“Prophecies That Went Wrong”

In a letter to the editor of The Christadelphian some years ago, Bro. Harry Tennant warns readers not to speculate about the future:

“My point in writing to you is to urge speaking brethren to be more circumspect in the use of Scripture, particularly prophetic Scripture, especially when preaching the gospel to others…

“There are future events about which we can be certain and there are events which are not yet clear. There are prophecies we can interpret from the housetops and there are speculations which are best kept for private thought or for Bible class discussion. Addresses for the preaching of the truth of salvation are no place for flights of fancy concerning the future. How is the interested friend to trust our setting forth of first principles if our dogmatism on unproved theories collapses with the passing of time? Let us keep sound doctrine and personal peeps into the future quite separate.

“Saints throughout the ages have searched what or what manner of time the word of the prophets has signified. Sometimes they have been able to discern clearly, and sometimes they have been forced to wait for the event to speak for itself. Alert minds, made lively by thorough acquaintance with the word of God, will look ahead with the Bible in hand. Brethren will exchange ideas with brethren and thereby keep alight the fires of hope during the long night of waiting. This is a good exercise providing it observes two principles: (i) nothing should be said which conflicts with the well-established doctrines of salvation; and (ii) all that is said should do honour to the word of God in all its parts…” (Harry Tennant, The Christadelphian, Vol. 106, p. 412).