Beacons of Light
Several people have said to me in the past, when we were discussing the Bible, the only thing we really need to worry about is salvation, all the rest of the stuff like the mark of the beast, and prophecy and all those details really aren’t important at all. And I have to say that it is true; the truth about salvation and forgiveness and redemption are very important, but God has something to say about the importance of studying prophecy. We read in 2 Peter 1:19, “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (NIV)
I love the word pictures in this verse, and this is just another example of what an artistic and expressive God we serve. Instead of just saying, “prophecy is important,” God says, ‘Just as a light or a beacon give light in a dark place, that’s how critically important the prophecies of the Bible are for you on your journey to heaven.”
Think about it, we are almost totally helpless as travelers if we can’t see where we are going. We have got to have light; we’ve got to see where our steps are taking us; and prophecy is that light or beacon for us in these last days. In Bible times there were no telephones or radios or televisions so they communicated with light or with a beacon.
They would put a signal of fire on top of a hill or tower to send a message. In fact, history records in many places how the early Greeks flashed light across the night to send a message. The early Romans had a whole chain of beacons that extended to the Syrian border which flashed to alert the people of Constantinople of an invasion.
When you see how these beacons of light were used in ancient times, it gives us a better picture of how God is emphasizing this message to us today. These beacons saved lives in ancient times, and the beacon of prophecy can save lives today. So we need to listen when God says “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the daystar arises in your hearts.” (KJV)
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