What is the purpose of end times prophecy in the Bible? Mark Tobey says that we often believe that prophecy is meant to scare us, but it’s not.

“God gave us these great prophecies not to alarm us but to prepare us so that we would remain calm and active when unusual or catastrophic events occur.”

God does not want us to be passive and fearful when we encounter these kind of events events in our world. Therefore, He gave us His Word to prepare us for what is to come. Mark says God did the same for Abraham in the Old Testament. Abraham was well-acquainted with cataclysmic events, he witnessed the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

“Probably one of the most dramatic and explosive events in history and that was the sudden and complete destruction of two of the most significant cities in the Middle East. I remember seeing that story during Sunday school. It’s amazing that God would even do that, the heavens open and there is fire and brimstone raining down on all of these nearby cities.”

Mark puts this event into our Western perspective.

“Imagine witnessing that today as a family here in the West. That’s actually possible, something like that could occur and I could be sitting there with my family, not looking down over a valley like Abraham was, but sitting in the comfort of my family room watching cable network news as an entire metropolis is wiped out by some sort of cataclysmic event.”

God made it clear to Abraham what was going to happen to Sodom and Gomorrah so he would understand why God was doing what he was doing. He has done the same for us as well.

“He equipped Abraham, He said, you are going to experience this, when you see this, you will know that this is my judgement. That’s the power of the prophetic passages in the Word of God. They are not given to alarm us, but rather to equip us. “


Mark Tobey is a writer, editor, and former pastor. He presently serves as director of Charles R. Swindoll Product Development at Insight for Living Ministries in Frisco, Texas. He and his wife, Tracy, have four children and reside in north Texas.

Key Scripture: Matthew 24:4-8; Psalm 2:1-2

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The purpose of prophecy