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APPENDIX N
False
Predictions of Protestants and Catholics
We expect the cults to make false predictions for the Second
Coming, but it is something that no true believer should ever do. We are not commanded to predict when the Rapture or
the Second Coming will take place. Instead we are commanded to “watch” for the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 5.6).
Making predictions as to the date of the Rapture can only harm the faith of true
believers. It can never increase their faith.
Early Church fathers
Some of the early Church fathers believed that most of the
prophecies concerning the end times had been fulfilled in their time as noted previously
in Chapter 5. They eagerly awaited the return of Jesus Christ because they did not know
that there were many more prophecies that had to be fulfilled before the Lord’s
return. Here are some of their statements:
Clement of Rome said
around 100 AD, “Soon and suddenly shall his will be accomplished.”
Ignatius said around
100 AD, “The last times are upon us.”
Montanus, Priscilla and Maximilla (Montanism movement leaders) predicted that the world would
end in their lifetime (2nd Century).
Cyprian said around
250 AD, “The kingdom of God, beloved brethren, is beginning to be at hand.”
Martin of Tours said
around 400 AD, “There is no doubt that the Antichrist has already been born. Firmly
established already in his early years, he will, after reaching maturity, achieve supreme
power.”
Hippolytus predicted
the end of the age would come in 500 AD.1
Middle
Ages
Millennial
Madness
On December 31, 999 A.D. millions of people thought the Lord was
about to return. Thousands crowded into the old basilica of St. Peter’s Church in
Rome awaiting the return of Jesus Christ. Many gave their land, homes and personal
possessions to the poor as an act of contrition. Some traveled to Palestine believing the
Lord would return there. Everyone was disappointed. Many Europeans made the same mistake
in December of 1099 and 1199. They also thought Christ would return 1000 years after His
resurrection in 33 AD.
Joachim of Fiore
(1135-1202)
Joachim of Fiore, founder of the
monastic order of San Giovanni in Fiore, Italy, predicted that the Antichrist would rise
to power in 1260 AD. (Abanes, Richard, End-Time Visions, p. 338)
Renaissance
Nicolas of Cusa
(1401-1464)
Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa predicted
that doomsday would take place between 1700 and 1734. (McIver, Tom. The End of the
World: An Annotated Bibliography, #73)
Melchoir Hofmann
(1495-1544)
Melchoir Hofmann announced in 1531 that the Second Coming would
take place in the year 1533. (DeMar, Gary, Last
Days Madness, p. 13).
Christopher Columbus
(1451-1506)
The great explorer Christopher Columbus is said to have predicted
the world would end in 1656. (End-Time Visions, p. 338)
Reformation
Martin Luther
(1483-1546)
Martin Luther considered the year 2000 AD as a possible end-time
date before finally settling on 1600 AD (Kyle, Richard, The Last Days are Here Again, p. 192). His belief
that the Second Coming would take place around 1600 is seen in this comment:
I believe that all the
signs which are to precede the last days have
already appeared. Let us not think that the
Coming of Christ is far off; let us look up with heads lifted up; let us expect our
Redeemer’s coming with longing and cheerful minds. (Systematic Theology, vol. 4, p. 279, emphasis
added)
Hugh Latimer
(1485-1555)
All those excellent and learned men whom, without doubt, God has
sent into the world in these latter days to
give the world warning, do gather out of the
Scriptures that the last days can not be far off.
Peradventure it may come in my day, old as I am, or in my children’s days. (Systematic Theology, vol. 4, p. 279, emphasis
added)
Johann Heinrich Alsted
(1588-1638)
Johann Heinrich Alsted, a German Calvinist, predicted that Jesus
Christ would return in 1694. He was convinced that the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) would
lead to the end of the world. He came up with
1694 by taking 69 AD as the start of the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished. He
then added 1,290 day-years (Daniel 12.11) to come up with 1359 AD and then he added 1,335
day-years (Daniel 12.11) to arrive at 2694 AD. He subtracted 1,000 years for the
Millennial Kingdom to arrive at the year 1694 AD as the year of the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ. (Armerding, Carl Edwin and Gasque, W. Ward. Handbook
of Biblical Prophecy, pp. 30-32).
Using numbers found in the Bible to calculate the date of the
Rapture and the Second Coming is a futile effort as those who have done so understand. The
key to knowing the When (Rapture) is not
numerology or the calculation of numbers. The only way to know when the Rapture will take
place, and subsequently the Second Coming is to diligently “watch” the warning signs be fulfilled that Jesus, the prophets
and the apostles gave us.
Modern Era
Cotton Mather
(1663-1728)
The powerful Puritan preacher Cotton Mather predicted the Lord
would return in 1697 and then in 1716 and finally in 1736. (End-Time Visions, p. 338)
John Wesley
(1703-1791)
Methodist Church founder John Wesley foresaw the Millennium
beginning in 1836, the same year that the Beast of Revelation was supposed to rise from
the sea. (The End of the World: An Annotated
Bibliography, #269)
The Shakers
(1747-Present)
The Shakers, United Society
of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, sprang from the Protestant
denomination the Quakers. They believed in celibacy and could not attract many followers.
They predicted the world would end in 1792.
Hatley Frere
(1779-1866)
Hatley Frere, who brought Edward Irving into the premillennial
fold, thought Louis Napoleon was the Antichrist. He also predicted that the Jews would
return to Palestine and rebuild their temple in 1865 and that the Roman Catholic Church
would become defunct by 1864 (Handbook of Biblical
Prophecy, pp. 54-55).
