Those obsessed with Bible prophecy might become unprofitable servants
This title seems more like it would come from someone like Rick Warren than someone like me that has a Bible prophecy website. Nevertheless, my observations and my own experience tells me that many that become obsessed with Bible prophecy may become unprofitable servants. There is a danger that some of these Christians will do little for the cause of Christ during their whole lives.
Let me clarify that I am not talking about those called to the teaching ministry, especially those that major in Eschatology. Nor, am I saying that Christians should not be interested in learning all they can about Bible prophecy. I am talking about obsession. When Bible prophecy becomes such an obsession that you do nothing else for Christ but speculate on conjectures about the end times you probably really are on a prophetic trip of your own making.
From what I read, from the emails I get, and from the comments I get on my blog (half of which are never posted), it is obvious to me that I am not overstating the problem. If you do some of your own searches on the Internet on prophecy related keywords and visit the sites and the discussion forums you would know that I am probably understating the problem.
There are people that do nothing else in their lives but obsess over prophetic passages and the meaning of the latest world event in relation to some Old Testament passage that they dig up. That seems to be their whole mission in life. Even those who believe God called them to teach Bible prophecy have to be careful about not reading their own conjecture into scripture.
I think I can make a fairly educated guess that over ninety percent of those teaching Bible prophecy on the Internet have so much wrong that they are wasting their own lives teaching it and it is misleading people that are reading it. I do not think Jesus is going to say “well done good and faithful servant” to those that spend their whole lives misleading people even if they do so with good intentions.
A prime example in the headlines of the news today is Herold Camping with his Rapture prediction in May. Anyone with a lick of sense knows that his math is contrived and his predictions are not coming from anything taught in the Bible. Yet, thousands of his followers are obsessed over the timing of the Rapture and they are doing nothing for Christ but spreading Camping’s nonsense so the world can laugh at us Bible prophecy believers when it does not happen. I am sure Camping already has a backup date to keep the brain dead hooked after his date comes and goes. If this date setting gets bad enough more countries might even outlaw premillennial theology like China already does.
I wish I could say that Camping is an exception. He is only an exception because he is much more well known than others that are also setting dates and promoting weird theories. There are thousands on the Internet teaching every loony theory the human mind can think up. The sad thing is that there are hundred of thousands and even millions, that buy into this nonsense and obsess over the crap that they teach.
Some do nothing at all with their lives except to continually talk in bible prophecy forums about how soon Jesus is coming, or who the Antichrist is, or the symbol on the patch of his right eye (a bit of hyperbole… I think). Many of these do not even participate in any work of the Spirit. Their total works for Christ are their own speculations. They add nothing to the ministry of the Body. All they have to offer the Church is speculation on Internet sites.
If 90 percent of the teaching on Bible prophecy on the Internet (and often books) is crap, than 90 percent of the people teaching it are probably unprofitable servants if they are even servants of Jesus at all. Many of the current teaching on Bible prophecy actually come from those in cults, or from neo-gnostic’s, or even pagans. In many cases those Christians that are buying into and obsessing over what these are teaching are not only wasting their own time they are exposing themselves and others that they influence to danger.
I look back in my own life and observe that I once obsessed over Bible prophecy. Some might even say I still do, but I have toned it down and I now use what I learned for the mission that I know that I have been given. Even with my early obsession I believe God was in it because I now know that it was all preparation for what I have been doing the last dozen years in this ministry. However, I certainly remember in the 80′s that I was teaching everyone that I knew that Jesus was probably coming before the year 2000. Why? Because I read books by Bible prophecy scholars that make a very good case for Jesus coming in that time-frame.
I was never much for small talk so with friends I usually tried to steer conversations to more interesting topics (at least to me). I was shocked one day when a man I believed was a good friend got angry at me for some forgotten reason and then trashed me by accusing me of teaching my Bible prophecy speculations in our circle of friends because I just wanted to be the center of attention.
So was he correct? The answer is no. That is not why I spoke about Bible prophecy at all. I spoke about it because I believed it, I knew more about Bible prophecy and the Bible than anyone I knew, it was on my mind, and I wanted other people to believe that Jesus was coming soon. In those days I was leading and co-leading a very large singles group. I did not need Bible prophecy to be the center of attention. I usually was the center of attention whether I liked it or not.
In hindsight, I did have to ask myself if it was wise for me to have been so obsessed over Bible prophecy and to talk about it so much. After all I was wrong, Bible prophecy was not fulfilled within the time expectations that I believed and that I suggested to others. The answer t my question was yes it was a wise think for me. That was due to a number of truths that I am now aware of. Speaking of bible prophecy helped build up my own faith, it was also building the faith of others because much other Christian theology came into the discussions besides just Bible prophecy and it was a door that allowed me to talk to people on other Christian topics.
