Why Does God Use Prophecy?

Millions of people all over the world claim the Holy Bible as their sacred guide to understanding themselves and the world around them. Yet, most of them ignore one-fourth to one-third of that Bible: The portion made up by prophecy. You might wonder why God placed prophecy in the Bible in the first place. Can't we just ignore all of those weird chapters in Revelation, Isaiah, Daniel, and other books of the Bible and just focus on the parts we find easy to understand?

In short, no. If we want to be people who follow Jesus Christ in word and deed, and if we want to benefit from the entirety of God's word and the full store of instruction and blessing that He has prepared for us, then Bible prophecy needs to be on the menu of our spiritual diet.

Join me right now on Tomorrow's World, where together we will answer the question, "Why Does God Use Prophecy?" ♪ Greetings, and welcome to Tomorrow's World where we help you make sense of the world through the pages of the Bible. I'm glad you're here. Today, we're going to answer the question, "Why Does God Use Prophecy?" We'll also be offering you one of our most popular free DVDs, "The Power of Prophecy."

This DVD contains four programs that are designed to help you finally begin to understand this challenging but vital part of the Bible. Like everything we offer on Tomorrow's World, there's no cost, so watch for how to get your copy of this resource. And let me be clear here at the beginning: When I say, "God uses prophecy," I'm not talking about the modern-day proclamations of many who go around claiming themselves to be Christians and calling themselves "Prophet This" or "Prophetess That."

I guarantee you, they are no prophet in the sense of the biblical title. I know that may upset some, but here at Tomorrow's World, we're not here to make people happy--we're here to clear away the fog of confusion and shine the light of God's word in a world darkened by the Devil's deceptions. No, I'm here to talk about Bible prophecy.

Many preachers and teachers ignore it, and you don't hear Bible prophecy proclaimed and explained from the giant stages of the megachurches of the world--at least not in any meaningful or significant sense. And many study guides claim to "explain" prophecy, but they do more to "explain it away," and minimize the vital impact it should have on our everyday life today.

And we need to be honest with ourselves: How many of us make reading and studying Bible prophecy a significant part of our spiritual diet? After all, so many other parts of the Bible seem so much more straightforward and beneficial. Uplifting even. But Revelation--with its weird images of multi-headed monsters, blood-drinking harlots, and other strange sights and descriptions--seems almost out-of-place and unnecessary for living the "Christian" life, doesn't it?

And when you wander from the stories of the lion's den and the fiery furnace, the book of Daniel just seems to get weird, with visions of strange statues, monstrous beasts, and vague references to Kings of the North and South... Yet, think about it... It's estimated that one-fourth to one-third of the Bible is prophecy. So, pick up a Bible and estimate how much one-fourth of that Bible would be. In this Bible, here, if you look at the first fourth, it would be about this much.

Imagine ignoring or cutting out and throwing away that much of your Bible--in this case, you would be cutting out Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and 1 Samuel--possibly some of 2 Samuel, too. Or take the final fourth. Now, you're cutting out the last four books of the Old Testament and the entire New Testament. Can you imagine cutting out all of that and throwing it away or burning it?

Yet, if you never read and study Bible prophecy--at least one-fourth of your Bible--that is essentially what you're doing--that 25-percent may as well not even be in there. In 2021, I wrote an article for the Tomorrow's World magazine detailing how many elements of today's cancel culture are working overtime to "cancel" the Bible, one idea at a time, removing the words of Scripture from our lives in whatever ways they can.

But my friends, if you and I don't even bother to read one-fourth to one-third of our Bible's pages, we've effectively "canceled" those parts of the Bible, ourselves. And, frankly, we violate the teachings of Jesus Christ and are robbing ourselves of the benefit of His instruction when we avoid prophecy. Look for yourself in Matthew 4 and verse 4. When fighting against Satan's temptations at the beginning of His ministry, the Savior shot back at the devil...

