What is the point of prophecy?On one hand people don’t like uncertainty… where will I get the money for rent next month?... will the stock market crash and wipe out my retirement savings? … will my son get home safely tonight?On the other hand many of us dislike the idea of a future where everything is alreqady decided. Statements like: “I have no choice in the matter”… “its inevitable”… “I can’t change anything”, are statements of despair not confidence.God’s word gives us a way of understanding life that is a balance between a future that is reliable and true and a future that is changeable based on the choices we make. For example:Kingdom of God – the coming rule of God on earth and in the universe is set and will not change.Salvation & Reward – your relationship to the Kingdom of God is based on the choices you make. Both these aspects of the future are addressed by the word of God.God’s word shines a light on the path you must actively choose if you want to live, and receive reward in the kingdom of God.God’s word provides you with prophecies and promises of the certain and inevitable future. Note: by definitions that future has not yet happened. SO…God’s word also provides contains prophecies of events that happened just as they were foretold… Knowing these “past prophecies” gives you greater confidence in what has not yet come to pass. 2 Timothy 3:16 – anyone can claim their writing is supernaturally inspired. Telling about a future event and then making it actually happen is what makes an audacious claim like “this is the word of God” believable. You will not find fulifilled prophecy in other supposed holy writings (Koran, Mormon, Hindu or Buddist literature, etc.). Prophecy and fulfillment is what sets the word of God from Genesis to Revelation apart. Isaiah 46:9-11 the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob not only claims to reveal the future… He proves Himself by demonstrating the power to make it happen.2 Peter 1:19-21 … its in your best interest to give propehcy attention!ProphetsA prophet is one through whom God speaks to humanity. There have been many prophets throughout human history… the greatest of all the prophets sent by God is Jesus Hebrews 1:1-2. [Luke 13:33 refers to self as a prophet].Jesus’ teaching was about the kingdom of God. It had the elements of certainty and choice:a kingdom of God way of living you must choosea sure outcome of human history ie. the rule of God on earth.Note: Jesus birth, life, death, and resurrection is also the most extensive and greatest fulfillment of events foretold centuries before in the word of God. Both Scripture and human history speak to the credibility, and reliability, of scripture. A sobering thought when consideringthe future...Gut check: What is You First Reaction to Prophecy?You might see only strange beasts, cryptic coded messages, riddles, or confusing chronologies… unappealing and unrelated to life as we know it. How does prophecy help me find personal happiness? How does prophecy help me become a better person?If you take time to study and understand the prophecies of scripture they can give greater personal clarity as to why the life decisions you make matter. And help you see the choices you make as incremental steps toward a very positive future.To get this kind of perspective on prophecy lets step back and take a big picture view of scripture. What are the consistent (an persistent) core messages… what are the consistent threads of events found in scripture? How do these interact with history?We’ll get to those in coming weeks… but today let’s go over nine guiding principles to help us to understand prophecy:Guiding Principles of Prophecy1. Role of the Messiah – the key player in almost all prophecy is the Messiah and His intervention in human affairs… what He hasdone, and what He is going to do in the future Luke 24:44.2. Kingdom of God – almost all prophecy is in some way related to the establishment of the Messiah’s rule over humanity on earth Daniel 7