding of this prophecy, writing: "I regard (it) right for as long-as I-am in this (bodily) tent to-be-arousing you with (a) reminder, KNOWING THAT THE PUTTING-OFF (OF) MY (BODILY) TENT IS IMMINENT, JUST-AS INDEED OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST MADE-CLEAR (TO) ME" (2 Peter 1:13-14).

2) Prophecies can be explained by people who came to understand them:

Prophecies can be explained by people who came to understand them.

For example, it is written that there was an "Ethiopian man, (a) eunuch" (Acts 8:27) "sitting on his chariot. And he-was-reading the prophet Isaiah" (Acts 8:28) and "PHILIP heard him READING ISAIAH THE PROPHET, and SAID, “DO-YOU INDEED UNDERSTAND (THE THINGS) WHICH YOU-ARE-READING?” And THE (ONE) SAID, “HOW INDEED MIGHT-I-BE-ABLE, UNLESS SOMEONE WILL-LEAD ME (IN-THE-)WAY?” And he-invited Philip to-sit with him, having-come-up. Now the passage (of) Scripture which he-was-reading was this: “He-was-led like (a) sheep to slaughter. And as (a) lamb before the (one) having-sheared it (is) silent, so He-does not open His mouth. In His humiliation, His justice was-taken-away. Who will-describe His generation? Because His life is-taken-away from the earth”. And having-responded, THE EUNUCH SAID (TO) PHILIP, “I-ask you, ABOUT WHOM IS THE PROPHET SAYING THIS — about himself or about some other?” AND PHILIP — having-opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture — ANNOUNCED-AS-GOOD-NEWS JESUS (TO) HIM" (Acts 8:30-35).

It can be implied from this text that "PHILIP" (Acts 8:30) did "UNDERSTAND" (Acts 8:30) about whom this prophecy from Isaiah the prophet was about, and so he did lead the eunuch in the way to understand it as well.

3) Prophecies can include a call to action (and so understanding them could be implicitly expected):

Prophecies can include a call to action, and so understanding the prophecies could be implicitly expected for the people receiving them to even be able to act accordingly. 

For more information:

Prophecies can include a call to action (explicit or implied):
Click here

4) The language of prophecies can be understood in certain ways:

The language used in prophecies can be understood in certain ways. 

For more information:

How can the language used in prophecies be understood?:
Click here

↺ Click here to return to the Table of Contents.