Christians look to scripture for encouragement, understanding, and wisdom, among other things. However, the Bible also contains numerous prophecies that Christians should take seriously.
Here are seven chilling prophecies from the Bible that Christians cannot ignore.
The Final Judgment: Eternal Consequences for All
"And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:15).
The primary type of scripture that people consider "chilling" relates to the final judgment and eternal destiny of all humanity. This scripture makes it clear that there will be a final judgment and that those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will be eternally condemned. The previous verse makes clear that the lake of fire is "the second death." While those whose names are written in the Book of Life will spend eternity in God's Kingdom, not everyone will "make it" - and the consequences are eternal. That's a sobering reminder of how important it is to encourage others to accept God's offer of forgiveness and life in Jesus Christ.
A Warning Against False Teachers and Misleading Doctrines
"For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
Most Christians know these verses. Unfortunately, this is the age of "accumulating teachers." The internet offers unlimited voices and views of scripture. If someone wants to find a "teacher" to support what they already believe, it's only a search away! But that's exactly the sort of thing that Paul warned Timothy against in these verses. People won't tolerate sound doctrine, so they hop from church to church, looking for what they want. And now, if they can't find it in a "church," they can find it online. This is only the latest manifestation of "turning away from the truth and turning aside to myths." It's so easy to do – and now it's so common that it's almost impossible to miss.
The Inevitable Trouble Christians Will Face
"In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Why is this chilling? Jesus is declaring his victory over the world; Christians should rejoice at that, right? Yes – but Jesus also states that "in the world you have tribulation." The NIV translates this sentence, "In this world, you will have trouble." Jesus won the victory over sin and death and the world on the cross, but the complete and final demonstration of that victory is still to come. In the meantime, Christians will face trouble in this world. The chilling aspect of this comes in connection with the previous passage from 2 Timothy – the tendency to gather teachers who say what people want to hear.
Those who claim that Christians don't ever have to get sick, be poor, face problems, etc., make Jesus out to be a liar.
Jesus did not say, "In this world, you have had trouble, but I have overcome the world." No, He said, "You will have trouble." His kingdom is coming in its fullness, but it's not here yet. That means that there is still the prospect of trouble to come.
Spiritual Pride: A Dangerous Trap
"But He said, 'I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me" (Luke 22:34).
The story of Peter's denial of Jesus is very familiar – as is the story of his restoration. Christians are often encouraged in their struggles that if Peter could fail and be restored, Jesus can also restore them if they fail. And, of course, Jesus can! But the chilling part of this prophecy is that even someone like Peter could fail spectacularly. He boldly promised that even if the other disciples abandoned Jesus, he never would.
But he did, and that's a reminder that spiritual pride is dangerous. Peter was convinced that he was strong enough, faithful enough, and spiritual enough—but he wasn't. Even though Jesus warned Peter what would happen, Peter wasn't ready—and he failed. The same danger faces Christians today. As the remainder of these chilling prophecies will show, many Christians will not be prepared.
Persecution From the "Religious" Establishment
"They will ban you from the synagogue, yet an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering a service to God" (John 16:2).
The thought that Christians will face trouble in the world is bad enough, but in John 16:2, Jesus warns his disciples that persecution will come from within the "religious establishment." Why is that chilling? Because deception will run so deep that "religious" people will persecute Christians and be convinced that they are serving God! And not just persecute them; "everyone who kills you [will] think that he is offering a service to God." That's chilling because it shows that deception will be both deep and widespread.
Faithfulness to the Least of These
"Then He will say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me…for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat…to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either'" (Matthew 25:41-45).
This is a chilling prophecy because Jesus makes clear that the standard for faithfulness is much stricter than people often imagine. In the broader passage (Matthew 25:31-46), everyone understands that they would be expected to feed Jesus, give Him a drink, etc. The first group didn't realize that they had done so; the second group didn't realize they hadn't. The particularly chilling part is that the second group – the "goats" (see Matthew 25:33) – didn't think they had done anything wrong. But they had – and Jesus says in verse 46, "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father will enter" (Matthew 7:21).
At first glance, this might not seem to be chilling; Jesus simply states what all Christians know to be true. Those who do God's will are welcomed into God's kingdom; those who do not do God's will are not. But this may be the most chilling prophecy of all – because as Jesus goes on in the next two verses, it is clear that there will be many people who think that they are part of the kingdom who, in fact, are not. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness'" (Matthew 7:22-23).
The frightening implication of Jesus' words is that many will assume that they are righteous but are not. Simply doing things that look spiritual is not enough—even things that are considered miraculous. Jesus is not just talking about a few people; He says that many will tell Him about what they have done. His response is chilling: "I never knew you."
When people think about "chilling" prophecies, they often think about the apocalyptic imagery of Revelation: blood moons, stars falling from the sky, plagues, pestilence and war. But for Christians, those prophecies shouldn't be frightening; those things are reserved for those who have rejected Jesus.
What is really chilling is the fact that many will think that they're prepared for God's kingdom – but they're not. As the NIV translates this last passage, "Many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord,'…and I will say, 'I never knew you.'" Imagine someone thinks they know Jesus, but He says, "I never knew you."
What could be more chilling than that?
