For those who want to get endtime prophecy into proper perspective, don't disregard Old Testament Bible study of the major and minor prophets. Peter admonished believers on Christ Jesus to be mindful of not only what our Lord Jesus and they His Apostles taught, but also what is written in God's holy prophets (2 Peter 3).
One of the best KJV study Bibles on the market for that is The Companion Bible, put together by the English Christian scholar E.W. Bullinger back in the 1800's. I'm not saying to agree with everything Bullinger himself held to (I don't). But you won't find a better scholarly 1611 KJV study Bible, and that's my sincere opinion.
Why study The Old Testament Books anymore, since Christ already died on the cross for the remission of sins past for those who believe, and we already have The New Testament Books?
1. The New Testament declares what has been fulfilled from the Old Testament Books. And there's quite a bit of prophecy still in the Old Testament prophets that has yet to come to pass.
2. When the New Testament writers quoted prophecy that is still future to us today, the basis of their quotes came from the Old Testament Books. Why? All they had available to them in their day was the Old Testament Holy Writ.
3. When the New Testament writers quoted or preached a subject from the Old Testament Books, they DID NOT give all the details first written back in the Old Testament Books. They depended on those living in their time to go back to The Scriptures (OT only available then), and study and confirm the finer details. That's still a requirement for Christians today.
For example, in our Lord's Book of Revelation, chapters 21 through 22 give a detailed description of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem established. But it does not declare specifically WHERE it will manifest, except that it comes down out of Heaven to the earth. The Old Testament prophets give the exact location on earth (like in Ezekiel 47 & 48), and much more detail as to its structure, abodes, dimensions, and even the River of the water of life, and the tree of life.
4. There are future prophetic verses in the Old Testament Books of the prophets scattered among and even within historical verses. In Luke 4 our Lord Jesus went into the synagogue and read from Isaiah 61. He stopped reading before He got to the "day of vengeance of our God..." part of Isaiah 61:2, then closed the Book, and said that first part was then fulfilled. The first part He read was for His first coming to die on the cross. The last part of the Isaiah 61:2 verse is for His second coming to bring judgment upon the nations, and that part of Isaiah 61:2 has yet to happen today.
This is a very important lesson. A chapter in the OT prophets may start out to a specific area, nation, and people on earth, about a certain event of past history. But sometimes verses within it, and often at the very end of the chapter, there will be a Message about a prophecy that has never before happenned on this earth. In Isaiah right among prophetic chapters about the historical king of Assyria and historical kingdom of Babylon, one may find a chapter that is still future to our day, like Isaiah 11.
Is our Heavenly Father playing with us by setting that kind of structure up in His Word? No. He wants to see how much we actually love Him, to see if we will be dilligent in listening to Him, and not to man. And do you think the rebellious and lazy among His Church will take the time to go through His Word line upon line to discover many things He hid for only His servants to discover? No, they will not, but will get impatient, and start skipping, be snared, and taken into deception (see Isaiah 28).
5. By not covering all the Old Testament Books along with all The New Testament Books, you may be turned to and fro, from this doctrine to the next, and become deceived greatly about the times, and won't be watching. Our Lord Jesus taught that a false one is going to come to this earth first, working great signs and wonders that would almost deceive His elect if it were possible (Matt.24 in relation with the seven seals of Rev.6). If our Lord well warned us before, of a strong delusion He brings upon the rebellious, then how can we claim excuse for not knowing ahead of time? He said He tells of us things before He does them (Isa.42:9), so He wants us to know ahead of time, so we won't worry, so we will be strong in the Faith, and overcome the devil's trials.
Matt 13:51-52
51 Jesus saith unto them, "Have ye understood all these things?" They say unto Him, "Yea, Lord."
52 Then said He unto them, "Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old."
(KJV)
One of the best KJV study Bibles on the market for that is The Companion Bible, put together by the English Christian scholar E.W. Bullinger back in the 1800's. I'm not saying to agree with everything Bullinger himself held to (I don't). But you won't find a better scholarly 1611 KJV study Bible, and that's my sincere opinion.
Why study The Old Testament Books anymore, since Christ already died on the cross for the remission of sins past for those who believe, and we already have The New Testament Books?
1. The New Testament declares what has been fulfilled from the Old Testament Books. And there's quite a bit of prophecy still in the Old Testament prophets that has yet to come to pass.
2. When the New Testament writers quoted prophecy that is still future to us today, the basis of their quotes came from the Old Testament Books. Why? All they had available to them in their day was the Old Testament Holy Writ.
3. When the New Testament writers quoted or preached a subject from the Old Testament Books, they DID NOT give all the details first written back in the Old Testament Books. They depended on those living in their time to go back to The Scriptures (OT only available then), and study and confirm the finer details. That's still a requirement for Christians today.
For example, in our Lord's Book of Revelation, chapters 21 through 22 give a detailed description of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem established. But it does not declare specifically WHERE it will manifest, except that it comes down out of Heaven to the earth. The Old Testament prophets give the exact location on earth (like in Ezekiel 47 & 48), and much more detail as to its structure, abodes, dimensions, and even the River of the water of life, and the tree of life.
4. There are future prophetic verses in the Old Testament Books of the prophets scattered among and even within historical verses. In Luke 4 our Lord Jesus went into the synagogue and read from Isaiah 61. He stopped reading before He got to the "day of vengeance of our God..." part of Isaiah 61:2, then closed the Book, and said that first part was then fulfilled. The first part He read was for His first coming to die on the cross. The last part of the Isaiah 61:2 verse is for His second coming to bring judgment upon the nations, and that part of Isaiah 61:2 has yet to happen today.
This is a very important lesson. A chapter in the OT prophets may start out to a specific area, nation, and people on earth, about a certain event of past history. But sometimes verses within it, and often at the very end of the chapter, there will be a Message about a prophecy that has never before happenned on this earth. In Isaiah right among prophetic chapters about the historical king of Assyria and historical kingdom of Babylon, one may find a chapter that is still future to our day, like Isaiah 11.
Is our Heavenly Father playing with us by setting that kind of structure up in His Word? No. He wants to see how much we actually love Him, to see if we will be dilligent in listening to Him, and not to man. And do you think the rebellious and lazy among His Church will take the time to go through His Word line upon line to discover many things He hid for only His servants to discover? No, they will not, but will get impatient, and start skipping, be snared, and taken into deception (see Isaiah 28).
5. By not covering all the Old Testament Books along with all The New Testament Books, you may be turned to and fro, from this doctrine to the next, and become deceived greatly about the times, and won't be watching. Our Lord Jesus taught that a false one is going to come to this earth first, working great signs and wonders that would almost deceive His elect if it were possible (Matt.24 in relation with the seven seals of Rev.6). If our Lord well warned us before, of a strong delusion He brings upon the rebellious, then how can we claim excuse for not knowing ahead of time? He said He tells of us things before He does them (Isa.42:9), so He wants us to know ahead of time, so we won't worry, so we will be strong in the Faith, and overcome the devil's trials.
Matt 13:51-52
51 Jesus saith unto them, "Have ye understood all these things?" They say unto Him, "Yea, Lord."
52 Then said He unto them, "Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old."
(KJV)
The OT is awesome and you ABSOLUTELY have to read it to put the NT in perspective, espcecially if you are trying to decipher end times study. It's not really an Old Testament or a New Testament...it is all YHWH'S word and continuation from one to another.