In its best moments, the Seventh-day Adventist Christian Church is a prophetic movement, not a predictive one. Because we often use these terms interchangeably, and because a number of dictionaries define one of these words by citing the other, we do well to review the primary differences between prophecies, on the one hand, and predictions, on the other. Reviewing these differences will clarify our thoughts; however, doing so will have practical benefits as well.

Let us begin with some concessions. To begin, Scripture does not explicitly distinguish between prophecies and predictions. Although this distinction can be found in the First and Second Testaments, it is implied and not expounded. Things are similar with respect to other Christian convictions, however. The doctrine of the Trinity, for instance, is now rightly accepted by most Christians, including the vast majority of Seventh-day Adventists, even though its scriptural justification is implicit. Likewise, the implied status of the distinction between prophecies and predictions in Scripture need not deter us from accepting it.

A second concession is that some passages of Scripture deny the validity of the distinction between prophecies and predictions. At one point the First Testament declares, for instance, that true prophets differ from false ones in that the forecasts of false prophets do not "come to pass" (Deut. 18 KJV). This passage, and others like it, counts against distinguishing between prophecies and predictions; however, in this as in all matters of interpretation, it is important to follow the weight of evidence gathered from Scripture as a whole. Adventists deny, for example, that Scripture teaches the inherent immortality of the human soul even though they concede that some passages, particularly when isolated from others, suggest as much. The same should be said of the distinction between prophecies and predictions.

A third concession is that those of us who are Seventh-day Adventist Christians have not always honored the distinction between prophecies and predictions. Sometimes not doing so has served us and others well; often it hasn’t. This is why it is now appropriate for us to reconsider the matter.

One of the most important distinctions between prophecies and predictions is that they have different purposes. The purpose of a prediction is to forecast the future. Weather forecasts on television or radio news are excellent examples of predictions. We want to know what the weather will be like tomorrow; the forecasters do their best to satisfy our curiosity; we find out soon enough if their predictions are correct; and, in the vast majority of cases, little or nothing of theological or ethical importance is at stake.

This is precisely where the purpose of prophecies differs! The purpose of a prophecy is not to forecast the future, but to invite and enable us to live in greater harmony with God and with all other beings. Although a prophecy may sound like a prediction, and although a prophecy may possess predictive elements and overtones, it is merely a prediction and not really a prophecy unless its purpose is theological and ethical.

Some prophets forecast the future and others don’t; one way or another, however, with Elijah all prophets proclaim: "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Ba’al, then follow him" (2 Kings 21 KJV). Such entreaties—whether expressed or implied—distinguish prophecies from predictions.

At one point Scripture declares that we should reject an alleged prophet’s message if it invites us to "go after other gods," even though his or her forecasts actually come to pass. As this passage indicates, a forecast, even if it is wholly accurate, and even if "a sign or a wonder" accompanies it, is not necessarily a prophecy. One essential feature of a true prophecy is that it seeks to bring us closer to God and to all others, human and otherwise (Deut. 13 KJV). If this purpose is missing, the proclamation is not a prophecy even if it sounds like one.

Another important difference between prophecies and predictions is that prophecies are always conditional and predictions may or may not be. When we say that all prophecies are conditional, we mean that each and every prophecy is preceded by an expressed or implied "if" that refers to the exercise of moral freedom. Predictions may or may not say, "If you choose this, then that;" prophecies always do.

Scripture portrays Moses declaring to the people of Israel: "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth." (Deut. 28 KJV) This same passage subsequently portrays Moses saying: "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statues which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee." In these prophecies, the "if" is expressed, in others it is implied. In all cases, however, prophecies are always conditional.

In principle, although not usually in fact, predictions can forecast the future with total accuracy, something prophesies cannot do. This is because a prediction says "Because this, then that," whereas a prophecy says "If this, then that." To put this point another way, predictions reason from present or anticipated conditions to their results; prophesies reason from present or anticipated moral choices to their consequences. The important distinction is between conditions, which are not necessarily established freely, and moral choices, which are. A prediction can say, "This is what is going to happen" and turn out to be right or wrong. A prophecy says, as Moses did, "If you make this choice, you will experience that consequence." Although the second part of this sentence is unconditional and predictive, its first part makes the sentence as a whole conditional and prophetic.

