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This Is the Way... A Heart Toward Prophecyby Robin WebberThe greatest interest regarding prophecy normally revolves around the pivotal question, When will Christ return? From the apostles till now, people have too often settled for "the when" of prophetic understanding rather than centering on the real question of why our Heavenly Father grants a view of the future. At the moment of His ascension to heaven, Jesus offered a twofold answer to His followers of all times. When asked whether He would set up His Kingdom at that time, He said, "It is not for you to know times or season which the Father has put in His own authority" (Acts 1:7). But then in the following verse, He says there is something you can do: "Be witnesses to Me" (verse 8)! Yes, Christ gave a very direct answer! And yet many sincere people ignore that plain declaration. What are we planting? But what about being "witnesses to Me"? Isn't that enough? Instead of mortgaging our life's energies to something God says clearly remains in His domain, what about doing something in the here and now? Long ago, someone asked Martin Luther what he would do if he knew the world would end tomorrow. He simply replied, "I would plant a tree today." And that was nearly 500 years ago! I would strongly suggest we are much closer to the second coming than when this famous German uttered his reply. But the question remains, what will we do and what are we planting? How can a Christian responsibly approach the subject of prophecy? Just like all items that are precious and valuable, prophecy needs to be handled with care, as understanding is transmitted from one individual to another. In dealing "head on" with this subject, it's actually not enough to just deal with the head—we need to deal with the "heart." That's right—our hearts! When prophecy is fully understood, it is more than lining out names, dates, events and kingdoms and being involved in some form of "code breaking." It's about understanding that God has a "restless heart" toward rescuing His creation and offering salvation to each and every person. No matter how bleak man's civilization can look at times—no matter the immediate challenge upon the saints of any given age—God's Word grants us a sure view of His ultimate victory and the bringing of His Kingdom under Jesus Christ. Prophecy's ultimate purpose is to assure and encourage the saints that God is true to His promises and that their lives have meaning before the one and only true God and His Christ. Thus it is utterly essential to consider having a right heart toward prophecy. Speaking forth the counsel of God For a moment, let's define the vital aspect of prophecy God wants to personally plant in our hearts. The English word prophecy comes from the Greek propheteia, which can mean either "forth telling" what would occur as a result of a given choice or "foretelling" the future. Both in context signify the speaking forth of the mind and counsel of God. Whether it is to proclaim the consequences of a specific action or whether it is to declare that which is yet to occur, prophecy vividly declares and reminds us that God owns the past, present and the future. Thus, the godly design of prophecy is to remind us He is not merely a benevolent "first cause," but is active in fulfilling His purpose for His ultimate creation—humanity. Oh no, He didn't just wind up the universe and let it go and settle for being an absentee cosmic landlord. During His earthly ministry, Jesus offered this self-disclosure regarding a dynamic attribute of the Godhead when proclaiming, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working" (John 5:17). But what does that work entail, and how does it affect God? Notice the fervency of God's efforts as depicted in Isaiah 62:1: "For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns." Oh yes, God has a heart toward us that is on the move, unstoppable and is preparing to interrupt and intervene in human history! The Scriptures clearly declare what God is doing. How then do we approach the future with prophecy in heart and hand? Watch and pray—but how? Let's come to appreciate that God's revelation concerning prophecy can only be understood by a proper application of the Holy Spirit. Why do I say that? In the midst of what is commonly called the Olivet prophecy, we are told to watch and pray (Luke 21:36). Watching world events can be either an obsession or an opportunity based on where our hearts are. Frankly, human eyes and hearts alone cannot correctly handle prophecy. We need the direction of God. Why? Again, let's face up to it—as humans, we want to know who, what, where, when, why and how! And yes, immediately! But let's consider if but for a moment: If we had everything figured out "down to a T ," where would faith come in? It would be by our human detective skills, rather than God's grace and revelation. Let's be honest and understand that man by himself seeks after times, dates and places far too often for the purpose of preserving the flesh through physical deliverance. God, on the other hand, uses prophecy toward one grand specific end, a personal relationship that results in spiritual salvation. Some students of prophecy get caught up in the web of watching without realizing that God also asks us to pray about what we see, that He might condition our hearts and position them to a loftier elevation than merely human survival. Oh sure, we would hope, as the verse brings out, that we might be granted physical deliverance, but that is a variable within the Master's hands and plans. But what is not variable is that those who are watching and praying are offered the opportunity to "stand before the Son