It is an undeniable fact that Jesus Christ is coming again to judge the quick (living) and the dead. Your belief in that statement does not make it any more true; your unbelief in that statement does not make it any less true. The statement has enough strength to stand alone. It needs no backing. It needs no support. Congress does not need to write a bill to sustain it. The president of the United States does not need to write an executive order to prop it up. The Supreme Court may declare it constitutional or unconstitutional. It does not need preachers to proclaim it in order to cause it to come to pass. If it is preached, it will come to pass. If it is ignored, it will happen. If educators mock at it, Jesus will still come. If atheists shake their fist at it, it won't change it. Jesus is coming. Like it; hate it; preach it; tell it; declare it; fight it; argue for it; argue against it; prove it; disprove it; do whatever you wish. YOU WON'T CHANGE IT. Jesus Christ is coming again.
Setting a Date for the Lord's Coming is Foolish
Just as undeniable as the fact that Jesus Christ is coming again is the fact that no one knows the day or the hour that day will come. Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 - "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." If anyone tells you that they know when the Lord is coming, they are a bold-faced liar. Jesus said they do not know. And, the Bible says in Romans 3:4 - "Let God be true, but every man a liar." Every individual on the face of the earth will be a liar before God's Word will. Jesus said that no one knows when He will return to earth. Yet, I am appalled at how many continue to try to set a date. This idea of date-setting has failed every time it has been tried. It has a 100% failure rate, and still so-called scholars attempt it!
I came across a book a couple of years ago that was published in the 1970s. Will Christ Come by 2001? was written by Noah Hutchings. Mr. Hutchings concluded in the book that Christ MUST COME by 2001. He used scriptures, as well as a study of Biblical numerology (a study in which I have no confidence). As you can see, Christ did not come by 2001. Mr. Hutchings is still on the radio. I hope he has denounced his book and ceased to make such predictions.
The Jehovah's Witnesses are tainted with such foolishness. Their founder, Charles Taze Russell, attempted more than once to predict the end of the world. First, he stated that 1914 would be the end. When that date failed, another prediction was made - 1918. That's okay, though. This false group just took another stab at it, predicting that 1925 would be the year. Wrong again.
In 1970, the True Light Church of Christ predicted the Lord's return for that year, and failed.
Perhaps the most common prediction regarding the Lord's return was in 1988. Edgar Whisenant published his book, 88 Reasons Why the Rapture is in 1988. The most laughable detail of this account is that, after his prediction had failed, Whisenant published a book in 1989 - 89 Reasons Why the Rapture is in 1989.
These are only a few incidents where date-setting for the Lord's return have been tried. Now, you may be reading this as an unbeliever, saying, "See there. Christians have been wrong all these times. That's why I'm not a Christian." You'd better hold it a minute. Yes, these people who have made these predictions claimed to be Christians. However, a person is out of the boundaries of the Bible when he tries to predict the coming of the Lord. THE BIBLE DOES NOT TELL WHEN JESUS IS COMING, but rather states that the day and hour is unknown.
I am amazed that, in spite of the many failed attempts throughout history to set the date for the Lord's return, it is still being done! People have learned nothing from these attempts. And, it seems that these date setters always have an audience. NEVER ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE PART OF AN AUDIENCE OF A DATE-SETTER! I say this for two reasons. First, they are calling Jesus Christ a liar. He plainly stated that NO MAN knows when He will return. Second, date-setting has never worked! Stay away from it. It's bad news.
One of the most recent attempts to set the date for the Lord's return has been done by Harold Camping, the man in California who founded the Family Radio Network in 1958. Camping has stated publicly that the Lord will return on May 21, 2011. And again, he has an audience. Dear reader, what you need to do is give your life to Jesus Christ, confessing Him as Lord. Live your life for Jesus until you die or He comes, and the date will not matter. Setting a date for the Lord's return is foolish - Do not practice it; do not follow it!
