Is Prophecy Unimportant?

Q.  The asst. Pastor in the church that I attend, knowing of my interest in prophecy, recently tried to debunk this interest by quoting Acts 1:6-8 and saying that there were more important things to understand than prophecy, and sermonized for an hour regarding these verses, implying that prophecy  was unimportant.  I would appreciate it if you would clarify this.

A.  You probably won’t change his mind but you might ask if prophecy isn’t important why did God devote 25% of the Bible to it?  And why did Jesus criticize the Pharisees for knowing the signs of the weather but being ignorant about the signs of the times (Matt. 16:2-3).  And why did He command us to understand the prophecies of Daniel as they pertain to the End of the Age (Matt. 24:15)?  And why did Paul tell us that the end times events should not take us by surprise (1 Thes. 5:1-4)? And why does the Lord promise a crown of righteousness to those who long for His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8)? And why is the Book of Revelation the only book in the Bible that promises a blessing to those who read, hear, and take it to heart (Rev. 1:3)?

Like I said, you probably won’t change his mind but at least you’ll know you’re on the right track.