By Shenalyn PagePosted November 01, 2021
Panorama of Prophecy is a 25-part evangelistic series produced by Amazing Facts International. Tens of thousands around the world are watching the live broadcasts each night, which will air through November 13, 2021. Writer Shenalyn Page sat down backstage with Pastor Doug Batchelor, president of Amazing Facts and speaker for the meetings, to get his perspective on the story God is writing through this historic event!
Q. Why present Panorama of Prophecy now?
Pastor Doug: We’ve been planning for Panorama of Prophecy for about two years. We started planning it even before construction was completed on the Hilltop Granite Bay Church. It’s a miracle we got into these buildings [Amazing Facts offices and the church] in time for the series.
With the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, we feel it is so important for the message to go out right now. And many in the church feel the same way. We were thrilled when we contacted 3ABN and they said they would air it for free. I contacted Hope Channel, and they said, “Yes!” Sometimes networks want their own unique programming, but they all said, “No, we’re so close to the end of time; we all need to join hands.”
Personally, I don’t know how much longer the world is going to allow us the freedom to do what we are doing right now. Restrictions and cancel culture are preventing us from sharing openly in some places. The atmosphere of polarization in our churches and governments is so strong. We have many staff at Amazing Facts saying this may be the last big series we are able to do. So, we’re trying to do a good job.
Q. What is the impact of this event?
Pastor Doug: We have live feeds going to 3ABN, Hope Channel, AFTV, and SUMTV. We’re also broadcasting live on Facebook and YouTube. We don’t know the total numbers now, but about 18,000 people are watching each night just on social media platforms.
We’re excited. Just tonight, we’ve received questions from people watching in Denmark, Hong Kong, India—all over the place. People are more connected now, so even poor countries are getting it. We are already hearing great testimonies from all over the world. Someone sent in an email from Papua New Guinea, “This is life-changing. Thank you for the presentations.” They bought a big-screen TV just to watch Panorama of Prophecy.
We’re also creating new material for nationwide TV. It was time for an update of our presentations, so we’ll edit each program into half-hour segments and air them on the History channel, Lifetime, Trinity Broadcasting Network, Daystar, Better Life TV, and others for the next several years.
Q. You’ve been doing this work for a while. Do you still get opening night jitters?
Pastor Doug: There are a thousand details when presenting a series like this. When opening night happens, we’re always praying and sweating, wondering if the signal will go out. Will everything work? The devil works hard to stop the truth from being heard, but the Lord always helps us overcome when there’s an obstacle.
I enjoy preaching, but I do get a little anxious. I’m not afraid of speaking in public, but I do worry that I’m not going to present the subject well, that I won’t do a certain topic justice. I want to be faithful to proclaim the message clearly and accurately.
That’s one reason I use Bible lessons. It helps me ensure that I cover certain points. I also always want to respond to the typical arguments. I’ve been doing this for 33 years, and the information used to come spilling out. Now, I have to think a little more.
Karen and I pray before we leave the house. I also go to my little room backstage to pray. And it seems that one meeting at a time, God sustains.
Q. Do you see the power of God’s Word working in lives?
Pastor Doug: There is inherent power in the Word. I kind of feel like I just have to preach it—and then stand back and watch God work. And we see conversions. We’re already seeing them here. There’s such a dearth of Bible preaching that people often say, “Where have you been? We’ve been going to church all our lives and have never heard the Bible explained like this.” That’s always encouraging.
I wish I could transport our supporters here and let them see the folks I talk to at the door. I would love for our donors to see and feel what I experience in the lives that are changed. I know we will see a harvest of souls from this event. These meetings will go out, and the letters and emails will come in for years telling us about lives that have been transformed for eternity.
Panorama of Prophecy continues through
November 13—it's not too late to join us!
Click this link to learn more.