If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed. – Deuteronomy 18:22

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 4, 2015): Deuteronomy 18

The next date for the end of the world is sometime in the first half of 2016. It is argued that God will put up with a sinful world for only so long – and we are obviously at the end of that period. But I admit, I am a bit of a skeptic. To me it seems that after each failed date we push on the date of the end just a little further down the road. Christianity seems to be convinced that the end is near and the problem is reaching epidemic proportions. And I know that there are people around me that are as frustrated that I refuse to see the seriousness of the situation, just as I am frustrated with people who keep on producing dates. Admittedly, I understand the process. If you keep picking dates eventually you will stumble on the right one. After all, even a broken clock will tell you the right time twice a day (unless it is a twenty-four hour clock, and then it is only right once.)

But my fear is that we will start to listen more to the prophet than read the Bible to hear what it is that God is really saying. After all, listening is always the easier choice. But listening also makes us vulnerable to the false prophets in our midst. And it isn’t just my fear. It is quickly becoming a reality. Sometimes I really believe that Christian leaders speaking empty words just to hear the sound of their own voices talk or get puffed up with their own self-important theories. I have absolutely no doubt that Jesus is coming back, I don’t know when. There is nothing that I have heard from God or studied in his word that lead me to a date. In fact, what I find leads me in the opposite direction. Jewish thought was that no one knows the date or the hour of the creation of the world. And Jesus applied the theory to the end of the world. No one knows. The reality is that we are to live every day as if Jesus was returning in the next few moments.

Beyond that, a prophet is known by truth of their prophecies. Prophecy is really more about forth-telling or truth-telling than it does about the act of revealing what is going to happen in the future. We have forgotten that. And most of our future telling involves the negative things that are about to happen. As each date passes without incident, we should be reminded that it was not God who has spoken. And prophecies without God are empty. If I was going to give the effort to prophesy, it would be to simply say this: God loves you. He loves this world. And he is more concerned about those he loves than he is about the end. And we should be more obsessed with loving this world than about its end. If we are willing to focus on loving the world with the love that God has placed inside of us, then we will be ready for the end – whenever it might come.

 Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 19