Why SHOULD we study PROPHECY?

One of the most fascinating aspects of the Bible is prophecy. From Genesis to Revelation, the Scriptures are literally saturated with remarkable prophecies. Unlike the vague and indefinite predictions of secular men, such as Nostradamus, the prophecies contained within the Bible are extremely clear and detailed. Some were given centuries before their fulfillment. A small few are still waiting to be fulfilled.

Some people are absolutely fascinated by Bible prophecy while others feel that it is either too difficult, uninteresting, or even unimportant. A good number of well-known preachers and evangelists continue to proclaim from the pulpit that we would be wise to stay away from prophecy and not study it all. They point to those who have misinterpreted prophecy, gone off the deep-end, and caused tragedies such as those of Waco, Texas or Jonestown, Guyana, as examples that studying prophecy at one's will can be detrimental and even dangerous.

Others point to the massive difference in the amount of interpretations which certain prophecies have been given, so as to say that it is impossible to get any correct meaning out of them. They consider prophetic texts to be too open to speculation and urge their flock to stick with the subjects in the Bible which are 'necessary for salvation.' 'Only focus on Christ', they say. Are these preachers and adversaries of prophecy right? Or is there something else to Bible prophecy that Satan doesn't want us to be aware of? And why study prophecy anyway?


Prophecy, Christ Centered

In the very first three verses of the book of Revelation, the claims and arguments of the skeptics and adversaries of prophecy are swiftly debunked and destroyed. Look at what the Word says in just the first verse,

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John." Revelation 1:1


Here, God tells us point blank that the cornerstone and focus of the center-book of Bible prophecy is none other than Jesus Christ. From the very beginning to the very end of the book the focus is on Jesus Christ, His sacrifice, His ministry, His people, the controversy between Himself and Satan, and His final victory over the forces of darkness at the end of time. Those who consider the study of the Bible important should most definitely consider the study of prophecy to be vital to their spiritual health.

In fact, the book of Revelation is the only book in the Bible which, directly or indirectly, makes references to a large majority of the rest of the books of Scripture. These references take us through the entire story of salvation as found in the Old and New Testament, from the moment sin entered the world all the way through to the time when sin will forever be destroyed, with Jesus as the main character throughout.

But the book of Revelation is not the only book in the Bible which deals primarily with prophecy. Both, the Old and New Testament, are literally filled with prophecies concerning Messiah the Saviour and His people. Almost half of the 39 books of the Old Testament are primarily prophetic books, while every one of the New Testament books and epistles include multiple prophecies and prophetic references, most of which are concerning the Second Coming of Jesus. In fact, the prophecies of the Old and New Testament are so intertwined that in order to correctly understand the apocalyptic prophecies contained within the book of Revelation you have to understand many of Old Testament prophecies first.


A Blessing Promised

So, what about those who are telling all to stay away from prophecy and focus on the gospels and books which are more Christ-centered? They are preaching error, simple as that. The devil loves this for he knows how detrimental the understanding of prophecy is to his plans. Take a look at the 3rd verse of Revelation 1,

"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." Revelation 1:3


Jesus promises us that through sincere study of prophecy, and application to our lives of the counsel and warnings written therein, we will receive an abundance of blessings from the heavenly realm. Just from this verse alone it is easy to see why Satan would want to influence men to stay away from the study of prophecy. He knows that one of the main characteristics of God's remnant people at the end of time will be the gift of prophecy, combined with a thorough and proper understanding of Biblical prophecy.

"And the dragon[Satan] was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 12:17

"And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:10


We see here that prophecy itself, reveals those with the Spirit of Prophecy as Satan's most bitter enemies at the end of time. No wonder he hates prophecy so much! The object he has gone to such lengths to discredit is the very thing which identifies those will gain victory over him and his forces! I praise God that there are many who are now waking up and realizing the time we are living in, through the study of prophecy.

The questions now comes however, what is so special about prophecy? What is there so peculiar about prophecy that God is willing to pour out a special blessing upon those who study it?


1. God's Will Revealed

One of the most important purposes for prophecy is that it is used as a revelation of God's will. Jehovah is the God of light and in Him is no darkness at all(1 John 1:5). He is not the God of secrecy and has no pleasure in withholding truth or His will from His children. Yet at the same time He will not reveal to us more than what we can bear and what we are willing to accept. One of the ways God reveals His will and purpose to His people is through the means of prophecy.

