We all have an inner compulsion to know what the future holds. Fortune tellers and soothsayers have held a grip on the minds and souls of men for centuries and today’s world is no different. Prophecy is a subject that holds a compelling interest for all of us. The Bible is the greatest and most comprehensive prophetic book that has ever been written. Its Author is the omniscient God of heaven who is the planner and executor of all history.
However, as good and sincere men have studied the Bible, they have come away with different interpretations of prophecy, and the consequences have brought confusion and discouragement in the Church. In some cases, Christians have just shrugged and decided that it is impossible to know the future, while others have fought and divided the Church over some prophetic scheme.
For those who would like to delve into this subject, I would recommend three books. They will answer some questions you may have; they will give you solid biblical exposition and encourage you to live for the Lord in light of His return.
If you have only one book on prophecy in your library, it should be Dwight Pentecost’s Things to Come. John Walvoord says in his introduction: “Dr. Pentecost has with rare skill dealt with many controversial issues, has met and solved many prophetic problems . . . has condensed a mass of material often not contained in even larger prophetic libraries . . .”
As Mr. Walvoord says, this book meets many of the issues, and answers many of the questions. What is premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism? How do we interpret prophecy? What is the relationship of the Church to Israel? When does the rapture take place? What about the different judgments mentioned in Scripture? These and many other questions are taken up in this book. The first sixty-four pages of the book are on the subject of interpretation. This forms the basis of argument for the rest of this book. The many different interpretations are listed and explained and then, in a precise fashion, he brings you to a scriptural conclusion. It is a wealth of information presented systematically and in an easy-to-read fashion.
The second important book that you should have is God’s Timetable, by David Long. It is just ninety-six pages, but is one of the finest overviews of the major prophetic passages of Scripture I have read. The emphasis in the book is to show that the prophecies of Daniel’s visions, the Olivet discourse, the prophetic passages of the epistles, especially the Thessalonians, and the book of Revelation are all interwoven and have distinct links that draw them together into one complete pattern in which God reveals the future of His creation. To catch the links of these passages is to answer some very important questions in the search of proper prophetic interpretation.
The third book that I would recommend is Rob Lindsted’s The Next Move. This is completely different from the other two books. Dr. Lindsted looks at the historical events around us such as the State of Israel, the Middle East and the energy crisis, and the current political make-up of Europe, and draws comparisons between what is happening around us and what the Bible says will happen in the last days. The comparisons are startling and revealing. As in all of this type of book, you may not agree with all the conclusions and inferences drawn, but you will not come away from this book without a real sense of the nearness of the Lord’s return. And this is precisely what Rob Lindsted wants to happen. It is a book written to shout to the Church today, “Wake up! Be alert! Preach the Gospel! The Lord is coming soon!”
In reading God’s Timetable and The Next Move, I have been enlightened and challenged. Things to Come has been drawn upon to use as a reference tool in areas that have been unclear to me and has been a source of instruction. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” May you be equipped to answer the challenges that are rising today to bring into question the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church, and may your heart be stirred to more fully sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart.