Since then I have encountered all sorts of doomsday variations. And such persons are very active on TV and radio, in bookstores and now on the Internet. But let us be careful not to succumb to doomsday thinking that more often than not leaves us vulnerable to becoming what the Bible calls false prophets. Almost as effectively as guilt. Scare people enough and they'll donate more money, buy more newsletters and books, and attend more seminars.
Christians engage in their own peculiar brand of tabloid journalism.
In my more cynical moments I think a focus on end times relieves people of doing something really constructive that would benefit future generations. That would require long-term thought, hard work, commitment and perseverance. Any constructive view of the future must be rooted in an informed understanding of the past and an accurate evaluation of the present. This is consistent with biblical prophecy. Before making any pronouncement regarding the future, the prophets of the Old Testament often called their audiences to remember the past, and then evaluated the present in light of that history.