Study Prophecy To Know The Season

The following article was written by Mike Sanders of Louisville, KY. he preached at Buechel Church of Christ in the 70’s and 80’s and is a retired pilot for UPS.

Bible prophecy is important. Someone has counted the number of verses in the Bible. There are 31,124 verses in the Bible. Of the 23,210 verses in the Old Testament, 6,641 contain prophetic material. There are 7,914 verses in the New Testament, and 1,711 are prophetic.

More than 26 percent of the Bible is prophetic. See 2 Peter 1:19, 20. Peter said, “Pay attention”¦”

Prophecy changes your view of this world. It is not going to continue as it is. God has a purpose and a definite plan that will be carried out to precise completion. He is involved in the events that are preparing for the things to come. It becomes clear to the prophecy student that God is sovereign.

Things are not falling apart, they are falling into place. The best is just ahead. See 2 Peter 3:1-13. Jesus taught us to pray for God”™s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. That prayer will be answered.

Prophecy identifies signs of the times. God has provided recognizable conditions and events so that you will not be in the dark. See I Thessalonians 5:1-6 to learn that He made that information available to you. You can see if you are paying attention. Be alert. We can know something of the season in which we live. Those in darkness can”™t.

Prophecy will motivate you to holy living. Be expectant. When you are honestly expecting the Lord”™s imminent return, you will become serious about how you live. This expectancy permeates your life. Your calendar will be changed. Your checkbooks will be changed. Your values, short and long term will be changed. See 1 John 3:2,3.

Prophecy encourages evangelism. Have you heard another Christian say, “Maranatha”? Do you know what that meant? He prayed for the Lord to return. You will do that too. Not only will you pray for His return, you will also become passionately concerned about friends and acquaintances who do not know Christ as Savior. Knowing what lies ahead for them, you will be compelled to bring them to the Lord. See 2 Timothy 4:7,8.

Prophecy identifies the Christian hope. Hope necessarily is for something that is positive and future. What is it that lies ahead? David said that goodness and mercy were ahead during this life.

What will the future bring? Paul said there was a crown , too. See Titus 2:13 and I Thessalonians 4:13-18, especially I Thessalonians 4:17,18.

Dec200930

Larry Miles

0