As I write this, about ½ of the 2017 NFL is over. I went back to a Sports Illustrated article written on September 5, 2017, just before the season began. There, 10 SI writers made their predictions of who would make the playoffs and ultimately win the Super Bowl. I chose three of the writers at random: Ben Baskin, Andy Benoit and Peter King. The only area of agreement between these three writers was that they picked the New England Patriots as their #1 seed and the Tennessee Titans as the #4 seed in the AFC. All three had different winners of the Super Bowl as well as different teams and seeds for the playoffs. If the playoffs were to begin today, only 4 of the teams that Ben Baskin chose would be in the playoffs. He chose the Dallas Cowboys as the #5 seed in the NFC and they would be the #6 seed if the playoffs began today. Andy Benoit got 5 out of the 12 teams correct and Peter King got only 4 of the 12 teams correct. Interestingly, if the playoffs began today, none of the teams he picked in the NFC would be playing.
These men were not dummies concerning the game of football or sports in general. And in making their predictions, these men had a number of resources available to them in order that they could make accurate predictions. Not only was there no agreement between them as to how the teams would finish, but they all predicted with less than 50% accuracy. And I can’t help but add this comment: all of them missed the present #1 seed in the NFC- the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES!!!!! In fact, of the 10 writers, only one had the Eagles even making the playoffs.
So what does SI writers and predictions have to do with the Bible? The answer is simply this. Here are 10 men who tried to predict something that would occur in the next couple of months, and with all their abilities failed miserably to do so. Yet, 40 men, writing over a span of 1500 years, predicted with pinpoint accuracy things that, for some, were millennia away when they spoke for and from God. Las Vegas had preseason odds as to who would win the Super Bowl and undoubtedly, many people wagered large sums of money based on the experts predictions. Unfortunately, many will come away having lost a fortune. However, those who put their trust in the truth of Scripture will never be disappointed for it will always come to pass (Isaiah 55:11).
A second thought comes out of the controversy regarding the players not standing for the National Anthem. Miko Grimes, wife of Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Brent Grimes, recently made an accusation that Oakland Raiders quarterback, Derek Carr, was injured because his offensive line would not block for him in retaliation for him not kneeling with them during the playing of the National Anthem at their game with the Washington Redskins. Players on the Oakland Raiders have denied her accusation. I have no idea who is telling the truth, but this I do know, someone is lying. Possibly Grimes’ accusation comes from someone else who made the same accusation to her and she is just simply repeating it, or maybe she is just drawing her own “logical conclusion” as to what happened. Maybe her accusations are true and the Raider players are seeking to cover their butts. Although I may not know what actually happened, God does and one day the truth will come to light.
Unlike man, it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18) and so His Word is a record of truth. It penetrates to the most inner recesses of man’s being and bears witness to the thoughts and intents of his heart (Hebrews 4:12). In that God’s Word accurately details what the future holds and accurately describes the heart of man, all would do well to heed its counsel.