Some years ago, a particular "prophecy preacher" authored a work purporting to tell the reader "everything you ever wanted to know about prophecy." Inevitably, of course, time invalidates such claims.
Despite Christ's denial that mankind knows the time of his return (Matt. 24:36; Mark 13:32), predictions to that end are anything but new. Scripture further implies that some prophetic pronouncements will be understood only within the setting of fulfillment itself (Jer. 23:22; 30:24; John 14:29, etc.)
This was all brought to mind recently in relation to the latest, at least to our knowledge, prediction of Christ's return and destruction of the earth - the occurence of which, allegedly, was to have taken place a couple weeks or so ago.
In relatively recent times, the most effective propagation of spurious "prophetic insight" was, of course, the "forty year generational theory" wherein Christ's coming to reign on the earth was to take place forty years after the reestablishment of Israel as a nation. Given the fact that Israel attained statehood in 1948, and that a Pre-tribulation Rapture of the Church was projected to occur seven years prior to the conclusion of the forty years, Christ's "return" would then take place in in 1981. Enormous numbers of believers were persuaded and immense quantities of books promoting the thesis were sold.
Of numerous lesser effective "revelations and insights" we will here touch upon but a few. Some readers, for example, may recall when, following World War II, biblical reference denoting a certain new instrument of warfare was purportedly discovered in Matthew 24:15: "When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet..." . There it was... the first four letters of the word "abomination" being comprised of "A-bom" - thus "the A-bomb of desolation!"
Others will recall the "prophetic discovery" that by ascribing an ascending value of the number 6 (the "number of man") to letters of the English alphabet (A=6; B=12; C=18; etc.), the then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's last name would yield a numerical total of 666 (no doubt to the immense relief of then Egyptian President Anwar Sadat who, given the fact that Charles de Gaulle was no longer around to fill the role of Antichrist, was himself now absolved of that onerous responsibility).
Again, it was claimed that in preparation for the coming carnage of Armageddon, Mideastern vultures were now multiplying at an incredible rate (largely attributable to their now laying four eggs per clutch as opposed to a previous single egg). The list of spurious "revelations" is, of course, ongoing.
While not specifically eschatological in nature, we would also note the considerable excitement exerted some years ago by the widely disseminated report of Russian scientists who, having drilled a hole many miles into the earth into which a microphone had then been lowered, had been stunned beyond measure upon hearing the cries of the damned in hell. The drive and thrust attendant this alleged event held much in common with many of the "insights" that yet continue to characterize the realm of speculative prophetic allegations.(Interestingly, it was later discovered that the story of the Russian scientists was a deliberate fabrication initiated by a religious skeptic intent on proving Christians gullible and naive.)
To the world at large, repeated confusions of the foregoing nature tend not only to undermine the credibility of prophetic pronouncement but, particularly among those less nurtured in the faith, a certain hesitation or even disillusionment in relation to insightful understanding - particularly as the Church increasingly encounters the day of spiritual delusion wherein, "were it possible, the very elect elect will be deceived" (Matt. 24:24).
Finally, on a somewhat lighter side and as a reminder to "prove all things" (I Thess. 5:21; an exhortation most likely unneeded in the following instance)we here share the following tongue-in-cheek "revelation" concerning "Barney the Purple Dinosaur" of children's television fame. This first appeared some years ago in "The Joyful Newsletter" as published by Cal and Rose Samra of Portage, Michigan(*). With their permission, we then shared it with our readership.
Beginning with the words "CUTE PURPLE DINOSAUR" in which, as per Latin usage, the letters "U" are changed to "V," one thus arrives at CVTE PVRPLE DINOSAVR. By substituting Arabic numerical equivalents for the Roman numerals CVVLDIV in the amended ascription, one then arrives at 100-5-5-50-500-1-5; the sum of which totals
666. Barney, obviously, is the Antichrist!
While we smile, might it be that the preceding "insight" is not always that far removed from the eschatological assumptions sometimes encountered in relation to more serious concerns?
While originally written in relation to another sphere of concern, the words of the apostle Paul are equally appropriate here: "Brethren, do not be children in your thinking, yet in evil be babes, but in your thinking be mature" (I Cor. 14:20).
Burl Ratzsch
(*) "The Joyful Noiseletter"
P.O. Box 895
Portage, Michigan 49081-0895
