Why Study Bible Prophecy Anyway?

Gary discusses why he spends so much time talking about Bible prophecy.

The book of Genesis offers a commentary on the way God tells time. Pharaoh dreams of cows and ears of corn, some fat and some lean (Gen. 41:1–7). None of Pharaoh’s magicians and wise men could interpret the dream (41:8). Joseph is finally called upon to try his hand at an interpretation. Through this dream God was telling Pharaoh that there would be seven years of plenty and seven years of famine in Egypt (41:17–31). Preparations were to be made during the seven years of abundance so the nation would survive during the seven years of famine. When would this happen? “Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined, and God will quickly bring it about” (41:32). How is “quickly” to be understood? The prophecy is fulfilled in Joseph’s lifetime (41:46–49). Philip Mauro sets forth his reasons why he believes words that deal with time can only be interpreted literally:

[T]he very first verse [in Revelation] states that God’s purpose in giving the revelation to Jesus Christ was that he might “show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass”. These words are not at all ambiguous, and the simple-minded would never suspect that they could have been intended to convey any other than their ordinary and apparent meaning, namely, that the things foretold in “this prophecy” were to happen in the era that was just then beginning. The word here rendered “shortly” means just that. It is variously translated in other Scriptures by the words quickly, speedily, soon. Thus, in Acts 25:4, Festus, after commanding that Paul be kept at Caesarea, said that “he himself would depart shortly thither”. In Philippians 2:19 Paul writes, “I trust to send Timotheus unto you shortly”. And so also in 1 Timothy 3:14; Hebrews 13:23; and 2 Peter 1:14. In Galatians 1:6 we have, “so soon removed”; in Philippians 2:33, “so soon as I shall see how it will go with”; and in 2 Thessalonians 2:2, “That ye be not soon shaken in mind.”[1]

Based on the way “quickly,” “near,” and “shortly” are used in Genesis through Revelation, any student of the Bible who does not interpret these time texts in the way the Bible uses them is in jeopardy of denying the integrity of the Bible.

In a recent talk given in Huntsville, Alabama, Gary discusses why he spends so much time talking about Bible prophecy. Many think it is a divisive topic (which it is) and that we shouldn’t waste time on it to avoid dividing Christians. However, many topics are divisive and polarizing. Bible prophecy is a topic that the Bible itself deals with and should not be avoided simply because people disagree about it.

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[1] Philip Mauro, The Patmos Visions: A Study of the Apocalypse (Boston, MA: Scripture Truth Depot, 1925), 24–25.

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