STAND FIRM: I Admit I'm The Boring Prophecy Guy
I’m the boring prophecy guy and that’s okay — I’m proud to be. I just crashed the party and squelched a congregation’s excitement. Today I kicked off a four-day event I’m leading in North Carolina called “Truth to Stand Firm.” It’s a revival format in which I’m teaching prophecy and challenging the congregation to stand firm! It’s a message that’s not just relevant for the end of the age but, according to the impact COVID had on churches, it’s important now.
In the first message, I dampened the enthusiasm for this week. I’m so thankful to be leading this event. Pastor Andy reached out to me this summer and said, “Jake, tell me what it’s going to take to get you here. My people want to know what’s going on in the world and about the end times. It’s not my thing, but I know you’ve been working through it. I’ve watched you for a while and trust you. Come tell my people what’s going on.” What an honor! It’s what I have felt called to do since 2014.
The event has been heavily promoted and are excited about the prophecy guy coming and telling them what was going on. The first service was packed this morning; we’ll see if that remains.
The crowd was excited to hear someone talk about artificial intelligence, a one-world government, digital currency, the technology of the Mark of the Beast, holograms, the dark shadow government, 15-minute cities, Elon Musk and aliens. But, instead, in the first five minutes of the first message, I told them I was the boring prophecy guy. I focus on Scripture over the sensational. I start with the “Text” not the Times. All of which means that before we can speculate and look to the pop culture doomsday topics, we must know what the Bible says about the end of the age. I’m sure, in Monday night’s “After Hours Q and A,” I will get asked about them, but in the messages, we will walk through Scripture after Scripture that tells one singular story of the unfolding events of the end of the age. Now, if I had more time, I’d love to have touched on having a Biblical first-century foundation of the unseen world because I think it will help us stand firm in all the alien hoopla. Maybe someone will ask a question about it.
For the most part, authors and teachers in the prophecy world focus on the sensational topics of the day and bend Scripture toward it. I want to do the opposite. I want to let Scripture guide us into what end-time topics are legitimate and what are simply smoke screens.
Along with being boring about the topics, I also told them I was boring in that I’m about context over code. What I meant by that is I’m not unlocking some secret code that reveals prophecy, I’m just reading and rightly dividing Scripture like is done with all other parts of the Bible. In prophecy circles, I have heard and read from prophecy teachers and authors about how they’ve found some kind of code that unlocks prophecy. Therefore, they, in return, create demand and job security since they’re the ones with the code. I don’t have a code. Actually, I want to put myself out of a job by encouraging people to just read the Scriptures themselves. The “code” is exactly what is read.
So, that’s why I’m the boring prophecy guy and I’m thankful to be. I’m also thankful for pastors like Andy who are concerned that their congregation is prepared and has a biblical foundation of prophecy. I’m thankful that when he asked if I could tell his people what was going on, I could confidently say, “Yes,” not because I was something special, but because God guided the biblical writers to clearly lay out details of the end of the age.
Being the prophecy guy doesn’t make me the trendy preacher, but I hope I can inspire you to be boring when you talk about the end times. Start with Scripture, not the sensational. Start with the Text not the Times. Be about the context instead of a code.
I’d also love to be that boring prophecy guy at your church or gathering. It’s no longer my day job now that I’m a state missionary, but I’m able to schedule a few events a year. Right now, our church plant meets at unique times, which also allows opportunities.
— Jake is a state missionary and would love to share about the work in Northwest Arkansas and encourage your church to stand firm. (standfirmministries.com)
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Jake McCandless
Jake McCandless authors a weekly column titled, Stand Firm and Live Epic, through which he seeks to encourage the modern church to not just survive, but thrive in current times. He also addresses many end-times topics.
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