DATE SETTING AND SIGN LOOKING

October 19, 2011

(first published via the FBIS July 31, 1996) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

The following first appeared in O Timothy magazine, Volume 10, Issue 3, 1993. The article uses Jack Van Impe to illustrate the point, but the three truths brought out apply equally well to many other ministries which focus on prophetic events, conspiracies, and speculations.
Jack Van Impe's latest video is entitled A.D. 2000 - The End? Though he doesn't say for sure that the Lord will return in the year 2000, he comes very close. In the Jack Van Impe catalog of publications, he advertises this video in these terms:

A dynamic, power-packed video of Dr. Van Impe expounding on* The 6-Day Theory--as predicted in the Jewish Talmud and by the Apostles Peter and Barnabas, and also by church historians, including Irenus in A.D. 140. * Chronological charts and calendar of Jewish holy days leading up to Messiah's appearing! * Mystery circles in the field. * Earthquakes, famines, AIDS ... and the end! * Why Jewish rabbinical scholars, Hindus, Muslims, New Agers, and secular leaders are proclaiming A.D. 2000 as the beginning of the new and final age.

Though he denies that he is setting a date, it is obvious that Van Impe strongly believes the Lord will return in A.D. 2000. In an article in the January-February 1993 issue of Van Impe's magazine, Perhaps Today, he reviews a detailed chronology to demonstrate that the Lord will probably return in September of 1999:

"Let's figure that out again--1948.5 plus 51.4 equals 1999.9--around September of the year 1999. Now, we are not date-setters! Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my father only (Matthew 24:36). But wait! Don't say, `No one can know the APPROXIMATE time when Christ will return,' for Jesus also said in verse 33 that we will know when it is near, even at the doors."

Dr. Van Impe would have done well to have quoted the entire verse in Matthew 24:33: "So likewise ye, WHEN YE SHALL SEE ALL THESE THINGS, know that it is near, even at the doors." The Lord Jesus said those who see ALL of the events of Matthew 24 fulfilled will know the time of His return. He is referring, obviously, to those who are alive during the Great Tribulation. What are ALL THESE THINGS that Christ had prophesied in Matthew 24? Verse 15 refers to "the abomination of desolation" who shall "stand in the holy place." Verse 21 refers to "great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." Verse 24 refers to powerful miracles performed by false christs. Verse 29 speaks of the sun and moon darkened, and the stars falling from heaven.

MATTHEW 24 DOES NOT SPEAK OF CHURCH-AGE EVENTS

While it is true that portions of Matthew 24 have been fulfilled through church history, and are being fulfilled today, the bulk of this prophecy details events of Daniel's 70th Week. Christ spoke of "the beginning of sorrows" in verses 4-8--false teachers, wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes. These things have characterized the church age, and have grown in intensity through the centuries. These are the beginning of sorrows. But verses 15-30 are clearly speaking of the events of the Great Tribulation which the church-age saints will never see.

I believe this reveals the error of concentrating on speculative prophecy. Sure, it's interesting to witness current events and SPECULATE about when the Lord MIGHT come and who the Antichrist MIGHT be. It's interesting to SPECULATE about whether or not the European Community will result in the revived Roman Empire, but I don't believe the Lord wants His people to be focusing on these things. He wants us to be focusing on the Great Commission. The writings of the apostles and New Testament prophets do not contain prophetic SPECULATION. Does SPECULATION really have a place in Bible preaching and ministry? Are we to be SPECULATORS? No, I believe we are to preach the SURE Word of God and leave the speculation to the prognosticators of this world.

Repeatedly, preachers who have gone off into prophetic speculation have proven to be false teachers. They observe; they speculate; then they prognosticate--and their prognostications turn out to be wrong. They prophesy economic collapse, but the economy doesn't collapse. They prophesy certain things regarding the Soviet Union, and the opposite happens. They set dates for Christs return, and He doesnt return.

There are dozens of men whose ministries focus almost exclusively on prophecy. They are Middle East watchers; they delve into the new age; they claim to see signs in the heavens; they speculate about the mark of the Beast and keep track of computer technology.

Current events are leading up to the fulfillment of prophecy; they are setting the stage for prophetic events; but present events are not specifically the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. We think it is in vain that Bible teachers are looking into today's news events for information about the Antichrist or Armageddon.

THIS PRESENT PERIOD IS AN INTERLUDE

The Old Testament prophecies about Israel's conversion and glorious kingdom look ahead to the 70th week of Daniel and the second coming of Christ. This present church period is an interlude. The prophetic clock ticked away through the 69 weeks of Daniel 9, which are actually weeks of years, then stopped at Christ's death. According to Dan. 9:25-26, the Messiah would come, then be "cut off" after the 69th year. That is exactly what happened. The Lord Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, and presented Himself as Israel's Messiah and King. Jn. 1:11 tells us that "he came unto his own, and his own received him not." Christ was rejected by the nation Israel, as prophecy said He would be, and He turned to the Gentiles, to call out a people for His name from among the heathen nations. That is what Christ is doing today. This is explained in passages such as Lk. 19:11-27; Acts 15:13-18, and Rom. 11:1-29. His disciples thought He would establish the kingdom immediately, but He explained that this would not be the case. Israel would be put aside; Christ would return to Heaven; and only later would He return to establish the promised kingdom.

