2020 A.D., Part 2: Date Setting
Is it foolish to set dates? I say yes if one uses astrology; tails of comets; solar eclipses, Pyramidology; Y2K countdowns; or any other non-scriptural method. Yes! Makeshift date setting for the Lord’s return has been going on for over 1900 years, and especially now because most Christians believe we are living in the last days. It’s a money maker for many!
Based on Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only,” many Christians teach that we can never know the timing of end time events.
In this article, and in subsequent articles of this series, I hope to prove to you that never being able to know the timing of end time events is not an accurate interpretation of the above verse.
My understanding is, everything spins off of the following verse. Jesus is speaking concerning the events that will occur before his return at the end of the 7 years of tribulation.
Matthew 24:34, He speaks of a future generation saying, “This generation (that witnesses all that he spoke of) shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”
Let’s begin with Ezekiel who wrote some 2600 years ago,
Ezekiel 37:21 (the LORD is speaking) “behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen (gentile nations), whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:” This prophesy was fulfilled on May 14, 1948.
Also written some 2600 years ago, we read in Zechariah 12:2 (again the LORD is speaking) “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling (drunkenness) unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.” Until 1948, Jerusalem was a city mostly of emptiness, slightly populated, having little to offer economically. Today, however, Jerusalem is thriving because of the Jews.
Today, Jerusalem is on the minds and lips of nearly every leader of every nation on earth, and has become as a burdensome stone, especially to those in the United Nations.
Islam held Jerusalem for 1000 years and let it turn to rubble, yet now, because the Jews have returned to the land, and because of Islam’s hatred and jealously for the Jews, the Muslims are willing to strap bombs around the waists of their family members to gain the city back.
God prophesied that the last days would be like the days of Noah before the flood,
Genesis 6:5, “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
In recent years, men like Jim Jones, David Koresh, Louis Farrakhan and many other religious leaders have and continue to claim, “We are the Christ!” They do not claim to be Allah, or Mohamed, or Buddha; but only claim to be Christ, just as Jesus prophesied.
Matthew 24:5, Jesus said, “For many will come in my name, saying; I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”
The major industrial nations are making ready to enter into a cashless society; with it, technology is moving ahead at lighting speed. Computer science is exploding; Islam is on the rise; people are leaving their places of birth and migrating from nation to nation by the millions.
There are many denominations of Christian churches and hundreds of various Bibles on the market, all of which are dividing and weakening the Christian community. Also, it’s only in this age we live that the prophesy found in Zachariah can be fulfill,
Scriptures speak of a falling away from The Word.
2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”
The internet has made pornography an industry of gigantic proportions, costing business 17 billion dollar annually in their work place environment. It is estimated every second, 28,000 users watch porn on the internet, 37 porn videos are created every day; 2.5 billion emails containing porn are sent daily; 116,000 inquires related to child porn are received daily, and 200,000 Americans are classified as “porn addicts.”
Today, visitors go to shrines around the world to worship false gods by the millions, and in the Christian community, shrines of the saints, especially Mary, are flooded with tens of thousands of visitors annually. The teachings of Jesus Christ are being tossed from every political venue, from our public education systems, from our courts, our justices and even from many so-called Christian churches.
Jeremy Myers wrote, “Be warned: There are many out there who will want to set dates and declare that they know when Jesus will return. Don’t believe them! They don’t know! Not even the angels know. People who set dates are usually trying to manipulate you into following their ministry, supporting them financially, or accepting them as some sort of authority in your life. Don’t get sucked in!”
I can buy into some of his comments. But, because men like Taze Russel, the founder of the Jehovah Witnesses; and cult leaders like Marshall Applegate have made false predictions based on pyramids and comets, there’s no need to reject honest research.
Then we have those who publish books concerning the subject, men like Jack Van Impe, Hal Lindsey, John Walvoord, Roy Zuck and hundreds of others who have produced a mountain of books expounding on the subject, some good; some not so good. But let me say this, most have attempted to be scripturally correct.
