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Prophecy and Practical Living
The fifth reason that biblical prophecy is important is
because it is an encouragement to godly living and
evangelism. Millions of people today fear the future.
Famous novelist Kurt Vonnegut expressed the despair of
many when he said, "Things are going to get worse and
worse and never get better again."1
Indeed, many of those who truly understand the world today
are terrified. As we look around at our family, friends
and neighbors, as we understand other’s concern with the
future, we are encouraged to lead them to the One who
controls the future. Only He can offer them hope in the
face of life’s many uncertainties.
The Apostle Paul thus taught that prophecy in general
brings certain things to men, including strength,
encouragement and comfort (1 Cor. 14:3). This is why he
commanded us, "Do not treat prophecies with contempt" (1
Thess. 5:20). Thus, those who know God do not fear the
future because they know the One who controls the future,
and that, come what may, they are safe in His hands.
Indeed, the future belongs to those who belong to God (1
Cor. 3:21-23). That is true hope.
But knowledge of prophecy is also an encouragement to
godly living. The Apostle Peter teaches that it is
knowledge of prophecy itself that is the spur for
Christians to "live holy and godly lives as you look
forward to the day of God" (2 Pet. 3:11-12). Here, the
Apostle Peter is speaking of the Second Coming of Christ
which he refers to as "the day of God" and yet it is
precisely the events that precede and surround the Second
Coming of Christ that are the subject of concern in
eschatology. Those concerned with the Second Coming of
Christ, then, are justified in being responsibly concerned
with the subject of eschatology. Indeed, it is because of
heeding prophetic events and our looking forward to them
that we are to "make every effort to be found spotless,
blameless and at peace with him" (2 Pet. 3:14). Thus:
…a major
value for Biblical prediction lay in its power to
motivate its hearers toward holiness. Both the promises
of divine blessing and the threats of impending judgment
constituted urgent motivations to ethical conduct. As
Girdlestone quipped, "The object of prophecy was not to
excite surprise but to stimulate enterprise", and as
Peter tells us in Scripture, "Since all these things are
to be…what sort of people ought you to be in holy
conduct and godliness" (2 Pet. 3:11)?2
The Apostle John says of those who believe in Christ’s
return, "Everyone who has this hope in him purifies
himself, just as he is pure" (1 Jn. 3:3). Thus, perhaps
more than any other teaching, it is the personal knowledge
that Christ can return at any moment that provides
commitment to Christ and His will, and encouragement and
confidence for the future.
Charles Ryrie, Ph.D., Th.D., an acknowledged authority on
biblical prophecy, observes:
The study of
prophecy will do a number of things for the believer.
(1) It will keep him from false doctrines and false
hopes. (2) It will help to make the unseen real and
create within the believer’s life the very atmosphere of
heaven. One cannot do other than worship in reading the
Revelation, for instance. (3) It will give joy in the
midst of tribulation and affliction (2 Corinthians
4:17). (4) It will increase one’s loyalty to Christ and
produce true, self-sacrificing service for Him. (5) When
the believer fully realizes all the glory that is his
future, it makes him satisfied to be nothing now. (6)
Prophetic truth is the only thing which can give true
comfort in the time of sorrow and bereavement (1
Thessalonians 4:13-18). (7) All Scripture is profitable
and prophecy is no exception for it will produce and
encourage holy living (1 John 3:3).3
Finally, the study of prophecy is important because it
will shape one’s thinking and ultimately one’s worldview.
Dr. Robert Clouse, professor of history at Indiana State
University argued that, "Many attitudes that a Christian
has about society, the church and its purpose, education
and culture, and even current events are conditioned by
the sort of eschatology he holds."4
One of the great apologists of the 20th
century, Dr. Wilbur Smith, agreed, "The view one finally
takes on these subjects will have a tremendous influence
over his whole outlook on world events, and his concepts
of many factors relating to the second advent of our
Lord."5
The above discussion reveals that the subject of prophecy
is important to both believer and unbeliever alike. It is
important because God says it is important. And
regardless, no one can be unconcerned about the future end
of the world. If God is the one who has purposely
revealed such information, it is important that we know
and understand what He says.
All this underscores the fact that it is the skeptics and
the detractors of biblical prophecy who are uninformed
concerning God’s purposes for mankind, and not those who
responsibly seek to listen to what He has prophetically
declared. The unbeliever who fails to comprehend God’s
participation in world history, even to its conclusion, is
the one that in the end, will wish he had paid better
attention.
None can logically deny that where God has clearly
spoken about the future, He wants His people – and even
unbelievers – to know it. That is why the study of
prophecy is important to each of us:
Christians
should be interested in prophecy because of what God is.