Naming the Antichrist is Foolish
Another common area of error is in the identification of the anitchrist. This has been going on for centuries. The Bible states that there will be a man of sin that will be revealed. The Bible DOES NOT TELL US WHO THIS MAN IS. I have learned a few things in my ministry, and one valuable lesson I have learned is this: If God is silent on an issue, it would do me good to be silent on the issue. Please understand that if God wanted us to know who the antichrist is, HE WOULD HAVE TOLD US. In the Old Testament, Isaiah prophesied about a king who would come on the scene, and Isaiah NAMED that king. The king was Cyrus. Cyrus did come on the scene - 150 years later. God wanted the Jews to know the name of the king that He would use, so God told them his name. If God wanted us to know the name of the antichrist, I am a firm believer that HE WOULD HAVE TOLD US!
Why then do people still, to this day, try to name the antichrist? Like setting a date for the Lord's return, naming the antichrist has been tried for centuries, and has failed EVERY TIME it has been tried. As far back as the 1500s, authorities claimed that Martin Luther's son would be the antichrist.
In the mid 1900s, it was documented, especially by followers of Isaac Haldeman, that Adolf Hitler was the antichrist. But, that has proved not to be the case.
I have heard that this practice is still going on, though it is has been wrong EVERY TIME it has been tried. I read recently where Ronald Weinland claims to be one of the two witnesses of Revelation. Putting names on prophetical characters is not a good idea. If God wanted us to know the specifics, he would have given them to us.
The Spirit of Antichrist
Let me put forth this question. Does it matter who the antichrist is? If it becomes law tomorrow, that in America Christianity is illegal, do I need to figure out if Obama is the antichrist? Whether Obama is the antichrist or not, if it becomes illegal to be a Christian, I still need to be faithful to Jesus Christ. Who the antichrist is has nothing to do with it.
What Christians need to do is be closer to the Lord than we have ever been. We need uncompromising preachers who preach the Bible in its entirety, rightly divided. We need mothers and fathers who will raise their children according to Bible principles, whether Washington likes it or not; whether the U.N. smiles about it or not. What we need is people who will live by the Bible even when the Bible becomes illegal. When the Bible becomes illegal, we won't have to figure out whether the antichrist is on the scene or not; we just need to love Jesus, and live for Him. I see no need to identify the antichrist. It is not my job to declare who the antichrist is; it IS my job to declare who the Christ is. If I can get people to love Jesus with all their heart, they'll recognize the spirit of antichrist, whether they know who the man is or not. We are fighting the spirit of antichrist today. And, if I can be close to the Lord, any spirit that is not of Christ - I'll know, and will not be deceived.
Setting a Date for the Lord's Coming is Foolish
Just as undeniable as the fact that Jesus Christ is coming again is the fact that no one knows the day or the hour that day will come. Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 - "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." If anyone tells you that they know when the Lord is coming, they are a bold-faced liar. Jesus said they do not know. And, the Bible says in Romans 3:4 - "Let God be true, but every man a liar." Every individual on the face of the earth will be a liar before God's Word will. Jesus said that no one knows when He will return to earth. Yet, I am appalled at how many continue to try to set a date. This idea of date-setting has failed every time it has been tried. It has a 100% failure rate, and still so-called scholars attempt it!
I came across a book a couple of years ago that was published in the 1970s. Will Christ Come by 2001? was written by Noah Hutchings. Mr. Hutchings concluded in the book that Christ MUST COME by 2001. He used scriptures, as well as a study of Biblical numerology (a study in which I have no confidence). As you can see, Christ did not come by 2001. Mr. Hutchings is still on the radio. I hope he has denounced his book and ceased to make such predictions.
The Jehovah's Witnesses are tainted with such foolishness. Their founder, Charles Taze Russell, attempted more than once to predict the end of the world. First, he stated that 1914 would be the end. When that date failed, another prediction was made - 1918. That's okay, though. This false group just took another stab at it, predicting that 1925 would be the year. Wrong again.
In 1970, the True Light Church of Christ predicted the Lord's return for that year, and failed.
Perhaps the most common prediction regarding the Lord's return was in 1988. Edgar Whisenant published his book, 88 Reasons Why the Rapture is in 1988. The most laughable detail of this account is that, after his prediction had failed, Whisenant published a book in 1989 - 89 Reasons Why the Rapture is in 1989.
