The Christian Bible holds the Guinness World Record
of best-selling book in the world.
Many homes in the Western world have at least one
Bible on their bookshelves, and many of them have
more than one.
But how many people actually read them?
And even of those who do, how many read Bible prophecy?
Prophecy makes up at least a quarter of God's revealed word,
yet for many it is the most neglected part of Scripture.
My friends, we don't want you to fall into that trap.
Because God wants you to dive into the prophecies
He inspired to be recorded for you to understand.
Join us on this episode of Tomorrow's World where
we explain why you need Bible prophecy.
♪
Greetings, and welcome to Tomorrow's World.
Where we help you make sense of your world through
the pages of the Bible.
We'll also be offering you one of our most popular free
DVD's, "The Power of Prophecy."
This DVD contains four programs that are designed
to help you finally begin to understand the prophecies
that fill God's word.
Like everything we offer on Tomorrow's World,
there's no cost to you whatsoever.
So, be sure to keep an eye on your screen for
the information you need to get your own free copy.
Now, before we begin, I need to be very clear.
Today, I am speaking specifically of Bible prophecy.
History is filled with so- called prophets who claimed
to tell the future--men like Edgar Cayce or Nostradamus.
History has not been too kind to such claims.
The same could be said for the weird predictions
concerning the year 2012-- a weird "end of the world"
prediction based on drug-induced, misinterpreted
Mayan concepts that did more to sell crackpot books and
movie tickets than it did about telling the future.
Bible prophecy is important-- so much so that God has filled
His own word with it.
So it should not be a surprise that the Devil
has counterfeited true Bible prophecy and the
biblical prophets in countless ways.
But you don't need the counterfeit--you need the truth.
And that's what I'm focusing on today:
real Bible prophecy.
And let's be honest: Have you ever tried to
read Bible prophecy and found it intimidating?
With all of its symbols and visions of harlots
and monsters and statues, or talk of antichrists,
the fall of empires, heavenly signs--it can seem a bit much.
When I was a young teenager, I remember reading the book
of Revelation and reading about the seven-headed
beast with ten horns.
I told my late grandmother about what I thought it meant--
which was completely wrong, by the way--and she looked
at me kindly and told me with a gentle smile,
"You know, we tend to stay away from that book of the Bible."
Now, I am definitely not here to speak ill about my grandmother
on a television program broadcast around the world.
I loved her very much.
But for all her wisdom and experience, she had simply
never had anyone explain to her the blessings that
reading and understanding prophecy can bring into
our lives--and the purposes for which God inspired it
in the first place.
Think about what avoiding prophecy meant for her--
and for you and me.
Between one-fourth and one-third of your Bible is prophecy.
Imagine ignoring every fourth word or every fourth chapter.
If anyone else demanded that we rip out 30 percent
of the pages of our Bible, we would be crying aloud
about censorship and totalitarianism.
When Jesus was about to begin His ministry, He was
tempted by Satan, and in response, Jesus made an
important statement that we need to listen to today--
in Matthew 4 and verse 4:
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by
every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
Now, note: "Every word" means "every word."
Not "two out of three" or "three out of four."
In fact, Christ is plain that He wants
His followers reading the prophecies He inspired,
in both Old and New Testaments.
In Revelation 19:10, we're told that "the testimony
of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy," and the very
beginning of the book of Revelation--the very first
verse of the very first chapter--tells us that
Christ revealed the contents of that book
under God's instructions, "to show His servants--
things which must shortly take place."
And in Revelation 1 and verse 3, God gives us a promise:
"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the
words of this prophecy, and keep those things
which are written in it; for the time is near."
Who doesn't want to receive God's blessings?
God doesn't waste words, and He inspired Bible
prophecy for good reason.
Over the rest of today's program, we're going to
outline four reasons that God inspired prophecy.
When you see the truth of each, you understand why
it is such a vital part of the Bible, and why
you need to dive into it for yourself.
But before we look at the first reason, I want
to give you the opportunity to receive a free DVD that
will help you understand the prophecies of the Bible--
"The Power of Prophecy." It's 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?"
Unlocking Bible prophecy to your understanding will
help the pages of Scripture come to life in a way
they never have before.