Michael Baxter
(1834-1910)
The Anglican minister Michael Paget Baxter was an ardent date
setter, a veritable Charles Taylor of the 19th century. In one of his earliest
publications he predicted the end of the world for 1861-1867. (The End of the World: An Annotated Bibliography,
#348)
He also predicted the end to come in 1868 and 1869. He continued
to make predictions picking the years 1871-1872. He took some time off from predicting,
and then chose 1896. He did not stop. He foresaw the end of the world in 1901 in his book,
The End of This Age About the End of This Century.
He refused to quit, and in another book, Future
Wonders of Prophecy, he predicted that the Rapture would take place on March 12, 1903,
between 2-3pm. (The End of the World: An Annotated
Bibliography, #353)
Leonard Sale-Harrison
(1875-1956)
Leonard Sale-Harrison was a solid Pre-Tribulationist. He thought
Mussolini was the Antichrist and predicted the Rapture would take place in either 1940 or
1941. He made the fatal mistake that most of the modern Pre-Tribulationists make who
believe that there are no signs for the
Rapture. Robert Clouse commented on this prognosticator saying, “Like many
pretribulation premillennialists, Sale-Harrison was rather inconsistent. If there are no
signs required before the coming of the Lord to rapture His church, then why is so much
time spent in reading current events into the Bible?” (Handbook of Biblical Prophecy, pp. 30-32).
Henry “Harry”
Ironside
(1876-1951)
Dr. Henry Ironside thought, in
1915 when he wrote the book The Midnight Cry,
that he was living in the “last days”:
Reader, let me press my point
again. – The world-wide Gospel proclamation and world-wide apostasy at the same time
are clear proofs that the end is close upon us. (The Midnight Cry, p. 28, citing Lindsell, The Gathering Storm, p. 123, emphasis added, R.K.)
Laodicea is the closing period
of the Church’s history, and who can doubt that we have now reached the very time
predicted? It behooves us to act as men who wait for their Lord, knowing that His coming cannot be much longer delayed (Ibid.
p. 35, citing Lindsell, p. 124, emphasis added, R.K.)
It has been 94 years since he
wrote that the return of Christ “cannot be much longer delayed.” He saw some warning signs, but not all of them. No one can know
the nearness of the Rapture without knowing all of the major warning signs.
William Branham
(1909-1965)
William Branham, founder of the post World War II
faith healing movement, proclaimed himself to be the
angel of Revelation 3.14 and 10.7. He prophesied that by 1977 all denominations would be
consumed by the World Council of Churches under the control of the Roman Catholics, that
the Rapture would take place and that the world would be destroyed.1
Lester Sumrall
(1913-1996)
Lester Sumrall predicted the end of the world in his book, I Predict 1985. When that prediction failed he
wrote another book. In his book, I Predict 2000
A.D., he argued that the Lord would return by the year 2000 at the latest to set up
His Millennial Kingdom. “I predict the absolute fullness of man’s operation on
planet Earth by the year 2000 A.D. Then Jesus Christ shall reign from Jerusalem for 1000
years.” (End-Time Visions, p. 99, 341)
Kenneth Hagin
(1917-2003)
Kenneth Hagin predicted the Rapture would take place in October
of 1997. This is what he said at revival meeting in July 1997:
It shall come to pass this
year! It shall come to pass at last. That which has hindered shall be taken out of the
way. The last vestige shall be removed! And it shall come. What is that I see? Shining so
bright coming from heaven. Awesome; you want to weep, yet shout, cry yet laugh. I see it
coming, nearer and nearer. Blinding light. The fall
of this year - October. As the people walk in the light of what they have, the rest
shall come to pass.
We are going with God. We’ll go off and leave some, but we
are going with God. Going with God! In the spirit he speaketh mysteries, secrets. Things
which are and shall be. When it comes to pass you will know.
In October in St. Louis, the center and heart of the nation, it
shall come. It shall spread all over the nation. Manifestations everywhere. That which has
frustrated will be removed. Then you will know the full meaning of the Divine glow. And
others will be invited to walk in the light of it, and so they shall. The glory of the
Lord shall shine upon His people. (Hagin Holy
Ghost Meeting, Oct. 12-24 or longer, St. Louis Family Church, Jeff C. Perry, Pastor, with
satellite broadcast, emphasis added, R.K.)
Charles Taylor
(deceased)
End-time preacher Charles Taylor made several predictions for the
date of the Rapture. The first year he picked was 1975. When 1975 failed he picked 1976.
He didn’t stop and went on to pick 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988,
1989, 1992 and 1994. He quit predicting the Rapture due to an untimely ailment called
death (End-Time Visions, p. 99).
Edgar Whisenant
(1932-2001)
Edgar Whisenant and Greg Brewer wrote a book, 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Is in 1988, in which
they predicted the Second Advent would take place in 1988. When the Lord did not return in
1988, Whisenant wrote another book, The Final
Shout: Rapture Report 1989. When the Lord failed to return in 1989 he stopped making
predictions.
Jerry Falwell
(1933-2007)
Dr. Jerry Falwell, founder of the “Moral Majority,”
Liberty University and senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, made a prediction that
did not come true. He predicted on his TV show (December 27, 1992) that the Rapture would
take place before the end of 1999. Even though he expected the Rapture in seven years or
less he said he expected to live as long as W.A. Criswell, who was 83 at the time. He was
59 years of age in 1992. (North, Gary, Rapture
Fever, p. 200).
In 1999 Falwell said the Antichrist was probably
alive, and that the Second Coming will probably be within 10 years. He also told about
1500 people at a conference on evangelism at Kingsport, Tennessee, that the Antichrist is
a male Jew. “Who will the antichrist be? I don’t know. Nobody else knows,”
he said.2
Billy Graham
In 1950, a young Billy Graham stated, “We may have another
year, maybe two years. Then I believe it is going to be over.” (Hugo McCord, Date Setting, article3)
Doug Clark
Doug Clark self-published a book in the 1970s, in which he said
the “Rapture could take place in the 70s. Yes it could!” (Amazing Prophecies of the 70’s!, p. 57). He
gave 51 prophecies that he said could be fulfilled in the 1970s. In that book he also
speculated that Henry Kissinger could be the Antichrist, and he gave ten reasons for his
choice (pp. 13-17).
