In these days, when people are searching for meaning and truth, for
purpose and hope, I can think of no better source for guidance than the Holy
Scriptures. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul writes that all of God's Word is
"profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness." That includes God's prophetic Word. God intends that we
understand the contents of the prophetic Word and that it will have a bearing
upon the practical decisions we Christians make.
Within the pages of
the Scriptures, we find the word of God, speaking to us as clearly as He spoke
to His 12 original disciples -- and we modern-day disciples know that we, too,
must hear the Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, to be about our calling. To
put it simply, we study the Bible because we want and need to know what God is
calling us to do.
Prophecy is a validator of Scripture
And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. [2 Peter 1:19]
Fulfilled prophecy is one of the best evidences that the Bible is
the inspired Word of God. The Bible contains hundreds of fulfilled secular
prophecies pertaining to cities, nations, empires, and individuals. No other
book in all the world has a record like this.
The literal fulfillment
of its prophecies demonstrates that biblical prophecy is accurate.
Prophecy reveals our Lord as He really is.
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." [Revelation 19:10]
There is no reason for prophecy to divert anyone's attention away
from Jesus. In fact, it should serve to emphasize the centrality of Jesus.
Biblical prophecies about Jesus Christ begin in Genesis with the Garden of Eden
and climax in the last book of the Bible, with its theme "The Revelation of
Jesus Christ." The Bible contains more than 300 prophecies about the first
coming of Jesus, all of which were literally fulfilled. Every aspect of the
life of Jesus was prophesied - the place of His birth, the nature of His birth,
the quality of His ministry, the purpose of His life, and the agony of His
death. The literal fulfillment of so many prophecies in the life of one
individual transcends any mere coincidence and serves to validate that Jesus
was who He said He was - the divine Son of God.
With even greater
detail, God wrote an "address" in history to single out his Son, the Messiah,
the Savior of mankind, from anyone who has ever lived in history - past,
present, and future. The specifics of this "address" can be found in the Old
Testament, a document written over a period of 1,000 years which contains over
300 references to his coming. Using the science of probability, we find the
chances of just forty-eight of these prophecies being fulfilled in one person
to be only one in ten raised to the 157th power!!.
The task of matching
up God's address with one man is further complicated by the fact that all the
prophecies of the Messiah were made at least 400 years before he was to appear.
Some might disagree and say that these prophecies were written down after the
time of Christ and fabricated to coincide with his life. This might sound
feasible until you realize that the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the
Hebrew Old Testament, was translated around 150-200 B.C. This Greek translation
shows that there was at least a two hundred-year gap between the prophecies
being recorded and their fulfillment in Christ.
Certainly God was
writing an "address" in history that only the Messiah could fulfill. There have
been approximately forty major claims by men to be the Jewish Messiah. But only
one - Jesus Christ - appealed to fulfilled prophecy to substantiate his claims,
and only his credentials back up those claims.
The study of
prophecy tends to purify the believer.
It's practical relevance is
attested to in that all the NT writers testify to the fact that the study of
prophecy will motivate holy living. And what could be more practical than that?
It is easier to resist temptation when you know what your actions will
ultimately bring. By describing both the destruction of earth and the glories
of heaven, God motivates us to "lay up treasures in heaven"rather
than live for earthly pleasures.
The study of
prophecy brings about a life-change.
The Bible is relevant to all of
life and for those who read it and heed it, it changes their lives. When I
began my study of prophecy, I suppose my goal was to gain a better
understanding of an apparent esoteric subject. What I eventually gained was
something I never planned for - an increased feeling of urgency. I began to
discover the relevance of the Bible for current life. Every issue that society
struggles with today had been dealt with in antiquity. Through the pages of
Scripture I read about how problems developed, their impact on society, and the
outcome. I have become more aware of the relationship of contemporary issues to
the larger picture of humankind and ultimately eternity.
The study of
prophecy promotes an evangelistic church.
Prophecy can be used as a
very effective tool of evangelism, as illustrated in the story of Philip and
the Eunuch (Acts 8:26ff). Philip used Isaiah's great suffering lamb passage
(Isa. 53) to teach that Jesus is the lamb who was slain for the sins of the
world. Matthew and Peter both used fulfilled prophecy in the life of Jesus as
one of their basic evangelistic tools (see 2 Peter 1:16-19).
Prophecy offers
confident hope in a hopeless age.
The world is drowning in
discouragement and uncertainty. Whether people are talking about the economy,
politics, the Middle East, crime, drugs, or even the weather, most people feel
as though they have lost control of their destiny. We need not be frightened by
events shaping up in our world if we know Jesus as Savior and know His promises
contained in the Bible. God has given us glimpses of the future to remind us
that He is in control. Evil might flourish for now but we can know that Satan
and his demons will be thrown into the lake of fire at the end, the church
might be apostate now but in the end the true and faithful church will be taken
to heaven to rule with Christ.
We do not need to be overly alarmed
or discouraged. rather, we can have joy because we can know the outcome.
We've read the last chapter, the last page.
We know the outcome and we know
who wins!
A proper
understanding of prophecy arms the believer against false prophets.
Those who study biblical prophecy will have less difficulty
distinguishing balanced from unbalanced teaching than will those who do not
search the Scriptures.
In Peter's second epistle, he warns that one of
the signs of the end times will be the appearance of "scoffers"
who will cast scorn and ridicule on the promise of our Lord's return (2 Peter
3:3ff). The great tragedy of our day is that many of the loudest scoffers are
religious leaders who profess to follow Christ.
In mainline and liberal
church culture, prophecy language is only remotely understood - if at all. Many
who claim the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible are really only
attempting to justify their own interpretation as being 'true.' Christians who
hold certain millennial theologies gather around them those who teach their own
views and readily reject other views. They refuse to look at evidence that
challenges their own view and are "blinded" to the truth.
That's a
variation of the New Age lie, "there are many ways to God." Only one can be
true. Cults and many denominations are founded on their own brand of truth.
Such leaders crucified Jesus the first time He came and they now scoff at His
promise to return.
The very essence of truth does not allow for
multiple interpretations.
