By the grace of God, I have had the privilege of meeting and spending time with some of the greatest Bible prophecy teachers in the United States. I proudly include many of them among my best friends. I cherish the time I spend with them. The fellowship and discussions are wonderful, but there is something I have heard over and over again. These premier teachers have such a great knowledge and love for Bible prophecy that it is difficult for them to understand why most of society, including many pastors and church members, reject it outright. They wonder how people can be so disinterested when Bible prophecy is so quickly and clearly unfolding. How can pastors say all Scripture is profitable and ignore up to 40% of the Bible?
Pope Francis addressed this in his daily homily on Nov. 29, 2013. He talked about the “spirit of intelligence” and the “spirit of the world.” He said the “spirit of intelligence” leads people to understand the signs of the times. But the “spirit of the world” leads people down a different path that restricts their understanding. Wow! I don’t doubt that many in the church are lukewarm, but it is alarming to think that so many Sunday morning pew-sitters and pastors can ignore the “spirit of intelligence” and be blinded by the “spirit of the world.”
Pope Francis said God wants people to have the “spirit of intelligence” so they can understand the signs of the times. He pointed out that Jesus told the disciples to pay attention to the signs, but the Pharisees chose to ignore them. Their decision to ignore the signs caused them to not understand how God operates in history. Pastors and church members should pay attention: Ignoring the signs results in a diminished knowledge of God and a less intelligent church.
Pope Francis said Jesus pretended to be angry with the two men on the road to Emmaus because they did not understand the signs of the times. Jesus called their lack of understanding foolish and slow of heart. The pontiff said those who ignore the signs today are like those two men: foolish and slow of heart because they don’t want to understand what is happening in their life, in the world and in history. Who can deny the truth of this when pastors and church members deliberately choose to neglect the signs that God gave and Jesus told us to watch?
Pope Francis pointed out that the “spirit of the world” doesn’t want people to understand the signs of the times. He doesn’t want people to ask God why certain things are happening. Instead of praying for God’s help, the “spirit of the world” wants people to come up with an explanation that suits their own likes and personal way of thinking. This deceiving spirit opposes what Jesus asks of people and offers substitute worldly explanations to direct their thoughts away from Bible truth. He is their spiritual enemy, but many pastors and church members choose his voice over the voice of Jesus (1 John 4:1-5).
I’m not sure what he was implying, but Pope Francis reminded his listeners that it was God who said, “You were not my people.” I personally do not think people have to know Bible prophecy to be saved, but Bible prophecy is about Jesus and it is not good when pastors and church members don’t want to know more about Jesus.
I often hear people say Bible prophecy is too complicated and no one understands it. Pope Francis reminded his listeners that we are not alone in trying to understand the signs. He said the Lord gives us the Holy Spirit to help us understand them. He also gave us the prophecies so He knows what they are all about. If they really are called by God, it is their responsibility to inform the world about this critical issue.
So why do people ignore Bible prophecy? As I understand Pope Francis, it is because the understanding of some is restricted by the “spirit of the world,” some have made a conscious choice to ignore the signs, some are foolish and slow of heart, some have been deceived into developing explanations that suit their own likes and way of thinking, and some may not be saved.
FYI: God Has Spoken (And We Know It) by Daymond Duck is available, (linked to my publisher @ https://www.raptureready.com/terry/book17.html). Books and a Kindle version are available at amazon.com. A Nook version is available at bn.com. Check out what it says about Syria, Russia, Iran, Egypt, natural disasters, the Two-State Solution, etc.
Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck