By Reese Currie, Compass Distributors
If you were to categorize the text of the Bible into history, prophecy and teachings of morality, you would find that it divides just about evenly between the three. Approximately a third of the Bible concentrates on history, a third prophecy, and a third morality. In truth, these three are interwoven to the point that any more than a general analysis is impossible, but this rule of thirds generally holds true.
When deciding where to concentrate your studies, you must first try to understand where you can do yourself the most good in the shortest amount of time. Why should you be concerned about the time factor? Well, all "prophetic" prognostications aside, the truth is that you could die suddenly, for example, from an accident or a criminal act, or a sudden illness, and die not knowing the wonderful truth about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The most important thing to learn, or to preach, is that Jesus Christ died to pay for our sins and was resurrected. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve." This is the most important thing. Understanding all the prophecies in the Bible is not as important as understanding what Jesus did for us.
Jesus' preaching did not stress prophecy as much as the message of repentance. While Jesus did prophesy abundantly, repentance was the thrust of Jesus' preaching: "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" (Matthew 4:17)
When you understand what Jesus has done and the message of repentance He preached, you must put what you have learned into action in your life. James 1:22 says, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
After this, you can delve into the other aspects of the Bible. You can strengthen your faith and understanding with the histories contained therein; you can fully understand the ethics taught throughout the Bible, and you can try to understand the mysterious prophecies. Remember: First and foremost is Jesus and His message of repentance.
There is a problem with prophecy today that has existed for centuries, and that is, how do you know a false prophet from a true prophet? All of the prophets in the Bible are true prophets, of course, and what was revealed to them came not through their own interpretation, but from the direct revelation of God. 2 Peter 1:20,21 says, "knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
Today, there are many people who attempt to interpret the prophecies of the Bible for us. A new Christian may find it inviting to simply learn their interpretations and not go through the work of trying to understand it all themselves. It would not be right to flatly condemn the work of these people, as some of them are honestly trying to help people come to Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:20 says "Do not despise prophecies." Prophecy is a very important spiritual gift. 1 Corinthians 12:28 points out the importance of prophecy by saying, "And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues." You can see the prominence given to prophetic gifts.
In 1 Corinthians 14:24,25, Apostle Paul shows that prophecy is a good tool for winning converts. "But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you."
You have to be careful when dealing with prophets, however. 1 John 4:1 points out, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." They can be very convincing and impressive, as Mark 13:22 warns, "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."
Fortunately, the Bible gives us a few rules by which we can easily identify a false prophet. Moses, Jesus, and Jesus' apostles predicted that false prophets would arise, and the ways in which we might know them.
Moses warned that if a prophet predicts something and it does not come true, that person is a false prophet. "...when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him." (Deuteronomy 18:22) Moses' statement that "you shall not be afraid of him" means you should not heed his words ever again. God will not give prophecy to someone who has ever prophesied falsely.
Sometimes groups use what appears to be an amazing grasp of prophecy to justify the introduction of a totally false gospel. These groups will deny the most basic things about Jesus Christ. Peter prophesied that these people would come: "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction." (2 Peter 2:1)
So, whenever someone seems able to unlock the prophetic mysteries of the Bible, be watchful for false doctrines, particularly about Jesus. The false doctrines will tend to play down Jesus' importance in your salvation. The truth is, without Jesus, there would not be salvation. The entire New Testament supports this statement, but for the sake of brevity I refer you to Acts 4:10-12.
Some of these groups declare that Jesus has already returned in some invisible form. Two well-known groups claim that Jesus has entered some kind of "inner sanctum" in Heaven. Jesus Himself prophesied the warning that false prophets would make this exact claim: "Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it." (Matthew 24:26) We will all know when Jesus makes His return. Revelation 1:7 says, "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen."
A distressing number of groups set exact dates for the end of the world. Existing cultic groups have predicted that the world would end in 1844, 1914, 1925, and 1975. I personally listened to a Pentecostal preacher insist that 1988 would mark the end of the world. A great number of groups once claimed that the Year 2000 would be the end of it all. Doubtless there will be some new date in the near future that some will proclaim will be the date of the end of the world. I'd like to know how anyone on earth could be so certain, when Jesus Christ Himself said concerning the end of the world, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." (Matthew 24:36) You can be certain that no one forecasting a date for the end of the world is a true prophet.
The worst thing about these groups that set exact dates for Jesus' return is that they fool both believers and unbelievers. The believers are deceived into believing that the world will end on the given date; the unbelievers are fooled into believing the world will never end at all. 2 Peter 3:3,4 says, "...knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.'"
Be assured, Jesus will return to earth, but no one knows when it will happen. No one can even estimate when it will happen. If a person who claims to interpret prophecy admits this fact, and preaches the true gospel, there exists the chance that he is operating with God's approval. Just be sure to follow the model of the Christians in Berea, by checking the facts: "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11) If they were considered fair-minded for checking the words of Paul and Silas, you certainly can't go wrong checking the veracity of anyone's statements.
Prophecy is highly edifying, and it is a very important part of the Bible to read and understand to the extent that the Holy Spirit will allow. Please know that not even the Bible prophets always knew what the prophecies meant, and don't be discouraged if you can't figure them all out on your own. Some of the prophecies have been "sealed", and we will not know what they mean until God "opens" them. Daniel 12:8,9 says, "Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, 'My lord, what shall be the end of these things?' And he said, 'Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.'"
As interesting as prophetic interpretations can be, keep in mind that the only prophecies in existence in this world that are certainly true are the ones contained right on the pages of the Bible, uninterpreted as they may be. Do not make your faith cling to the interpretations of any group: Make your faith cling to Christ Jesus alone, and believe His word, and your reward will be great.
A Balanced View of Prophecy is Copyright © 1996, 2007 by Compass Distributors.
All Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.