Prophecy

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“Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”” —Matthew 2:19-20, 23 

If you’ve been reading along with Matthew’s narrative of the birth of Jesus, it will be hard to have missed how often he says words to the effect that “this was to fulfill the words of the prophet…” In fact, Matthew uses these words five times in the first two chapters of his gospel. 

People have two very distinct attitudes towards prophecy. Either they fall for it hook, line, and sinker, or they discount it altogether as happenstance or trickery. Of course, the world has had its share of fortune tellers, but that’s not what Biblical prophecy is all about. The “pro” in prophet isn’t like the pro in proposal, looking to something in the future. It is more like the pro in pronoun, which is representative of the actual word.

Most of the Biblical prophecies are where the prophet speaks for (in place of) God. Unlike fortune telling, these words are clear and specific, not vague and subject to wild interpretation as are the Tarot cards or such people as Nostradamus. Biblical prophecy always points us to the work God is doing or will do in Jesus Christ. It’s not about your future—who you will marry, whether or not you’ll have fame and fortune; Biblical prophecy is always about our future in Jesus. Focus on him, and the rest will fall into place.