In my opinion, the modern day Church moved away from End Time Bible Prophecy and left it to the Evangelicals and fringe denominations as a "proselytizing" tool forty years ago, virtually abandoning any serious study of eschatology after that. Television programming, book sales and movies, as well as printed tracts and pamphlets circulated by fringe groups became the mainstay of prophetic study. Of course, all this is "profit" driven and has nothing to do with the Spirit of God. And as they say, "You are what you eat", or a better computer analogy "Garbage in, garbage out".
This whole anti-prophecy atmosphere, deliberately ignores Scripture in which Jesus himself is identified as being the "Spirit of Prophecy",(Revelation 19:10). It ignores the Christian prohibition against "Quenching the gifts of the Spirit", among which is the gift of prophecy, (1 Thess. 5:19). The gift of "prophesying and the interpretation of prophecy" is also one of the greatest gifts according to Scripture, (1 Cor. 4:15). And there is also the Apostolic admonishment not to "despise" prophesying, (1 Thessalonians 5:20).
Now you know what "restrained" the spirit of iniquity and has been removed during the End Times and prepares the way for the coming of the Antichrist, (2 Thessalonians 2:7). The Holy Spirit, (Which reveals to us what is the truth and what is to come, John 16:13), has been totally "swept aside" by popular mainstream (Christian ?!) theology.
You better believe the modern day Church is in "desperate" need of reformation and restoration to the Spirit of God, which is exactly the reason Elijah must come before the Second Advent of Christ, in order to restore what has been "LOST", (Mark 9:12, Malachi 4:5-6). If it were possible for religionist waving certificates of graduation from Bible prophecy schools to accomplish this, Elias and Elijah would not be necessary and they would not be needed, (Revelation 11:3).
So yes, until these two prophets and witnesses arrive, the modern day Church is in some pretty deep trouble, (to put it mildly).
--------------------
While I do not agree with everything you said, it certainly is true that the churches have not focused on prophecy.
But it is also true that it was never God's Will for the Saints in any Kingdom to understand the END of their Kingdom.
The Saints living in the Jewish "
Kingdom of Heaven" were never meant to understand prophecies about the END
of their Kingdom. The ministry of Jesus was not understood, in fact much was not understood by the Apostles
until AFTER the Resurrection and Pentecost.
Likewise, the Saints in the Christian "
Kingdom of Heaven" are not meant to understand the END of their Kingdom.
Daniel 12:8-10 makes it clear that the truth of Daniel's prophecies would remain "
sealed" until the period called the
"
time-of-the-end" (which is also called the "
Season and Time" on earth after Daniel's Fourth Beast - Dan 7:11-12).
From a practical standpoint we can understand how Saints would not be "
overcome" and "
killed" by the Anti-Christ
(the "
Little Horn" or "
False Prophet") if they already knew the NAME of that person and they understood the fulfillment
of those prophecies.
The opposite is true. The Bible
PROMISES the Saints would not understand Daniel's prophecies until
AFTER the end
of the Fourth Kingdom (the Great Tribulation). However, the Bible promises the Saints "
shall understand" those
"
sealed" mysteries
AFTER the Fourth Kingdom/Revelations Beast during the "
Season and Time" [Dan 7:11-12]
And the Bible
PROMISES the Saints "
shall see" the fulfillment of Daniel's Abomination and more than that,
the Bible promises the Saints "
shall see ALL these things" (all Great Tribulation "
signs") fulfilled before His Return
[Mat 24:15,33]. Think about it... when the Lord Returns at the Seventh Trumpet the Saints are NOT preaching
the Gospel of the Jewish Kingdom and the Saints are NOT preaching the Gospel of the Great Commission and
the Saints are NOT preaching the Gospel of the Great Tribulation... they are preaching "
unsealed" mysteries
which are not revealed until AFTER the Fourth Kingdom is destroyed... fulfilling Daniel 12 and Matthew 24.
The Point is... it was always God's Plan for Jewish Saints to not see the END of their Kingdom.
It was always God's Plan for Christian Saints to not see the END of their Kingdom (and start of the Great Tribulation)
It was always God's Plan for the "
Wise Virgins" (the Last Saints) to understand the END of these Kingdoms....
during the "
Season and Time".
That is why we now know Daniel's Four Kingdoms were:
(1st) Pre-Flood Kingdom
(2nd) Jewish "
Kingdom of Heaven"... named in Matthew 22:2
(3rd) Christian "
Kingdom of Heaven".... named in Matthew 13
(4th) Great Tribulation "
Kingdom of Heaven"... named in Matthew 25:1
(5th) Eternal "
Kingdom of Heaven".... named in Matthew 5, 7, 8 and 19]
And we know know the "
Season and Time" or the "
time-of-the-end" is the brief period
AFTER
the Fourth Kingdom [Dan 7:11-12] and it is shown as the period
AFTER the Second Woe is Past...
but
BEFORE the Third Woe begins [Rev 11:14] and it is shown as the period
BETWEEN Rev 19:20
(when the Revelations Beast is "
cast alive" into the "
Lake of Fire") and Rev 20:10 (when Satan
JOINS THE BEAST in the '
Lake-of-Fire")
There are other confirming passages for the "
Season and Time".... but that is enough to prove the point.
Again... it was always God's Plan for end-time prophecy to remain "
sealed" until the specific time
called the "
time-of-the-end" or the "
Season and Time" on earth
AFTER the end of the Fourth Kingdom.
.