TEN REASONS PROPHECY IS IMPORTANT

1. Prophecy warns unbelievers. The future for unbelievers is not a happy one. Death and judgment await them. The wicked are warned about the future again and again (see Pro. 14:12; 2 Th. 1:8-9).
    
2. Prophecy comforts believers because their future is bright and happy (1 Th. 4:13-18). The Bible gives strength to live by and comfort to die by. A believer can bravely face death because he knows what God has said about the future (Phil. 1:21-23; 2 Cor. 5:8).
    
3. Prophecy proves that God’s Word is true. No prophecy in the Bible has ever failed. Everything that God has said about the future has come to pass or will come to pass. As we see prophecy being fulfilled we are reminded that God’s Word "is TRUTH" (Jn. 17:17) and according to Titus 1:2, God cannot lie.
    
4. Prophecy explains the world’s problems. As we look at our world we see wars and crime and sin and sickness and all kinds of problems. Without the Bible these things would trouble and disturb us. But God’s Word helps us to understand why these things are so, and how they will come to an end.
    
5. Prophecy tells us what to expect.   A person would be upset and troubled by wars if he thought that there should not be any wars in the world.  But Jesus told us to expect wars (Mt. 24:6-7). The believer is not shocked by reports of wars; he expects them. Knowing what to expect also keeps us awake (Rom. 13:11). If your family knew that a thief would try to enter the house at 3:00 a.m., would they sleep that night? God has told us about the future so that we can be spiritually awake and ready (1 Th. 5:4-8; Mt. 24:43).
    
6. Prophecy helps make sense of the Bible. Over a fourth of the Bible is prophetic, telling us what will happen in the future. If a person does not understand prophecy, then he will not understand the Bible.
     
7. Prophecy helps us to know God’s will. If I never learn what the Bible says about the future, then I will not know what God’s purpose is for my world and for my life.
    
8. Prophecy helps the believer to walk with God. You cannot walk with God unless you know which way God is moving. In Genesis 18 Abraham needed to know that God was going to judge Sodom. Does God want to hide from us what He is going to do (Gen. 18:17)?  No!
     
9. Prophecy motivates obedience (Hos. 14:9). The better we understand the future, the better we will walk with God today. If I really believe that Christ could come at any time, should this make a difference in how I live (Ti. 2:11-14)? Yes!
     
10. Prophecy helps us to help others. The unsaved do not understand what is going on in the world, and to them the future is dark and unknown. We have the answers that they need! We can explain what is happening and show how God is in control!