Monday, January 03, 2011

History repeating itself....

History is repeating itself in a sad and annoying way and I would think this would be one thing that could fairly easily be stopped and learned from. The problem is it isn't.

They say the devil is in the details and in this case I really think he is. Across news sites this morning I awoke to find a story about a Christian sect called Family Radio Worldwide who apparently feel like they need to set a date for the day of judgment. Of course they attribute this knowledge to reading the bible and being able to decipher some hidden meaning. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110103/ap_on_re/us_rel_apocalypse_soon)

Really?

I mean really?

Are we back to this again? Are there still self-respecting people out there who claim to study the bible and pull out a date for something that is explicitly written about in the book of Mark chapter 13? There is more that the main verses that immediately come to mind (13:32-33) but here's the main bit that speaks to what this group is claiming.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.

That is why I say the devil is in the details. Biblical text doesn't say not to warn people that the end could be near, it doesn't say not to anticipate it or do nothing, it says to be rational and responsible and to be on guard for something that will happen at a time we won't be able to predict specifically.

These sorts of claims pop up every few years it seems and is hardly new. I suppose people just assume that with more study and more number crunching that suddenly they can usurp God's ability to keep a secret. Frankly if I thought I had the power to outsmart God and get away with it, I wouldn't want to believe in one.

It is so absolutely disappointing and frustrating when people with fervor who are so close to truth take that wrong left turn and wind up in Albuquerque (no offense to the city intended, just a Bugs Bunny reference).