Understanding what ‘prophecy’ means is of great value to all believers, because knowing at least some basics as to how it all works will act as a tremendous source of protection over our lives, as we hear more clearly what the Scripture is saying.

For example, in 2Timothy 3:1-15, Paul is instructing the young Timothy in the faith for guidance as an up and coming pastor, and given the fact that the end of days actually did begin with the work of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection, combined with the fact that he is using future tense and the same terminology, he was saying that those perilous times could begin at any time, which makes it a prophetic verse; something God has warned us that will happen, so that we may be prepared, not scared. 

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boaster, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”  

Understanding that this passage is prophetic in nature, as are many others, helps us better perceive what the world will look like in the days just prior to Jesus' Return, and this is priceless knowledge. When we see the day approaching (Luke 21:28), we don’t have to be afraid. Like right now, everyone must be on edge seeing what we are in store for as the next president and what tyranny will ensue if she wins and what civil wars will ensue if he wins. 

BUT, when we see everything in the news lining up with these end of days Scriptures, we can gleam great comfort that our rescue is near! And we will be seeing our LORD JESUS SOON, so we can even have joy!

Moreover, when we understand that very soon everything will change and the world will lose a large portion of it's inhabitants, we’ll have a greater sense of urgency in helping people get saved; knowing that once the Rapture happens, that person/people will have to live through the worst time that has even happened on the earth:

"For there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the word until this time, no, nor ever shall be." (Matthew 24:21) 

Prophecy, Defined:

God’s given foreknowledge as to some event that will soon occur. In the dictionary, Dictionary.com says:

The Noun is, the foretelling or prediction of what is to come. 2. Something that is declared by a prophet, especially a divinely inspired prediction, instruction, or exhortation. 3. A divinely inspired utterance or revelation 4. The action, function, or faculty of a prophet.

Moreover, the verb is to ‘prophesy.’

Having a working knowledge of prophecy brings wisdom and understanding and helps prevent deception from creeping into our minds, inasmuch as we are girded with Truth and thereby, will not be fooled by the countless falsities being spread throughout the world by false prophets, most especially prevalent in these Last Days. And knowing as much as we can about prophecy equips us with Truth so that we will not fall for the lie.

God provided us with foreknowledge so that we would be prepared for what’s coming and He used His appointed prophets and Apostles to deliver those life-altering messages to His people. At times, He told someone directly and of course Jesus told His Disciples much of what was to happen in the End of Days.

And, as forementioned, the Last Days are lining up seamlessly with at least some of our daily news:

“And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ;’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:4-8)

Furthermore, He has also informed us that He would only use prophets during those days of old. Because since Jesus became our Savior, sparking the beginning of the END, we hear from Him instead of prophets, who were mere men:

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir to all things, through whom also He made the worlds;” (Hebrews 1:1-2)

It is also noteworthy to mention that in the above verse, Matthew 24:4-8, Jesus mentions that there will be false christs that appear on the scene, and this aligns with the passage in Hebrews 1:1-2; the only prophets we see today are false prophets because God no longer speaks through prophets, as the verse denotes.

Moreover, He has inspired every word of the Bible through holy men, for God spoke through men, as we see in His Word, whether they were prophets or not:

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2Timothy 3:16-17)

“for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2Peter 1:21)

And the prophetic Scripture in the Books of Acts and Joel 2:28 are also of poignant mention.

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17)

The use of the term here is in reference to those receiving dreams and visions from God that relate to and perfectly align with those prophecies given in the Bible days. Therefore, this is not to say that anyone is a prophet today, just that the End Times Prophecies will be (and are being) brought back to center stage as a warning for those who hear about them, as well as for those who receive them.

Prophecy is a gift for believers in order that we will be well-informed about Jesus as an added bit of stability and evidence in the faith, and in order that we may be warned of things to come. His Plan is to prepare us, not scare us:

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit , to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another the workings of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another the interpretation of tongues.” (1Corinthians 12:4-10)

Therefore, God gave us prophecy for our benefit, that we might have a deeper understanding of His Word and most particularly, of things to come…..

