Some Benefits of Prophecy
Isa 65:17 - "Look, I am creating a new heaven and a new earth - so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look... And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more."
1. HOPE - Prophecy gives the hope that allows us to cope with any difficulty. We can praise God for the fact that all of the prophecies in the scripture always come to completion. (2 Pet 1:20,21) We have a sure and certain hope that the Lord is omniscient and knows the future as well as the past. Therefore, our hope is in the Lord’s promises that He will never leave us or forsake us so that we can confidently say, the Lord is my helper, what can man do to me. Act 15:18 - Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.
2. PROBLEM-SOLVING - Prophecy shows people the nature of God’s evaluative processes. We are constantly trying to evaluate ourselves, situations and others. However, leave all the problem-solving to God. It is God’s business to judge the world for its sins. God said He would back back the people for their sins in His time and way. Judgment is not our job but His for He alone is just, omniscient and capable of rendering objective verdicts. Who else knows what each person deserves by way of punishment or reward? We can leave all the sorting out of people’s problems, guilt and sins to the Lord who is greater than all our sin.
3. REVEALING - Christ’s coming will bring both blessings and sorrow. There will be Christians who will be blessed to see the face of Jesus. (Rev. 22:4) but what sorrow will be present when the the Lord Jesus looks into the eyes of some and asks, "What have you done for me in a rhetorical sense? How did you use your time, talents and possessions for me? I came into the world to save sinners. Did you carry out my will for your life? Who is in heaven because of your witness? (Acts 1:8) Paul wrote about the revealing of his fruits in I Thes 2:19, "For what is our hope, joy or crown of rejoicing? Are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?" Prophecy tells us that all will be revealed about our working for the Master of lack thereof.
4. PERSPECTIVE - Prophecy gives us an eternal perspective on events. Paul wrote, "Set your thoughts on the things above rather than on things on the earth. For your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Col. 3:1-4) Rev. 21:8 and 22:15 describe those who are not allowed to enter heaven as follows: But the fearful and unbelieving and the abomindable and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, idolaters and all liears, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. This description mixed with the sins in Romans 1:24-32 and I Cor 6:9,10 provide a perspective from God’s point of view on the heinous nature of sin and its consequential effects:
1. The fearful, prideful and apathetic - Those who do not accept Christ to escape ridicule (Matt 10:32)
2. Unbelievers - Those who do not believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn 8:24)
3. The abominable - Those who engage in wicked practices (Titus 1:11)
4. Murderers.
5. Whoremongers - Those who engage in fornication or consort with immorality.
6. Sorcerers - Those who practice witchcraft, demonism and follow after the occult. This word comes from pharmakia and enchantment with drugs.
7. Idolaters - Those who worship or reverence anyone or anything other than the living and true God.
8. Liars - (Jn 8:44)
9. Dogs - False professors (2 Pet 2:22)
10. Homosexuals - (Rom 1:18-28)
11. The unrighteous - Those who trust in themselves, their works, a false religious system or mere religion for salvation. (Tit 3:5)
12. Fornicators - Those who engage in pre-marital and extra-marital sex. (2 Cor 6:9)
13. The wicked - Those who disregard all morality and moral standards.
14. The covetous - Those who wish all things for themselves, especially that which belongs to others. (Eph. 5:5-8)
16. The malicious - Those who willfully seek to destroy the person or property of others (James 1:26)
17. The envious - Those resentful of others.
18. Debaters - Those who would rather argue with God than accept His truth.
19. Maligners - Those who speak evil of, defame, or slander others. (James 3:2,3)
20. Whispers - Gossips
21. Backbiters - Those who constantly find fault with others and speak maliciously about them.
22. Haters of God
23. Despisers - Those filled with contempt toward God and man.
24. The proud - Those possessing an excessively high opinion of themselves.
25. Boasters - Those who exalt themselves.
26. Inventors of evil
27. The disobedient to parents
28. Those without understanding - That which results from unconcern or a rejection of the truth.
29. Covenant breakers - Those who do not keep their word
30. Those who affections are contrary to the laws of God and nature.
31. The implacable - Those exhibiting extreme stubborness to the point of refusing to yield to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit (Prov. 1:24-28; Acts 7:51,52)
32. The unmerciful - Those who lack compassion (Eph. 4:32)
33. Adulterers - those who practice extramarital affairs.
34. Abusers of themselves with mankind - Hardened homosexuals (Gen 19:5)
35. Drunkards - Those given to and overcome by alchohol (Prov. 20:1; Eph. 5:18)
36. Revilers - Those who use abusive or contemptuous language.
37. Extortioners - Those who exact money from or take advantage of others through violence, threats, or misuse of authority.
