"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."
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FURTHER INFORMATION ON PROPHECY
The entire study on "Prophecy" is only available on audio tapes consisting of twelve messages on six 90-minute audio tapes packaged in a convenient and attractive cassette album.
To obtain the album on "Prophecy" enter Tape Album A020 on the order form.
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Is The Study Of Bible Prophecy Important?
This is a study on the importance of Bible study in reference to Bible prophecy in scripture. Being full of prophecies, much of the word of God is prophetic in nature and because of that Bible students are interested in Bible prophecy, especially biblical prophecies about such things as end times prophecies, the tribulation, Armageddon, the antichrist and who is the antichrist, as well as the last days mentioned in the book of revelation.
Bible prophecy is a subject that we spend little time on but all wonder about, and of course we want to know when certain things are going to come to pass. But in reality, Scripture tells us that no man knoweth the time certain prophecies will come to pass and that the knowledge of when these things shall come to pass remains with the Father. But this does not mean that we should forget about or not concern ourselves with the subject of prophecy.
A simple definition of the word prophecy would be the stating of something which will come to pass, and from a Scriptural point of view, prophecy was given to us by God through the mouths of prophets. Prophecy is very important to us for several reasons: one being, the coming to pass of prophecy is evidence that there is a God, in that only God could say things we read of in Scripture with the assurance that what He says will come to pass. And as time unfolded prophecies did come to pass and are recorded for us, and because of this evidence we know that God is truly God.
The importance of prophecy in Scripture is demonstrated to us in the use of the word "prophets," since the word "prophet," or a variation thereof, is used 490 times in the Bible, some 327 times in the OT, and 163 times in the NT. And that is a lot of usages. And so, based on usage, prophets and the prophecies revealed to them should be important to us, and it seems to me that we should be more than just a little concerned about the study of prophecy. In 2 Peter 1:19 we read:
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed in your hearts." (2 Peter 1:19)
Now this is very interesting, and is almost a command that we study prophecy. In our previous study on 2 Peter, we saw that verse 19 speaks of the sure word of prophecy, which came through the prophets, and what is meant here is that the sure word of prophecy had come to pass with the coming of the Messiah, as certainly, that is the subject under discussion in 2 Peter.
The entire verse begins with the words:"we have also a more sure word of prophecy." Actually, a literal translation of the Greek states "and we have more sure the prophetic word." It seems to me that what is being said here is that although the three apostles saw the transfiguration and heard the voice from heaven, they, and we, have something more sure than what they saw at that time, and that is the "sure word of prophecy," for without the prophecy, then the actual event they witnessed would not have been as meaningful. Thus the prophecy which spoke of His coming was extremely important, and they were witnesses that indeed, the prophetic word had come to pass -- and they have recorded what they witnessed for our benefit.
So important were these prophecies that Peter says, "Wherefore ye do well that ye take heed." And I will tell you something else -- this was said to people who were alive at the time prophecies pertaining to Christ had been fulfilled, and yet, Peter is telling them to take heed of the prophecies contained in the OT. That being the case I don't see how we can overlook the prophecies in the OT. After all, if these prophecies were important in the days after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then certainly, prophecies should be just as important to us today.
In any event, Peter goes on to say that they should take heed "as unto a light that shineth in a dark place." What this means is that the prophecies are like a light that shining in a dark place. The idea is that just as light makes our way in dark places more sure, likewise, so do the prophecies of God make the word more sure. Thus, if we take heed of prophecy, then things should become more clear to us. But this does not mean that all shall become clear to us, and this is told us here with the words "until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts."
The idea here is that a lamp does light the way to some degree but we only see that which is very near to us, but with the dawning of the day, all that is around us will become clear to the eye, which is to say that the day is coming when a brighter light shall appear and all shall be revealed unto us, which, obviously, in reference to the 2nd appearance of the Lord.
But in the meantime, we must take advantage and profit from of all the light we have, and that means we should diligently study the prophecies of the OT as well as what is said in the New Testament, and we do so, so that we not be in total darkness as it pertains to understanding His word.
