I’ve heard that the Bible is 30 percent prophecy, the foretelling of things to come. That’s a lot! I can’t say for sure what the exact percentage of Scripture is prophetic, but I have read the book and I know that there’s a lot in there! Some of it was fulfilled in the past; however, a good portion of Bible prophecy tells us of events yet to happen. As I’ve considered the prophecies that foretold the coming Messiah the first time, and the people who had the scriptures but missed the Savior, I wonder if is possible for us to become complacent or blind to the signs of Jesus’ second coming?

The main reason I had so much difficulty with Bible prophecy in the past, especially the prophecies Jesus spoke concerning the last days, the book of Daniel, and the book of Revelation, is that it was exceedingly difficult fitting them in with interpretations I’d been brought up with. It became much more understandable when I took the Bible literally without trying to fit prophecy to my reckoning—allowing the Word of God to instruct me instead of people’s opinions.

Remember the account of Jesus speaking to the people in parables? The disciples couldn’t understand why He did it, telling nice stories, meaningful stories, but most people didn’t grasp the meaning. “Why do you speak to them in parables? And He answered then, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. …This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “’You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.’ For this people’s heart has grown dull and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’”

It is so easy to have closed eyes, poor hearing, and a dull heart! It’s easy to ignore the book of Revelation because “it is so hard to understand!” And, while we have become affected by political unrest, violence, mandates, and lockdowns, the immediate concerns have overshadowed the spiritual significance of all that is happening.

Jesus told the disciples, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.” —So, what is it that set the disciples apart from the others? I’ve often thought about that because I don’t want my heart to grow dull! They were simple men, fishermen, a tax collector, not educated in the law of Moses. They all left Him, one denied Him, and one betrayed Him—nothing obvious set them apart—except that they spent every day with Jesus, observing, questioning, eating, and traveling with Him, and listening to Him.

Clearly, the disciples didn’t understand the meaning of the parables, either. However, they knew they didn’t understand, so they asked Jesus what they meant. It was quite simple, really.

It had nothing to do with status, money, or power—in fact, just the opposite.

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of your were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame to wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

Jesus told the religious leaders at the time: “… ‘When it is evening, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.” And in the morning, “It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.” You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.’” (Matthew 16:2-3) —It is good advice to heed nowadays, particularly as the world grows increasingly evil!

I gather from that exchange that Jesus wanted them to understand the scriptures, the prophecies, and the signs of the times. We don’t do that by avoiding what seems to us as difficult scriptures; however, if we have been born again, the same Spirit that spoke the inspired words to faithful men long ago, also lives in us. That’s quite fantastic! And if we spend time with Jesus, observing, talking to Him, asking questions, and listening to Him, He will open up to us the “secrets of the kingdom of heaven.”

My desire is to be like the two blind men sitting by the roadside as Jesus was passing by; the crowd found them annoying and tried to shut them up, however, they even more persistently cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” They were blind, yet they recognized who he was; while the crowd could see but didn’t recognize Jesus. May we cry out to the Savior so that we can see and understand and follow Him more closely!