of Man"! We are speaking about a spiritual relationship, an encounter at the threshold of eternity. Guided in humility and carefulness God's Spirit, invited by our prayerful petitions, will guide us with humility, carefulness and appreciation. It is important to appreciate that God grants us enough to consider what He is planning to do and allows us to be forewarned of conditions in the kingdoms of men. I firmly entrust myself to the reality. And when the need arises, He will give us the comprehension of times and events that we might glorify Him and witness to many. A proper use of God's Spirit will grant us insight as to what doctrine is and what understanding is. There is a difference! The doctrine proclaimed by Scripture clearly and loudly proclaims that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is literally coming back to this earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and is going to touch down on the Mount of Olives at Jerusalem and establish God's Kingdom on this earth (Zechariah 14:4; Revelation 11:17-18; 20:4-6). This is our doctrinal anchor! On the other hand, understanding of the events that lead up to this may change from generation to generation as world conditions change. For example, how the Church in the Middle Ages understood the Olivet prophecy is much different from how we might currently understand it. Especially so, after the advent of nuclear warfare, the creation of the state of Israel and the emergence of mass media to proclaim the gospel. Such understanding regarding the matter of media has been dramatically altered in my brief lifetime as we have gone from television in its infancy to cyberspace via the Internet. God knows all Another key for preparing our hearts to receive prophecy is to realize, even though we don't know everything, God does! After all, that's what makes Him God! Isaiah 46:9-10 gives us a hint about what the God we serve and wait upon is like—"I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.'" Again, this is what makes Jesus Christ so special. He is not only our Savior and High Priest, but He is the great Revelator. Moses foretold His role as a prophet more than 1,400 years before the events of Bethlehem (Deuteronomy 18:15). The Olivet prophecy of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 reveals an outline of what would occur between His first and second comings. In a sense He revealed the headlines of tomorrow's newspapers before they even occur. The great personality of Revelation Additionally in the book of Revelation, Christ gives us specific characters and systems to consider. It could be the Beast, the False Prophet, the mark and number of the Beast, Babylon or Jerusalem as the pivot point of all prophecy. But remember that the greatest personality in the book of Revelation is Christ. He is the fifth horseman of the Apocalypse that renders "the famous four" all but void and extinct. Thus, our heart's compass is directed to the reality that all events stem from Christ and His Father, not the other way around. God is in complete control. Not only that, but those who have a heart toward prophecy will appreciate that God is the "master of timing" to inform and encourage us. Yes, to raise our consideration levels to full comprehension when needed. Amos 3:7 declares "Surely the Lord G od does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets." Yes, I believe He chooses individuals to proclaim His prophetic word before it is done. He knows what He is going to do. He wants to see what we will do as we read His Word and are guided by responsible servants that He calls through the ages. A heart that vibrates with hope A healthy and vibrant Spirit-led heart will increasingly understand that prophecy allows us to appreciate God's greatness and goodness. It will be able to add meat to the bones of one of the great proclamations of Scripture found in Acts 3:18-21: "But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began." The prophecy that you hold near and dear cannot be relegated to "doom and gloom"! A sure heart that God can use will vibrate with the hope of the times of refreshing and restoration of all things! Appreciation for such a gift of understanding is not just a thank you note, but a transformed life. Ultimately the study of prophecy is not a study of charts, but an examination of our hearts. The apostle Peter hit the nail on the head (or should I say, "the heart") when he declared, "Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved [speaking of the dominions of man and Satan] what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness" (2 Peter 3:11). Prophecy isn't simply what you study and know, but what you are and how you live. Pass it on What kind of seed are you planting in your heart regarding the subject of prophecy? Like our aforementioned famous individual, it's a good time to plant no matter what tomorrow brings. Perhaps "This is the way, walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21) is best summed up in the story of an old man and his little neighbor boy. You see, the old man was planting a seedling apple tree. His young neighbor friend looked up and said, "Ol' man! Why are you planting that little seedling? Surely, you'll never be able to taste of its fruit." The old man looked down on the little guy and replied with a smile, "No, I won't, but you see over there?" He pointed to a mature fruit-laden tree. "Someone long ago, someone I never met, planted that tree for me to harvest from today. And so I plant to pass it on." With that thought in mind, what seed of prophecy are we planting now in our hearts to share with those who are yet to follow? WNP |
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