On April 26, 1989, Doug Clark announced on Trinity Broadcasting
Network’s show, Praise the Lord, that World
War III would begin within 3 years. (End-Time
Visions, p. 92)
Pat Robertson
Pat Robertson, founder of the 700 Club television show, predicted
the end of the world would occur in 1982. “I guarantee you by the end of 1982 there
is going to be a judgment on the world,” he said in a May 1980 broadcast of the 700
Club. (Boyer, Paul S., When Time Shall Be No More, p. 138)
Salem Kirban
In his 1968 book, Guide to
Survival, Salem Kirban used Bishop Ussher’s calculations to speculate that 1989
would be the year of the Rapture (p. 136).
Mikkel Dahl, Reginald
Duncan & Emil Gaverluk
Mikkel Dahl predicted in “The Midnight Cry” that the
present era would end by 1980. Reginald Edward Duncan predicted in “The Coming
Russian Invasion of America” that the Millennium would begin in 1979. Emil Gaverluk,
of the Southwest Radio Church, predicted that the Rapture would occur by 1981. (DeMar,
Gary, Last Days Madness, p. 14)
Kenneth Copeland
On his broadcast on the morning of February 7, 2000,
televangelist Kenneth Copeland claimed that a group of scientists and scholars had studied
the Bible in great detail, and had determined that February 11, 2000, would be the last
day of the 6000th year since Creation, a date when the Apocalypse would presumably happen.
Copeland did not imply he believed this to be accurate yet he went on to say that the
Rapture will come soon.
David Webber & Noah
Hutchings
David Webber and Noah Hutchings, of the Southwest Radio Church,
published a booklet in 1978 in which they speculated that the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ might be in 2001. This is what they wrote:
A vital question that affects every man, woman and child living
today is: “Will Christ come by 2001?” This impending possibility looms ominously
on the human horizon and confronts each of the nearly 42 billion people on this planet. A
time of unparalleled affliction, tyranny, and destruction must occur before the most
shattering event in all history of man – the physical return of Christ to the earth,
in real, visible, and overwhelming power.
The
irrefutable evidence of prophetic Scripture indicates that Jesus Christ may very well be here by 2001! The general signs in the heavens and on earth, plus
the specific signs occurring in Israel
(God’s dramatic timepiece), all point to His
soon return. (Will Christ Come by 2001?,
p. 2, emphasis added, R.K.)
They opened their booklet with a chart of past and future dates:
A.D. 1917-1921 - Balfour Declaration
A.D. 1918-1922 - The Beginning of Sorrows
A.D. 1948-1952 – Israel’s Rebirth After the Flesh
A.D. 1967-1971 - Jerusalem Restored
A.D. 1974-1978 - Jewish Temple Rebuilt?
A.D. 1981-1985 - Beginning of the Tribulation
A.D. 1985-1989 - Middle of Tribulation
A.D. 1988-1992 - End of the Tribulation
A.D. 1995-1999 - Completion of Millennial Temple
A.D. 1996-2000 - The Jubilee, a rest
A.D. 1997-2001 - Beginning of the Kingdom Age (p. 3)
Needless to say they missed by a long shot. We must note that
Webber and Hutchings are Pre-Tribulationists. That means the Rapture must take place
before the start of the Tribulation. According to their chart the Rapture should have
taken place in 1985 by the latest.
Webber and Hutchings teamed up with Emil Gaverluk and published a
transcript of a radio program in 1978 in which they predicted the Rapture would take place
in the 1980s. Here are a few of the things they predicted would take place in that decade:
1980: New World Monetary System emerges
1981: Great Synagogue completed
1982: Parade of Planets
1983: Russian invasion of the Middle East
1984: George Orwell’s world of 1984 (World government)
1985: Treaty with Israel aborted
1986: Halley’s Comet reappears
1987: Massive storms, earthquakes, extreme heat from the sun
1988: Comet Kohoutek reappears 1989: A great invasion from outer
space. Jesus Christ institutes a new government on earth. (God’s Timetable for the 1980’s, p. 2)
These Pre-Tribulationists firmly believe the Rapture will take
place at least seven years prior to the start of the Tribulation. The Tribulation starts
with the signing of the covenant between the Antichrist and Israel. Since they place the
breaking of the covenant in 1985, they believed the Rapture would take place by 1982 at
the latest. The Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel 3.5 years after signing it
(Daniel 9.27). They missed the date of the Rapture by 27 years and counting.
Grant Jeffrey
In 1990 Dr. Grant Jeffrey wrote Armageddon: Appointment with Destiny. He
predicted that the year 2000 A.D. “is a probable termination date for the ‘last
days’” (p. 193). He used an elaborate argument based on the jubilee years. He
cited the start of the Lord’s ministry where He read Isaiah 61.1 and the first line
of verse two. The Lord’s ministry began in a jubilee year:
The year when this occurred, the fall of A.D. 28, was, in fact,
not only a Jubilee Year, but was also the thirtieth Jublilee since the Sabbatical-Jubilee
system of years began when Israel crossed the Jordan River in 1451 B.C. Thus, Jesus Christ
precisely fulfilled “the acceptable year of the Lord” on the exact year of
Jubilee – the year of liberty and release.