To those who have shown their commitment to the Lord through diligent study and prayer, God further reveals His plans and His will. This is in part the reason why much of Bible prophecy is hidden behind symbols and figures. Just like in the parable of the talents, God wishes that we rule well over the light that has already been given to us and multiply it by means of sharing it with others. To those sincere ones who are found faithful, He shines rays of light upon scriptures and prophecies that were previously not understood. This is why we should continually pray for the Lord to allow us to find those precious, hidden nuggets of truth within His Word.

Furthermore, to reveal His will to the people more directly, God will inspire men or women with dreams or visions. This is in fact how all prophecy came about and made it into the cannon(written Word) in the first place.

"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1:21


Many times God delivers these messages to His people in a time when they are in special need of guidance or reproof. We see instances of this countless times in the Old Testament with prophets such as Isaiah or Ezekiel when the people were warned to turn away from evil. Interestingly enough, while revealing His will and counsel, which was to be considered present truth to the people of that time, God also presented new prophecies, which focused on the not-so-distant future as well as the end of time. We see then that through the use of the gift of prophecy God reveals His will towards us concerning not only our present state, but also our eternal destiny.


2. Scriptures Validated

"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Isaiah 46:9,10


The Lord tells us that one of the ways we can know if we can depend on His Word or not is to look at the past. He points us to His Word as the validation of His authority. As we saw, the Bible contains hundreds of prophecies, many of which pertain to the fall and destruction of specific cities and kingdoms such as Babylon, Egypt, Israel, Tyre, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, etc. Looking back to the past, we can see with amazement the fall of these powers, sometimes up to several hundred years after the prophecies concerning them were included in God's Word. Each time a prophecy met its fulfillment, it did so to the very line and even the very word as it was written in the Scriptures. No other book has a track record like this.

Through the remarkable fulfillment of prophecy we see that the Bible is valid in every way. The Word of God which has already been fulfilled has been 100% accurate, and we can be certain that the things foretold will also come to pass in the very way as they have been prophesied.


3. God's Character Unveiled

One of the most glorious aspects of prophecy is the way in which it unveils the true character of Yahweh. In the universal controversy and battle between good and evil, Satan has done his best to make angels and men believe that his actions were just and that God was unjust in throwing him out of heaven. Just like the one third of the angelic host(Revelation 12:4), millions of men have also been deceived and believed this lie.

Yet, through prophecy the pureness of God's character and the extent of His love is described. All the way back in Genesis 3:15 the coming of Messiah the Savior is prophesied and the greatest self-sacrifice this world has ever seen is foretold. Though now marred with sin and death, the earth was promised a redeemer 4,000 years before His coming. At great sacrifice to the Godhead, the coming of the eternal Son was to reveal the infinite love of God through His death. The Creator was to come and experience death as one of the created. Surely there is no greater love than that.

The Old Testament contains over 300 direct prophecies concerning the first coming of Jesus. All of these prophecies were literally fulfilled. Every aspect of Jesus' life 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 fulfillment of just 48 of these prophecies in just one person in the history of the earth equals to one in ten to the 157th power(10 ^157)! That is infinitely greater than all the matter contained in the visible universe. Amazingly, Jesus fulfilled all 300 of these prophecies line by line, word for word. Such an amazing feat truly escapes any possibility of a coincidence and reassures us that Jesus truly was the divine Son of God.

In Luke 24 Jesus reiterates the importance of prophecy in relation to our salvation,

"He said to them, How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." Luke 24:25-27 NIV


It is again through prophecy that we see the long-suffering and patience of God in allowing sin to take its course. Even though it pains Him greatly to see His creation suffer at the hands of sin, He allows all the universe to see the results of rebellion against the loving principles of His kingdom as final evidence of the loving and pure character He possesses. But God's loving character is revealed in fullness especially in the prophecies concerning the redemption of His obedient children, who have suffered to live in a sin-infected earth;

"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:2,3


What a wonderful promise!


