Revelation 22:6-7 says, “These words are faithful and true; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show to His slaves the things which must quickly take place. And behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this scroll.” This indicates that prophecy is not merely for us to ponder and consider. Prophecy can be kept, and he who keeps prophecy is blessed. We should not look down on prophecy. To look down on prophecy is to look down on God’s glory and grace. We should not merely read and hear the prophecies (1:3) but also keep the prophecies so that we can gain the blessing of keeping the prophecies according to the Lord’s promise. To keep the prophecies is to obey and follow the prophecies and even to be governed in our daily walk by the prophecies. When we obey wholeheartedly and even unconditionally, we can live a life preparing for the Lord’s return.
A person who pursues an understanding of prophecies must have an intimate relationship with God. According to the Scriptures, Enoch was the first person to prophesy, that is, to predict. When he was sixty-five years old, he had a son whom he named Methuselah (Gen. 5:21). This name has a prophetic significance; it means “when he is dead, it will be sent.” Hence, this name was a prophecy of the coming judgment by the flood. After Enoch received the prophecy regarding the flood, he rose up and left that ungodly age. Moreover, he was taken by God and did not see death (vv. 22-24). Abraham was a person who foreknew the move of God. Because he was “the friend of God” (James 2:23), God said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” (Gen. 18:17). Daniel saw visions and recorded prophecies, because he was a “man of preciousness” to God (Dan. 10:11, 19; 9:23). The apostle John wrote the visions in the book of Revelation, because he was the disciple whom the Lord loved and he had the experience of reclining on the Lord’s breast (John 21:20). These examples prove that “the intimate counsel of Jehovah is to those who fear Him, / And His covenant will He make known to them” (Psa. 25:14).
One-third of the Bible is prophecies. Believers must give heed to the prophecies as an inoculation against heresies and apostasy. By giving heed to the prophetic word, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, the believers will also receive shining and encouragement and be watchful to seek the Lord’s presence so that they will see the Lord as the morning star when He comes in secret. The word of prophecy spoken by the prophets is altogether reliable, trustworthy, and firm, because the prophecies in the Scripture are not of man’s own interpretation, but men being borne by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. For this reason, we should give heed to, pay attention to, study, and enter into this living word.
Believers should hold the following attitudes when studying prophecies. We should not be careless in studying the prophecies. The Bible is a very accurate book, so as readers of the prophecies, we must be careful and accurate; otherwise, we will suffer loss. We should not be curious in studying the prophecies. The Bible is a spiritual book; therefore, when reading the prophecies, we must not be curious, but rather we should touch life, touch the spirit, and touch the Lord. We must not interpret prophecies out of context. The prophecies in the Bible were written by different men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; therefore, even though many men wrote, the thought is one. When studying the prophecies, we must not consider one portion alone; instead, we must compare it with other places and interpret the Bible with the Bible. Any interpretation of a prophecy must match the testimony of the whole Bible. We should keep the words of prophecy. Prophecies can be kept, and he who keeps them is blessed. To keep the prophecies is to obey and follow the prophecies and to be governed by the prophecies in our daily walk. We also need to have an intimate relationship with God. Some examples of people in the Bible who had an intimate relationship with God are Enoch, who walked with God and received the prophecy regarding the coming judgment by the flood; Abraham, who foreknew God’s move, because he was the friend of God; Daniel, who saw visions and recorded prophecies, because he was a man of preciousness to God; and the apostle John, who received the visions in the book of Revelation, because he was the disciple whom the Lord loved.