Why Did God Reveal The Future To Us?

Eschatology  is simply the study of the last (days) or the end (times) from the Greek word “” From this we get the word “Eschatology” literally “The study of the end.” Prophecy is the foretelling of an event by God through His Word by means of His prophet/servant. It can be a short-term prophecy taking place in someone’s lifetime or long-term prophecy which takes place hundreds or even thousands of years later. It always demonstrates God’s sovereign work in the course of human affairs

What is the purpose of prophecy and eschatology? Most try to use prophecy to scare people into salvation. But throughout biblical history, salvation is usually not a purpose of prophecy. In some cases salvation is an indirect appeal of prophecy (e.g. King Ahaz in Isa 7 and Jonah), but prophecy is almost always given for God’s people who already believe.

There are at least five purposes of prophecy:

To motivate the believer through times of suffering

• (give hope and comfort). Paul tells the Thessalonians twice his purpose for teaching them prophecy. 1 Thes 4:18 Therefore encourage one another with these words. 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 2 Thes 2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. 1 Cor 4:5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. 1 Pet 4:13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. Rom 8:17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

To motivate the believer to be sanctified.

• Rom 13:12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Col 3:4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 1 Thes 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Tim 6:13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 1 Pet 4:7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 2 Pet 3:11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

To motivate the believer to serve God. 

• Matt 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me., 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 2 Cor 5:9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 2 Tim 4:1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. 1 Pet 5:1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

To Motivate the Believer Against Seduction

• (from Satan and evil teaching). 1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 Tim 3:1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 2 Pet 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.; 3:3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.

To motivate the believe to sacrificial worship.

• Rom 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 ”For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 ”Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Rev 4:5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” 5:11Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

We also cannot be obtuse or apathetic towards eschatology. This means we cannot avoid teaching eschatology because we are afraid the church might lose people of differing persuasions. We are to proclaim the whole counsel of the Word of God, and that will either fill the room or empty it! There is too much hope for the believer given in eschatology to avoid proclaiming it.

God actually rebukes His people for not knowing prophecy. Matt 16:1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

What is the best way to understand prophecy? We must remember that God gave it to us so we could understand the future. He did not lay out a puzzle or mystery that we have to use scholarship or mysticism to decipher.  

Therefore, we must take the language of the Bible at face value. First, we must interpret Scripture literally. Of course, when a figure of speech is used, we need to interpret that Scripture accordingly. Revelation 12 is the perfect example. But prophecy is not too difficult for us to understand. We must not allegorize or spiritualize passages simply because they are eschatological in nature. We must take the language at face value, literally interpreting it, but also recognizing different writing and language styles.

Second, we must recognize that there are time intervals throughout Scripture as well as double fulfillment passages. Isaiah spoke of current affairs, but also referred to Jesus Christ. He writes in Isa 61:1-2:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;

This passage refers to the return of Israel from the Babylonian captivity, but also to Jesus Christ inception of Messianic ministry. This is similar to the prophecy of Jesus Christ given to King Ahab. Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. This text had a near view referring to Isaiah, but also a far view referring to the virgin born Christ.

Therefore, the purpose of prophecy is not to decipher some code to try to find out dates or information that God has not chosen to tell us. Matthew 24:36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” We are to live by faith in the faith, or the Scriptures. We cannot make it a practice to ask questions about what God has chosen not to tell us.