Date
Setting: Is It Biblical?
By Dr. Ken Matto
Acts
1:11 KJV) Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into
heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so
come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
(Acts 17:31 KJV) Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will
judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he
hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
These two verses teach us that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to return to earth
in the same manner in which He was taken up. This does not mean He will return
to the Mount of Olives but on the last day every eye shall see Him and He will
return to this world in great power and that will usher in Judgment Day and the
completion of the redemption of God’s people. We are also given a command in
Scripture that we are to be looking for the Lord’s return.
(2 Pet 3:12-13 KJV) Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of
God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat? {13} Nevertheless we, according to his promise,
look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
The word "hasting" in verse 12 is the Greek Word "speudo" which means to "desire
earnestly, to hurry, or to strive for." As believers we desire earnestly the
return of the Lord Jesus so we may begin our life in heaven away from sin and
the cares of this world. But when the Bible tells us that we are to look for the
return of the Lord Jesus Christ, does that also include the quest for the exact
day Christ will come back? Is it possible for us to know the exact day Christ
will return? When the Lord went back to Heaven, the command given to His church
universal was to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
(Mark 16:15 KJV) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature.
(Luke 19:13 KJV) And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds,
and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
The word "occupy" means to be diligent in business or trading.
(Psa 107:23 KJV) They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in
great waters;
This verse teaches us about the believer’s calling. The sea is the world and the
ship we are in is the Lord Jesus Christ. The business we do is to send forth the
gospel to the entire world.
(Prov 22:29 KJV) Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall
stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
When a person is diligent in Bible study, they shall be able to teach other
Christians and evangelize God’s elect into the kingdom. The believers are
referred to as Kings in Scripture. (Genesis 17:16 & Revelation 1:6) The
privilege for teaching is not for the slothful or the diverted, but to the
diligent.
(Luke 2:49 KJV) And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye
not that I must be about my Father's business?
This verse tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ when He was a child, knew what
His mission in this life was. This is why new Christians must be grown up
correctly so they will become diligent Christians and seek to occupy, till the
Lord returns, in the ministry He has designed for them.
(Rom 12:11 KJV) Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the
Lord; Here is a command that we are not to be slothful or lazy in the Lord’s
work but we are to be zealous.
These four verses give us an insight how the believer is to be engaged in the
Lord’s work. If you notice, in the command to be diligent in God’s work, there
is no hint of date setting or searching. This is because the believer is to be
engaged in evangelism and missions. Anything else is a diversion from the
command to go into all the world. I cannot go into all the world if I am sitting
home date setting.
Date setting has been around since the Lord Jesus announced that He would be
returning. Dates have been set since the first century and if you are reading
this article, then it is obvious they have all been wrong. Many dates have been
set on a hunch, or on a supposed vision, or political events, or supposed time
paths in Scripture but no matter what method is used, the outcome is the same,
ERROR! How many dates have been set for the Lord’s return? There have been
approximately 300 dates set for the Lord’s return since His ascension. Here is a
list of some of them:
The Date Setter's Hall of
Shame
80 AD ----- Ben Zakkai died about 80, and expected the Messiah about the time of
his Death
90 AD------ Clement of Rome believed in an imminent End of the world
331 AD --- Tichonus writer of the fourth century
365 AD – Hilary of Poitiers –
Fourth Century Bishop of Poitiers, France
380 AD – Donatists - Northern
Africa Christian Sect - The effectiveness of the
sacraments depends on the moral character of the minister.
470 AD ----Rabbi Hanina
482 AD ---- Hydatius - Bishop of Aquae Flaviae (Portugal) - Predicted May 27th
500 AD ----Hippolytus (170-236) Third Century Theologian and Iranaeus (130-202)
Greek Bishop of the Second Century.
