We also have the prophetic message …
Summary: The prophecy in the Bible is unique in the history of the world.
Christians have something that no other faith tradition has.
Think about that for a minute. Christianity is unique in the history of the world.
Yes, there are a lot of people making competing claims. Yes, there are a lot of variations on the Christian theme. Yes, there are so-called “respectable people” who deny Christianity. Yet, in the midst of all this flak thrown up to keep people from seeing the truth, there is an undeniable truth: We have the prophetic message.
I do not know if Peter has a specific prophetic message in mind when he wrote these words. He may have. However, the phrase “the prophetic message” applies well to the whole of Scripture. A prophetic message comes from outside time and space and is given to a person chosen by God to hear it. Then the prophet has to share it with people. It has to be recorded and preserved. Finally, it proves to be true.
This last point, being proven true, is the defining characteristic of a prophetic message.
Keep in mind that even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. Anyone might stumble across the truth accidentally. Such a person’s words might be written down and eventually proved true. But how often does this happen?
The prophetic message is one that consistently meets all these criteria. It is a message that comes from God. The message is spoken, recorded, preserved, and eventually proven true. The Bible is a book containing the whole record of God speaking to us, the people he created. The prophecies in the Bible were spoken to the people of the time. They were recorded and kept for posterity. They have proven to be true (unless they are still to be fulfilled).
The key prophetic message in all Scripture is about Christ. It begins with Genesis 3:15:
“And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.”
Isaiah 53 describes this event in more detail. Spooky detail. As vague as the Genesis passage is, the Isaiah 53 passage describes what happened. More detail is given in Psalm 22. Even to the point of describing what happened to the Lord’s clothes (Psalm 22:18).
The Bible is not a book that somebody sat down and wrote after the fact. It is not a “history” in the sense that someone is telling a story about things they remember. The Bible is very different. It is a journal of events recorded by God’s people. It is the “ship’s log” of God’s Ark of the Covenant. The prophecies were recorded, not because they made sense at the time, but because the people recording them had faith in God and were used by God.
And then they came true.
Application: Make a point to take note of prophecy in the Bible as you read through God’s Word.
Food for Thought: How does prophecy relate to us today?
????
Prophecy relates to us today in many ways. One is that we are seeing prophecy fulfilled before our eyes with the push toward a one world government; the nations alighted for the end times war of Ezekiel 38 – 39; the advancements of travel and technology that Daniel talked about; the rise of the revived Roman Empire through the EU; the proliferation of false Messiah’s and demonic deception in the last days; and perhaps most significant, the rebirth of Israel. Prophecy allows us to be aware of what is happening in our world and how it connects with God’s plan. Jesus told us to be aware of the signs of the times (Matthew 16; 1 – 3; Matthew 24. Perhaps of greatest significance, we are given great promises in Scripture. We can trust those promises. Everything dealing with the first advent of Jesus came true in a literal fashion, thus we can trust the promises dealing with His second Coming. He will come for His church. The dead will be raised to new life. There is a glorious eternal inheritance for His people, etc.
Rich,
Thank you! Your knowledge of Biblical prophecy is helpful to me in many ways. You have opened my eyes to many things about God’s plans for humanity and our future with Him in heaven! 🙂
Thank you for turning my 3 minutes in the morning to a full on study for the last 3 hours.
You’re welcome! 🙂
Pastor Rich it to blame also.
Roger that!
10-08-2021, 2 Peter 1:19a, How does prophecy relate to us today?
They are poof of the truths written in God’s word, approximately 300 prophesies fulfilled by Christ. As Rich so well points out, God’s Word opens our eyes to fulfillment during our lifetime as events foretold in Gods word are seen unfolding today. God knows all, we can be thankful, find inner peace, knowing all events are foreknown.
They are like a lamp a revelation of truth in a world of unknowns, seen as we spend time in daily prayer, study and meditation in God’s word and will build our faith. The more time we spend with the Lord, the more we find ourselves living in the truths God reveals and speaking in great confidence as lead by the Holy Spirit.
Ron,
I appreciate the way you describe what happens as we draw closer the Light. As our faith in God grows, we find ourselves living in the truths that God reveals. It is an amazing journey!