Projecting A Fairly Realistic Date For The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
By Don Koenig 2007 -- Last table update July 2012
Rationalization and justification for my second coming projection table:
Okay, I admit that this table is a bit frivolous, nobody can know the exact time for the second coming of Jesus Christ but that does not mean we will not have any clue at all. I certainly am not setting a specific date for Jesus to return in this projection. All I am really doing is giving some statistical observations and giving my best guesstimate for those who wish to ask me when I think the Lord will return.
Some may say I have too much time on my hands but actually I am doing this to save time for myself and everyone else. Now nobody has any reason to ask me when will Jesus Christ return anymore. Just check my table from time to time. You also do not have to waste your own time trying to work it out for yourself either. This table also will bring people to the website to read my more important writings.
Now don't go saying that Don Koenig was a false prophet just because I turn out to be off by a few hundred millennium. I am no more prophesying here than when I answer your questions. Email me in thirty years or so and tell me I was off and a dumkoff if you wish but I doubt if you will be able to reach me on earth for one reason or the other. I also am quite sure that the Catholic Church will not canonize me as a Saint so I am sure you will not be able to reach me by that route either.
One key requirement to projecting a date for the second coming of Jesus Christ overlooked by some, is to set a date that is realistic but just beyond your own life-span. If the Lord is early everyone should be happy and if the Lord delays His coming past your projection at least you will lose no sleep over it. No, I honestly do not think Jesus gets all upset about anyone trying to speculate when He will return anymore than a betrothed man will get upset when his bride speculates when he will come to elope with her. Unless of course someone is instructing His bride to wait on a mountain top instead of telling her to continue to adorn herself with good works until He actually appears.
Nevertheless, I do know that certain men do get extremely excited when someone speculates about when Jesus will return. If that date projection comes and goes they like to call them false prophets or false teachers. Sometimes the reason they do is because they themselves once put too much stock in someone's speculation and sold the farm or they say they know someone who did. Now they have a vendetta against all watchmen because someone they knew believed the teachings of a cult. Others use two passages in the Bible to prove that all speculation about the second coming of Jesus Christ is useless or heresy.
One passage says we would not know the day or hour (Mat 24:36 Mark 13:32).
Fine, we all agree that no one will know the day or hour but the passage might not even be implying what some might think. The whole context is after the signs and wonders that Jesus just spoke about in that passage. The passage is talking to Israel about the time just prior to His Revelation in glory. It is not talking about the rapture of the Church. When Jesus spoke this, the New Covenant Church was not yet given. Jesus in the same passage said it would be like in the days of Noah just before He returns. Noah built the Ark for the flood and knew about when the flood was coming. Noah was protected from the flood by the Ark (Jesus). Noah was not taken to heaven before the time of the flood but his Great Grandfather Enoch was (Enoch walked with God by faith - a type of the Church). The following passage in the context of Jesus' sermon talks about a time when one will be taken and one being left. For many reasons I doubt if the one taken and one left passages in the New Testament are talking about the rapture of the Church. It is talking about the end time gathering by the angels in the harvest at the end of the age. I believe the main target of this whole passage is to Israel and those believers living through the tribulation. Even if you disagree with that premise, I am not saying the Church will know any specific day or hour anyway. I am only saying that the Church can know the season of the Lord's return.
The other passage critics use was what Jesus said to his living disciples. Jesus said, it was not for them to know the times and the seasons for the restored Jewish Kingdom. (Acts 1:6,7)
They had no reason to know because the generation living at that time was not in the end times. Jesus did not say the Church would never know the season. He told these disciples what their role would be in the next verse. They would be eye witnesses of Jesus.