Both based Prediction on measurement of the Ark. Lactantius was a
third/fourth century theologian
(250-325) who was adviser to Emperor Constantine
793 AD----Beatus of Liebana (Spain) - Predicted April 6th
800 AD ---Julius Africanus – Was a Roman Theologian
847 AD ---Thiota (Heretical Christian Prophetess)
992 AD --- Bernard of Thuringia calculated that the end would come in 992 – He
was a German Theologian.
1000 AD - Pope Sylvester II
1000 AD --Hysteria reigned at this magical date
1009 AD-- Rain of blood; sun turns red and fails to shine for three days; plague
and death follow
1147 AD - Gerard of Poehlde decided that the millennium had actually started in
306 AD during Constantine's reign. Thus, the world end would happen in 1306 AAD.
1186 AD - John of Toledo – Roman Catholic - He predicted September 23, 1186
1260 AD --Joachim of Fiore - Catholic Abbott
1284 AD - Pope Innocent III expected the Second Coming to take place in 1284,
666 years after the rise of Islam.
1300 AD - Joachim of Fiore (1135-1202) Catholic
Theologian suggested the world might end at around the year 1300.
1368 AD --Jean de Roquetaillade - French Alchemist
1378 AD---Arnaldus de Villa Nova - Physician and religious reformer
1525 AD - Thomas Müntzer - Anabaptist - The beginning of the Millennium
1528 AD - Reformer Hans Hut – Anabaptist in Southern Germany and Austria
predicted the end would occur on Pentecost on May 27
1533 AD - Melchior Hoffman – (1495-1543) Anabaptist in Germany and the
Netherlands
1600 AD - Martin Luther – (1483-1546)
1656 AD - Christopher Columbus
1689 AD - Benjamin Keach – 1640-1704) – Particular Baptist who wrote “Keach’s
Catechism”
1694 AD – John Mason - Anglican rector calculated this date as the beginning of
the Millennium.
1697 AD - Cotton Mather - Also predicted 1716 and 1736
1715 AD - William Whiston – (1667-1752) English Theologian, Historian and
Mathematician
1794 AD - Charles Wesley
1844 AD - William Miller (7th Day Adventists)
1859 AD - Rev. Thomas Parker expected the Millennium to begin – (1595-1667)
Founder of Newberry, Massachusetts
1874 AD - Jehovah's Witnesses
1910 AD - Charles Taze Russell
1914 AD - Jehovah’s Witnesses
1915 AD - Jehovah's Witnesses
1929 AD - Jehovah's Witnesses
1943 AD - Herbert W. Armstrong
1953 AD - David Davidson - In his book "The Great Pyramid, its divine message"
1970 AD - True Light Church of Christ – Cunningham Boyle made the prediction in
1870. It is a cultic church because
he claimed God showed him that he was the third angel in Revelation.
He established this church in 1872.
1977 AD - William Branham – 1909-1965 – He was a charismatic preacher and faith
healer.
1979 AD - Walter M. Simmons
1981 AD – June 28 - Bill Maupin and the Lighthouse Gospel Tract Foundation
1981 AD - Hal Lindsey
1982 AD - Benjamin Crème – He was the forerunner of Lord Maitreya who was
supposed to be the Christ. This was
from the New Age Movement.
1988 AD - Edgar Whisenant - Former NASA Engineer (1932-2001) We remember the
book “88 Reasons Why Christ will return in 1988.”
1988 AD - J.R. Church (Hidden Prophecies in the Psalms) I heard this one with my
own ears in 1983 in Oklahoma City.
The Rapture was supposed to be 1988 and the return of the Lord was to be in
1995.
He based it on Psalm 88 to 95.
1989 AD - Edgar Whisenant – Former NASA Engineer (1932-2001) – Rewrote his 88
Reasons and Published it as “89 Reasons why Christ will Return in 1989.”
1992 AD - Korean group called (Mission for the coming days)
1994 AD - Pastor John Hinkle –
(1939-2020) Pastor of a Church in Sebastian, Florida
1994 AD - Harold Camping - The return was to be between September 15 and 28,
1994. Then he claimed the Church is
being Judged - Same as 7th Day Adventists) which was called The Investigative
Judgment of 1844 where
Christ did not return instead he went into another chamber to judge the
church.