Further, the early obsessing on Bible prophecy led to learning the teachings of many different views on that subject. That is very useful to me today in this ministry. (There were not so many bad apples teaching about Bible prophecy in the days before the Internet and self publishing. Today listening to too many people without having solid grounding in the Bible can be downright dangerous.)
“The Late Great Plant Earth” by, Hal Lindsey probably led more people to Christ than any book outside the Bible in our generation. However, events on earth did not happen like Hal Lindsey wrote in his book. Nevertheless, his Christian theology was solid and so were the general premillennial pre-trib eschatological concepts that he taught, so God used the book mightily and He is still using Hal Lindsey through his Bible prophecy teachings.
Over the years I also have run into some people who gave up on Christianity or at least on premillennialism because things did not happen as Lindsey taught. A few even told me that they arranged their lives as if the 90′s would never come. They now are bitter about Bible prophecy teachers. They threw out the baby with the bath water. I question if those that departed were actually Christians? It seems to me that they just bought into the theories of Hal Lindsay because there was something on earth that wanted to escape in the 80′s (like perhaps the policy of mutual assured destruction MAD). Did they ever really have a relationship with Jesus Christ if His delay caused them to lose their faith? I think not. They cannot blame Hal Lindsay either if they did not come to know Christ because the way to salvation was always clearly explained in his books.
It seems the same thing is now playing out once more. Many today are obsessing over Bible prophecy theories and grasping at straws expecting a fulfillment in a couple of years. They accept any end of the world theory that comes along even if it comes from pagan sources. They want to escape because they are afraid of the troubles that they see coming (Islam or the decline of the almighty buck) and they certainly do not want to believe that they will ever suffer any persecution for Christ in America.
Had I just obsessed on Bible prophecy and done nothing else God could not have done much of anything with me in my earlier days. I suppose I actually did limit what He could do through me back then. However, along the way I came to the belief that this unusual obsession on Bible prophecy was preparation for something in the future. I had no understanding about how or when God would use me later in life but that was the unshakable feeling that I had.
I really did not have a clue how God would use all the information that I acquired over the years through private study because the Internet was not even in place yet. I did come to the realization that God put me in a certain location to get an early retirement from Government so that I could be financially independent to work for Him full time but I did not know the details. Now 16 years later I have no doubt that the learning and the Bible prophecy obsession of the past was actually setting the stage for the Internet ministry that I now do.
I said all that to say this. If you’re going to get obsessed with Bible prophecy make sure it is a calling and not just a diversion from what God really wants you to do in your life. I was fortunate, for me it turned out to be a calling, but I bet that most that get obsessed with Bible prophecy never do anything worthwhile with it. For one thing to teach on Bible prophecy you have to be well grounded in all of the Bible. Most people teaching Bible prophecy today have not done the necessary Bible study so they use extra-biblical sources and they have convoluted hermeneutics. For many Christians their obsession on the end times becomes a big diversion that keeps them from doing something useful with their lives.
If those that are obsessed with bible prophecy are not now also building on the house of God, or are not in training for a biblical teaching ministry, there is a very good chance that those spending all their time obsessing over things like hidden Bible codes, time distance codes, planet X speculations, Mayan speculation, etc., or on conjectures from people like Marrs, Van Impe, Robertson, Marian prophets etc., will indeed become unprofitable servants.
Don Koenig founded www.thepropheticyears.com website in 1999 after almost thirty years of independent study on the Bible and learning from many astute teachers within Christendom. Don created his website to write about Bible prophecy, biblical discernment and his Christian worldviews. Don wrote a free Revelation commentary ebook in 2004 named "The Revelation of Jesus Christ Through The Ages". The World and Church and Bible Prophecy section of this website was started in 2007. 
Awesome article Don! I too wonder at times if I am too obsessed with bible prophecy.. certainly many Christians in my circle are not really interested in it – is that because I talk too much.. or perhaps because I don’t talk enough? Who knows. What I do know is that the study of prophecy led me back from a dark period in my life after growing up in a legalistic cultish group. It was something which always interested me, but (after the cult dissolved) mainstream Christianity went out of its way to tell me that prophecy was not “necessary for salvation”, and “causes division”, so we don’t talk about it or teach it. I spent years almost feeling guilty because I wanted to talk prophecy. A few years ago I gave up my pretensions about what others thought, and decided to go with what I felt led to. I can honestly say that it has made a great difference in my life and I have never felt closer to Christ. It has also helped me in other aspects of my Christian life. I also take comfort that Christ does consider me blessed to study his prophecies (Rev 1:3). I sincerely believe that books like “late great planet earth”, and the Left Behind series, while not necessary 100% accurate are used mightily by God to bring people to him and/or bring some of us back. It doesn’t really matter what the seed is.. if it falls on fertile ground it will grow and produce fruit!
