The study of Bible Prophecy has taken me through every single book of the Bible, and from cover to cover, I see the unfolding of God's plan for the human race.
The Old Testament prophetically points forward to a coming Redeemer, and this being only one of MANY places in the Old Testament. How do I know this? On the road to Emmaus, the risen Jesus chastised the disciples for not understanding the scriptures:
Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Luke 24:25-27)
Today, the disturbing trend amongst Christian churches is to ignore and discredit the study of prophecy and those that teach it. Thirty percent of the Bible is prophetic in nature. So when a teacher or denomination collectively ignore that much scripture, or treat it as if it were unimportant, then they are sorely going to be missing things that tie the past and the present together with events to come.
Two of the harshest condemnations by Christ on anyone in Scriptures, were to the Pharisees (or religious leaders), and to the Laodicean Church (Revelation 3:14-22). One, was for their overt and utter disregard for who the Bible said the Messiah would be (and when), and the other is to a religious group who were lukewarm in their beliefs, neither committing too, nor rejecting Jesus. These two groups are dominating Christendom today both with rejecting prophecy and with the promotion of ecumenicalism.
The study of prophecy is not meant to make one fatalistic about the concerns of this world, but rather, to bring hope and encouragement. It shouldn't replace evangelism, but deepen it.
CS Lewis once said; "If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this."
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15 NASB)
Rightly dividing the Word will lead you straight to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church. It focuses the believer on the world to come, not the trivial things in this life that will pass away as a vapor.
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." (Romans 8:28-30)
The proper study of prophecy has the potential to light a fire in the believer that can never be extinguished. It is a powerful tool that God equips the believer with the knowledge and assurance to battle the false, heretical, and damnable doctrines of demons currently spreading around the globe.
Historically, you can go back and see where amillennialism, preterism, replacement theology, and open theism have been inserted into the church. They claim they don't teach the Rapture for instance, because of the so-called divisiveness that man has come to see in it.
Battle Tactics 101 says to 'divide and conquer'! So, like that dead Sardis church, the modern church has quit watching and come to abandon watching altogether. Jesus tells them:
"Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you." (Revelation 3:3)
Think about all those who have currently fallen under the sway of cults and heretical belief systems.
They have to openly discard proven history, so how much easier is it for false prophets and teachers to come and speak of things yet to happen?
Currently, we live in the 'age of information', so much so that it should be renamed, the 'age of confusion'. So many competing doctrines, philosophies, religions, political persuasions have bombarded mankind with every sort of belief system you can imagine. They are all intent on telling you that they have cornered the market on ideas and truth, and if you only buy into what they are selling, your life will be all the better. That is why it is so important for a believer to know the whole bible, not just parts of it.
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ " (Titus 2:11-13)
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