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.
Acts 1:6-8 was the Lord’s answer to a specific question about restoring the Kingdom to Israel and was not meant to be taken as a general principle.
Otherwise, why would God have devoted over 25% of the Bible to prophecy?
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)?
You probably won’t change his opinion of prophecy, but at least you’ll know your interest in the subject is not misplaced.