by God's Little Boy
© MakeshiftDarkroom.com 2014
Posted 1/18/14

There are certain things that are sealed up secrets that God has not revealed. There are also things that are sealed up (to one degree or another) for a season of time, but will one day be brought to light. There are also things that have been obscured by God and kept from our understanding. Concerning eschatological prophecy, we have been shown many things to come, but many of the details concerning those things remain unclear. These things are the source of debate and contention among believers each of which are no better than their fellows. God does not make everything plainly evident to our present understanding. Prophecy given to any age, becomes fully clear only in the hindsight of fulfilment. The Old Testament PROPHETS (the seers) were puzzled by the obscured prophecy that was to them yet future, but to us it is a clearly defined reality right down to the fine details. Such prophecy is glorious to us and serves as the bedrock of our faith. There is no legitimate disagreement in Christianity concerning that prophesy which has been fulfilled.

To Old Testament saints, it was very difficult to understand and reconcile the prophecies of both the suffering servant and the reigning king messiah, but for us it is, quite obviously, no problem at all because of our place on the time line of prophetic events. But to the prophets who foretold such things, it must have been a brain teaser. God reveals certain things in their time. "For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." (Luke 10:24) It was just as much a mystery to them as some end times events are to us. My point in stating the obvious here is that prophecy, is perhaps, intended to better serve us upon and after it is fulfilled than it is before. "Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he." (John 13:19) Remember, there are many more saints to come, in the age that is to come. The scriptures that are forever settled in heaven are for them as well. And to us also, God will be glorified forever in the events that unfold before the eyes of his church. The Bible and all prophecy is eternal truth.

God is taking us somewhere. It should be understood that never at any point in time thus far has the realization of prophecy depended upon man. All prophetic understanding was accomplished by God through its fulfillment –a progressive unveiling and clarification. Everything is a finished work of the faithful God. God is in control on our behalf. It is ridiculous to acknowledge grace in salvation –which He accomplished for us while we were asleep in blindness (no one knew what he was doing for us on the cross), but deny it in God's final acts in end times. Always be very careful to keep grace in your eschatology seeing that it flows through the scriptures from Genesis to the last verse in Revelation.

Prophecy concerning the things to come, is important and should not be avoided, but keep your eschatology simple and be certain and clear only about the things that are certain and clear. There are things that we just don't fully know yet, because these are the secret things that presently belong to God. Shall we strive to clarify what God himself has effectively obscured? God will bring these things to light, in their time. If it were so imperative that we should fully understand everything now, then no doubt, God would have removed any question. And if He has made things supposedly so "crystal clear" as some assert then why is there so much disagreement among the godly? A much more useful skill to employ as a student of eschatology is knowing how to handle such mysteries with regards to differing views.

In the end we will all come to see that it was about what "He" has purposed and not what "we" have understood. It might be a good idea to cancel your membership with the prophecy club and place your energies in exercising godliness, for you have received power instead. (Acts 1:8) There is far too much kooky end times stuff in circulation, and frankly, it is embarrassing –not to mention divisive. Perhaps the folly that is on display illustrates one of the reasons why God has chosen to keep such secrets.

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