“Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3 NLT)
“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not know.” (Matthew 24:42-44 NKJV)
“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels of heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.” (Matthew 24:36 NLT)
As I read Scripture I find three primary purposes for the prophetic passages…
…Purify;
…Prepare;
…Predict.
I think it is interesting that when it comes to these passages we spend most of our time involved in what is probably the least important of the three – PREDICT.
We love to try and figure out when and where things will take place. We read books, run to seminars, and flock to podcasts, hoping to get that special insight that will unravel our mysteries. We are fascinated with future predictions that bring little or no change to our current way of life. The art of prediction becomes “spiritual candy” giving us a momentary “spirit rush” much like candy gives us a sugar rush.
It is clear in Scripture that a far more important purpose for considering the future is to make sure I am ready for what is yet to come. I believe a highly beneficial approach to prophesy is to use it to PREPARE. Scripture was given to be a catalyst for positive change in my life. Pondering the future should give me hope. This hope brings positive change.
The hope of Scripture is not Jiminy Cricket hope. It is not wishing on a star hope. The hope of Scripture is a fervent expectation of good yet to come hope. It is hope that causes me to examine my life and change whatever needs to be changed in order to be prepared for what is coming. For example, knowing that the King is coming soon changes everything about how I think, speak, and act. It radically alters how I live. It changes my priorities as I want to be ready when He gets here. I am also convinced that looking to the future is meant to inspire me, not to beat me down or create fear. It is the Goodness of God that changes the way I think, speak, and act.
Finally, in my opinion, the most practical, and possibly the most important, purpose for prophesy is that it causes me to PURIFY myself. While I am convinced that God’s desire is to motivate change through His goodness, due to our hard heartedness sometimes that goodness bounces off.
I should do what is right simply because it is right. However, sometimes I simply choose the wrong things. That is when the purifying effects of prophecy kick in. Prophecy fulfills the proverbial desire to not get caught with my pants down. Thinking that there might be a police car parked somewhere up the highway keeps me from breaking the speed limit. Knowing that there are surveillance cameras watching my every move deters me from shoplifting.
I remember two basic scenarios when Mom and Dad went away and left me at home without the need of a babysitter. My preference was when they told me exactly when they would be home.
When I knew that my parents would be home at 8pm on Sunday, I would live with no regard for their desires until about 4pm on Sunday. For a moment in time, the thought of their return was the farthest thing from my mind, and any deterent that their presence brought was gone. Then at 4pm I would snap out of my shortlived “freedom” and run through the house removing every sign of what took place in their absence and restoring the house to the condition in which they left it.
The second scenario was very different. As my parents became more cognizant of the fact that I was a “freedom abuser” they became less clear on their return dates and times. They would leave me with the strong sense that they could return home on any day at any time. Now I had to think twice before acting. Did I want to risk being caught? Did I want them to come home to a house in this condition? I found myself living differently with a healthy fear of the consequences of my actions.
Prophecy, as intriguing as it may be to try and figure out dates, times, and locations, was given primarily as a means of guiding me in my preparation for the future and prompting me to live in purity today. Thinking about tomorrow has very little value if it doesn’t bring benefits today.
As you think about the future, keep in mind…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 360: The 3 Primary Purposes of Prophecy