Paul implies the Church would know the times and seasons:
1 Th 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.The passage is implying that the judgment would come when the world is saying peace and safety. Paul also says we are not of darkness that this day would come on us as a thief. The peace and safety statement appears to be a direct reference to a prior Paul teaching about the Lord returning as a thief in the night. Here in this passage Paul again says that the day of wrath would come when the world is saying peace and safety. So we have to ask, when does that take place in scripture? We see in Revelation that it occurs at the mid point of the seventh week of Daniel. People are throwing a worldwide party after the two prophets of God that tormented them for 42 months are killed (Rev 11:10). In case you think that Paul could not know these end time events, I will remind you that Paul was taken to the Third Heaven (2 Cor 12:2-4) and while there Paul probably got educated on some of the same things that John wrote about in Revelation. I think Paul may be telling us here that the Church will know when the time is short by watching and observing what the world is saying and doing.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Why tell believers to look up when you see the signs if there is nothing to see (Lk 21:28)? Hebrews tells us not to forsake the assembling together and so much more as you see the day approaching (Heb 10:25). If we cannot see the day approaching, what is the point of this passage saying that we can? Elijah knew when the Lord was coming to take him to Heaven and also told Elisha?
Jesus said to the Church at Sardis " if therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee" (Rev 3:3). Conversely then, the passage implies that there will be those that are watching and that they would know when Jesus was coming. Jesus confirms this with His message to the church at Philadelphia. Jesus said, He will delivered them from the trial that comes on everyone on the earth because they were faithful and watching (Rev 3:10).
There is a huge difference between setting a firm date and talking about the likely season of the second coming of Jesus Christ. So please understand that from the scriptures a reasonable case can be built that the true Church will indeed know the general timing of the second coming of Jesus. So in spite of the passages that say no one knows the exact day or hour and that the disciples living in Jesus' time would not be told when the Jewish Kingdom would be restored, I believe it would be wrong to say that the Church will be in darkness about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Cannot the Holy Spirit in the Church even inform the Church when the time is short?
I get tired of those who use those two passages as a club to attack premillennial Bible prophecy teachers who observe that the time is short. We have Bibles as well and we can also find scriptural arguments to support our view. I gave a few but there are others as well.
The point is that our critics do not have all truth just because they can quote a passage or two that they themselves may not fully understand. Also, it should not be surprising that most of our critics are amillennial or post millennial Christians. These are people who do not usually believe in any literal earthly fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
I will update the timeline on this countdown table from time to time as world events might change my own projections. So check back every six months, or six years or so - or not. Be aware, that the rapture of the Church most likely will be at least 7 to 10 1/2 years before the physical revelation of Jesus Christ with all His heavenly host, angels and saints. If I am not here to update this table for that reason or some other similar reason like death, jail or the funny farm, I won't be giving you any further updates. In fact, for that reason you might want to print this table out and put it in your hope chest next to your copy of 88 reasons why Jesus will come in 1988.
Don Koenig's projection table as to the timing of the second coming of Jesus Christ.
You may participate in the further development of this table. See how at the end of this article.
End time event description - All event timelines are subject to change as things become clearer. The timeline of each individual event has no bearing on any other event on this table. Therefore, do not be surprised when earlier prophetic events have later dates than other events. Dates are rounded to the next year and dates are based on the second coming of Jesus Christ being 7 to 10 1/2 years from the opening of the first seal in Revelation. The earliest date that I use is 2010 AD. If the event were any earlier we would already be in the tribulation in most cases. We are not in the tribulation, in spite of the views of some post toasties. Years of likely fulfillment of the event Years from the event until the second coming Projected best guess time range of this event Stat. mid point of Jesus' return for this event 7 day week theory - Jesus was cut off on the end of the fourth day about 32 AD (give or take a few years, scholars differ) - a day is as a thousand years. The end of the sixth day would be 2032 and then we would be in the seventh millennial day of rest with Jesus ruling on earth. 2028-2038 ------- 2028-2038 2033 Israel's rebirth as a state in 1948 or Jerusalem being taken by the Jews in 1967 - The parable of the fig tree (mat 24:32) might indicate that the generation seeing one of these two events will not pass away before all is fulfilled. This projection assumes that the generation Jesus said would not pass away, has a normal life span of 70 to 80 years. 2018-2047 ------- 2018-2047 2033 Israel is at peace living securely before the events of the Ezekiel chapters 38-39 northern invasion (assume 2013 AD for Israel to achieve a peace agreement and 10-20 years to feel secure. Assume Islamofascism in Iran, Iraq and Syria were defeated in the Middle-East by 2013). 2023-2033 4-11 2027-2044 2036 Russia redevelops the military capabilities to fulfill the leadership role of Gog to fulfill Ezekiel chapters 38, 39. (Russia has announced plans to develop a modern new military by 2025.) 2020-2030 4-11 2024-2041 2033 China/India will have the military capabilities and peak maximum surplus men and infrastructure to fulfill the 200 million-man cavalry prophecy in Revelation that was prepared for a specific hour,day,month and year to slay one third of men (Rev 9:15). 2025-2040 1-3 2026-2043 2035 Assume Iraq will be fairly stabilized by 2010 followed by the implementation of the already existing plan to make Babylon an international world center and international theme park. Assume it will take 15 to 30 to years to complete a world class city and to recreate ancient Babylon as a International theme park (modern examples of how a world class city could be built in one or two decades is - Dubai and cities in China). 2025-2040 ------- 2025-2040 2033 The rise of a New Roman Empire world government from pseudo Christianity after a war with Islam throughout Europe and the Middle-East (woman rides the Beast of Revelation chap 17). 2020-2030 3-7 2023-2037 2030 When regional government is likely to be in place with 10 world zones and leaders based on today's rate of forming regional alliances and world globalization 2020-2040 3-6 2023-2046 2035 When the Mark of the Beast computer system technology is likely to be in place worldwide. This will probably be an embedded bio-chip. Nobody will be able to buy or sell without it. (Rev 13:17). 2025-2040 3 2028-2043 2035 When worldwide high speed Internet access is available to everyone on earth to make the Mark of the Beast buy sell system possible. A system of 66 low orbit satellites called Constellation is already being planned and should be operational around 2015. The Internet communications will cover the whole earth much like the GPS system now does for global positioning communications. Streaming video of what is happen in Jerusalem with the two prophets could then fulfilling the prophecy about everyone seeing their death and resurrection. let's assume that it will be the second or third generation of these low orbit satellites that will have the necessary bandwidth to carry out all these worldwide Internet transactions, That might take us to 2025 to 2040. 2025-2040 3 2028-2043 2035 World economic system crash due to debt and greed is likely sometime in-between 2013-2020. Add 10-15 years for a new high speed electronic system to be set up worldwide. 2023-2038 3 2026-2041 2033 Population explosion on earth as in the days of Noah - Maximum population of the young and old wheat and tares in the field for the end time world harvest (the saved and unsaved people) 2030-2050 ------- 2030-2050 2040 Genetic engineering - Part animal part human hybrid monstrosities (as in the days before the flood).How long will God allow man to defile his creation before judgment? Man actually might create a superhuman Beast. 