1995 AD - Harold Camping
1996 AD - Harold Camping
1998 AD - Heng Ming-Chen leader of UFO Taiwanese cult out of Garland Texas known
as the True Way.
''God's Descending in Clouds (Flying Saucers) on
Earth to Save People.'' On page 176, he promises: ''At 10 A.M. on March 31,
1998, God shall make His appearance in the Holy Land of the Kingdom of God:
3513 Ridgedale Dr., Garland, TX. 75041 U.S.A.'' He concludes: ''I guarantee this
on my life.''
1999 AD - Kirk Nelson – Is an occultist who studies astrology and Edgar Cayce’s
teachings. Cayce was an occultist
and psychic. Wrote a book called 2026.
Same date the Campingites now teach.
1999 AD - Monte Kim Miller (Concerned Christians) – They believed the fall of
the Soviet Union in 1991 signaled the end.
On January 3, 1999 they were arrested and deported from Israel because
they wanted to blow up the Al-
Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem which they believed would usher in the return of
the Lord.
1999 AD - Nostradamus (1503-1566)
2000 AD - Lester Sumrall – Celebrity Charismatic Preacher seen on TBN and
others.
2000 AD - Tom Holt (Editor of Family Radio Digest)
2001 AD - Charles Spiegel – Retired Psychologist who believed that the ancient
land of Atlantis would rise out of the ocean and then 1000 aliens in 33
spaceships would descend on humanity and bring them a new way of life.
2001 AD - Dan Millar - Dan Millar estimates this
date as that of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Four events happen on that
day, a Thursday. The sidereal day is reset. It is also the Jewish New Year,
using the Canaanite calendar
that was in use within ancient Israel prior to the Babylonian Captivity. It is
the time of the Jewish “Feast of Jubilees” according to a message given by the
Virgin Mary to Father Stefan Gobbi. This feast occurs only once every
fifty years. This date is also the Autumn Equinox.
He had also predicted the end in 1997.
2004 AD - Arnie Stanton – April 3, 1996 he saw lunar activity which he believed
signaled the beginning of a seven year period leading up to the return of
Christ. He based it on Luke 21:25-26
2007 AD - Hal Lindsey
2007 AD - Shelby Corbett (She placed signs on benches) – Published a book in
2004 that the end would come in 2007.
2008 AD - Marilyn Agee – Prophecy Pundit
2008 AD - Ronald Weinland - According to Ronald
Weinland, the 7th seal opened around mid-2008 and by the End of the
year 2008 the United States of America, Canada and a few Western European Allies
would be destroyed.
There would be a nuclear explosion, nothing happened yet! He was right
about the economic collapse, this happened in September 2008. So it could be
that the prophecies are delayed.
2011 AD - Harold Camping (He had also named the day May 21 for the rapture and
October 21 for the annihilation of the unsaved)
2011 AD - Paul Aarons (May 21)
2012 AD - The Mayan Calendar ends on December 21
2015 AD - E Bible Fellowship (Chris McCann named October 7) – He even went on
Coast to Coast AM Radio teaching the date.
2017 AD - David Meade (September 23) (October 15)
The 2017 Arrival - insisting Nibiru would crash
into Earth in October - but then moved it forward by a few
weeks. Nibiru was written in ancient Sumerian Texts that it was the 12th
planet to enter our solar system.
It was believed that the creators of man and earth were on this planet
and that they were Nephilim, that is, the Giants of Genesis 6 also called the
sons of Anak in Numbers 13.
