Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy (Revelation)

VCA: Cindi- parking announcement.

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What is the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear the word prophecy?

For some, the word prophecy is something that excites you.

For others…the word prophecy conjures up fear or frustration-prophecy feels scary or hard to understand so you prefer to simply avoid it all together.

Before we open up the book of Revelation next week…this week…we took another trip through the whole Bible to look at Biblical prophecy.

So..what is prophecy?

Prophecy is simply defined as a message from God and a prophet is the one who delivers that message.

Another way to define prophecy would be: To communicate God’s truth with God’s power.

Prophecy is not merely predictive; it is declarative.

Yes, there are prophecies about the future…but prophecy in the Bible also reveals God’s character…it shows us who he is..and God uses his messages to his people- to call us back into relationship with Him.

Which means…if the purpose is the unfolding of his redemptive plan…then the central focus of prophecy is Jesus Christ.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible points to the Messiah, the One who fulfils all that was foretold.

Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and eventual return are the ultimate fulfilment of God’s redemptive plan.

As Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:21, "For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

This passage reminds us that all prophecy is God-breathed and therefore… infallible. In the Old Testament, prophecies about the coming Messiah were numerous. Isaiah spoke of the virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), the suffering servant (Isaiah 53), and the coming of a new covenant (Isaiah 42:6).

Each of these prophecies found their fulfilment in Jesus, affirming that God’s promises are trustworthy.

This week in your lesson you were shown just a tiny glimpse of Biblical prophecies that have already been fulfilled.

And these prophesies provide assurance that God’s sovereign plan is unfolding exactly as He has decreed.

If God says it will happen, you can be confident that it will happen, just as he said.

Prophecies declares God's ultimate control over time and events, affirming that nothing happens outside His sovereign will.

This truth should provide us, as leaders, with a profound sense of stability and trust in God’s plans, especially as we lead others through the complexities of life and the uncertainties of the future.

Revelation 1:1 opens by stating, "The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place."

This verse reminds us that the events described in Revelation are not speculation..

This truth should inspire confidence and urgency. As we guide women and children through the unveiling of God's sovereign plan for the world through the book of Revelation..

Ultimately, Jesus Christ fulfills what Scripture foretells. He will return to earth to complete the redemptive plan God has already set in motion.

and God has a 100% percent accurate track record of fulfilling prophecy about Christ’s first coming, so we can be confident the same will be true for every single prophecy about His second coming.

How does God’s record of faithfulness encourage you to trust Him today?

When obedience becomes costly? When you hear of Christians being persecuted? When the evil and sin in the world, or in your own heart, seem overwhelming?

How might confidence that what God says will happen…will happen….stabilize your faith as you face an unseen & unknown future?

Nothing in this life is certain, but we can always be certain about God & His faithfulness to His promises!

As we study Revelation, may we be anchored in the certainty that the God who has fulfilled His prophecies in the past will also fulfill His promises for the future.

Exchange sticky notes with a person next to you and in a moment we will pray.

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As we begin our study of Revelation, we are immediately confronted with the grandeur of God's prophetic word.

The book of Revelation is more than a glimpse into the future; it is the culmination of God’s prophetic promises, woven through the entirety of Scripture.

The Book of Revelation opens with these words: “The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon take place.”

Today, we are going to look specifically at biblical prophecies, to help us approach the Book of Revelation with the right posture.

A leader told a story yesterday of when she worked at a bank years ago..

she said someone had brought in some counterfeit bills- and an expert came in and was able to simply pick up the bill, hold it up- examine it for a minute and instantly tell whether it was real or fake.

When she asked him how he could do that he responded: “when you know the real thing, you can recognize a fake.”

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June 9, 2019 Jan 1, 2000 September 13, 1988

Aug 7, 1847 April 5, 1534 Jan 1, 1000 Apr 6, 793 AD 70

On all of these dates in history…someone…who called themself a prophet…claimed that Jesus was coming back…

and on all of those dates….they were wrong.

Which is why, in Hebrew, the language a lot of the OT was written in, the word for prophet is also translated as spokesperson or one who calls or proclaims.

In scripture, we find 3 types of prophets:

Those whose messages are not recorded- we know they were prophets but we don’t know what they said.

We have those whose messages are written in scripture.

and then there are false prophets- whose messages were NOT from the Lord, even though they claimed that they were.

- In the book of Revelation, there are over

If you are looking for a commentary this year- it’s right here- in the OT…you don’t need to go any further than that.

Revelation was written for the present.

In order to understand Biblical prophecy you may need to let go of some pre-conceived notions you brought in the door with you.

For others- it’s going to be building on what you already know about Biblical prophecy.

For most of us in this room, myself included, its going to be a little bit of both.

If what they said would happen…happens…then we can be CONFIDENT that they are speaking God’s words.

If we look specifically at prophecies that are predictive or foretelling- we will find that the accuracy of Fulfilled Biblical prophecy gives us confidence in future promises.

Fulfilled prophecy in scripture gives builds our FAITH in God and confirms his trustworthiness.

If he said it will happen...it will happen.

God's ability to prophesy and the confirmation by its fulfillment validates his reality, his attributes, and his character.

Jeremiah 28:9; John 13:19 and 14:29

and God uses His messages to not only reveal WHO He is, but also to call his people-to call you and me- back into relationship with Him.

Through prophecy God Reminds the people of the past, and reminds us that He is working out his plan for redemption all the way through scripture.

Through the messages of the prophets in scripture, we see a present and personal God…

One theologian said that “prophecy is Gods message to the present in light of his ongoing redemptive purposes and plan for humanity”

Which means…that every word of prophecy in scripture is relevant for our lives today.

because the purpose of every prophecy given by God in scripture, regardless of the individual contents of the message, called the people into covenant faithfulness with Him..

In the OT when God spoke to his prophets, regardless of the what they said…the foundation was in the covenant relationship that God had established with Israel.

In Deuteronomy, after God had led the people out of slavery in Egypt, God made a covenant with the people of Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai known as the Mosaic covenant.

Now, a covenant is a relationship between two parties who make binding promises to each other

Covenants are relational.. legal…and binding...

God makes multiple covenants with His people throughout scripture, but this specific covenant- the Mosaic covenant was conditional…

Which means- both parties had to hold up their end, otherwise, the covenant was considered broken and no longer binding.

In the Mosaic covenant, if Israel obeyed the law- God would bless them, if they disobeyed, their would be consequences.

And in Exodus 19:8 after Moses- the prophet- speaks the words of the covenant the people respond by saying:

“All the Lord has spoken we will do.” They made the promise...and the covenant began..

Simple enough right..

well…except…that God’s people did not and could not uphold their end of the covenant.

So the prophecies found in scripture- the ones given by God- were meant to call God’s people back to covenant faithfulness.

The prophets came with warnings and messages about repenting and turning back to God.

The words of the prophets were an invitation for relationship.

And whether they were giving a specific

“Prophecy is God’s message to the present in light of his ongoing redemptive purposes/plan for humanity.”

2 Peter 1:19 encourages us to not neglect prophecy by saying:

2 Peter 1:19 (NIV)

We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

If prophecies scare you or are something you tend to avoid..

remember that every prophecy is meant to point you to Jesus.

Every prophecy is an invitation for you to find confident hope in who Jesus is…an invitation to know the God who loves you, sent his son to die for you, an reveals himself to you through his word.

You can live by faith…obeying and following God’s commands even if it doesn’t make sense…even when you don’t know what’s coming next…because you know that if God said it will happen…it will happen…

God has revealed all that you need…His plan is perfect…