Bible prophecy and the Greek word for prophecy represents two ideas. One is forth-telling or speaking for God and the second is foretelling or predicting future events. Both aspects of the word are found in the New Testament. The beginning of prophetic activity in early Christianity according to Acts coincided with the out pouring of the Holy Spirit upon the earliest Christians on the day of Pentecost (Acts2:1-21) Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost indicates that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit fulfilled Joel’s prophecy (Acts 2:4, 17-21, Joel 2:28-32)
According to Paul the main purpose for prophecy is to build up the church. Paul also described the subject of spiritual gifts, particularly tongues speaking and prophecy. If you read through the Bible you will get the picture that God has a divine purpose for the age in which we live and this purpose relates both to Israel and to the church-not the church building.
The Jews in Israel had wanted a relationship with God but they wanted a relationship with works. So, they basically rejected the Messiah because they had a preconceived idea about who Jesus was and how He should come and what He was to do.
But because Jesus did not fit their preconceived ideas about their Messiah-they rejected Him. Yes, Christ was crucified and since that time Gentiles who placed their faith in Jesus became members of God’s church. This was also open to believing Jews for they also became members of God’s church.
The good news is that Israel’s hardening of their hearts and turning away from Christ in only temporary. The Bible tells us that at the end of the tribulation period, Israel will finally recognize their Messiah and turn to Him for rescue from the invading forces of the Antichrist (Zechariah 12:10)
According to the Bible we are living in the Church Age which is made up of born-again believers who make up the body of Christ. We, all those who believe that Jesus died for their sins, are the body of Christ. We are not a building but a body.
Bible prophecy is simply God’s plan revealed ahead of time. Like a movie trailer, it is a sneak preview or peek of things to come. It is not a fiction movie, prophecy tells us what is actually going to happen. Sometimes we hear that prophecy is history written in advance. Prophecy is a big deal because God does not want His children to be uninformed regarding the end times (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5).
Let’s face it, prophecy is important because of the times we are living in today.
At no time since Jesus walked on the earth is end-times prophecy more likely to be fulfilled than it is right now. All the signs are pointing to the truth that we are living in the last days. But, I do not know if this will happen in ten minutes or ten years from now, only God knows.
You see you can block your ears, close your eyes, yell and scream but we were hit with a devastating plague (Covid-19), our economy was hit with joblessness and businesses were unable to stay afloat. Other businesses were physically destroyed by rioters. We have an economy based on indebtedness and we have high healthcare costs. Then there is all the critical race theory junk being pumped into our schools along with gender identities being questioned. Then we have the really high gas prices so no one can really get around. Then you have all the abortions even being done after a baby is born up to a month after birth. People are going into depressions and paranoia. Why are we so surprised to see kids killing kids? Why are we so surprised at the people who are committing suicide?
Now can you see the need for prophecy? Prophecy really matters because it gives us clarity, confidence, faith, hope and love for Jesus. Christ, our Messiah, our savior and soon coming King. Prophecy leads straight to Jesus and gives us the peace to know that He has everything under control. Well, what are you saying are you one of the naysayers saying: “What difference does prophecy make? remember, that is your choice. Or will you be the one who says: we humble ourselves, pray, fast and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways (including our complacency) and live lives that emulate Jesus Christ and stand up for His values
The Bible tells us that the stage is being set and it amazes me to see that things are not falling apart, according to the Bible, they are all falling into place! Are you ready for HIS RETURN?