By Augustus Henry (PhD)
IN Matthew 24:15-16, Jesus responded to a question that his disciples asked about the end of time, and destruction of the Jewish Temple. In a prophetic response, Jesus said, “When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of in Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place …then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”
Prophecy, an object of confusion.
That prophecy stated above is featured many places in the bible. Jesus references it. The Book of Daniel records it in chapters 9, 11 and 12. This abomination of desolation is also found in the books of Thessalonians and Revelation. What’s more is that each denomination has a different interpretation of that prophecy.
The Baptist Church believes that this scripture is an event that has not yet transpired, but will take place in the future, although Jesus is clearly referring to the destruction of Jerusalem’s Temple. Others believe that the temple is in heaven and has a future destruction date. Some believe that this reference is clearly denoting the destruction of the Jewish Temple in AD 70.
That is not the only confusing part of prophetic literature. When you hear the number 666 and the hundreds of interpretations of that symbol, one can go nuts trying to figure out which interpretation is correct!
The Idea of the 666 Beast and who it describes is another doozy. Most believe it’s the pope in Vatican City. Others believe it will be the head of the European Union. Some predict that it’s a behind-the-scenes powerful individual that has yet to be revealed. Some of Donald Trump’s followers think it’s the Deep State – a mysterious and sinister undercover arm of the US government. Still, a large number of Pentecostals thought it was Barak Obama. To this day, some still believe that Covid and the vaccine was a product of the Beast and the deep state.
So, saying interpretation of biblical prophecy is confusing, is a mild way to express this enigma.
Therefore, if understanding prophecy was a condition for salvation, those saved would equal only the folks with the equivalence of a master’s degree in analytical history, biblical theology or knowledge and critical analyses of Hebrew and ancient Greek writings. Most of us do not possess any of that background. So, do we go to hell if we do not understand prophecy? The answer is an emphatic NO!
The Bible says, for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. Therefore, knowledge of prophecy is irrelevant to your salvation. We are redeemed by grace and the blood of Jesus, not our interpretive knowledge of prophecy.
Prophecy, an object of fear and predicting the unpredictable.
Beware of the vocabulary and slogans of prophetic fearmongers: God’s final warning! The end is near! Signs of the time! The Antichrist is alive and living in New York City at this moment. The United States in Bible prophecy! Nuclear war predicted in Bible prophecy! When you hear such language, run!
A fourth century Christian writer by the name of Lactantius predicted Jesus’ return AD 520 – never happened. Another group of Christians waited for Jesus’ return in the year 999 on the eve of AD 1000, but they ended up with a broken heart. Anabaptists believed that Jesus would return exactly 1500 years after his death – but the sun continued to rise and set in the same way after that date arrived. George Rapp was more precise – predicting that Jesus would return September 15, 1829. Then, William Miller, the inspiration for the Adventist church, predicted the return of Jesus in 1844 – that led to one of the greatest disappointments ever experienced here in America and the world over. Ellen White predicted that some of her contemporaries would be alive when Jesus returned (https://whiteestate.org/). Finally, in the 1980s, a booklet came out with 88 reasons why the Rapture will occur in 1988. Obviously, they all were wrong!
This is what Jesus said:
Matthew 24:23-26: Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. So, prophecy is not given for inspiring confusion, fear, or announcing the imminent return of Jesus.
So, what is the purpose of prophecy?
1 Cor. 14: 3-4:
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.
But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. The whole purpose of prophecy is to give comfort and encouragement to the believer for this journey.
In Matthew 24, Jesus said: watch therefore, for you do not know the hour your Lord is coming. But he also said that the Gospel will be preached in all the world as a witness and then shall the end come! While Jesus wants you to know the season of his return, we are not to preach his imminent appearance! We are not to be in the business of setting timelines for judgment, Armageddon, or his appearance in the clouds. Every religious person who has done that in the past has failed miserably.
Finally, the parable of the wise and foolish virgins speaks to this (Matthew 25). I wonder if it has ever occurred to the prophecy experts that it was the foolish virgins who expected the return of the bridegroom so quickly that they needed to do no long-range planning. It was the wise virgins who planned for the long haul, who were ready whether the bridegroom returned quickly or longer [than they had planned for] (Joe McKeever).
I have decided that I will stick with Jesus as long as I live, not just because he is coming soon!