2018 AD - (May 20) Patrick Cody (Hyper-Campingite)
2018 AD - Jack Van Impe 1948 + 70 = 2018
2026 AD - Abraham Johannes Coetzee (South Africa - Follower of Harold Camping)
2033 AD - Chris McCann - E-Bible Fellowship Cult (He predicted 2015 but that did not come to pass as usual.)
2034 AD - John Denton (UK based Bible Research and Investigation Company)
2060 AD - Isaac Newton (1643-1727)
As you can see the list is long for those who feel they could know the timing of
the Lord’s return, yet this is an incomplete list. Whether they try to set
a date by a supposed vision or a time path, the end is a failure. There is one
verse which must be factored in when we have a subject like date setting.
(Deu 29:29 KJV) The secret things belong unto the LORD our God:
but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever,
that we may do all the words of this law.
God has revealed much in the Scriptures but there are some things which He is
obviously going to keep a secret and this must be realized and accepted by the
believer. For example, God never revealed the exact location of the tomb where
Christ’s body was laid after His crucifixion. The exact location of Golgotha is
not revealed in Scripture. The exact location of His birth nor the location
where the Wise Men found Him. No one knows the location of the Ark of the
Covenant nor of the Robe of Christ. God has allowed these things to remain
secret and be lost in time for one reason, for if these items and locations were
known, they would become idols and would be worshipped. I believe this is why
God had allowed General Titus to level Jerusalem in 70 AD so all these places
and items would vanish and in His wisdom, prevented these things from becoming
worshipped.
God in His wisdom has also kept the exact date of Christ’s return a secret for
the same reason. I once asked a date setter in an e-mail forum why he needed to
know the exact date of Christ’s return. He never answered me. Here is a case of
someone setting a date, but they have no clue as to why they want to know the
exact date. Later in this study I am going to offer some sobering reasons why
date setting is both dangerous and against Scripture.
Does the Bible Seem to Endorse Date Setting?
I wish to look at a few biblical scenarios which involve specific times and let
us see if we can use these as a precedent for the establishing of dates of
Christ’s return.
Jonah
(Jonah 3:4 KJV) And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he
cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
Here is a specific scenario in which God tells Jonah that He plans to destroy
Nineveh in 40 days unless they repent of their wickedness.
Noah
(Gen 7:4 KJV) For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the
earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have
made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
(Gen 7:24 KJV) And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty
days.
The universal flood of Noah’s time was a well-documented event in terms of the
recording of time between events. The entire experience of Noah was 371 days
from the beginning of the flood to the time they left the ark.
David
(2 Sam 5:4-5 KJV) David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned forty years. {5} In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years
and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years
over all Israel and Judah.
Solomon
(1 Ki 11:42 KJV) And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel
was forty years.
There are also many more Scriptures which contain time sequences and spans such
as the Kings of Judah and Israel. Now these time span references may be used to
work back and date a historical event but they cannot be used to project the
second coming of Christ. This time path method was used by Harold Camping in his
book "1994?" and it turned out to be erroneous. Mr. Camping has also, from
Scripture, given us a date of creation and that being 11,013 BC which I believe
may be accurate since many Creation Geologists set the time of the earth’s
creation at about 10,000 BC based on empirical evidence of the rocks, fossils,
and underground pressures. Now it must be understood that numbers in Scripture
have as much spiritual meaning as do all the words in the Bible. Some are: 40
which is the number of testing (Matthew 4:2); 42 which is the number of
tribulation (Judges 12:6; 2 Kings 2:24; Rev. 11:2); 2 which is the number for
the true church (Mark 6:7; Rev. 11:3-4); 5 which is the number for either grace
or judgment depending on the context (Matthew 25:2).
We have ascertained the fact that date setters have been wrong since you are
reading this article, it is obvious you are still here. Now I want to present
some dangers of date setting which affect people. Many date setting Christians
believe that date setting is a very innocuous thing and doesn’t hurt anyone. One
only need look at the many doomsday cults such as "Heaven’s Gate" where they all
had to die by a certain date so they would fall in line behind the comet that
was going to usher them into a new state of consciousness. It is not a light
thing to say thus saith the Lord when He hasn’t. Even speculation on a date will
be taken by many to be a certain date.
