When I was a child, I loved it when our teacher would give us a Connect the Dots paper. Before we could start, she would ask us if anyone could tell her what the picture was in the dots. Of course, at first it just looked like a bunch of random dots on a page. But as we drew lines from each numbered dot to the next one, a picture would begin to emerge. What at first seemed like unconnected and completely random dots formed into a very clear picture right before our eyes.
When it comes to Bible prophecy, most people would rather have everything spelled out already for them. If the outline is already drawn, then it doesn’t require us having to study or think too deeply about what we believe and why we believe it.
Yes, I am aware that the Bible calls for child-like faith; it begins with one’s belief in Christ and continues in our walk with Him. However, a follower of Jesus Christ is called to mature—to grow up into the faith. Why? Ephesians 4:14 says, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.”
Growing in the knowledge of God’s Word not only helps us to be grounded more deeply in our relationship with God, it helps us better understand the times in which we live.
As Bible prophecy students, we must take the Connect-the-Dots approach to the study of God’s Word. This means seeking to understand all of Scripture—particularly the Old Testament prophets, the Olivet Discourse, The Epistles such as 1st and 2nd Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians 15, and the Book of Revelations.
It is only after doing so, that we must apply that to what we see today. That means we need to view the daily news cycle in light of Scripture—not the other way around. Too many people have a “newspaper or internet news” mentality. They read about one event and then try to make it fit into a verse or two in the Bible, and then declare this as being foretold.
One thing that I have learned over the years is this: If God is sovereign, nothing is random. Nothing! He sees all of history simultaneously. For us, our present intersects with eternity one moment at a time. He knows the end from the beginning as if it has already happened.
It is for this reason that He has placed every dot of prophecy in the order that He has, so that we can have a very clear picture of what the end-times will look like.
When I connect the dots I see today, I am convinced that a very clear picture is emerging before our eyes. The fulfillment of prophecy is happening almost daily as we see all the dots connecting together. And the picture reveals this truth: Jesus Christ is coming back again—and sooner than we think!
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