Prophecy – History is God’s Story

History is God’s story, so no world or human event is a surprise to God. Timing and events are in His hands. Ultimately God will be in full control, but for a short time evil (the Devil) has a little freedom. Ultimately God will fully expressed through every human being, some happily in heaven, some in unhappiness.

Overview of Bible Prophecy
1. prophecy about the Lord’s first coming (happened 2000 years ago)
2. prophecy about the Lord’s second coming (future)
3. some Bible prophecy is about BOTH (Isaiah 9:6, and Daniel)
4. it seems there are more verses in the Bible about His second return, than the first.

In the Lord’s first coming, He came as a man (yet fully God and fully man) and as a lamb to be crucified on a cross for our sins, then rose from the dead and ascended to heaven.

In the Lord’s second coming He will come as a warrior to conquer an evil earth that does not represent God’s character. He will rule the earth from Jerusalem.

Most of the prophecy in the Bible is about Jesus Christ, but there is also some about Israel and the Church.

Some say one third of the Bible is Bible prophecy. There are over 2500 prophecies in the Bible. About 80 percent of those have already been fulfilled, and 20 percent are yet future.

Bible writers talked about prophecy the most: Jesus, Paul, Daniel, David, Ezekiel, Isaiah

Bible Overview, in connection with studying Prophecy

The two half’s of the Bible
* Old Testament with 39 books points to and promises Jesus Christ the Redeemer – Promises, Types, figures of Christ
* New Testament with 27 books is all about Jesus Christ, our redeemer – Fulfillment of all the promises and types of Christ

The first and the last books
* The book of Genesis — Beginnings
* God, man, garden, (devil comes in) sin, promise of a redeemer
* The book of Revelation – Conclusion
* God, man, a city (heaven), (devil cast out), sin forgiven, the redeemer on the throne

Some questions that come up:
1. Will the Lord come again – YES
2. Do we know when or the date – NO (even the Lord does not know, how could we know)
3. Will there be an anti-christ – YES, see Revelation 13
4. Do we know who it might be – NO

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night — 1 Thessalonians 5:2