Prophecy enthusiasts believe the end is near. A plague has claimed many thousands of lives. Many believe it is a sign of the end times. Am I talking about the year 2020? No! I am talking about the year 1666. Many Londoners thought this may be the year that Jesus returns. In 1665 the world seemed to be on the brink of destruction as a plague claimed the lives of 100,000 people in London alone. Then in 1666 a London fire destroyed many thousands of buildings. Prophecy enthusiasts reasoned it had been 1000 years since the time of Christ plus the number of Antichrist (666) bringing them to 1666. Putting it all together it sure seemed like it all pointed to the end being at hand.

Just one problem: None of this was tied to an accurate interpretation of the prophecy of Scripture. People have all kinds of ideas about prophecy, but frankly MOST of it is in error. Very little of what passes for prophecy today is actually in keeping with true biblical prophecy. There is nothing NEW under the sun. People that have very little knowledge of the Bible, or just enough knowledge to be dangerous, often claim their EXPERIENCE or their intuitive instincts are a sufficient guide related to the topic of prophecy. But what does the Bible really teach in context? That is the great issue to be considered!

The subject of prophecy has fallen on hard times. Most of those professing to be Christian today have little or no interest in the subject. There are several reasons why I think this is true.

1. The disregard of prophecy is itself a sign of the times.

2 Peter 3:3–4 (ESV)
3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.
4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”

We should expect that if we are living in the last days of the Church Age that MANY will mock the idea that Christ will return again – or the idea that we are getting close to His return. We see that reality today.

2. Many, (perhaps even well intended) professing Christians have consistently overplayed their hand in claiming to KNOW the time of the end in a specific sense.

In the 1800s a man by the name of William Miller (1782-1849) was a Baptist minister. Based on a flawed study of Dan. 8:14 he concluded that Christ would return by March 21, 1844. He gained a fairly large following of people called “Millerites”. And because of their preoccupation with the coming of Christ they were called “Adventists”. However, when Christ didn’t return as predicted, with a little help from his friends, Miller recalculated to Oct. 22, 1844. When the second date also proved wrong it was called “The Great Disappointment”. The entire movement then evolved into great error under the leadership of a false prophetess by the name of Ellen G. White (1827-1915). It developed into what is known as Seventh Day Adventism today.

Edgar C. Whisenant, a former NASA engineer and Bible student, wrote a book titled 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988 predicting the rapture would occur in 1988, sometime between Sept. 11 and Sept. 13. When it didn’t happen, he wrote another book titled, “The Final Shout: Rapture Report 1989!” explaining that he had miscalculated by one year and that Jesus was actually returning in 1989. He then died in 2001 and Jesus still has not returned.

Harold Camping said the Lord would return in 1994. It didn’t happen. Harold Camping recalculated and said the Lord would return on May 21, 2011, accompanied by an unparalleled earthquake that would be felt around the world. It didn’t happen. Harold Camping then said that his predictions for May 21st did happen “spiritually”. And then Camping said, the world would end in a holocaustic judgment on October 21, 2011. Finally, Camping admitted he was wrong and died in 2013. What a pathetic way to go.

2 Peter 2:1–2 (ESV)
1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.

I am not saying that all those who are wrong about prophecy are all lost false teachers, but I am saying that errant teaching on prophecy does incalculable harm causing the TRUTH of God to be blasphemed. That is most serious, and I think in part it is one reason the subject of prophecy has fallen on hard times.

3. An inconsistent “Reformed” approach to prophetic Scripture.

In recent years there has been a resurgence in those holding to Reformed Theology emphasizing what are called the doctrines of grace. Not all, but many, often mock dispensationalists like me who hold to a strong distinction between Israel and the Church and a pre-tribulation view of the Rapture. They claim such views are “Johnny Come Lately” views which were not endorsed by the Reformers. But I would argue that when it comes to “prophecy” the Reformers largely dropped the ball. They correctly insisted on getting back to a literal/normal understanding of Scripture – except in the case of prophecy. Here they were inconsistent – allowing for an allegorical treatment of the Scripture. This error has caused all kinds of confusion right down to the present time. A consistent approach to the interpretation of the Bible if consistent – consistently interprets all parts of the Bible, including prophecy, in context, and in a normal/literal fashion.

4. The “Now/Me” mentality that pervades so much of modern Christianity.

Many people don’t want sound doctrine. They want “practical” stuff that caters to them and this life. They don’t want to talk about “future things” related to the hereafter. The SOUND doctrine of prophecy therefore is OUT. For them it's all about “me” and “now”. It’s about “My Best Life Now”. In doing so what they really clamor for is a “man-centered theology” instead of a “God centered theology” and the tragedy is that MOST don’t even realize the error of their ways (cf. 2 Tim. 4:1-5).

In truth there is value in the whole counsel of God. There is a reason that 27% of the Scripture as given was prophecy. If you don’t like prophecy you are going to have to do away with HUGE portions of the Bible. The Bible is a prophetic book. God is a God of prophecy. All Scripture is given by inspiration and it is all profitable (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16). None of it is to be neglected, certainly not the prophetic parts. Our very faith is “prophetic”. It was prophesied in the OT and fulfilled in the NT. That is why Paul says the gospel of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection is “according to the Scriptures” – meaning “according to the prophetic OT Scriptures” (cf. 1 Cor. 15:1-4).

Tucked away in 1 Chron. 12:32 is this statement: “The sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do”. In context they understood that David was God’s man to be king. They understood that all the tribes should get together and crown David as the new king of Israel. They understood God’s revelation through His prophet Samuel, and they sought to apply it to life. The need for understanding and discernment is also critical for our day. We need to know what God says and apply it to life. Prophecy is consistently linked with how we should then live.

Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day saying:

Matthew 16:2–3 (ESV)
2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’
3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

What were the signs of the times that they missed? Well, it was the prophetic fulfillment of the prophecies in the OT Scriptures that were fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus. The “signs of the times” directly related to Jesus.

The Bible is uniquely a book of prophecy. There is no other book in the world like this book. There is no other book that comes close – frankly there is no other book even in the running. The Bible ALONE is truly prophetic. In the Bible 8,352 verses out of 31,124 refer to prophetic issues. That is 27% of the Bible.

Scholars tell us there are 333 specific prophecies about Christ in the Bible. 109 of them were fulfilled at His first coming; leaving 224 yet to be fulfilled at His second coming. This means that 1/3 of the prophecies about Christ have already been fulfilled. There are about 1000 total prophecies in the Bible with about 500 of them having already been fulfilled.

Prophecy is about predicting the future. One thing about humans is that whenever they try to predict the future they consistently get it wrong. Yogi Berra (that famous theologian) once said, “Prediction is hard, especially when it’s about the future.” Dr. Norman Geisler said, “Not a single prediction of Nostradamus has ever proved genuine.” Steve Jobs (Founder of Apple) said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”

Humanly speaking that is true. But here is the deal: God gives the dots looking forward. That is prophecy. God tells us the dots before they are even in place and then He brings them to pass. This is GOD'S GLORY ALONE! Now as we look back, we see the dots God told us in advance and then we see how they all connect in perfect harmony. This is the prophetic glory of God. In contrast to human predictions, God never gets it wrong. True prophecy is always 100% accurate all the time. This is because true prophecy is of God. The God of the Bible is UNIQUELY a God of prophecy!

2 Peter 1:20–21 (ESV)
20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.
21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.