Yet again, another end time prophecy...Why?
Do you remember what Solomon wrote?
Whatever has happened, will happen again; whatever has been done, will be done again. There is nothing new on earth.Yet another end time prophecy has emerged, and it’s true: I am a scoffer. I scoff at the endless modern day end-time predictions that come and go without being fulfilled. In general these predictions hinge on human assumptions and speculative reasoning not rooted in God’s word.
—Ecclesiastes 1:9 (ISV)
Quite by accident I stumbled across a modern-day prophecy claiming that the ‘rapture’ will begin “no later than May 14, 2019.” The rapture, according to this prophet, is the return of Jesus to set up a temporary earthly kingdom.
My heart is heavy as I wonder about all those who have given up on the Bible because of false prophets. I intend no disrespect, but I can find no other accurate description: False prophets.
Did you know that God had something to say about those who speak falsely in His name?
Whenever a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, and the oracle does not come about or the word is not fulfilled, then the Lord has not spoken it. The prophet will have spoken presumptuously, so you need not fear him.
—Deuteronomy 18:22 (ISV)
God gave these instructions to ancient Israel after He delivered them from Egypt. There were some who prophesied, but the people did not have the complete word of God (the Bible) to evaluate the prophecy. So, they were literally instructed to ‘wait and see.’
Some people today are twisting the word of God to satisfy their personal obsession with the calculation of the return of Christ. They have unwittingly taken Truth and cast it as a lie. Then when the predicted date comes and goes without fulfillment the prophet is shown to be a false prophet. Yet, he/she has helped to build a case against the truth and relevance of God’s word. God reveals His attitude toward liars:
These false prophets spend countless hours trying to unravel riddles of presumed signs while completely overlooking (or ignoring) the obvious thundering message from God: Get ready!
All prophecy in the Bible that looks forward to God’s judgment, whether directed to ancient Judah concerning their idolatry, or to the Jews at the time of Jesus concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, or to Christians concerning the end of the world; all judgment prophecy has one simple message: Get ready!
A person gets ready by first turning to Jesus. Those who have already devoted their lives to Christ get ready by giving careful attention to God’s inspired word.
The ‘Ferris Wheel of prognostication’ will continue to go ‘round and ‘round with endless prophecies that fail. Don’t be distracted. Don’t listen. Don’t worry about their predictions. And above all, don’t forget the crystal clear instructions in God’s word about the return of Christ: Be Ready!
Mark Stinnett
*Prognostication: The foretelling of things based on signs.
Some people today are twisting the word of God to satisfy their personal obsession with the calculation of the return of Christ. They have unwittingly taken Truth and cast it as a lie. Then when the predicted date comes and goes without fulfillment the prophet is shown to be a false prophet. Yet, he/she has helped to build a case against the truth and relevance of God’s word. God reveals His attitude toward liars:
Here are six things that the Lord hates— seven, in fact, are detestable to him: Arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, and….The list goes on, but the point is that God hates “a lying tongue.” God’s language is strong. This is something He actually hates.
—Proverbs 6:16–17 (ISV)
These false prophets spend countless hours trying to unravel riddles of presumed signs while completely overlooking (or ignoring) the obvious thundering message from God: Get ready!
All prophecy in the Bible that looks forward to God’s judgment, whether directed to ancient Judah concerning their idolatry, or to the Jews at the time of Jesus concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, or to Christians concerning the end of the world; all judgment prophecy has one simple message: Get ready!
A person gets ready by first turning to Jesus. Those who have already devoted their lives to Christ get ready by giving careful attention to God’s inspired word.
The ‘Ferris Wheel of prognostication’ will continue to go ‘round and ‘round with endless prophecies that fail. Don’t be distracted. Don’t listen. Don’t worry about their predictions. And above all, don’t forget the crystal clear instructions in God’s word about the return of Christ: Be Ready!
Mark Stinnett
*Prognostication: The foretelling of things based on signs.
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