Prophecy may be defined as a process where a message has been given to a prophet and is then communicated to others. In the Christian faith it is understood to involve Divine revelation and often communication between God and the prophet.
Christadelphians do not prophecy but study those in the Bible
Christadelphians use the Bible as the sole source of understanding of God's plan for the world. We attempt to carefully interpret the scriptures in the light of past and current events and circumstances.
We take a great interest in unfulfilled or incomplete prophecies since these give us some understanding of what may be expected in the near future. One major event was the 1948 establishment of the independent state of Israel, this being a fulfillment of ten Biblical prophecies including Amos 9:14-15 (2,700 years ago) and Ezekiel 37:10-14.
We can then consider the very few events left that are prophecied to happen in the short period from 1948 to Christ's return.
Such an interpretation is not prophecy. The scriptures state that we will not be foretold of the date of Christ's return - see Matthew 24:36.
We are told to watch for the signs of Christ's return - see Matthew 24:24 - and note the lesson from the times of Noah in verse 37.
We will make mistakes by misinterpreting current events that seem to be important.
There is the challenge of a countries names being changed. Persia is now Iran and Iraq occupies most of the area that was once called Mesopotamia. Will people remember what the USSR was? There is a difficulty in interpreting the identity of the King of the North. Some believe this to be Russia but others believe this to be Turkey. The question is partly whether we use an ancient locality name to apply to an area or a particular group of people who formerly occupied that locality. As an example Israel applies to both the people and the promised land. The former has at times existed in isolation from the latter.
We think in terms of our own lifetime and expect prophecies to be fulfilled tomorrow. God is not constrained in the same way. He did not call Moses to the task of freeing Israel from the Egypt until Moses was 80 years old. And then Moses lead the Israelites in the wilderness for 40 more years. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac, promised by God about 14 years earlier, was born.
What is important?
Using past fulfilled prophecy to confirm our faith.
Having an understanding of the return of Christ to establish the Kingdom of God on earth is fundamental.
Being distracted by being preoccupied with trying to predict the timing of prophecied events may prevent us from doing those things that are pleasing to God. These include charity and preaching the Gospel. However we are told to always be watching and ready for the Messiah's return.
What to do next
We suggest that you look at some of the material listed under the Resources button near the top of the screen. You will find additional articles incuding those related to the end times, and audio & video presentations.
