Why Study Prophecy?
Why Study prophecy is a question often asked by Christians. We should study prophecy because God considers prophecy important. If He didn’t He wouldn’t have revealed future events to His servants the prophets. Although prophecy is a large part of the Bible most Christians today do something Jesus didn’t do. They downplay its importance. They dismiss it as something having no practical purpose. They claim it can’t be understood so why bother wasting time studying prophecy or the study of prophecy is merely a fad that will fade away like all fads fade away. It is even claimed the study of prophecy takes one’s eyes off Jesus. Why would God put something in the Bible that has no practical purpose? Why would He permit something that cannot be understood be a large part of the Bible? God is not the originator of fads.
Could it be someone doesn’t want Christians to know the return of Jesus to this earth and establish His kingdom is predicted 318 times in the 260 chapters of the New Testament? The only subject mentioned more often is salvation. In Paul’s Epistles he mentions the ordinance of communion twice, baptism 13 times, but the return of Jesus 50 times. Could it be someone doesn’t want Christians to know there are references to what we are witnessing in the world and Christianity today in the Bible?
My question is and I would like someone to answer it; why is the study of, the teaching of, and the preaching of prophecy put on the back burner? Explain why the Holy Spirit would inspire Paul to write in His second letter to Timothy all of God’s Word, not some of it is “profit for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). God wants us to understand what has been predicted in the past, the present, and the future because it has a bearing upon the decisions we Christians make.
There is no just reason that can be given for not studying, for not teaching, or not preaching on the subject of prophecy. Prophecy does not divert anyone’s attention away from Jesus. In fact, it focuses attention on Jesus. 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. Fulfilled prophecy is one of the best evidences that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. The literal fulfillment of its prophecies demonstrates that biblical prophecy is accurate and reveals our Lord as He really is.
Fulfilled prophecy is evidence only one man in history out of the many who claimed they were the Messiah that man was Jesus. He can not be confused with anyone who has ever lived in history - past, present, and future. What is amazing the Old Testament was written over a period of 1,000 years and there are over 300 references to the first advent of the Son of God our Lord Jesus. Using the science of probability the chances of just forty-eight of these prophecies being fulfilled in one person is one in ten raised to the 157th power. The odds of anyone fulfilling all of them are so great it is impossible to calculate.
In an attempt to undermine the fact Jesus alone fulfilled all the prophecies of the coming Messiah the enemies of Jesus claim the events recorded in the gospels dealing with the life of Jesus and His ministry, death and resurrection were written down by the apostles or some scribe after Jesus death. This might sound feasible if the Hebrew Old Testament had not been translated into the Greek language about 150-200 B.C. This Greek translation shows that there was at least a two hundred-year gap between the prophecies and the writing of the gospels.
Why study prophecy? The study of biblical prophecy makes it less difficult to separate the false teachings of those who do not study the Scriptures or have been mislead by the spirit of deception in this world from the truth. 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 churches prophecy language is only remotely understood - if at all.
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. The true and faithful church will dwell in the kingdom of heaven.
Regardless of the tendency, even from the pulpit, to make a joke of the old adage, “We have read the last chapter and verse of the Bible and we win the war, we will win the war because the prince of this world is a defeated monarch and the lost in this world need to know that. They need to know all religions and gods of this world are not equal. They never were and never will be. There is only one true living God. He is the God of the Bible.
Through out the civilized world there is belief this world is headed somewhere it has never been. World population is out of control. The growth experts don’t know and some believe it will be impossible to raise enough food to feed and distribute it equitably 50 years from now. They don’t know how it will be possible to feed 6 billion plus people. The experts don’t know how to settle the conflicts between nations are more global than they were fifty years ago. There is the constant danger of some radical to triggering a weapon capable of destroying all life on this planet and all the efforts of the nations have failed to find a solution to this problem. Social problems, crimes and violence are increasing at an alarming rate and there seems to be no solution. Deadly diseases which resist all known drugs and therapies are spreading across the face of the earth at an alarming rate. International terrorists, unchecked and unstoppable, are wreaking havoc around the world. People with opposing beliefs and conflicting cultural values are crowded together on a shrinking planet. The problem is how do we bring unity and harmony in such a mixed up world? There is also the fear a killer asteroid from space will strike this planet and destroy all life on this planet and the planet. The question the people want answered is “how can we find a way to peace? The politicians and most theologians don’t have an answer.
The problems, conditions and issues of this 21st century can be traced to the first century of history, to a garden in the Middle East. After Adam and Eve, a so-called myth by the educated experts who can not solve the problems and issues of the 21st century, disobeyed God and He predicted a conflict will exist between womankind and the serpent: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Genesis 3:15). This prediction describes the conflict of the ages between Satan and the Messiah who will come. This prediction like many found in the Bible deal with future events that lie just over the horizon, events that will very soon come to pass.
There are predictions in the Bible of events that would occur during the lifetime of the prophet. Others point to events hundreds or thousands of years in the future. Some have a double fulfillment. From the context of the prediction it can be seen that there is an application to an immediate historical event that is about to happen, (and indeed it always does come to pass). But later the same kind of situation will arise again in history and find a more complete and accurate fulfillment.
The aim of the Old Testament prophets was to enlighten, to awaken hope, and to turn people from their destructive ways so God may bless them. Knowledge of what the future holds is the best way to prepare us to be ready. We are not at all better off being ignorant of what God had clearly said He was about to do, especially since He is in charge of things and we are not. The reason God warns us about future events is not because He takes delight in frightening people or impress people with displays of power nor in any way use intimidation or force to help people see His point of view. Judgment is God’s "strange work" and our Maker judges men only as a last resort when all else fails. God is always eager to teach His children, to shine new light on His Word, and to help them sort out the relevance of events in the modern world. He does not want us to be ignorant but well-informed.
