Does prophecy scare you? I have learned from many people that are both Christians who attend church weekly, to people who look to the National Enquirer prophecy. People are scared of prophecy. You can watch the news and you know something is wrong and you feel future events will be horrific. Prophecy study is not so much about looking into a crystal ball as it is about seeing God is in ultimate control over the events of history.
How Do We Know About Prophecy?
By Joshua Toupos
However, He does not operate us like little robots. He allows us to exercise free will and God demonstrates He is God by telling us things to come. It is our goal at Amos 3:7 to encourage you to study the Bible and gain an appreciation of the absolute confidence you can have in Gods promises and our future as believers. You may want to bookmark this web page. Take the time to read through the article over the evening or over the next few days.
Ask yourself, “Does prophecy scare me?” Do you understand what the purpose of prophecy is? This article is for newbies and the just plain curious about prophecy.
Prophecy Video Introduction
What is prophecy? Why prophecy? And where is it in the Bible?
What is prophecy; God, the God of the Bible is the God of prophecy. Simply stated prophecy is the tool that God uses to demonstrate He is who He says He is. Consider God, in the beginning, wanted to communicate to a mankind that had begun worshiping a pantheon of false gods. How could God show that He is the one and only true God and the rest are futile gestures to outright rebellion against all reason and truth? The world continues to spawn new beliefs and the list of false gods grows daily.
New spiritual salesman pops out of every corner and dazzles some with some insight. In the end, you have denial of truth Hollywood is full of this. Madonna follows after the Kaballah, Tom Cruise after Scientology, and Richard Gere after the Dali Lama. All that money and yet they hunger for more. That more is the desire for eternity that God has planted in each of us. However, Satan wishes to keep you from that in his jealousy. He is a liar and the father of them. He has woven a web of outright demon worship to cults that deny basic tenets of faith. Confusion is his signature on his authorship. After all rat poison is over 99% nutritious. It is that tiny amount that makes it deadly so it is eaten without any consideration.
Trial of the false gods
In the book of Isaiah the prophet, Isaiah gives pen to God. It is this author understanding that in chapters 40 thru 49 God puts all false gods on trial. Some scholars call this section of the Bible, “the trial of the false gods”.
Let’s take a very important sample of some of the statements that the LORD God makes about Himself. God, Himself points to prophecy, (History foretold in advance) as the litmus test of who is God.
Who is God?
Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing… Isaiah 40: 13-15, 18. To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
God Rebukes false Gods with Prophecy!
Here the Lord God throws this stinging rebuke at people who look to false gods.
Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together. Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.” Isaiah 41:21-24
God says; “Produce your cause…, your strong reasons…, shew us what shall happen…, declare us things for to come…, that we may know that ye are gods.” All religions, systems of thought, or higher thinking that claim to be true must pass this litmus test stated above. For those who chose any other god or religion, says “ye are of nothing.” I ask you, can you think of anything that can or claims that that actually can validate itself?
False Prophets, Tarot Cards, Crystals Balls & Channeling
Why is it that false prophets, Tarot cards, crystal balls, and those who channel are all peepers who like magicians simply deceive the paying public with slight of hand and even demonic help like witches. Beware of spiritual things that make merchandise of you. The truth is free!
The truth is not outside of the holy bible, there is no revelation of which God is and what He has chosen to reveal Himself through the Jewish people. Israel is the nation that God uses to demonstrate that He is God. Is it because Israel is a holy people? No, God will despite all of Israel’s shortcomings demonstrate to the world that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. See Israel 101 for Gods plan and purpose for Israel. Not because anything that they have done, but God keeps His word. Israel and the city of Jerusalem will be the focal point or what I like to say is Gods Rolex. We look to the nation of Israel and Jerusalem for clues on what is happening on Gods prophetic calendar.
God’s Time Piece: The God of Israel
Here in Isaiah 42:18-25 through 43:1-3
Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD’S servant? Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not. The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable. But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come? Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law. Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart… Isaiah 42:18-25
But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. Isaiah 43:1-3
God will shortly work out on the world stage for the whole world to see and know that He is the LORD, the Holy One of Israel and savior to those who put their trust in Him. In the study of prophecy, you may have heard of prophetic buzz words like Armageddon, the Rapture, The wrath of God, Revelation, and Hellfire. Here at TPT we will guide you through a step by step, precept upon precept approach to learning the word of God. Prophecy is a very important aspect of Christianity. I have heard all kinds of percentages of the bible that is a prophecy from 30% to 70%. I don’t know, but it does say that Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy. He is the author and living word, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was all prophecy.
OK, so maybe you’re not sure about all this prophecy stuff. I pointed out some scriptures, but your skeptical and would like to see something. I am one of the most skeptical people to walk around today. I question everything. So let’s look at some scriptures and see where the LORD has used prophecies to establish historical facts.
