Against using the Bible to foretell the future.

Jerusalem Wednesday, July 09, 2008

The Bible should never be used as a tool for divining the future.

This defeats the purpose for which the Bible was written.

The Bible wasn't written so that men could tell the future. In fact the Bible clearly prohibits man from foretelling the future. Leviticus 20:27, Deuteronomy 18:14 and many other verses.

The function of the Prophets of the Bible is clearly stated in the following verses:

1.             To pray to God and to receive the word of God.
Genesis 20:7

2.             Miracles aren't proof that he's a true prophet.

           Deuteronomy 13:1-5

3.             To be humble and study the word of God like Moses
Deut 18:15

4.             To speak what God tells him to speak

           Deut 18:18

5.              To Know God
 Deut 34:10

6.             To remind the people of the good things that God did for them in the past if they were obedient to Him and the bad things He did to them if they weren't obedient.

           Judges 6:8

7.             Not to prophesy for payment
1 Samuel 9:9 ff

8.             To reprimand the king.

           1 kings 20:13

The tactic used by the prophet is to warn his listeners about something that will happen in the future if they don't repent. This seems like the prophet is being a forecaster of the future, but that isn't his purpose.

The event which he predicts is a direct result of the moral situation of the nation which the prophet is trying to correct.

According to the prophet every human situation, war, poverty, richness, happiness etc is the result of moral or immoral behavior.

The prophet is only concerned about the future as a result of the present day behavior.

He is a man of the present not of the future.

If you want to learn how to tell the future the Bible isn't the book for you. It's meant as the word of God to tell you what He requires of you.

People who go around professing to know what the Bible predicts are simply liars.