Please note that He stopped reading at “the acceptable year
of the Lord” because He knew that the next phrase of the prophet’s sentence,
“and the day of vengeance of our God,” which refers to Armageddon, would be
postponed exactly 2,000 biblical years (2000 biblical years times 360 days equals 720,000
days divided by 365.25 equals 1971.25 calendar years).
If we add 2000 biblical years (1971.25 calendar years) to the
beginning of Christ’s ministry on a Jubilee Year when He read the prophecy about
“the acceptable year of the Lord” in the fall of A.D. 28; we arrive at the year
A.D. 2000, forty Jubilee Cycles later.
The next Jubilee Year will occur in A.D. 2000, completing the
Sabbatical-Jubilee system of years – the seventieth Great Jubilee.
In the thirtieth Jubilee Year, Christ commenced His ministry in
A.D. 28. In the seventieth Jubilee Year, Christ may commence His kingdom in A.D. 2000. It
is also interesting that both the First and Second Temples were dedicated to the Lord on
the Feast of Tabernacles in a Year of Jubilee. (pp. 192-193)
Jeffrey went on to argue that his calculations
were being confirmed by “thousands of pastors and believers around the world that are
receiving a quiet assurance in their own spirit
that the Second Coming of the Lord is quickly approaching.” (Ibid., p. 193, emphasis
added, R.K.)
It is obvious that his calculations were wrong.
If Christ was scheduled to return in 2000 AD, the Rapture should have taken place in 1993.
It’s been 16 years since Jeffrey predicted the Lord should have returned, and it may
be another decade before He does.
Those thousands of pastors and believers who had
“a quiet assurance in their own spirit that the Second Coming of the Lord is quickly
approaching” were also wrong. That assurance did not come from the Lord or from the
Bible; it came from wishful thinking. The key to understanding when the Rapture will take
place is not elaborate calculations or quiet assurances. The key is to know what warning signs will take place before the Rapture.
Once you know them you can diligently look for them to be fulfilled, and watch as the
Rapture approaches.
Everyone who has made a prediction based on
Biblical calculations has been wrong. We do not believe anyone can use mathematical
calculations to determine the exact or approximate date of the Rapture and Second Coming.
The possible exception might be Sir Isaac Newton who has predicted that the Second Coming
will take place in 2060 AD. We will have to wait to see if his calculation was divinely
inspired. The way to determine the approximate time of these events is to know what signs have yet to be fulfilled, and then keep
diligent watch for them to be fulfilled.
Jeffrey decided to give up date-setting a few
years later. In his 1994 book, Prince of Darkness,
he had this warning for all date-setters:
We should emulate Paul’s attitude of
watching expectantly for the Lord’s return but refuse to set a date for it... Attempts to calculate the exact timing are doomed to
failure and are in direct disobedience to the
words of Christ. (p. 212, emphasis added, R.K.)
It is a shame he did not come to this conclusion
before he predicted in 1990 that the Rapture would take place in 2000. If he was wrong
about the date he picked could he be wrong about the doctrine of imminence?
Timothy
LaHaye
In Dr. Timothy LaHaye’s first book on
prophecy published in 1972, The Beginning of the End,
he stated succinctly that one of the primary signs
of the last days was the fulfillment of Matthew 24.7:
For
nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines,
and pestilences, and earthquakes, in various places. (NKJV)
What war was the fulfillment of that prophecy? LaHaye had this to say:
Now we are ready to ask: Has there ever been a
war, started by two nations, which grew into a worldwide war by the kingdoms of the world,
followed by unprecedented famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places (perhaps
simultaneously)? I am of the opinion that we can discern such. Though reluctant to be
dogmatic on the subject, I believe there is one event that fulfills all four parts of this
prophecy. That terrible event has been labeled by historians as World War I, which took
place between 1914 and 1918. (Ibid., pp. 35-36)
Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, This
generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished” (Matthew
24.34). How long is a generation according to LaHaye? Here is what he had to say about the
length of a generation:
We may logically inquire next, “How long is
a generation?” Psalm 90:10 provides
insight into this subject. “The days of our years are three-score years and ten; and
if, by reason of strength, they be four-score years, yet is their strength labor and
sorrow....” This does not mean that the final generation is limited to seventy or
eighty years; the psalmist is acquainting us with the general length of a generation.
How many people make up a generation? No
particular number; just one person who comprehended the four parts of the 1914-1918 sign
could represent the “generation.” (Ibid., p. 168)
He argues that just one person needs to be
alive, who was old enough to understand that World War I was a sign, for the prophecy of Jesus to be fulfilled. If
we say a four-year-old child could understand that World War I was a sign that means the Lord must return before the
last person dies who was born in 1910 or before. According to his argument if a person
lives to 120 who was born in 1910, the Lord would have to return by 2030. The rapture
would have to take place seven years early in 2023.
The longest period of time for a generation in
the Bible is 100 years (Genesis 15.13, 16). Using that period of time as the longest
period for a generation the Lord must return by 2014 at the very latest. The start of
World War I was the first sign according to
LaHaye:
The uniqueness of this prophetic book is the
basing of these signs in the first great sign, World War I. Admittedly, some appeared
prior to 1914, just as the conditions that produced the tragic war rumbled long before the
opening Serbian shot was fired. (Ibid., p. 161)
In a later book, Are We Living in the End Times?, he pinned down a
generation:
As my friend and prophecy scholar Dr. Arnold
Fruchtenbaum has written, “The Bible nowhere limits the period of a generation simply
to forty years. The one place where the term generation is given a specific time length,
it is reckoned to be 100 years (Genesis 15:13-16). Actually, the term generation can mean
20, 40, 70, 80, or 100 years.” (p. 60)
The longest a generation can possibly be is 100
years! He teaches the Rapture will take place seven years earlier. Therefore, that blessed
event (Rapture) must take place by 2007 at the very latest. That year has passed without
the Rapture taking place.
