Posted on 03/24/2024 5:24:09 PM PDT by grumpa
HISTORY OF FALSE PROPHETS AMONG OUR CHRISTIAN BROTHERS
In every generation after the apostles, there have been Christians who mistakenly believed that they were in the last days. They have thought that their generation was the one Jesus spoke of when He prophesied that “all these things” would happen in “this generation.” Failed prognosticators have been a persistent embarrassment to Christianity. Perhaps there is something fundamentally wrong with these predictions.
Francis Gumerlock, in his book THE DAY AND THE HOUR: CHRISTIANITY’S PERENNIAL FASCINATION WITH PREDICTING THE END OF THE WORLD, lists end times prophecy predictions made by Christians beginning in the early centuries. He catalogs more than a thousand failed predictions since the early days of Christianity, beginning with the apostolic fathers.
For example, Ignatius writes around the year AD 100 that “the last times are come upon us.” Cyprian (200-258) writes that “the day of affliction has begun to hang over our heads, and the end of the world and the time of the Antichrist. . . draw near, so that we must all stand prepared for the battle.”
Martin Luther (1483-1546) made this statement: “I am satisfied that the last day must be before the door; for the signs predicted by Christ and the Apostles Peter and Paul have now all been fulfilled, the trees put forth, the Scriptures are green and flourishing. . . . We certainly have nothing now to wait for but the end of all things.”
Famous among predictors of the end of the world was Christopher Columbus (1452-1506). Columbus wrote a book entitled BOOK OF PROPHECIES in which he called on many of the same passages of Scripture that false prophets cite today to predict the imminent end of the world. He apparently thought that his discoveries marked the beginning of the end.
The famous American Puritan preacher Cotton Mather (1663-1728) believed Christ’s return to be imminent and saw apocalyptic meaning in the conflicts and challenges of the American frontier. Mather was also a date setter. He predicted the Second Coming for 1697, then 1716, and finally 1736. The New Jerusalem, he believed, would be located in New England.
Here are more examples of end-times dating from Christians as well as pseudo-Christian cultists:
―William Miller (founder of Adventism): 1843/1844
—Ellen G. White (co-founder—Seventh Day Adventist Church): 1843, 1844, 1850, 1856.
—Joseph Smith (founder—Mormon Church): 1891.
—Jehovah's Witnesses: 1874, 1878, 1881, 1910, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975, and 1984.
—Hal Lindsey: 1982, 1988, 2007, with contingency dates going as far as 2048.
—Jack Van Impe: 1975, 1992, 2000, 2012. Also, in May of 1991 he said the Anti-Christ would be revealed and the Great Tribulation would begin within 20 months.
—Chuck Smith (founder of Calvary Chapel): 1981, 1988.
―Herbert W. Armstrong: 1965.
—Pat Robertson: 1982.
—Edgar C. Whisenant: 1988, 1989.
—Bill Maupin: 1981. —J.R. Church: 1988.
—Charles R. Taylor: 1992.
—Benny Hinn: 1993.
—F. M. Riley: 1994.
—John Hinkle: 1994.
—Grant R. Jeffrey: 2000.
—Lester Sumrall: 1985, 1986, 2000.
—Kenneth Hagin: 1997 to 2000.
—Jerry Falwell: 2010.
—Louis Farrakhan: 1991.
―John Walvoord: before he died (He died in 2002.)
—John Hagee (at age 71): before he dies.
—Harold Camping: 1994, 2011.
—Ronald Weinland: 2011, 2012.
—Perry Stone: 2009-2015.
—Billy Graham: Even this venerable preacher began telling us in the 1930’s to expect the soon return of Christ.
A lot of dispensationalists right in there with cultists. Pastors all across America’s fruited plains have books of some of these authors proudly displayed in their office libraries. The same books, and videos too, fly off Christian bookstore shelves, and the money continues to flow to these authors and many others of the same ilk. While some of these authors may be good teachers on other subjects, their false predictions force us to doubt their views on eschatology. Many of the above people will be forgotten, but whenever you happen to be reading this book, you will probably be hearing from a new generation of false teachers.
