By: Obed Pineda
From about 2000 B.C. to 536 B.C., the ancient world found itself submerged in a power struggle for world domination between some of history’s most prominent military powerhouses, from the Assyrian Empire to the Persian Empire. The children of Israel regrettably found themselves in the midst of these mighty wars in part due to their geographical location, but primordially due to God’s promise of the consequences that would befall them if they turned away from Him and served other gods before Him (cf. Deuteronomy 28:43-57). Considering that Moses’ prophetic warning to the Israelites took place several centuries before it came to fruition verily provides a different vantage point of the inspired words, “He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23b). There is no doubt that the inspired scribe wrote these words as an encouragement to Christians to endure the afflictions of this world knowing very well that the hope of eternal life is assured because “God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:2, cf. Hebrews 6:13-20). However, it is valuable to take a moment to pause and reflect on the reality that not all of God’s promises are blessings. Let us keep in focus that a promise is defined as “a declaration that one will do or refrain from doing something specified” (promise, Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). This definition certainly is in line with the Scriptures that reveal God’s faithfulness of doing what He declares to do; whether it be a reward or a punishment. Because “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent” it is wise to grasp a better understanding of His purpose for sending His servants, the prophets, to all of His creation to speak in His name (Numbers 23:19a). First, it is imperative to establish that a prophecy is not exactly the same as a promise. One way of knowing the difference between a prophecy and a promise is by noting the purpose each one serves, individually. It has already been noted that a promise is a declaration of assurance to fulfilling a verbal commitment. Thus, God promised the children of Israel that if they forsook His commandments and rejected His will, “I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you” (Leviticus 26:14-17). Pay close attention to the fact that God is declaring what the outcome of their disobedience will be, without designating a specific timeline. This slight detail helps discover that the purpose of a promise (regardless of good or bad) is to serve as a motivator to the one receiving the promise. In a positive sense, it provides the receiver with a goal to reach and encourages him to work arduously toward achieving that objective. From the opposite perspective, a promise of dire results springing forth from disobedience serves as a deterrent from even stepping foot on that broad pathway leading to destruction (cf. Matthew 7:13-14). Thus, in both ways a promise motivates and encourages a person to reflect carefully before they put into action the desires of their heart. On the other hand, a prophecy is in reference to an event that is being announced long before it happens, and intimately linked to when an action has already been carried out. Unlike a promise, a prophecy does institute a metaphorical sand filled hourglass counting down to the moment when the pronounced event will happen. A positive example of a prophecy that will aid in our understanding is the proclamation of the arrival of the Seed of Abraham, mentioned since the fall of man at Eden (cf. Genesis 3:15, 12:1-3). The Holy Spirit declares concerning the completion of this prophecy that “when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). Observe the appointment of time mentioned by the inspired Paul by stating that Christ arrived when “the fullness of the time had come.” This means that God had already placed a timeline for when His Son would arrive to put away man’s sins through His death, burial, and resurrection. It is judicious to also remember that God’s redemption scheme was in place from eternity, before He even created the world (cf. Ephesians 1:3-6, 1st Peter 1:17-25). The significance of this is that His plan was also in place before man fell from His grace in the garden. While Adam and Eve lived in compliance with God’s commandments, man was innocent of sin and thus did not require redemption. His divine plan of salvation was activated the moment His order was violated and His creation was spoiled by the pollution of sin (cf. Genesis 3, Romans 5:12-21). What this means is that if man would not have heeded the advice of the serpent in Eden, this prophecy would have not been uttered by God to begin with, since mankind would have remained in a state of purity and fellowship with God. Thus, this proves that a prophecy’s purpose is truthfully a merciful plea from heaven for man to stop trekking down the path that is leading to his impending doom, and to turn around before the sands of time run out (cf. Isaiah 1:16-20, Jeremiah 6:16, Matthew 23:37-39). God sent forth His prophets to speak of these warnings, desiring the repentance of His people. Just because a prophecy was spoken by His prophets, did not guarantee that it would have to happen as such. King Hezekiah was told to prepare his household because he was not going to survive the illness he had contracted. Yet, after the king turned his head and prayed to God, asking that he be remembered for walking in integrity before His sight, God commanded Isaiah to return and tell the king that he would be allowed to live an additional fifteen years (cf. Isaiah 38:1-9). Although God had spoken that Hezekiah would die from his sickness, it was God who changed the outcome of His will with Hezekiah due to His mercy. Therefore, this illuminates how the Almighty uses His prophet’s words as guides and instructions that lead away from sin and punishment, back to godliness and providence. While the promises of God are sure to happen, contingent on which door man chooses to open and enter, a prophecy is more of a proclamation notifying of what lies ahead if one continues down that road, strongly encouraging him to consider his ways carefully. This revelation of God’s long-suffering also determines why He has left “the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2nd Peter 1:19, cf. Ephesians 2:19-22).