The Purpose of Prophecy

One of the most confusing, yet enticing, subjects in all of Bible study is prophecy. There are over 1,200 prophecies in the Old Testament, and just under 600 in the New Testament. This equals to over 1,800 prophecies in the Bible.  Out of the 31,000 plus verses in the Bible, these prophecies are threaded throughout over 8,000 of them.  This means that about 27% of the Bible is prophecy.  This suggests that since 1/4 of the Bible is prophecy, then it is not unreasonable to conclude that prophecy is important to God and that it should therefore be important to us (although, it is not unreasonable to conclude that anything in the Bible is important to God, and should therefore be important to us!).  In his second letter, Peter gives us at least three reasons why (2 Peter 3:10-18). 

1.  Prophecy Is Important Because All Things Will Perish (10-12)

Peter writes that the "heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up" (10).  Peter leaves nothing out in his description of destruction.  

The word "roar" refers to the whistling or crackling sound that a fire makes when it is burning something up.  Peter essentially says that all things in heaven and on earth will succumb to this kind of burning.  He leaves us with a handful of ways to counteract this forthcoming destruction, however.  Peter says, "Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way," we should be holy (11) and watchful (12).  That is, we should be set apart for God and be watchful for His Son's return.

We wouldn't know this if it weren't for prophecy!

2.  Prophecy is Important Because of God's Promise (13-15a)

The question is begged, "If everything is to be burned up, where does that leave us?"  Sure, we can be holy and watchful, but what is the point to these things if the "earth and all of its works will be burned up"?  Peter writes, "according to His promise we are looking for a new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells" (13).  This is the second reason why prophecy is important.  This is a promise that God has been issuing for thousands of years, and although our righteousness is "but filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6), once saved, we "become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).  This "Him" is none other than Jesus Christ.  

Consider these Scriptures detailing God's promise of a new heaven and earth, in which righteousness dwells, written thousands of years ago:

"For behold, I create a new heavens and a new earth" (Isaiah 65:17).

"For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before Me," declares the Lord, "So your offspring and your name will endure" (Isaiah 66:22).

"Of old You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.  Even they will perish, but You endure" (Psalm 102:25-26).

Peter writes concerning this promise, "Therefore, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless, and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation."  That is, the second reason prophecy is important is because God has given us a promise of eternal life, and we should therefore respond in peace, spotlessness, blamelessness, and finally in rest, knowing that every day is a gift from God in order that some might be saved.

3.  Prophecy is Important Because of Paul's Precedent (15b-18)

"Paul's precedent" is a fancy way of saying "God's Word."  That is, a third reason why prophecy is important is because God's Word says so.  Peter writes, "just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things" (15-16).  

Sadly, there were some in Paul's day who distorted (and some in our day who distort!) his letters.  Peter calls these individuals "untaught," "unstable," and that they also distort "the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction" (17).  He calls believers to stand above this.  He writes, "You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (17-18).

This reaffirms a third reason why prophecy is important, which is because Paul and many other individuals wrote that in the last days some would distort God's Word, manipulating His prophecies to suit their own desires.  We, knowing this beforehand, need to be on guard so that we are not carried away by error.

The Bible is full of prophecies including some that have been fulfilled, some that have partially been fulfilled, and some that are yet to be fulfilled.  As followers of Jesus, we should heed Peter's warnings and be holy, watchful, diligent to be found in peace, spotless, blameless, regard the patience of the Lord as salvation, be on guard so that we are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men, and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Prophecy is important because it helps direct us in how we ought to live.  Essentially, it allows us to properly give "to Him the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen" (18).

Cherry Picking Preaching

In the book, Jim and Casper Go To Church, Jim (a believer) and Casper (an atheist) travel around the nation visiting various types of Christian churches. They visit everything from the nearly 50,000 member Lakewood Church (Joel Osteen's church) to a small,15 member local house church. The book is essentially the product of their conversations about their experiences. Remarkably, after a visit to the Potter's House (T.D. Jakes's church), Casper says something that gives some incredible insight for those who preach God's Word.  He says that it is unreasonable for a preacher to preach "cherry-picking" messages.

