National Treasure is a successful movie franchise with two movies to its credit. You know the premise. A team of adventurers seeking to correct a maligned family reputation range across continents digging up clues to solve a problem. They dig up an old ship in the ice of Antarctica. They steal the Declaration of Independence to read a clue written on the backside. they sneak into the office of the United State President to find a clue hidden in his desk. All of this leads them to the discovery of a fabulous “national treasure” hidden beneath Wall Street or the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Everyone loves a treasure hunt. To decipher obscure clues that lead to the next step of the puzzle. Ultimately the clues are assembled to reveal the picture of the final goal. We want to be careful to keep riddles and “treasure hunts” where they belong–in the realm of fun and harmless games.
Sometimes people treat Bible prophecy like a treasure hunt. In their quest to understand key prophetic events like the abomination of desolation, the return of Christ or the “place” where God promises to protect His people during tribulation we can sometimes try to squeeze too much meaning out of a Biblical passage when it it simply isn’t there.
Bible prophecy is not meant to become like a “treasure hunt” with riddles and obscure clues. Peter, writing to the church to keep them balanced on this subject, said this about prophecy. “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in yhour hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:19-21)
The Bible can interpret itself when it comes to prophecy. No one needs to read into prophetic passages things that are not there. There are people and events it is best to leave to God to reveal when He is ready. God will show, through the Holy Spirit, what we need to know when we need to know it. Always be careful to avoid the trap of trying to interpret prophecy beyond what the Bible clearly says, what we understand from history and what common sense says. You will will always be on safe ground.
Two Winnable Wars
Former defense official Anthony Cordesman says the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are winnable but will take a sustained effort through the next U.S. administration. Any debate that ignores this will result in defeat. Here is a quote:
What the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan have in common is that it will take a major and consistent U.S. effort throughout the next administration at least to win either war. Any American political debate that ignores or denies the fact that these are long wars is dishonest and will ensure defeat. There are good reasons that the briefing slides in U.S. military and aid presentations for both battlefields don’t end in 2008 or with some aid compact that expires in 2009. They go well beyond 2012 and often to 2020. If the next president, Congress and the American people cannot face this reality, we will lose.
Dutch Intolerance
The Dutch have a tempest brewing over increased influence of its Islamic population. Queen Beatrix has called for tolerance while minority members of the government push the limits of Islamic intolerance. Geert Wilders, leader of the right-wing, anti-Muslim Freedom Party, has called for Muslims in Holland to tear up half the Koran if they want to stay. He says:
Tolerance towards Islam is cowardly appeasement in his eyes. He thinks Europe is in peril of being “Islamised”. “There will soon be more mosques than churches,” he says, if true Europeans don’t have the guts to stand up and save Western civilisation.
Politics of resentment building in Europe? Read the article here.
Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43 years. They have two sons, who are both married, and four grandchildren. Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. He also is a resident faculty member at the Ambassador Bible Center teaching Acts, Fundamentals of Belief and World News and Prophecy. He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren.