Request your free copy of "The Power of Prophecy,"
and I'll be right back to begin explaining why God
has inspired prophecies in the pages of 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.
Six 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 helping you understand why you need
Bible prophecy.
And the key is understanding why God inspired it in your
Bible in the first place.
We're looking at four reasons, and here is the first:
Bible prophecy warns people and nations to repent so
they can avoid punishment.
When the Apostle Peter wrapped up the first inspired sermon
of the New Testament Church, he told the gathered crowds,
"Be saved from this perverse generation."
My friends, look around you at the world today and tell me--
honestly--if you don't think that his words apply even
more powerfully today, almost 2,000 years later,
than they did in his day?
You can see it, can't you?
The world is coming apart at the seams.
Something is terribly wrong with civilization,
and while many people claim they know the way
to fix it, none of them are saying what truly needs
to be said: The world is dying due to sin,
the breaking of God's righteous law.
In fact, as we highlight frequently on this program
and in our free Tomorrow's World magazine, some of
those nations that have been blessed the most by
God are the very nations that are leading the way
in breaking God's law, and teaching others to do so.
That path will lead those nations, and eventually
the entire world, into the most horrific time mankind
has ever known: 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:
"For then there will be great tribulation, such as
has not been since the beginning of the world
until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would
be saved; but for the elect's sake those days
will be shortened."
Note: Jesus says "no flesh" would be saved
if God did not intervene.
While the punishment for unrepentant sin will begin,
frankly, in the United States, Great Britain,
and other British-descended nations, it will eventually
engulf the entire world, threatening the existence
of every living thing.
But God the Father and Jesus Christ make a way
of escape available.
In Ezekiel 33 and verse 11, God tells us
He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
Instead, He warns us about what is coming so that we
will repent so that we'll stop sinning and accept the
opportunity for escape.
Turn earlier in the book of Ezekiel and read
His passionate words to Israel--words that
I assure you are meant for nations and peoples today.
Read them in Ezekiel 18:30...
"'Repent, and turn from all your transgressions,
so that iniquity will not be your ruin.
Cast away from you all the transgressions which you
have committed, and get yourselves a new heart
and a new spirit.
For why should you die, O house of Israel?
For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,'
says the Lord God.
'Therefore turn and live!'"
Today's free DVD, "The Power of Prophecy,"
teaches that understanding how God describes modern
nations in the ancient words of the Bible is
a fundamental key to understanding prophecy.
And, believe it or not, modern nations such as
the United States, Great Britain, Australia and
New Zealand, Germany, France, China, Russia, and, yes,
the modern state of Israel, as well as many others,
are identifiable in Bible prophecy.
And when you understand what Bible prophecy says
is coming upon our nations, and how their sins will
be visited upon them, then you understand
why all of us here at Tomorrow's World refuse
to cease crying aloud and sparing not in declaring
those sins and encouraging the world to turn from its sins,
and embrace its Savior, Jesus Christ, and find escape
from the times to come.
For repentance is the only means of escape,
and prophecy makes this fact plain.
Bible prophecy warns people and nations
to repent so they can avoid punishment.
My friends, that means you and me, too.
If you want to escape the punishments coming upon
this world, then you need to stop sinning and
breaking God's commands and turn to Jesus Christ
in repentant obedience.
However, we must see the world not as we want it to be,
but as it really is.
God certainly does.
And the fact is that, sadly, most will not repent and change.
In fact, many of you watching may not choose
to turn from your sins.
Most will go into punishment and into captivity.
Then, the second reason God inspired prophecy
in the pages of the Scriptures kicks in. Bible prophecy
encourages those in captivity to repent.
Like punishment from a loving parent, God's punishment
isn't harsh just for the sake of being harsh.
He hopes individuals will repent before punishment
arrives; and even after punishment has come,
He continues to hope they will repent.
And prophecy plays a role in that, too.
We see this purpose for prophecy reflected in
passages such as Deuteronomy 4.
Now ,yes, Deuteronomy was written to ancient Israel
long ago. But today's free DVD, "The Power of Prophecy,"
will explain why its words have meaning for many
modern nations today.
And in those words, God inspires Moses to explain
to Israel about the punishment that they will receive
for their sins, and how they can still
choose to change.
