As the bus pulled into the complex at the base of Masada, my conversation with a British journalist was just wrapping-up. This was during the Second Intifada in Israel, and the country was almost emptied of tourists.

My new acquaintance and I were the only ones visiting Herod’s one-time fortress, the scene where almost a thousand Jewish men, women, and children chose suicide over slavery in the Roman empire, near the end of the first century.

The window for our seat was open, and we heard a solitary eagle screech near the mountain’s summit. The Brit grabbed his backpack from the floor and left me with a comment that has stayed with me:

“I do hope it’s true.”

He was referring to our discussion of the Bible and in particular, Bible prophecy. The topic was back on the front-burner for many people after 9/11.

We try to make sense of our world. The journalist was no different, although he wasn’t particularly religious.

I grew up in a conservative, Bible-belt culture. My career and travels though have allowed me to meet a melting pot of worldviews.

We all are humans trying to survive this life. That is one common denominator between Christian fundamentalists, Buddhists, secularists—even, strictly speaking, members of Al Qaeda.

Writing and speaking now about the Bible, and in particular, its prophecies, gives me opportunity after opportunity to share my faith.

People are fearful now. Fear and worry are now wholesale features of our culture.

But what emerges is an opportunity to decide if someone, anyone has answers for our problems and, ultimately, hope.

And don’t we all want to know the future? At least a little bit?

For me, the Bible is a singular source for hope. I am one of those theological “Neanderthals” that believes it’s true historically, where it touches on science, and in its philosophy for life.

Like a good friend of mine, my own faith is largely rooted in the amazing track record of predictive prophecy in the Bible. Most specifically, the prophecies concerning the Jewish people grabbed me and haven’t let go. If predictions about the future were made thousands of years ago, and they are coming to pass in our time—that is something worth checking out.
And if they validate the Bible, that raise issues that have implications for all of us. For example, the central figure of Christianity made certain claims, ranging from how we should behave corporately to our individual searches—usually desperate searches—for personal peace (Matthew 28:11). We all want a respite from the brutality of this life. And our world today is brutal.

So what if the Bible is true? What if its prophecies are real?

How would that affect you?