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There are many people who study the Bible for the purposes of understanding what is written in prophecy. A good chunk of the Old Testament is devoted to prophecy, and the Bible concludes with a book of prophecy, the Book of Revelation. Understanding what is written in prophecy is important; there is no denying that, and yet in the devotion of some to prophecy, there is sometimes a disconnect between prophecy and love, when the Bible shows there is a connection between the two.

The imagery of what is presented in prophecies can be alarming and it’s easy to understand why some become so engrossed in the words and imagery of prophecy they forget there is a connection to love. Outside of the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, Matthew chapter twenty-four is known for the imagery it provides, including a warning that we will not know the hour when Jesus will return, and given the indication that Jesus is likely to return at a time when it is least expected. Because of this, it is essential we always be ready for the return of Jesus.

For Christians, there is never a vacation from our faith when we can ignore our calling, and yet in verses like this the focus for some is not the constant focus and devotion of our faith, but the words of prophecy with some surmising that if they cannot know the hour of the return of Jesus Christ, perhaps they might know the year, month, and day, and in so doing miss the intended message. Within Matthew twenty-four we are given the words of a blessing for those who continue in the faith and are so doing at the return of Jesus Christ, and the curse that awaits those who abandon the faith prior to His return

Matthew 24:42-51
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Continuing in the faith comes with some warnings we need to consider, and some of these warnings are laid out for us in the second letter to the Thessalonians. We are reminded that not all people are people of faith, and that some of these people can be both wicked and unreasonable. As we continue in the faith and are so doing through the return of Jesus Christ, it’s important to distance ourselves from people who are disruptive to our faith, who might either intentionally or unintentionally keep us from the faith. Distancing ourselves from others who are like this does not mean we totally or even nearly eliminate contact with these people. We are going to limit their access and ability to disrupt our faith.

When Paul previously interacted with the Thessalonians, he was not disruptive to their faith, nor was he even disruptive to their lifestyle. Paul did not seek the financial support of the Thessalonians and worked to support himself to be without burden to the brethren. Paul reminded them that there are a few who associate with others not because of faith, but because they are bored or nosy, and will do just about anything to entertain themselves, including disrupting the lives of others.

Paul advised them to avoid people who mooched off others who did not seek to support themselves financially. Paul was writing about people who have the capacity and ability to support themselves, not those who are truly in need. People who can and are able to support themselves need to take care of their own needs and not rely on the assistance of others. In extreme cases of people who are in the faith, there may be the need to have no contact with a person to preserve your faith, and even with these situations we never consider the person to be an enemy, but a person whose behavior needs changing.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-15
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Continuing in the faith and to be so doing through the return of Jesus Christ means we will focus on what Jesus taught and be so doing those things. Some think that the message of Jesus is distinct and separate from God the Father. Jesus made it perfectly clear that the message he relayed was the message of God the Father. By keeping the sayings of Jesus Christ and showing love to Jesus we are also showing love to God the Father, and we do this not as cafeteria Christians where we pick and choose, because with Jesus and God the Father it’s a package deal with no substitutions allowed. The bottom line is this, if we love Jesus we will keep His commandments, which are from God the Father.

John 14:15-24
If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

We are not in a position to pick and choose. If we love Jesus and God the Father we keep their commandments. There can be no partiality with us. Sometimes partiality is shown by giving favor to some under certain circumstances, such as paying special attention to the rich and famous while ignoring the average and poor. We are expected to treat all people with the same standards. Similarly, when it comes to what we are expected to do, the commandments of Jesus and God the Father, we also cannot have partiality. We cannot pick and choose one commandment and ignore another, because if we are guilty of breaking one commandment it is like we have broken them all. Instead, we are to treat all people the way we would want to be treated, with mercy. If we interact with others having no mercy, we should expect no mercy from Jesus Christ and God the Father.

James 2:1-13
My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

We know from Matthew five verse forty-eight we are to become perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect. It is through love being perfect is achieved. It is when we have perfect love that fear no longer is part of our life. Fear is an extension of partiality. There are many ways we show fear and partiality. We live in a society that divides people in many different ways by how people are labeled. In the example of James, rich and poor are the labels that are used. There is an almost endless list of labels we can use today to describe people, and any of these labels in an extreme situation can cause fear. With perfect love there is no fear. When we love God the way we are supposed to, we probably have perfect love, but if we love God, Whom we have not seen, we cannot hate people whom we do see. We are to love other people as we love God.

1 John 4:17-21
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

The idea that if we love God we must love other people as well is a concept that can be overlooked by those who do not have their focus on faith. It is not through any law we obey that we receive the Holy Spirit. It is through faith we can receive the Holy Spirit. When we endure hardships and triumph through these or see the working of miracles in our lives, this comes not through any law we obey and instead also comes through faith. Through faith we look for justification, spiritual adjudication being found not guilty of sin through forgiveness, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Galatians 3:1-14
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Paul wrote a similar message to the Ephesians telling them that God through mercy has given us an opportunity to be dead to sin and alive to Jesus Christ and has given us this blessing not because we have done anything to earn it, but through a very special gift that we could do nothing to earn. Because we have been given this opportunity to do good works, we are to do these good works.

Ephesians 2:1-10
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved; And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. 1For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Knowing that we are given this reprieve from eternal death and the opportunity to do good works, we are to love God by keeping His commandments which are reflected in the teachings of Jesus Christ, and God’s commandments are not grievous.

