It seems that people are still making plenty of predictions about the 21st Century. So, after quite a bit of thought, here are some of mine. (Don’t jump to conclusions: you’ll find my explanations towards the end.)
SEVEN NEW AGE PREDICTIONS:
1. The true identity of a powerful ruler known only to a minority will be made known to every nation on earth, through technology that is now being developed!
2. New Age practices will replace old-time religion.
3. True believers will be regarded by society as members of a disruptive, antisocial sect.
4. Those who refuse to conform to the dominant religion of the day will be harassed, discriminated against, and jailed. Some will even be killed.
5. Alien spiritual guides will appear on Planet Earth!
6. Mystical experiences will result in strange encounters, of a kind previously prohibited by orthodox religious believers.
7. Secure earthly institutions will be shaken, resulting in dramatic and unexpected overnight changes.
Still with me? Don’t reject my predictions out of hand and dismiss me as deluded. Because, you see, these things are clearly revealed in the Bible. I know that every oddball claims that, but read on…I can prove it!
1. Jesus Christ has ruled from His throne in Heaven for almost 2000 years, and Christians – today more numerous than ever – are in the forefront of communications technology. The first followers of Jesus left their nets to follow Him. Now, on the Web, we network globally, the name of Jesus is glorified in cyberspace, and in the 21st Century an unprecedented number will be reached with the message of Christ.
2. New Age? That began on the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came. The old age died when Jesus was crucified, and old-time-religion – the sacrificial requirements of the Old Testament system – died with it. Gimme that new-time religion!
3. Disruptive Christians? “They who have turned the world upside down have come here, also.” The world’s approval is not our lot. The preaching of the Cross won’t result in any pats on the back, but Heaven will applaud! Sect-members? So were the Pharisees. Being members of a societal subgroup doesn’t seem to have bothered them. (They were pretty disruptive, in their own right.)
4. Paul the apostle was harassed, discriminated against, jailed and, finally, martyred. Luther, Knox, Bunyan, and countless others since have been treated pretty badly. Millions today suffer under diehard dictators. There is a price to pay for freedom of worship, and only those who take it for granted sell it cheaply.
5. Aliens among us? I should hope so: Heaven only knows what we would do without angels! More often than not they appear in times of crisis – usually to those whose witness is threatened by forces hostile to the preaching of Christ. They seem to excel at jailbreaks. Peter’s surprise night-time visitor punched him awake, led him out of the prison, and guided him in the direction of a church prayer meeting. (We need more of that!)
6. There’s no getting around it – even Christians fall into trances (and not just those brought on by overlong sermons). Peter “fell into a trance” that later led him into definitely non-kosher company! Please explain, huffed the church leaders at Jerusalem. Peter testified that, in the event, they had all been divinely overruled.
7. By now, you’ll have guessed that it was the prison at Philippi that was shaken (in answer to the prayers and praises of Paul and Silas); that the dramatic event which rocked the normally secure institution was the release of the prisoners from their shackles; and that the unexpected changes were the salvation of the warden and everyone in his household!
What a pity that I limited myself to just Seven New Age Predictions for the 21st Century – I’ve just thought of a few more! They are…
That worship of a purely spiritual nature will be the norm, irrespective of remaining religious monuments.
That religious observances requiring priests, altars, robes and rituals will soon be meaningless to true believers.
That fellowship with God will be an everyday lifestyle, rather than a weekly observance.
But it’s best that I stop here, perhaps, because it’s possible that many other popular New Age predictions, rather than sign-posting events in the 21st Century, may actually describe the church back in the first one!
Sadly, it’s also possible that, after visiting the church of the past – a church triumphant in turbulent times – we might prefer the church as it is, and opt for a less challenging future!