God has given us in his word a syllabus to tell us where history is going. Dr. Tony Evans says understanding where history is headed will change how you live in the present. When the prophetic word takes root and you pay attention to it, you get your own visit to the mountain. This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr.
Tony Evans. Headlines may shift by the hour, but God's Word has already revealed where history is headed. Today, Dr. Evans shows how understanding biblical prophecy brings confidence and direction when life feels uncertain. Let's listen.
A large segment of the word of God is prophetic. In the Old Testament, It was prophetic to Christ in the new, the prophetic from Christ. As you know, The theme of our Ministry of our world view is the kingdom. And that spreads from Genesis to Revelation. I'll bring up some points about that as we go along.
23 of the 27 books of the New Testament. References the coming of Christ in some form or fashion. Of course, the Old Testament covers whole epex of time. And It just brought to mind to me. Especially in light of what was happening in the Middle East.
that we needed To return. to the practical implications of prophecy. Peter does that for us. In 2 Peter chapter 3. Because that chapter is Prophetically pregnant.
And when you see that there is a prophetic connection. Between the pulpit And prophecy. What is to be communicated? and its implications. It can have a dynamic impact on you and through you.
to those that God calls you to minister to. When you Go to the movies. Prior to the main film showing up, you get these previews. And they tell you shows that are coming up. And sometimes you'll see.
When they show you this preview. Coming in May or coming in June or coming in July, they will give you a time frame for the coming of the film. But then there's some previews. That simply say coming soon. They're not giving you any details.
They're not giving you any timeline. What they are giving you is expectation. They want you to expect the coming of the movie. They're just not telling you when. You may go months seeing a preview.
about something a year away. But all they tell you is Coming soon. In Second Peter 3. He goes into Specific detail. About the coming.
That is about the return of Jesus Christ. And in this Chapter There are three movements. Before I dive into today. I want to say a word about biblical theology as opposed to systematic theology. In systematic theology, what you're doing is you are.
Organizing From all of the Bible, what the Bible says about any given subject. Because you cannot go to scripture. And find a everything about one subject in one place.
So that has to be arranged and organized through a system. And so we call that systematic theology.
So, if you want to look at the doctrine of God, you have to go to a lot of passages if you want to see the whole picture of the doctrine of God. If you want to look at the names of God, you won't find the names all in one place or one book. It's spread throughout scripture. People save time by having it systematized. in order to Be able to see the whole subject.
Not so with biblical theology. Biblical theology is not Concern with the system. Biblical theology is concerned with. A particular author talking to a particular group. at a particular time about a particular subject.
Biblical theology is the ground of systematic theology. But the idea is. To not let a system Control the interpretation. Of a passage, but let a passage contribute to the system. The Bible was written over 1500 years by 40 different authors.
This is progressive revelation. It wasn't just dropped at one time, at one place, to one author. It was spread out over time, the progress of revelation, because God wasn't. giving everything at one time. And you'll see that even as we go into our time today.
When you Took a college course. They gave you a syllabus. A syllabus was a broad outline Of where this course is going. The syllabus didn't give you all the details. It gave you the flow of the course.
God has given us in His Word. A syllabus. to tell us where history is going. And that syllabus is his prophetic word.
So let's dive in to our first section. He begins in chapter three. Mentioning a number of times beloved in verse One, beloved in verse eight, beloved in verse 14. Beloved, in verse 17, he wants them to know. that he has affection for them in what he's about to say.
And in ministry Even though he's talking about prophecy, he wants them to know that this prophecy that he is talking about comes out of a heart of concern for them.
So when we're speaking prophecy, What we're trying to do is impact people for their well-being. We're not just trying to teach data. We're trying to show them love. Beloved is a term of affection. And so he wants them to know that.
There's this heart that is coming with this teaching. You will also see there is a heavy emphasis On the Scripture. He says in verse 2, the word spoken. He says in verse 5, the word of God. He says in verse 7, by his word.
He says in verse 16, the rest of scripture.
So there is this heavy emphasis out of care. That is centered in the word of God. We'll pick up on that. a little bit more as we go along.
So he begins and he says, I am writing to you. in which I am staring up. Stirring up your sincere mind. By way of remember. He says, I want you.
to remember.
So he says, I'm gonna stir up your mind. I want you to be reminded in the verse one. Beginning of verse 2. He says, remember, so three times. In two verses.
He says, I need you to remember this. If you go back in 2 Peter. And look at verse 12 of chapter 1. Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you. of these things.
even though you are already know them. But you need to be reminded and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in the earthly dwelling, to stir you up. By way of Reminder, verse 15, and I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure with you, you will be able to call these things. to the mind.
