Supplement Your Local Teaching With These Bible Prophecy Resources
Is your church teaching bible prophecy? What I mean is, are they really leaning into it now, given the world events over the last few years? Mine isn’t…it’s quite a disappointment too, but it’s no reason to jump ship and change churches right away. If you are getting spiritually fed otherwise and you are still getting sound, biblical doctrine, perhaps ride it out a bit and just get a little spiritual snack on the side.
There are a ton of great bible prophecy teachers out there on multiple platforms such as blogs, podcasts, and YouTube shows. If you are the type of person that wants and needs to understand how current world events fit into the end times picture, there is no shortage of amazing pastors and teachers out there.
Why Aren’t Pastors Teaching Bible Prophecy?
I’ll provide some answers to this question below, but in my own church, I’m mystified why our pastor, who has a doctorate, never really seems to teach on bible prophecy and its relationship to current events. Seemingly every news cycle, something happens that has, at least in some measure, a connection to end times prophecy. If you see topics like a one-world government, the mark of the beast, and a global currency as far off or far-fetched ideas, you aren’t reading your bible or watching the news.
Many pastors or churches aren’t teaching much bible prophecy because they are concerned about controversy and division. Going through COVID and the last couple of presidential election cycles has divided our world and our country in unprecedented ways. According to the world and the far left, no longer do conservatives and evangelicals offer “differing opinions”. Instead, we are apparently serving up hate speech. This controversy breeds fear, and pastors are playing it safe. Fear is from the devil, and he does not want believers in Christ to know the truth!
A Fear of Teaching Prophecy
I do in fact think it is a matter of fear for many pastors. Steve Lampman says it quite well in his article “Why Pastor’s Don’t Teach On One Quarter of The Bible“.
“Could it be that Satan has filled their hearts with fear (we know fear never comes from the Lord). Fear of showing their lack of knowledge on the subject. Fear pastors may have of offending or scaring church members. Maybe the fear that people will stop coming and stop giving to support the church. Or maybe it’s the fear of them looking like a fringe group who take things to an extreme when other churches pulpits are silent on the subject.”
Lack of Knowledge of Prophecy
Bible prophecy takes a fair amount of study time and research. You have to understand the topic well enough to articulate it to your audience. Some pastors simply don’t have the time to devote to this study, amidst all of their other pastoral responsibilities. There is the added fear of uncertainty that they just don’t know the topic as well as they need to. Fortunately, the fix for that is study, study, study. This roadblock can be overcome with knowledge, and the Holy Spirit’s help.
Sources of Great Bible Prophecy Teaching
In my hunger for this information, I accumulated some great resources. I’ll list some of them for you here. They are based on what I believe to be the correct application of the Word of God, Prophecy, and the interpretation of the End Times. You’ll soon find those that seem to have the same beliefs and emphasis will run in the same circles, and you’ll find a lot of cross-pollination of ideas amongst a core group of current evangelical preachers and teachers.
- Understanding the Times – Jan Markell
- Olive Tree Views – Jan Markell
- Hope for Our Times – Tom Hughes
- Real Life With Jack Hibbs
- Prophecy News Watch
- Christ in Prophecy
- Rapture Ready