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Predicting the future...

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Predicting the future... Empty Predicting the future...

Post by ThomasEversole Tue Jan 10, 2017 6:17 pm

Why do Christians make predictions? Deuteronomy 18:10b-12a and Jeremiah 14:14-16 speak directly against doing that, and for good reason!

I was subscribed to a ministry's newsletter. I really enjoyed the readings, only to unsubscribe after they made a list of 2017 predictions.

None of us know the future, that's only in God's will and His power.

Its one thing to state “I think _________ will happen”, in passing conversation… but its another to include such a thing in the context/presentation of ministry (like this newsletter I'm talking about). From a common sense standpoint, if predictions don't come true (Harold Camping comes to mind) it discredits God and the faith to others as well.

Do you guys agree with just saying no to predictions?

Here's specifically what I'm talking about - copied and pasted from the ministry newsletter.

My predictions for the coming year:

* You will be criticized for a new ministry endeavor.

* Your spiritual impact will increase.

* You will no longer use the excuse, “I don’t have the time” when turning down great opportunities.

* Some of what you’ve been fearing won’t happen.

* You will make a valuable new connection with someone.

* You will start something new and quit something old.

* You will have new opportunities to bear the cross and they will be painful.

* You will understand the kingdom of God like never before.

* Your love for Christ will be stronger than it is now.

* You will do better financially than you did this year.

See THAT wreaks of "fortune telling". I mean, even the ambiguity is there... (ie: "You will start something new and quit something old." – I guess that means he predicted the future if my wife buys different soap for the bathroom.

D:<
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Post by MikeInFla Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:07 am

I predict I will be tired at work today and want to take a nap around lunch time.
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Post by d@v!d Wed Jan 11, 2017 9:15 am

ThomasEversole wrote:Why do Christians make predictions? Deuteronomy 18:10b-12a and Jeremiah 14:14-16 speak directly against doing that, and for good reason!

I was subscribed to a ministry's newsletter. I really enjoyed the readings, only to unsubscribe after they made a list of 2017 predictions.

None of us know the future, that's only in God's will and His power.

Its one thing to state “I think _________ will happen”, in passing conversation… but its another to include such a thing in the context/presentation of ministry (like this newsletter I'm talking about). From a common sense standpoint, if predictions don't come true (Harold Camping comes to mind) it discredits God and the faith to others as well.

Do you guys agree with just saying no to predictions?


See THAT wreaks of "fortune telling". I mean, even the ambiguity is there... (ie: "You will start something new and quit something old." – I guess that means he predicted the future if my wife buys different soap for the bathroom.

D:<
I think you are right and correct to distinguish between making personal predictions based on observation of facts, understanding of human nature, and history as opposed to claiming divine special knowledge. In the ol'en days those who claimed to speak words from God and were wrong, were executed. These days they just have to wait for the judgment after death. Your revulsion to this kind of abuse is correct too. Yes, it speaks strongly of "fortune telling".

Why do people do it? Draw attention to themselves, hold sway and power over others, try to make themselves feel important, because they love God's gifts more and they love God?
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Post by ThomasEversole Thu Jan 12, 2017 11:51 am

I guess the real bummer was that I thoroughly enjoyed the ministry newsletter until this.  It was insightful, and I agreed with it.  ...then BAM.  

Predictions.

It might seem like overreacting to unsubscribe when I agreed with so much and disagreed with one thing... but I can't help but think, if they're going to predict the future, what else are they going to do? :/
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Post by d@v!d Thu Jan 12, 2017 11:57 am

ThomasEversole wrote:I guess the real bummer was that I thoroughly enjoyed the ministry newsletter until this.  It was insightful, and I agreed with it.  ...then BAM.  

Predictions.

It might seem like overreacting to unsubscribe when I agreed with so much and disagreed with one thing...  but I can't help but think, if they're going to predict the future, what else are they going to do?  :/
Well like with most everything, you take the bad with the good. But now, maybe you'll scrutinize what you think is good a little more.
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Post by Hardcore Christian Thu Jan 12, 2017 12:38 pm

In my mind, prophecy is fine, I mean God spoke through all sorts of people in the Bible

But I dont know if I would know a difference between prophecy and prediction scratch
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Post by ThomasEversole Mon Jan 16, 2017 10:51 am

6 of one thing, half a dozen of another.

Times were different in the Bible. There's more than one instance of something happening in scripture that doesn't happen today.

If there are modern day prophets ordained by God, they would probably run into the same ridicule and skepticism that other false "fortune tellers" encounter... however, I think a legitimate prophecy would contain something important and specific...

...much more than the bad-fortune-cookie style "You will start something new and quit something old." predictions.
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Post by Guest Mon Jan 16, 2017 11:49 am

It looks like something from a Horoscope reading and I can see why your ire was raised.

I am wondering how different it would seem if they had not called them predictions but said that these are things that they would like us to pray for this year.

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Post by ThomasEversole Tue Jan 17, 2017 11:12 am

Specific words used in a ministry's message delivery is everything. One wrong word, people will bail.

If they called it a prayer list rather than predictions, this thread wouldn't be here and I'd still be subscribed to their newsletter... but since that didn't happen, here we are.
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Post by messiaen77 Wed Jan 18, 2017 5:29 am

Biblically speaking, prophecy wasn't the same as fortune-telling.  Prophecy was speaking the word of God.  Sometimes it was a vague-sounding prediction of the future, but it was always about speaking God's word--an actual message from God--into the life of a person or people.  We just get caught up in the predicting the future aspect of it.  I also wonder if the vagueness we get from reading Biblical prophecy comes from the fact that we weren't the specific people to whom it was spoken.  I've had someone speak words of prophecy into my life and it was NOTHING like reading my horoscope.  It was something that struck me to my core with that sense of encountering the Divine.

I think there is a human tendency to assign significance to the New Year by setting goals and envisioning one's life next year, but yes, in ministry and politics, word choice is crucial.
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Post by ThomasEversole Wed Jan 18, 2017 11:25 am

messiaen77 wrote:I've had someone speak words of prophecy into my life and it was NOTHING like reading my horoscope.  It was something that struck me to my core with that sense of encountering the Divine.

If you believe that encounter was genuine, that's great!

I'm skeptical with that sort of thing happening with me... I've had someone do some informational "slight of hand" with me, and sure I had a certain "feeling" that they could know something so intimate, but... feelings aren't fact and there's too many variables as to how they could have really known what they did.
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Post by messiaen77 Thu Jan 19, 2017 9:30 am

I understand your skepticism as I am a huge skeptic when it comes to this kind of thing as well.  I believe this was real for a number of reasons.  First, there was no way the person could have known the information he shared because I had not shared the details of the existence of the situation with anyone.  Second, it was very specific.  Not the "God wants you to know that problem you are having with your finances is going to work out just fine" kind of thing.  Third, it wasn't really what I wanted to hear, yet at the end I heard this "inner voice" say "Receive it" and felt an indescribable peace.  Yeah, I know that's a feeling.  Fourth, there were two guys doing the "ministering" at the time.  The first guy was a fake.  Spouting all the nonsense and gibberish like a fortune cookie writer.  He kept trying to push me over all the time urging me not to resist the Spirit.  I distinctly remember wanting to tell him I wasn't resisting the Spirit, I was resisting him trying to shove me down on the ground.  So I was highly highly skeptical when the second guy came around, but his words were like an electric shock going through my body.  The real clencher was that what he said would happen actually did happen about 6-7 years later.
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