These are only a few incidents where date-setting for the Lord's return have been tried. Now, you may be reading this as an unbeliever, saying, "See there. Christians have been wrong all these times. That's why I'm not a Christian." You'd better hold it a minute. Yes, these people who have made these predictions claimed to be Christians. However, a person is out of the boundaries of the Bible when he tries to predict the coming of the Lord. THE BIBLE DOES NOT TELL WHEN JESUS IS COMING, but rather states that the day and hour is unknown.
I am amazed that, in spite of the many failed attempts throughout history to set the date for the Lord's return, it is still being done! People have learned nothing from these attempts. And, it seems that these date setters always have an audience. NEVER ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE PART OF AN AUDIENCE OF A DATE-SETTER! I say this for two reasons. First, they are calling Jesus Christ a liar. He plainly stated that NO MAN knows when He will return. Second, date-setting has never worked! Stay away from it. It's bad news.
One of the most recent attempts to set the date for the Lord's return has been done by Harold Camping, the man in California who founded the Family Radio Network in 1958. Camping has stated publicly that the Lord will return on May 21, 2011. And again, he has an audience. Dear reader, what you need to do is give your life to Jesus Christ, confessing Him as Lord. Live your life for Jesus until you die or He comes, and the date will not matter. Setting a date for the Lord's return is foolish - Do not practice it; do not follow it!
Naming the Antichrist is Foolish
Another common area of error is in the identification of the anitchrist. This has been going on for centuries. The Bible states that there will be a man of sin that will be revealed. The Bible DOES NOT TELL US WHO THIS MAN IS. I have learned a few things in my ministry, and one valuable lesson I have learned is this: If God is silent on an issue, it would do me good to be silent on the issue. Please understand that if God wanted us to know who the antichrist is, HE WOULD HAVE TOLD US. In the Old Testament, Isaiah prophesied about a king who would come on the scene, and Isaiah NAMED that king. The king was Cyrus. Cyrus did come on the scene - 150 years later. God wanted the Jews to know the name of the king that He would use, so God told them his name. If God wanted us to know the name of the antichrist, I am a firm believer that HE WOULD HAVE TOLD US!
Why then do people still, to this day, try to name the antichrist? Like setting a date for the Lord's return, naming the antichrist has been tried for centuries, and has failed EVERY TIME it has been tried. As far back as the 1500s, authorities claimed that Martin Luther's son would be the antichrist.
In the mid 1900s, it was documented, especially by followers of Isaac Haldeman, that Adolf Hitler was the antichrist. But, that has proved not to be the case.
I have heard that this practice is still going on, though it is has been wrong EVERY TIME it has been tried. I read recently where Ronald Weinland claims to be one of the two witnesses of Revelation. Putting names on prophetical characters is not a good idea. If God wanted us to know the specifics, he would have given them to us.
The Spirit of Antichrist
Let me put forth this question. Does it matter who the antichrist is? If it becomes law tomorrow, that in America Christianity is illegal, do I need to figure out if Obama is the antichrist? Whether Obama is the antichrist or not, if it becomes illegal to be a Christian, I still need to be faithful to Jesus Christ. Who the antichrist is has nothing to do with it.
What Christians need to do is be closer to the Lord than we have ever been. We need uncompromising preachers who preach the Bible in its entirety, rightly divided. We need mothers and fathers who will raise their children according to Bible principles, whether Washington likes it or not; whether the U.N. smiles about it or not. What we need is people who will live by the Bible even when the Bible becomes illegal. When the Bible becomes illegal, we won't have to figure out whether the antichrist is on the scene or not; we just need to love Jesus, and live for Him. I see no need to identify the antichrist. It is not my job to declare who the antichrist is; it IS my job to declare who the Christ is. If I can get people to love Jesus with all their heart, they'll recognize the spirit of antichrist, whether they know who the man is or not. We are fighting the spirit of antichrist today. And, if I can be close to the Lord, any spirit that is not of Christ - I'll know, and will not be deceived.
