03-09-2004, 05:19 PM
Those are some pretty vague passages there, though the more pressing matter is how non-scholars were supposed to know about them. Back then nobody but the extremely wealthy were literate. That means the people the message was delivered to didn't have the capacity to know it was prophesied.
Also, your workplace will tell you when the code of conduct changes, without using a random guy on the street. Mostly because they know nobody will believe that guy and it would be wasted effort. Now, of course they could tell everybody the memo would be distributed in person by a third party, but they wouldn't say it in verse. All things considered, the style at the time (biblical era up through to pretty much the twentieth century) was to write things in abstract metaphors, but only because it was a way to show off ones education (a sign of being wealthy and of a good bloodline).
Also, your workplace will tell you when the code of conduct changes, without using a random guy on the street. Mostly because they know nobody will believe that guy and it would be wasted effort. Now, of course they could tell everybody the memo would be distributed in person by a third party, but they wouldn't say it in verse. All things considered, the style at the time (biblical era up through to pretty much the twentieth century) was to write things in abstract metaphors, but only because it was a way to show off ones education (a sign of being wealthy and of a good bloodline).