Much of the bible is prophecy. It's all over the place. Open any page especially in Isaiah or Jeremiah and you see God speaking as if He is in many places in history at the same time. That's because He is omnipresent- not only in 3 spacial dimensions, but the dimension of time too. God created time so he is not subject to it. If you are sitting on a curb watching a parade, you can only see a few floats in either direction. You wouldn't know which floats are coming next or how near the end is. But if you are in a helicopter, you can see the parade from the start to finish at the same moment. Prophecy is merely history stated ahead of time. Prophecy is history... from God's point of view.
Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, "My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,' -Isaiah 46:9,10
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea." -Revelation 1:8,10,11
And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. -Revelation 21:6
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. -Revelation 22:13
God revealed his name to Moses at the burning bush. In the Hebrew language it has four letters "YHVH" know as the Hebrew Tetragrammaton. Whole studies have been done on God's name, but it's the meaning of His name that is of interest to this article on prophecy. It means "The Eternal One" or "The self existent one".
Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, "What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."' Exodus 3:13,14
The Jews tried to stone Jesus when he revealed His eternal nature.
Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, "I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. -John 8:54-59
We should trust what God says more than we trust the planet we are standing on.
Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. -Matthew 5:17,18
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. -Matthew 24:35
When you study prophecy, you should seek what God is trying to tell us. What is his message to us? Never try to put your own interpretation on it or twist it to fit a distorted theology.
And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. -2 Peter 1:19-21
as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. -2 Peter 3:16
To authenticate His message to mankind. God is the only one that can make 100% accurate predictions. He doesn't make His predictions based upon speculation like man does. Time itself is under His complete jurisdiction.
Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, "My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,' -Isaiah 46:9,10
Prophecy is for God's pleasure and glory, not man's.
Not everyone that claims to be a prophet is from God. God warns us to beware of false prophets.
"If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, "Let us go after other gods'--which you have not known--"and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst. -Deuteronomy 13:1-5
"When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you. "The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, "Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.' "And the LORD said to me: "What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' And if you say in your heart, "How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?'-- when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. -Deuteronomy 18:9-22
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. -Matthew 7:15
Jesus warns us that there will be many false prophets during the great tribulation.
Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. -Matthew 24:11
"Then if anyone says to you, "Look, here is the Christ!' or "There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. -Matthew 24:23-25
The Apostle Paul said we should be careful and judge the messages from prophets. And what they say needs to square with what the Apostle Paul said.
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. -1 Corinthians 14:29,37
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. -2 Peter2:1,2
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. -1 John 4:1
There will be a great False Prophet during the great tribulation whose influence will span the whole earth.
Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. -Revelation 13:11-18
Now for the fate of the False Prophet...
Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. -Revelation 19:20
The False Prophet had been warned.
For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. -Revelation 22:18,19
Do you think you are a prophet? You better make sure those little voices are really from God. Consider yourself warned. So study God's word to make sure you know the truth. And if you are a true prophet of God, don't be surprised if your own relatives don't respect you for it.
But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." -Mark 6:4
For further study on false prophets, see the Prophecy Planet Online Concordance.
Don't be a false prophet! If you are still hearing voices that contradict the Word of God, get some professional help.
We should study prophecy because the bible tells us to do so.
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, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you. -Titus 2:11-15
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
To understand former mysteries and secrets for the glory of God.
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith-- to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. -Romans 16:25-27
God hasn't revealed everything to us, but what he has revealed belongs to us. He wants us to understand them so we can obey him.
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. -Deuteronomy 29:29
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter. - Proverbs 25:2
Jesus tells us to understand the prophecies of Daniel.
"Therefore when you see the "abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. -Matthew 24:15-21
Blessings are promised to those who study prophecy.
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. -Revelation 1:3
Then he said to me, "These words are faithful and true." And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. "Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." -Revelation 22:6,7
So we can have patience, comfort and hope!
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. -Romans 15:4
So we can be better equipped to share the gospel with others. Jesus fulfilled many prophecies. The good news of the gospel is a story that contains many prophecies. What better way to share the gospel with a Jew than through the prophecies that point to Jesus as the Messiah?
And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." -Revelation 19:10
You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. -John 5:39
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. -2 Timothy 3:16,17
See also: The Supernatural Origin of Biblical Texts by Chuck Missler.
