There is an intense fascination with the timing of the Lord’s return that seems to tantalize every generation into attempting to set the date for it.
Perhaps the sense of intrigue is magnified when our sin nature becomes inflamed by the prohibition against doing so (see Matt. 24:36), such that the temptation can become almost overwhelming. This is evidenced by the number of people who have succumbed to the urge to try it.
There would be little value in rehearsing the litany of names of those who have engaged in this pointless venture, or the obsolete dates they have chosen. They come from a variety of theological perspectives and are almost universally regarded, not as heroes, but as a source of great ecclesiastical embarrassment—even if they were otherwise orthodox and driven by pure motives.
These actions are all the more unsettling when considered in light of the fact that almost everyone with even a childlike knowledge of the Scriptures is aware of Jesus’ unambiguous warning against predicting the date of His return. He cautioned His own disciples, declaring: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32; cf. Matt. 24:42-44; 25:13; Acts 1:6-7).
So how do we evaluate this impulse that has moved so many to try to set the date for the Lord’s return?
First, it is important to understand that once the rapture has occurred and Israel has signed its covenant with the antichrist to launch the tribulation (see Dan. 9:27), it will be not merely possible but required for responsible students of Scripture to determine the date of His return (see Dan. 12:11; Matt. 24:13, 22; Rev. 12:6; 13:5).
The general timing of Jesus’ first coming also was not imminent, but was knowable based on Daniel’s prophecy of the 70 weeks (see Dan. 9:24-26; cf. Luke 3:15). The leaders of Israel were accountable to understand this and officially recognize and welcome their Messiah (see Matt. 2:4-5). In fact, He chided them for lacking such understanding (see Matt. 16:3).
So, in essence, neither Jesus’ first coming nor His second coming (that is, its final aspect, His return in glory) could be deemed imminent. In both cases, the Lord set forth the expectation for His people to know the timing of His appearances on Earth.
For us living at this moment, however, there remains a prohibition in place against setting the unknowable date for Christ’s final second coming, which remains hidden from our view, and especially also for the imminent rapture, which is signless.
The closest thing that I find to a specific statement expounding our inability to predict the timing of the rapture is this word from Paul about its immediate aftermath:
“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:1-2).
By and large, pretribulational Bible teachers have done an excellent job of distinguishing date setting from stage setting. In other words, while we cannot set any dates, we can see evidence that God is preparing the way for tribulation events to unfold. Keep in mind, these are not signs of the rapture. But since the rapture must transpire before the tribulation begins, we understand that we “see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:25).
Many have observed how amazing it is to watch things happening currently that we could not have envisioned just a few years ago. I can hear some respond—“Our grandparents felt the same way.” Yes, but they did not witness or even conceive of the magnitude of some of the phenomena that regularly confront us now. The technological trends of our time, especially, border perilously close to the conditions which the Bible outlines as being necessary for the days of the tribulation (e.g., Rev. 13:15-17).
I have long suspected that when the antichrist appears he will not necessarily be inventing new technologies. Rather, it would seem more likely that he would simply give new significance to processes that will already be familiar, but which will then be swallowed up into his worldwide political and religious establishment.
While I will certainly not end this article by setting a date, and have no idea how long such systems will run smoothly before the rapture takes place, I admit that I struggle to imagine how much further tribulation-like scenarios can possibly develop during this church age. I believe that all of us ought to be moved in this environment to “watch and be sober” (1 Thess. 5:6).
May God help us to draw bright and bold lines between Biblical truth and fanatical, even heretical, errors like date setting. But may He also help us to maintain our spiritual fervor as we anticipate His Son’s ever-nearing return.
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Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, based in Wisconsin, and serving in the Midwest. For more information on his ministry, visit sermonaudio.com/pscharf or foi.org/scharf, or email pscharf@foi.org.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version.