FACT: Bible prophecy has been one of the most ignored and abused portions of God's Word.
Key Scripture: "...you should remember the words spoken before hand by the holy prophets and the commandments of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying. 'Where is the promise of His coming?'" (2 Peter 3:3-4)
Reasons Given for Ignoring Prophecy
"It's too complex. You have to have a degree in theology to understand it."
Yes, it takes study. But God desires to communicate His will and one does not need theological training to understand God's Word, anymore than the Apostles, many of whom were uneducated fishermen. What you do need is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26) and a willingness to study (2 Timothy 2:15).
"It's too other-worldly."
Then why did the Apostles use it constantly in their teaching and preaching? (Acts 2:14-36 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
"It's all pie-in-the-sky."
No, It's full of God's precious promises concerning the future (1 Corinthians 2:7-10).
"It's divisive."
It can be, if it is taught dogmatically, with arrogance-just as is the case with any other portion of God's Word (Colossians 3:12-17 and Titus 2:7-8).
"It's Old Testament."
Jesus revered and quoted the Old Testament prophecies (Matthew 4:1-11 and Matthew 24:15-21), and we are exhorted to pay attention to the teachings of the Old Testament (1 Corinthians 10:1-12).
Also, keep in mind that the New Testament is full of passages that quote and reaffirm Old Testament prophecies (Matthew 1:19-23 and Acts 15:14-19).
"It doesn't apply to me."
Who says? John the Baptist presented a prophecy in John 3:36 that applies to every person who has ever lived - namely, that those who put their faith in Jesus will have eternal life, and those who do not will experience the wrath of God.
Prophecy is full of warnings to unbelievers and "precious promises" for those who have put their faith in Jesus (Hebrews 3:12 and 2 Peter 1:4).
"It's all too scary. It's full of bad news."
Yes, there are a lot of terrible and frightening prophecies, but only for those who reject God's gift of love and grace in Jesus. For those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, there is only good news - gloriously good news (Revelation 20:6).
"If it's for real, then why hasn't Jesus returned?"
Good question. And the answer is given by he Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 3:3-9 where he explains that the only reason Jesus has not returned is because God "does not wish that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
"If it's for real, then why are there so many prophecies that have not been fulfilled?"
The only prophecies that have not been fulfilled are those that relate to the future - to the Tribulation, the Second Coming, the Millennium and the Eternal State. Just as hundreds of other prophecies have been fulfilled that relate to the past, these will also be fulfilled when the time comes.
Ways in Which Prophecy Has Been Abused
1) The Apostates
These are people who profess to be Christians but who deny that the Bible contains any prophecy. They dismiss prophetic passages either as meaningless poetry or else they argue that the prophecies were written after the event that was prophesied. The bottom line is that they reject the supernatural inspiration of the Bible. The very existence of such people in the Church today is a fulfillment of Bible prophecies (Matthew 24:10-12, 2 Timothy 3:1,5 and 2 Peter 3:1-4).
2) The Spiritualizers
These are Christians who argue that prophecy never means what it says. So, they spiritualize it to mean whatever they want it to mean - in which case, they play God. If prophecy does not mean what it says, then how can we ever know when it is fulfilled? Prophecy, like all of God's Word, must be interpreted for its plain sense meaning. And yes, prophecy often contains symbols, but they have a literal meaning, and that meaning is often revealed in the passage itself, as in Revelation 1:13, 16, 20.
3) The Fanatics
These are Christians who really believe in Bible prophecy but who seem obsessed in using it to engage in wild speculations about the future, including such things as the identity of the Antichrist and the date of the Lord's return. Their irresponsible manipulation of prophecies is what has caused many people to hold prophecy in contempt.
4) The Apathetic
These are Christians who simply couldn't care less. They are either cold in the faith, or they are too lazy to study God's Prophetic Word. They often just shrug their shoulders and say, "I'm a Pan-millennialist because I believe it will all just pan out in the end." Sad!
Prophecy is an Expression of God's Love
Prophecy was given to warn us about future events and to prepare us for them, not to scare us. Informing us about the future through prophecy is an expression of God's love for us.
His desire is for us to be able to understand end time events, to endure and to have the hope of total victory when Jesus returns. Also we are to share His prophetic truths and their fulfillments to convince people that the only hope for this world is Jesus, the Messiah.
In 1 Corinthians 2:9-10a, we find these words:
As it is written,
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared
for those who love Him"
- but God has revealed it to
us by His Spirit (NIV)
Paul is quoting Isaiah 64:4 in an effort to point out that the blessings God has prepared for believers are so great that they are beyond our imagination, yet many have been revealed by the Holy Spirit through prophecies.
A Satanic Conspiracy
Satan does not want anyone studying prophecy, because prophecy contains the revelation of Satan's ultimate and total defeat, while revealing the absolute victory o Jesus.
The wonderful message of Bible prophecy for believers is that "We win in the end!" Satan does not want anyone to know that message. And thus, Satan has inspired the abuse of God's Prophetic Word. The less we know of God's Prophetic Word, the more deception Satan can employ.
The Apostles Paul and Peter commanded us to respect and pay attention to prophecy (1 Thessalonians 5:20 and 2 Peter 1:19).
Quotation:
"A very striking and strange condition exists at present, namely, the deliberate refusal on the part of religious leaders to consult carefully the prophetic Scriptures. True, there have been cranks, blind fanatics, hobby-riders and unwise date-setters posing as prophetic teachers, but all of these unscholarly obscurantists put together do not afford any man a legitimate excuse for not studying the divine plan as it is plainly set forth in the Bible." - Lehman Strauss (1911-1997), pastor and author.
Lamb & Lion Ministries www.lamblion.com