Jesus fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies, but some Bible prophecies still await their fulfillment. He secured the ultimate victory, but the enemy still resists. The powers of darkness continue to fight, and God has not yet revealed His final move. So we still wait for prophecies about the last days, Christ’s return, and the final defeat of evil to unfold. Some prophecy is yet to be fulfilled.
No one, humans, angels, or the devil, unraveled the mystery of the Messiah’s first coming. I believe end-time prophecy works the same way. God continues to conceal His plan. He doesn’t tip His hand to the enemy. He kept His purpose hidden before Jesus came, and He still keeps it hidden.
End-time prophecy obsession
Some Christians obsess over eschatology. They track every global event, especially in the Middle East, as if each one fulfills biblical prophecy. In their view, no detail is too small to matter. I have a friend who puts it this way: If you ask the end-times prophecy nerds what the latest news from the Middle East means, the one thing they’ll never say is “It doesn’t mean anything.”
Deciphering end-times prophecy is futile
God made prophecy cryptic for a reason. Paul said it was to prevent the powers of darkness from gaining an advantage.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who foretold the grace to come to you searched and investigated carefully, 11 trying to determine the time and setting to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they foretold the things now announced by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. (1 Pet. 1:10-12 BEREAN)1
Then, as now, God didn’t intend for the mystery to be understood until after the prophecies were fulfilled.
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law. (Deut. 29:29)
So why did God give us these mysterious prophecies at all? Even if we can’t crack them in advance, they still serve profound purposes. Here are five reasons:
1. Prophecy proves God is in control
After the events happen, the fulfilled prophecies become evidence that God was directing the story all along. It’s retrospective confirmation that history didn’t happen by chance. God didn’t react to events—He orchestrated them. Isaiah 46:10 puts it like this:
I declare the end from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’
Prophecy isn’t just about prediction—it’s about providence.
2. Fulfilled prophecy builds faith
When we look back and see that God said what would happen—and then it did—it strengthens trust. Jesus told His disciples things ahead of time so they’d believe afterward.
And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe. (John 14:29)
It’s not about decoding the future—it’s about recognizing God’s hand when it becomes clear.
3. Prophecy gives hope
Even if we don’t understand the “how,” prophecy assures us that God has a plan. He’s not winging it. We may not know the path, but we know the destination—Christ wins and God is hands on. That’s a huge comfort in a chaotic world.
4. Prophecy invites humility
God reveals just enough to remind us He’s working, but not so much that we can take control. It humbles both the wise and the powerful. Even the prophets didn’t fully understand what they were writing (1 Peter 1:10–12). It keeps us watchful, dependent, and focused on obedience—not speculation.
5. Clues protect freedom without spoiling the plan
God drops hints not so people can game the system, but so those who want to trust Him can recognize His fingerprints. Prophecy gives breadcrumbs—not so we can skip to the end, but so we’ll follow the Author through the story.
Prophecy invites us into the mystery. Not to solve it ahead of time, but to trust the One who wrote it. We walk by faith, not foresight. We interpret in hindsight, not by speculation.
Prophecy is only clear after its fulfillment
If prophecy only becomes clear in hindsight, we should approach end-times prophecy with caution and humility. God, who once concealed His plan from prophets, angels, and spiritual powers, still follows the same strategy. Could we be just as blind to the big picture as they were before Christ? Almost certainly. We shouldn’t try to decode every headline. Instead, we should live in readiness, trusting that God will reveal what’s hidden at the right time. Until then, our role is not to speculate, but to stay faithful.