4. End-Time Deceptions Unmasked

The biggest thing that Satan despises about Bible prophecy is the fact that prophecy unmasks the deceptions which Satan has prepared for the people of God. For six thousand years the devil has been experimenting with the properties of the human mind and he knows it well. He has planned and prepared accordingly so as to take advantage of the weaknesses of the human race and deceive them into eternal death. We see this work in our time with the explosion of the technology revolution and the cunning false teachings that are being spread through the Christian world. But one of the specific purposes of prophecy, and particularly end-time prophecies, is to expose the deceptions that Satan will use in the last days.

In Matthew 24:3 the disciples ask Jesus, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" The very first thing that Jesus replies with in verse 4 is, "Take heed that no man deceive you." Jesus knew that global deception would be foremost on the devil's agenda in the time of the end. That is why, out of His matchless love, He has blessed us with a special glimpse of the future. Jesus knows that we are prone to be deceived, but He loves us so much that He has let us know of the end-time issues beforehand, just to make sure we make it into His kingdom.

Satan is a diligent bible student. Since the beginning of time he has done his best to misinterpret and cloud prophecy in order to keep men in darkness. This is the single reason why there are so many different interpretations of prophecy today. Satan has influenced the minds of many to devise and invent ever-absurd interpretations of prophecy. The more interpretations, the more confused people will be and the less of a chance for them to learn the true meaning of these essential end-time truths.

The result of such influence is the diversity of denominations and groups of 'believers' who are persistent in relying solely on their own wisdom as the basis for interpreting truth. They quickly reject other views when such are presented with clear and convincing evidence from scripture. Even the warning of the apostle Peter stands largely rejected,

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." 2 Peter 1:20


The Bible is beautiful in that each truth and prophecy is explained somewhere within the pages of Scripture. If we compare Scripture with Scripture we will see that the Bible is its own expositor, with no need for the opinion of men.

Yet these teachers and preachers harden their hearts, because of selfish pride, and so the blind continue to lead the blind. Prophecy exposes these deceptive teachings to those who are hungry for truth.


5. Believers Armed & Prepared

Prophecy describes in detail what we have to do in order to avoid deception and remain on God's side. It is particularly in the books of Daniel and Revelation that we are shown the exact issues concerning the last days and just who the main players are going to be. Those who diligently study prophecy with an open heart are usually blessed with a more acute sense of discernment than those who do not. In essence, that means that by studying prophecy it will be easier for us to recognize deception and error when it is presented before us and therefore stay close to the genuine.

Not only that, but by taking Jesus' counsel, 'Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." Matthew 24:42, we can be aware of the closeness of His appearing. Through the study of end-time and apocalyptic prophecies we have the opportunity of recognizing the times we are living in and prepare accordingly.

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:" 2 Peter 1:19


On top of that, the Lord wants us to be watchmen to the rest of the world. With the light that is given to us we are to proclaim from the hills and the rooftops that His return is imminent. It is through being co-laborers with Christ that we may be fully ready for the final crisis.

The apostles themselves emphasized the importance of the knowledge and use of prophecy during their ministry. In Acts 2:16-21, in the very first sermon after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter actually starts off his message by explaining a prophecy by the prophet Joel concerning dreams, visions, and the Second Coming. During the rest of the message he continues to expand on more fulfilled prophecies concerning Jesus. The use of prophecy combined with the power of the Holy Spirit thus resulted in more than 3,000 people being baptized in a single day! The understanding of prophecy is something that every believer should have in his or her arsenal. We never know when we shall have need of it when witnessing to others and the results it brings are breathtaking.

I think of the study of prophecy in this way. Imagine you are the captain of a major ship running on a major supply line near the Arctic. Suddenly you receive a warning message through the fax with the headline 'WARNING! DANGER AHEAD!' Knowing the possible dangers of these treacherous waters you ignore the warning without reading the rest of the transcript and continue about your business anyway. Unknown to you, the warning was concerning a large chunk of an iceberg that has just broken off a nearby glacier and which is now reported to be in your path. The fax also includes information on the best possible safe path in order to avoid it. The night comes, your ship crashes into the oncoming iceberg and you sink with the ship.

Aren't most Christians exactly the same when it comes to prophecy? Millions are on the cruise ship of life. Their Bible is just at an arms reach screaming 'WARNING! DECEPTION AHEAD!' Yet, in their own wisdom, they ignore the warnings and continue on their own strength, believing they know these treacherous waters wall enough. Oh, if they only realized the path they're treading!

