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Jeff Adams

The Purpose of Prophecy

November 23, 2008

I was in my office reading James 5 this morning as I prepared to speak. The book of James is about as practical as it gets, and I am always challenged and convicted as I read through it.

Today, I was reading the fifth chapter and this particular portion caught my eye.

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. James 5:7-12

Here is James focusing on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Many people probably would not consider this theme to be very practical. In his typical practical style, however, James focuses on the prophecy of Christ’s coming, not with dates and signs, but by giving us the example of the patience of farmers, the prophets, Job and the Lord himself.

I thought how often followers of Jesus become obsessed with certain details of biblical prophecy and end up by separating themselves from other believers who have different perspectives. Now, I have some pretty firm convictions about what the Bible teaches regarding things to come. I believe in the imminent premillennial return of Christ, preceded by a pretribulation rapture – impressed?

James’ point is simply this – our faith and firmness in light of the Second Coming of Christ should not cause divisions among believers; it should practically affect the way we live our lives. If I firmly believe that Jesus is coming again, how then should I live this life that God has given me?

  • Charlie

    I agree Jeff! It’s sad that many of us who are interested and seemingly equipped with the ability to study and learn, often put our emphasis on things that make little difference. A few years ago, when Internet searching began, I did a search for King James. I smiled at the return and at those whose names were associated around the world with God’s word. Now if you were to do a search on King James or even KJV you’ll find nothing but fighting, the same would be true for most any phrase associated with prophecy. What a waste, what a waste!! If WE are truly interested and devoted and committed to God’s word, shouldn’t We be living it more clearly than we are fighting others over it. There is a world of people hurting, a world of people completely confused. Those who know what the Bible says, those who know prophecy according to God’s word, should be living examples more than those who do not, laying down our lives for others, giving all we have to the lost, confused, messed up world around us that they might see and know the Lord Jesus Christ, instead we fight. Will a single soul come to know Jesus through an argument over prophecy? Maybe, but not very likely. Even so, in fighting and attacking each other are we demonstrating the ONE thing that Jesus said we would be known by? WE that know the truth should be the ones that clearly live the truth. I speak to myself!

  • http://www.kcbt.org Jeff Adams

    I rest my case.

  • http://www.kcbt.org Jeff Adams

    Well said, Brendan! With people like me who tend to be a bit verbose, those words are quite a challenge! Thanks for contributing.

  • Melanie

    I agree that there should not be divisions within the body of Christ. But church history tells us that before 1830 all Christian leaders, whether Catholic or Protestant, taught that the catching up of I Thess. 4 happens AT the posttribulation second coming to earth! (Google “Famous Rapture Watchers” & also note how the greatest Greek scholars interpreted Rev. 3:10 which is often used as “proof” for a pretrib rapture.) So it was the pretribbers who created the first major division in the “rapture” debate; if they hadn’t divided, there might never have been later divisions such as midtrib and prewrath. Found some interesting and informative articles on Google: “Pretrib Rapture Diehards,” “X-Raying Margaret,” “Revisers of Pretrib Rapture History,” “Pretrib Rapture Desperados,” “Open Letter to Todd Strandberg,” “The Rapture Index (Mad Theology),” “LaHaye’s Temperament,” “Thomas Ice (Bloopers),” “Wily Jeffrey,” “Roots of (Warlike) Christian Zionism,” “Deceiving and Being Deceived,” “Thieves’ Marketing,” “America’s Pretrib Rapture Traffickers,” and “Scholars Weigh My Research” (all by the one who wrote the bestseller known as THE RAPTURE PLOT which is available online).
    Melanie

  • Brendan Meiers

    What struck me for the first time in this passage is the context of ‘let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay’ within the return of Christ. The words I speak are serious business. I’m even being careful on what I say in this comment!

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