2013-2050 7 2013-2057 2035 When major nuclear warfare or biological warfare in the world becomes much more likely to occur than not 2020-2035 3-11 2023-2046 2035 Islam becomes the catalyst for a clash of civilizations and brings war to much of the earth 2013-2030 3-11 2016-2041 2029 The Green Movement becomes the catalyst for a humanistic socialist pagan new world order that opposes all fundamental religions. 2015-2040 3-7 2018-2047 2033 Most of "Christianity" becomes a harlot through post modernism, new age paganism, doctrines of psychology, doctrines of men and demons, materialism, ecumenicalism etc. 2015-2040 3-7 2018-2047 2033 Violence, disrespect, drug use and sexual perversion, become rampant on the earth - How long will God put up with it before judging it like Sodom and Gomorrah.? 2013-2040 7 2020-2047 2033 AIDS, antibiotic resistant or man made genetic disease become a world pandemic and is killing hundreds of millions on the earth (part of fourth seal of Revelation?) 2020-2035 4-9 2024-2044 2034 Murder of the innocent - abortion, genocide, killing the young and the old - How long will God allow the slaughter to continue until Judgment? 2013-2040 7 2020-2047 2033 There will be one specific period on the earth where there will not be enough young people to support the old due to abortion and birth control. 2020-2040 3-7 2023-2047 2035 Jesus preached the acceptable year of the Lord about 28 AD - Next comes the day of vengeance of our God. The acceptable year of the Lord may be 40 Jubilees of 50 years. 2028 3-7 2031-2035 2033 Through modern technology the gospel should have been preached to all nations by 2030. 2030 3-7 2033-2037 2035 Because iniquity will abound, the love of many will grow cold (we can see that trend already today). How long will it continue? 2020-2040 3-7 2023-2047 2035 The third temple will start to be rebuilt. Everything is now in place for that to happen except a political agreement to make the temple mount international. 2013-2040 7 2020-2047 2033 Ezekiel laid on his side for 430 days with each day representing a year of punishment for Israel. Seventy years were fulfilled in the first captivity that ended in 536 BC with the dedication of the second temple. There remained 360 years to fulfill the prophecy x 7 for Israel's unbelief (lev 26:18, 26:21-28). 360 x 7 = 2520 biblical years of 360 days. This was fulfilled in 1948 when Israel was given possession of their land --The generation that saw the rebirth of the state of Israel did not rebuild the temple because of unbelief, so the final week of Daniel cannot begin until Israel takes that step of faith. Perhaps like in ancient Israel, only after the unbelieving generation over 20 years old dies off, will their children take that leap of faith and rebuild the temple.The people who were over 20 in 1948 should die off by 2028. (inspired by a former Grant Jeffrey speculation in "Armageddon" but I highly revised it - It makes some sense to me but don't take it too seriously) 2028 7 2035 2035 The desecration of the Holy Place took place in 168 BC and the daily sacrifice was stopped. One manuscript that Jerome used on Daniel said there would be 2200 days until the Holy place will be properly cleansed (other manuscripts say 2300 and 2400 days so we cannot be sure which is correct). There is no recording of this prophecy ever having been fulfilled in actual days, using any of the three different manuscript figures. Assuming then that Jesus will cleanse the Temple at His return, assuming that the 2200 days Jerome used is correct and assuming that these are years and not days, then 2200 years from the Desecration in 168 BC = 2032 AD. (This comes from a modified Grant Jeffrey speculation in "Armageddon" but I used a 365.25 day year rather than the 360 biblical year that he used in his book. His speculation should have been fulfilled in 2000 AD.) Of course the days spoken by Daniel could also be speaking about days within the seven year tribulation period. 2032 Times of the gentiles -- Nebuchadnezzar represents the unbelieving Gentiles of the world. He was insane for 2520 days until he acknowledges that there is a God in heaven - each day = 1 year. 606 BC to 1914 AD is 2520 years and the start of world war one. Peter mentions scoffers would come in the last days and mentions the flood. Jesus says the end times will be as in the days of Noah. God waited 120 years in the time of Noah (Gen 6:3), then the flood came. -- 1914 + 120 years = 2034 (another of my highly modified Grant Jeffrey speculations from "Armageddon"). 2034 Four 490 year cycles of Israel were fulfilled in the past. The 490 years of Daniel is the fifth. There may be four 490 year periods between the fall of the Temple in 70 AD and the start of the final week of Daniel 4 x 490 =1960 - 1960 + 70 = 2030AD. (inspired and modified from a failed Grant Jeffrey speculation in "Armageddon".) 2030 7 2037 2037 * Editor Note - Does the story about the Good Samaritan also contain a prophetic message?
Luke 10:35
And on the morrow when he (the good Samaritan) departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
In those days a penny was a day's wages. So we can see that the good Samaritan - a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ - only intended to be away from his sick friend for the maximum of two days, after which he would return. So we've established the fact that the Lord will return to earth very soon, firstly to redeem His Church, and secondly to judge the world and set up His kingdom. But what will that kingdom be like?
Written by Frank L. Caw Jr., this was submitted for this table by J. R Gavin.
*Editor note - This probably would be two days or two thousand years from when Jesus left about 32AD2032 -------- 2032 2032 Matthew 17:1-3
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
This time "six days" is mentioned, and speaks of the period from the Creation to the Second Coming of Christ. The transfiguration was a glimpse at Christ's coming glory in that day when He shall come to set up His kingdom on earth.
Written by Frank L Caw Jr., but the last half of his conjecture was left out. This was submitted for this table by J. R Gavin.
* Editor Note - The exact time from creation is unknown but let's assume that the acceptable year of the Lord mentioned by Jesus around 2028 actually was the start of the fifth day and the fulfillment is when the two prophets appear.2028 3.5 2032 2032 The Jewish Menorah has four sets of double branches, four on the left and four on the right of a central tree. In this theory each set of branches from left to right on the Menorah represents a 2520 year cycle for Israel. I find that there is significant evidence that the 2520 year cycle has prophetic applications in regard to Israel. The following four timelines in this theory span the date of significant events in ancient Israel to significant events in a four stage restoration of modern Israel. The four 2520 year cycle periods start from the outer pair of branches of the Menorah and progress to the inner most pair that ends when Israel accepts her Messiah at His second coming. All time cycles use the lunar year of 360 days (common in prophetic biblical dating).
The four distinct 2520 years cycles:
587 BC to 1897 -- (The fall of the ancient kingdom --- The first Zionist congress in Basel, Switzerland, plans for a new state of Israel)
536 BC to 1948 -- (Cyrus gives decree to return the Israeli captives from Babylon --- United Nations creates the modern Jewish state in the ancient homeland of Israel)
517 BC to 1967 -- (The dedication of the foundations of the second temple --- Israel established control of the temple mount area during the Six Day War)
444 BC to 2039 -- (Nehemiah rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem --- The promised Kingdom is restored to Israel.
Theory and data originates from "Prophecy Code", by Jeffrey A. Manty (used by permission of author. Please direct inquiries on this data to the above link)2039 ---------- 2039 2039 Enoch walked with God for 300 years and was then he was taken alive to Heaven. This could be a picture of the rapture the missionary spirit indwelt church movement that walks with God through the indwelling Holy Spirit for 300 years (Philadelphia in Revelation chapter 3). The great missionary movement that started taking the Gospel to all the world started about 1730 AD.
1730 + 300 = 2030 Rapture (If you believe the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 are also identifying church types since Pentecost and that the 1730 AD start date is about correct).2030 7-11 2039 2039
No one event in itself is any proof that Jesus will return within the timeline. However, when all the events are taken together the possibility of the second coming of Jesus Christ being within the table's range becomes truly intriguing.
Summary table and statistical projection of the rapture and the second coming of Jesus
From my data on the table the second coming of Jesus Christ is likely to occur between 2028 AD and 2057 AD but the statistical highest likelihood is 2034 AD. The rapture most likely will occur 7 to 11 years before the second coming as soon or sooner than 2017 AD and as late as 2050 AD with the statistical highest likelihood of the rapture being 2023 - 2027 AD.
Event Year range for all events in my table Statistical mean from the mid points in the table Based on the mid point data there is a 95 percent statistical likelihood that the following events will take place within 7 years of the mean The second coming of Jesus Christ 2028 to 2057 2034 2027-2041 The rapture Of the faithful Church. 2017 to 2050 2025 2018-2032
Supplemental information:
Even if you spend years thinking about these things, I doubt if you will come much closer to a correct year for the second coming of Jesus Christ than I have in this table. So now knowing that very sound advice, you can make your pastor very happy and use your own time more productively. Like perhaps taking that annual trip with your church to build that church building in Haiti. Of course, if your church had donated the price of the trip instead of sending all you "missionaries" for two weeks to build that local church building, the local pastor could have hired the local people of Haiti to build a whole new village. Ouch!
I know you wish to ask me why many of the top prophecy teachers who hinted at dates for the second coming of Jesus Christ in the past were always off. That is easy, they were wrong.
Watchmen on the wall don't usually have inside information. Some have tended to chase rabbits, these dehydrate and then have hallucinations. Some watchmen looking for the King to return might call wolf once in a while being short sighted during some foggy periods but no watchmen of the King are deaf, dumb and totally blind. I think all astute watchmen today can hear the approaching hoof beats, and are seeing the signs of the coming King on the horizon. They are telling everyone in the city to prepare for the King, but the exact timing of His arrival can't be known because the Prince King only travels at the pace set by His Father.
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I will give you my views of three top contemporary Bible prophecy teachers who once hinted at a general time for the second coming of Jesus but The Lord did not come in the timing they thought:
Hal Lindsey - once believed the second coming of Jesus Christ would occur in the 80's for various sound reasons. He was wrong about that projection mainly because he thought the parable of the fig tree meant that from the time Israel was reborn as a State until the second coming of Jesus would be less than one generation of forty years. Hal Lindsey also thought the Soviet Union under Communism would fulfill the Gog prophecy of Ezekiel. The Soviet Union certainly had the military power to fulfill that prophecy in the 80's but who could have foreseen the complete collapse of the Soviet Union when Hal wrote "The Late Great Plant Earth" around 1970? Actually, we now know that the Soviet Union in a failed power grab for the Middle East was instrumental in starting the Six Day War in 1967. It certainly looked like the Soviet Union would try again in the seventies and eighties. The only reason it did not happen was because it was not in God's timing. God, being merciful, still had others to save.
I guess in hindsight, if there was a weakness in Hal Lindsey's projection, he placed too much reliance on the natural course of events that he observed at the time. I also think he put too much emphasis on natural events in nature that come and go such as more storms and earthquakes. Another factor was that Hal discounted things that probably have to take place if all prophetic scripture is to be fulfilled in a literal sense. For example, there was no human way any 200 million man army from the East could have invaded the Middle-East to kill a third of the men on the earth in the 1980's. The supply lines for this sized army at that time would not have been humanly possible. Another example is that a literal city of Babylon was completely out of the picture in the 1980's. Hal Lindsey still does not believe the prophecy in Revelation requires an actual city of Babylon in Iraq to be rebuilt. Lahaye, Missler myself and many others, believe that a literal reading of the prophecies of Revelation, Jeremiah and Isaiah indicate that the city of Babylon must be rebuilt..
Whatever you think, Hal Lindsey is a very solid Bible teacher who knows and still teaches that the time is very short. Some people like to mock him for once expecting the Lord to come a little sooner than He will, but any true prophecy student knows Hal's valuable contribution to awakening Christians to the fact that God will literally fulfill His promises to Israel and that Jesus will soon return. People also overlook the other great books that Hal Lindsey wrote since he wrote the "Late Great Plant Earth". Hal Lindsey taught salvation and combat faith theology in popular books better than almost any teacher in Christianity during that period. Without the "Late Great Plant Earth" that would not have been possible.
Hal Lindsey is now one of the few Christian teachers on TV today that has the guts to speak a biblical Christian worldview on Islam and all the perverted issues in the world that fly in the face of God's Word and God's people. Millions of people were given the salvation message through Hal Lindsey's teachings and ministry and hundreds of thousands have found salvation. So if you wish to believe those that throw stones at the work of Hal Lindsey, you might first take a look at how the stone throwers themselves are building on the house of God. From what I see, most are doing nothing but throwing stones from their own glass houses.
