This is an odd question to be asking on a day when our church is beginning a weekend prophecy conference! Just to clarify, this conference is about prophecy pertaining to the future, not the spiritual gift of prophecy.
I raise this question because we are living in a time when many prominent Christians are saying that studying prophecy is a waste of time. For instance, Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life, writes:
“When the disciples wanted to talk about prophecy, Jesus quickly switched the conversation to evangelism. He wanted them to concentrate on their mission in the world. He said in essence, “The details of my return are none of your business. What is your business is the mission I have given you. Focus on that!”
I for one can appreciate where Rick Warren is coming from, in that Christians can develop an unhealthy fixation with Bible prophecy. They start trying to predict the exact time of Jesus’ return. They get so consumed with current affairs and how they play into the prophetic timeline, that they become lazy and irresponsible in reference to what God wants us to do in the here and now. Indeed, this was precisely the problem with some believers in the first-century church (see 2 Thess. 3:6-15).
But to paraphrase Jesus‚Äô words to say, “The details of my return are none of your business,” is to misrepresent Jesus‚Äô point and to throw out the baby with the bath water. As Roger Oakland points out in his book Faith Undone,
“We find in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 two of the longest passages in Scripture quoting Jesus‚Äô own words, and what‚Äôs more, where He details the signs of His coming. In essence, Jesus was saying, because you cannot know the day and hour of my return, you need to educate yourself in Bible prophecy and take heed of my words about the end times. Later on, one of those disciples, John, was given an entire book to write on the details of Jesus‚Äô coming.”
The apostle Peter, being moved by the Holy Spirit, wrote: “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another…” (1 Peter 1:7-8a). Peter goes on to talk about the importance of Christian hospitality, the exercising of our spiritual gifts, etc. In other words, biblical prophecy fortifies our faith and fuels our fervency! Christians are God‚Äôs watchmen and His witnesses!
Our Lord‚Äôs coming is near. The day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night (1 Thes. 5:2). May God help us to live this day in light of that Day! “He who testifies to these things says, ‚ÄòSurely I am coming quickly.‚Äô Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).
“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
Revelation 1:3