Some Christians even say that date setting can be a wakeup call. I disbelieve
that to the uttermost because, let us suppose, that if Christ came back in
September 1994, then all that were meant to be saved would have been saved. God
is not willing that any of His elect should perish. You cannot scare anyone into
salvation since only God draws and saves whom He will. Those who believe in
"wake up calls" and "scare tactics" are subtly believing in a works for
salvation doctrine. If a person can be scared into heaven then that places the
"acceptance" on the person and not God. It becomes a free will gospel in that a
person, upon reading these doomsday prophecies, will walk into the kingdom on
their own merit after they assess the message. My friends, listen, God is in
control of His salvation program from Eden right to the last day and we better
get busy getting the message out because that is our calling and not to create
more dissension in the church than there already is. Let us now attend to some
real dangers of date setting.
1. They Turn Faith to Sight
(Rom 1:17 KJV) For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
There are many Scriptures teaching us to look for the signs of the coming of the
Lord Jesus but if we knew the exact date of Christ’s return, Bible study would
cease and faith would go out the window. 2 Cor 5:7 KJV (For we walk by faith,
not by sight:) If we knew the exact date of Christ’s return, there would be no
one walking by faith, all would be walking by sight in contradiction to God’s
Word.
2. They Turn Hope to Disappointment
(Ezek 13:6 KJV) They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD
saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that
they would confirm the word.
Here is a very powerful verse taken from a chapter in Ezekiel where the false
diviners are prophesying in the name of the Lord. These false teachers had such
a gift of words, they caused the people to hope in their words and that those
false teachers would fulfill their own words. This is what the date setter does,
they set a date and people hope in their words, and when it does not come to
pass, the people lose hope and become discouraged. This is why any type of date
setting, even with a question mark behind it, will cause people to hope and then
when it all comes to naught, they become discouraged. This is also a sin against
younger Christians in the faith who may follow these false prognosticators. The
Lord has sent no Christian to set a date for His return. It is the arrogance of
man when they believe they can think on the same level with God. Only God knows
the date of His return to earth, and no mere human, is going to find that one
out. (Luke 21:19 KJV) In your patience possess ye your souls.
God tells us to have patience as we wait for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Why
would be told to have patience, if we can know the exact date of His return. If
we knew the date, it would then be anxiety and then the Bible tells us to be
anxious for nothing. (Phil. 4:6)
3. They Cause God’s Word to be Mocked
(Rom 2:24 KJV) For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you,
as it is written.
The word "blasphemed" in this verse means "speak abusively or slander."
Slander does not necessarily mean a vociferous attack but also implies a false
or defamatory charge. When a date setter sets a date for the return of Christ
and claim they received their information from the Bible and the date comes and
goes without incident, then immediately the verity of the Word of God comes
under attack. It is not that God’s Word is any less true, it is those who
mishandle, misuse it, and misinterpret it. It is the same with any false
prediction, the unbeliever and the skeptic look for any reason to attack the
Christian faith and the Bible. What better ammunition to give to the unbeliever
than to say a truth has come out of the Bible when it is someone’s ill-handling
of God’s Word. Then when a set date does not come to pass, there is assumed
cause to attack the other teachings and doctrines of Scripture making it harder
for the Christian to regain credibility in the eyes of many all because of a
person who does not know how to handle the Word of God.
(2 Cor 4:1-2 KJV) Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received
mercy, we faint not; {2} But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not
walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by
manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience
in the sight of God.
4. Diverts from Needed Biblical Studies
(2 Tim 2:15 KJV) Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
We have seen this verse used many times as a cudgel to beef up our Bible study
time. This verse also surfaces the type of Bible study we are to engage in and
that is the type of study which will not make a person ashamed. When Paul gave
the charge to Timothy, he expected Timothy to correctly interpret the Word of
God so Timothy would not be ashamed. The word "ashamed" in this verse means
"having no cause to be ashamed." (Used only one time in the New Testament) Paul
was stating that Timothy was to make sure his spiritual credibility was always
intact because once it is lost it may never be regained. Why do you think
Hollywood portrays date setters as long haired nit-wits with a long white robe
walking down the street wearing a sandwich sign. This is because date setters
bring shame to the cause of Christ and the unbeliever capitalizes on it. The
needed Bible studies in the church today should be focused on the subjects of
salvation, true eschatology, Christian living in perilous times, etc.