All of these prognosticators had something in common: They all thought they knew better than Jesus, who over and over told his followers that his prophecies would come to pass while some of them were still alive (Matthew 10:23; 16:27-28; 26:64; Luke 21:22, 32; Hebrews 10:37; Revelation 1:1-3; 22:5-20; etc.) There are over 100 such time statements in the New Testament that limit fulfillment of prophecy to the first century.
Maybe Christians should stop “newspaper eschatology” and read their Bible―and believe it.
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See these additional lists of false prophets:
I suspect we won’t know when it is here...until it is truly upon us. I don’t believe we have the capacity to understand it, at least not the vast majority of mankind anyway. There will be signs, as they say, but probably misinterpreted, as by these persons highlighted above. Maybe it’s best to assume he will come at anytime, so be prepared. That’s what the Gospels have told us all along.
—> In every generation after the apostles, there have been Christians who mistakenly believed that they were in the last days
Like the author of Hebrews, who recorded the inspired Words of God.
“In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”
- Hebrews 1:1-2
Grumpa and Charles Meek literally call Jesus & all of the Apostles - not to mention The HOLY SPIRIT, liars....
It’s going to be interesting to watch their Judgement...
To: John Drake re won’t know the time. My chart above Second Coming: Biblical Timeframe tells you when.
That Charles Meek guy is a fse and an Accuser of the Brothers…
Heresy...
What is the preterist view of the end times?
According to preterism, all prophecy in the Bible is really history. The preterist interpretation of Scripture regards the book of Revelation as a symbolic picture of first-century conflicts, not a description of what will occur in the end times. The term preterism comes from the Latin praeter, meaning “past.” Thus, preterism is the view that the biblical prophecies concerning the “end times” have already been fulfilled—in the past. Preterism is directly opposed to futurism, which sees the end-times prophecies as having a still-future fulfillment.
Preterism is divided into two types: full (or consistent) preterism and partial preterism. This article will confine the discussion to full preterism (or hyper-preterism, as some call it).
Preterism denies the future prophetic quality of the book of Revelation. The preterist movement essentially teaches that all the end-times prophecies of the New Testament were fulfilled in AD 70 when the Romans attacked and destroyed Jerusalem. Preterism teaches that every event normally associated with the end times—Christ’s second coming, the tribulation, the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment—has already happened. (In the case of the final judgment, it still is in the process of being fulfilled.) Jesus’ return to earth was a “spiritual” return, not a physical one.
Preterism teaches that the Law was fulfilled in AD 70 and God’s covenant with Israel was ended. The “new heavens and new earth” spoken of in Revelation 21:1 is, to the preterist, a description of the world under the New Covenant. Just as a Christian is made a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), so the world under the New Covenant is a “new earth.” This aspect of preterism can easily lead to a belief in replacement theology.
Preterists usually point to a passage in Jesus’ Olivet Discourse to bolster their argument. After Jesus describes some of the end-times happenings, He says, “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened” (Matthew 24:34). The preterist takes this to mean that everything Jesus speaks of in Matthew 24 had to have occurred within one generation of His speaking—the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 was therefore “Judgment Day.”
The problems with preterism are many. For one thing, God’s covenant with Israel is everlasting (Jeremiah 31:35–37), and there will be a future restoration of Israel (Isaiah 11:12). The apostle Paul warned against those who, like Hymenaeus and Philetus, teach falsely “that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some” (2 Timothy 2:17–18). And Jesus’ mention of “this generation” should be taken to mean the generation that is alive to see the beginning of the events described in Matthew 24.
Eschatology is a complex subject, and the Bible’s use of apocalyptic imagery to relate many prophecies has led to a variety of interpretations of end-time events. There is room for some disagreement within Christianity regarding these things. However, full preterism has some serious flaws in that it denies the physical reality of Christ’s second coming and downplays the dreadful nature of the tribulation by restricting that event to the fall of Jerusalem.
https://www.gotquestions.org/preterist.html
He is indeed.