Dishonest, or poorly studied date setting has, and is deterring others from studying end time prophesy. In today’s Christian environment, it appears if anyone, and I mean anyone who attempts to establish a day and hour, or even the month or year of the Lord’s return, they are called on the carpet, and accused of being a false teacher, date setters, or even a follower of false spirits.
Now, my Bible teaches that we are to search the scriptures as one who would search for any hidden treasures. Nowhere can I find limits on what is to be studied, but all that is written is to be studied. I am of the understanding that there have been things hid in scripture that will be revealed in their own time. Example, the death burial and resurrection of Jesus though written about hundreds of years before his birth, had been hidden from the understanding of the priests of his day, the Jewish people, and even his own apostles up to the day he went to the cross, and even after his resurrection. Now fast forward 1900 + years.
The day, month and year of Israel becoming a nation is known today, May 14, 1948. With this added information, we can better determine the generation that will witness all the events of Matthew 24. When I speak of the return of Jesus Christ, I’m speaking of the very day the 7 years of tribulation is over, and the 1st day He begins to establish His kingdom.
My arguments against the verse that, “No man knows, not the angels or the Son, but the Father only,” are many.
When asked the question, “When shall be — the end of the age?” Jesus was yet to go to the cross, leaving the door open for the Jews to yet receive Him as their Messiah. And if they had, he would have immediately establishing His kingdom. God left the Jews the freedom to make the right choice right up to the last minute.
Also, Jesus had not yet risen in the power of the resurrection; the Holy Spirit had not been sent; Jesus had not been gloried by the Father with the glory he had before the foundation of the earth. The Gentile Church established by Paul lay some 5 to 7 years in the future.
I believe these are only a few of the reasons why Jesus answered their questions the way he had.
Before the cross, Jesus prayed, John 17:5, “O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”
Those who say, “lay off setting any date concerning Jesus return because it is written, “not even the Son knows” these same people claim Jesus is God the Creator, who is all knowing. Hmmmm! Sounds like some sort of hypocrisy to me. Jesus is Jehovah, the Almighty, or He isn’t! No one can have it both ways.
Also, my Bible tells us this information is in the hands of the Father alone. I cannot find anywhere in scripture that tells me the Father does not have it in his power to reveal this information to his Son, the angels, or whomever he pleases and whenever he pleases.
When the Holy Spirit was sent, he was sent by both the Father, John 15:26, and by the Son, John 16:7. John also writes, when the Holy Spirit does come,
John 16:13, “He (Holy Spirit) will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.”
We must keep in mind all this took place after Jesus spoke the words of “no man knows —.”
We all have to ask ourselves, is the Holy Spirit still working with Christians? The answer is, “Yes!” And because He is, is it not possible that certain people are only now being informed of this one last hidden mystery, of WHEN? God warned Noah 120 years before the flood came, but everyone scoffed, and all but 8 died. Hmmm, sounds like the Christian community today, scoffing at anyone who brings up the subject.
On July 7, 2016, in Kentucky, there was built a very large representation of Noah’s ark. It was built to scale according to Genesis 6. It’s 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high. The Lord told us about those who believe not; they always require a sign. Now think about this, after 4600 years, no-one ever attempted to begin and finish a project like the one in Kentucky. Was this project put into the heads of those who built this ark? Was the Lord sending message to every doubter and every skeptic. I don’t know, but to me it’s quite a coincidence.
In conclusion, many say that date setting is wrong, because of the misinterpretation of Matthew 24:36. This verse is used by many to say we can never know the timning of end time events. However, because the verse was given to His apostles prior to the death and resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and because God has now given His Holy Spirit to His children, we can, using prophecies and historical markers/events which have fulfilled these prophecies, know with a high degree of confidence that 2020 is an important milestone in God’s timetable.
Phillip LaSpino, www.seekfirstwisdom.com
Last edited: April 15, 2020