• Your Future—A Better Way to Learn About It
    The Watchtower—1987 | March 1

    • A Sure Source of Information

      If astrologers and scientists cannot foresee with any certainty what is going to happen, does that mean that it is impossible to get reliable information about the future? Before giving up, we should check what the Bible says on the subject. Remember, Jehovah, the Author of the Bible, is described as “the One telling from the beginning the finale, and from long ago the things that have not been done.”​—Isaiah 46:10.

      God’s Word contains many prophecies. How do they differ from the predictions of astrologers? Following is the reply of a work entitled The Great Ideas: “But so far as the foreknowledge of mortal men is concerned, the Hebrew prophets seem to be unique. Unlike pagan diviners or soothsayers, . . . they do not have to employ arts or devices for penetrating divine secrets. . . . For the most part their prophetic speeches, unlike those of the oracles, seem to be unambiguous. At least the intention seems to be to reveal, not to conceal, God’s plan on such matters as He Himself wishes men to foresee the course of providence.”

      As an example of this, much information about Jesus was recorded in the Bible many centuries before his birth. It was prophesied that he would be born in the town of Bethlehem and in the family line of Jesse, the father of King David. (Micah 5:2; Isaiah 11:1, 10) The Scriptures also foretold that he would be put to death on a stake but that none of his bones would be broken, as was the custom with such executions. These details proved true, and they are just a few examples of what one Bible scholar estimates to be more than 120 prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus.​—Psalm 22:16, 17; 34:20.

      A Prophecy Fulfilled Today

      Moreover, the Bible contains prophecies that focus on our day. Let us consider one of the most important of these. It describes a series of events that would mark the period immediately preceding a dramatic intervention of God’s Kingdom in earthly affairs. These events include world wars, earthquakes, epidemics, famines, and increasing lawlessness. Has not the intensification of these things become prominent in world news during our 20th century?​—Matthew 24:3, 7-14; Luke 21:7, 10, 11; 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

      Jesus explained that the fulfillment of these prophecies would herald the arrival of his Kingdom just as surely as the appearing of buds on the trees announces the arrival of spring. He even specified that they would have to be fulfilled in just one generation. All the aspects of the sign, including the details mentioned above, have been fulfilled before our eyes since 1914.a We can therefore have complete confidence that the Kingdom will act very soon.​—Luke 21:29-33.

      Another feature prophesied for this time was “anguish of nations, not knowing the way out.” (Luke 21:25) Now, why is there such a fascination today with astrology and other forms of the occult? The French newspaper Le Monde Dimanche answers: “Faced with the crisis, people will stop at nothing to find reassurance. Parapsychology gives great comfort for little effort, and in this age of fear-inspiring scientific accomplishments such as nuclear feats and gene splicing, people are tempted to escape to the unknown and irrational, trying to rediscover a meaning to life.” So we should not be surprised at the widespread interest in occult practices, such as astrology. It is one of the symptoms of the “anguish” that people are experiencing today in fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy.