Ron McKenzie at the Blessed Economist posts briefly about the false predictions of the bible prophesy buffs who have related certain news items regarding the political nation of Israel with the end times. Although these false predictions are by no means limited to those who hold to the dispensational premillenial view of eschatology, it seems they have the lion's share. I'm sick of these self-proclaimed experts who couldn't predict their way out of a wet paper bag.
Not only are these newspaper eschatologians wrong about what Ron mentioned, they are never right about anything at all. They tell us about how Israel will be at war with the Soviet Union. They when it collapses, they simply make up a new future. Russia, then Iran then a central Asian republic. When the first Gulf war started, I remember, even though I wasn't a convert yet, waves of "bible believing Christians" called into radio talk shows explaining that the US attack on Iraq was the beginning of the end. It never happened. All kinds of parallels were made between Saddam Hussein and Nebuchadnezzar. Bible verses were allegorized to fit CNN Headline news.
All these years the soon-to-be ten nation European Union was viewed as the ten horned beast from the book of Revelation from which the Anti-Christ would come. Then it grew to eleven, then twelve nations. Yawn. Y2K, 9/11, Harold Camping, Jack Van Impe. All wrong. Always. Yet Christians continue to believe.
Eschatology for my kids means bed time. Ni-night.
I have my problems with current eschatology - it just seems like so much guesswork and wackiness - and your right - it always changes.
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