| (Copyright 2023) by Dwight Fleming (Oroville, California) |
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| We all have heard of prophecies or predictions that were made by so-called prophets or “holy men” which failed to come to pass. Usually, in the beginning of their rise to fame, their lofty and zealous prognostications with clever and meticulous details tickled many curious and gullible ears. But once their spellbinding, enticing forecasts of doom failed to materialize, their reputations would quickly take a nose-dive into the garbage heap with a foul stench reaching to heaven. A classic example is the famous prediction of Christ’s return in 1844 by William Miller. It has become known as “The Great Disappointment.” Long before William Miller and other “prophets” of our day, there were those who made prophetic proclamations in the first century. The apostle Paul gave this warning: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2). Here are some false predictions made in the first century A.D. about Christ’s return being at hand: “For yet a little while, and he [Jesus] that shall come will come and will not tarry.” “You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” “But the end of all things is at hand.” “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.” “And he said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.” Well, here we are in the 21st century, it should be quite obvious to everyone by now that the above predictions about Christ’s eminent return have been proven false. Christ did not return in the first century as these predictions appear to indicate. What historical documents contain these false prophecies? They come from the writings of the apostles: James, Peter, Paul, and John. The exact references can be found at the end of this article. Also, a better rendering of 2 Thessalonians 2:2 would be, “that the Day of the Lord has already come.” So, the early church fathers were subject to the same human errors that plague us all. Yet God used their imperfect thinking to write words that not only inspired church members of their day to be preparing for Christ’s return, but, just as important, for our day as well. It was that blessed hope which allowed many to face the trials and persecution that they would have to endure. God knows that expectation is a vital part of our spiritual growth. Consider: “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who has subjected the same in hope” (Romans 8:19-20). “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Christ said that among those born of women, none was greater than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11). John the Baptist proclaimed this to the people of his day: “I baptize you with water, but One more powerful than I will come, … He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Luke 3:16-17). Yet Christ did not baptize or destroy anyone with fire at His first coming. Did John the Baptist get it wrong? Is that why he was confused if Jesus was the Messiah? Notice John’s quandary: “So John called two of his disciples and sent them to ask the Lord, ‘Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?'” (Luke 7:19). Isn’t that strange? Why did John the Baptist have problems recognizing Jesus as the Messiah? Notice the response that Jesus gave to John’s disciples after they witnessed the miracles and preaching: “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me” (Luke 7:22-23). Where was the fire that John saw in his prophetic visions? Where was the winnowing fork? Had eating honey and locusts all his life finally gotten to John? Give that man some beef! Jesus certainly gave him some spiritual meat to chew on. The answer has been vividly explained by Lance Wallnau in some of his videos. Check out LanceWallnau.com. John had prophetic visions way far into the future concerning Christ. But they were of His second coming rather than His first coming. A ministry of healing and preaching is not what John was expecting, thus his confusion that is depicted in Luke seven. Once again, we see that the servants of God are not perfect. However, John the Baptist did fulfill his calling. We don’t know an exact date of Christ’s return. Christ warns us to be watching and to be ready (Matthew 24:42, 44). Christ also gave us signs that would indicate the nearness of His return. We need to be aware of those signs in order to better watch. Many are expecting a third temple to be built in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount as a sign that Christ’s return will follow shortly after the abomination of desolation appears. What if a third temple is not built on the Temple Mount (or, in the City of David as some think is the correct location)? What then? Will your prophetic timeline fall apart? Do you have any alternate views? Are we able to adjust our thinking if actual events crush any of our eschatological ivory towers? Another inspiring example that Lance has often illustrated in his videos is from the movie, “Gladiator.” The scene with the chariots in the Roman Colosseum is the one. Maximus, played by Russell Crowe, says to the others while waiting for the gates to open, “Whatever comes out of these gates, we got a better chance of survival if we work together. Do you understand? We stay together, we survive.” References to above quotes: Hebrews 10:37; James 5:8; Philippians 4:5; I Peter 4:7; I John 2:18; Revelation 22:10. Link to Chariot scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ_gLof5ifM&t=303s Remember, Christ comes on a White Horse with a Sword to battle the nations! Revelation 19. Editor’s Note: We do not listen to video links or read print material that is linked to items we print, so we may or may not agree with those links. We only look at print material that is sent to us for print. Laura Lee |
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