As I travel and speak, people often tell me they no longer hear teaching about Israel and Bible prophecy in their churches. Their comments reveal two distinct realities: (1) There once was a time when they did hear such teaching in church, and (2) preaching what God says about Israel and prophecy has fallen out of favor.
As a pastorโs son, I realize many topics need to be addressed from the pulpit, and pastors have less time than ever to communicate Godโs truth. In many churches, the pastor has merely 30 to 45 minutes on the weekend to speak to his flock. Without the Sunday evening services and midweek Bible studies that were the norm in many churches in bygone years, Sunday morning has become the pastorโs only time to teach the Word to his congregation.
Given such limitationsโand with the ever-growing emphasis on Reformed Theology in many circlesโthe value of studying Israel and prophecy has diminished.
But there is a cost to neglecting the study and teaching of this significant part of Godโs counsel. A consequence is that fewer people in the pews stand behind Israel and the Jewish people. This is a troubling trend because Israelโs strongest Gentile supporters are evangelical Christians; but that may not be the case in the future.
I hear some people say studying prophecy is a waste of time because it divides people. They believe preaching Christ is what is necessary to save and unite people. When I visited the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky, I was struck by the fact that Noah, whom God calls โa preacher of righteousnessโ (2 Pet. 2:5), warned the world of Godโs impending judgment and the only way to escape it. When Noah preached, he was teaching prophecyโa message of future judgment given to him by God. The judgment had not yet occurred, but it was certain to come because God said so.
When we preach prophecy today, we, too, are warning people that a judgment of God will someday fall on this world for its rebellion against Him; and the only way to escape it is through faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. When the church fails to teach prophecy, Christians fail to obtain a fully developed worldview and are unable to see all that God is doing to redeem the world.
They lose the vital connection with Israel and fail to warn others of their need to avoid Godโs judgment through faith in Jesus. This consequence is the greatest cost of not teaching what God says about Israel and prophecy. For you see, Godโs redemptive plan goes through Israel. Israel is the conduit of our blessingsโpast, present, and future.
A few days before Jesus went to the cross, He said the days leading to His return will be like the days of Noah. People will be focused on enjoying life and ignoring Godโs warning of judgment until it is too late (Mt. 24:38โ39). It may just be that we are living in days like Noahโs, as Jesusโ return is drawing very near.
