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Writer's pictureAndy McIlvain

Beware of Date-Setters--7 Examples of The Dangers of Setting An Exact Date For Jesus' 2nd Coming


Video from DTBM


Beware of Date-Setters--7 Examples of The Dangers of Setting An Exact Date For Jesus' 2nd Coming

"THE FOLLY OF DATE SETTING

Look at history. Some of the greatest saints made the mistake of date setting. Martin Luther, John Wesley, Isaac Newton, and a host of others all succumbed to date setting in dramatic moments of history.

But, to stay Biblical, the only thing we are to do is to say “His Coming is near”—but when we go beyond that and also say a day, an hour, a year—we are being disobedient. Here are some pages from history to help us learn what not to do!

An untold number of people have tried to predict the Lord's return by using elaborate timetables. Most date-setters do not realize that mankind has not kept an unwavering record of time.

Anyone wanting to chart, for example, 100 BC to 2000 AD, would have to contend with the fact that 46 BC was 445 days long, there was no year 0 BC, and in 1582 we switched from Julian Years (360 days) to Gregorian (365 days). Because most prognosticators are not aware of all of these errors, their math is immediately off by several years.

More concerned with the date of Jesus' return than with how Jesus commanded his followers to live until he came, prognosticators went on misreading prophecy:

1000

This year goes down as one of the most pronounced states of hysteria over the return of Christ. All members of society seemed affected by the prediction that Jesus was coming back on Jan 1, 1000 AD. There really weren't any of the events required by the Bible transpiring at that time. The magical number 1000 was primarily the sole reason for the expectation. During December 999 AD, everyone was on their best behavior; worldly goods were sold and given to the poor, swarms of pilgrims headed east to meet the Lord at Jerusalem, buildings went unrepaired, crops were left unplanted, and criminals were set free from jails. The year 999 AD turned into 1000 AD and nothing happened.

1524-1526

Muntzer, a leader of German peasants, announced that the return of Christ was near. After Muntzer and his men destroyed the high and mighty, the Lord would supposedly return. This belief led to an uneven battle against government troops. He was strategically outnumbered. Muntzer claimed to have had a vision from God in which the Lord promised that He would catch the cannonballs of the enemy in the sleeves of His cloak. The prediction within the vision turned out to be false when Muntzer and his followers were mowed down by cannon fire.

1666

For the citizens of London, 1666 was not a banner year. A bubonic plague outbreak killed 100,000 and the Great Fire of London struck the same year. The world seemed at an end to most Londoners. The fact that the year ended with the Beast's number—666--didn't help matters." from video introduction



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