“Tremendous tidal waves and earthquakes will hit Florida within the next sixty days bringing untold destruction.” So predicted a woman who said she had gotten this message from God. Only the prayers of the saints, she warned, would save the state from destruction.
Sixty days came and no earthquakes or tidal waves had hit. Supposedly, prayers had stopped them.
No doubt you have heard of similar prophecies. Some of them fall through. Some appear to happen much as they were predicted.
These are only samples of today’s mania for looking into the future. Some claim to foretell by using crystal balls or horoscopes. Many claim to have direct revelations from God or from the beyond. What shall Christians say to such things?
People today are searching for security—a security tnat goes beyond the present into the mysterious and sometimes terrifying future. People have not found this security in Christ so they are turning to anything they think will give them a view of the future they dread. Interestingly, most of their searching is earth-centered. People want to know what is going to happen to them here on earth. Few seek for security through Jesus Christ. All this is evidence of man’s inborn desire for security in a power that is higher than he is.
We would not say that God cannot give people warnings through dreams or premonitions. That would be limiting God. But we do need to be exceedingly careful what we believe, especially when people publicly parade their “gift” of prophecy.
Personal premonitions and warnings are quite different from public and long-range predictions. For example, there is no reason why God would or should reveal what political party will be victor in the next election. Jeanne Dixon, a self-proclaimed prophetess in the mid-twentieth century, made such predictions and was sometimes wrong.
When Christians engage in such things, their error reflects on the whole Christian church. Who knows the number of people who have turned against the church because of false predictions?
Supposed prophets can be in error frequently and continue to gain large followings. But Satan takes advantage of erroneous predictions by professing Christians to plant doubt in the minds of the multitude.
What then does the Bible say about the future in this age of seeking? God has given us in His Word as much as we need to know concerning the future. Here are some things we know for sure:
We know that society is getting worse and worse. This will continue. “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13).
We also know the future of the world and the universe. The old will be destroyed and there will be a new heaven and a new earth. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall he burned up. Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:10, 13).
We do not, however, wait for the end of the world in ignorance. The Bible tells us what the end will be. It shows us why the world is breaking down and where the course of rebellion against God will end. The Bible tells us that conditions will get worse and worse. We know the eternal destiny of the wicked and of the righteous. All who forget God will be turned into hell. All who follow Him in this life will be with Him forever. “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:51, 52, 54).
We rejoice that the Bible also reveals the hope and the bright future of all those who turn to God in repentance and follow His plan.
God does not expect us to know more about the future than He has revealed. He is the only one who knows and controls the “unknown” future. The warning of Isaiah against fortune-tellers well applies to all such satanic searching. “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God?” (Isaiah 8:19).
“Trust in the lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6).
-by Roger L. Berry