However unimportant the study of prophecy may be in the minds of men, we should be able to see that it is a subject of the greatest importance in the sight of God. It is unfortunate that so many professing Christians dismiss prophecy as being unimportant and uninteresting.
There are many reasons for this attitude among Christians. For example, prophecy is dismissed because preachers, rather than allowing God to mean what He says, declare that God means something very different than what He has plainly said, and because of all these various and different so-called interpretations, the ordinary Bible reader is left in a bewildered state. I will give you an example of this later on.
Secondly, prophecy is dismissed because of the belief that Christ will not come until at least a thousand years have passed, and to the average Bible student, that makes it needless for him to look at the Scriptures that speak of Christ's return.
Thirdly, there is another belief that Christ comes at the death of each believer, and what such a belief does is to make Christ's return of little consequence, because they are going to die and be with Him. Certainly to those people, it makes no difference whether Christ literally returns to earth at all, so before or after the Millennium is not even something to be considered. And certainly, these people are not interested when someone talks about watching for His return and being ready when the Bridegroom cometh.
Obviously such people are ignorant of the importance of Christ's return, and are content with the knowledge that such prophecies are simply not applicable to them and so they need not concern themselves with them or study them..
But because of what Peter says in 2 Peter 1:19, we must believe in the importance of the sure word of prophecy. And now my friends, to begin looking at the subject of "prophecy" let us do so by examining what God, Himself, has to say about the subject.
To begin with we need to only look at Chapter 3 of Genesis to find the first prophetic promise of God made to Eve, which was a prophecy concerning the seed of the woman and of her seed's victory over that old serpent -- Nackash.
When it comes to faith we must ask ourselves, was not Abel's faith based upon the coming sacrifice? Was not Enoch's faith based upon the coming of the Lord? Was not Abraham's faith based upon the coming of a promised heir and inheritance? Was not Isaac's faith based upon things to come? Was not Jacob's faith placed in a coming blessing? Was not Joseph's faith based upon a coming exodus from bondage?
Certainly Moses' faith was based upon a reward, and all Israel waited for better things and the better resurrection. And what do you suppose the faith of all the patriarchs rest upon, if not the word of prophecy, and in the strength of that prophecy they managed to endure suffering and overcome.
As we read the writings of Moses, we cannot help but notice that they are filled with the prophetic word of God. We see such things as the ceremonial law, the tabernacle and its ordinances, and all these things were shadows of better things to come.
In reading the Psalms we cannot help but see the testimony of Jesus, which we know to be the spirit of prophecy, and besides the Psalms, seventeen books out of thirty-nine are directly prophetic in nature.
When we come to the New Testament we find that there are some 260 chapters, and in them, we find mention of prophetic doctrine over 300 times. And we might well ask ourselves, what other great truth will we find mentioned this many times? In fact, when it comes to verses in the Bible, we find that one verse in twenty-five refers to prophecy.
We also find that prophecy formed the one subject of John the Baptist's ministry, and when it comes to the words of our Saviour, his discourses were filled with prophecy. In addition to that, nearly all the epistles contain prophecy, and we cannot help but notice that the last book in the Bible is nothing but prophecy.
Therefore, when it comes to us and our hopes for the future, it seems to me that they are all built on the sure word of prophecy, and we know this to be true, because we look forward to the promise of a future victory, we look forward to the promise of the resurrection, we look forward to the joys of heaven, and the hope of glory, and all that we know about these things come to us from the sure word of prophecy.
But if we need examples to show us the importance of prophecy, we need only look to the example of David and his treatment of prophecy, or to Daniel for that matter. Or to Jeremiah who preceded Daniel, and if it had not been for the prophecies of Jeremiah, we would have known nothing about the prediction of the Babylonian captivity and the ultimate return to Jerusalem. One thing we do not find is Daniel saying that prophecy did not concern him. On the contrary, we find Daniel taking great heed of prophecy. In fact, in Daniel 9:2 we read:
"I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem."
What effect did this have on Daniel? We read of that effect in verses 3 and 4:
"And I set my face unto the Lord God . . . and I prayed unto the LORD my God."
We need only to read all of Daniel's prayer in order to understand the faith that Daniel had was in the prophetic word of God.
These and many others were all students of prophecy, and God honored them all. So, again, it seems to me that we should be as concerned with the prophetic word of God as those who have preceded us.
In the New Testament, we read that when word reached King Herod of wise men who were asking, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews,?" what did he do? He called together the priests and the scribes and asked them them "where the Christ should be born." And even these priests and scribes, knew the sure word of prophecy as they replied:
"In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet,..."
And then they go on to quote from Micah 5:2, where Micah prophesied that out of Bethlehem should come he who was to "be ruler in Israel."
In the case of the priests and scribes, their knowledge ended with that knowledge, as they were willing to so inform Herod of this great truth, but they had no love of the thought of a coming Messiah. And why? Well first of all we see evidence that they did not want a messiah, in the fact that if they had desired a messiah, then they would never have dreamed of revealing such a truth to Herod.
But these were men who were proud of their knowledge, and these were men whose brains were so swollen with their own knowledge and their prestigious positions that they had no desire to be replaced by anyone -- not even the promised Messiah. And since they had no desire to submit to anyone's rule but their own, it was convenient for them to inform Herod of the birthplace of Christ in order that Herod might destroy Him, so that they not lose their place of importance.
On the other hand, the wise men, although apparently ignorant of the written Word, could not rest until they found their place in worship at His feet.
Now, if this doctrine of prophecy that holds so large a place in the Bible, is neglected and unheeded by the majority of professing Christians, then I think, based upon that alone, that the so-called church has departed from the faith and is lacking in knowledge and understanding.
Another thing we might consider is, what are the so-called churches most concerned with? and to that question we would have to say faith, grace, and salvation for openers. And certainly these things are important. But when it comes to obedience of God's word we would have to say that the churches' emphasis is mainly placed upon baptism and Lord's Supper, and certainly these things are also important.
But in comparison with prophecy, from Matthew to Revelation (some 27 books or epistles), we only find 23 times the mention of baptism, and 12 of those usages are in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and some of those usages are repeated in each Gospel. That only leaves us with 11 usages in the epistles, which are supposed to be instructions to the churches, and we find those eleven usages in only 6 out of 23 epistles, and the statistics are even worse if we leave out the Acts of the apostles, because in Acts we find the word used 6 times, leaving only 5 usages in the balance of the epistles.
As for the Lord's Supper, you really have to hunt to find references to it, as there are not more than three or four references to it in the whole of the New Testament. But from the emphasis placed upon it by today's churches, you would think the NT was filled with information about baptism and the Lord's supper! As we have seen, that is not the case. Certainly if the Scriptures contain 1000 references on one subject and only one reference to another subject, then it would seem to me that God has settled for us what He deems profitable for us to know and understand.
If that be true, then when the amount of references are more prevalent than either the Lord's supper and baptism combined, then the importance of His return should overshadow things like baptism. Again, this is not to say the Lord's supper and baptism are not important, I am only emphasizing the emphasis the Bible puts on one subject over the other. And I think that, that emphasis should have a great influence on what we do and study. I would ask why modern-day churches place so much emphasis on baptism and the Lord's supper and so little on prophecy? And I do not have an answer to that question.
Again, we need to realize that all Scripture was written for our learning and is to guide us into all truth, and especially to show us things to come. In fact, hopefully we know that, according to 2 Timothy 3:16:
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"
Of course, that includes faith, grace, salvation, baptism, and the Lord's supper, but we also read in John 16:12-13 that:
12 "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."
The only specific subject mentioned here is "things to come," which refers to prophecy, and yet we know and understand so little about "things to come." Perhaps this is a sign of the times, as there can be little question that the enemies of the church want to deny, hide, and even pervert the word of God, that we may be led astray. I certainly think this is true, and to me nothing has changed from the days of Noah till now. Now please turn with me to Luke 17:23 for a minute. Here we read:
23 "And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them."
