The Value of False Predictions

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In these last days, many of us tire quickly of self proclaimed prophets who either predict stupid things that do not come true, or predict things so obvious that it is in yesterday’s newspapers. Is there any value in reading what they say?

When I was a child, I remember my parents going to air raid classes. They would come home with instructions about hiding in case of attack, preserving food, and using glass containers for food, since radiation does not go through glass. In school, we learned to go to the inner hallways, and duck down and protect our heads. We learned where to go for cover if we were out in the open.

WE never got bombed, so was all that training wasted?

We go through the same thing today, except now people who want the glory, and attention, of being prophets have added themselves to the news media, to give things added divine flavor.

Anything that is going on now, has already been predicted by the Bible, so all modern day prophecy is just rehashing scripture to fit modern events. We really have prophecy analysts, rather than prophets.

The issue of distinguishing between true and false prophets is a different post.

I usually try to wait on messages I get, unless it happens to match something I heard in the news. Even then, it may not work.

But what is the value of preparing for an event if the prediction is not true?

I think that if any prediction, true or false, helps us to prepare for a real event in the future, then it has value. Time is not really wasted afterall.

We all know that there will be some major events in our future. We may not able to believe the timing given to us when someone predicts something, but we know something will eventually happen.

I, personally, have become a snail, a slow creature.

If I hear something may happen, then I will prepare, but not completely. I will do a certain amount, and then quit. Then later, I will think of something else, and do that too. A month later, I will have more thoughts. This process continues until I do not care.

Then I quit preparing.

Then another “prediction” comes along, which seems reasonable, and I will repeat the process, but I have improved since the first time. I am more prepared, but not completely.

Then I quit again.

This process repeats each time, and each time I do a little better in preparation.

So why go through this?

Because eventually certain things will happen. They are inevitable. The average person has a difficult time adjusting to sudden disaster, and preparing quickly.

Preparation takes practice. And even though some predictions may prove false, they help us practice for the real thing, and slowly prepare ourselves.

Even the military has practice drills. So, we should too.

Civil defense, and fire stations get a certain percentage of false alarms, due to instrumentation errors, but they still have to follow through and respond. They may not know if it is false until they arrive on the scene.

If nothing happens, then that is great. We have more time. Praise God.

If something does happen, then we are more prepared, because we have thought about it, and have done something to be ready.

We are in a better position to handle a disaster than if we had never responded to false alarms. It may save our lives someday.

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Spiritual note (contributed by Loose Associations):

The only important preparedness we need to be concerned with is our spiritual preparedness.

We’re all going to die anyways.

If God wills that we survive an attack or famine, then we sure will survive it.

If we perish, but perish in the Lord, then what else need we trouble ourselves with?

We don’t need prophecy analysts. The apostles already told us that we’re in the last days and we must watch and pray. What else do we need?

These material things can distract and bog us down.

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See also:

When enemies invade America Click here for more

Preparing for Riots and Violence in our Homeland. Click here for more

False prophets and teachers Click here for more