WHY BIBLE PROPHECY IS IMPORTANT by Jeff Wingo

Woodcut illustration by Gustave Doré

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The deadly Ebola virus is currently ravaging West Africa killing thousands of people. In fact, in Sierra Leone the statistics are staggering: five people are afflicted with the virus every hour. {1}  Indeed, the virus has become a contemporary Black Plague and if the current trend continues the death toll quite possibly may reach into the tens of thousands. Lets all hope and pray that God will intervene and mercifully end this horrific scourge.

Unfortunately, because of the scourge of political correctness that infects the current Administration in Washington D.C., an unrealistic worldview, and the pathetic dithering of the Obama Administration, the State Department, and the CDC, the deadly Ebola virus has landed on the shores of the United States. Travel between West Africa and the U.S. was not restricted in any way, thus allowing an infected man to fly from Africa, to Europe, and on to the U.S. Over one hundred people may have been exposed to the virus, including dozens of school children in Texas.

ISIS, the terrorist army that is sweeping across Syria and Iraq continues its deadly rampage as it murders thousands of people in a brutal nightmarish fashion. Beheadings, crucifixion, torture, and the dismemberment of Christians and other religious minorities have become their trademark and method of operation. Unfortunately, the Islamic beast is just as effective a killing machine as it was in the seventh century when the Prophet Mohammed and his bloody army of fanatics swept across the Arabian Peninsula murdering all who refused to submit to his new “religion of peace.”

Over the course of two millennia many people have come in the name of Christ, and some even claimed to be Christ. The world is full of false Christs and false prophets; in fact, the ultimate form of this phenomena will manifest as the two beasts of Revelation 13, the “beast”  who is popularly called the Antichrist, and the second beast who is most often refered to as the False Prophet.

Plagues and pestilence, famine, war, the rise of deceptive religions, and pseudo-religious leaders in the name of Christ are all signs of the time of the end. Some may rightly argue that we have always had these things, and that is true.

But what differentiates the “normal” course of human events from the end of days scenario foretold in the Bible are the frequency and the intensity of the events. In other words, when these things begin to happen one after another, in an almost overwhelming fashion. That’s what usually gets our attention.

The prophecies of the Bible are important and necessary to understand the course of events in human history. Without the prophetic word we cannot make sense out of these things. When I read the words of Jesus, “All these are the beginning of sorrows” I realize who controls the future and the course of world events.

Does that make it any easier to understand? No it does not. The works of God are sometimes difficult to understand and often I find myself puzzled and frustrated as to why things happen–death, disease, accidents, war, etc. But I must learn to surrender to God and accept the fact that this is His world, and it was here long before I came along, and it will continue long after I’m gone.

Prophecy helps us to understand what will take place in the future. 

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John (Rev.1:1).

God has certain laws and as the Creator He has the right to demand that the people of the nations of the world obey those laws. Yet humanity for the most part has decided to reject the Word of God. Once that happens, and on the worldwide scale that we see today, chaos is sure to follow, and that is exactly what we see. Lawlessness abounds in almost every area of human society.

Yet the Word of God has warned us these things will happen, and when we realize that God knows the end from the beginning that does bring comfort. By faith we must walk in the midst of the chaos, “yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil: for thou art with me”  (Psalms 23:4).

The prophecies of the Bible are important for those reasons. Even though we are surrounded by evil, we can walk through the darkness by the light of the Word of God and by the light of Christ.

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).

Thanks for visiting.

Jeff Wingo

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Endnotes:

1.  Ebola outbreak: ‘Five infected every hour’ in Sierra Leone; http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29453755