1 John 5:1-3
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

In the Old Testament the law could be used to find a reason to put a person to death, and that was the case with Jesus as He interacted with the Sadducees and Pharisees, who were seen as part of the religious elite of their time. During one occasion after Jesus had stumped the Sadducees, a group of Pharisees sought to entrap Jesus by asking a question that if not answered according to their understanding could have resulted in charges of blasphemy to be brought against Jesus, which would have been punishable through death. One of the Pharisees asked Jesus what was the great commandment in the law. Jesus provided the one answer that they could not dispute by saying that each person is to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and mind. Then Jesus added to His answer and said there was a second great commandment, to love others as yourself, explaining that everything that is written in the law and the prophets supported both of these two commandments.

Matthew 22:34-40
But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

In the New Testament there is a focus on what needs to be the unifying force of our faith, that we are to walk worthy of the calling we have been given, and that love is the foundation of all that we must do, that we have patience and tolerance for each other and keep the unity of the Holy Spirit through the bond of peace, because there is one body, one Holy Spirit, one Jesus Christ, one faith, one baptism, and one God Who is Father of all.

Ephesians 4:1-6
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

It is with this understanding we begin to connect prophecy and love, and one chapter in the New Testament we can read is first Corinthians thirteen. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that without love everything we do is hollow and is done for show. Paul added that even with spiritual gifts and great Biblical knowledge, even when held with faith, if love is not involved, it is all meaningless. Even if we share what we have with the needy or are martyred in the faith, when these are done without love, there is no benefit for us. Love gives us the ability to have patience, the ability to be content with what we have, and realistically considers the self in light of those around us. Love doesn’t cause problems nor does it seek after its own selfish interest. Love is not easily baited by people who seek to get an anger reaction. Love does not celebrate when evil triumphs over good and celebrates the truth. Love gives us the ability to put up with just about anything and to live richly within the faith we have been given. Most of all, love will never fail us. Words of prophecy can and will fail us, because these words are linked to the people who speak or write the words. Languages do not last forever, and knowledge once held vanishes. Deciphering ancient languages is almost like decrypting an encoded message, and methods used to construct the pyramids of Egypt are lost to us today. Within the faith that we have, we know in part and we prophesy in part, and love will endure to the end, and love is greater than faith and hope.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

During His final hours as a man on earth, Jesus gave us a commandment that we love one another using His life as an example of love, a life where Jesus had compassion on those in need and challenged the oppression brought about by religious and civil authorities. If we want to be friends of Jesus, we will do what He tells us to do, knowing that we did not choose Jesus, but Jesus chose us, that we might spiritually grow with gifts given to us by God the Father as we love one another.

John 15:12-17
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.

When we think of the connection of love to prophecy, we sometimes overlook verses which make the connection very clear. Within the Church of God we sometimes minimize love as keeping the commandments and in many of our minds we automatically check that box. When we do that we are more likely to ignore prophecy given to us directly by Jesus Christ, who beyond the Olivet prophecy of Matthew twenty-four, clearly laid out what would happen at His return in Matthew twenty-five where a delineation is made between the righteous who go into eternal life, and the wicked who will not. The prophecy shows that when Jesus returns and sits on His throne there will be a separation between sheep and goats, and from this prophecy we all want to be sheep. It is to the sheep that Jesus gives thanks for the favor He was shown through giving meals and beverages, hospitality, providing for physical needs, helping when sick, and visiting when in isolation. Those who are the sheep when hearing this are confused because they have no memory of directly doing this for Jesus. It is then that Jesus tells the sheep, who go on to be the righteous, that Jesus tells them that because they would take care of the least among people, that Jesus knows they would have also cared for Him in the same manner.

It is then that Jesus in this prophecy turns to those who are the goats and berates them for not doing what the sheep had done. The goats are immediately defensive and challenged Jesus showing that they never saw Jesus in need, and therefore offered no assistance. Jesus then replied that because they did not help the least of people, He knows they would have had no desire to help him. The goats go to everlasting punishment, what the Book of Revelation calls the lake of fire, and this is an everlasting punishment because once this punishment is administered there is no chance of redemption.

Matthew 25:31-46
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Within the Church of God are some who will claim these verses do not apply to the church today because of how they look at prophecy. Those who hold to this belief will say these verses only apply to the great white throne judgment, and to these people I remind you that there is one faith, that Hebrews thirteen verse eight tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Standards for salvation that are thought to apply to a future generation apply to us today, or else Jesus Christ would not be the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus commanded us to have love for each other, and Matthew twenty-five gives us many different ways by how the love we have for each other will be evaluated. If we love Jesus Christ, we will also have love for others.

To the Romans Paul wrote that for those who love God and are called according to God’s purpose, all things word together for good. If we love God, we recognize that the message of Jesus comes from God as are the commandments of Jesus, that those who love God are in sync with Jesus. Paul also wrote that Jesus was the firstborn among many brethren, with Matthew twenty-five giving us a prophetic link to the love that Jesus expects us all to have. It is with the assurance that comes through faith that we know that nothing, except for our own deliberate action, can separate ourselves from the love of God and the love of Jesus Christ. We know that God is for us and no person can be against us because it is through Jesus Christ that we are adjudicated as not guilty of sin.

Romans 8:28-39
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Prophecy is something we have in part along with knowledge, and love is greater than both prophecy and knowledge because without love, prophecy and knowledge are meaningless. We love God by keeping the commandments and the commandments are not burdensome. We also love Jesus Christ by keeping His commandments, which fulfill the law of God. We recognize that when Jesus returns He will separate the sheep from goat, separating those who are righteous who show love for others from those who are the wicked, who are without love. There is an undeniable connection between love and prophecy, and if we want to be part of the prophesied future Kingdom of God on earth, we must have love for others today.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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