My friends, "every word" means "every word," not "3 out of every 4" or "2 out of 3"--"Every word" includes the recorded words of biblical prophecy. When you think about it, Christians should be the most motivated people in the world to read and study biblical prophecy. Revelation 19:10 says that... And the very beginning of the book of Revelation, the very first verse of the very first chapter, tells us that Jesus Christ revealed the contents of that book under God's instructions...

And just two verses later, God gives us a promise... My friends, prophecy is important, and God places it in the Bible for good reason. In fact, in the remainder of today's program, we are going to detail four reasons God uses prophecy in the Bible. But before we look at Reason #1, I need you to give you the opportunity to receive a free DVD that will do more than help you understand why prophecy is important. It will start you on the road to understanding prophecy for yourself.

"The Power of Prophecy" is one of our most popular free resources, with four Tomorrow's World programs that answer a host of vital questions about Bible prophecy, including: What is the mysterious Beast of Revelation? What are the Five Keys to Understanding Prophecy? What are the Six Greatest Perils facing the United States? What does the Bible say about the future of the EU, Russia, China, Iran, and other nations? How can I personally prepare for what is to come and protect my family?

And how can I escape the Great Tribulation? Understanding Bible prophecy adds a vital dimension to our lives that leaves a person changed forever. Request your free copy of "The Power of Prophecy," and I will be right back to give you the first reason God Almighty uses prophecy in your Bible. For today's free offer call... Or go to... This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible.

If you're calling for the first time, you will also receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's World magazine. Ten inspiring issues discussing news, science, and modern culture will help you make sense of your world from a biblical perspective. Call today and join millions around the world who are turning to Tomorrow's World for truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times. Call now! Or go to... Welcome back.

Today, we're answering the question, "Why Does God Use Prophecy?" by giving you four reasons. The first of those reasons is this: Most of you viewing today's program at home or on your computer or smartphone probably look at today's world and feel like I do: Something is very wrong. At the most fundamental of levels, the very fabric of civilization is tearing asunder. The Bible explains in clear detail why we are coming apart: Sin.

The world is increasingly turning its back on everything God commands, and we are suffering the consequences--consequences that will climax in the most horrific time the world has ever known or will ever know: The Great Tribulation, followed by the Day of the Lord. We read of the times prophesied to come in Matthew chapter 24, beginning in verse 21... Those times are coming due to man's accumulating sin against his Creator.

Frankly, biblical prophecy tells us that suffering will begin with divine punishment on the United States and Great Britain and those nations around the globe that have descended in one way or another from the British people. Yet, God the Father and Jesus Christ do make a way of escape available. In Ezekiel 33 and verse 11, God tells us that He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He would rather that the wicked see what is coming and repent!

Change to avoid it and accept the opportunity for escape. Turn earlier in the book of Ezekiel to read His passionate words to Israel--words that I assure you are meant for nations and peoples today. We begin in verse 30... In the free DVD we will send you today, "The Power of Prophecy," we'll explain that one of the keys to understanding prophecy is to be able to identify modern nations in the prophetic words of the Bible, and the identity of those nations is not always clear.

When you do understand that, then you understand this warning is for many nations of the world--and you understand why we here on Tomorrow's World are unrelenting in our constant admonition to the nations of the world to cease their sins, repent, and turn and dedicate themselves to Jesus Christ and His Father, lest all that is prophesied to take place come upon them.

Now--before we move to Reason #2, we have to be honest with ourselves about Reason #1, about human nature, and about our nations and their leadership.

Personally, I'm an American, and let me be frank with you about my country: With every day that goes by, I see nothing in my nation's government, its politics, its culture, its educational systems, or my fellow citizens at large that gives me any real hope that the United States, as a whole, will repent, turn, and embrace Jesus Christ and the commandments of God.

I'm not trying to be a pessimist, and believe me, I--as well as all of us here at Tomorrow's World, the members of the Living Church of God, and the many around the world who voluntarily support us--all of us are throwing all we have into reaching the whole world with God's warning and Christ's Gospel of the coming Kingdom. And we pray like Paul did, that God might use us to save some from the times to come as many as He will. But we also know that some will go into punishment and captivity.

