If a person predicts something but it doesn't happen, is that a lie?

[shortangel]

you do have some good points here,  that's true there are true prophets & then there are false prophets you have to discern what they say :)  Jonah told the people of Ninivah that if they did not repent that God would send Judgement on them but Ninivah did repent & God changed his mind

[BibleReader]

5 hours ago, Who me said:

You need to clarify what you are talking about.

Any fool can make statements about the politics or social situation and be accuracy or inaccurate in what they think will happen.

Equally that same fool can make statements about what is happening in the church or about spiritual events again with a degree of accuracy and inaccuracy.

 

       Both the above can be ignored, prayed for that theydevelop some sense to keep quite.

 

But if they start saying that God as told them, given them a dream, a fission, a message etc etc etc we are entering a very different world.

 

That's a good point, if they claim that God told them it would be much more serious.   But to be more specific, I'm referring to a pastor that in his heart strongly believes something but it ends up being wrong, and he inadvertently ends up misleading hundreds of people because of it.  Let's think for a moment about the pharisees.  They placed themselves in the seat of Moses (Matthew 23:2).  They arrogantly assumed the role of interpreting the law for others.  What about interpreting prophecy in behalf of others based on one's own opinions that end up being wrong?  How serious is this?  
 

Edited June 26, 2020 by BibleReader

[other one]

4 hours ago, shortangel said:

you do have some good points here,  that's true there are true prophets & then there are false prophets you have to discern what they say Jonah told the people of Ninivah that if they did not repent that God would send Judgement on them but Ninivah did repent & God changed his mind

no he didn't.  he told them flat out G was going to overthrow them.....   at least that's what my Bible says   Jonah 3:4
4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk; and he cried out and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown." 
NASB

 

so i would ask in the OP here, did the pastor tell them something and the Lord changed his mind wo was it a mistake or a lie.

could any of us really know that??

Jonah was so upset with God that he wanted to die....

so far for as me, almost everything that God has told me has been, "don't do that"   and i learned a very long time ago to pay attention.

[LonerAndy]

17 hours ago, BibleReader said:

For example, let's say someone insists that "Babylon the Great" (Revelation 17,18) is the U.S.A., but it ends up being the case that it isn't and as world events unfold the person later realizes that.  What is that person's responsibility before God for having spread falsehood?  Is it considered a lie to perpetuate something you believe that is true but really isn't?   If not, what sin does it fall under?  How serious is it?  Any Bible examples? 

If you predict something, in the name of Jesus or G-d... and neither of them gave you that message, you just made it up... that is a lie, and you will be held accountable for it at judgement.   I would be very very very cautious about making predictions in the name of the Lord.

Now, if you are just saying I see something that I think will have a bad end.... that is not the same thing.

I could list numerous predictions that I made, that all came true.  The latest of which was, the day they hired on a new manager, I just knew that they were going to lay me off as soon as they possibly could.  I know as soon as they had an excuse to get rid of me, they would.

Sure enough, with Corona outbreak, they got rid of me.   They claimed that work was slow.  But work was not any slower than normal.  There were dozens of guys that had nothing to do long before the new manager showed up.  But they got rid of me.

It was prediction that was dead on accurate.  But it wasn't like I was a prophet, speaking in the name of G-d.

Do you see the difference?

The Seventh-day advantists sat out on a hill, because they were taught that Jesus was coming back in 1844.  All these people sat out on a hill and waited for the return of Christ.   Never happened.  It was a lie.  I think the people who promoted that will be held accountable for their actions.

[Wesley L]

18 hours ago, BibleReader said:

For example, let's say someone insists that "Babylon the Great" (Revelation 17,18) is the U.S.A., but it ends up being the case that it isn't and as world events unfold the person later realizes that.  What is that person's responsibility before God for having spread falsehood?  Is it considered a lie to perpetuate something you believe that is true but really isn't?   If not, what sin does it fall under?  How serious is it?  Any Bible examples? 

A christian has the responsibility to proclaim the truth. Has the responsibility of discernment. To be in truth and in spirit.
When saying things like USA is babylon the great, that is prophecying. When saying that as a truth statement, you'd better be sure that the Holy Spirit tells you that that is the truth.
Or you could use clear wordings, to state that you think USA might be Babylon the great with some arguments instead of prophecying.

If one is truly in faith, that believer would be cautious to become a false prohpet. 
If a believer still made such a mistake, I don't believe he would lose his salvation. But he would be greatly disciplined.

2 Peter 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

[shortangel]

great perspectives here

[Who me]

18 hours ago, BibleReader said:

I'm referring to a pastor that in his heart strongly believes something but it ends up being wrong, and he inadvertently ends up misleading hundreds of people

If he stands up and say I was wrong about xxxxxxxxxxx, I am sorry. Then there is grounds for rebuilding a relationship with him.

If he does not recognise he was wrong and needs to say sorry, then if the elders of the church will not rebuke him, tell him he is wrong and leave.

 

A pastor can be mistaken about economics, politics etc, but should be above manipulating his people.

Like all of us if he is publicly wrong then he should publicly apologize.

[Daniel Marsh]

On 6/25/2020 at 10:13 PM, BibleReader said:

For example, let's say someone insists that "Babylon the Great" (Revelation 17,18) is the U.S.A., but it ends up being the case that it isn't and as world events unfold the person later realizes that.  What is that person's responsibility before God for having spread falsehood?  Is it considered a lie to perpetuate something you believe that is true but really isn't?   If not, what sin does it fall under?  How serious is it?  Any Bible examples? 

It will go under false prophecy since it is about Revelation..  

[BibleReader]

38 minutes ago, Daniel Marsh said:

It will go under false prophecy since it is about Revelation..  

This is exactly what I was thinking, I'm just trying to define this a little more with the scriptures.  

[Willa]

On 6/26/2020 at 8:38 AM, shortangel said:

you do have some good points here,  that's true there are true prophets & then there are false prophets you have to discern what they say Jonah told the people of Ninivah that if they did not repent that God would send Judgement on them but Ninivah did repent & God changed his mind

Jon 3:3  So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth.

Jon 3:4  Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"

Jon 3:5  And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

Jon 3:6  The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

Jon 3:7  And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water,

Jon 3:8  but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.

Jon 3:9  Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish."

 

Jon 4:11  And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?"

This is the first mention of dyslexia in the Bible!  

Jonah is an illustration of God' mercy on those who repent.  Jonah was a godly Israelite who disobeyed God but God rescued him when he repented.  Nineveh was a city of ungodly gentiles that repented and God had mercy on them when they repented also.  Yet Johah was angry at God for having mercy on them when they repented because of their cruelty over many generations.  We need to rejoice whenever there is repentance.  God's patience, pity, mercy and grace are illustrated here above all for those who repent.