I don’t have the time. I can barely get through a chapter or two in the evening – and that’s just reading through a book with no particular agenda.
I’m motivated by how to live and how to survive. I figure, if I’m dead, my usefulness is over (at least here on planet looney tunes — actually, planet looney tunes is probably more sane).
Yes, the Left Behind series was quite good. I was sort of hoping that the rapture would occur prior to everything going south, but alas I guess we all misjudged.
Thus, my “obsession” with prophecy is more related to trying to figure out what my “odds” of survival are, let alone probably time-lines (not hour or day, just general ball park).
If my voice is dead on planet corrupt-America, maybe my voice will have more weight with neighbors after an EMP event. Who knows – scoffers are scoffers.
But maybe we’re just racist and unintelligent? According to NPR. Quite frankly, the bible says it’s the other way around.
I think you cannot die until God allows it so why worry about what is in His control?
Also, your chance of survival if the Rapture does not occur is exactly zero.
By the way to all, there is quite a difference between a interest in Bible prophecy and being obsessed with it. One is food for the soul the other could be a time wasting diverstion.
Don,
You are right. Many people get obssessed with this topics and lose their valuable time. I get obssessed with these things oftenly and have to be cautious about my own mental desires to know more. I like reading you because of your balanced,down-to-earth, sound doctrine articles. They really give me information about the world and the Bible. The links are very helpful also.
Eph 4:13-14 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (14) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
I’ve seen many people being “tossed to and fro”. First they believe this, then this other thing, than they say they were all wrong and that they believe in something 180 degrees oppossite to the first belief. Not to say that we cannot grow in Christ and as we know more about the truth, that we cannot repent in what we once used to believe. That is not what I am saying. But that we should be careful from the beginning–careful enough not to let us influence by any wind of doctrine. Careful in reading the Bible with humbleness and the appropriate method of interpretation. And if we think God has spoken to us, to hush first and let time and the Spirit clarify us his truth, before believing and embracing a new way of thinking.
Great post!
Thanks Eduardo,
My wife is going to Honduras this weekend to visit friends and also do some mission work. I hope everything is going well there. Last year she sensed that people there were pretty tense.
Speaking of prophecy… Noting my heart goes out to the people of Japan – if the nuke plants aren’t brought under control… even if they don’t “melt down”, it’s possible they could be inoperable. I’m “watching” the situation closely… Because…
Well, first, people will be without electricity for a long period, and who knows how long is long; But that’s one of the events I probably am the most concerned about… and we all should, with good reason. But, that aside…
There’s the economic factor… Japan was already in difficult to approaching dire economic straits as it was… This could be a trigger, along with mid-east “turmoil”, to a greater global economic failure.
Excellent article, Don. Most definitely there is a balance between recognizing the extreme importance of studying God’s Word about prophecy and getting so caught up in it that we are forgetting to reach out to the lost unbelievers of the overall gospel in the world around us.Even as a Bible prophecy “expert” (I use the word loosely because it has a certain air of pride — and I still have so much to learn as God reveals His Word in HIS timing), I am reminded that a good, healthy study of other important topics is equally important. While it’s often Christians do not recognize the abundance of prophecy in scripture and, therefore, do not study it; I think others lean to the other extreme.Thanks again for the balanced perspective.- Jeffrey R. Camino Learn Bible Prophecy Ministries http://www.LearnBibleProphecy.com
Thanks for your input Jeffrey, God be with you in your website and blog ministry.