In The
Beginning of the End, published in 1972, he had this to say about how close the
Rapture was:
No one knows how long we have before we see the
fulfillment of these things, but as we shall see in future studies, it seems that it
cannot be much longer before our Lord comes for his Church. As the Lord Jesus said,
although we cannot predict the “day or the hour” (Matthew 24:36) when He shall
return, we can know the season. This book is
dedicated to showing that we are not only in the
season, but the twilight of the season.
(p. 84, emphasis added, R.K.)
If a season is 100 years long and the twilight
is 20 years long, it means he made another prediction that did not come to pass as he said
it would. It all depends on how long a “season” is and how long the
“twilight” is.
He listed the 12 most important signs of the Second Coming, and described them in
that same book, The Beginning of the End. He
signified how close we were to the Rapture in 1972 by giving the time of the night for
each sign:
World War I (10:30 pm)
Rebirth of Israel (10:35 pm)
Russia and the Middle East (10:40 pm)
Capital and Labor Conflicts (10:45 pm)
Skyrocketing Travel (10:50 pm)
Explosion of Knowledge (11:00 pm)
Apostasy (11:15 pm)
Occult Shadows and Realities (11:20 pm)
Perilous Times (11:30 pm)
A Flood of Wickedness (11:30 pm)
Scoffers Have Come (11:40 pm)
The Ecumenical Church 11:50 pm)
The Disunited Nations/World Government (11:58
pm) (pp. 162-163)
LaHaye implied by this clock that in 1972 the
world was at 11:40 pm. All of the signs had been
fulfilled except the last two – the ecumenical church and world government. If we
divide 4,200 seconds (70 minutes X 60 seconds) by 58 years (1914 to 1972) we come up with
approximately 71 seconds per year. Since the last sign
was fulfilled by 1972 (the time that the book was published) at 11:40 there were 20
minutes remaining on the countdown clock. There
are 1,200 seconds remaining (20 minutes X 60 seconds), which means the Second Coming of
Jesus should have taken place in 1989 (1,200 seconds divided by 71 seconds for each year,
equals 17 years. 1972 plus 17 equals 1989). It’s obvious that he was working off of a
generation as being 70 to 80 years (Psalm 90.10). If we add 80 years to 1914 we come to
1994. If we take away seven years for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture that event should have
taken place in 1987, which corresponds to his countdown clock. That is also very close to
the year (1981) that Hal Lindsey predicted for the Rapture.
Chuck
Smith
Chuck Smith made a clear statement in his book, Future Survival, that the Lord would Rapture the
Church before the end of 1981:
From my understanding of biblical prophecies, I’m convinced that the Lord is coming for His
Church before the end of 1981. I could be wrong,
but it’s a deep conviction in my heart,
and all my plans are predicated upon that belief.
(p. 20, emphasis added, R.K.)
Deep convictions should not be the basis for doctrine. Scripture
is the only basis for doctrine, never feelings or convictions.
We do not know why he chose 1981 for the date of the Rapture, but
it’s possible that he believed the teaching of Hal Lindsey. In his book, The Late Great Planet Earth, Lindsey speculated
that a generation was 40 years. He believed the Lord would return 40 years after the
establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948 because the Lord said that everything
mentioned in the Olivet Discourse would take place before the “generation” that
sees Israel become a nation again passes away (Matthew 24.32-34). Since the Rapture takes
place seven years earlier it should have taken place in 1981. A generation is not 40
years. It is 70 years or 80 as stated in the Psalms:
As for the days of our
life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years... (Psalm 90.10)
If a generation is 70 years it means the Second Coming of Jesus
will be before 2018 and the Rapture before 2011. If a generation is 80 years the Second
Coming of the Lord will be before 2028 and the Rapture will take place before 2021. It is
also possible that a generation is 100 years (Genesis 15.13, 16), which means the Rapture
would take place by the year 2041 and the Second Coming by 2048.
Besides thinking 40 years was the Biblical length of a
generation, he thought the return of Haley’s comet might be a fulfillment of
prophecy. He speculated that the return of Haley’s comet might be one of the
“signs in heavens” that Jesus spoke of:
And there will be signs in
sun and moon and stars, and upon earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring
of the sea and the waves, man fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which
are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And they will see
the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (Luke 21.25-27)
Smith went on to speculate that the tail of Haley’s comet
could “affect the balance of the earth’s ozone blanket” and “the
sun’s ultraviolet rays would begin to scorch people upon the earth” (Ibid., p.
20). Then he wrote:
The Lord said that towards the end of the Tribulation period the
sun would scorch men who dwell upon the face of the earth (Rev. 16). The year 1986 would fit just about right! We’re
getting close to the Tribulation and the return
of Jesus Christ in glory! (Ibid., p. 21, emphasis added, R.K.)
We are almost 30 years further down the road from when Smith
wrote his book, “Future Survival” (1980), and there are still many things that
must happen before the Rapture takes place. He continued to exhort the Church to be ready
for the Rapture:
All the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. God is warning
you. (Ibid., p. 21)
Smith did not stop there. He noted how Jesus had rebuked the
Pharisees for not knowing “the signs of My coming.” He also quoted
Paul’s exhortation that Christians are not “children of darkness that that day should overtake you
as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5.4). He concluded that chapter by saying:
Christ’s return shouldn’t come as a surprise to the
child of God. God has given us plenty of evidence
to look for – and that evidence is here
now! We can see it! And so, with Paul the apostle I say
to you that all of our futures are foreshortened. We don’t have time to be involved
in nonessential things. The time has come to let out all the stops and go for it –
because our Lord is coming very soon! (Ibid.,
pp. 21-22, emphasis R.K.)
