Why Date Setting Is Wrong
by
Jerry Falwell
A. INTRODUCTION
1. Many have been wrong.
a. William Miller on October 22, 1844 waited with hundreds in the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
b. Jehovah Witness predicted Christ returned in 1874, and was crowned as King in 1914.
c. Edgar C. Whisenant wrote 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Occur in 1988 (during the feast of Rosh Hashanah during the first week of September that year).
As we approach the year 2,000 A.D., many will set dates for Christ’s return. This message should give you answers for the growing "claims" when Christ will return. Watch for September 2,000. Many will claim Christ will come in this month. Why?
2. Sabbath theory. Just as there were six days of creation (work) and God rested on the seventh, so God will work (minister) in the world for six thousand years then rest in the seventh 1,000 years, which is the millennium "Sabbath." "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (II Pet. 3:8). "They" claim the world was created 4,004 B.C. (Usher’s date is un-scientific). According to the chronology below, Jesus will come in or near the year 2,000 A.D.
4004 O. T. years (Usher’s Date)
2000 N. T. years
(Jesus comes before the millennium)
1000 Millennium or Sabbath rest
-----
7000 years
Answer:
a. Christian tradition. Usher’s date is wrong because he mis-understood and mis-interpreted O.T. genealogies. Bishop Usher traced the genealogies of Bible back to Adam and estimated 20 years for each generation. He estimated Creation occurred in 4004 B.C.
b. Jewish tradition. The Jewish rabbi’s got together and concluded the earth was created in 3760 B.C. That means if the Jewish rabbi’s are correct, we are in the year 5757 according to the Jewish calendar. Then the year 2,000 won’t come for another 242 years (source, editorial Baptist Bible Tribune, Dr. J. Combs).
3. The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah). They teach the cycle of past and future history is tied to the seven feasts of Israel’s year. The four Spring feasts, Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, reflect Christ’s first coming. The three Fall feasts represent Christ’s second coming, i.e. Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles.
a. Christ Comes on Rosh Hashanah. Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, relates to the rapture, i.e. the rapture is introduced by a trumpet. "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (I Cor. 15:52). "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" (I Thess. 4:16).
b. Rapture in September. Rosh Hashanah is celebrated in our September, i.e. the Jewish month of Tishi. "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation" (Lev. 23:24).
3. Thesis. If they can establish the year (2000 A.D. Sabbath Theory) then we can establish the date, the first of Tishri, i.e. early September of 2000 A.D.
B. DATE SETTING IS PROHIBITED
1. "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (Matt. 24:36).
2. "Watch, therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Matt. 24:42).
3. "Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matt. 24:44).
4. "Watch, therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of man cometh" (Matt. 25:13).
5. "And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power" (Acts 1:7).
6. "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" (I Thess. 5:1-2).
7. Application of these verses.
a. The human impossibility of knowing the date.
b. Date setting is prohibited.
c. Only God knows the time of Christ’s coming and He has chosen not the reveal it.
d. In His humanity, Christ did not know the date.
e. Our knowing the exact date is not necessary to our walk with Christ. "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deut. 29:29).
C. A FEW CLAIM THEY KNOW
1. Some add that "they" can know because now we are living in the last days, i.e. the early church couldn’t know because Christ couldn’t come in their time.
2. Some add "they" know because they have figured out God’s hidden scheme, i.e. hidden in pictures, symbols, numbers, or feasts.
3. The "Generation" Argument. "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth near" (Luke 21:28). They teach that there will be a "generation" who will know and understand. "This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled" (Luke 21:32). But the answer is this "generation" refers to Jewish Believers during the Tribulation who are told to watch for the Second Coming, not the Rapture. They are told to endure the final period of severe persecution because there will be deliverance.
4. The "Drawing Near" Argument. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Heb. 10:25). They teach some can see "the day" approaching and can predict the date. The answer is this "day" was the coming destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. by Titus. The book of Hebrew was written to Jewish believers in Jerusalem who were apostatizing back to Jerusalem and God judged them and destroyed the Temple, i.e. the greatest attraction that brought about their apostatizing.
5. The "Day" Argument. "But ye brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief" (I Thess. 5:4). This argument says a believer would have to know the "day" not to be overtaken by it. But Paul is telling readers to be ready and alert that Christ may come at any time.
D. THE IMMINENT HOPE
1. The Doctrine of Imminence teaches that Christ can come at any time and that Christ does not have to come at any time. Imminent synonyms: impending, threatening, and projecting.
2. Gives Hope. "Looking of that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).
a. Hope for those bound by physical disease and mental captivity.
b. Hope for those in a "pit" of terrible circumstances.
c. Hope for those in suffering, i.e. mental, physical, emotional
3. Others Were Cheated. When someone sets a date for the return of Christ, they say, (a) Christ couldn’t have come in the past, so the "blessed hope" was only an illusion, to those who lived in the past. (b) Our present "blessed hope" is removed from reality because it is a "future truth" not a "moment by moment expectation." (c) They have removed, "moment by moment accountability."
4. Imminence Puts Us On Alert. "Be on the alert" (Matt. 24:42, 25:13).
a. Alert to live godly. "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are sons of light, and sons of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober-minded. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that are drunk are drunk in the night. 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" (I Thess. 5:4-8).
b. Alert toward the deceptiveness of evil. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that, in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving by them who believe and know the truth" (I Tim. 4:1-3).
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God. Contact us and ask for a copy of The How To Book or use The How To Book Online (Falwell.com). It is a booklet that will answer many of the questions you are sure to have about living the Christian life. And when you contact us, tell us about your salvation experience so that we can rejoice with you.
