The currents and eddies of prophecy rush past us and around us like a swift moving river every day. Those of us who are “in the know” can’t help but take notice. Our knowledge of what the bible predicts about the future creates a strange mix of emotions as we watch events unfold before our eyes on television news, or in the short and contextually inadequate videos and commentaries that flood our social media feeds. An unfortunate consequence of that knowledge is that we can become pushed under by a torrent of doom and gloom, and a foreboding sense of dread and fear.
But these mixed emotions of doom, gloom, dread, and fear are not the purpose of prophecy. To be overwhelmed by them is the product of immaturity, a lack of wisdom, and although I hate to say it, an obvious lack of faith. Prophecy is a bird’s eye view of what is coming so that those who belong to the Lord are not taken by surprise in the awesome magnitude of his plans for humanity, the world, and the larger universe. He allows us to see the rapids in the river before we get to them so that we can properly navigate them with skill and fortitude. Prophecy does two important things. It prepares us in the same way that the weatherman does when he forecasts the hurricane. When he gives you that forecast, you don’t stew in a pot of angst and trepidation as the storm approaches. Instead, you make sure your supplies are good. You make plans to get out of the area, or you batten down the hatches so that you can weather the winds and the rains. The forecast is a tool and a blessing. If you belong to God’s family, it is the exact same thing. Secondly, prophecy is retrospective. Once on the other side of foretold and terrible events, we can magnify the glory of God through a clear recognition of his power and prescience over the river of time. Prophecy gives us the opportunity to imprint upon those who do not yet know the God of the universe the awe and power of the most high deity who is willing to love them with that same awe and power.
As you examine the world through your television screen and social media feed, be sure to know that what you are seeing is, indeed, part of a flowing prophetic river. Terrible events for humanity are coming, but those who truly love the Lord will be protected and victorious. They will endure the river because he has given them advance information that is trustworthy and true. Are you prepared? Are you preparing others? Are you using prophecy to glorify God?
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