During this present interlude in Bible prophecy, "the church age" as it is called, Christ is calling out a people for his name from among the heathen. At the end of this period, true Christians will be caught away to Heaven, and the prophetic clock will start again and the final week of Daniel 9, a week of seven years, will be fulfilled. This is also called the Great Tribulation, and is spoken of in Scriptures such as Matthew 24 and Revelation 4-18.

During the Great Tribulation, also called "the time of Jacob's trouble," unconverted Israel and the world will undergo great torments-judgments from Heaven and unspeakably horrible wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, and such. The antichrist will make a peace pact with Israel and will rule the entire world. After three and one-half years the peace pact will be broken and the antichrist will desecrate Israel's temple, and will set himself up as God. That will mark the beginning of the last half of the seven years and the start of the most horrible period of trouble the world has ever seen (Dan. 9:26-27; Matt. 24:15-28). At the end of the 70th week of Daniel, Israel will be converted and Christ will return in power and glory to establish the promised kingdom and to judge the nations (Matt. 24:29-30; 25:31-

32; Zech. 12:9-14:21).

THE CHRISTIAN'S DUTY IS NOT TO LOOK FOR PROPHETIC SIGNS

Christians have an entirely different program from that of the nation Israel. We are never told to look for the fulfillment of Israel's prophecies. Our work is to carry the Gospel to all peoples. That is the great business of the churches. Christians are to be ready at all times to be caught away from this world (1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-58). For the Christian, the coming of Christ is imminent, meaning it can occur at any time; it is always on the verge of happening. Christ warned: "Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. ... Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. ... Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh" (Matt. 24:42,44; 25:13).

This is very important. It is necessary that the believer be ready to depart at all times, ready to stand before the Lord Jesus Christ. "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children 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. ... For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:4-9).

The New Testament believer can know the general seasons, but we cannot know the time of Christ's return. I don't believe we can know the year. I don't believe we can even know the decade. The Holy Spirit is restraining the devil's program in the world, and this is the missing element of prophecy which makes it impossible for us to know when Christ will come. 2 Thess. 2:6-7 says: "And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: ONLY HE WHO NOW LETTETH WILL LET, UNTIL HE BE TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY."

I believe these verses say that the Holy Spirit is restraining the mystery of iniquity, and He will restrain until He is taken up with the New Testament saints. Thus, even though signs are seemingly being fulfilled in present world events, we still cannot know by observing these events when Christ will return. The Holy Spirit's restraining presence is the missing element. We don't know to what extent He will restrain the events of history. He has the power to slow the devil's program down and to keep things from progressing.

The Bible says: "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain" (James 5:7). The Lord's primary purpose in this age is calling out a people for His name among all nations. The Spirit of God is in the world to draw men to Christ and to control the events of history for the good of His purposes. He will do this as long as He wants, and it is impossible to know when this evangelistic program will be completed and the time for the fulfillment of prophecy will occur.

We simply will not know the time of His coming. It will be a surprise. We will not see the Antichrist make his covenant with Israel. We will not see the Antichrist stand in the temple and announce himself as God. We will not see the mark of the Beast forced upon the world. We will not see the great judgments poured out. We will not see the northern power of Ezek. 38-39 descend upon Israel and be destroyed by God. We will not see the armies of the world congregate in the middle east to stand against Christ at Armageddon. Those events belong to Daniel's 70th week, which is part of Israel's program.

Christians have part in another program altogether, and we need to mind our business and make sure that the work of the church is fulfilled.

I fear that there is a lot of time wasted by Christians in the study of current events, and in trying to find prophetic fulfillment in these events. I've done this myself at times, but I believe it is a sidetrack. Certainly it is wise to know that the hour is late, but the fact is that the hour has been late for 2000 years. We have been living in the last hours for 2000 years. During this time, God has been longsuffering toward this wicked world, "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). God has been calling out a people for His name. That is why the Gospel is continually to be preached throughout the world. This is the means whereby God is saving people and adding them to the churches. It is therefore the worldwide preaching of the Word of God which is to be the priority of every Christian and of every assembly.

Just before Christ ascended to Heaven, the Apostles asked, "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). They wanted to know about prophetic details and dates. The Lord's reply is instructive: "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Juda, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:7-8).

The Lord told them they were not going to know the details of prophetic events and dates beyond that which is written in Scripture. Instead, they were to give themselves entirely to proclaiming the Word of God to the ends of the earth.

In conclusion let me emphasize exactly what I am saying and what I am not saying: First, I don't believe it is wrong to study prophecy. Prophecy forms a large part of Scripture and it is important for the Christian life. Prophecy is a great motivator. But I don't believe we should go beyond written prophecy and begin to speculate publicly about whether certain current events are the fulfillment of prophecy. Second, I do not believe we can determine the time of the Rapture by observing world events. I believe the Rapture will be a surprise and will not be preceded by specific signs. Finally, anything which detracts from the Great Commission is dangerous, even if it is the study of current events in light of Bible prophecy.