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Chapter 4: Biblical Prophecy
Amos 3:7 "Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets." God, since the creation of Adam, has sent his servants the prophets to reveal his future plans to those who were willing to listen. Before the flood God sent Enoch and Noah to preach to the people that a great flood would come upon the Earth. After the flood God chose Abraham and his descendants to be his oracle people. For two thousand years God sent his prophets to Abraham’s descendants, and the writings of these prophets are preserved for us in the Old Testament of the bible. 2 Peter 1:20-21 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 44:6-8 "This is what the Lord says--Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God." "Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come--yes, let him foretell what will come." "Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one." Isaiah 48:5 "Therefore, I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, My idols did them; my wooden image and metal God ordained them." God, in the bible has declared himself to be the only God, the first and the last. He goes on to say that he is the God, the only God, who can foretell the future with 100% accuracy, especially where it concerns his ancient people, Israel. Deuteronomy 18:21-22 You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?" "If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken." The test of an Old Testament prophet was that what he had spoken in the name of the Lord had to come true during the lifetime of the people he was speaking to, except for those things that were specifically stated to be prophecies for the distant future. If a prophets words did not come true, his writings were not included in the bible. This is why some denominations teach that all prophecy except for the return of Christ has already been fulfilled. Almost all biblical prophecy has had a minor fulfillment shortly after it was given, with the major fulfillment coming hundreds or even thousands of years later. God has promised that he will reveal new things to those who are alert and willing to receive them. Isaiah 48:6-7 "You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them? From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you. They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today." Also, notice in the next verse that God not only knows what is going to happen in the future, but he knows who it is going to happen to. He knows people, not just before they are born, but before they are even conceived. Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." The proof that the God of the bible is the most powerful being in the universe is as close as your morning newspaper once you know and understand what God says he will accomplish as we draw nearer to the second coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The bible specifically states that no man knows the day and hour of Christ’s return. Matthew 24:26 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Acts 1:6-7 So when they met
together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the
kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times
or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
Although we cannot know the day or the hour that he will return, Christ commands us to watch for the signs that will precede his second coming so that we will be expecting his appearing, and not be caught unawares. Matthew 24:42 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." |