So, biblical theology always looks for repetition. Because repetition is emphasis.
So when you are dealing with a book, when you're dealing with a text. See if there are any corollaries by that same author to that same group about that same subject.
So it is obvious that Peter wants this to stick in their skull. He doesn't want them, even though they've been taught the class. He says, you know the truth, you've gotten the information, but you still need a reminder. In verse 2, The word spoken beforehand by the holy prophets, the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. Don't go too fast.
He says The word Spoken By prophets By the commandment of Christ. And by the apostles. Watch this now. Prophets, Christ, apostles. The progress of revelation of Prophecy.
He says, What I'm telling you, what I'm going to remind you of, has a history to it. That history starts with the prophets.
So that's Old Testament history. It continues with what he calls the commandment of Christ. What he is saying is I'm reminding you of something that has biblical continuity. That's why, when you're studying prophecy, you want to look at continuity. how things connect.
from one to another to another, from the Old Testament to what Christ said to what the apostles say, because a lot of prophetic confusion is because we do not connect the three. And once you disconnect them, you lose the continuity, which is confusing the prophetic kingdom program.
So there's continuity, he says, from the Old Testament. Prophets Through Christ. Two apostles. Because we're all in sync with one another. And so he is arguing for the unity of scripture.
When Dr. Evans returns, he'll connect the reliability of Scripture to a first-hand event that confirmed the power and authority of Jesus Christ. First, though, what we're hearing today comes from a special three-part series recorded live at the recent Kingdom Leaders Summit. called the Sure Word, living in light of prophecy. In these powerful messages, doctor Evans explains why biblical prophecy isn't meant to stir fear or endless speculation.
It's meant to give us confidence, clarity, and stability in uncertain times. As we've been hearing today, God has already revealed where history is headed. and when we understand his plan, we can live with greater peace and purpose in the present. We'd like to send you all three full-length messages in this timely series as our thank you gift. when you make a contribution to help support the ministry of the alternative.
Along with the messages, we'll also include Tony's prophecy-focused book, Thy Kingdom Come. In it, he explores key biblical prophecies and shows how understanding God's plan for the future. can help you approach life today with hope instead of worry, confidence instead of confusion. Request this special resource package today at tonyevans.org. or call our resource center at 1-800-800-3222.
or a friendly team member is ready to help with your request any time. Again, that's one eight hundred eight hundred three two two two. I'll repeat our contact information for you after part 2 of today's lesson. And this. Picture yourself surrounded by crystal clear waters, warm Caribbean breezes, and the kind of quiet that allows you to hear from God in a fresh way.
This February 28th through March 7th, you're invited to join Dr. Tony Evans and friends for a seven-day Caribbean cruise, a journey of rest and renewal. You'll visit beautiful ports of call like Nassau in the Bahamas, the pristine shores of Grand Torque, and Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic, even stopping in a private island designed for pure relaxation. And in between, you'll enjoy peaceful days at sea, perfect for reflection, fellowship, and rest. Along the way, you'll experience powerful Bible teaching from Dr.
Evans and other speakers, uplifting worship, and meaningful connection with a community that feels like family. If your soul needs refreshing and your spirit needs renewing, this is your invitation. Find out more and make your reservation today at tonyevans.org. That's TonyEvans.org.
Now In this prophetic concern. It is revolving around The coming of the Lord. He says There are going to be false teachers. Verse 4. And they're going to say, where is the promise of his coming?
It is at this point. That it is critical to establish the connection. Between the coming of the Lord. And the word of God. From the prophets.
From the commandment of Christ. Through the apostles.
Now this takes us To the importance. of understanding A link. Let's go back to biblical theology. If you go to chapter... One of 2 Peter Same book.
This is an Apostle Peter. talking about an event that happened to him. Verse 16. For we did not follow cleverly devised tales. Which we made known to you the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I'm not making this stuff up. is what he says in verse 16. But we were eye witnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, Such an utterance as this was made to him by the majestic glory, God. This is my beloved son, in whom I'm well pleased, and we ourselves heed this.
Utterance made from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. We know what that event was. That event. The transfiguration. Until you have seen.
The coming of the Lord in his kingdom. And he's saying, let me tell you what I saw. What I saw. was the coming of the Lord into his kingdom. See, this is why You can never lose sight.
of the kingdom because The coming of the Lord is for the purpose of the kingdom. And he told them they would not die until they saw it. which means the coming of the kingdom existed. with them when they were here which means the coming of the kingdom is not just future It was present with them. And the reason he's making the connection is because the kingdom is present with us.
