“Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said: “Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.” His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfilment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realised that these things had been written about him.”
John 12:14-16 NLT
We pilgrims have the benefit of hindsight over events that took place two thousand years ago. Bible scholars in recent times have claimed that Jesus fulfilled over three hundred Old Testament prophecies when He came to this world as a Jewish baby boy, finally dying on a Roman cross thirty years or so later. And there are many more prophecies still waiting to be fulfilled, prophecies that refer to His second coming, at a time yet to be determined. As John recorded, the disciples didn’t know at the time that Jesus’ donkey ride into Jerusalem took place just as Zechariah prophesied six or seven hundred years before. There were too many details for that first Palm Sunday just to be a random event, driven by the need of transport for a supposedly tired Jesus.
People today generally seem to care little for prophecies. They might dabble a little in their horoscopes, invented as a form of entertainment in a newspaper or magazine. They might read about something that creates a bit of interest, something supposedly “prophetic”, like the sayings of the French philosopher Nostradamus. But in the main, 21st Century Western man cares little for a future that they think is probably out of reach and therefore lacks importance.
So why does the Old Testament hold so many prophecies? To me, it exposes a loving and caring God who spoke through faithful men about events to come. Men who listened to what God was telling them and they faithfully wrote it down both to encourage and warn God’s people. All the prophecies also add weight to the authenticity of the Bible because, after all, it is God’s only written work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” The prophecies in the Bible have formed the Canon of Scripture and even today they are an important part of our pilgrimage, leading us and guiding us in God’s ways.
Prophecy in the church today consists of forth-telling and fore-telling, proclamation and prediction. In the Old Testament, there was much fore-telling, with the prophets of old bringing about amazing predictions about what was going to happen at some time in the future. But on 21st Century Planet Earth, we need to be careful with predictive prophecy. God’s Word, the Bible, is complete, and we are warned about adding anything to it – Revelation 22:18-19, “And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book”.
Sadly, in recent years men and women have tried to predict such Biblical events such as Armageddon, with the Jehovah Witnesses “prophesying” that it would take place in 1974. Such was the weight given to this date that some members of the JW organisation even sold their houses in preparation. Of course, 1974 came and went with no change in the world. If Armageddon had come we wouldn’t be here now. There are many other occasions when predictive prophecies have come to be shown what they really were – human inventions. However, fore-telling can still be a valid prophetic influence in the church today and we should never say never. Instead, we should test the spirits, and never make life changing decisions based on a single prophecy. We must always look to God for confirmation. Our loving Heavenly Father won’t want us to be misled.
Regarding prophecy that is forth-telling, a “prophetic” message delivered from the pulpit can explain God’s Word in a way that is more easily understood and applied in our lives. 1 Corinthians 12:10 lists a number of spiritual gifts, including prophesy, “He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.” The gift of prophecy enables someone to “speak forth” or declare the divine will, to interpret the purposes of God, or to make known in any way the truth of God which is designed to influence people. Prophets are men and women who are speaking on behalf of God, and the Holy Spirit has equipped them to speak out what God wants them to.
But back to our verses of Scripture from John. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy written down many years before. That is the sign of a true prophecy and one that validates the prophet himself. And it also reveals that God Himself spoke to Zechariah, and others, as part of His salvation plan to rescue mankind. An amazing message but sadly the Jewish religious leaders failed to make the connection.
Dear Father God. You have given us many gifts and we thank You for the gift of prophecy. Please help us to recognise Your prophets and treat them well. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 