Biblical Prophecy - Are You Open To It?

 What exactly is prophecy? Prophecy has been described as a foretelling - a declaration or pronouncement of what is to come. "Prophecy at its most basic definition is “a message from God.” So, to prophesy is to proclaim a message from God ". (https://www.gotquestions.org/prophecy-prophesy.html). 

A prophecy can also be considered to be a promise with a time frame. The prophets of old prophesied about the birth of Jesus. In Isaiah 7:14, the Bible says "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Prophet Isaiah prophesied the birth of Jesus 700 years before the event and it happened at the right time. The birth of Jesus was prophesied by Prophet Micah in Micah 5:2, "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.". God sent His prophets to foretell future events and this characteristic of biblical prophecy will not change. It is therefore perplexing that many Christians avoid the more unpalatable but true prophecies in the Bible such as:

"For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:7-13). These are the words of Jesus. Are you open to this or do you want to avoid it? With all due respect, rolling it under the carpet, avoiding it or neglecting it will not change the Word of God - the Word of prophecy. The things Jesus prophesied about are happening today. 

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. " (1 Timothy 4:1-5). This is happening in the 21st century. The Word of God will never return to Him void because it will accomplish all that it was sent out for (Isaiah 55:10-11)

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people." (2 Timothy 3:1-5). All these are evident today. So, today biblical prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes. 

"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy 3:12). Unfortunately we do not hear much about the persecution that awaits godly believers Is this not a word of prophecy? Apostle Paul was in Caesarea when Prophet Agabus foretold (prophesied) what was going to happen to Apostle Paul, "And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles." (Acts 21:10-11) . Paul did not rise up in prayer against the prophecy of Agabus as many believers would have done today, neither did he argue against it or reject it. In fact, even though the brethren appealed to Paul not to go to Jerusalem, he said “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:13)

Are you open to God's Word of prophecy? Apostle Paul embraced God's plan for his life and that included suffering. In Romans 8:16, the Bible says "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." (Romans 8:16-17). Apostle Paul was aware of his obligation to submit to suffering as and when allowed by God. 

God gave a word of prophecy to Abraham about the children of Israel on Genesis 15:13-14, "Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.". This came to pass as the children of Israel were slaves in the land of Egypt until God sent Moses to deliver them from hands of Pharoah. In fact, on the day of deliverance, the Israelites left with volumes of precious metals including gold and silver.

The word of prophecy tells of exciting things to come as when Jesus said in Mark 16:17-18, "And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 

In Isaiah 40:31, the Bible says, "But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired." This is a promise but it is also a prophecy. 

The Word of God is the sure word of prophecy. God may use individuals to prophesy in contemporary times just as the Old Testament prophets did. The Bible says, "And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct], [and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ [the church]; until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity]." (Ephesians 4:11-13, AMP) [Emphasis, mine].

However, prophecy is always about the plans of God and His glory. Any prophecy that elevates man is false prophecy. The book of Revelation is a book of prophecy and it starts as follows:

'This is the revelation of Jesus Christ [His unveiling of the divine mysteries], which God [the Father] gave to Him to show to His bond-servants (believers) the things which must soon take place [in their entirety]; and He sent and communicated it by His angel (divine messenger) to His bond-servant John," (Revelation 1:1, AMP). It clearly shows things that will happen in the future and it states without ambiguity the prophetic nature of its contents:

"Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and who keep the things which are written in it [heeding them and taking them to heart]; for the time [of fulfilment] is near." (Revelation 1:3, AMP). So, we have the word of prophecy - The Bible. What is your attitude towards it? Have you read what has been written? Have you heard what has been spoken? Have you done what has been commanded? We are accountable for our attitude towards this sure word of prophecy. May God help us to pay attention to His Words, to be doers of His Word and not hearers only. May the Lord bless you, keep you, strengthen and empower you to do His will according to His Word of prophecy in Jesus' Name.