Beware of speculation. The Bible speaks with absolute authority about our past, our present and our future, but these precious truths are often hijacked by the speculators who will try to tell you that most of the things you read in your daily newspaper are fulfillments of Bible prophecy. Reading the newspaper with a Bible in hand is NOT the way to read either your newspaper or the Bible. Here’s what the Bible says about Donald Trump, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Brexit, the Paris climate agreement, China’s current economy, visa cards, the 2020 U.S. election, the pull out of U.S. troops from this nation or that – are you ready? It is the same as what is said about Obama, Bush, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Saddam Hussein, Mikhail Gorbachev, Henry Kissinger and sheep farmers in the Australian outback.

It says, ‘NOTHING AT ALL!’

Now, telling you that is not exciting. It certainly does not sell books or DVD’s and will not draw a crowd. Telling you that actually seems downright dull in comparison to the speculators’ latest innovations. But telling you that may just keep you sane in this world.

The truth is that every biblical prophecy will come to pass. In contrast, the speculators are batting 0 for 1000 when it comes to their sham, half-baked predictions based on nothing but thin air and out of context Bible verses.

The faithful pastor will proclaim the truth of God’s word and will avoid speculation. He serves healthy sheep food not a hybrid steroid mix.

Speculators, on the other hand, make their entire living trade from just such invention, creativity and novelty. When nothing of what they say comes to pass in the time scale they said it would, they are simply silent and move on to the next verse they have discovered, yanked from its context.

Listening to the speculators will make you a fearful person – afraid to shop at the grocery store, too anxious to go outside and always feeling like the end is just around the corner. This fear paralyzes you so that you make no long term plans for yourself or your family – which itself is not what scripture commands. Instead of leaving you afraid, the Bible, rightly understood, informs us that God is in charge, history is His-story and provides courage and comfort, no matter what happens in this world.

Always ask yourself, ‘without the speculator’s secret knowledge and special insight would I read the Bible passage he is quoting in its context and come up with the same interpretation as this man?’ I think you already know the answer to that, don’t you?

Let me echo Bishop J. C. Ryle’s sound advice, given many decades ago when he said, “What is the best safeguard against false doctrine?’ – I answer in one word, The Bible: the Bible regularly read, regularly prayed over and regularly studied.”

Amen!