"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.

2017 Predictions: The Experts Weigh In

"If you thought 2016 was a big WikiLeaks year, 2017 will blow you away," WikiLeaks tweeted on Monday.

Jullian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, is hinting his 2017 revelations will be even more mind-blowing than last year's--and he's warning us to "prepare for the showdown."

The whistle blowing site some credited with bringing down the Clinton campaign (by leaking hacked Democratic emails and who claims Russia had nothing to do with it) isn't ready to let us in on what they say the future holds--just that it's (ala Donald Trump) "Huge".

Meanwhile, Internet data-mining expert Clif High, who calls what he does "Predictive Linguistics",  collects billions of data points to produce forecasts of the future. His prediction?

• The purchasing power of the U.S. dollar will start to "erode" by March
• Interest rates will jump to 9% or 10%
• Real estate price will fall by 90%
• Gold, silver and bit coin will rise drastically
• "Trump Euphoria" will end by April

(Yikes.)

Top trends researcher Gerald Celente predicts:

• The mainstream media will continue to lose creditability and the daily newspaper will die out entirely. Alternative media will take over.
• On the economy, Celente says a crash is coming with an "environment for financial panic"
• Trump's victory can only hold things together temporarily, Celente contends.

And if these three analysts weren't enough doom and gloom--let's not forget Planet X, scheduled to make The Fat Lady Sing this October, according to" expert" David Meade, author of Planet X-The 2017 Arrival. 

Good grief.

A wise man once said: "If it's Good News you're looking for--may I suggest you read the Gospel which means 'to bring or announce good news'. That's exactly what God is offering us with the Gospel: 'good news' about what He did for us through His Son Jesus Christ." --J. Warner Wallace, The Evidence Whisperer

"For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes--the Jew first and also the Gentile. For the Gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'" Romans 1:16-14

News:

• PNW: January 15th: 70 Nations Will Gather In Paris To Discuss The Future Of Israel; "two state solution" is the goal.
• Breitbart: President Obama Awards Himself Distinguished Public Service Medal; Secretary Carter insisted his boss received the medal as a token of appreciation.
• Associated Press: U.S. official says Russia meddled in U.S. elections; Sen. John McCain calls it "act of war". Meanwhile, Trump dismisses intel assessment.