We sometimes try to escape the implications that flow from recognizing the conditional nature of all prophecies by declaring that some are conditional and others aren’t. This is like saying that some circles are round and others aren’t. To understand what circles are is to realize that they are round. Likewise, to understand what prophecies are is to know that they are conditional.

Instead of saying that some prophecies are conditional and others are unconditional, we would be wiser to follow the suggestion of Richard Rice and others that God is the One who fulfills the conditions of some prophecies. These prophecies, the ones whose conditions are fulfilled by the exercise of God’s own moral freedom, are more likely to come to pass as announced.

Nevertheless, as Jonah learned the hard way, how God acts and reacts is somewhat dependent on the way others exercise their moral freedom. When Jonah finally arrived at Ninevah after his detour in the belly of the "great fish," he warned its inhabitants that their evil words and deeds would soon result in divine punishment. Much to his surprise, the Ninevites listened to his message, repented, and turned toward God and each other in positive ways. Jonah became embarrassed and angry at God when the city was not destroyed as he had forecast.

Poor confused man! Jonah thought God wanted him to predict the future of Ninevah when in fact God want him to give it a prophetic message, a point that is valid whether one takes this story as history or parable. Jonah apparently sensed that something like this might happen because he complained to God in bitter terms: "I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil." God’s answer: "Doest thou well to be angry?" (Jon. 4 KJV). Indeed!

Prophecies and predictions also differ in the criteria by which we properly regard them as successes or failures. On the one hand, a prediction is a success if what it forecasts comes to pass; otherwise, it is a failure. On the other hand, a prophecy is a success if it improves our relationships with God and with all other living beings; otherwise, it also is a failure.

Because the standards by which we judge them rightly differ, it is possible for the same utterance to be a predictive failure but a prophetic success, as was the case with Jonah and the Ninevites. It is also possible for a statement to be a prophetic failure but a predictive success. Jesus’ forecast that his friend Peter would betray him is an example of this pattern. It is easy enough to provide illustrations from Scripture and everyday life of both kinds of success and both kinds of failure. The important point is that the criteria by which we establish the success or failure of prophecies and predictions do differ.

I believe the proclamation of William Miller and others that Jesus Christ would return in triumphant glory in the middle of the nineteenth century was a predictive failure but a prophetic success. Because what they said would happen did not take place, their predictions failed and we should make no attempt to disguise their error. Yet throughout this difficult and disappointing journey, Miller moved from thinking of God as distant and disinterested in human affairs to thinking of God as One intensely concerned about our lives.

Even more significantly, a number of those who were embarrassed and disheartened by their obvious mistake nevertheless agreed that their experiences had drawn them closer to each other and to God. For this reason, after their error was plain for all to see, they chose not to disband but to admit their failure and to continue their study, worship, and companionship in hopes of learning from their error and serving others. Few religious movements begin with a "Great Disappointment" as severe as this one; nevertheless, as has been demonstrated over time, it did have positive consequences.

In summary, prophecies are proclamations that are (1) theological and ethical in purpose, (2) conditional in mood, and (3) properly assessed by the degree to which they actually enhance relationships with God and with all others. Prophecies may have more characteristics than these three; however, they do not have less. Unless all three of these characteristics are present, a proclamation is not a prophecy even if it is otherwise interesting and valuable.

As suggested at the outset—and as Jack Provonsha has stated so well—in its best moments, the Seventh-day Adventist Christian Church is a prophetic movement, not a predictive one. The difficulty, of course, is that those of us who participate in the life and thought of this denomination are not always at our best. In our "off" moments, we sometimes descend from prophecies to predictions by expressing ourselves more definitively than we should about what tomorrow will bring. Sometimes we are lucky in our predictions, more often we aren’t. Either way we are like Esau who traded his considerable birthright for "bread and a pottage of lentils" (Gen. 25 KJV).

It is easy enough to elicit a temporary sense moral urgency by declaring that the world is about to end, particularly if we use lurid language, sensational music, and horrifying artwork. But this is not what we are called to do. While learning from our previous mistakes along these lines, we are called to proclaim the overflowing abundance of God’s steadfast love and to invite others to accept it, live in its joy, and share it with others, ever mindful that now is always the best time to choose.

Why settle for anything less?

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