Jim, thought you might like to know...Rick Warren thinks anyone who studies Bible prophecy "is not fit for the kingdom of God." Quote comes from his book, The Purpose Driven Life, page 286. See Dr. Reagan's recent article below:----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Why is Bible prophecy important? By Dr. David R. Reagan, Founder & Director, Lamb & Lion Ministries
Although prophecy constitutes almost one-third of the Bible, its importance is constantly downplayed by those who dismiss it as having no practical significance or by those who object to it on the grounds that it is a "fad" that takes people's eyes off Jesus.
A good example of what I'm talking about can be found in the immensely popular best-selling book, The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren (page 286). He mocks Bible prophecy when he writes, "If you want Jesus to come back sooner, focus on fulfilling your mission, not figuring out prophecy." He then goes on to characterize prophecy as a "distraction" and says that anyone who lets himself get involved in distractions like studying prophecy "is not fit for the kingdom of God."
Such cavalier dismissals of Bible prophecy fly in the face of scriptures like Revelation 19:10 which says that "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Thus, if prophecy is properly taught, there is no reason for it to divert anyone's attention away from Jesus. In fact, it should serve to emphasize the centrality of Jesus.
Is prophecy practical? Consider that all the New Testament writers testify to the fact that living with the anticipation of the Lord's return will motivate holy living. What could be more practical than that? Here are some examples: Romans 13:12-14, 1 Peter 4:7-11, 1 John 3:2-3.Prophecy does not have to be either faddish, other-worldly, or impractical if taught properly. Nor does it have to be a playground for fanatics. It can and should be green pastures for disciples. There are many reasons why all believers should be interested in studying Bible prophecy. Some of the more important ones are listed below:
1) The Quantity. One-fourth to one-third of the Bible is prophetic in nature. To ignore Bible prophecy is to ignore a significant portion of God's Word....
2) The Uniqueness. No other book in the world contains fulfilled prophecies.
3) Validator of Scripture. Fulfilled prophecy is one of the best evidences I know of that the Bible is the inspired Word of God.
4) Validator of Jesus. The prophetic scriptures validate Jesus as who He said He was - namely, God in the flesh.
5) Revealer of the Future. Prophecy serves to tell us some things that God wants us to know about the future (Deuteronomy 29:29 and Amos 3:7).
6) Tool of Evangelism. Prophecy can be used as a very effective tool of evangelism, as illustrated in the story of Philip and the Eunuch (Acts 8:26ff).
7) Tool of Moral Teaching. Prophecy is thus a great repository of moral teaching, and those moral principles are still relevant today. (See Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:8....)
8) Generator of Spiritual Growth. Likewise, Peter calls us to gird up our minds and be sober and holy as we look forward to the revelation of Jesus (1 Peter 1:13-15).
9) Understanding of Current Events ...there is just no way to fully understand much of what is happening today apart from those prophecies. Three characteristics of our day and time immediately come to mind: the intensifying decay of society, the growing apostasy in the Church, and the escalating crisis in the Middle East. All three of these situations are prophesied in detail in the Bible. We are told that society will become as violent and immoral as it was in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39); that the Church will be assaulted with "doctrines of demons" (1 Timothy 4:1); and that all the nations of the world will come against Israel over the issue of who will control Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:2-3).
10) Signifier of the Season. One of the most exciting reasons for studying Bible prophecy is that it provides very definite signs that we are to watch for which will signify the season of the Lord's return. It is true that we cannot know the date of the Lord's return, but the Bible makes it clear that we can know the season if we are aware of the signs that we are to look for.PARTIAL SUBMISSION FOR SAKE OF BREVITY AND MAKING A POINT. ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY FOUND HERE: http://lamblion.com/articles/articles.php