Articles
Being Content Not to Know
Have you ever felt an urge to open a door marked “Private”? Like it or not, some things are not meant for our eyes to see or our minds to know (John 21:18-23; Acts 1:6-7).
Let’s consider two categories of off-limits knowledge:
►The world of the dead. Although God has revealed some things about the unseen realm of departed spirits, there may be much more we would like to know. God has forbidden us to seek further knowledge beyond what the Bible tells us. Seances are out-of-bounds. Whether a medium can actually make contact with the dead is beside the point. We are not even to go there, period! (Deut. 18:9-13; 1 Chron. 10:13-14).
And then there are the books and movies about alleged after-death experiences. It is significant that of those in the Bible who were raised, such as Lazarus and Dorcas, nothing is said about what they experienced on the other side. Nothing!
►The future. God has revealed all we need to know about the end. We know Christ will come someday, but we do not know when (Matt. 24:36). Date-setting is a foolish exercise in futility.
And regarding our immediate future, “you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow” (James 4:14 NASB; see Prov. 27:1).
Can we learn to be content to be ignorant of these things? God forbids us to seek knowledge of the future aside from what the Scriptures reveal. Therefore, no crystal-ball gazing, no palm-reading, no horoscopes--and no consulting those who claim supernatural insight into the future.
Instead of yearning for what we don't know, let's focus on what we can know. What God has revealed is not to satisfy our curiosity. He revealed it so we could do it. It is in doing His will that we are blessed (James 1:25).
And that’s enough.