Jesus doesn't want us to walk in ignorance. He wants us to be fully armed and prepared for the coming deceptions and crisis ahead. He longs for each one of us to be with Him in His kingdom and He wants this hope to be within us ever so brightly. This is something that prophecy was given to us for. We should not make light use of it.


6. Faith Brought To Life

Unlike anything else in the Bible, prophecy has the remarkable tendency to reinvigorate the spiritual life of the believer.

Countless Christians come to church every week, fellowship with others, and continue to hear and talk about what they believe in and what they consider to be doctrine. However, for a large majority, their faith never becomes anything more than just what they 'believe' in. Though they do all those things, unknown to them, they are in fact spiritually dead. Their faith never leaves the stage of infancy and they never progress to acquire a working faith; a faith which compels them to go out and work for the salvation of souls.

I have seen the study of prophecy do amazing things in people's lives. Especially when it comes to faith, prophecy has the ability to take a believer from the point of spiritual death to where their faith is a living reality. Instead of just 'believing', the lives of many change to literally them being all about living their faith with zeal and fervor. They yearn to be co-laborers with Jesus and rejoice at any opportunity of witnessing and spreading the love of God, and the truth that was revealed to them, to others. Why is this? Why does prophecy have such an effect on souls?

The Bible says, "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater." 1 John 5:9. What the Word points out here is that the testimonies of men can only take us so far. Reading and studying the Scriptures can instill us with faith and make it grow, but often there is something else needed in order for us to acquire a higher level of faith and relationship with God.

That very thing is the need to see God and His Word manifest in our lives. Yes, we can read about it and hear about our beliefs in church but until we experience God in our life, or in the world around us, our faith will never be where it needs to. Every believer needs to have this happen in his or her life; to see the reality of God with their own eyes. This is where often times prophecy will come in.

"And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe." John 14:29


There is something mysterious about seeing prophecy fulfill with our own eyes. In a world where all the scientists and learned men are telling us that the Scriptures are just myth, the soul silently longs for and rejoices greatly at the manifestation of God's Word. This is especially true concerning the prophecies dealing with the end of time.

Seeing the things foretold come to pass, even as we go about our daily routines, is nothing short of extraordinary. The soul is awakened and a sense of urgency is often instilled within a short time. This urgency then drives the believer to seek an ever-closer relationship with the Savior and the Father. He realizes that it is time to prepare and be ready. If he opens his heart to the Lord, very soon he will allow nothing else to absorb his energy and time. He continues to strive to purify his soul and character, and with his eyes focused on the return of His King, this everlasting hope burns as fire within his heart.

I have seen atheists come back to God and become full-blown believers within a matter of days thanks to prophecy. That's the effect which prophecy can have or has had on many of us. It is life-changing. If it hasn't been for you yet, I urge you to dig deep into the Word with a sincere and open heart. God will open your eyes to amazing things and your living faith will grow beyond anything you previously imagined.


An Open Book

The book of Revelation is an open book. Revelation 22:10. The prophecies of Daniel have been unsealed as well. God wishes for all to understand and take to heart the truths and warnings contained within the prophecies. Just as exciting is the fact that not all light has yet been revealed, not all prophecies fully understood. Time is short however, and the Lord wishes to uncover the last few remaining puzzle pieces to those who are willing to commit themselves to Him.

"Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things." 1 Peter 1:10-12


Prophecy is fascinating, while at the same time extremely important to all Christians. Peter tells us that even the angels long to study it with diligence. That certainly is an encouraging thought.

Within the books of Scripture we can find all that is necessary to be armed and prepared for the final crisis and the soon coming of our Lord. God has given us His final warnings of love because He wants us to stand on His side and be saved. Sadly, many are being deceived by their own pastors and elders. It is our duty as God's watchmen and servants to reach out to these souls and point them back to the study of Scripture and prophecy.

Let us pray, study, and be co-laborers with Jesus. Let us allow nothing else to absorb our time and effort. Great events will soon unfold. Let's be ready for time is short!


God Bless!

- Pete Warda
Co-Director, Remember The 4th Ministries