How do I Prophecy?

In 5.4 billion years, the sun will exit its main sequence and expand rapidly into a red giant. This will (provided Earth is still intact and inhabited) sear the surface of the Earth killing any life remaining.

In roughly 4 billion years, the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way Galaxy will pass through each other (often called a collision, but it is unlikely any actual matter will collide). This will cause the night sky to be incredibly dynamic and bright, dwarfing any celestial activity we currently observe.

At some point in the future, preceded by a period of peace, there will be some natural phenomenon, unrest, and the end of the world as we know it. It will be caused by a person who is a leader (or maybe not a leader) that everyone likes (at first) but then doesn’t like. This person might mark people.


Above, I have included three predictions about the future. Two of them have the year it will happen, the conditions of its happening, and the effects of its happening. The top two predictions were made by humans, using only information we are able to see with our eyes, today.

The third prediction is vague, the details unclear, the outcome foggy, and the cause relatively unknown. It was, if you are a believer, given to us by the inspiration of a Creator who can see the future as clearly as if it were a bright light in front of His eyes. The systems in effect obey his slightest whim, and everything is as He wants it.

So why are the predictions made by men, which are predicting events further in the future, more accurate and detailed than the predictions of an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God?

How about something more specific? Predictions regarding global warming, and the causes of global warming, are incredibly detailed and well sourced. They have predicted changes from the 1950s to today, and are making increasingly accurate predictions for increasingly wide time scales. Currently, there are some very good predictions that are standing the test of time that project to 2100AD. It is worth noting that they are also region based, meaning that the delta temperature on Antarctica will be different than at the Equator (and located at several points in between).

“There are over 2400 prophecies in the Bible, of which 2000 have already come true.” You know, I have read this statement a ton of times recently, but I never really thought about what it means. Science has made thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of predictions, that have come true. Science is willing to admit mistakes, maybe that is why there are so many Christians who find it so easy to ignore the science they don’t like, agree with, or understand — never mind the fact that there are books and books dedicated to which prophecies in the Bible got major details wrong (or have never shown the slightest evidence of coming true)… There are also many books dedicated to the prophecies that the Bible got right, as well, so it’s tough to find the exact numbers (and certain factions saying “100% of all Bible prophecies are 100% true” really skews the numbers).

So my question is this… What’s the difference between what science says about the future, with clear details, clear outcomes, and clear causes, and what prophecy says about the future (often vague, no date given, and can be applied to many different situations)?

Why is science, which can show its work, considered by so many to be less reliable?

I don’t know, I was just thinking about it today.

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