Detecting False Prophets

by Rolaant McKenzie

Over the years, establishment scientific, political, and mass media organizations have echoed the mantra, "Follow the science!", whenever it promoted a particular agenda they favored. In true science, transparency and honesty are crucial. Empirical data is available for evaluation, questions, debate, criticism, replication, and the formulation of theories based on this process. Appeals to authority, where the ever-changing pronouncements of promoted "experts" are to be believed and obeyed without question, do not constitute legitimate science. It is merely propaganda to facilitate control.

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008) is an American documentary film starring Ben Stein, an American writer, actor, comedian, and commentator on political and economic issues. The film dealt with the theory of Darwinian evolution, Intelligent Design, and perils to the freedom of scientific inquiry.

Stein interviewed several scientists and professors, some who affirmed the dogma of evolution as the only theory to be considered scientific and others who faced persecution, threats to their careers, loss of research funding, and other sanctions for considering Intelligent Design as an alternative explanation for the origin of the universe.

The film presented Darwinian evolution as an inspiration for atheism, racism, eugenics, Marxism, fascism, Nazism, and genocide. An indication of this was shown from the original 1859 title of Charles Darwin's book: On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.

The environment in many academic establishments was described in the documentary as very hostile to any theory that did not adhere to orthodox evolutionary doctrine. Like the repressive political systems mentioned before, data manipulation, censorship, and cancellation were common tools used to maintain the approved narrative and quash open scientific analysis and debate.

Climate change (previously called global cooling, then global warming) has typically been described as significant variations in average weather conditions over several decades or more caused by human use of oil, gas, and industrial practices that release carbon dioxide and methane.

Some promoted climate scientists, political figures, billionaires, and elite global organizations used computer climate models to make predictions about the direction of the world’s climate. They used mass media outlets around the world to raise the alarm that the use of oil and gas, carbon dioxide, and methane needed to be drastically reduced or eliminated to save the earth from destruction. This often included calls for people around the globe to embrace an austere way of life, including giving up the freedom to travel when desired, removing meat from the diet in favor of bugs, and promoting depopulation policies.

When efforts were made by some climatologists to analyze the data used to create these climate models, they were too often blocked in various ways from doing so. Sometimes, when data gathering methods were leaked to the public, data manipulation, concealment of data not fitting the current narrative, and misleading conclusions were discovered, casting doubt on the dire predictions being made and their supposed remedies.

One such example was the leaked email controversy regarding the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, mid-November 2009. The leaked e-mails and documents purportedly exchanged between some of the world's leading climate scientists revealed more than a decade of collusion and data manipulation to "prove" the reality of climate change, that it was caused by human activity, and efforts made to censor and cancel scientists who called into question their conclusions.

For several decades prior to this event, promoted scientists have made various predictions of global catastrophe by a certain period of time if nothing was done to combat first global cooling, then global warming, and now climate change.

Dr. Paul Ehrlich, a modern-day Malthusian and author of The Population Bomb (1968), is an American biologist best known for his pessimistic predictions and warnings regarding the consequences of population growth and limited resources. To save the earth, he called for population control through sanctions against families having children and allowing masses of people to starve to death. His dire predictions have failed to come true over the decades of population growth, yet he is still promoted in certain circles as an authority in this area.

While not a scientist, Greta Thunberg has been a prominent activist on the world stage, warning that climate change will destroy humanity if oil and gas continue to be used over the next five years. She posted this now deleted prediction on Twitter on June 21, 2018.

The web link to the article she referenced, "Top Climate Scientist: Humans Will Go Extinct If We Don't Fix Climate Change by 2023" (February 19, 2018), now goes to a website that no longer exists, but one can read it and its failed predictions at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

On August 8, 2023, John Stossel interviewed Dr. Judith Curry, an American climatologist and former chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She said that the media loved her when she co-authored a 2005 study seeking to show a dramatic increase in hurricane intensity due to global warming, and environmental advocacy groups and climate alarmists treated her like a rock star, flying her to various places to discuss her findings with politicians.

