Yet to Come
The Bible is full of pre-written history (prophecy). Bible prophecy is different than human predictions which are often more wrong than right. God not only knows the future; He is in the future. Therefore, Bible prophecy is always exact. Human interpretation of the prophecy can be off, but God knew the future then and He knows the future now.
A good portion of the prophecy in the Bible has already come to pass and by studying it we can have faith that God is timeless, that He knows all and that His Word is true. Some of the prophecies that are in the Bible and have happened are:
Jesus the Messiah was foretold through the Old Testament, even from the very beginning in Genesis 3:15 when God said that the seed of Eve would defeat the seed of Satan.
700 years before Jesus, in the book of Micah, Bethlehem is named as the birth place of the Messiah. Micah 5:2
500 years before Jesus, the book of Daniel proclaimed the exact timing of when Jesus would the Messiah would come. Daniel 9:24-27
Other prophecies that have come to pass:
In Genesis 12:1-3 Abraham is told that he would have a son that would become a great nation. Abraham was the father of Issac, Issac the father of Jacob and Jacob was the father to 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Empires that would rule the known world long before they were great or sometimes before they even existed. Daniel chapter 7 foretells of Persia, Greece, and Rome
The Jewish nation coming back into existence in 1948 after being scattered for 1900 years after Rome destroyed Jerusalem, is likely a fulfillment of Ezekiel 37:21-22. God restored their land and a once dead nation became alive again. There are hundreds more that space won’t allow.
At the time of this writing there are prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled, the timing of these God has not revealed to us. A few of these are:
War of Gog and Magog – this is a war that will include nations from the lands that are now occupied by Russia, Iran and some other countries. This war written about in Ezekiel 38 and 39 says they will come against Israel to take riches from Israel, but God intervenes in an miraculous way and the victory is very one sided with no casualties on the side of Israel.
Rapture – Jesus coming to take believers to heaven before a time of trial. The following Bible verses are a couple of the ones that support this. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-57.
Tribulation – a 7-year long time of God sending judgements to get the attention of the Jewish nation and anyone who didn’t accept Jesus as their Savior before the rapture. In the Bible this time is often called “The Day of the Lord” Things that most Bible scholars believe will happen during this time are:
1) A world leader, who rules a one world government, and makes a 7 year treaty with Israel (Daniel 9:27).
2) There will be plagues, natural and supernatural disasters during which many will lose their lives (Revelation 6-16).
3) In Revelation 14 we read of some kind of mark that will indicate that the person taking it worships the world leader, not the one and only true God. That mark will be the only way that people can make or spend money. The people who accept this mark will be selling their souls to the devil (Revelation 14:9-11).
During this time of great trial, many people will come to know the Lord Jesus as their savior. Those people will be persecuted for their faith during the 7 years until Jesus returns. However, their souls will be safe for eternity and the short-term trial doesn’t compare at all to joy of Heaven (Romans 8:18).
We live in a world of sin. Everyone who has ever lived has sinned. God cannot permit a sinner into heaven. But didn’t we just establish that the people who disappear in the rapture will be in heaven? YES. That is because they admitted their sinfulness and put on Jesus’ righteousness. His perfectness covered their sins so that God considers them righteous. When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave He took the punishment for my sins and yours. Ask Him to save you and you can be assured that when you die you will go to heaven, instead of hell. Yes, we believe there is a real heaven and a real hell. Choose heaven, choose Jesus. Admit you are a sinner, accept Jesus as your savior.
Accepting Jesus is about more than going to heaven and not going to hell. It is primarily about living in relationship with God both now and eternally in heaven. God wants to know you and He wants to save you. The Bible says that “He is not willing that any should perish.”
At the end of the 7-year long time of tribulation, Jesus will return and all those who have put their faith in Jesus, whether they died, were raptured or accepted Him during the tribulation, will live with Jesus on this earth for 1000 years (Revelation 20:4-6). We call this the millennium. Then God will make a new Heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1-4).
Our prayer is that you will believe in the One True God who knows all – past, present and future.