Date setting Christ's return has always been a big deal over the centuries. And there's
actually nothing wrong with the question, we should look for His return. However, the Bible states in Matthew 24:42 "Watch therefore, for you do not know the hour your Lord is coming." And again in Matthew 25:13 "...for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." In the book "Are You Rapture Ready?" by Todd Strandberg and Terry James, the authors list some past failed attempts to pin a date to the Rapture. Listed here are just some of the dates listed, which you may find interesting.
• AD 53 - There was talk that Christ's return had already taken place, even before all the books of the Bible were written. The Thessalonians panicked when they heard a rumor that the day of the Lord was at hand, and they had missed the Rapture.
• 500 - A Roman priest living in the second century predicted Christ would return in AD 500, based on the dimensions of Noah's ark.
• 1000 - This year goes down as one of the most heightened periods of hysteria over the return of Christ. All members of society seemed affected by the prediction that Jesus was coming back at the start of the new millennium. During the concluding months of AD 999, all people were on their best behavior. Many sold their worldly goods and gave them to the poor, and swarms of pilgrims headed east to meet the Lord at Jerusalem. Buildings went unprepared, crops were left unplanted, and criminals were set free from jails.
• 1033 - This year was cited as the beginning of the millennium because it marked one thousand years since Christ's crucifixion.
• 1524-1526 - Muntzer, a leader of German peasants, announced that the return of Christ was near. He proclaimed that after he and his men destroyed the high and mighty, the Lord would return. This belief led to an uneven battle with government troops where he was strategically outnumbered. Muntzer claimed to have a vision from God where the Lord promised that He would catch the cannonballs of the enemy in the sleeves of his cloak. The vision proved false when Muntzer and his followers were mowed down by cannon fire.
• 1650-1660 - The Fifth Monarchy men looked to Jesus to establish a theocracy. They took up arms and tried to seize England by force. The movement died when the British monarchy was restored in 1660.
• 1666 - To the citizens of London, 1666 was not a banner year. A bubonic plague outbreak killed a hundred thousand and the great fire of London struck the same year. The world seemed at an end to most Londoners. The fact the year ended with part of the beasts number (666) didn't help matters either.
• 1809 - Mary Bateman, who specialized in fortune telling, had a magic chicken that laid eggs with end-time messages on them. One message said that Christ was coming. The uproar she created ended when she was caught, by an unannounced visitor, forcing an egg into the hens oviduct. Mary was later hanged for poisoning a wealthy client. History does not record if the offended chicken attended the hanging.
• 1910 - The revisit of Halley's comet was, for many, an indication of the Lords second coming. The earth actually passed through the gaseous tail of the comet. One enterprising man sold comet pills to people for protection against the effects of the toxic gases.
• 1914 - Charles Russell, after being exposed to the teachings of William Miller, founded his own organization that evolved into becoming the Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1914, Russell predicted the return of Christ.
• 1918 - In 1918, new math didn't help Charles Russel from striking out again.
• 1925,1975, and 1984 - In the three separate years the Jehovah Witnesses again predicted the return of Christ.
• 1967 - When the city of Jerusalem was reclaimed by the Jews in 1967, prophecy watchers declared that the "Time of the Gentiles" had come to an end.
• 1988 - The book "88 Reasons Why the Rapture is in 1988" came out. Many people were caught up in the excitement, but no Jesus. In 1989 the author of the book, Edgar Whisenant, came out with a new book called "89 Reasons Why the Rapture is in 1989." Still no Jesus.
• 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 - Predictions were made for Christ's return by various groups. Harold Camping's book "Are You Ready?", which was full of numerology that added up to 1994 caused a stir.
• Every year from 1996 to 2002 - Christ's return was predicted by various groups from various countries.
• 2000 - The list of names of people and organizations that called for the return of Christ at the turn of the century is too long to be listed here.
• 2004 - This date for Jesus' return is based upon Psalmology, numerology, the Biblical 360 days per year, Jewish holidays, and "Biblical astronomy." To figure out this date, you'll need a calculator, a slide rule, and plenty of scratch paper.
• 2012 - New Age writers cite Mayan and Aztec calendars that predict the end of the age on December 21, 2012.
We believe we will never know the exact day of Christ's return for His Church. It is God's nature to act independently from man's thinking. If He returned on a date that someone had figured out, that person would deprive God of His triumph. When it comes to His glory, God doesn’t share the spotlight with anyone.
By George Konig
May 14, 2006
www.georgekonig.org
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