When some scientists criticized her work by pointing out gaps in her research that did not include years with low levels of hurricanes, Dr. Curry had the integrity to investigate their criticisms and concluded that they were right. She realized that her previous conclusions came from bad data and the reality of natural climate variability. Dr. Curry also came to realize that the so-called overwhelming scientific consensus surrounding climate change was manufactured to incentivize the desire of many scientists for fame and fortune.

Like the failed predictions of Dr. Ehrlich and Ms. Thunberg, those of promoted climate scientists and their global elitist supporters over the last several decades have also failed to come to pass. However, this has not deterred them from making new predictions and calling for the same austere remedies as they travel about the world in their private jets, yachts, and luxury cars and live in mansions (many of them oceanfront). Their actions betray a lack of belief in their predictions, but they are adamant that the rest of the world believe them and live a life of restrictions and poverty because of them.

In 2020, the flu-like COVID-19 respiratory illness, with a better than 99% survival rate, was presented as a global pandemic based on computer models, frequent manipulated testing, and mass media propaganda funded in significant part by the pharmaceutical industry. Promoted medical authorities such as Dr. Anthony Fauci used their pronouncements to steer people to the only allowed remedy for this illness: insufficiently tested experimental mRNA injections mislabeled as vaccines.

In coordination with pharmaceutical corporations, mass media, and other globalist organizations, government health officials promoted these injections as safe and effective and worked to bribe, shame, and coerce people in various ways to take them. Efforts were made to block the release of the data used to formulate these injections, censor, and cancel medical professionals promoting actual safe and effective alternative treatments such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.

Predictions were made by medical "experts" that locking down society, closing down small businesses, restricting freedom of movement, limiting gathering with family and friends, and muzzling people would end the supposed pandemic. But many of the global elitists and political leaders that enforced these policies did not really believe in them, since they often continued to participate in activities they forbade others to do.

The predicted death toll worldwide from COVID-19 by the medical authorities failed to come to pass, though it was used to stoke fear and push people to take experimental mRNA injections that have injured and killed millions of people. Government actions to lock down society caused far more harm to people than the illness itself.

Like the 850 spiritual "experts" paid by King Ahab through his wife Jezebel to mislead Israel into worshiping false gods (1 Kings 18:17-39), and as the once powerful tobacco industry used paid medical "experts" to convince people that there was no connection to cancer from smoking their cigarette products, the very powerful pharmaceutical industry has paid "experts" in medical institutions, public health agencies, and mass media to convince the world of the safety and efficacy of their products and downplay or cover up any debilitating or deadly side effects.

God's word warns us not to automatically believe any spiritual authorities claiming to speak for Him because there are many deceivers in the world (2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1). He has provided a test to determine whether a person or religious organization speaks for Him or not.

"You may say in your heart, 'How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?' When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him." (Deuteronomy 18:21-22)

The false predictions and departures from essential biblical teaching expose pretend spokespersons for God such as Joseph Smith, Ellen White, the Watchtower Society, Herbert Armstrong, Harold Camping, and others as false prophets and teachers not to be followed.

This principle can also help us as we determine the veracity of powerful people and organizations that promote sweeping societal changes to resolve alleged global crises. If efforts to promote Darwinian evolution, climate change, and coerced experimental medical treatments for a supposed deadly disease include concealed or manipulated data, relentless propaganda, and false predictions, then those spearheading these efforts are false prophets. We should not fear them and definitely not follow them.

When Jesus was on earth with His disciples, He predicted several times how He would die and that He would rise from the dead on the third day (Matthew 16:21-23, 17:22-23, 20:17-19). He said this to them ahead of time so that they would believe in Him (John 14:29). His predictions came true, proving the truth of His teachings. His death on the cross is the full payment for sin and reconciliation with God for all who trust in Him.

The false teachers, prophets, and so-called spiritual "experts" of the world remain in their graves, but Jesus Christ is the only One who defeated death and rose again. Listen to Him! Believe in Him!