Many mainstream churches, including various Lutheran, Methodist, Anglican, and Catholic denominations, publicly state that they do not believe the Bible to be literally true. Some use only the New Testament, denying the Old Testament's validity for the church. Likewise, various notable theologians show little respect for the Old Testament, even as a historically accurate document.

According to a new study of the top one hundred Bible verses cited most frequently in systematic theology books, only nine come from the Old Testament. Genesis accounts for eight of the nine, with Isaiah 9:6 rounding out the list. A Christianity Today article, "Sorry, Old Testament: Most Theologians Don't Use You," debates the merits of including the Old Testament in systematic theologies. The title alone says quite a bit about today's hollowed-out and carved-up nominal Christianity. These theologians assert that, if one wants Christian doctrinal proof, go to Jesus and Paul, not Moses, David, or the prophets.

A fellow employee once told me that we can make up our own religion, quoting Scripture to back him! He cited Philippians 2:12: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." His conclusion about this verse is not what it means in the least! It shows how far a person can jump the tracks of Scripture without the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In the 1989 movie, Dead Poets' Society, a student at a prestigious, all-boys prep school, restarts a notorious unsanctioned club after being inspired by the unorthodox teaching methods of his English instructor. What was so terrible that the students had to gather in a cave to do it? Studying poetry. They read and studied poets long since dead and memorialized.

From the viewpoint of the school's old guard, studying poetry is unnecessary and out of step with today's dog-eat-dog world. To them, a young man's education should focus on preparing him for the "real world" of business and professional success. Poetry, the emotional scribblings of long-dead wordsmiths, has no place in the modern world. And most modern poetry has little to commend it, being little more than an ugly vehicle to prompt social change.

What does all this have to do with today's Christians? We who hold "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27) can be said to be part of a secret society, which we could call the "Dead Prophets' Society," that has been banned repeatedly over its two-millennia existence. It is members-only, composed of those God individually calls into the Body of Christ. Its members study the writings of Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles, all long dead, their races run (II Timothy 4:7).

Is it essential to study the writings of these prophets of yore? Or are they, as many modern theologians claim, just tired, old stories of no particular import, best relegated to history's dustbin? New Testament writers would have rightly taken umbrage with that attitude, for in all, they quote directly from the Old Testament 283 times! In about 90 of them, they quote the Septuagint literally, while in around 80 others, they alter the quotation slightly to fit the context.

Why is it necessary to study both Old and New Testament writings? Doing so—or not—can instruct us about ourselves, as well as about God (II Timothy 3:16-17). But first, we must find the answer to another question: "What is the purpose of prophecy?" Of course, the best place to find an answer to that question is in the Scriptures. Notice the prophecy in Exodus 6:6-7:

Therefore say to the children of Israel: "I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God . . .."

It seems that Israel did not know or were not sure who their God was! Notice all that God said He would do: bring them out of slavery, redeem them, take them as His people, and become their God. Then He makes an astounding statement: "Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God." Only after He fulfills His promises will they truly understand. Only then could they reflect on His words and say, "Ah, I see how He worked that out. He truly is God."

The same process appears in Isaiah 49:22-23, which has a Millennial context:

Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations, and set up My standard for the peoples; they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders; kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers; they shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD . . .." (Emphasis ours throughout.)

And not only Israel: ". . . and the nations shall know that I am the LORD . . ." (Ezekiel 36:23).

These passages teach that understanding comes after the fact, after the prophecies have come to pass. This principle also appears in the prophecies of Joel, Zechariah, and Malachi, who all use this same phrase, "Then you will know" or a variation of it like "then you will know that I am the LORD," "then you will know that a prophet has been among you," or "then you will know that the LORD has sent me." No matter the variant, complete understanding always follows the prophecy's fulfillment.

Jesus uses the phrase too. In John 8:28, Jesus tells the Jews, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself . . .." Only after Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection did His disciples—not just the Jews—really believe (John 20:1-8)! It took seeing the grave clothes folded up neatly in the tomb and Christ's body nowhere in sight for the apostle John to comprehend Jesus' prophecy about Himself.

Our Savior uses similar phrasing in John 13:19, "Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He." Here, He foretells that one of the disciples would betray Him, and He wanted the others to realize and accept then that it was part of the Father's plan and that He is the Messiah, the Son of God, and their Savior.

Few Bible prophecies—excepting certain highly symbolic ones, like those in Daniel and Revelation—need much interpretation beyond determining context, timing, and a few pieces of background knowledge. However, a few of them require some awareness of what is coming; otherwise, true Christians will miss the boat. For example, Jesus' prophecy of the armies surrounding Jerusalem, which He calls "the abomination of desolation," obliges us to be looking for certain signs. When they occur, He says, the faithful will need to respond at once (Mark 13:14-18). They must be ready and willing to believe and understand—then act decisively.

In these variations of "then you will know," God reminds us repeatedly of this principle that complete understanding comes only after the prophecies play out. Why does He reiterate it so many times? Deuteronomy 32:28, speaking of the Israelites, may hold the answer: "For they are a nation void of counsel, nor is there any understanding in them."

He knows that we humans, plagued by a corrupt heart, need to be constantly reminded that God is our God and exhorted not to become forgetful hearers (James 1:25). Sometimes, the cacophony of this world, combined with our lusts and preferences and Satan's influence, drags us out of the spiritual safety zone and into the weeds. We easily lose our way.

Mercifully, God is faithful and patient to remind us that we whom He has inducted into the Dead Prophets' Society need to keep our noses in His Word so that we will understand when His prophecies and promises occur. In this way, Isaiah 30:21 is fulfilled in spirit: "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left."