“Doc” as he is warm-heartedly called, was saved at the very early age of five and called to preach when he was eight. While growing up he listened to and read many books by several great dispensational teachers such as Donald Grey Barnhouse, William Pettingill and Harry Ironside.
At the age of seventeen, Dr. Beshore was licensed to preach and his first sermon was on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In that sermon, he spoke of the promise, the plan, the purpose, the power and the Person of His Second Coming. Throughout his life, beginning at a very early age, he studied Bible prophecy. His expertise in biblical hermeneutics is second to none. If you ask him one question, be sure to have a pen and notebook handy because he will succinctly and methodically tie together passages from all over the Bible to give the appropriate answer.
Doc pastored his first church at age 18, and was ordained at 19 at Bellview Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee, by his pastor, Dr. Robert G. Lee. He pastored churches throughout most of his life and much of his preaching, teaching and writing has been on Bible prophecy. He taught through the entire Bible verse-by-verse before age the age of forty.
Dr. David L. Cooper was the Dr. Beshore’s mentor for ten years at the Biblical Research Society, and he became its president when Dr. Cooper went home to be with the Lord. Doc was also the editor of the Biblical Research Monthly. Possessing several earned degrees – D.D., Litt. D., D. Sac. Th., Ph. D., Th. D. – Dr. Beshore has taught at Faith Seminary and Louisiana Baptist Seminary.
The Lord enabled Doc to begin a daily radio ministry in 1956, the Bible Institute of the Air, and has grown over the years to cover most of the world, including his beloved Israel. He has produced more than 14,900 radio broadcasts. He has also taught his six-hour prophecy seminar in almost every state throughout the U.S.A.
Today, Dr. Beshore is President of the World Bible Society, which has printed and distributed Bibles in sixty-five countries (10 million in Russia since 1989 on the former Communist Party propaganda presses) and publishes a select-group of Christian books. His ministry is also very devoted to reaching the poor with the gospel and feeding them through a number of ministry projects. He is the author of The Rapture, the Apocalypse, Armageddon and the Millennium, When? When Will the Rapture Take Place? Daniel and The Messiah of the Tanach, Targums Talmud. He has written dozens of booklets that have been translated into more than forty languages. He also has dozens of Bible studies available on CD and DVD formats.
Few men of the 20th and now 21st centuries have had as great a love for the Jewish people as Dr. Beshore. In his booklet, The Messiah of the Tanach, Targums, Talmud he argues powerfully that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah. This outstanding booklet has recently been republished and Doc is attempting to mail a copy to every Jewish family and synagogue in America.
Before Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s tragic stroke, Dr. Beshore hosted a reception for him in Beverly Hills, California. He has had a number of receptions for other Israeli dignitaries and ambassadors. He has met with many Heads of State and visited Israel at least a dozen times. While Prime Minister Minachem Begin was in office, Dr. Beshore met with him and gave him a copy of the World Bible Society’s Prophecy Bible.
While in his first term, Benjamin Netanyahu invited Dr. Beshore and some of his staff into his office for a lengthy meeting. They discussed many issues relating to Israel’s safety, sovereignty and future. Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed great concern to Doc how dangerous it would be for Israel to ever go back to the pre-1967 borders. Dr. Beshore presented him with a copy of his booklet, The Messiah of the Tanach, Targums, Talmud.
During the Gulf War, the Israeli government through the Israel Ministry of Tourism invited Dr. Beshore and some of his staff on a full-expense paid trip to “Bless the Land of Israel.” Doc and his small entourage were greeted at the Ben Gurion International airport by gas masks, a personal driver (to act as a guide) and a car. They traveled throughout Israel praying over the Land of Israel.
On that trip Dr. Beshore met with Knesset members who showed their appreciation for him. They all said that they appreciate the Evangelicals standing with Israel and appreciate that Evangelicals never picture Israel as “predatory or expansionist.” Their spokesman said, “We are simply trying to maintain defensible borders and live at peace with our neighbors. We have no desire to expand into Lebanon, Syria, Jordan or Egypt. We want to live in peace with our neighbors and to show good faith, that is why we gave back the Sinai to Egypt.” The Israelis even provided a way for Dr. Beshore to present his Scripture-based daily radio broadcasts while in Israel.
Bible prophecy has always been a passion of Doc’s since childhood. He was taught the Pre-Tribulation Rapture and he teaches it diligently. He believes all Christians should actively watch for the return of our Lord and Savior and be ready for His return at all times (Matthew 24.42-44; 25.13; Titus 2.13). He emphasizes the way we do so is by studying the Bible to learn what the signs of the “End Times” are and watch as they are fulfilled.
Doc firmly believes Christians should study books on the Bible and Bible prophecy, but the best way to understand Scripture and to come to the correct understanding of eschatology is to study the Bible itself. “As we diligently study the Bible the Holy Spirit will teach us giving us correct understanding (John 16.13; 1 John 2.17).”
Doc and Lois, his wife of 62 years, have three children, Kenette, Kenton and Kandis. Kenton is pastor of Mariners Church in Irvine, California, one of the largest churches in America where Doc teaches a large class each Sunday. His sons-in-laws are active in ministry: Kenette’s husband, Gene Mollway, is a pastor, and Kandis’ husband, David Arnold, serves as vice-president of the World Bible Society in a volunteer capacity. Doc and Lois have 11 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. Two of their grandsons are youth pastors.