After listening to the sermon (from Pastor Jimmy Johnson in place of Jakes), Casper says, "He made up his mind about what he wanted to say and the pitch he wanted to make, and then he selected passages in the Bible that support that pitch" (141).  Casper says that the man even said, "I'm gonna extract various Scriptures to support the topic."  To this Casper says, "...cherry-picking bits and pieces of the Bible to support your chosen topic [is like] asking someone to understand the meaning of the Mona Lisa but only letting that person look at her hand.  If the Bible is really the Word of God, it's very, very important to not take it out of context" (ibid.).

The point is, even an atheist realized the importance of preaching God's Word correctly, and it should not be by "cherry-picking" various Scriptures.

Interestingly, Casper continues his thoughts suggesting that, "the Bible is kind of like the Constitution: It's a document of the rules we used to live by and the rules we live by now, with each addition fixing and overruling what came before" (ibid.).  Casper uses a biblical illustration saying, "You can't look at Leviticus and say God hates gay people, then ignore Jesus' endless commands to love each other.  You can't take a snippet of the Bible out of context and misuse it, or spin it, to support your particular pitch.  That's twisted" (ibid.). [1]

While Casper "the friendly atheist" is correct in his observation that the Bible must be taken contextually, he is wrong in his interpretation of that context.  That is, he is taking the context out of context!  The New Testament is not some "new addition" that fixes and overrules the Old Testament.  It is the fulfillment of it (Matthew 5:17; Romans 10:4).  This is expressed well in Paul's letter to Timothy in writing,

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

This "Scripture" here is the Old Testament because the New Testament wasn't canonized at this point, therefore rendering that Casper is correct that it is dangerous to cherry-pick verses of Scripture to prove a personal point, but incorrect in that the New Testament overrules the Old Testament.  They instead support one another, interpret one another, and fulfill one another.  The New Testament does not have a foundation without the Old Testament and the Old Testament does not have an end without the New Testament. 

It is safe to argue that many sermons today are cherry-picking sermons, meaning that the preacher chooses a topic in the week and then searches for verses that help support his topic.  This is a dangerous endeavor because you are essentially picking out lines of various conversations and formulating them to fit your conversation.  For example, if you are talking about prayer, it would be easy to go to a passage like Matthew 18:20 which says, "Where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."  This passage is talking about prayer, but it is prayer and forgiveness.  That is, the passage is referring to church discipline and how if after a string of events an individual is unwilling to admit sin, then two or more witnesses must be included.  This is where the "two or three" comes from.  We know through other passages of Scripture that God is in the midst of even one person who prays. Jesus, for example, often withdrew to pray by Himself.

The sermon process instead works better if reversed.  Instead of choosing a topic and then making the Bible fit into that topic, it is best to allow the Bible to speak for itself, telling you and the congregation what the topic is.  This happens when a passage of Scripture is unpacked allowing other verses to help illuminate the passage, not your thought. In other words, instead of cherry-picking various Scriptures it is better to camp-out and unpack a single passage.  This way, the Scriptures are speaking for themselves as they should.

If you are a preacher or a teacher, I encourage you to consider unpacking passages as opposed to cherry-picking.  This can help you convey a message far greater and far deeper than you ever could if you rest on your own thoughts.  God's Word is infallible and inerrant after all, so we can trust it completely!

For a more detailed understanding of the importance of Scripture, you can read my papers on biblical inerrancy:

Biblical Authority Among Southern Baptists

The Erroneous Hermeneutics of the Baptist General Convention of Texas

Bibliography

Henderson, Jim. Jim & Casper go to church : frank conversation about faith, churches, and well-meaning Christians. Carol Stream, Ill: Barna Books, 2007. 

Endnotes

[1] For the record, Leviticus does not say that God "hates gay people."  The Bible however does say that homosexuality is a sin and that God judges it (1 Corinthians 6:9).  Casper is taking these verses out of context while explaining how not to take things out of context.  The New Testament does not "overrule" sin in the way Casper suggests; it expresses how we can be saved from it.  Sin still exists and has not become null and void by "loving our neighbor as ourself."  Homosexuality was a sin in the Old Testament (Sodom and Gomorra) and it is still considered a sin in the New Testament.

What is Apologetics?

I just uploaded an article I have recently completed entitled, What is Apologetics?  I will be teaching a course on Apologetics this semester at the Mission Dorado Bible Institute.  If you are interested in reading the article, it can be found at this location:

What is Apologetics?   Article

Don't forget that you can visit carm.org for more information on apologetics, philosophy, and theology.