Prophecy as a Catalyst: Using the Future to Win Souls Today :: By Joe Hawkins

Published on: by RR10 Category:General Articles

“For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).

Introduction: Intel from the Future

In every military operation, intelligence is critical. You don’t launch an assault or prepare a defense without first assessing the terrain, the threats, and the timetable. In the same way, Bible prophecy serves as spiritual reconnaissance—it gives believers advance knowledge of God’s redemptive plan, coming judgments, and final victory. But this intel is not meant to be hoarded by the Church like a top-secret file. It’s meant to be shared—urgently, boldly, and with compassion.

Bible prophecy is not merely a roadmap of the end times—it is a divine megaphone shouting to the world: “Jesus saves, and He’s coming back soon!” The growing convergence of prophetic signs isn’t just confirmation for those watching; it’s a wake-up call to mobilize and evangelize.

  1. Prophecy: The Ultimate Conversation Starter

We live in an age of anxiety. Wars, pandemics, economic instability, natural disasters, and societal breakdowns are dominating headlines…and hearts. People are asking, “What is happening to the world?” That’s where prophecy comes in.

Jesus told us to “watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42), and Paul echoed the urgency in Romans 13:11: “It is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” When current events begin to line up with ancient prophecies, it opens the door for gospel conversations.

When you say to someone, “What we’re seeing in Israel, the rise of global governance, digital currencies, and the erosion of morality—all of that is in the Bible,” you’ve got their attention. You’ve gone from sounding like a preacher to sounding like a prophet—with evidence to back it up.

Prophetic evangelism is not fearmongering; it’s forecasting—warning others of what’s coming and pointing them to the only safe harbor: Jesus Christ.

  1. The Pattern of the Prophets

Throughout Scripture, God’s messengers used prophecy to call people to repentance:

  • Noah warned of the flood for 120 years, building the ark while preaching righteousness (2 Peter 2:5).
  • Jonah reluctantly preached a prophetic message of impending judgment to Nineveh, and the entire city repented (Jonah 3:4-10).
  • John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ by calling people to repentance in light of the coming Kingdom (Matthew 3:2).

In each case, the prophetic message was a call to action: turn now before it’s too late. Prophecy always carried with it the heartbeat of God—not to destroy but to redeem.

  1. Jesus Used Prophecy to Evangelize

When the disciples asked Jesus about the end of the age, He gave them the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24–25, Mark 13, Luke 21). He didn’t shy away from describing the wars, famines, earthquakes, persecutions, and false prophets that would arise. But in the middle of that dire forecast, He said:

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

The prophetic timeline is interwoven with the gospel mission. Prophecy is not a separate subject—it’s a fuel source for evangelism.

Jesus also used prophecy to reveal Himself to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He “expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27). The prophetic word is not about charts and dates—it’s about Christ.

  1. The Apostles Preached a Prophetic Gospel

The early church exploded not just because of the resurrection but because the apostles proclaimed that everything happening was fulfilling prophecy:

  • Peter at Pentecost quoted Joel 2, explaining the outpouring of the Spirit as the fulfillment of prophecy (Acts 2:16-21).
  • Paul in Thessalonica reasoned with the Jews from the Scriptures, “explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again” (Acts 17:2-3).
  • John’s Revelation was not written to create fear—it was meant to embolden persecuted believers and call unbelievers to repentance.

In every case, prophetic fulfillment was used to authenticate the gospel. We should do the same.

  1. The Urgency of the Hour

“Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…” (2 Corinthians 5:11).

Too often, Christians view prophecy as an intellectual exercise or a hobby. But if we truly believe that the Rapture could happen at any moment (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), and that seven years of tribulation will follow (Daniel 9:27; Revelation 6–19), then our response should mirror that of a soldier who has intercepted enemy battle plans—tell as many people as possible before it’s too late.

Ezekiel 33:6 says:

“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned… their blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.”

We are not merely analysts. We are watchmen. And silence is not an option.

  1. Prophecy and the Heart of God

It’s easy to become focused on the geopolitical elements of prophecy—wars, alliances, earthquakes, false religion, and technology. But behind every judgment is a God who desires mercy. His warnings are born out of love:

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise… but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Even during the Tribulation, the gospel will be proclaimed by 144,000 Jews (Revelation 7), two witnesses (Revelation 11), and an angel flying through the sky (Revelation 14:6-7).

If God is using every means possible to call people to Himself during the worst time in history, how much more should we be proclaiming Him now, while the Church is still here?

  1. How to Use Prophecy in Evangelism

Here are some practical ways to use prophecy as an evangelistic tool:

a) Start with Questions

Ask people: “Do you think the world is getting better or worse?” Then follow up with: “What if I told you the Bible predicted all of this thousands of years ago?”

b) Connect the Dots

Use headlines to highlight biblical prophecy—globalism (Revelation 13), immorality (2 Timothy 3), earthquakes (Luke 21:11), and apostasy (1 Timothy 4:1). Show them how Scripture speaks to today.

c) Keep the Focus on Jesus

Don’t get sidetracked by speculation. Always steer the conversation back to the gospel:

“This isn’t just about the end of the world—it’s about your eternity. Jesus took the wrath you deserve so you could have peace with God.”

d) Be Gentle and Clear

“Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense… with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

People don’t need a prophecy expert—they need a gospel witness. Be firm in truth but tender in tone.