The Rapture should not come as a surprise to Christians who know
what signs to look for. The problem is that too
many Christians do not know the specific warning
signs that we should be looking for to know when the Rapture is near. We encourage
every Christian to memorize the What (those warning signs), and to diligently look for them
to know the When (time of the Rapture).
Smith made another prediction of sorts in 2010 on his
“Pastor’s Perspective” radio program:
I do think that the Antichrist is in the world. I think that he
is alive, and I think that he is chomping at the
bit to take over the reins of the world. (1.14.2010, emphasis mine)
When the Antichrist is revealed and it is shown that he was not
an adult in 2010, it will mean Smith was wrong in his belief that the Antichrist was ready
to take rulership of the world.
Jack
van Impe
Jack van Impe has made several predictions for the date of the
Rapture. He claimed in his video entitled, AD 2000 – the End?” that the Rapture
could possibly take place in September 1999. He based it on generations listed in the
Gospel of Matthew. He took the 3 divisions of 14 generations and determined that from
Abraham to Christ there were 2160 years. He divided those years by the 42 generations to
arrive at 51.4 years per generation. He took year 1948 (when Israel was reborn) and added
one generation (51.4 years) to determine that Christ would most likely return in the
Autumn of 1999. When that prediction failed he took a break from predicting. Now his
latest date is 2012. As of 2008 he is selling a DVD entitled, 2012, in which he lays out myriad reasons why he
believes the Rapture will take place in 2012. One of those reasons is that the Mayan
calendar ends on December 21, 2012. This is what he said on a recent program:
In Matthew 1.17, there are 42 generations from Abraham until
Christ. What? 2,160 years divided by 42 is 51.2. In Luke chapter three, verses 23 to 38,
there are 77 generations into 4,000 years from Adam to Christ and that comes out to 51.2
and if you add the extra six months because the Six Day War took place in June you’re
almost at 52 years. You add 52 to 1967 and you come out pretty close to 2018, 2019,
subtract seven years from now, we’re talking about 2012. Remember what I said two
weeks ago? The Mayan calendar ends December 21st 2012. It’s all there, ladies and
gentlemen. I don’t believe in setting dates,
Matthew 24.36, but Jesus said, “When you shall
see all these signs (and they are here) then
you’ll know it’s near even at the door, Matthew 24.33. (Emphasis added,
R.K.)
We are living in the “times of the signs,” but the
Mayan calendar has nothing to do with the timing of the Rapture. The only signs that a true believer in Jesus Christ should
“watch” for are the prophecies found in the Bible. Secular signs are not
reliable, and they should be ignored. When 2012 ends it will mean that once again Van Impe
has made a false prediction.
Hal
Lindsey
Thousands of preachers have said during the last 39 years that
Jesus Christ would “soon” return or that His return was “very near.”
This recent prophecy craze was started by Hal Lindsey in 1970. His book, The Late Great Planet Earth, was the foundation for
most of the predictions since 1970. He speculated, but did not state emphatically, that
the “last generation” started in 1948 with the establishment of the nation of
Israel. He said that a generation was 40 years so the Second Coming should be in 1988. He
believes the Rapture will take place seven years earlier which means he thought the
Rapture would probably take place in 1981.
Lindsey quoted the Lord, “Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass
away, till all these things be accomplished” (Matthew 24:34), and then he
made this statement:
What generation? Obviously, in context, the
generation that would see the signs – chief among them the rebirth of Israel. A generation in the Bible is something like forty years. If this is a correct deduction, then
within forty years or so of 1948, all these things
could take place. Many scholars who have studied Bible prophecy all their lives believe that this is so. (The Late Great Planet Earth, p. 54, emphasis added,
R.K.)
He thought he was right when the Iraq-Iran War broke out in
September 1980, but the Lord did not return. He was wrong about that prediction. Many
scholars, who believed like him, and had “studied Bible prophecy all of their
lives,” were also wrong.
Since then Lindsey has said dozens of times that the Rapture
would take place “soon,” “very soon” and that it was “very
near.” An example of one of his predictions, that is not a prediction, is found in
his 1981 book, The 1980’S: Countdown to
Armageddon:
During the last 25 years I have been studying prophecy I have
seen incredible events forecast 3,000 years ago happen right before my eyes. Especially in
the past 10 years, I have watched current events push toward the climax of history the
prophets foretold. I believe many people will be shocked by what is happening right now
and by what will happen in the very near future. The
decade of the 1980’s could very well be the last decade of history as we know it.
(pp. 7-8, emphasis added, H.L.)
He missed that prediction also. The 1980’s was not the
“last decade of history as we know it.” He
was not even close.
Lindsey has also said the Lord would return to rapture the Church
in his lifetime. If he dies it will mean that he missed it, no matter what excuse his
defenders may make. He also said that the Rapture would take place by the time he reached
the age of the life span of the average American male. That year has come and gone. He has
made four clear predictions with three of them wrong. When he dies that will be his fourth
inaccurate prediction.
He made a prediction dealing with the Soviet Union in his book, The Late Great Planet Earth. He said the Russians
were “seeking to gain footholds in Iran by various overtures of aid. In order to
mount a large-scale invasion predicted by Ezekiel, Russia would need Iran as an
ally.” He then wrote:
Watch the actions of Iran in relation to Russia and the United
Arab Republic. This writer believes that significant things will soon be happening there.
