Prophecy in the Past Tense

“Can you fix my light, Dad?” was my daughter’s request. “Yes OK.     Consider it done!” was my bold reply. I could have just said “Yes OK. I’ll do it.” But her confidence that it would be done was enhanced by using the past tense. Psalm 119:89 declares:                                                                                                                      

 

Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. 

 

Being eternal, unconfined by time, outside of time even, our God is entitled to use the past tense when speaking of the future. He knows precisely what is to come to pass, and so He alone can truly say of the future “Consider it done.” 

 

This incident of the light set me considering how, where and why, the Holy Spirit used this principle, called the Prophetic Perfect, in the Scriptures.