The Lure of Prophecy
The word prophecy has been defined as a “prediction of future events”. By this definition, almost any person who claims to be able to predict the future could be called a “prophet”. However, the traditional title of prophet is usually reserved for a religious leader, or someone who claims to be able to interpret the will of God.
Humanity has always been fascinated by the future. Throughout the history of the world people of every culture have sought to understand the future. Those men or women who have manifested prophetic abilities have acquired positions of authority within their particular societies. In tribal societies, these men and women have been called shamans, witchdoctors and medicine men or women.
But this fascination with prophecy and the desire to learn what the future will bring is not limited to tribal societies. Prophecy, or the art of predicting the future, lies at the core of almost every aspect of modern society, whether this is predicting the weather, forecasting future political or economic developments, deciding who the next President will be, or simply discovering whether one will be lucky in love.
We all want to know what is about to happen in our lives. This abiding interest in the unknown has spawned a host of professional advisors who all claim to be able to predict future events. These people tend to focus on their particular field of enterprise. And because they are human, and because their expertise is limited, the accuracy of their predictions also varies. Some enjoy a high level of success in their predictions, while others do not.
It is rare today to find anyone who is able to predict future events in any field with one hundred percent accuracy. Because human beings are fallible, their predictions tend to be equally fallible. So those people who are looking for future guidance need to decide whether those who claim to be able to predict future events are reliable or not. After all, prophets do not come with Certificates of Authority.
