Prophecy is one of the most neglected subjects in Scripture. Is it unimportant? Another way to ask that question is to ask if anything in Scripture really matters. The answer is a resounding YES; it all matters. The attitude today is that the Bible is an ancient writing with no relevance to modern times. Every word of Scripture matters because it comes straight from God and hasn’t changed. God hasn’t changed.
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8).
People haven’t changed either. We are still sinners who need the grace of God for salvation.
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Parents have dropped the ball when it comes to teaching children about God. Is the moral law really relevant in today’s society? Yes, it is. Just because people accept sin with open arms doesn’t mean God’s moral law is invalid.
Are the Ten Commandments just ten suggestions? If you step into a classroom at a public school, you’ll find that kids are being taught many non-Biblical things, beginning with evolution. Parents have turned child-rearing over to others, including the government, and have lost control of the morals being instilled into their children.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
Christian pulpits are filled with preachers teaching an agenda rather than preaching God’s word, but that’s what in-name-only Christians want.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
This verse is a prophecy which is being fulfilled today. Sin isn’t preached against, and prophecy isn’t taught because the congregation won’t like that. They have itching ears and are just looking for someone to condone their sins. Money and being politically correct motivate many preachers rather than standing upon God’s truth.
As preachers hop, skip, and jump over troublesome verses, the Gospel and all of Scripture become watered down and diluted, and sin doesn’t seem so bad. That doesn’t mean you can’t study Scripture on your own and learn God’s truth. Christianity isn’t works-oriented; salvation comes from faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Rewards come from doing good works motivated by gratitude for what Jesus has done for us, not by self-interest. There’s no doubt that we are saved by faith, period.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Only the righteousness of Jesus Christ can make us worthy of salvation. Once we finally understand that sin has condemned us to Hell, and to place our faith in the sacrifice of Christ and His resurrection, our way of life should change. Scripture should come alive! Our joy should be in serving Jesus and submitting to His will.
When a person joins a club or a lodge, they have no problem learning the rules and memorizing oaths of that club. Yet, Scripture seldom becomes important to new believers. Where are the mentors? We need men and women who stand firmly on Scripture, not denominational dogma; Christians who encourage and support new believers into a new life in Christ. Sadly, older believers don’t always study Scripture either. Every word of Scripture is important.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
The words “all scripture” include prophecy. God doesn’t want us to be unaware of what’s coming, and the end is coming very fast. Over one-third of Scripture is prophecy, so that tells me that God wants us to pay attention.
Too many Christians get their “theology” from podcasts by people who twist God’s truth or from television shows instead of prayerfully going to Scripture. Don’t get me wrong, there are some wonderful resources online, but unless you read Scripture, you can’t tell the false teachers from those who stand firmly on God’s word.
The disciples walked with Jesus and learned directly from Him. The things they wrote about were amazing, but I also wonder about things they didn’t document. John said that Jesus did many other things that weren’t written down. There was just too much to document!
“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen” (John 21:25).
The Holy Spirit directed the Apostles to write down enough so we can be assured that Jesus was truly God incarnate. Peter was one of those men who followed Jesus and witnessed marvelous things. He saw blind men healed, lame men walk, children raised from the dead, and also the transfiguration where he heard the voice of God.
In spite of Peter’s failures (and even denying Jesus), Jesus told him to feed both new believers (lambs) and older believers (sheep) (see John 21:15-17). In that same talk, Jesus told Peter how he would die (John 21:18-19). When Peter knew that Jesus’ prophecy was about to be fulfilled, he wrote a letter of encouragement to fellow believers. He made it clear that he and the other disciples didn’t follow a myth or fable, but followed God’s Son.
In spite of all the marvels he saw, Peter said it was prophecy that was more certain to prove God’s truth. The miracles and the witness of the transfiguration were amazing, but prophecy is “more sure.”
“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).
Why prophecy? The miracles were witnessed by a few people, and if they hadn’t been documented in Scripture, they would have gone unheard of by following generations. On the other hand, prophecy is there for all to see. There were many Old Testament prophecies of Jesus, and I’m sure the disciples were aware of them and aware that Jesus fulfilled them. Peter spoke with Jesus and saw His miracles in person, but he still says prophecy is “more sure” and is a light that shines in the dark.
