Blessed Hope
The semantic web in that catchy song by the Swedish group Abba entitled “Angel Eyes” speaks of an angelic disguise by a nefarious character. Reminds some of us that are familiar with 2 Cor 11:14? Quite spot on when the Son of Perdition truly masquerades as an angel of light!
This deceptive stance by the Enemy is rife in cyberspace, particularly on the Tube (YouTube). A sizeable lot of this scourge is directed at the faithful many that cling onto the Blessed Hope. It is of paramount importance that all of us who belong to the Bride of Christ be knowledgeable about that which is unwelcome material, deceitful gobbledygook that only undermines our faith in the Blessed Hope. Listed below are the main categories of spiritual carcinogens that we should NOT give any of our time to.
- Blasted hopers
Would prefer to call them outright no-hopers. These often self-styled prophets of doom and gloom take great pleasure in launching all-out frontal assaults on the Blessed Hope. They do quote scriptural passages but their interpretations can be warped and quite confusing, if not disheartening. They usually stick to a rigid viewpoint that can be occasionally extreme. But one thing is evident; it is all about stirring unease and alarm which is contrary to the need for comfort plus encouragement so emphasized in 1 Thess 4:13-17.
There are a good number of nasties in this blasted-hoper camp that are purely in it for the money. Scaremongering is their preferred marketing approach. It can be a case of hawking bins of edibles with elongated expiry dates or promoting an all-aspects-covered prepper package – all for quite a price tag! Do not be surprised if there is so-called super safe-haven real estate being offered at a ‘discount’ for a limited time.
One thing that sticks out like a sore index finger points to the shallowness of knowledge this crowd possesses. They have not much of an inkling when posed any questions about the genuine severity of the Tribulation.
“Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things” (Philippians 3:19).
Should anyone fall prey to their scare tactics, it is very likely that money goes down the drain; and at the same time, a rip-off where one’s eternal destiny goes is as good as a done deal.
- Date setters
Most from this practice have derived their inspiration from the grand wizard of date setting, none other than Harold Camping. None of any purported dates have ever materialized. Why? Because it is NOT scriptural! The answer is plain for all to see in Matthew 24:36:
“No one knows the day and hour, not even the angels, not the Son but only the Father knows.”
It is straight and simple – so have zero time for this date-setting hogwash. Best you label it as spam. Perhaps this will give your harangued soul a lot of relief from weariness.
- Speculators
This following reeks like a derivative from the date-setting camp. Although these folks do not pinpoint any specific date, they mislead the lesser-informed by quite a bit of rigmarole based on the sun, moon and stars. They also enjoy making a punt on something happening on certain Jewish feast days and festivities with a fair bit of numerology coming into play. Practically all this fluff has come and gone. It therefore serves to only make you weary if you have any time for this nonsense.
- Sensationalists
These folks love to make mountains out of molehills; they train their attention on trivia and then make a big thing out of it. A lot of this has to do with the identity of the Antichrist. Why should you and I bother when we are out of here before he is revealed? We ought to focus on the prophetic events before our eyes – a privilege not enjoyed by our Church fathers, which is the Word of God real time!
- Electric dreams?
They appear on a frequent basis on the Tube, usually in the form of Rapture dreams but also futuristic ones. Most of these dreamers are ordinary folk; and even if there are some legitimate cases, the time involved in sifting through the jungle is enormous. Would it be better spent on something that speaks of solid, scripturally based stuff? Information overload can be truly stressful!
Conclusion
Try these for size:
There are a number of prophecy channels that place strong emphasis on the inerrant Living Word. The following are just suggestions.
- The Hal Lindsey report (including
repeats of programs from recent
past) Concise and factual Bible-
centered stuff – great for a newbie. - Prophecy Watchers
Lots of interviews with leading
figures in Bible prophecy.
There is also a book store with
DVDs on relevant topics available - Understanding the times with
Jan Markell. Features weekly
interviews of length with up-to-
date focus on the times we
live in. - Mid-East Prophecy Update
J.D. Farag - Behold Israel (Amir Tsarfati)
The last two that are suggested have a good deal on what is happening in Israel and the Middle East.
I pray and hope that everything that is written will make all who long for that trumpet to sound sturdy in their faith.
Yours in Christ,
Edwin