Prophecy for Evangelism?

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

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Since there is so much talk of biblical prophecy today, a good question to ask is what should the Christian’s view of the value of prophecy be? Should Christians simply study it to enhance their own learning? Should prophecy be used as any type of guide? Should prophecy be used as a tool of evangelism?

The answer to the three questions is yes, with caveats. Yes, Christians should study prophecy if for no other reason than because it is included in God’s Word. Prophecy makes up roughly 30% of the God’s Word. Clearly, it is important and something God wants us to learn about.

The issue with prophecy is that it is best understood after it happens. For the Christian studying prophetic discourse in Scripture, it can and should alert us to what God has planned to do. We can look back in Scripture to understand that years before any prophecy was fulfilled, God predicted it, telling us ahead of time and in some cases, way ahead of time what would come to pass. So when these things did come to fruition, it proves God’s veracity and sovereignty without question. So, yes, Christians should study prophecy including all that has already come to pass, some of it thousands of years ago. This can and should build our faith in God.

Should prophecy be used as any type of guide? Yes, but with the caveat that we should not use prophecy to predict specific aspects of events or times they will occur, that have not yet occurred but will at some point in the future. A good example of this is Harold Camping and others who tried to pinpoint the exact date of the Rapture. We should understand God’s prophetic Word as best as we can understand it, knowing that until those prophecies actually occur, we cannot know when they will unfold or many of the details until they actually take place.

The third question, should prophecy be used as a tool of evangelism? Yes, but also with a caveat. Let me provide an example from Scripture that has not yet been fulfilled but may occur in the near (or far) future, Ezekiel 38-39 also known as the Northern Invasion.

It would seem that things are lining up in the Middle East and surrounding countries (including Russia, Iran, Turkey etc.), for the fulfillment of this upcoming invasion. Ezekiel 38 highlights the fact that God reveals to the prophet that a certain war will occur at some point in the future from Ezekiel’s time. At no point in history since this prophecy was given has it been fulfilled yet, so it is still in our future.

We see in chapter 38 where God tells exactly what He plans to do and who He will use to get it done. God will direct Gog (the leader of this coalition; possibly Putin or whoever will be leading Russia when this occurs), to look longingly at the land of Israel and want to take spoils. Gog will believe that Israel is easy pickings and that he will be able to do whatever he wants to Israel. The reason God is going to prompt Gog to gather his troops and join in with many other nations against Israel is for one sole purpose: “Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”’ (Ezekiel 38:23)

God does this for His purposes and glory. Ezekiel 38:18 – 39:8 unveils the result of Gog and his coalition’s attempted attack on Israel. Gog and his troops are massacred completely. None are left standing.

I’ve always believed that this Northern Invasion war will occur prior to the coming seven year Tribulation and I’ve explained in detail why I believe this to be the case. In short, God sends a horrifically huge earthquake initially that will destroy everything and I believe that includes the current three mosques sitting on top and under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This presents the possibility for Israel to build what will become the Tribulation Temple after clearing the rubble. This will be the same Temple that Antichrist walks into and declares himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2). I see this war as paving the way for Israel to build the Temple. Beyond this, the entire world will take note of what occurred and how Israel essentially came out unscathed without having to actually lift a finger in their own defense. I believe because of this, the world will want actual peace in the Middle East.

This then will pave the way for the Antichrist to rise up and be that man who brings “peace,” however, as we know from Daniel 9:24-27, it will be a false and temporary peace. Essentially Antichrist does this for himself and his own purposes, just as a “type” of Antichrist did this ages before in 167-168 BC (Antiochus IV Epiphanes).

While it is certainly possible that this Ezekiel war doesn’t occur until either during or at the end of the Tribulation (as some commentators believe), it makes more sense to me that this war would act as a precursor to the Tribulation and the coming “man of lawlessness.” It simply opens up more possibilities if understood in this way, but I could be wrong.

But what does this have to do with using prophecy as a tool in evangelism? Simply put, fulfilled prophecy is an extraordinary tool for evangelizing the lost. I want to emphasize the word fulfilled.

Consider when this war occurs and the results of it. Christians will be on hand to use this fulfilled prophecy as a serious means of spreading the Gospel. God Himself notes that the eyes of many nations will see the truth. This is exactly what fulfilled prophecy should do and be used for. Unfortunately, too often today, it is simply used as a means of discussion (often turning to actual arguments). Yes, there is a place for discussion, but discussing unfulfilled prophecy has little to no effect on those who are lost, who have consistently rejected God and His truth. Even trying to show that Jesus fulfilled many prophecies by His birth, life, death and resurrection means little to most unbelievers today because we are so far removed from Jesus’ day. However, if something of the magnitude of the Ezekiel 38-39 war just occurred and the world is left in abject awe because of it, they would be far more open to learning what the Bible predicted thousands of years ago that was fulfilled during their lifetime.