5. Divides Congregations
(Rom 16:17 KJV) Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and
offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
The Charismatic doctrines are not the only doctrines which cause division in a
local church. Any doctrine which borders on the extraordinary will cause some
type of division in any local church. If a person comes into your congregation
and says that he or she knows what day the Lord is returning, you would
definitely challenge them but there will be a few in that assembly who would
probably take their side which would begin a rift in the congregation.
(Prov 11:29 KJV) He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the
fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.
The only inheritance the troublemaker can expect is to inherit the wind, in
other words, there is no spiritual rewards for bringing trouble into one’s house
or assembly. The real problem with introducing false teachings is that you will
hurt the young believers in your church. If you think you have a date for the
Lord’s return, then keep it to yourself, so you will not destroy the faith of
young believers and bring scorn to every Christian. There is a lot more at risk
than you.
(Prov 17:28 KJV) Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he
that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.
6. Date Setters are Never Right
(Jer 23:16 KJV) Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the
prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of
their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
Date setters try to make themselves sound like everything they received is out
of the Bible. God warns that we are not to listen to these false teachings. I
have yet to find one Scripture telling me I will know the date of Christ’s
return. When I asked a date setter to give me one Scripture verse to justify
their view, I received back a laundry list of theology books and theologians I
should read. The main reason I can give for date setting being a contrived myth
is the fact that you are reading this right now. If the date setters were
correct, we would be in heaven right now. Right?
(Eccl 12:12 KJV) And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many
books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
7. Date Setters must Over-Justify their teachings
(Eccl 5:7 KJV) For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also
divers vanities: but fear thou God.
If you ask a date setter for biblical proof, you will receive back only nebulous
answers. Date setting lacks one doctrinal requirement to make it an acceptable
teaching, specifics. What they lack in specifics, they amend with many words.
For example, let us look at the following doctrines briefly:
Final Judgment
(Rev 20:12 KJV) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the
books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and
the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works.
The Gathering of the Church
(1 Th 4:16-17 KJV) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first: {17} Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall
we ever be with the Lord.
Election
(Rom 9:11 KJV) (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any
good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of
works, but of him that calleth;)
Justification
(Rom 4:25 KJV) Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our
justification.
These four doctrines are just examples of how specific the Bible is when God
wants us to know a doctrine. When you come to the arena of date setting, there
is not one verse in the entire Bible where it specifically states that we can
know for certain. The verses which God gives us are pointing us to signs that
the return of the Lord Jesus is very near and that is why we are told to be
ready. If I knew the exact date of Christ’s return, I wouldn’t have to get ready
till the day before. See how my natural reasoning comes into play. (He who has
ears to hear)
8. Date Setters Draw Attention to Themselves
(Gal 6:3 KJV) For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he
deceiveth himself.
Date setters love to be able to think they have a deeper handle on God’s word
than others do. I remember when dialoguing with a date setter, I was told that
if you oppose date setting you are quenching the Holy Spirit. The Charismatics
say the same thing that if you oppose their tongues, you are quenching the Holy
Spirit. It is an evil parallel. It is like false prophets like Jesse Duplantis
who claims to have been in Heaven for five hours. Since Satan deceived him, he
has been on countless charismatic TV shows and when he appears all eyes are on
him. He draws attention to himself. Isn’t it interesting how the Apostle Paul
was taken up to the third Heaven and was not allowed to speak about it, yet this
false prophet dares to publish a book and video to verbalize his deception to
the doltish masses.
The date setters do the same thing as they will reap a following as if they have
some type of inside information from God. People will look to them as their
source of information and hope until the date passes.