(p. 68)
Russia and her allies use this occasion to launch an invasion of
the Middle East, which Russia has longed to do since the Napoleonic wars. (Ibid., p. 154)
In his second book, The
1980’S: Countdown to Armageddon, Lindsey said that he predicted, in his first
book, that Russia would invade the Middle East:
In The Late Great Planet
Earth I predicted that the Soviets would begin their Middle East campaign with a sweep
through the Persian Gulf area into Iran. The recent Russian invasion of Afghanistan was a
first step in that direction. Once the Middle East
falls to Russia, the communists will withhold their newly-gained oil to cripple the
west. Just how close the Soviets are to making this bold move will be discussed in a later
chapter. (p. 13)
He also made this prediction about Russia’s plans for the
Middle East:
The Russian invasion of Afghanistan has telegraphed the Soviet intention to take over the entire Middle East.
Russian troops are already present in South Yemen and Ethiopia, and the fall of the Shah
in nearby Iran has opened the door for a Soviet
conquest of the strategic Persian Gulf area. The rest of the Middle East –
including Saudi Arabia, which sits on
one-quarter of the world’s known oil reserves – appears to be an easy target for a Soviet takeover.
This area has now fit
precisely into the pattern predicted for
it. All that remains is for the Russians to make their predicted move. (Ibid., p. 63,
emphasis added, R.K.)
In 1980, when he wrote his second book, it looked as though the
Soviets would take over the Middle East. Their invasion of Afghanistan in December of
1979, made him and most eschatologians think the end was very near. He made a prediction,
on Paul Crouch’s TBN network, that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was the
beginning of the end. He said the Soviets would soon attack Israel, and that Christians
should pack their bags.
Lindsey and most prophecy teachers did not foresee al-Qaeda, led
by Usama bin Laden, defeating the Soviets, and running them out of Afghanistan with their
tails tucked between their legs. Instead of the Soviets taking over the Middle East, and
holding the world to ransom with oil, the United States has done that.
On October 7, 2001, George Bush invaded Afghanistan in response
to the September 11 attacks, and then invaded Iraq in 2003. He captured Saddam Hussein,
and had him hung. Before the invasion of the Middle East by Bush the price of oil was
around $25.00 per barrel. It climbed to over $140.00 a barrel in 2008 before falling back.
Lindsey should have predicted that the United States would invade the Middle East, and
hold the world to ransom with oil.
On September 25, 1997, he predicted on his TV show, International Intelligence Briefing, that Russia
would invade Israel within 18 months (End-Time
Visions, p. 286).
The false prediction by Lindsey concerning the Soviet Union is to
be expected because he does not speak for God as the Old Testament prophets did. We must
all be knowledgeable about the political machinations of the families who run the world
– Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Bronfmans, DuPonts, Habsburgs, Sassoons,
Schiffs, Thyssens, Vanderbilts and Witten-Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Windsors,
and the organizations – Bilderberg Group, Royal
Institute of International Affairs, Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission,
Bohemian Club, Club of Rome, Skull and Bones Society, Fabian Society, New York Century
Association, Cosmos Club, Twentieth Century Fund, United Nations, Federal Reserve Corp.,
Council of Nine, Freemasons, Roman Catholic Church, Society of Jesus, Knights of Malta,
Knights Templar, Illuminati Order and hundreds of other groups – or we may also make
similar mistakes.
In his second book, The
1980’S: Countdown to Armageddon, Lindsey said that the False Prophet was alive in
1980 when the book was written:
I believe the false prophet is in the Middle East today, awaiting
his fateful hour. (Ibid., p. 48)
When the False Prophet is identified, and it is learned that he
was born after 1980, it will mean that Hal Lindsey made another false prediction.
In his book, Planet Earth
2000 A.D., Lindsey predicted the Rapture would take place in the year 2000. However,
he left himself a face-saving outlet:
“Could I be wrong? Of course. The Rapture may not occur
between now and the year 2000.” (p. 306)
Lindsey has been wrong about every prediction he has made. Why?
He has been unduly influenced by the doctrine of imminence,
and he does not understand what the What is.
Texe Marrs
Texe Marrs suggested in a 1992 essay, “Night Cometh!”
the Rapture could take place by the year 2000. He wrote that Satan’s
“New Age occult kingdom will be fully in place on planet earth and the New Age
messiah will be in charge of this world. But, that’s the Devil’s timetable, not
God’s” (James, William T., Storming Toward
Armageddon, p. 130).
Benny Hinn
Toufik
Benedictus “Benny” Hinn,
Palestinian born televangelist, founder of the
Orlando Christian Center and host of the television program
“This is Your Day,” has made numerous false prophecies with some of them
concerning the Antichrist and the Rapture:
“A world
dictator is coming on the scene. My! He’s a short man. He’s a short man. I see a short
man who’s a perfect incarnation of Satan. [he speaks in tongues] Never in my life
have I had anything happen like what’s happening to me now! ‘This man will rule
the world. In the next few years you will see him.
But not long after that you will see Me.’” (Orlando Christian Center,
12.31.1989, emphasis added, R.K.)
“We may have two years before the rapture. Can I be blunt
with you? I don’t know if we have two years
left. I’m going to prove to you from the Word tonight, that we have less than two years.” (Trinity
Broadcasting Network, 11.9.1990, emphasis added, R.K.)
“Jesus is
coming again within the next two years.”
(July 1997, fund-raising telethon on TBN, emphasis added, R.K.)
Harold Camping
Harold Camping wrote a book, “1994?” in which he
decided the end of the world when no one could be saved any longer would be September 6,
1994 (1994?, pp. 526-7, p.531). During that year he said emphatically that the Lord would
return between September 15-27. He went on to predict September 29, and then October 2 for
the end. Camping made another prediction a few years later picking March 31, 1995. When
the Lord failed to return on those dates he said he did not predict the Lord’s Second
Coming. He said it was highly probable the Lord would return on those dates. Since then he
has made another prediction for the Lord’s return. That lucky year is 2011. Here is
the warning posted on his website:
In 2 Peter 3:8, which is quoted above, Holy God reminds us that
one day is as 1,000 years. Therefore, with the correct understanding that the seven days
referred to in Genesis 7:4 can be understood as 7,000 years, we learn that when God told
Noah there were seven days to escape worldwide destruction, He was also telling the world
there would be exactly 7,000 years (one day is as 1,000 years) to escape the wrath of God
that would come when He destroys the world on Judgment Day. Because Holy Infinite God is
all-knowing, He knows the end from the beginning. He knew how sinful the world would
become.
Seven thousand years after 4990 B.C. (the year of the Flood) is
the year 2011 A.D. (our calendar). 4990 + 2011 – 1 = 7,000 [One year must be
subtracted in going from an Old Testament B.C. calendar date to a New Testament A.D.
calendar date because the calendar does not have a year zero.]
Thus Holy God is showing us by the words of 2 Peter 3:8 that He
wants us to know that exactly 7,000 years after He destroyed the world with water in
Noah’s day, He plans to destroy the entire world forever. Because the year 2011
A.D. is exactly 7,000 years after 4990 B.C. when the flood began, the Bible has given us
absolute proof that the year 2011 is the end of the world during the Day of Judgment, which
will come on the last day of the Day of Judgment.
Amazingly, May 21, 2011 is the 17th day of the 2nd
month of the Biblical calendar of our day. Remember, the flood waters also began on the 17th
day of the 2nd month, in the year 4990 B.C.
The Holy Bible gives several additional astounding proofs that
May 21, 2011 is very accurate as the time for the Day of Judgment. For more information on
this subject, you may request a copy of We Are Almost There, available free of
charge from Family Radio.
God is proving to us that we have very accurately learned from
the Holy Bible God’s time-plan for the end of the world.
Sadly, the Holy Bible tells us that only a small percentage of
today’s world will turn from their evil ways, and with great humility and fear will
cry to God for mercy. Nevertheless, the Bible assures us that many of the people who do
beg God for His mercy will not be destroyed. We learn from the Bible that Holy God plans
to rescue about 200 million people (that is about 3% of today’s population). On the
first day of the Day of Judgment (May 21, 2011) they will be caught up (raptured) into
Heaven because God had great mercy for them. This is why we can be so thankful that God
has given us advance notice of Judgment Day.4 (Emphasis added, H.C.)
His date for the flood of Noah’s time (4990 BC) is off by
over 2500 years. The major dates for the flood are – Martin Antsey 2386, the Chinese 2348, Bishop
Ussher 2348, the Great Pyramid 2343, Judaism 2105.
Camping teaches that May 21, 2011, will be the day that
Christians are raptured and the Tribulation begins. He believes the Tribulation will last
5 months (Genesis 7.24), and Jesus Christ will return in person on October 21, 2011. On
that day the unsaved will be judged.
He is also wrong in the number of people who will be saved. He
gets that number from Revelation 9.16. The 200,000,000 is the number of the demonic
creatures that will terrorize the world during the Tribulation with the blowing of the
sixth trumpet. The number of people who will be raptured before the start of the
Tribulation will be more than 200 million, and there may be that many or more saved during
the Tribulation (Revelation 7.9). Most of those saved during the Tribulation will be
martyred.
He confirmed his belief that Jesus Christ will return on May 21,
2011 on his “Open Forum” program. He told a caller that he is positive that his
date is correct:
I have no option, I
can’t say as I did a few years ago there is a high likelihood it’ll be this or
that. Now I have to say it is absolutely
certain this is going to happen. (“Open Forum,” 10.09.2009, emphasis R.K.)
It is hard to believe that Camping is right about his date for
creation and everyone else is off by 6000 years. If his date for creation (11,013 BC), and
the flood (4990 BC) are wrong, then his date for the Second Coming is also wrong. When May
22, 2011 roles around, it will mean that Camping has made another false prediction.
Let’s hope it will be his last.
Camping uses two verses – “And it came
to pass after the seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth” (Genesis 7.10), and “But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day
is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (1 Peter 3.8) – to determine that
the statement in Genesis is a prophecy that after 7000 years (7 days) the Earth will be
destroyed. He chooses 4990 as the year of the flood, and counts 7000 years from that date
to arrive at 2011. He also claims the flood started on May 21 of 4990 so the destruction
of the world will begin on May 21, 2011. Jesus Christ will return 5 months later (Genesis
7.24) to judge the wicked on October 21, 2011.
Arnold Murray
Arnold Murray, pastor of the Shepherd’s Chapel teaches numerous false
doctrines. He also made a few false predictions. In 1980 he said we were living in the
last 3½ years of the Tribulation. He predicted that “one-worldism shall come to
pass, and it shall receive a deadly wound about the end of this year.” He also
predicted the Millennial Temple would start to be built in 1981, and the Antichrist would
appear in the same year.5
What
God Says Concerning False Prophets
“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 18.22)
Conclusion
The only people who make false predictions concerning the timing
of the Rapture and Second Coming are those who think the Lord can return at any moment. Those who clearly understand that
specific prophetic warning signs must be
fulfilled before the Rapture can take place never make false predictions. They simply
“wait” and “watch” for those prophecies to be fulfilled just as Jesus
commanded us to do:
“Take heed, watch and
pray: for you know not when the time is. For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far
journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his
work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for you know not when the
master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the
morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto
all, Watch.” (Mark 13.33-37)
And what do we “watch” for? The only things that we can
“watch” for are the prophetic warning
signs (the What) that the Old Testament
prophets, Jesus, Paul and Peter gave us to “watch” for so we would know the When (time of the Rapture)!
It is the most thorough book ever written on the Rapture. It reveals Bible secrets concerning the Rapture that have never been put in print.