Why Study Prophecy?
Why prophecy? God uses prophecy to separate Himself from the pack of false gods. Simply God as stated above challenges any god, anyone, or anything to tell of things that are coming. The Bible is full of prophecies that have come to pass exactly as God said they would. Also, there are much, much more that is to come to pass shortly. None no not one person, angel or thing can tell what will happen later today or tomorrow. We live inside of time. Time is part of Gods creation and science is just starting to realize that time has fabric and substance as stated in Einstein’s theory of relativity in EMC2. God exists outside of time and can see it all at once. I can’t find a better scripture than here again in Isaiah 46: 5-10. Declaring the end from the beginning!
Only The Holy Bible Has Real Prophecies
To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like? They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship. They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble. Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”
Lets us look at just a couple. The apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 1:19-21,
Prophecy is Not For Private Interpretation
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 1:19-21
We have in the word of God a more sure word of prophecy. Peter was an eyewitness of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet Peter says the “we have also a more sure word of prophecy.” This is the litmus test again. Prophecy! I will take just a few prophecies from the Bible to establish a more sure word of prophecy.
Prophetic Scriptures
J. Barton Payne, from the Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, has compiled that there are 8362 predictive verses, 1817 predictions on 737 separate matters. WOW! Let’s take a quick look at some statistics that I gleaned from Chuck Missler Learn the Bible in 24hours. (the best resource I have found for beginners) You can find his excellent teachings at www.khouse.org Dr. Missler along with many others have provided us today with an accumulation of knowledge and modern study tools. You can quickly come up to speed on many topics once having trusted in the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
Based on those predictive verses above let’s just take 8 Prophecies about Jesus in His ministry and look at the random chance that someone could fulfill just these eight written centuries before Christ’s birth.
Micah 5:2 Born in Bethlehem 1:100,000
Zechariah 9:9 King on Donkey 1:100
Zechariah 11:12 Betrayed 30 pieces silver 1:1,000
Zechariah 11:13 Temple, Potters field etc… 1:100,000
Zechariah 13:6 Wounds in hands 1, 1,000
Isaiah 53:7 Made no defense: innocent 1: 1,000
Isaiah 53:9 Died with the wicked 1: 1,000
His grave with the rich
Psalm 22:16 Crucified 1: 10,000
Through the law of probabilities which account for population, men vs. women, and a bunch of other statistical things you can look into. The likelihood of those 8 would be a number of 10 to the 28th power and a generous population of 10 to the 11th is 100 billion people. Subtract the 11th from the 28th you get 10 to the 17th. How big is that number? Imagine filling the entire state of Texas with silver dollars 2feet thick and then you get one chance to pick the right silver dollar that has been marked by those 8 prophecies. Good luck! That’s the chance or probability of that happening with just 8 prophecies. Not convinced. There are over 300 to choose from with Christ’s first coming. Assuming no decrease in likelihoods if you just added 8 more to the other 8 that would bump that number to 10 to the 56th and subtract that pesky population 10 to the 11th we get 10 to the 45th. Now that pile to choose from is indeed very large. However just go up to 48 prophecies and you have a number after doing the math that is 10 to the 157th. Now we have to use all the electrons in the universe as silver dollars. That is the smallest measurement known to man and we can’t find enough in the whole universe to pick from. That I trust you are beginning to appreciate just what kind of God the God of the bible says He is. No one or thing can be that accurate in detailing what is to come but He who made time. Our Creator is truly an awesome God and He has chosen prophecy to demonstrate that He is indeed the only true God.
Where is Prophecy in The Bible
Where is a prophecy in the bible? Genesis is the first book of the Bible. Genesis is the book of beginnings. Every major doctrine of the Bible that God wants us to learn all has their beginnings here in the first book. It is my firm understanding that the Holy Spirit designed the entirety of the bible to be self-sufficient in teaching all doctrine. The Bible says that you have no need of a teacher like me. The bible is self-sufficient. However as a teacher which God has given to teach the body of Christ. Anything I say or teach can be measured by the whole of what scripture has to say. In Acts 17:11 the Apostle Paul gave a commendation to the people of Berea. He called the Bereans more noble than others because the received the teaching Paul gave about Christ but searched the scriptures daily to see if they were so. What do I mean? In the beginning, at the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, we have the first prophecy about a Savoir that would rescue man from the clutches of Satan.
Every major topic Jesus, Salvation, Works, The Blood, The Rapture, Israel, The Sin Problem, The Devil, The Trinity, Worship, Marriage, Middle East Conflict, The Antichrist, Judgment, and every page has Jesus in type or shadow and Genesis is full of prophecy!
Just open other articles listed below or to the right are tagged.
Shalom, Keith @Amos37
Really enjoyed this one, don’t stop writing.