"2017 Predictions: Serious Study or Wild Speculation?"

Predicting the future is both tricky and dumb, and yet, people go on doing it. Why? Because people love it. They eat it up. They're even willing to pay for it. And so, of course, people continue to make predictions. Too bad no one seems to notice (or remember) how few of them come to pass. Google '2017 predictions' and we predict you'll get a ridiculous mix of astrology, I Ching, Nostradamus, and a wide variety of psychic prognosticators. Oh, and just enough Bible prophecy to discredit it along with all the others. That's right. Mix it all together--and voila--the Mayans, the Hopis, and the Bible are all equal.

Wait a minute. The purpose of this blog is to examine biblical prophecy and to raise a word of caution regarding non-biblical attempts to predict the future. We are continually shocked to discover how many people believe there is no significant difference!

Because we are living in the most incredible times the world has ever known, it is becoming clear even to the dimmest among us that something unusual is happening. Everything from natural disasters to international conflicts bombard us daily. Every new turn of events reminds us that the 'tipping point' could be just around the corner. And it could be. But one of the dangers of such expectations is the wild speculations that are sure to follow.

Instead of wildly speculating, why not use the signs of the times as a motivation to seriously study what the Bible has to say about our future?

As prophecy teacher Dr. Ed Hindson put it: "Along the highway, signs are used to identify locations, provide information, and give warnings. The same is true of prophetic signs. They stand out on the biblical horizon to get our attention. They give a glimpse of things to come--but only a glimpse. Signs are not intended to give all the details of future events, yet they do play a prominent role in biblical prophecy."

Much is being said about September 2017. Will the church be taken out? Will there be more earthquakes? Hurricanes? Wars? Your guess is as good as ours.

Speculating about the future beyond what the Bible actually predicts is a dangerous game we don't want to play. Just ask the Mayans.

A wise man once said: "The errors of faith are better than the best thoughts of unbelief." -- Thomas Russell

"You have more than enough advisers, astrologers and stargazers. Let them stand up and save you from what the future holds. But they are as useless as dried grass burning in a fire. They cannot even save themselves" Isaiah 47: 13,14.

News:

• Reuters: Mexico quake leaves 273 dead.
• Associated Press: Puerto Rico faces months without power after direct hit from Hurricane Maria
• The Washington Post: Trump seeks international support to confront N.Korea; U.S. officials consider situation at crisis point.