The reference here is to the enemies of Christ and the Church, and of their leading our people astray, and the verses that follow tell us it was the same way in the days of Noah and Lot, as seen in following verses 26-30:
26 "And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 "They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 "But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 "Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed."
This does not sound like something that we want to look forward to, and so we need to be on guard for these false prophets, because from what was said in verse 27, it was false teachers who were successful in leading the people astray in the days of Noah. We should consider why there was a flood, and why fire and brimstone were rained upon Sodom in the days of Lot.
So we see that being led astray comes from false teachers who hide, deny, and pervert the word of God and make it of no effect, and we are told that, "thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed," and so, as I look around at the state of affairs in our society, it looks to me like the enemies of Christ and the church are doing a pretty good job of leading our people astray.
Our Bible tells us Israel received warning after warning from God''s inspired prophets, but it was of no importance to the people, or so they thought, and today the same warnings have been given us and our people, who, as in Israel of old, see no importance in the prophecies of God, or so they think. But their end will be the same, and the word that God has spoken shall judge them in that day.
In the beginning of our study we began by looking at 2 Peter 1:19, but in quoting this verse I left out a portion of it which we need to look at, and before we do I am going to quote only that portion which I quoted earlier:
"We have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed ... in your hearts."
Now look at the verse again, this time with the information I omitted:
"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:"
The words "as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star," are words which are not understood by most Christians. It would have helped if a comma had been placed after "day star arise," since that would allow a separation of "day star arise" from the words "in your hearts." But the comma was not so placed. Actually the best way to view the words in question is to place them in parenthesis and then the words would have to be understood separately.
When this parenthesis is disregarded, the day dawn and day star rising in the heart is usually explained as meaning conversion. But if this be the case, then it would infer that prophecy should be well heeded until conversion, and then it may be neglected. However, this makes no sense at all, for surely the meaning cannot be that we are to heed the prophetic word only until Christ is revealed in our hearts. In addition, it is then inferred that prophecy is obscure and we only have a bit of light, meaning we cannot totally understand the prophecy, but only a portion of it until He comes. If this be the state of things, then no wonder people avoid looking at prophecy.
In Scripture we read that this world is the dark place, and Scripture also tells us that the word of prophecy is the only lamp in it. In other words, prophecy is the only light in the world that can show us where we are and where all the answers are that we are going to get. This concept makes prophecy the light that shines during this dark night. The next thing we need to understand is that Christ and His appearing is the Day-star and the Day-dawn, and so, we are to take heed in our hearts the prophetic word, until the fulfillment comes in the appearing of Christ - the return of Him who is called "the Morning Star."
Now, since verse 19 plainly tells us that, "whereunto ye do well that ye take heed," then if we treat prophecy as having little or no importance, then we have missed the point entirely -- as well as a blessing. What do I mean by saying we are missing a blessing? In Revelation 1:3 we read:
"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein"
Please notice that this verse says nothing about understanding prophecy, but it does specifically say to read, to hear, and to keep the things written therein -- in other words, we are to take heed of these things not only in our hearts but in our actions as well. Those who do not heed what is said here will not receive this blessing, and in that sense, the blessing is lost because they do not read, do not hear, and do not keep the sure word of prophecy.
We also read that the word is profitable in 2 Timothy 3:16:
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable."
Now we must ask, just how many people treat the Scripture as though it were not all profitable? For example, so-called New Testament Christians get irritated whenever a preacher gives a sermon from any of the books of the Old Testament, and I should know because I was in one of those congregations many years ago, and I remember one individual who was visibly upset because the preacher often chose his text from the Old Testament.
In cases like this, those people cannot believe that all Scripture is profitable without condemning their confessed neglect of the largest potion of it! But then there are those that not only neglect it, but pervert it as well. And then there are those who merely speculate about it and treat what they call "prophetic language" according to their own fancies and imaginations, and when people do these things they make the word of prophecy of none effect.
