Mr. hambre,
You ask,
What catastrophic events were ever AVOIDED due to prophetic foreknowledge? In what instances can this prophecy have been said to have INFLUENCED people's actions? Can prophecies ever be recognized as such before they have come to pass? In short, what GOOD are they?
Satinover, in his book on the Bible Codes describes how they were used to predict the day of the Scud attack (Jan 18), and prepare the people. Rips, in the BBC interview noted on the Demon thread, confirms the prediction. The preparation resulted in a scud attack that destroyed over a thousand residential units and several hundred other buildings, with no loss of life whatsoever.
There is also the marvelous story told of the Armenian immigration to california, inspired by a prophecy given by a small boy in 1850. The Armenians were told they were to be slaughtered if they stayed in Armenia, but were to go to California to escape. They were given 50 years to prepare. Many went, and have prospered. This story is by Demos Shakarian, in "The Happiest People on Earth."
Stephen
™ Version 4.2