Friday, June 15, 2012 (All day)
Instead of predictions let's look at three benefits from studying Bible prophecy.
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[Darris McNeely] What is the main benefit to you of Bible prophecy? We've been going through a number of series here on BT Dailies about prophecy , Bible prophecy and you. And on our website we've had quite a bit about predictions and false predictions. We've talked about those in some of our past dailies of making false predictions regarding Bible prophecy. But let's get back once again to really what is the benefit there to Bible prophecy for you? And it's that benefit really that needs to be I think most clearly understood because it's so easy to get into the predictions and into personalities, individuals, and how they feel about prophecy. But in the end it's really some very basic material that really at the end of the day will benefit you in terms of your life, your family, your future relationship with God.
[Steve Myers] It's important to remember where prophecy comes from, I think, that oftentimes people will say, "Well, what is the Bible all about and where does it come from?" We've got to remember it comes from God. It's not just prophets in the past just making predictions about things or making statements—that this is the word of God. 2 Timothy plainly tells us that in 3:16 that all scripture is given by inspiration by God (2 Timothy 3:16). God inspired those men to speak. And He motivated them. He moved them and sometimes gave them the specific prophecies to talk about. And so it's not men's words. It's not just some guy in ages past wrote these things down. God inspired their words. He inspired those prophecies so that's a very important place to start with.
[Darris McNeely] When you really look into what some—who some of the prophets were like Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos—they were everyday people. Amos for instance was a sheepherder. He went out every day before sunup, worked hard, worked for his living. God called him out of some of the most basic aspects of life and gave him in his mouth and to his words, God's words and told him to go to the people and tell them to turn around from the daily activities that were taking them off into a way of destruction and suffering and misery and turn and repent and begin to live according to God's laws and God's principles. So I think the number one key, prophets were everyday people in many cases who understood life and the problems of life, but also understood the solutions that God gave to them and how to help people turn around and really live.
[Steve Myers] Ezekiel was an example of that. In fact, there's an interesting passage that's in Ezekiel 3:18 where Ezekiel says exactly what prophecy was all about, that the people—it was, the purpose of it was to warn the wicked from his wicked ways and to save his life. And so it was to turn them around so that they would repent, so that they would change. And in a sense, I think what it does is it gives us one of those initial benefits of prophecy.
[Darris McNeely] Yeah, I think one of the first ones is that prophecy is really intended to motivate people, to motivate people to change. Nobody likes to change. And in fact, we try to change. We make resolutions all the time to lose weight, to stop certain behaviors, but we really at times need to a certain motivation. And God does with prophecy givesus that by showing us the future and actually showing us a future benefit to actually changing as Ezekiel said to actually live.
[Steve Myers] Yeah and that ties in so much with what it actually says there in Ezekiel that part of this motivation is a warning, that there are warnings of things to come. And so that certainly ties in with the things that we need to do something about because there are serious things that are on the horizon. And so it should move us because of the things that God warns about the future.
[Darris McNeely] In a future series in these BT Dailies , we are going to talk more about warnings and the idea of being a watchman and God's servants being watchmen. But coming back to this, there's really one additional point that we should understand and that is the promise. Prophecy also holds out promise of reward for turning from sin, from turning from wrong, destructive behavior, being warned of that, being motivated to change your behavior. But there is a promise of reward now and in the future for repentance, for heeding a prophecy, or a prediction of some future event or future consequence of individual behavior. The promise is there as well. And that's really one of the most basic aspects of human nature that gets us to change our behavior if there's a hope, and there's something there in it for us in the future. And God's promises on this point are very, very sure.
[Steve Myers] There's much more to talk about. We hope to see you next time here on BT Daily .
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