  1. Every Believer is a Recon Soldier

Every believer is part of a forward reconnaissance mission—alerting people to the danger ahead, revealing the path to safety, and pointing to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

As the darkness deepens, our light must shine brighter. As the world grows more deceived, our message must become clearer. The time is now. The harvest is ripe. The King is coming.

“He who wins souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). “And those who turn many to righteousness shall shine like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3).

Conclusion: The Trumpet is About to Sound

If Bible prophecy only leads us to argue or speculate, we’ve missed the point. Prophecy is the trumpet blast before the battle. It’s the final recon briefing before the mission begins. And the mission is clear: make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20).

Let the rise of the beast system push you to your knees in prayer and move your feet toward the lost. Let the signs of the times remind you that time is running out. And let the prophetic word not be a reason for fear but a reason for fire—a holy urgency to reach as many as we can with the gospel of grace.

Because while the wrath is real… so is the rescue.

Stay Awake! Keep Watch!

www.prophecyrecon.com

 

 

Israel, the Great Burden :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: by RR10 Category:General Articles, Sean Gooding

Zechariah 12: 1-3

“The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: ‘Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.’”

The closer and closer we get to the return of our Lord Jesus, the more and more the nation of Israel will be front and center in our news and scope. It all began in the early 1900s with the British Mandate for Palestine that ran from September 1923 to May 14, 1948. The goal was to set up a home for Israel. The British ran the mandate until 1948. Before the British showed up, the Ottoman Empire controlled the area. Over the years leading up to the 1948 declaration, there had been many revolts by Palestinians about land. There was one in 1929, another in 1936, and again in 1937 despite trying to really seek peace and set up borders for the two to co-exist peacefully.

In particular, during a 1937 uprising, the British killed somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000 people, and this soured the people back home. The view of the world was that there should be a two-state occupation of Jews and Arabs in Palestine. The Arabs keep usurping everything that is offered and even agreed upon. The British eventually ended their mandate on May 15th, 1948. The day before that, the nation of Israel resurrected from the ‘dead,’ so to speak, after having been dormant since 70 AD. Almost 1,900 years later, they came back to life. Here we are 77 years later, and they are still here, the Arabs are still fighting, and the world is still seeking a peaceful solution.

Israel is a burden to the vast majority of the G-7 nations. There are Jews living all over the world. In little Barbados where I am from, we have one of the oldest synagogues in the world that is still operational. There is an understanding that until there is peace in Israel, the world does not really have peace. Thus, for more than 100 years, nations like England and the USA have worked tirelessly and spent billions of dollars trying to find a peaceful solution to the Palestinian dilemma. Today, we are sitting on a powder keg with Iran trying to acquire nuclear-grade weapons. The rest of the world knows that, if they do, they will try to eliminate Israel right away.

God told us that Israel would be a burden to the nations around her, but we can see that this burden extends to the whole world. There is a deliberate act being done to try to find a workable and lasting peace here. But no real peace will come without Jesus. In the meantime, one will come to negotiate a kind of permanent looking peace, but it will be a façade, a ploy to gain the loyalty of Israel with the intent of destroying her. In Daniel 9:27, we find out that someone will come and confirm a covenant with Israel for 7 years.

“Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”

When we read Daniel 9:24-27, we see that the time allotted to work out all the things that will happen to Israel is set for 70 weeks; 70 seven-year periods, totaling 490 years. There is a deliberate end that comes with the death of the Messiah and ending the 69th week. Then the ‘covenant’ and agreement that tells the world that the clock is ticking again is made with Israel, and they are allowed to begin making offerings and sacrifices again. This has not been done since 70 AD. But this ‘covenant’ is short-lived; in the middle of the week, or 3 and a half years in, the sacrifices and offerings are stopped. We know why; in Revelation 13:11-13, we see that the man who makes this covenant demands that the world worship him as god.

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.”

Israel will refuse, and then he and the armies of the surrounding areas will turn on Israel. If you notice the end of our verses in Zachariah 12, the armies of the world are gathered against Israel. (This man, this ‘covenant’ maker, will lead the armies of the world against Israel. Just as an observation, the idea of the ‘world’ may not mean the whole world. The writers like Daniel may not have known the world outside of the Middle East. Thus, the whole world to them may just be the armies of the surrounding nations and those connected by land.) Israel is a burden to the world right now. If nuclear war breaks out in Israel and the Middle East, it will be devastating for a lot of people, and it will affect billions of lives.

One day, soon, we hope, Jesus, the true and only Messiah, will return to bring lasting peace to Israel, and it will be the center of political power – not Washington DC, not London, not Brussels, and certainly not Ottawa. No, Jerusalem will be the center of political power here on earth. From her, Jesus will reign unchallenged for 1,000 years, and then once a rebellion is thwarted, He will reign long into eternity. God has a plan; God is in control; God knows where He is going, and we can be assured that Israel is not going anywhere.

While I appreciate the efforts of the US military, it is God who defends and protects Israel. In Jeremiah 10:16, Israel is called God’s inheritance. “He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including Israel, the people of his inheritance— the Lord Almighty is his name.” In Isaiah 19:25, Israel is called God’s inheritance once again. “Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.”  Then see in Deuteronomy 32:8-9, “When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance.”

No one will take God’s inheritance. It is His, and there is nothing that the world can do about it. When you get a chance, read Ezekiel 16 and see how God views Israel. It is His and no others, and He is not changing His mind anytime soon. Keep an eye on Israel; she is like the key to the end, and soon God will begin the final 70th week to complete Daniel’s vision.