TO THE AVERAGE CHRISTIAN the word prophecy instantly calls attention to something about the future. This, of course, is a limited meaning of the word.

The term "prophecy" literally means "to speak in behalf of another." In other words, to be a mouthpiece of the Deity. With this broad, definite meaning it is clear that anything that a man of God spoke was prophecy--whether it referred to past, present, or future events. This original, primary meaning of the word prophecy finds expression in the Hebrew Bible. Men who lived after the events which they related or the history which they wrote had to receive knowledge of that which they were writing by the aid and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Thus in a true sense the writers of the historical portions of the Old Testament were prophets. At times they spoke concerning things present before them. God frequently made a revelation concerning these, but it was by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that He thus made the disclosure. This type of message from God was likewise called prophecy because the speaker was delivering a message from God. Again, the message from God frequently pertained to things in the future. From these statements we see that any message which a man of God delivered, irrespective of whether he was talking about things past, present, or future, was, in essence, a prophetic message.

At the present time, however, we have limited the meaning of the word prophecy to those matters which deal with the future. If we examine the Word of God very carefully, we shall see that a large portion of the Word is devoted to future events. At various places in the Pentateuch there are predictions with reference to the future. In the historical portions of the Old Testament there are scattered here and there similar predictions. The Book of Psalms is largely prophetic, though there are a few of the Psalms that are devotional in their nature. Practically all of the messages of the writing prophets (and there are seventeen of them) are bringing messages concerning future things. In the Gospels we have quite a bit of prophecy. For instance, the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, the parables of the kingdom, and the Olivet Discourse, Matthew, chapters 24 and 25, are pure prophecy. Here and there in this same book there are various and sundry prophecies. The same thing is true with reference to Mark and Luke. In Acts we have several prophecies. In the Jewish section of Romans, chapters 9, 10, 11, we have quite a bit of prophecy. Here and there in the Epistles we find various predictions. The last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, is devoted entirely to predictive prophecy. If one wishes to avoid predictive prophecy, he will have to close his eyes to a very large portion of the revealed will of God, which thing no born again child of God will want to do.

Someone has written an exposition of the Book of Revelation in two parts and entitled his volumes The Crown Jewel of Prophecy. This is an appropriate title for the Book of Revelation, which is the last revelation of God to man. The first volume deals with the prophecies found here and there in the Old Testament, or at least with some of them. The second and final volume deals exclusively with the Book of Revelation. This writer had the proper conception. If one is to understand the Book of Revelation properly, he must know, or have a fairly thorough knowledge of, the prophecies found here and there in the Old Testament, and likewise in the books of the New Testament. Being thoroughly acquainted with what Moses, the prophets, and the Apostles said, the Bible student is prepared to look at the Book of Revelation, "The Crown Jewel of Prophecy," where he will find a grand and glorious gathering together of all lines of prophetic thought, woven together into a single fabric of prophetic revelation.

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show unto his servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John; 2 who bare witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all thing's that he saw. 3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written, therein; for the time is at hand" (Rev. 1:1-3).

There is a blessing for anyone who will read any portion of God's Word. In fact, God instructed His people Israel to read the Word and the priests were appointed to teach it to the people. The Apostle Paul told the church at Corinth that the thing's that happened to Israel occurred to them by way of example, and that they are written for our admonition upon whom the end of the ages is come. Moreover, the Apostle Paul told Timothy: "Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work" (II Tim. 3:16,17). This statement, of course, necessarily refers to the Scriptures of the Old Testament, but what is true of them likewise is true concerning all the revelation of the New Testament. Every Christian should aspire to be useful and profitable in the Master's cause. It takes every book of the Bible to make one furnished completely unto every good work. For instance, if anyone wishes to understand God's dealings with men, and His overruling providence among the nations, he should read and study very carefully the Book of Job. Its message is as fresh today as it was the day on which it was written, and the truths contained therein are just as correct today as they were when they were penned.

While there is a great blessing to anyone who reads any portion of God's Word, the Lord holds out a special blessing to the one who will read the Book of Revelation. In fact, He said that blessed is the one who reads the book, the one who hears the book read, and the one who does the things contained therein. In the Apostolic Age very few people, comparatively speaking, were able to read and write. Most people had to depend upon others, the literate ones, to read for them. Although anyone was illiterate, he was not barred from the blessings promised the reader of the book, because he could get someone to read the book to him, could listen with an attentive ear, an open heart, and a receptive mind. Thus he would receive the blessing promised to them "that hear the words of the prophecy." Moreover, the things contained in the Book of Revelation are so very clear that anyone--even the illiterate and uneducated--could sufficiently understand its contents to enable him to do the things that are contained in the book. Since there are such wonderful blessings held out to those who read it, and who hear it, and who do the things contained in the book, we shall expect to receive a special blessing because of this series of studies.

The word in the original text translated "revelation" means, literally, to remove the cover, to take off the veil: That is, to expose to the view, or gaze, that which has been covered up or unseen. Those Scriptures that deal with the past and reveal to us what was done in days gone by really remove the covering from the past and bring to light that which has already transpired. The same thing is true with reference to the future. Certain portions of the Word which we call, in modern terminology, prophecy remove the covering from the future and enable people to see ahead of time that which is coming to pass. Moses and the prophets spoke of the first coming of the Messiah. Had the Jews read with open minds and receptive hearts the messages of the prophets and had they known God in a personal manner, they would not have rejected Him. But not knowing Him, and being ignorant of the Scriptures, they literally fulfilled them in condemning Him. Just as people before the first coming of Christ could look into the Written Word and could see what God said would come to pass, and they were able to recognize the fulfillments of the prophecies as they were being fulfilled, so at the present time we can read the prophetic word dealing with the present and the future and can recognize in current events the fulfillment of many predictions today. In view of these facts it is no wonder that the Apostle Peter said that ". . . we have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation. 21 For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Ghost" (II Peter 1:19-21).