The Big Picture of Bible Prophecy
The Big Picture of Bible Prophecy
By Chris Schang
The big picture of Bible prophecy is one that shows that God accurately and consistently foretells the future of mankind and the world in order to prove without a doubt that he is truly God. Foretelling the future is a remarkable way to verify the fact that God knows everything about mankind and that nothing will escape his purpose or plans for the redemption of mankind. Bible prophecy is the means in which God reveals his power and proves that he is who he has said that he is. And that is the Creator of the world. He has done this by giving us his Word in the form of the Holy Bible.
While there are many different views on the end times, it is without a doubt that the Bible can be said that it contains the most essential message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus’ completed work on the Cross, his death, burial, and resurrection are central through the entire Bible. From the first prophecy in Genesis concerning the “seed of a woman” to the book of Revelation, the Bible works together in harmony to interweave the story of redemption with Bible prophecy to provide a central and crucial work of God’s plan for the ages. The Bible promises that though there is good and evil in the world, that in the end God will assure that good prevails and that all those who seek his remedy for sin will be saved. The Bible promises that we have the blessed hope of the pre-trib rapture that will remove the church from the time and place of the wrath of God during the end times. That we also have the promise of an eternal life where evil will no longer exists and that God will personally see to the well-being of his children. Those who have been made righteous in the faith of Jesus Christ.
Another aspect of the big picture of Bible prophecy is that the Bible promises that one day that Jesus will provide justice for all the evil in the world. That there will be a day of judgment and that he will return as the final judge for mankind. Jesus will also judge the nations and how they treated his chosen people – the Jews. The good news is that those who have placed their faith and salvation into the hands of Jesus will not have to face judgment, as righteousness has been imputed to those who have believed in Jesus. Jesus was the “lamb of God” who takes away the sins of the world for all of those who place their faith in his atonement and payment for sins on the Cross. After the Second Coming of Jesus and establishing his kingdom, Jesus will control and rule everything with an iron rod. This promise is a comfort for those who seek safety, security, and righteousness in the world.
The Bible also promises and shows through Bible prophecy the national redemption of the Jewish people. Since choosing Abraham as the father of the nation of Israel and calling them out as a special people. God has shown through Bible prophecy that he will save a remnant of his people throughout history and that the national redemption and regeneration of Israel will take place at the end of the tribulation period. God has clearly loved the Jewish people, he has punished them when necessary and saved them from many occasions where they would not have survived. In doing so he has shown the true righteousness of himself. A loving Father punishes as well as loves his children. God has been an excellent model of this throughout the history of mankind.
It is my hope that people will look into the big picture of Bible prophecy and see that despite the charges from the critics, that God has always had his hand on the affairs of mankind. God has foretold the future before it came to pass, so that when things occurred just as he foretold, that people might believe in him. This is the most concrete and conclusive evidence that God is who he says he is and as a result we can rely and have faith in his promises to us. I hope that by seeing the big picture of Bible prophecy that your faith is increased and your heart is calmed despite all the trials and tribulations that we have in life. God is fully in control and nothing happens without his knowledge and approval. Whether we understand why he allows some things to happen, somethings we know and other things we can’t until it is time. Our purpose is to not question God, but to live in faith and knowledge that in the big picture of Bible prophecy we are in good hands.
God bless.