A Light in a Dark Place
A large part of the Bible was prophecy when it was written, and much of it still is. God tells the future not to feed our curiosity but to anchor our faith, purify our lives, and fix our eyes on His Son.
“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”2 PETER 1:19–21 · KJV
Peter calls prophecy a more sure word, a lamp that shineth in a dark place. Its source is God, for holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Its center is Christ, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10). Prophecy is not a puzzle to be solved by clever readers. It is a lamp to be followed by faithful ones.
Dispensationalists read prophecy the way they read the rest of Scripture: plainly, in its grammatical and historical sense, letting each prophecy mean what it meant to the prophet and his hearers (see A Plain Reading of Scripture). Joined to the distinction between Israel and the church (Israel and the Church), that plain reading yields a clear picture of the future: Christ's coming for His church, a time of trouble that brings Israel to her Messiah, and Christ's kingdom on the earth.
When God has told us what He will do, will we believe Him as He said it?
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For Deeper Study
- Things to Come: A Study in Biblical EschatologyAmazon J. Dwight PentecostA classic dispensational survey of prophecy (1958), with a full treatment of Daniel's seventy weeks and the order of future events.
- Daniel: The Key to Prophetic RevelationAmazon John F. WalvoordA verse-by-verse dispensational commentary on Daniel by a longtime president of Dallas Theological Seminary.
- Chronological Aspects of the Life of ChristAmazon Harold W. HoehnerA careful study of New Testament chronology (1977), including a well-known chapter on Daniel's seventy weeks and the date of the crucifixion.
- The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic EventsAmazon Arnold G. FruchtenbaumA detailed dispensational walk through prophetic events from the church age to the eternal state, by a Jewish believer.
- A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End TimesAmazon Kim RiddlebargerA clear defense of the amillennial view by a Reformed pastor. Read it to hear the view this study answers in its own words.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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The Rapture of the Church
Before the seven-year Tribulation, Christ will come in the air for His church, raising the dead in Christ and catching up living believers to meet Him.
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