And when they do, we see the second purpose of prophecy come into play: We see this hope of God concerning prophecy in passages such as Deuteronomy 4. There, God speaks to Israel in words that today's free DVD explains have great meaning for many of today's nations as well. He tells them of the punishment they will receive for their national sins and how they will respond then in a way they did not before. Let's look beginning in verse 27...

God's words and prophecies will serve as a witness to those being punished in captivity, who will remember--and will begin to seek God in a way they did not before their punishment. For those of our viewers today who will not turn to God and change their lives and who will find themselves under the punishment of the Great Tribulation, it is our prayer that you will remember these things and remember to seek God with all of your heart, with all of your strength, and with all of your soul.

Cry out to Him when that time comes--with a sincere and willing heart--and He will hear you. Ironically, the third reason God uses prophecy is ignored by most who claim the name of Christ today, even as it explains why His disciples, above all people of the earth, should care passionately about prophecy. We'll cover that in a moment--but first, let me pause to remind you how to get your free DVD, "The Power of Prophecy."

This collection of four Tomorrow's World programs is a must have for anyone who's been confused or intimidated by prophecy before but long to understand it. God inspired prophecy to be understood. Don't regret missing out on the life-changing information in this DVD. Order yours now, and I'll be right back to discuss reasons three and four--don't go away. This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible. Call now!

Or go to... We've covered two reasons God uses prophecy in the Bible. He desires to warn nations so that they will repent and escape punishment, and he wants those who do go into punishment to be encouraged to change their ways. The third reason should matter most to all who claim the name of Jesus Christ, but sadly it matters to relatively few of them: Many think Jesus only came with a message about how all can be forgiven their sins by accepting Him as their Savior.

But, my friends, that belief is an incomplete and shallow one that denies the rich full message God sent His Son to bear to mankind concerning the coming Kingdom of God and God's plan to transform this world and mankind for all eternity. And focusing as it does on future events, that message of the Kingdom of God and the glorious return of Jesus Christ is inherently a prophetic message.

In fact, many, many, many prophecies of both the Old and New Testaments point us to the beautiful times of restoration to come under the reign of Jesus Christ and His glorified saints--that is, under the Kingdom of God! For instance, Revelation 20 speaks of the 1,000-year removal of Satan the devil and proclaims that glorified, faithful Christians will reign alongside Jesus Christ during that time.

Zechariah 14 explains how all the nations of the world will be required by God to assemble in Jerusalem each year for the Feast of Tabernacles. Isaiah 11 speaks of the transformed nature of the animal world, while Isaiah 35 tells of the transformed and beautified earth, and the healing of all who are blind, deaf, and unable to walk. Zechariah 8 tells of how both the elderly and small children will be safe to play in the streets. Honestly, there is too much to encompass in one program.

Read the prophecies for yourself. There is a reason the Apostle Peter called the prophetic reign of Jesus Christ... Of course, if you are a longtime viewer of Tomorrow's World, you know that the prophesied Kingdom of God is a frequent topic of ours, as we are commissioned by Jesus Christ Himself to boldly preach that Kingdom to the world--without apology or compromise.

And let there be no doubt: The Gospel message is a prophetic message, and ignoring the prophecies of the Bible is like cutting out vast portions of the message of Jesus Christ. Finally, we come to the fourth reason God uses prophecy: We see this inspiring purpose reflected in the awesome words God inspired the prophet Isaiah to record for us in chapter 46 of his book. Read them there, beginning in verse 9...

My friend and fellow presenter Richard Ames frequently emphasizes a powerful truth, that our predecessor in this Work, Herbert W. Armstrong, described as the most important fact in the entire universe--a fact stated in three simple words: "God reigns supreme." And if you have noticed Mr. Ames' passion and intensity on this program over the years, you can know it is rooted in this vital truth. And God uses prophecy to help