And He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32 “For He will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, 33 and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again. ”  34 And they understood none of these things, and this saying was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said (Luke 18:31-34).

In the above text Jesus foretells to His disciples His death and resurrection. And, in verse 34, we see that what He was telling them kind of went into one ear and out the other. They just didn’t get it. The full meaning was hidden from them. Why? Here are two reasons:

1. Because they weren’t ready or willing to except it. They were expecting His kingdom to come soon and they couldn’t believe that it would not come in their lifetime—and that He would soon die. They weren’t ready for that and couldn’t believe it. So, in their mind they rejected it.

2. So that Scripture would be fulfilled without interference. If they had partially understood, certainly things would have been different. They may have organized a protest. Or on the other extreme, if they had fully understood, Peter wouldn’t have denied Him, etc. But God could not let either of those things happen. Scripture had to be fulfilled as written. He must suffer and die as written in the prophets, so that our salvation would occur as promised—to all those that believe.

Applied to Us Today

In this day, just as in New Testament times, many believers, even pastors, in the same way do not understand the prophetic words of Scripture. It is mysteriously hidden from them. I remember one time when I was speaking to my pastor about a passage in Daniel 9. I don’t remember all the details of what was spoken (it was a long time ago), but I remember him saying to me, “What in the world are you talking about?” What I was saying just wasn’t registering to him, and he refused to listen to me. I see now that he, and many like him, are blinded from the truth of Bible prophecy. It is hidden from them.

Why is it hidden from them? Partly because they do not take the time to study it. Also, providentially speaking, if they did fully understand, the prophetic word of God would not play out as decreed in Scripture. Things would happen to incorrectly delay (or speed up) His coming and to change Scripture. But that cannot happen and will not happen. Hence, we must not be upset over all those who do not understand Bible prophecy; for it is in the providential will of God in order that all Scripture be fulfilled.

However, I’m sure that it is God’s will that as many as are willing to study the prophetic Scripture, He will help them; He will help that select few, to find the truth about what has been said in regard to future things.

How Christians Can Begin to Understand Bible Prophecy

If you think you are one of God’s chosen few who will come to understand future things, I think I can help you. Here are two good websites to aid you:

Olive Tree Ministries at https://olivetreeviews.org

This is one of the best sites for Bible prophecy information, as well as to get a correct Christian world view. The thing that I really like on this site is the weekly, on line, radio show where Jan Markell (the founder) interviews one or two bible prophecy experts.

Koenig, World Watch Daily at https://www.watch.org

Founder Bill Koenig is a Christian White House news journalist. From this site you will get the best up to date White House and world news from a Christian perspective. It is the best news source I know of.