Three Benefits of Biblical Prophecy

Bible prophecy must be taught faithfully and accurately. When it is, it produces three benefits:

First, God uses prophecy to draw people to Himself.

Bible prophecies prove God’s Word and His character. For example, in the Book of Ezekiel, more than 50 times God punctuates His prophecies with phrases like, “You will know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 37:13).

What does this mean? God is saying, in effect, when these things happen, you’ll know that I am who I say I am. Fulfilled prophecy is powerful evidence for God’s existence, the authority of His Word, and the proof of His plans for the future, both in time and eternity.

Second, God uses prophecy to give life-changing perspective.

You can be filled with contagious joy and hope in the midst of troubling times if you have the perspective that an accurate view of prophecy gives. Prophecy enables you to understand a biblical worldview from creation all the way to the coming kingdom when Christ returns. Prophecy allows you to see how God has designed history . . . stage by stage.

And such perspective helps you have meaning and purpose in your personal role in the “big picture.” You know that for our current stage of history, the “world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19) . . . but you have been redeemed and empowered to be victorious in a spiritual battle. While we may long for heaven to escape this dark world, we are called to be light and commissioned to reach the world for Christ (Matthew 5:14–16). Prophecy gives us this wisdom and perspective to press on.

Third, God uses prophecy to give biblical hope.

When prophecy is faithfully taught, you learn what’s coming. You gain knowledge about the return of the Lord: seeing Him face-to-face, heavenly rewards, reunion with those who have died in Christ, perfect justice, the end of evil, and more. The lesson of prophecy—“Don’t forget what’s coming”—the anticipation of that eternal future empowers us to live with godly optimism today.

But when I say “faithfully taught,” that word “faithfully” is critical because prophecy can be inaccurately taught—with catastrophic results. Rather than drawing people to Christ, inaccurate teaching on prophecy can draw people away from Christ or cause them to become embittered when misinterpretation leads to false predictions.

That’s why DTS is committed to equipping teachers, evangelists, pastors, and other servant-leaders who will “accurately handl[e] the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Will you consider partnering with us in this effort by making a gift to DTS today?

You will help DTS equip more leaders to introduce people to Jesus, give perspective, and supply life-changing expectation!

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