Don, I ain’t picking a fight with you…believe me on this. I may have stated this before, but I had a loooonnnggg falling away with the Lord until a couple of years ago. Sparing you all the details, I came back to Him RABIDLY sure that we are in the end times. Now mind you, when I first got saved in the early 1980′s, the first church I found was under the auspices of the Sheparding Movement {Prince, Baxter, Mumford, etc.} EVERYBODY believed Jesus was headed back REAL soon during that time. Funny thing, He did’nt. Segue to the present, I’m back under His wing. The really wierd thing to me is that I’ve talked to several brothers recently whom I was in fellowship with then, and THEY ALL TOOK THE “PAN-MILLENIMUMAL” approach. does this meanthat THAT many people had their faith shattered because they were wrong on their belief of the Lord’s timing, are they that wishy-washy in the strength of their belief, are they EMBARRASSED by being wrong before, or what? Are we as a people really THAT weak in faith that if “IT” did’nt happen before, “IT” can’t happen now? Can’t NOBODY make me believe that the signs of the time aren’t increasing exponentionally, and that none of ANYTHING going on recently is conincidential; does that mean He is coming back before I get done typing this? I hope He does but I can’t say for sure. But you gotta admit, things are definitely picking up in frequency AND intensity. Don’t get mad Don. I just regard your opinion and I’m curious.
Michael Angelo, can I chime in here with a quick question ?
Can I ask you, and this is purely hypothetical,if you knew for certain that you were going to live another 50 years and that the end times were not going to occur during your lifetime, would that change your relationship with Jesus Christ ?
Michael,
Obviously we are getting closer and closer to the end times and we should be aware that we are. I am talking about those that are doing nothing with their lives but obsessing over conjectures about the timing of the Lord’s return.
Now, if you are leading people to Christ by teaching this message you are doing something. But like you indicate, fewer and fewer Christians even care. Which brings me to the post that I made a month or so ago. They gave up on premillennialism partly due to all the false date setting
Everything is getting in place for the end time show, but the actual second coming really could be at least twenty years. Natural disasters have always been on the earth. If we actually knew what happened on earth in the days from Noah to Hezekiah what is happening now would be a ride in the park. The earth is not as stable as they taught people in Geology class. Gradualism is a false theory just like evolution. The big changes on the earth were caused by sudden catastrophic events caused by angels and/or heavenly bodies.
One think that skews the disaster data is that there are many more people on the earth to be killed by natural disasters and there is much more property to be damaged and man is building stuff where he ought not, thinking that active fault lines will never slip, or that he can beat the odds. Those that gamble ought to know that the house always wins in the end. Also, keep in mind that even if there are judgments on certain nations or certain cities that does not mean the end of the age is upon us.
One thing I do know for sure is that Bible prophecy futurists cannot say that the earthquakes and signs that Jesus was talking about in Matthew 24 is talking about the first half of the tribulation and say those signs parallel the Revelation seals and then turn around and say that natural disaster before the seals are one of the signs that Jesus talked about. That is contradictory, but some are doing that.
My advise for anyone is to get busy working for Christ because it could be a longer ride than you think. If everything in your walk is just based on the return of Jesus in the next few years you just might grow cold. Observe what will happen to all the Harold Camping followers in a few months. They will go the way of the “88 reasons why Jesus must come in 1988″ followers. Some of those people might even be what you say are your PAN-MILL acquaintances.
Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” – Luke 21:36
First to Don…this is why I love coming to your site. You really convey the feeling that you really DO have the patience to explain your stance in love, and with authority. More and more, in some points I can see the validity to your stances over and above a lot of others involved in prophecy. Second to David….good question. I would HOPE my faith would stand [in fact, I daily pray almost this exact point in the event He MIGHT tarry longer than I thought}. I DO know this, however. My faith might fall a little short in some circumstances, but as much as a human being can be as sincere with the only true God of the universe, I do believe He is who He says He is, and that I would rather be struck dead on the spot if my faith would NOT hold up to persecution, deprivitation, etc. And that’s really the way I feel. To me, regardless of WHO is right in the arena of escathology{sp?} the worst fate I could think of a human being to have is to be a Judas part 2. A non-believer is bad enough…a traitor? I don’t know if there is a part of hell deep enough for that person.
Hey’a Michael Angelo,
First about Don, yes, we are lucky to have a guy with his wisdom, understanding, & fortitude to write these articles to further our faith. He obviously doesn’t cower down to political correctness in giving us the cold hard facts.
Second, I think all of us who love The Lord Jesus Christ pray to keep ourselves strong in his word under all circumstances and to lead us not into temptation beyond what we can handle…when it comes right down to it, I think God wants our undivided love first and foremost…if we are sincere in that, the fruits of the spirit should follow.
So Michael Angelo, your not alone in what you said : )
As a side note to what is said above.
I think we, as humans, when confronted with temptation, might look left and look right to see if anyone is looking…but we should be looking up as God is always watching.
Don,
i see that you added a few new things in your second coming timeline. i read them and i think the good samaritan parable is very interesting and it seems logical. i know that you say 2032 is the most likely year for most of this to happen. i wonder why bible scholars didnt think of the theories you listed a long time ago? i mean couldnt they come up with alot of the same stuff you did? this would have saved all these pastors claiming jesus was returning on all their made up dates.