Grant Jeffrey - had a very good set of timelines for the second coming of Jesus in his book "Armageddon Appointment with Destiny" that he assembled from research on recurring cycles of ancient Israel. His data correlated to indicate that the second coming should have been in the year 2000. His cycles did not pan out of course. Jeffrey warned that they might not in his book. Perhaps it did not work out like Grant thought because maybe God does not use a 360 day ancient biblical year in times on earth when the year is actually 365.25 years. (It was 360 days for a long period in the times of ancient Israel - believe it or not.) God could use 360 day years when he was talking about ancient Israel and 365.25 when he is talking about more modern Gentile times. It does not necessarily mean that all the timelines that Jeffrey pointed out were wrong. It just might be that we do not know the calendar that God uses because the earth somehow has changed its orbit around the sun a couple of times. That is why we have things in the Bible like the long day of Joshua and the sundial moving backward in the days of Hezekiah.
I have to admit, Grant Jeffrey's book "Armageddon Appointment with Destiny" was rather compelling. It pretty much had me sucked into believing the Lord would come around the turn of the century. I told quite a few people that I believed Jesus would come around that time but I also told one or two and myself that if it did not happen around the turn of the century it would probably occur about 30 years later. I knew there was a huge chance that any timing should be from the time of Jesus' ministry on earth and not from His birth but almost 20 years ago I did not want to believe the second coming of Jesus would be that far off in the future. Oh well...It is.
As you can see, I did not lose my faith because the rapture did not happen in the years I expected and I don't know of any real Christian that ever did. Those who use the argument that people looking for the Lord's coming will lose their faith when Jesus does not come when they expect, haven't a clue about saving faith. Most just take biblical passages meant for Israel and apply them to the Church to make it appear that some in the Church will give up the Ghost.
Jack Van Impe - For 15 years or so we have been hearing Jack say on TV it will be "2005 to 2012 but I am not setting dates". Long before his TV ministry Jack Van Impe, like Hal Lindsey, thought Jesus would come in the 80's. Anyway, Jack's "2005 to 2012 but I am not setting dates" date is not likely to happen.
I believe Jack placed too much reliance on his calculations of what he thought the length of one generation would be and his views on calendars and interpretations of mystics. Jesus only said that the generation that saw the things he talked about would not pass away (die off). Nobody knows if Jesus was referring to the rebirth of Israel in 1948 or when Israel regained Jerusalem in 1967 or even if it were those who saw the start of the events that Jesus spoke about in that sermon. In any case, that generation of people has not died off yet.
Another problem with Jack is that he really stretched current events and facts to make them fit his own timeline. However, I understand that the pressure must be enormous to fill a weekly TV slot with something relevant and to sell something every week so you can continue to buy more air time. I think Jack tried to keep the program tuned to a largely biblically illiterate audience at some cost to staying biblical himself. To fill his program Jack Van Impe got into mystical private prophecies from Catholic and even pagan sources that helped him confirm his own dates of speculation. Not good, Jack! He will probably turn out to be wrong by a couple of decades. Sorry Jack. You informed many on how to be saved and for that I will commend you but you really should not have used the material of questionable pagan and Catholic mystics and started calling very questionable religious figures "Christian brethren".
These are still three of the biggest names in Bible Prophecy (Jeffery died in 2012). There are other very well known prophecy teachers who have never projected any dates for the second coming of Jesus Christ but they all say the time is short. There are of course less well known names but there is not much point in getting into all that here. Each individual's teaching would have to be examined on their own merits and failings.Those who tell people to sell what they have and to wait on some mountain top at a specific time are cult leaders. Certain cults have claimed a Gnostic interpretation of scripture or claimed a direct revelation from God.These are indeed false teachers and false prophets. There are some others who are often found on the Internet that are just plain mental cases. They generally are not false prophets and teachers; they have some brain defect. Since what these people write makes no biblical sense at all, those who believe what they say might have a greater spiritual problem.
