In a recent Lifeway poll they found only 2% of churches in the USA teach Bible prophecy. This is an amazing latter-days stat for several reasons:

1- Roughly 30% of the Bible is prophetic. They’re ignoring almost 1/3 of the scriptures.

2- 100% accuracy in past prophecies fulfilled literally separates the Bible from every other book on the planet. It not only claims to be written by God, it proves it by predicting the future.

3- The entire Book of Revelation was prophetic when written. Today everything from Revelation 6 forward is still in the future and likely to be fulfilled within the next 7-14 years.

4- The Book of Revelation is the only book that promises Believers a special blessing for even trying to read and understand it.

Revelation 1:3 KJV – “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”

I once read comments on Rev. 13:16-17 (Mark of the Beast) in a turn-of-the-19th-century commentary. The writer explained that each bank could have a person standing inside with a list of those forbidden to bank, and unless you got the OK-nod from him, they wouldn’t let you transact business.

That is silly and naive to us, but it just goes to show you that people over a hundred years ago were studying the Book of Revelation, as best they could, and receiving God’s blessings for the effort.

The Book of Revelation is a critical source to understand prophecy today. It’s sort of an organized outline of most of the major Old Testament prophecies of the latter days. Plus, it adds critical information that helps make more sense of the 2600-year-old prophecies.

The word “Revelation” in the Greek is “Apocalupsis.” This is why it is often referred to as “The Apocalypse,” which is from the verb “Apocalupto” which means “to unveil” and the word “Kalumma,” which is “a veil.”

Therefore Apocalupsis means “the taking away of a veil.” And because the book is primarily dealing with the seven years of Tribulation, it’s most important to those of us living just before the Rapture. Jesus is pulling back the veil so we can see how it all fits together.

The Book of Revelation is largely Jewish. This is seen in its “signs” and “symbols” like the Tabernacle, the Ark, the Altar, the trumpets and plagues, and of course the sealing of the 144,000 JEWISH evangelists preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

But the Church is in chapters 2 and 3, Israel in chapters 6-19 and the nations of the world in chapters 20-22. It reveals God’s ultimate plan, a new heaven and earth without democrats. Sorry, I meant sinners (Childers strikes again!).

Just before Jesus’ crucifixion, His disciples asked Him when would the end of the age (not the end of time) come about? Jesus said no one knew the day nor the hour, not even Him, only the Father.

Mark 13:32 KJV – “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”

That was obviously true when He told His disciples. But it’s not true today because in Revelation 6 we see Jesus having qualified to receive all knowledge through His sinless life and atoning death on the cross. Today, He can’t make that same statement because He DOES know.

In the Book of Daniel, it says to “seal up” the words until the end of the Times of the Gentiles. In the Book of Revelation, which dovetails with Daniel, John is told to “seal NOT the words for the time is at hand”… meaning the Church Age.

Deuteronomy 29:29 KJV – “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

This explains that the Book of Revelation is Jesus revealing His wrath and purpose while shedding light on the time at hand.

This is why the Book of Revelation means so much for Believers today. Jesus gave this book to all Believers, but the most important group to study would be those alive at the very end of the Church Age with spiritual discernment.

And God promises through Amos that He WOULD reveal to us what is going on.

 Amos 3:7 KJV – “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”

And from Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 30:24 KJV – “The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he hath done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.”

Yet only 2% of churches even attempt to try to understand the thrust of the Bible’s teaching in hundreds of Bible prophecy verses.

I know one thing, Satan sure doesn’t want Believers to study prophecy because it gives people hope. Through prophecy we find out we can live boldly in the face of the approaching storm because we know we’ll be rescued before the Wrath of God is unleashed on the earth.

Avoiding teaching Bible prophecy is probably why so many churches today are dead as a doornail and/or woke. Good grief, we’re privileged to be living at the time of a huge dispensational change—the end of the Church Age and the beginning of the Tribulation. And most Christians have no clue.

But you and I do have a clue. We are part of a Berean group who makes sure anything we’re taught is actually coming from scripture—steel on steel.

So as we see things getting a little dicey before the Rapture, regardless of what year, stand tall on scripture. Be a witness by allowing people to see you trust Jesus and the Bible above all else. Be a compass and point to Christ.

And always keep in mind God is in control. We don’t know what He will allow in the future to be exposed to change the current direction. Remember Trump in 2016! For all we know, the Bidens, Clintons and the rest [..] could be massively exposed to buy us a few more years of witnessing in peace.

Bill Perkins is an author, the Executive Director of Compass International, and has led over 50 apologetics trips to Israel.