Prophecy helps us see the big picture of God’s program for the ages—His unfolding, eternal drama. Prophecy is important for many reasons, and without it, we might struggle to make sense of a lot of what goes on in our world today. For example, knowing that the world is headed toward a period called the Great Tribulation informs us as to why things appear to be getting worse instead of better.
One major factor that distinguishes the Bible from other holy books is its prophetic accuracy. The Bible was written over a period of 1,600 years. It consists of 66 books composed by 40 different authors. Yet all the facts presented in the early portions of Scripture are consistent with latter portions of Scripture. For example, Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in the small town of Bethlehem hundreds of years later, and we know that this prophecy was fulfilled. Good guess? I don’t think so. The Bible is authoritative because it is the very Word of God, and fulfilled prophecies validate and reinforce its accuracy.
Second Peter 1:20-21 says, “No prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” Prophecy is not man's guesswork; it is accurate because God moved men to record what the Holy Spirit moved them to say. Click To Tweet The Bible contains more than 300 prophecies that have already come true regarding the person and work of Christ. That’s not chance; that’s the eternal knowledge of God.