Fear vs Hope: Prophecy Offers Hope For The Future

Prophecy Offers Hope:

Mark Henry

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, “Bible prophecy”? Do you picture old people in the ancient past, clothed in ragged robes, declaring, “thus sayeth the Lord”? Perhaps the word prophecy itself causes you to bristle with thoughts of doom and gloom awaiting humanity in the future. Maybe you think of modern-day social media influencers who self-proclaim to have received a word, vision, or message from God. Or could it be that not much at all crosses your mind when you encounter the word “prophecy,” viewing it as a subject that’s outdated, unimportant, or even irrelevant when compared to other issues and priorities with which Christians should be concerned.

Indeed, it has become commonplace among many churches and Christian circles to avoid and even dismiss the subject of Bible prophecy. The rationale behind such a decision is often motivated by fear of teaching on matters that can be viewed as controversial or contentious. Instead of expounding on prophetic Scripture that may be viewed as difficult or having the potential for objections and debate, some churches choose to simply overlook, omit, and neglect these portions of God’s Word.

In response to such a mistaken approach, I would like to offer ten reasons why you should be studying Bible prophecy, hoping you will see the benefits and blessings that result from doing so:

1.  Prophecy is God’s Word: In 2 Timothy 3:16, we read that “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Included in the phrase “all Scripture” is Bible prophecy.

This means that God chose to include prophecy as part of His Word for a reason. It isn’t there by happenstance. God specifically and willfully expressed His thoughts and ideas for a purpose, and if He deemed them important enough to be included in the pages of Holy Writ, it would be a perilous mistake for His followers to neglect studying what He has communicated. This is especially true when one considers that the Scriptures testify of Jesus (Jn. 5:39).

Disregarding Bible prophecy is essentially ignoring what the Bible has to say about Christ, and considering that almost a third of Biblical content is prophecy, overlooking this topic is an egregious mistake.

2.  Prophecy Helps Us Understand Current and Anticipate Future Events: The Bible has much to say about the state of the world prior to the return of Jesus. It describes the general deterioration in moral character among humanity (2 Tim. 3:1-5), the increasing hostility toward God resulting from escalating futility and depravity in man’s thinking (Ro. 1:18-32), the status and condition of Israel (Eze. 38, Ro. 11:25-31), and ultimately, the conclusion of history yet to occur (Re. 21).

The more one studies Bible prophecy, the better equipped they will be at understanding the times in which we live. It should be unsurprising to students of the Word that political and racial division is on the rise. It is to be expected that wars are breaking out across the globe and pressure is being increased to divide Israel. Sexual immorality, gender confusion, and the breakdown of the traditional family unit is likewise predictable. Bible prophecy helps bring clarity and offers guidance regarding subjects such as artificial intelligence, biogenetic engineering, the rise of global governance, the impact of a digital economy, and the supposed effect of climate change, which might otherwise spur anxiety, uncertainty, fear, and even hopelessness.

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