Don’t Ignore Bible Prophecy? LCG's Fear Driven Imagined Future

Don’t Ignore Bible Prophecy: In spite of the fact that nearly a third of the Bible is prophecy—much of which pertains to our time today—Bible prophecy is seldom or never addressed by mainstream “Christianity,” and the subject is largely ignored by modern media. Yet no other religious book contains a collection of more than two thousand amazingly accurate prophecies that have come and are coming true—which is one of the proofs of the divine inspiration of Scripture (Isaiah 46:8–11). Though the Bible devotes more verses to prophecy than any other subject, ministers in some Churches of God have been admonished not to talk about prophecy, because it can attract the wrong kind of people and lead some into prophecy addiction. However, God has given His Church “a more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV) so it can fulfill its mission of warning God’s people and the world of coming events (Matthew 24) and give us hope for the future (Daniel 2:44; Isaiah 2:2–4; 11). Let’s never ignore Bible prophecy.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail

Here we go again, another urgent reminder from Douglas Winnail: “Don’t Ignore Bible Prophecy.” Because clearly, if there’s one thing the Bible is desperate for us to do, it’s to spend as much time as possible worrying about the end of the world. Roughly one-third of the Bible is prophecy, we’re told, and ignoring it apparently makes us spiritually negligent, possibly even complicit in the coming chaos.
How dare mainstream Christianity mostly focus on things like grace, love, and following Jesus instead of obsessing over whether Russia, China, or the European Union is secretly fulfilling ancient prophecies this week? It’s almost as if they think the gospel is sufficient on its own. The horror.

The message helpfully acknowledges that some ministers have warned against over-emphasizing prophecy because it can attract “the wrong kind of people” and lead to “prophecy addiction.” But then it bravely overrides that concern, because apparently the risk of creating anxious, hyper-focused members is worth it. After all, someone has to warn the world about all the terrible things that are definitely about to happen.
Nothing says “good news” quite like regularly reminding people that global catastrophe is just around the corner and that only those paying close attention to the right interpretations will be prepared. It’s a bold strategy: keep the flock slightly terrified, then offer them hope after the really bad stuff happens. Classic.

And let’s not forget the special calling. While other Christians are apparently busy being deceived by their lack of prophetic insight, we have been given “a more sure word of prophecy” so we can fulfill our mission of warning everyone. It’s almost like having secret access to the divine weather forecast that nobody else bothered to check.

Of course, there’s always that awkward part of the New Testament where Jesus and the apostles seem far more interested in transformed hearts, forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit writing God’s law inside people rather than on endless prophecy charts. Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8–10 talk about a covenant based on relationship and internal change, not on correctly identifying modern nations with ancient ones.
But why focus on something as boring as “Christ has already overcome the world” when you could instead spend your time decoding the latest geopolitical developments as if they’re a divine scavenger hunt? Much more exciting.

The New Covenant even has the audacity to suggest that believers can have peace now, rather than a nervous hope that arrives only after the Tribulation, the mark of the beast, and whatever else is currently trending in prophecy circles. How terribly inconvenient.

A Quick Summary for the Prophecy Enthusiast

• Old approach: Read the Bible, get scared, warn everyone else to get scared too, repeat.
• New Covenant approach: Jesus already dealt with the biggest problem (sin and death). The Spirit is at work in hearts. Try not to be anxious about tomorrow.

One of these feels like it was designed to produce slightly neurotic disciples who are always bracing for impact. The other feels like it was designed to produce people who can actually sleep at night.
So by all means, study prophecy if you enjoy it. Just don’t let anyone convince you that failing to make it your primary spiritual focus means you’re ignoring God. That particular guilt trip has been running for decades, and it’s remarkably effective at keeping people dependent on the next urgent prophetic update.
After all, nothing unites a group quite like a shared sense of impending doom… and the comforting belief that at least you saw it coming.