I have been to many churches and even attended Bible school, none of which ever taught much on Bible prophecy. Some say it’s too controversial. But  the consequences of not teaching Bible prophecy to the congregations has been catastrophic. Surveys  show that it is not just a few high-profile Christians that are abandoning the foundational Christian doctrines and the Gospel message, but also a majority of professing Christians. They are like the seed that fell on rocky ground that had no root because their faith was not based on “the sure word of prophecy” but on what made them feel good at the time.

          The apostle Peter reminds us that “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”(2 Peter1:19-21) Prophecy was not given just as a nice “add-on” for our curiosity, but the very bedrock of Christian belief in Jesus Himself. It is accurate fulfilled prophecy, that validates the Bible. And, in the Gospels, Jesus always alludes to the prophetic scriptures to validate His claims.

       The religious leaders erred because they did not consider what was prophesied about Jesus in the Books of the Old Testament. When Jesus said, “before Abraham was, I am” they wanted to stone Him.  They clearly ignored Micah 5:2 that prophesied that the  Messiah will be one “whose origins are from old, from ancient times”. 

         At His trial, Jesus told the high priest, “From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” In saying this, Jesus was actually identifying Himself as the Son on Man in Daniel’s  prophetic vision: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.” -Daniel 7:13-14  The high priest was apparently blind to the prophetic scriptures.

          When Jesus said,”I and the Father are one”, His Jewish opponents tried to stone Him because He, “a mere man claimed to be God”.   But Isaiah 9:6 clearly prophesied that a mere child will be born who is God in the flesh:  “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. “

        The two disciples in Luke 21, to whom the resurrected Jesus appeared to on the road to Emmaus (but were kept from recognizing Him) were in a state of  confusion upon hearing about the death of Jesus and reports that He was seen alive again. Jesus wastes no time in getting to the reason for their bewilderment: “How foolish you are, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.” Then, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning Himself.” The two disciples were kept from recognizing Jesus because He wanted their belief to be based, not on their fleshly senses,  but on the prophecies about Him in scripture. Surely, if they had taken to heart the Isaiah 53 prophecy that tells of the Messiah’s rejection, death , and resurrection they would have not been disheartened and confused.

      So when people see the tumultuous events in nature, politics, and society that are now occurring in the world (the birth pains described by Jesus), they are bewildered and fearful.They have little or no knowledge of the prophecies which not only stand the test of time, but are coming real with each passing day.


Kevin John