As we look to history, we see that all through the ages people have been turned to fables and have given heed to wandering spirits and doctrines of devils. When the doctrine of the Second Advent of our Lord, as found in both the OT and the NT, is covered over and obscured with the teachings of men, then that is all the more reason why we should seek to separate what God has said about the advent, from what man has taught -- and all the more reason why we should devote a great deal of our attention to this vital and important subject.
There is one other aspect that we might consider at this time, and that is the importance of prophecy as seen in its practical effects on Christian life. You see, as I related earlier, the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy, and therefore the proper studying of prophecy links us with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and it occupies our study time with being drawn closer to Him.
Those who love Christ Jesus will long for His appearing because they truly desire to see Him, and this longing for his appearance will increase our longing and love for Him. We also know that Scripture plainly tells us to wait and watch for Him. And why is that so? Well, could it be so that nothing may come between our hearts and Him, and that our character may be so formed?
In 2 Corinthians 3:18 we read:
18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
Simplifying this, "We beholding . . . are changed into the same image," and just how is this change to take place? With no effort, and with no Laboring. Yes that's right, it simply says that, "We beholding . . . are changed!" But what is this beholding? It certainly is not beholding Christ, since no man has done that since His ascension, and thus this beholding must refer to something else. And it does.
The meaning is that the Gospel reflects to us the glory of the Lord. If you will remember, the people of Israel could not look upon Moses because of his glory and so Moses had to wear a veil, but the glory of the Lord is not veiled to us when we are immersed in the word of God, because when we are immersed in the word, His glory shines in us and we are like Him in His glory.
This is only natural, because it is almost a law of our nature that we are molded, in our moral feelings, by those with whom we associate on a regular or routine basis, and by the objects we think about and concern ourselves with. Therefore, if corrupt and perverted people are our constant companions, then eventually we will become as they are. But such a thing is not for us, because our desire is to be like Christ, and to be like Christ we need to and must associate ourselves with Him, and He must be our model, and the more we associate with Him the more we become like Him. In that manner, as Paul says, "we are changed into the same image."
You know something else my friends? Our Christian life is not molded by precepts or regulated by ordinances. The Law, which was holy, just, and good, only proved the worthlessness of the sinner in order that we might look to something beyond -- and we look to the saving power of our Lord and Savior.
Looking beyond, we see the grace that brings salvation (Titus 2:11-14) and that same grace also teaches us how to live and what to live for. The Law only commanded, but grace teaches and gives us the ability to learn and to obey, thus following the ways of our Lord.
But more importantly (if one thing can be more important from another when it comes to God's word), grace also teaches us to look for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us. If we fail to look for that blessed hope, it is clear that either we know nothing of the salvation that grace brings, or that we have not learned the lessons that grace teaches.
And what is more, any teaching which precludes not waiting for our Saviour's return, is contrary to, and we might say even say, it is subversive to the lesson which grace teaches us. Those who do not include such a teaching apparently do not believe that "all Scripture is . . . profitable." And so, my dear friends, this is why we need to study the subject of prophecy, and specifically in this case, the return of our Lord and Saviour, and we must allow it to occupy space in our minds, in our hearts, and in our lives.
Friends, this looking forward to His return depends not so much on wisdom in the head as it does upon grace in the heart. And yes, it also involves thinking and the doings of the heart. In fact it should be, as we read in Titus 2:11-13:
11 "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;"
In 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, Paul, who here speaks of waking or sleeping with reference to the appearing of Jesus, says:
9 "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 "Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him."
As another example, in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Paul says for us:
"To wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivered us from the wrath to come."
Oh, Lord God, I pray that this blessed hope may be ever in our hearts and occupy a place of great importance to our minds, and have a powerful influence on our lives. Amen
FURTHER INFORMATION ON “BIBLE PROPHECY”
What you have read is only the first message of 6 messages on this subject. The entire study on “Bible Prophecy” is only available on audio tapes. It consists of six 45 minute messages recorded on three 90-minute audio tapes and is packaged in a convenient and attractive cassette album.
To obtain the series “Bible Prophecy” enter Tape Album A020 on the order form.
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