For some, the prophecies of the Bible are their "entry" into Scripture and their relationship with God, as was the case with me. As Christians, however, our way of life is based not only on the prophecies of the Bible, but on the "foundation … which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11).

But do we ever think about the fact that much of Jesus' personal revelation to us includes prophecies? For example, the whole book of Revelation is a message from Jesus to us. Jesus is the revelator, the one who removed the seals of the prophetic scroll in the Book of Revelation. He gave us the interpretation of the seals through his prophecy on the Mount of Olives, which we find in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. This prophecy is Jesus' answer to his disciples question about the timing of his promised return. Jesus exhorted them to be vigilant and to watch for certain events or developments that will precede his return. If prophecy were not important to us, would Jesus have given such a detailed answer then inspired it to be recorded as part of the New Testament?

Jesus told his disciples that they were especially blessed because they were allowed to understand things that others wanted to know but were not allowed to know (Luke 10:23-24).

With Knowledge comes personal responsibility. We know the basic framework of biblical prophecies. We should share this knowledge with others (Amos 3:7-8) as we preach the gospel of the coming kingdom of God.

In the parable of the ten virgins—a continuation of the prophecy on the Mount of Olives—Jesus warns us that some who should have known better fall asleep and are surprised by the events of the Last Days. An understanding of biblical prophecies should also serve as an incentive to pay attention to our spiritual condition and our personal relationship with God.

It is sobering but also exciting to know that God has given us "the prophetic message as something completely reliable". We "do well to pay attention to it" by also paying attention to how we are living our life (2 Peter 1:19; NIV).

With these thoughts I wish everyone a rewarding Sabbath!