9. Date Setters Misuse Scripture to make their case
(2 Cor 2:17 KJV) For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as
of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
The word "corrupt" carries with the meaning of retailing or peddling the Word of
God for gain. How many people write books with their prophetic date setting and
sell it for gain. They work the Scriptures in such a way, that it makes it sound
like the date is in every verse they give. I remember I was e-mailed the
following verse as one of their proof texts for knowing the day:
(1 Th 5:1-9 KJV) But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need
that I write unto you. {2} For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the
Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. {3} For when they shall say, Peace
and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman
with child; and they shall not escape. {4} But ye, brethren, are not in
darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. {5} Ye are all
the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor
of darkness. {6} Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch
and be sober. {7} For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be
drunken are drunken in the night. {8} But let us, who are of the day, be sober,
putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of
salvation. {9} For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation
by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Did you see a date or a reference to the belief that you will know the date or
is this set of verses telling us that we need to be vigilant Christians keeping
ourselves in the Word so we will see the signs of the near return of Christ? The
following verse was sent to me by another person who follows date setting.
(Rev 3:3 KJV) Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold
fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a
thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
When I received this e-mail, all I received was this verse and no explanation. I
received this verse from a follower of Harold Camping. Some of his disciples had
set a date of December 21, 2000 for the return of Christ and guess what, we are
still here! Date setting is an infectious disease which doesn’t die easily, even
when someone is proven wrong. When we look at the context of Rev. 3:3, we see
that this verse is dealing with the faithfulness of a local church. If it ceases
to be faithful, then that church will go from truth to apostasy and all the
while will not realize that Christ has withdrawn His hand of truth from that
church. It doesn’t deal with the second coming of Christ, but you see they must
twist Scripture to make their case.
10. Will it be a wakeup Call?
(Joel 2:1 KJV) Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy
mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD
cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
It is verses like the Joel passage above which the date setters use to justify
their desire to date the Lord’s return. The wakeup call to all should be issued
from every believer in every generation. The Lord is going to return only once,
but thousands are going to die today! Which scenario do you think the Lord has
in mind?
(Acts 13:36 KJV) For David, after he had served his own generation by the
will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw
corruption:
Date setters like to think they are sounding forth a wakeup call. You mean God
predestines and elects people to salvation but simply because someone sets a
date for Christ’s return, that would automatically negate God’s salvation plan
and people could now get saved on cue simply because someone set a date? That is
part of the arrogance of date setting. If someone became saved at the time a
person set a date, it was only because God had already planned to save that
individual from before the foundation of the world, at that particular time in
their life.
11. Will it Make You do Things You are Not Doing
Now?
(1 Th 1:9-10 KJV) For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we
had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true
God; {10} And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead,
even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
Here we see the Thessalonians being commended by Paul and please notice the
order he places things in. First, they served the living and true God, and
secondly, they waited for the return of Christ. Their first priority was to
serve God, not to look for the Lord’s return. Date setters reverse the priority.
Let me ask a few questions which only you can answer. If you knew the exact date
of Christ’s return:
Would you try to become more holy?
Would you try to become more involved in the Lord’s Work?
Would you put away your pet sins?
Would you give more to God’s work because after all, what are you going to do
with the money after Christ returns?
Then my question to these questions is, why aren’t you doing it now?
Summary
There is not one passage in Scripture commanding us to look for the exact date
of Christ’s return. We are to be living in such a spiritual state that when
Christ returns, He will find us in an obedient milieu. The second coming
warnings throughout Scripture are not there for us to tape together so we can
come up with a date, they are there to warn us of three things:
(2 Cor 13:5 KJV) Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove
your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you,
except ye be reprobates?
(Rom 1:9 KJV) For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the
gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my
prayers;
(Joel 2:1 KJV) Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy
mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD
cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
1. To make sure we are in the faith
2. To serve God with a whole spirit
3. To send forth the gospel to a dying world