We see this starting in verse 27:
"And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples,
and you will be left few in number among the nations
where the LORD will drive you.
And there you will serve gods, the work of men's hands,
wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.
But from there you will seek the LORD your God,
and you will find Him if you seek Him with all
your heart and with all your soul.
When you are in distress, and all these things come
upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD
your God and obey His voice (for the LORD your God is a
merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you,
nor forget the covenant of your fathers which
He swore to them."
It is our sincere hope that many if not all of you
listening will repent, turn to God with all your heart,
and sincerely commit your lives to obeying Him.
But for those who do not and who find themselves under
the soon-coming punishment of the Great Tribulation,
then we hope these words of Deuteronomy 4 will come to
mind--that you'll remember that the times you are
experiencing were prophesied, and came about exactly as the
Bible said they would.
And that you will, at that time, turn to God
with all your heart and with all your soul.
Cry out to Him in those times.
And if you turn to Jesus Christ in your captivity with
a whole heart, committed to obeying Him, then He will
hear you.
Yes, the second reason God inspired prophecies in the
pages of your Bibles is that Bible prophecy encourages
those in captivity to repent.
Well, so far, the reasons for Bible prophecy
we've covered have been a bit of a downer.
The next reason we will cover will visit the other extreme,
as we see that prophecy also brings us the greatest hope
in all of human history--a hope that you need in your life.
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 has been confused or
intimidated by prophecy before but who longs
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 explain
the great hope of mankind that is revealed in the
words of Bible prophecy.
♪
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...
♪
So far, we've seen that God uses prophecy to warn
nations to repent and escape punishment,
and He uses it to inspire those who do not repent to
turn to Him in the midst of their punishment.
The third reason for Bible prophecy highlights the
irony of Christians who say that you don't need to pay
attention to prophecy.
Because it illustrates why prophecy is at the heart
of the message Jesus Christ came to preach.
The third reason is that Bible prophecy announces
the good news of the coming Kingdom of God.
Too many think Jesus Christ only came to tell
people how they can be forgiven of their sins.
And, yes, the forgiveness of sins is a source of joy
and cause for praise.
But that is only one facet of a larger message God
sent His Son to preach.
We read of that message in Mark 1, verses 14 and 15:
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee,
preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying,
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel."
That Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God to be
established at the return of Jesus Christ is one of
the most hope-filled and life-transforming messages
you can ever hope to comprehend.
And focusing as it does on future events, the Gospel of
the Kingdom of God is inherently a prophetic message.
In fact, many prophecies of both the Old and New Testaments
point us to different, hopeful details of that Kingdom's reign.
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 assemble in Jerusalem each year for
the joyous 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 small children will be safe
playing in the streets.
If you're a longtime viewer or a subscriber
to the Tomorrow's World magazine, then you know
the many prophecies of the Kingdom of God are
a special focus of this ministry.
God has commissioned us to preach the Gospel
of Christ's coming Kingdom, and we do.
And you need the hope that comes from understanding
about that Kingdom.
That's why you need Bible prophecy.
There's a reason the Apostle Peter called the
prophetic reign of Jesus Christ the "restoration of
all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of
all His holy prophets since the world began."
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is a prophetic message,
and if you're ignoring the prophecies of your Bible,
then you are ignoring the beautiful descriptions of
Tomorrow's World that the Almighty inspired in the
pages of Scripture to fill you with a hope and longing
for that soon-coming world.
Again, Bible prophecy announces the good news
of the coming Kingdom of God.
A fourth, vital reason for prophecy is that Bible prophecy
demonstrates God's total sovereignty and power.
And in a world like today's, in which every week seems to
bring news of more upheaval, chaos, and heartbreak, we need
a reminder that our loving Creator is truly in control.
God points to this purpose of prophecy in Isaiah chapter 46,
beginning in verse 9:
"Remember the former things of old, for I am God,
and there is no other; I am God, and there is
none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying,
'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,'
calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My
counsel, from a far country.
Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it; I will also do it."
Many of you are familiar with my friend and longtime
Tomorrow's World presenter Richard Ames.
He loves to emphasize a vital truth that he summarizes
in three simple words: "God reigns supreme."
And if any of you know Richard Ames personally,
then you know he lives his life in the light of those words.