As I indicated, contrary to what some are saying, being wrong on time projections for the second coming of Jesus Christ does not make anyone a false prophet or even a false teacher unless their teaching actually hinders the gospel of salvation, Christian growth or someone's livelihood. Most true Christian Bible prophecy teachers do the best with what they have and what they know. Many souls were led to Christ through the ministries of Bible prophecy teachers so most are not unfruitful. True believers have been looking into these things since Jesus departed and true believers will be looking for Jesus' coming until He comes. Even the great Sir Isaac Newton made his own projection about when Jesus will return with the limited insights that he had in Amillennial Theology.
So why are my projections of the second coming of Jesus Christ any better than these other teachers who had set time projections? Because their projections have expired, my projections in this table have not. Knowing what they know now, I doubt if any of them would have any serious disagreement with my outer range for the second coming of Jesus. They may think Jesus will return a bit sooner but so what? He certainly might. I think things become clearer for all watchmen as we get closer to the arrival of the King.
Could I be way off? Sure, but if you seriously look at the condition of the world today I seriously doubt that I am. The next one to four decades will bring the correlation of events that is necessary to fulfill Bible prophecy like no other time in history. You can say those same correlation's could take place in the distant future. I suppose they could, but I simply do not see the world surviving more than a few more decades without the return of Jesus for many reasons. Food for thought: If I am near right on any one of these projections I will be near right on them all.
My main criticism will come from those who believe in fairyland Dominionism where the Church Christianizes the world and makes it a paradise before Jesus can return. In their fairyland, the events of Bible prophecy do not actually happen on earth or they happen but in some remote century or millennia after the world becomes Christianized. If you believe in Dominionism, anything I say about end time Bible prophecy is just foolishness to you and anything you say about this issue is totally absurd to me. Something astute Evangelical Christians might observe, is that those who fail to take end time Bible prophecy literally often have secular humanistic views on major world issues. In many cases they are on the wrong side of issues of Christian faith and practice. Take the secular humanist dominionist path at your own risk and also do not waste your Dominion Theology, Preterist, or Replacement Theology arguments on me. I simply am not receptive to such distortions of scripture.
I take what I believe is the biblical view that unregenerate man is basically evil and that the world gets into increasingly self destructive behavior with increasingly self destructive tools at his disposal until the second coming of Jesus Christ. I also come from the point of view that prophetic scripture will be fulfilled in a literal sense and not in some allegorical spiritual way in a mystical Kingdom of Heaven.
What is now on this table is all I can come up with at this point in time, I have dismissed some speculations that I know about but I am also sure I have missed some timelines that could have more valid implications. I will add them and update this table if they come to my attention.
I intend for this table to be dynamic. If you have a fairly good timeline that you want to add to this table, email me at don@thepropheticyears.com. I will give you credit on the table for what you send me unless you say otherwise. Be aware, that if your name appears in the table and your name is uncommon it might soon appear near the top of a search engine search. I am only going to add timelines that make sense to me. That means no prophecies from self proclaimed prophets or mystics. Also, if you get your projected date from the chapter number of Psalms send them to J.R. Church and not to me (He also recently died so you might no longer want to do that). No stretch of one's imagination like that will appear here. Additionally, it means don't send me direct messages or prophecies from God revealed only to You. Yeah, I actually do receive emails like that.
Check out the links on this article for more detailed information on some of the timeline events that I used.
If you're one of those who think the coming of the Lord has to be sooner then what I suggest, check out my 25 world trends that correlate to indicate that the coming of Jesus is still one to three decades in the future.
(These tables may only be printed for personal use and group study. They are not to be included in anyone else's printed document. Do not copy these tables to any other website, blog or forum. Please provide a link to this article if you wish to pass the information on the tables to others.)
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