When my kids were growing up, we would go on vacation. We would drive in August. And One year we went to Disneyland. The other year we went to Disney World, so LA, Florida. I would always drive at night.
Always left at night. We would go to the Donut shop, we turned it into a journey. We started with the donut shop. We would stop along the way. We would stop at parks.
Sometimes we stopped at amusement parks.
Sometimes we stopped at hotels that had swimming pools. All of that was part of the journey. To Disneyland or Disney World. How do you think they would feel? If we're driving to one of those Magic Kingdom places.
And we got Halfway there, two-thirds of the way there. And we said, I hope. You enjoy the trip. We're going back home. They would be frustrated because none of those things was the destination.
They were good things along the way to the destination. But that doesn't equal the destination. But destination Is The kingdom.
Okay? That's the destination of all of Scripture. And that is the destination of the coming of the Lord. When you see the coming of the Lord mentioned in Mark and in Luke, it always connects the coming of the Lord to the kingdom.
Okay? That's why, even when you get people who don't understand the difference between entering the kingdom. Nicodemus, you won't see the kingdom of God unless you enter it. and inheriting the kingdom.
Okay, those are two different understandings of the kingdom. And so, unless you are looking at this bigger place that you are going. Then you will not Fully absorb what God is after. In this case, He's after prophecy.
So, Let me stay with this. I'm still in chapter one, connecting it to chapter three. He says. My beloved son, whom I well pleased. And we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with them on the holy mountain.
So we heard this, okay? We're on the mountain. Who shows up? God shows up and speaks. We're there.
And all of a sudden. Moses and Elijah show up.
Okay, wait a minute. We got Christ. We got Old Testament prophets? We got New Testament apostles. And we got God talking.
So we got the person of Christ, the word of God, because God was talking. We've got Old Testament prophets, Moses and Elijah. We got New Testament apostles, Peter, James, and John.
So he goes back to a history that's part of his introduction to chapter three: the Old Testament, Christ, and the New Testament, all connected with. God's word.
So there is correlation here. in what he is saying. He says, we have the prophetic word made more sure. To which you do well to pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place. In other words, the darker things get, the more The prophetic word is needed.
Not just general teaching, the word that is prophetic. is needed. In the darkness.
Okay, he says, until the day dawns. and the morning star rises in your heart. He says, I want you. In the darkness and confusion of the world. to grab hold of this prophetic word.
And here's my goal. This is very important. My goal is until verse 19, the day dawns and the morning star. rises in your heart. What do you mean, Peter?
What are you telling us? Why do you want this emphasis on prophecy? I want the prophetic word. To be so deep.
So impactful. That the morning star rises in your heart.
Well, what has he just talked about? He just talked about The trance Figuration. He just talked about what he saw on the mountain. He saw the glory of Jesus Christ. Being manifested on the mountain, tied to the Old Testament, New Testament apostles with the voice of God.
And that is an experience. you and I can't have that they had back then. Because Jesus was physically on earth.
So we can't have that until Jesus comes back. Kinda. Because what Peter is saying is, when the prophetic word takes root, And you pay attention to it. you get your own visit to the mountain. You get your own experience of the transfiguration.
It's just in your heart, it's not on the mountain. The morning star. Jesus is called the morning star.
So, the reason you have to emphasize prophecy is not just so that people know the future, but that people visit their own personal. Transfiguration experience.
So that they have their own sunshine break forth. In their hearts. Because these people Peter was writing to, they weren't on the mountain. They didn't see it, but he says, you can still go there. You can still have the experience.
But it comes with the prophetic word if you pay attention to it. Dr. Tony Evans on the value of always looking at tomorrow through the lens of scripture.
Now, as I mentioned earlier, today's message comes from an encouraging three-part series recently recorded. called the Sure Word, Living in Light of Prophecy. For a limited time, we are bundling these messages on C D, USB flash drive or digital download. Along with Tony's reference book on biblical prophecy called Thy Kingdom Come. You'll receive these powerful resources as a thank you gift.
when you make a donation to help us keep Tony's teaching on this station. Get your copy before time on this special offer runs out. Just visit tonyevans.org or or call our 24-hour resource center at 1-800-800-3222. That's 1-800-800-3222. or online at tonyevans.org.
Now, if you find Dr. Evans' teaching helpful, You'll enjoy listening to him engage in thoughtful conversations with spirit-filled guest speakers on the Unbound podcast. You can listen or watch on his YouTube channel or wherever you stream your favorite podcast. When the world feels unstable, It's easy to focus on what's happening around us instead of what God has already told us. Tomorrow, Dr.
Evans continues to explore how prophecy is designed to draw us closer to Christ in order to help us live with an eternal perspective. Be sure to join us for that.
