"Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

God loves a mystery!

The prophets looked into the future and saw coming events like series of mountain ranges, one after the other. Only the mountaintops were clearly visible. The valleys in between were mostly hidden, and the prophets couldn't always distinguish between events, just like two or three mountain ranges lined up one after the other can look like one from a distance. At the time, the order and timing of future events usually weren't clear to the prophets, but they became clear to others as they came to pass--or they will yet.

God has many mysteries that He keeps from us until the appointed time. Many of the prophets who received the revelations now recorded in the Bible never even attempted to explain them, often because they didn't understand the prophecies or revelations themselves. For example, the prophet Daniel was so baffled one time about what the Lord had prophesied through him that he said thinking about it troubled him greatly (Daniel 7:28). He was really puzzled!

God says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). How could we possibly comprehend with our finite minds all the mysteries of God about the future?

But, little by little, He does shed a little more light on Endtime events. The sun doesn't just pop up in the morning and--boom!--it's broad daylight. First there's a long period of dawn as it gets a little lighter and a little lighter, until finally the sun itself begins to show. Then it still takes a while longer before the entire sun is visible. That's the way God reveals interpretations of Bible prophecies to us: little by little.

Is it wise to theorize?

It doesn't pay to try to be too specific or to try to nail down all the whos, whens, wheres, and hows of things to come, but you should at least be familiar with the basic events of the Endtime. You should also put some thought and prayer into trying to figure out how and when they might come to pass, so you'll recognize them when they do.

Studying Bible prophecy is a bit like doing scientific experiments in a laboratory: You begin by asking questions. (If you don't have the questions in mind, how are you going to find the answers?) Then you try various possibilities in order to come to the right conclusions--or probable right conclusions--by the process of elimination. You can form theories regarding what various Bible prophecies mean by the processes of deduction and elimination. You may not get all the answers right, but you'll almost certainly be better off than if you never ask any questions or try to figure anything out.

How specific should you try to be?

I'm very leery about getting too specific, because too many preachers and Bible teachers have been called false prophets when their revelations or interpretations regarding specific events didn't prove true.

The only details that you can be absolutely sure of are the things that God has expressly said in the Word, such as the Great Tribulation lasting roughly three and a half years--or 42 months or 1260 days (Daniel 7:25, 9:27, 12:7; Revelation 11:2-3; 12:6; 13:5).

At this moment we don't know the exact time or place that most Endtime events will happen. We know generally, and when they begin to happen we'll know more specifically.

Some Bible prophecy buffs try to figure out the minute details--the days and hours and minutes--when it's too early for that. If you get bogged down with too many details of Bible prophecy, you're likely to make mistakes and waste a lot of time. You'll know soon enough, when the time comes. Time will tell! Be patient, but be on the lookout for indications, hints, and signs.

How to know your interpretation is right

There's one thing about prophecy: When it happens, you'll know what it meant! Jesus said, "I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe" (John 14:29).

The Lord put each of those prophecies in the Bible for our edification. Some give us understanding of His plan for the future, so we can prepare accordingly. "Others--those that we don't completely understand now--are to encourage our faith and instruct us later, when we see and recognize their fulfillments. When they come to pass, we'll be encouraged that everything is under the Lord's control and is happening just the way He said it would, and we'll know where we are on the Endtime timeline.

When I used to travel a lot by train, I tried to carry a train schedule so I could tell where I was at any time en route. The train wasn't always on time, of course, but whenever it came to a station I could tell if we were running late. The signs on the station platforms confirmed where we were, and I could adjust the schedule accordingly.

So if you become familiar with the main "stops" on the Lord's Endtime timeline, when you get to each one you'll know where you are and how much further you have to go. You'll see the "signs of the times" (Matthew 16:3), remember the Scriptures, and be encouraged.