If you haven’t been privy to the latest evangelical fantastical craze, well, good for you. It’s out there, though. People are talking about it, immersing their small group Bible studies in it, and (unfortunately) funding the perpetual pipeline of prophecy prognosticators by subscribing to their “secret” insight, duping Christians again with their obstreperous fanfare. Can I just say something? This isn’t new.
Many false teachers have come and gone in the twentieth century (remember this?), and apparently those in the twenty-first century continue to pick up the mantle. “We’re living in the last days!” Of course we are. We have been for the past 2000 years. “But you don’t understand! All of the signs are pointing to our lifetime!” Respectfully, of course, “No.”
So what about the latest predictions? Apparently something huge is supposed to happen this month.* Then again, the elusiveness of the snake-oil salesmen is always tricky. He’s like trying to nail Jello to the wall. Blindfolded. If nothing bad happens this month, well, “Rest assured,” they say, “It will be the start of something huge!” Huge. Now there’s a non-obscure word. So what do they mean? Economic collapse (nothing new–it’s happened a lot in history); political upheaval (really? That’s like predicting that tomorrow we’ll have oxygen to breathe); One World Religion and Government (Chapter and verse, please?); and the apparent destruction of the United States because hey, America isn’t mentioned in the Bible, therefore we’re not around to see the end. (Sigh–apparently since Ford, Toyota, GMC and Chevy, to name a few, aren’t mentioned in the Bible, they won’t be around either.)
Here’s the problem: None of it is Biblical. When you have to piece some obscure verses together to try and prove your point and no one in history has discovered this but you, you’re probably a heretic. That’s why we have creeds and confessions–to keep us from crashing into the ocean of heresy. And that’s why the Bible issues warnings–to keep us from being stupid.
For those who wish to get some insight on this, I point you to a few resources:
- American Vision has written on the blood moon craze, refuting Mr. Hagee, et al, several times over. See these–
- American Vision has also released a “free report” (the irony is palpable) refuting the Shemitah craze. It’s a great read.
- Also, as a side note, the Jewish Festivals have all been fulfilled in Christ. We’re not waiting for more of them to be fulfilled. To suggest otherwise is to ignore the resounding message of the New Testament: “Christ is here. That’s enough.“
Final comment: Here’s the deal. I’m a pastor, and this is my opinion and understanding. (I have very good friends who will not agree with me on this. That’s fine.) I believe that I am to fight for sound doctrine (Titus 1:9), and I do believe you can be a Christian and get wrapped up into this stuff. Also, I’m writing because I’m being asked about this a lot.
Ultimately, I’m also concerned because not only does it distract from the gospel, the entire premise is built upon a faulty Christology. Jesus came to fulfill all of this stuff (Col. 2:16-17) and it would be a return to the shadow to obsess about things Christ has come to fulfill and abrogate as The Substance. And that concerns me.
If you’re looking for an alternative to the stress-inducing, hard-to-keep-up-with evangelical prophecy pundit du jour check out these teachings and resources.
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*The first seconds of this video demonstrate the absurdity. The man states, “A lot of things pointing [sic] something big popping off at this point in time, and if it’s not nothing [sic] massive…” Um, what? Which is it? smh.
Is this the same thing as what J. Cahn is writing about in his NY Times best seller The Harbinger? (http://www.amazon.com/The-Harbinger-Ancient-Mystery-Americas/product-reviews/161638610X/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_one?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0#). I just finished the Harbinger a few weeks ago and I was stunned by the things he lays out. However, I do believe he’s making too many direct connections instead of letting the Scriptures (primarily the OT) speak to modern affairs in principle instead of direct fulfillment in today’s headlines.
Hey Paul! Yes, this has a lot to do with Mr. Con (sorry, couldn’t resist).
It’s unfortunately just another spin on Biblical prophecy that not only leaves Christological fulfillment behind, it becomes the next “thing” which, as time will show, expires and fades into the background of more untrue and nonexistent prophecies.