As we draw near to the end of time, the world becomes darker because of evil being unleashed. God’s word is the guiding light for Christians.
In Psalms we read, “NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). People who study Scripture feel less fear about the wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, and all the other signs of the times. God doesn’t want His followers to be ignorant of what is happening.
All Scripture came from God, so it can be trusted completely (2 Timothy 3:15-16), while secular news reporters have no clue about what’s really happening and feed the fear. Christians even feel the fear. For some reason we don’t question when a boss dictates a letter to his secretary, who types it and mails it off to the recipient, but we just don’t grasp that God dictated His word to men who held the pen and wrote His words exactly as the Holy Spirit dictated.
Since God exists outside of our perception of time, He knows what’s coming and is our guiding light. It isn’t that God wrote a script, then directs events to follow that script, but He has seen what will happen and allows our free will. A poor example is if you have seen a movie, then you watch it again with a friend. You know what’s going to happen before it happens. Since you know what will happen, you could tell your friend about the plot twists and turns. We don’t live in a movie, but God has seen the end from the beginning.
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10).
Because He loves us, He wants us to be aware of the future. That’s where prophecy comes in. Many prophecies have been fulfilled, such as those telling of Jesus’ birth and death. We can look at the fulfillment of these prophecies and know that the ones that have yet to be fulfilled will be fulfilled just as God says they will. This is the light that shines in the darkness to light our way.
Many people don’t study prophecy because they think it’s nothing but doom and gloom. For the Christian, the future is bright. There are troubling times ahead leading up to Daniel’s 70th week. That prophecy is found in Daniel 9:24-27, and it and the following chapters should be studied by all Christians.
The “weeks” referred to are 7-year periods of time, and 69 of those 70 weeks have been fulfilled; but we are living in a “pause.” The 69th week ended with the Crucifixion of the Messiah, and the 70th week will start after Christians have been taken Home in the Rapture. Jesus said the great tribulation will be worse than any other time in history.
“For then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24-21).
God’s wrath will be poured out upon the entire earth (begin reading in Revelation chapter 6). Christians won’t be a part of these judgments. Our sins were paid for at the cross, and we aren’t appointed to wrath.
“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).
When you understand that the Rapture has been pictured in Scripture since the time that Enoch was raptured prior to God’s judgment of the flood, you can understand that there’s an urgency to spread the Gospel. Prophecy is very clear that the end times prophecies are being fulfilled and the great tribulation is coming quickly. Christians will not see that dreadful time, but will be safely gathered with our Lord in Heaven.
When you read the Book of Revelation, you’ll see that Jesus dictated seven letters which John was to send to seven churches. Those letters lay out the future history of the Church. The last letter was to be sent to the church in Laodicea, which was very apostate and kept Jesus outside of its congregation. Like so many churches today, Jesus was not welcome; they felt they had everything they needed without Jesus.
Revelation chapter 4 begins with the Greek words “meta tauta” translated “after that” (a sequence of events). John says after he saw the church age end (Laodicea), he was then caught up to Heaven. John saw marvelous sights in Heaven; things I long to see.
The rest of Revelation, with all of its judgments and wrath being poured out, is not about the church, but about bringing Israel to faith. The ekklesia (church) isn’t mentioned at all during the judgments. Prophecy isn’t something to be feared, but is a light that shows us where we are in history and how to avoid God’s judgment.
Should we care about prophecy? Yes, we should. God put it in Scripture, so that fact alone means we need to study it. Many people are stumbling their way through the darkness of the times in which we live, but prophecy is that light that brings understanding to what’s happening.
The war in the Middle East and the demonic hatred of Israel are seen in Bible prophecy. Prophecy shines a light in the darkness of the evil permeating life today. Darkness is from Satan; the light is from God. Pray for the Jewish people, pray for fellow Christians, and pray that God will take us Home soon.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
Recommended prophecy sites:
All original Scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).