"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
Bible prophecy suffers as much from its enthusiasts as it does from its detractors. Too often, prophetic studies suffer from inadequate scholarship, fanciful conjectures, and contrived conclusions. With all of the different viewpoints floating around out there, it is essential to begin with a firm foundation. In order to get a clear understanding of Biblical prophecy, we must first examine its origin and purpose.
The Bible itself claims to be the Word of God; it is His message to mankind. The Bible says that "all scripture is God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16)." Therefore the prophecies recorded in Scripture are not mere inventions of mankind. In 2 Peter 1:20-21 it says "...no prophecy of the 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 Ghost."
Perhaps the chief purpose of prophecy is to authenticate the Bible's supernatural origin (although that is not its sole purpose). Because God exists outside our space-time domain, He is able to see, in effect, the beginning and the end of our time domain simultaneously. Consequently, the Bible proves that its message is of extra-dimensional origin through predictive prophecy (i.e. by writing history in advance). In Isaiah 42:9, God declares, "Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them."
However Bible prophecy is more than simply a glimpse of what may lie ahead; it is an overview of God's complete plan for mankind. By the reckoning of some, the Scriptures include 8,362 verses containing 1,817 predictions concerning more than 700 different matters. Of these, there are more than 300 prophecies dealing with the coming Messiah. The odds of one person fulfilling just eight of those prophecies is equivalent to covering the state of Texas with silver dollars two feet deep, marking just one of the silver dollars, mixing them up in such a way that the marked coin could be anywhere, and then reaching back in at random and drawing out that one marked silver dollar. Obviously, that would be pretty unlikely! Even more astonishing is the fact that Jesus fulfilled, not just eight, but all of the hundreds of prophecies about the Messiah.
At Koinonia House, our goal is to create, develop, and distribute materials to stimulate, encourage, and facilitate serious study of the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. It seems that more and more Christians today are unable to articulate an intellectual basis for why they believe what they believe is true. The average American owns three copies of the Bible, but doesn't read any of them. Even those who attend church regularly do not take the time to study the Bible on their own. Biblical illiteracy is perhaps the primary reason why many Christians do not share their faith and why most are ill-equipped to defend it.
Chuck Missler's book Prophecy 20/20 is a great resource for those who want to better understand where we are on God's timetable. Prophecy 20/20 examines Biblical prophecy past, present, and future. It discusses the nature of prophecy, the Biblical track record, assesses our current geopolitical situation, and clearly explains what the Bible says will happen in the last days.
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You say "The Bible itself claims to be the Word of God". Is this what the Bible says. We do know that the Bible calls Jesus THE WORD OF GOD. Does the Bible and Jesus share the same Name. If this is true then can the Bible save a person from hell. If someone reads and even memorizes the Bible will they be saved. the Devil knows the whole Bible and is going to destruction is he not. There is Only One Prophet and the is the lord Jesus Christ. The prophets of old and of today who are called of God to be prophets can not speak the Word of the lord on their own. It is Only the Lord Jesus Christ who is THE WORD OF GOD who did and can still speak through these men. When the Word of God speaks it is just that The Word of God. Jesus did not call the scriptures The Word of God. He called them the scriptures. John 5:39 "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, - Jesus makes it very clear no one will find Truth in the scriptures with out His help. We are told to worship the Word of God. If the Bible was the Word of God then we should worship it and many have stumbled over this sin. Jesus is THE WORD OF GOD and there is nothing or no one who can compare to Him. The Book itself calls us to follow the Author of the Book and NOT the Book. It is THE BOOK. But He is THE WORD. Only he can save. Lou Click here to reply to this post
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