God uses prophecy to help teach you that truth and to
make it that much more real in your heart and in your mind--
in your life.
Bible prophecy teaches us that God is faithful and
can be trusted.
It reveals that all of human history, from the
beginning to the end, is simply the unfolding of
His plan for mankind-- and it reveals that plan.
When we trust God, then even in our hardships,
we can have faith that He is in charge and is working
all things to our good, as we're told in Romans 8:28.
It is that trust in God's power to fulfill His purpose
that moved the Apostle Paul, in his hardships to
begin his letter to Titus in this way:
"Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
according to the faith of God's elect and the
acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness,
in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie,
promised before time began..."
Only the Creator has the ability to declare the end
from the beginning and to guarantee that it will be so.
And such a Creator is not only worthy of our love
and worship, He's also worthy of our trust.
Prophecy helps to remind us that He has total sovereignty
and power, and we can trust Him with our lives.
When we put these four purposes of prophecy together,
we see that Bible prophecy is not just some academic pursuit,
or some "fortune telling" game in which we try to predict
the future and see if it turns out the way we thought.
You need prophecy because there is a purpose God
intends to work in your life.
We'll discuss that purpose in the conclusion of our program.
First, let me take advantage of this last break to encourage
you to order today's free DVD, "The Power of Prophecy."
We don't just want you to understand that prophecy
is important.
We want you to understand prophecy.
This free DVD will help get you on your way.
One of the four messages on this DVD is "Five Keys
to Understanding Prophecy," and it will begin to explain
how to take the often intimidating symbols
and messages of Bible prophecy and make their
meaning plain.
It's time to stop avoiding prophecy and, instead,
dive into the deep end.
This DVD, "The Power of Prophecy," will help
you get started.
Order your copy now, and I'll be right back to
help us see what all of this should mean.
♪
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.
Six 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...
♪
Today, we've discussed four reasons God inspires
prophecy in the pages of your Bible.
1. Bible prophecy warns people and nations to
repent so they can avoid punishment.
2. Bible prophecy encourages those in captivity to repent.
3. Bible prophecy announces the good news of the coming
Kingdom of God.
4. Bible prophecy demonstrates God's total sovereignty
and power.
When you think about these reasons, it's plain that God
doesn't intend prophecy to be some sort of academic exercise,
or just some sort of secret code we have to crack to
know what the future holds.
Rather, God is using prophecy to produce
an impact in your life.
He seeks to change your life to draw you closer
to Him--to bring you more in line with His purpose
for your life.
God intends prophecy to move you to repent--
to change your ways, day by day...
turning from sin and disobedience to His laws,
and turning to repentance, embracing the rulership of
His Son, Jesus Christ.
Whether we do this before punishment comes our way,
or even in the midst of that punishment,
a transformed life is what He seeks to achieve with
His inspired prophecies.
And with prophecy, God gives form to our hope for the future.
By pointing us, in prophecy, to our future roles in His
Kingdom--as glorified children of God, helping Jesus Christ
to beautify this world and serve others by helping them
to understand the ways of God more fully--God gives us
a goal that gives meaning to our lives.
As Christ says in Matthew 6 and verse 33,
"[S]eek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness"
--and prophecy helps us to make that Kingdom real in
our minds and our hearts,
painting a beautiful and detailed picture of
Tomorrow's World that helps us envision the world that He
longs to build alongside us.
Finally, when life gets difficult, and we pass through
trial and hardship, it is prophecy that reminds us that
God is great and good, and that in all things He reigns supreme
in the heavens--no matter our current circumstances.
The end of all things is in His hands, and we can
rest assured that He is in control.
My friends, you need what God wants to place within
your life through the words of prophecy that He has inspired
in the pages of His Bible.
And if you're ready for what He longs to give you,
today's free DVD is a great place for you to start.
I hope you will order your copy today.
And I hope you'll come back next time.
When you do, Gerald Weston, Richard Ames, Rod McNair,
and I will be right here waiting for you--ready to
share with you the teachings of Jesus Christ, the powerful
hope of the Kingdom of God, and the end-time prophecies of
your Bible and their meaning.
Until then, take care.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
The preceding program is produced by the
Living Church of God.
♪