Q: What is a triple application?
A: Bible principle works upon a triple application as we read 2 Cor 13:1, John 8:17 and other scriptures. Christ also testifies of this principle by using it in John 5:31-32 to demonstrate His own works.
Prophecy works upon a triple application for example we have the three angel‚Äôs messages, the three Woes, the three Elijah’s, three Rome‚Äôs and the three persecuting powers and so forth.
We are told in the book of Revelation that Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. To confirm this, Isaiah 44:6-8 reads “Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel and His redeemer, the Lord of hosts; I am the first and I am the last; and beside Me there is no God. And who, as I shall call and shall declare it and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? And the things that are coming and shall come, let them shew unto them. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? Ye are even My witnesses. Is there a God beside Me? Yea there is no God; I know not any”.
The above scripture testifies that God is able to reveal what is to transpire in the future through past events. We know according to Amos 3:7 that God promises that He would not do anything unless He first reveals it onto His prophets. Hence, the triple application works by the Lord revealing to His servants things that are to shortly take place through knowledge of past history.
Diligent Bible students will see a pattern in the Word of God. They will recognize that by studying one history would not only bless them to understand the next but also that when God places an emphasis in His word or repeats something more than twice, it is because He wants His people to go back and thoroughly study that particular verse or look more closely into the history as God does not repeat or do anything unnecessarily but there is always a reason behind His working. For example, if we want to know how modern Babylon will fall in the future, we should look into how ancient Babylon fell in the past. Adam failed the appetite test that Christ overcame and those who are to stand in the last days are required to also overcome the appetite test. In the book of Genesis we see that man lost the right to the tree of life but in the book of Revelation the tree of life is once again restored back to man.
When we look at the triple application of Elijah we will see a pattern as the first history plus the second gives you the third. For example, in the history of Elijah the Tishbite, you will see a woman, Jezeebel in an unlawful relationship with king Ahab who represents the state and you will also see the false prophets of Baal that did Jezeebel’s work. All these three figures were in opposition to the working of Elijah and the message he was preaching to Israel.
In the history of the second Elijah, John the Baptist who Christ likened to Elijah in the gospel of Matthew 11:7-14 we see the same pattern. You have Herodias a woman who was in an unlawful relationship with Herod a state figure and Herodias’ daughter, Salome who did the work of her mother by doing the dance of deception and again all three figures were in opposition to John the Baptist.
Elijah the Tishbite translated into Heaven and did not see death but John the Baptist the second Elijah was beheaded. Therefore, the first Elijah plus the second will give you the third. The third Elijah are the 144,000 who do not see death like Elijah the Tishbite but alongside this number you have the great multitude who like John the Baptist die but are saved, please refer to Revelation 7:9-14.
In the history of the third Elijah we also see a woman, the Church, modern Rome in an unlawful union with the state, the United Nations and the false Prophet the United States of America is the tool in the woman’s hand that does her work. (See Revelation 13:12-15 and 1712:13) There are many triple applications in the Bible and the purpose of this is to have confidence in Gods Word because the first and second history of an event will determine the last. As the Lord tells us: “I am the Alpha and the Omega the Beginning and the End, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8)