Either the world is out of God’s control and His plan is
nothing more than a patchwork quilt or He is absolutely
sovereign and has a purpose and plan which He is
carrying out (Isaiah 46:11). Parts of that plan which
have been fulfilled serve to demonstrate that He is the
Truth, and thus that faith in prophecy is faith in God
and in His plan…Sixteen books in the Old Testament and
one twentieth of the New Testament are
[characteristically] prophetic, and one certainly cannot
neglect such a large portion of the Word of God. Surely
it is not God’s purpose that any of His Words should be
slighted; it must not be ours.6
Although disagreements among schools of prophecy should
not become an issue for determining fellowship among
believers, and knowledge of prophecy is not necessary to
salvation, none can deny its importance. Further, this
subject must be addressed by churches that have ignored
it, and also by those in the Church who wish it would go
away.
In his excellent text, The Interpretation of Prophecy,
Dr. Paul Lee Tan provides some instructive comments worth
careful evaluation:
Prophecy in
itself is not crucial to orthodoxy or salvation. It
should, therefore, never be made an issue determining
the lines of fellowship among Christians…. On the other
hand, prophecy occupies such a sizable part of God’s
Word that it cannot remain for long in the sidelines.
Sooner or later, the teaching and preaching ministries
of the church will encounter Bible prophecy. What then?
There is no sadder scene than to see leaders within a
church group giving forth uncertain or contradictory
sounds. The seeds of confusion are soon sewn.
A logical
alternative under such a situation is to neglect or play
down the significance of the prophetic Scripture,
possibly by disclaiming full understanding of it this
side of heaven. But by leaving such a large part of
God’s word untouched or interpreted cursorily, church
leaders will be feeding a partial diet to their flock.
From the
practical standpoint, therefore, a church group or
Christian organization has the right – indeed an
obligation – to assure uniformity among its leadership
in at least the general scheme of prophecy…. When the
leadership of the church is united in heart and spirit
on the prophetic Scriptures, it affords Satan much less
occasion to discount the Word of God in the church.
The call for
unity in the area of prophecy is the more pressing when
one realizes that prophecy not only occupies a major
portion of Scripture, but tends to relate to almost all
areas of God’s Word. Prophecy is not confined to a
specific portion of the Word. It extends its roots all
over the Scripture. "Eschatological interpretations have
a definite bearing upon many of the other doctrines
which one holds. One’s entire system of theology, view
of history, interpretation of Scripture, view of the
Church as an organism and as an organization in relation
to other organizations, and view of Biblical theology is
determined to a great extent by his view of
eschatology"…. Or, take the person and work of Christ.
Since all major prophetic themes are related in some way
either to the first or second advent of Christ, the
neglect of prophecy means the neglect of some aspect of
the person and work of Christ.
The
importance of prophecy in the church, therefore, cannot
be gainsaid.7
In conclusion, is it not true that the discussion above
demonstrates that the subject of prophecy is an important
one? If the topic of biblical prophecy is important to the
lives of both believer and unbeliever alike, and also
informs us of the destiny of the world itself – is there
anyone who should ignore it? We don’t think so.
Notes
1 Kurt
Vonnegut, Time, March 18, 1974, p. 66.
2 J. Barton
Payne, Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy: The
Complete Guide to Scriptural Predictions and Their
Fulfillment (NY: Harper & Row, 1973), p. 14.
3 Charles
Ryrie, The Basis of the Premillennial Faith
(Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1972), pp. 15-16.
4 Robert G.
Clouse, The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1979), p. 209.
5 Raymond
Ludwigson, A Survey of Bible Prophecy (Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1973), p. 7; cf., John F.
Walvoord, The Millennial Kingdom (Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan, 1972), pp. 16-17. For example, in
discussing the different views of the millennium (that
is, whether one takes a premillennial, amillennial or
postmillennial view) Dr. John Walvoord observes:
"The millennial doctrine determines also large areas of
Biblical interpretation which are not in themselves
prophetic in character. The distinctions in
dispensational dealings of God, the contrasts between
the Mosaic period, Abrahamic promises, the present age
of grace, and the unfulfilled prophecies about the
coming kingdom are of major importance in Biblical
interpretation and systematic theology. Many of these
issues are largely determined by the millennial doctrine
[one holds]…. If the present purpose of God is to bring
in a millennium through Christian influence and
preaching [postmillennialism], that is one thing; if
there is no millennium at all [amillennialism], that is
another; if the millennium is yet to be fulfilled on the
earth through the second coming of Christ [premillennialism],
that is still another…. The growing recognition of the
importance of the millennial doctrine is one of the
principle causes of resurgence of interest in this
field." (Walvoord, The Millennial Kingdom, pp.
16-17.)
6 Ryrie, The
Basis of the Premillennial Faith, p. 15.
7 Paul Lee
Tan, The Interpretation of Prophecy (Winona Lake,
IN: Assurance Publishers, 1978), pp. 277-279.
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