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The Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy
Day Star
September, 1998
by Larry Wilson
Unfortunately, many Christians scorn the study of Bible prophecy. In other words, they do not appreciate or value the study of Bible prophecy and consider it a complete waste of time. How sad that so many people maintain a wrong spirit about this subject and regard Bible prophecy as though it were an unnecessary element included in the Bible. Through the years, many people have said to me: Understanding Bible prophecy is not essential to my salvation. The only issue that is important to my salvation is my relationship with Jesus. This incomplete statement condemns those who defend it simply because people cannot have a meaningful relationship with a God they do not understand. What I mean is that prophecy uniquely reveals the plans, purposes and ways of God. Our relationship with Jesus will lack a meaningful perspective if we do not understand His corporate plans, His role as man’s High Priest, His dramatic end-time rescue, and how He plans to extend the good news of salvation to every person on Earth. To say that we love Jesus, yet refuse to understand all that He has done and is going to do in the future is a surface-type relationship that lacks depth. Few people consider that the first advent and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary was also a fulfillment of prophecy!
Since prophecy flows through centuries of time, it elevates human thought to a unique and higher perspective, showing God’s constant and intimate interest for His children. Prophecy reveals how God deals with corporate entities (nations, empires, the devil and his legions, etc.). This understanding gives us the larger picture of God’s corporate policies and makes God’s actions on a personal level easier to understand and appreciate. I believe confusion is the underlying reason why so many Christians view prophecy with such contempt. It takes discipline to understand prophecy. Bible students who strive to understand prophecy study the deep things of God and this mandates more commitment than five or ten minutes of Bible reading. It is one thing to read the Bible and quite another to dig deep within its pages searching for truth. An important prerequisite for understanding prophecy is the forfeiture of additional reading materials. In other words, do not attempt to understand Bible prophecy by reading my books (or books by anyone else). Sit down with your own Bible and study the prophecies verse by verse – do not quit until you understand each verse for yourself. Certainly, you can read what others have to say about any given verse, but consider their views as they should be, opinions of mere mortals. Evaluate the prophetic story, come to your own conclusions and do not stop until you have placed all 200+ elements of Bible prophecy in their appropriate place.
Early Christians
When Paul began his ministry, there was a great deal of discussion and interest in prophecy. Early Christians understood the fulfillment of Daniel 9 – they knew the Messiah appeared at the beginning of the 70th week and died in the middle of the week – just as Daniel had predicted it would happen. Early Christians also understood most of Daniel 11. In fact, understanding this prophecy saved the lives of early Christians just before Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70! (Matthew 24:15-20; Daniel 11:2-35) About 30 years later, toward the end of Paul’s ministry, attitudes about prophecy were beginning to change. Confusion was beginning to set in. However, Paul encouraged the early believers by writing, "Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good." (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21)
Later, Paul gave basically the same advice to the believers at Thessalonica when he wrote, "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3) The return of Jesus had not taken place as quickly as many early Christians anticipated and certain teachers had visited Thessalonica, twisting the intended meaning of the prophecies to gain followers and respect (money). Reports of what was happening in Thessalonica reached Paul and he responded quickly. Unfortunately, the problem then and now is that too many people regard Bible prophecy as "future telling," when in reality it is so much more! Bible prophecy is a revelation about Jesus, His purposes, plans and actions. I have observed that many people will only consider Bible prophecy if some exciting (or horrific) event has occurred which unsettles them, making them wonder about an immediate pending fulfillment. Some people label this "sensationalism." This human phenomenon demonstrates that the greater value of Bible prophecy is not understood or appreciated.
