How do Christians feel about false end of the world predictions?
As I'm sure many people have noticed, pretty much every year some lunatic predicts the end of the world based on some creative reading of the Bible. All the time they seem to ignore the following verses:
2 Peter 2:1-3 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
Matthew 24:36 But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Considering the people making these predictions nearly always have a product they are peddling such as books and invariable end up making lots of money out of their predictions, don't normal Christians oppose such shameless charlatans? Why do these people still get so much traction and attention among the Christian population when they are clearly operating for their own personal greed and the Bible specifically states none will know when the end will come? Should more be done to make people aware these are frauds and not buy into their nonsense?
2 Peter 2:1-3 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
Matthew 24:36 But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Considering the people making these predictions nearly always have a product they are peddling such as books and invariable end up making lots of money out of their predictions, don't normal Christians oppose such shameless charlatans? Why do these people still get so much traction and attention among the Christian population when they are clearly operating for their own personal greed and the Bible specifically states none will know when the end will come? Should more be done to make people aware these are frauds and not buy into their nonsense?
Comments30
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
What's there to talk about? People are going to try to find answers in the wrong places, no matter how many times you try to knock some sense into them.
They go away in time. Nothing to really get excited over in our book.
It's more the practice of preying on those with little knowledge of the religion for their own financial gain and stirring up panic.
I'm not entirely sure how one would, beyond what is already being done: instruction on what the bible states on the matter.
Granted, not all churches might do that (shame on them), but still, some common sense might be in order if they're trying to sell stuff at the "end of the world".
Granted, not all churches might do that (shame on them), but still, some common sense might be in order if they're trying to sell stuff at the "end of the world".
maybe they just predict every possible date so that the apocalypse never happens.
it's a loophole.
it's a loophole.
No because the whole goal is to die and be with sky daddy
regular, personal death kinda has that tendency to be inevitable.
Clever...
Annoyed. As you say, those making money peddling things are shameless profiteers. They're nearly as disgusting as those evangelists rolling in wealth. And sometimes they're one and the same.
i assume you're familiar with "prosperity doctrine" - pretty vile stuff.
People are bastards.
Yeah, that's what I had in mind when I mentioned some of the evangelists. I've heard some call the prosperity doctrine heresy, and while I don't like throwing the word around, I have to agree that it fits.
Yeah you can throw the evangelists in there too, basically any group of people exploiting the less knowledgeable or easily malleable beliefs of people in their religion for their own personal gain. Are these people genuinely deluded or, more likely, frausters that should be opposed by other Christians?
Annoyed.
Matthew 24:36 But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
What about those who believe that the Father and the Son are one and the same thing?
Then we will have to ask this also:
Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? (John 14:9)
And if Jesus is messiah, about messiah, it is written: (Jeremiah 23)
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD,
“When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch;
And He will reign as king and act wisely
And do justice and righteousness in the land.
Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? (John 14:9)
And if Jesus is messiah, about messiah, it is written: (Jeremiah 23)
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD,
“When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch;
And He will reign as king and act wisely
And do justice and righteousness in the land.
“In His days Judah will be saved,
And Israel will dwell securely;
And this is His name by which He will be called,
‘The LORD our righteousness.’
Here LORD is YahWeh.
That would be the Sabellian heresy, and this verse showcases a reason why it's considered a heresy.
Well considering that line is from the Bible, you would be a Christian arguing with the Bible.
It made me think Schrödinger's cat.
I laugh. My dad was preaching at church one day, and we started out by holding up a little flyer that said the world was supposed to end last Friday and talking and laughing about it. Basically we're laughing at their foolishness to think they could predict it. XD
My parents bookshelves are full of Christian books that are about end of the world prophecies. One of my parents hold large classes on teaching people how to listen to the inner voice of God and teaching them how they too can learn to prophecy.
I have come to the conclusion that what Christians call prophecy and New age types call channelling have a great deal of overlap.
First of both are subject to human error. If your concept of God is that God is a masculine entity ignoring the feminine then that will come through in your prophecy or channelling distorting it. Same with the mood you have on that particular day.
A prophecy is a reading of the energy at the time the prophecy was made, If the energy changes (Meaning the attitude of the population changes, Story of Jonah as an example) then the prophecy becomes obsolete. The book of revelations is like two thousand years old do you not think the energy hasn't changed enough to make the prophecy obsolete by now.
By simply observing Christianity it would appear that a great deal of fear based doctrine and prophecy comes out of it.
I have come to the conclusion that what Christians call prophecy and New age types call channelling have a great deal of overlap.
First of both are subject to human error. If your concept of God is that God is a masculine entity ignoring the feminine then that will come through in your prophecy or channelling distorting it. Same with the mood you have on that particular day.
A prophecy is a reading of the energy at the time the prophecy was made, If the energy changes (Meaning the attitude of the population changes, Story of Jonah as an example) then the prophecy becomes obsolete. The book of revelations is like two thousand years old do you not think the energy hasn't changed enough to make the prophecy obsolete by now.
By simply observing Christianity it would appear that a great deal of fear based doctrine and prophecy comes out of it.
most christians don't take them seriously, but they don't tend to call them out, either. if the charlatans are profiting, they should be prosecuted.
also relevant: youtu.be/M3XEIOqWtnA
also relevant: youtu.be/M3XEIOqWtnA
Clutch<3