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Some people
have told us that prophecy is over-emphasized in the church
today. In fact, there is a dearth of instruction on Bible
prophecy within churches and seminaries today. If anything,
I believe prophecy is under-emphasized. The Left
Behind ® series of books by Tim LaHaye and
Jerry B. Jenkins is an enormous success. Each new release
in this series about the end times consistently conquers the
summit of the New York Times bestseller list. Even secular
bookstores clear entire shelves to stock this series.
Tyndale House, the publisher of the Left Behind
® series, recently built a 60,000 square foot
warehouse specifically for the Left Behind ®
books. This phenomenon points to an intense interest among
Christians and non-Christians alike in prophecy and the end
times.
Among
unbelievers, this interest has historically been focused on
astrology, horoscopes, fortune telling, etc. The secular
world has always been fascinated by the prophecies of
Nostradamus, and most recently by spirit medium John
Edwards. The Left Behind ® series has
managed to direct that interest towards the true prophecies
of the Bible. Many are surprised to discover that nearly
one-third of the Bible is prophecy! If we are to hold
that the Bible is God’s Word to us, then we must conclude
that He wants us to know prophecy and study it. There are
several reasons for this.
In the Old
Testament, there are over one hundred prophecies concerning
the coming of the Messiah. By these prophecies and their
fulfillment, we recognize that Jesus IS the Messiah, and not
merely some charlatan with delusions of grandeur. The same
Book that saw more than one hundred Messianic prophecies
fulfilled exactly in the person of Jesus Christ, predicts
His second coming five times more often than His
first! Since His first coming is an historical fact, we may
be that much more confident that He will come again.
The Bible is
replete with prophecies of events that will occur in the
“last days” leading up to the rapture of the church. Two
major prophecies were fulfilled within the last 60 years as
Israel was gathered back in from their dispersion and
established once again as an independent nation, and also
with the reconstitution of the ancient Hebrew language as
the official language of Israel. Many prophecy scholars
believe that the fig tree in Matthew 24:32 represents this
reborn Israel, and that the generation that will see His
second coming (v. 34) is the generation in which we now
live.
While many
generations have felt that they were living in the last
days, you cannot argue that it is now later than it has ever
been. Prophecy is being fulfilled at a rapid rate. Knowing
the “signs of the times” convinces one of the imminence of
Christ’s return. The effect of this knowledge is that
Christians are more prone to holy living, and to spreading
the gospel before it is too late to continue fulfilling our
Great Commission.
Prophecy can
have a huge effect on the unbeliever as well. As biblical
prophecy continues to be fulfilled, it provides evidence to
the divine inspiration of the Bible. Taking the Left
Behind ® series as an example (not as
gospel), we can see a very important purpose served by the
knowledge of prophecy. In these books, we find a number of
“tribulation saints” who accepted Christ after the rapture
of the believers. The pivotal influence that led these
people to Christ is that they recognized the rapture for
what it was. Prior to the rapture, Christian friends and
family members had shared with them not only the gospel, but
also what the Bible prophesied would be in store for the
world. After the believers disappeared, the memory of this
convinced the main characters that the Bible was real.
Whether you believe in a pre-tribulation rapture or not,
Bible prophecy can speak volumes to the unbeliever, and
convince them that this Book of prophecies is real, and the
good news within must be believed.
Some reject
the teaching of end times prophecy because Jesus told us
that no one would know the day or the hour of His second
coming. They read into that a futility in being educated in
prophetic signs. While it is true that the exact timing of
His second coming will remain a mystery, He also instructed
us to “keep watch” regarding the signs of the end. These
signs are the fulfillment of prophecy, and we need to be
familiar with them if we are to be good stewards of the time
He has given us.
2 Timothy
3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is
useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good work.” Since nearly a third of
Scripture is prophecy, and God does not make mistakes, it
only stands to reason that we should not only accept
prophecy, but also embrace it as an inspired and important
part of God’s Word to us.
Making a Choice
We have a choice to make. We can choose to dig hungrily
into the Word of God, equip ourselves to face a godless
world, and contend earnestly for the faith; or we can
forsake sound doctrine in favor of a lightweight social
theology. If we choose the latter, we will be propagating a
caffeine-free diet church in which we sit around patting one
another on the back for being right, but doing nothing to
further the gospel of Christ. If we choose the former, we
will be contenders – fighting the good fight and letting
Christ shine through us to reach a world that is lost. I
leave you with Paul’s words to his protégé in 2 Timothy 1:8,
“So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or
ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering
for the gospel, by the power of God…”
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