Predicting the future is big business. Books about the predictive prophecy of the Bible are pouring from the presses, many warning that the Great Tribulation and the second coming of Jesus are right around the corner. And if you have been watching Christian television, chances are you've already heard plenty of speculative discussions about end-time prophecy and the year 2000. This is nothing new, of course. Warnings of the imminent end of the world have been raised in every generation.
History is full of examples of groups and individuals who have preached that the end was near.
And they've all been wrong. The history of interpreting the book of Revelation is quite interesting. The fact that all persons through history who have predicted the imminent end of the age have been wrong is not deterring today's prophecy preachers. Or so we're told. And, they say, it can be a prescription for spiritual disaster.