What is End-Times Prophecy and Why it Matters
End-times prophecy is God’s revelation of future events leading up to Christ’s return and the fulfillment of His kingdom. According to The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy by J. Barton Payne, there are 1,239 prophecies in the Old Testament and 578 in the New Testament. Prophecies constitute 26.8 percent of the Bible’s volume. In the prophetic verses, there are around 333 prophecies about Christ. Of these 333 prophecies, 109 were fulfilled at Christ’s first coming, and 224 will be fulfilled at His Second Coming.
Many shy away from the study of prophecy for a variety of reasons. Some avoid studying it because they believe prophecy is a waste of time and irrelevant to their Christian walk. Others believe that prophecy is too complicated and that they will never understand it. Still, others believe prophecy is all doom and gloom; they don’t want to think about the end.
They are all mistaken. Prophecy is relevant, understandable, and good news for believers. It demonstrates that the Bible can be trusted. Here, we will discuss five reasons to study prophecy.
Reason 1: God Commands Us to Study End-Times Prophecy
God spoke of the future through the prophets and then through Jesus Christ. The Bible begins with prophecy and ends with prophecy; it is an essential part of its message, comprising more than 25 percent of the Scripture. Any topic making up over 25 percent of the Bible must be important.
God’s intent has never been to leave us in the dark but to reveal His plans through His chosen messengers, the prophets (Amos 3:7). The Prophetic Word is a light shining in the darkness, illuminating the path before us and making our way clear until Jesus comes back (2 Peter 1:19-21). We are to pay attention to prophetic Scripture; if we do, we will be blessed (Revelation 1:3).
To further highlight the importance of prophecy, especially end-time prophecy, out of 46 Old Testament prophets, less than ten mention Jesus’ first coming. However, 36 of them speak of His Second Coming. The Old Testament refers to the second coming of Christ 1,500 times. One out of 25 New Testament verses alludes to His second coming. For every mention of the first coming of Christ, the Bible refers to the Second Coming eight times. And if that is not enough, Jesus talks about His second coming 21 times, and over 50 times, we are told to be ready for His return.
Reason 2: End-Times Prophecy Helps Us Recognize the Signs of Christ’s Return
Dangers of Missing the Signs
In Genesis, God started revealing to us through Moses and the Prophets His salvation plan through a Messiah. Later, in the New Testament, Jesus confirmed that it was Him about whom they wrote. Even though the Prophets had prophesied His coming no less than 333 times, Israel did not recognize Him; they did not believe He was the Messiah.
Instead, they hardened their hearts to God’s message He had sent to them through His prophets. Because of Israel’s inability to recognize their own Messiah, Jerusalem was leveled, and all of its inhabitants were killed (Luke 19:44).
Another consequence of their unbelief was that the Kingdom of God was taken from them and given to the Church (Matthew 21:42-44). Because the Israelites rejected the Gospel, the message went to a new nation of believers, the Church. Through this, we are reminded that we must not harden our hearts to God’s message but keep our hearts soft and pliable, ready to receive the Word with joy when He comes again!
God Gives Us Prophecy to Recognize the TImes
God tells us things before they happen so that when they do occur, we will believe. When we know what the Word says about the future, we can recognize the times and act accordingly. Knowing the signs of the times is like an early warning system: we are alerted to upcoming threats and, as a result, know when to take precautions to protect our minds and hearts from deception and fear.
Jesus implores us constantly to be alert and ready for His return (Matthew 24:42-44). We should not be indifferent to the signs but watch and be ready. As Noah prepared for the flood, we should prepare for Jesus’s return.
Just as Israel missed the signs of Christ’s first coming, the world today is in grave danger of ignoring the signs of His return. The Bible clearly outlines Israel’s role in the last days, showing how God’s prophetic plan unfolds through them. Understanding prophecy helps us recognize how these events lead toward Christ’s Second Coming.
Reason 3: Understanding Prophecy Gives Us an Eternal Perspective on the Last Days
Studying prophecy sets our hearts and minds on God’s eternal nature. Jesus said,
“I am the Alpha and the Omega…who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).
The alpha and the omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Jesus referred to himself as the alpha and the omega because He is the first, last, beginning, and end. He is eternal. Because He has put eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11), nothing can satisfy us except the eternal things of God: His Word, His love, and His joy. Knowing this encourages us to set our minds not on earthly things but things above (Colossians 3:1-2) and live differently, only focusing on those things that matter for eternity.
Reason 4: Prophecy Strengthens Our Faith and Gives Us Hope Amid End-Time Challenges
When we look at the prophetic scriptures, we see our future – that one day we will wake up with bodies that will never die (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). We see that there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and no longer any death, mourning, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:1-4). We find out a priceless inheritance is waiting for us in heaven, and our salvation is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit who lives in us (1 Peter 1:3-5, Ephesians 1:13-14). Knowing our future strengthens our faith and gives us hope. Because of this hope, we should live our lives disciplined and in pursuit of holiness. As believers, we should embrace the hope of heaven as an anchor for our souls (Hebrews 6:19) and relentlessly pursue the things of God.
Reason 5: Prophecy Reveals Jesus as King and Judge at His Second Coming
Finally, studying prophecy, especially the book of Revelation, gives us a breathtaking view into the throne room of God, where we see Jesus in His exalted state with “myriads upon myriads” worshiping Him (Revelation 5:11). Christ’s first coming was one of humiliation, but His second coming will be one of exaltation. Only a few noticed His first coming as a babe in a manger in Bethlehem, but all will see His second coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30). The first time He came as the Lamb of God, but the second time He will come as the Lion of Judah. He was despised and abandoned the first time, but the second time, He will be worshiped and adored (Philippians 2:9-11, Revelation 5:1-14)
Don’t shy away from the study of prophecy. Prophecy is relevant to your Christian walk and by studying it you will be blessed. Prophecy is relevant, understandable, and good news for believers.
Biblical prophecy doesn’t just tell us about the future—it has already proven itself through fulfilled prophecies about Jesus’ first coming. Understanding how God preserved the Messianic bloodline strengthens our confidence in the prophecies yet to be fulfilled. In our next article, The First Prophecy of Jesus: Tracing the Messiah from Genesis to Revelation, we explore the very first prophecy about Christ and how it sets the stage for all future prophecy. Don’t miss it!
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