I think what fascinates me most about the Bible is the prophecy. Steve has taught us that everything in the Bible has three levels: a literal or surface meaning, an application, and prophecy.

Most of the prophecy in the Bible has been fulfilled with 100% accuracy. The rest is future. Because we don’t know the future, we can’t say exactly how the prophecies will be fulfilled. As technology changes though, we may see glimpses of what God knew would happen. For example, Revelation 13:16 says that the mark of the beast will be placed on people’s right hands or foreheads. From what I’ve heard, those are two places in the human body that generate enough energy to power tiny embedded chips, something people in generations past could not have imagined. I can remember when I was a boy that my mother would check to see if I had a fever by putting her hand on my forehead or the back of my hand.

As we near the end times, more and more prophecy will unveil right before our eyes. Of course, we have to be cautious that we don’t jump to conclusions and say that any current event fulfills a specific prophecy. We can’t see the whole picture. I see this in the media coverage of what is now happening in Israel. The Israelis are more and more often portrayed as the aggressors. I think one day it will be difficult to support their position with our neighbors and fellow Americans because of what they see in the media. This is what the Bible says, that Israel will stand alone in the end.

Today, I’d like to share a prophecy from Zechariah 5, verses 1-4. This is one of several visions shown to Zechariah by an angel. I’ll have to tell you in advance that I don’t completely understand this prophecy and I don’t claim to be an authority.

I looked again — and there before me was a flying scroll! He (the angel) asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a flying scroll, thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide." And he said to me, "This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished. The LORD Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in his house and destroy it, both its timbers and its stones.’"

Commentators usually describe the scroll as a large parchment unrolled and waving in the wind. A problem with that is that it wouldn’t be visible over the whole land. Instead of thinking about the appearance of a scroll, try thinking about its function. In Bible times, a scroll was the means to communicate over a distance. Words could be written on a scroll and carried to a place where the writer was not present to be read. In those days, that was the best means they had to communicate over a distance.

Thieves and perjurers are singled out for judgment in this prophecy. Have you ever wondered why Jesus was crucified among thieves, rather than murderers or people who did something we’d consider much more serious? One possibility is that the thieves represent us. Imagine preparing a special gift for someone only to have them steal it, run off with it and destroy it, rejecting you as the giver. Life is a gift from God. Our natural tendency is to steal the gift of life and reject the Giver. One thief we are told is saved and the other is lost. Isn’t that like us?

What about lying? Lying in the name of God, perjury, is especially offensive to Him. God is pure truth. Satan is called the father of lies, who speaks lies as his native language. The liars in this prophecy most likely represent those whose father is the Devil, as described in John 8:44:

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Zechariah wrote thousands of years ago, looking into the future at things not then in existence. He couldn’t have known what technology man would eventually develop. 2 Peter 1:20-21 says:

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Think about what we have now that flies through space and allows us to communicate over a distance. What allows information to enter our homes, remain in our homes and even destroy our homes? In Zechariah’s day there were no telephones, televisions or computers. Is it just a coincidence that the cargo bay of the space shuttle is 15 feet wide? Some of the communication satellites flying through space above us right now, serving the same function as the scrolls of old, are 30 feet long and 15 feet wide?

Think about the rest of the prophecy. Do communication satellites bring a curse, or could they? Do their messages go out over the whole land? Can or could these messages enter the house of every thief and liar, remain in the house and destroy the house?

In Revelation 11:9, after the two witnesses have been killed by the beast, it says:

For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.

Critics of the Bible in centuries past pointed out that this would be impossible for people from every nation to gaze on the bodies of the witnesses at one time. It was, until recently.

I’m not saying this interpretation is the correct one or that others are wrong. But I was surprised when I learned this! It might be a glimpse into how this prophecy will play out in the future.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your word, which reveals not only your omniscience but your plan and purpose for the world and for our lives. Thank you for this church and for our pastor, for the freedom to study your word in depth and uncover the treasures you’ve hidden there for us. We pray for people around the world who are hungry for your word, and for those who are working to get it to them.

We pray for each person here, especially those who are going through difficulties in their lives. Thank you for the prayer ministry where each specific difficulty and request is offered up to you. We pray for the individuals who volunteer their time and energy to pray for others.

Help us to be sensitive to your leadership in our lives and give us a desire to respond to your call and stand firm. Help us cleanse our lives from lying and theft, recognizing you as the source of all good things.

We pray now for the offering and for this church. We ask that you will work in the lives of your people to provide the means for this church to continue and reach out in ministry to others. We pray for Pastor Steve and his family, and thank you for their ministry to us.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Source: www.SusanCAnthony.com, ©Susan C. Anthony