Those two new items for the table were submitted to me very recently. I had considered the prophecy in Hosea when I created the table but I believed the prophecy was to the Jews, However, I can now see how it can fit to his second coming(the conjecture is in the table).
The other one on the Samaritan Parable seems to make a lot of sense.
To be fair to the Bible scholars I complied much of the information on the table from something I once read in their books.
It seems some of the modern Bible prophecy buffs would rather just set a year where is all has to be completed by some variation of the length of a generation mentioned in fig tree prophecy and that applied to the creation of Israel in 1948. I think that is a flawed view, although it certainly is worth considering.
I think the mean average of the table still works out to 2034 AD and if the rapture is 10.5 to 7 years sooner it might be expected about 2023-2027 but remember Jesus does not use statistics to determine when He will come.
One of the nice things about the table is that this one article has brought over 5 thousand views each month, because when people type in “when will Jesus return” or something similar my article is found at the top of index.
http://www.thepropheticyears.com/comments/countdown_to_second_coming.htm
Don,
I have a question that I’ve never heard an answer to. I may have asked this before I can’t remember. Anyway, my question is would the 3.5 years you believe are in between the rapture and the tribulation be in the age of grace or the age of law? If the age of grace ends with the rapture and the age of law starts up again when the trib begins where do these 3.5 years fall in?? Kinds a weird question but I’ve been very curious. So what age are these 3.5 years under?
Jim it’s a great question,
I think the age of Grace to the Gentiles does not end at the Rapture that is a reward for the faithful, they will not see death like Enoch. The acceptable year of the Lord ends at the day of vengeance of our God. When Jesus announced the acceptable year of the Lord he closed the book just before announcing the Day of Vengeance of God. That will be announced in the great tribulation. Also keep in mind that the marriage of the Lamb takes place at the same time that God’s wrath is poured out on earth. When the marriage of the Lamb has taken place it will be too late to ever become part of the Bride. The Bride is not the same as all that are saved on earth.
Scofield says the Jews are an earthly people with earthly promises(Kingdom of God on earth) and the Church is a heavenly people with Heavenly promises. Les Feldick, who is on Direct TV weekdays, says God was only dealing with, talking to the Jews until Paul expounded on the Gospel of Grace midway through the book of Acts. What say you?? Dolph
This is my first post. Been reading a lot from this site & consider it a blessing to have found it. I have always been fascinated with end times topics. Having said that though I find it quite humorous just how ignorant I was for many years (raised in a Baptist church, attended Fundamental Baptist school K-12). Until purchasing Jimmy Swaggart’s documentary on Revelation I never even knew the Rapture & second coming were two distinct & separate events. I come here & I read about Isaiah, Psalm & Ezekiel 38/39 wars & I start shaking like an addict in a crack-house. I’m glad you wrote this one Don. I could very easily fall into the obsessed category. I’m retired military, not working so I’ve got TONs of time on my hands. That thought occurred to me after about a week of neglecting the ‘other’ Bible study, kind of had a guilty feeling. No worries though, back on track. One thing I will say after finding your site though is that I have a greater concern to be mindful of God, to be completely dependent on Him. I feel compelled to examine my walk more closely, to speak to friends & family about the direction their lives are going. I think my walk is definitely closer to God than it has been recently.
Thanks for your input on this Shawn
There are TWO specific warnings, given by Jesus himself, about the end times.
*******WARNING ONE*******
Luk 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
Matt 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and
wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.
*******WARNING TWO*******
Mark 13:33-37 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
Im posting this because I believe that end time events are not as obvious as we think.
Thanks for your posts. I came to this site because I am concerned about a loved one who is obsessed with prophesies. I appreciate the Old Testament prophesies, but always walk away bewildered when I’m told about the end of times. Unfortunately, some of these prophesies would fit with other historical tragedies, which causes even more confusion.
Spreading the word about Jesus Christ, continuous prayer, working with others, and faith in Him is what matters.
Kristina,
Much was written about the end times and we should be astute servants looking for the Lord to return for His Church. It should be obvious from the evils that we see in the world, the corruption of what is called Christendom, and Israel being back in the land that the Church age is almost over. Knowing the time is short can help produce fervency to work for the Lord in believers. The study of Eschatology matters, but if people do nothing with that knowledge like using it to lead people to Christ or building themselves and others up in the faith it can be unprofitable. I would rather see people be obsessed with Bible prophecy than to just dismiss it like so many preachers are doing.