Any Christian who would not use this prophecy and its fulfillment as a wonderful tool to evangelize the lost is making a terrible mistake, in my opinion. Think of all the Christians who are “pan-tribulationalists,” those who say, “It will all pan out in the end.” These Christians are blind to the reality and truth of prophetic discourse. They find it confusing and worrying. They see no reason to study it. It’s in God’s hands, they argue! So when something like the Northern Invasion happens, they will be as blind as those in the world.

All the prophecy conferences, books, videos and the like happening today, for the most part, end up preaching to the choir. The people who attend those conferences, buy the books, and watch the videos are the people who are already open to prophetic discourse and want to learn more. However, I don’t really see that many prophecy teachers emphasizing the need to use fulfilled prophecy as a tool for evangelism. Yes, many will toss it in a brief need for Jesus at the end, but it is not an integral part of what they teach.

Fulfilled prophecy is and should be used as a tool to evangelize the lost. In fact, after the Northern Invasion occurs and the world sees the results of it, Satan will come along quickly (most likely through the Antichrist), to redirect people’s attention away from the fact that the God of the Bible has done this. He will offer another reason for this one-sided complete victory for Israel, using deceptive delusions on the world. Christians need to be very quick about highlighting this fulfilled prophecy to the lost and bathed in prayer as they do.

The Bible says God will begin opening eyes following this massive, unexplained event. It could be that large numbers of people will begin to see the truth surrounding this war and they will begin moving toward God for salvation. But if Christians are not willing to talk about this war and the reasons why Israel was completely vindicated and protected, without even having to raise a finger to defend herself, then a tremendous opportunity is lost.

This coming war will result in tremendous death and destruction along with the salvation of Israel (temporally and physically). But because the Antichrist will likely rise very quickly after this event, sidling alongside of Israel to make them think he is on their side (remember Antiochus IV Epiphanes used the very same tactics), they will be taken in by his charm, intelligence and seeming support. This will then cause Israel to enter into the covenant that Antichrist confirms between Israel and surrounding Arab nations. This signing of the covenant is the very thing that kicks off the Tribulation because Israel will in effect, be signing a covenant with Satan himself (the Antichrist represents Satan in physical form). While some disagree that the coming Antichrist is going to be an actual person (they point to the “spirit of Antichrist” (1 John 4:2–3). They essentially deny that the Antichrist will be a real, physical person, though the Bible seems to indicate that he will be an actual person, the one who rules the final kingdom as first seen in Daniel 2 (1 John 2:18; 1 John 2:22; 4:3; and 2 John 1:7). Paul calls him the “man of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). Paul is referring to an actual person who goes into the next Jewish Temple and defiles it by declaring himself to be God.

I cannot think of a better use of fulfilled prophecy than in evangelism, can you? This is why we need to study and know it as best we can. This is why we should be mentally prepared for the time when prophecy is fulfilled. The world will see the reality of the attempted attack on Israel led by Gog (a title, not a name), and the results of it. They will not understand exactly what just occurred. Christians will be on hand to explain it but I believe they will have a very short time to do so because of the rise of the physical Antichrist, who will redirect everyone’s attention to something else.

In the end, yes, prophecy should be studied and understood to the best of our ability. Yes, prophecy should be used as a type of guide but only fulfilled prophecy otherwise people are just sharing their opinions about what a specific prophecy might mean and the world is not interested because they cannot see it. Finally, yes, most definitely prophecy should be used as a tool of evangelism, but only when it is fulfilled does it have any real effect on the lost. Even then, there may be no effect.

I think this will also be the case after the fulfillment of the Ezekiel 38-39 passage. Some will wonder seriously about it. Others will call it a false flag or some trickery. The Antichrist will possibly come in quickly to address the situation and redirect any potential attention away from God to himself.

Folks, God foretold long ago what He had planned. It is the Christian’s job to understand His prophecies and when they become fulfilled before our eyes, be very quick to offer biblical explanations for what just occurred. God will certainly use this as a means of opening people’s eyes. Many though will continue in their unbelief. But we need to persevere in explaining why this proves God is sovereign, all-knowing and all-powerful, directing the affairs of humanity.

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective