Can you trust any Religion that predicted the return of Christ on several occasions and were wrong on all?

Question

Jesus perdicted that Many false prophets would come in His name. Is this not the ultimate test of false prophets or religions?

Answer 1

"predicted"?

Jehovah's Witnesses have always presented their suppositions as the result of sincere bible research, rather than as "predictions" or "prophesying".

Interestingly, however, even those Christians who did enjoy direct communication from heaven at times came to wrong conclusions; these wrong conclusions were even communicated "out among the brothers"!

For example, the apostle Peter enjoyed remarkable privileges in the early congregation, but it seems that he was the source of an incorrect teaching about the apostle John that was not formally corrected until several DECADES had passed, and John himself finally wrote his gospel about 98 C.E.

(John 21:21-23) Peter said to Jesus: “Lord, what will this man do [that is, the apostle John]?” Jesus said to him: “If it is my will for him to remain until I come, of what concern is that to you? You continue following me.” In consequence, this saying went out among the brothers, that [the apostle John] would not die. However, Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but: “If it is my will for him to remain until I come, of what concern is that to you?”


Jehovah's Witnesses apply the term "prophet" only in a very limited sense to themselves as a religion, not to individuals. The Scriptures indicate that whenever Jehovah purposes to execute judgment upon a people, he always makes arrangement for a 'prophet's work' as a warning. Their self-description as a "prophet" (in this limited sense) does not indicate special inspired knowledge or foreknowledge, but their willingness to perform Christ's assigned warning work in our day leading up to Armageddon.

What group is working harder than Jehovah's Witnesses to preach God's message globally (as Noah did before the Deluge)?

(Amos 3:7) For the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will not do a thing unless he has revealed his confidential matter to his servants the prophets.

(2 Peter 2:5) Noah, a preacher of righteousness...

(Matthew 24:14) And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20000622/
http://watchtower.org/e/19990715/article_02.htm

Answer 2

Exactly. The thing with most people is that they try to see scrptures as if they were some kind of will, and believe literally each word of what they say. So then a lot of people have come up with the craziest ways of interpretating signs, or numbers or words, to find out an exact date of the return of Christ. Which is completely the opposite of what Jesus tried to do. Instead of taking the Bible as a piece of forensic evidence, they should start applying some of the things in their lifes. The whole point of announcing his return, is that people would change the way they act, stop hurting each other and starting a new life, so they'd be prepared by the time he comes. And that's why the Bible mentions the false prophets: to make people realize that there's no point in spendind years in seeking an exact date for his arrival, if people don't spend one second in re evaluating their lifes.

Answer 3

The bible clearly states that Jesus will return. Obviously that time has not yet come, but man are we ever close to it.

It's man who has predicted His return inaccurately so many times because even the best of us cannot fully understand God's Word.

I'd be more concerned about false prophets who preach false doctrine, not bad timing.

Answer 4

yes, they are ALWAYS wrong; but ... remember this is the type of gospel that is very, very appealing to those non-literate in the Bible, and people seem to flock to the charismatic "leaders" (false profit$, usually book sellers) who proclaim such non-sense and panic.

Jesus indeed came to free us from panic and anxiety and give us rest (see Matthew 11:28-30).

If the prediction does not come to pass, then they become a PROVEN false prophet:

"But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?

22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." - Deuteronomy 18:20-22.

Answer 5

Most religions typically refers to a Higher Power--one that is wiser than humanity, has greater foreknowledge and is not hindered because of humanity's misrepresentation of who this Higher Power is or when He's returning.

God knows when He will return--He is not capable of making mistakes (unlike His people--who claim to know things such as when He will return). All that to say, don't rely mainly on human prediction and wisdom. Search the Bible and words directly from God about His return.

(In my opinion, it does not matter when He returns, since we have been told to be ready for it at any possible time.)

Happy searching!

Answer 6

David Koresh, There was another one before him also. Mohammad, Jehovah Witnesses, There is a Mexican man now claiming to be and He wares 666 on his shirt and calls himself jesus.

You are seeing these predictions come true just as Jesus said.

The ultimate test is whether one has Faith in Christ and receives salvation or does not believe and is separated from God for eternity. The wages of sin is death.

Answer 7

yeah its a tough subject ive argued a lot against too...why bother is my 1st thought always...but there is some credence to it also...but these people only humans too correct,they not perfect and have spent more time going backwards and forwards in texts to seek the truth(and yes i still dont know why they want to do it either)but it does give examples of how the prophets words were deciphered(for want of better word ok it aint about numbers)its about dates,times,changes in worldsways etc...its only the last hundred and bit more yrs we have hd science to prove the word more.babylon,sodom and gammorah, the dead sea scrolls,babel.....so before then and after the apostles in my view it was basically blind faith...now we know the jews didnt use vowels and y....we know the exact translations of many many more languages than before the 19th century...we learn more nowadays in one year than other generations learnt in ten...why dont u look at how they work the dates out...kind of makes sense and daniel is the main book to tell u something of similarities between that time and end of world as we know it...least they aint fraid to look at daniel,revelations etc...go ask ur priest wat the prophet daniel was on about

Answer 8

The Bible clearly says that no one knows the time of the return (Matthew 24:36) except the Father. What do those people who think they have the date all figured out do with this scripture? I am bewildered by that.

Answer 9

Jesus return cannot be predicted the Bible is clear on that. And you are right he did say there would be many false teachers.

Answer 10

Yes this is a test. I believe in the Bible and it states that no man knows when Jesus will come again. Not even Jesus knows. Only God. So I don't believe anyone who says they know when that day will come.