People who have failed to repent of their sins and transfer their trust to Christ as their Savior will still be degraded by these sins and will have to stand before Christ at the Great White Throne judgment. Then the books will be opened and another book will be opened and that is the book of life and whoever was not found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:12) I Cor 6:11. And such were some of you; but you are washed, you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Praise God for the cleaning power of the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all sins. (I John 1:7) We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We can understand God’s anger, disgust with sin and gain a healthy fear of God. For he who believes is not condemned, but he that believes not is condemned already because he does not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:17)
Let us do all we can to help bring deliverance to people before it is too late.
For believers God who have been obedient to God’s will they can stand before the judgment seat of Christ with confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. The confident will see their gold, silver and precious stones untouched by the fire of God. Genuine service for the Savior will not result in piles of ashes. They will receive jubilant awards, trophies and crowns of victory. (I Cor 3:11) and the glory of Christ (Col. 3:17) And whatever you do in word or deed will redound to greater thanks to God for eternity. Some Christians will be lauded as their motives are holy and pure. (I Cor 4:5)
The Lord will make manifest the secret counsels of the heart. Those who seek fame, fortune, honor or prestige and glory will exchange gold, silver and precious stones for ashes. What a sad ending for some who render service but with their wrong motives.
Will our present service stand the test of God’s inspection?
Some will suffer loss but yet be saved as though by faire. Rev. 21:4 says that God will wipe away all tears from their eyes and there will be no more death, sorrow nor crying. The tears will be wiped away but only after some will have to deal with the tears resulting from their disobedience. Only then do sorrow and crying cease eternally.
Let us not think we can get away with selfish living. Let us not find it more convenient to keep back what we could be investing in the great commission ministries. Some are afraid of being called a fanatic so they are more conformed to the world than transformed by the renewing of their mind with God’s word. Let us realize that God’s inspection will involve any sense of lackadaisical lives that exist more for self-convenience than Christ’s consecrative service.
5. PREDICTIVE - Christ’s coming will bring both blessings and sorrow. (Rev. 22:4) There will be an accumulation of rewards for faithful servants of Christ. But a Christian may also lose their rewards by foolish living. A Christian cannot live habitually in sin without suffering the degrading, defiling and deteriorating effects of sin. (I Cor 3:15) He shall suffer loss, but he himself will be saved yet so as by fire.
II John 8 says, "Look to yourselves that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward." Rev. 3:11 says that we should hold fast which you have than no man take your crown.
I Cor 9:27 says, But I keep under my body and bring it under subjection lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast away or disqualified or disapproved or set on the shelf." Even Paul knew that he could be diminished if he allowed his flesh to overcome his spiritual nature. If this could happen to Paul how much more fearful and cautious we should be in surrendering to the flesh. The mind set on the flesh is death but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. (Rom 8:6) Let us not lose our opportunities to contribute to the cause of Christ for eternity through flirtaious temptations. Let us not lose out on all the rewards that we could have by giving in to an unfulfilling habit of any kind.
6. PILOTING - Prophecy help us find direction in determining the best choices with our time, energies, and talents. Jesus said, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.’. (Matt 6:19-21)
Trust in the Lord and He will direct your paths. (Prov. 3:5-7) Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
7. PUT AWAY EVIL AND PUT ON RIGHTEOUSNESS - Prophecy helps us realize that vanity, danger and defilement of the things of this world and motivates us to put on righteousness, godliness, purity, holiness and love. (2 Tim 3:10,11) When we realize what is ahead we will not waste our time and efforts on things that are going to pass way. The world and its lust will pass away but he who does the will of God abides forever. (I John 2:15-17)
8. PICTORIAL DESCRIPTION OF FUTURE EVENTS - We can be sure of what is to come as we understand the rapture of the church, the tribulation, the return of Christ during the battle of Armageddon and His deliverance of Israel. The thousand year reign of Christ and the banishment of Satan to the lake of fire and the creation of the new heavens and the earth. God’s word proclaims it and we can count on every word of prophecy being fulfilled 100%. This sure and certain hope gives us positive expectations of what is to come and the reliability of God so we can trust and obey Him completely with all our heart, soul, strength and mind.
Credit is given to Jack Van Impe’s Everything you always wanted to know about Prophecy for some of the ideas in this message.