“Billy Graham: Even this venerable preacher began telling us in the 1930’s to expect the soon return of Christ.”
Billy Graham preached his first sermon in 1941.
This entire article is sloppy, a simply effort to demean Christians, as well as some heretics.
To: Criminal: Thanks for a pretty good summary of preterism. I’d just say you see a lot of dispensationalists on the list of false prophets and failed date setters— but not any preterists. Hmmm.
I actually comment on all the things you mention. See my website:
https://prophecyquestions.com/
Absent some great breakthrough in medicine that extends longevity, every human living on earth will meet Christ with 130 years of their life. I.e., Christ will return w/in the lifetime of everyone reading this post.
Seeing that everyone of us will all see Him soon, how much time should we be spending predicting/prophesying about His coming. Let me put it another way. Will the lost turn to Christ because through end-time teaching they fear His imminent return or should they turn to Christ because He is the propitiation for their sin? I.e., because His blood sacrifice paid for their sins and gives them eternal life?
Should we teach about Christ's return? Yes, it's the Word. Should end-time teaching be preeminent in what we teach and preach? IMHO - no.
To Jesus is Lord:
DEFENDING THE FAITH: Why Proper Eschatology Is Important
Perhaps the biggest challenge against Christians from skeptics, Jews, Muslims, and others is that the prophecies of Jesus and the writers of the New Testament failed. So, if Jesus and his followers were false prophets, Christianity falls. Consider these quotes:
“Say what you like, we shall be told, the apocalyptic beliefs of the first Christians have been proved to be false. It is clear from the New Testament that they all expected the Second Coming in their own lifetime. And, worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing. Their Master had told them so. He shared, and indeed created, their delusion. He said in so many words, ‘this generation shall not pass till all these things are done.’ And He was wrong. He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else. It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible [ref. Matthew 10:23; 16:27-28; 24:34; etc.]” (C. S. Lewis, Christian apologist)
“He [Jesus] certainly thought that his second coming would occur in clouds of glory before the death of all the people who were living at that time. There are a great many texts that prove that. And there are a lot of places where it is quite clear that He believed that his second coming would happen during the lifetime of many then living.” (Bertrand Russell, philosopher)
“No amount of Christian theological acrobatics will ever solve the problems engendered by the historical reality that a promised imminent fulfillment made two thousand years ago did not occur as expected by the New Testament. Simply stated, Jesus is never coming back, not then, not now, not ever.” (Jews for Judaism)
“Messianic apocalyptic eschatology . . . has a 100% failure rate. . . . The prophecies of Jesus and his followers all came to nothing.” (Professor of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina)
The authority of the Bible and reliability of Jesus are at stake. The preterist view is that at least some of the Second Coming passages in Scripture are about Jesus coming “in judgment” against apostate Old Covenant Israel in AD 70, similar to how YHWH came “in judgment” against various nations in the Old Testament. Only with the preterist view do Jesus and the New Testament writers emerge from the pages of Scripture as true prophets, answering the critics of Christianity.
Literally, R_W_C? 😉
People have been saying Jesus would return for nearly 2,000 years.
But, you are the one that nailed it.
Criminal, so which of the numerous citations on the chart “Return of Christ: Bibical Time Frame” are misleading or untrue?
I’m not his judge, but there’s plenty of Scripture out there to refute him easily.
He ignores it - O-KAY....
“It’s going to be interesting to watch their judgment….”
Some woman from the 21st century is going to tell Christ on judgment day that he can’t understand because he isn’t a woman. That is going to be interesting.
Did they add Chick Publications in that list? One of his booklets stated that Christ’s return “WOULD BE IN YOUR LIFETIME!” That was 30 years ago.
Well, there is this guy named charles meek who pimps his blog on this site a great deal.
Pimps his website. . .
Thanks, ealgeone. I almost forgot, over 100 articles covering every aspect of biblical prophecy:
https://prophecyquestions.com/
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