Last week people were filling out their NCAA Tournament Brackets. There was so much optimism and excitement. And of course there were experts. You know the people I’m talking about. These are the guys that always know (allegedly) about the upsets before they happen. The go on the radio, TV, blogs and Twitter with all of their predictions.
Then Moorehead State, Richmond or Virginia Commonwealth happens, and everyone’s bracket is busted.
Christianity has its own version of bracket experts. They are called the prophecy nuts. You know the guys I am talking about. They write books, rent billboards, and have TV commercials that tell us that they know for sure when the end of the world is coming.
Like the bracket experts these prophetical experts have studied the data and made their predictions. They are ‘certain’ about the outcomes (ie the dates and times).
The NCAA tournament is entertaining. But it is also a reminder of the fact that we lack certain divine perfections, namely, omniscience and omnipotence. We do not have the ability to control the outcomes and we certainly do not (no matter how many sports’ blogs we read) have the ability to predict these games.
In a similar manner the future snoopers have got to come to grips with the fact that they may be spending a little bit too much time with their charts and newspapers–while neglecting the real world of the Bible. Just like ‘bracket-guy’ the ‘prophecy guy’ may be spending so much time with his research that he actually convinces himself that his plan is going to happen. The problem is, he is neither sovereign nor all-knowing. The fact of the matter is, no one knows the day or the time when Christ will return (Matt. 24.36). To venture beyond what is written is neither scholarly nor pious, it is arrogant.
I really enjoy watching the games and enjoying the thrilling experience of the unexpected upsets. It’s also refreshing to remember the amount of what we really don’t know. I really wish prophecy guy would stop renting billboards and writing books and get this same memo.
I wonder if bracket guy and prophecy guy put down their respective paperwork for a few minutes, if they would get along well?