One third of the Bible is prophecy. In the OT, some of them were told by an angel or given directly by God to a prophet and were fulfilled soon after, however, some of them were not fulfilled until the NT. And then there are the End Times Prophecies, mentioned in the OT as proof of God and brought out more profoundly and definitively in the New….Some told by Jesus Himself, and also through the Apostles:

The Prophecy of the destruction of Temple referring also to Jerusalem, as war in Israel is imminent, as her enemies surround her, in fulfillment of this End Times scenario:

See Ezekiel 38-39

“And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:2)

And He goes on to illustrate what the End will look like:

“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these thigs are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:5-8) And this one continues to verse 26….

There is also a parallel to this in the Book of Mark chapter 13, and this is also brought out in Luke 21:5-36 & John 14:1-4…

AND, Paul told his church a great deal about the Rapture of the church, that will take place just prior to the Tribulation, for he had prophetic knowledge that seemed to come naturally:

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”  (1Thessalonians 4:13-18)

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (1Corinthians 15:51-55)

The Seven Pillars of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture (youtube.com)

And Daniel heard from the angel Gabriel and saw visions of the End Times, and John heard from Jesus Himself:

Daniel received visions about the Tribulation, the two witnesses, the Great Throne Judgment, the Antichrist and his destruction of the Temple in Daniel, chapters 9:20-27 & all of 12, by the angel Gabriel:

“Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God from the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:” (Daniel 9:20-23)                             

And, Gabriel told Daniel the explanation behind the vision in verses 24-27.

And, John’s vision begins in chapter 4 of the Book of Revelation and continues throughout the entire Book. He hears from Jesus from chapter 1, verses 9 through 20 and also in chapter 4, verse one we see that he is taken up to heaven for the remainder of the vision. And as for the trumpet, that was Jesus about ready to take John up for his vision, but not everything John saw in heaven came by way of symbolism, although symbolism is the major component of this amazing Book. For example, the seven stars represent the seven angels and the seven lampstands represent the seven churches of Asia Minor, but The Lamb really is Jesus, but He is referred to in this terminology due to the fact that He is being called by another name. For, in the given context, He is the only one worthy, because He is our Supreme Sacrifice: (For examples of other names in which He is called, we see Immanuel in Matthew 1:23 & The Bread of Life in John 6:35, and this is only two, there are several others)

John’s vision begins with an open door, which we can take literally, as he was taken up:

“After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” (Revelation 4:1)

Eschatology students believe that the door standing open in heaven and the words “come up here” signify the Rapture occurring. And John was able to get a glimpse of what that glorious Day will be like….

NOTE: The Lord gave both Daniel and John visions in order that they might comprehend enough at least to write down what they saw. There was no way for them to comprehend the technology of the modern world, therefore, God used symbolic images that they would at least somewhat understand and be able to relay those wondrous things to millions of believers……

“Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7)

Furthermore, the prophecies that were brought through God’s Prophets in the OT were either fulfilled during that period or were not fulfilled until the NT, mainly those are prophecies regarding the birth of Jesus. (And this relates to God’s Dispensations. God does not change, that is His Character does not change, however, He does change how He deals with and relates to His people in each of His Dispensations. To learn more about dispensationalism, check out my article with that name.)

And just for a couple of examples of OT prophecies, and the fulfillment of them:

OT Prophecy Predicting NT--Birth of Christ:

Prophecy Given:

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) & (Micah 5:2)

Prophecy Fulfilled:

“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7)

Also See: Matthew 1:18-25

OT Prophecy Predicting NT—His Humble Exaltation:

Prophecy Given:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)

Prophecy Fulfilled:

“Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them;’ and immediately he will send them.” All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ “ (Matthew 21:1-5)

And one final mention:

Those who love prophecy, love His Appearing:

"Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but to all who have loved His appearing." (2Timothy 4:8)

NKJV

Linzy is a certified Bible Counsellor, with countless republications on her viewers blogs, Bible Studies, Ezines and the like. Her portfolio includes, non-fiction articles, short stories for all ages, and Christian poetry.