Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The love and mercy of God found in prophecy in the end times. Prophecy is merely history written in advance.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Today’s greatest intellects are encouraging us to move toward a ten-ruler council based out of the UN, representing ten geographical areas of the world.
“Welcome to the One World Alliance.”
Because God said it would happen, and the prophecies in His Word always come true.
Daniel could, because he loved and served the true God, the only one who knows the mysteries “of the future.”
To God, prophecy is merely history written in advance.
Because God is a revealer of secrets who has chosen to outline any of the major events of history before they happen, we would naturally expect Bible prophecy to be unlike any other prophecy.
Five hundred prophecies without a miss strongly suggest that we can trust the next five hundred.
God is not obligated to tell us anything about the future. Only his heart of love compels Him to give us a big “heads up” concerning events coming down the pike.
God wants to assure His own children about the fabulous future awaiting them.
Because our Lord loves us and wants the very best for us, in His Word He has laid out both promises and warnings regarding the future.
Through prophecy, He encourages us to make wise decisions, to choose what is wonderful and nourishing and life giving and to avoid what is horrific and self-destructive.
Through prophecy, He wants to reduce our anxiety about the future even as He whets our appetite for the staggering surprises to come.
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him,” 1CO 2:9.
“If God loves us so much,” they say, “and Biblical prophecy demonstrates His love,” then why does so much of prophecy sound so negative?
First, the Bible does tell us a great deal about the unbelievable blessings waiting for us in days to come – far more than many people think.
Both elements of biblical prophecy – blessing and judgment – demonstrate God’s unfathomable love for His creatures.
Why should the Lord give us so many details of a frightening and horrible time to come?
All loving parents want the best for their children – and that includes warning them away from danger.
He tells us frightening details about the judgment to come, not to scare us or to see us squirm, but to keep us far away from that judgment and to give us information to share with those who do not believe.
ROM 13:11 And this {do,} knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.
EPH 5:14 “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”
REV 3:2 “Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain,”
God wanted someone with whom He could share the wonders of eternity, but He did not want to populate eternity with robots.
God gives us so many explicit descriptions of future judgment because He’d rather have us read about judgment than experience it.
He gives us a lot of information about coming judgment in order to keep us from falling into it, while He tells us only enough about coming glory to lure us into enjoying it for ourselves.
It is the Spirit of God and His glory in you that brought you to the notice of others.
JOH 15:18-20, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before {it hated} you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, “A slave is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.”
Prophecy reveals the supernatural hand of God.
God uses prophecy not only to warn people away from judgment and to draw them into a joyful life with Him, but also to reassure the world that He does in fact exist and that He remains active in the affairs of this troubled planet.