Premillennialism

Nearly seventy percent of all protestant preachers hold some view of premillennialism. There are so many different takes on this doctrine by various denominations and even scholars within these, it is impossible to give an overview of these in this lesson. However, most believe that one day Jesus Christ will return to earth and reign in Jerusalem on the literal throne of David for one thousand years. Most premillennialists claim to know the time of Christ’s return based on their various interpretations of the Bible.

One day my neighbor Ishmael saw me working in my front yard and gave a hospitable wave. The return greeting I gave bought him across the street. After a few minutes of casual discourse he said, “You are a minister. Can you tell me when the Son of God is going to return?” Quickly I admitted that I had no way of knowing or figuring out from the scriptures when He will come again. Surprised he said, “But you are a pastor. You are supposed to know when Christ is coming.”

At this point in the conversation, I quoted Matthew 24:35: “but of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” The truth is, if angels of God and the Son of God do not know when Christ shall return, how can any man lay claim to such knowledge? The day and hour of the Second Coming is known only to God the Father. This information is hidden from mere men and known only to God “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29).

However, since the time of Christ’s ascension from the earth into Heaven, men have longed for His return and have speculated concerning the exact hour and day of this final event of human history. While the church was still young, Paul the apostle wrote two letters to the church at Thessalonica to reminded them that the Lord was coming, but it may not be in the lifetime of the first-century believers. “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. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thess. 5:1-3).

Later, some Christians regarded the year 1000 AD as the time of Christ’s return. They based this on a misunderstanding of the “thousand year reign” of Christ in Revelation chapter twenty. In the 1830s William Miller made a series of failed predications regarding the end of the world. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claimed that Jesus did return in secret in 1914. Space Brother Sananda maintained that the world would end on December 21, 1954. On March 26, 1997 thirty-nine bodies were discovered in San Diego. They were all part of the Heaven’s Gate cult who followed Marshall Applewhite’s prophesy that a UFO hidden in the passing Hale-Bopp comet would rapture them as it passed by the earth.

Many argued that the Lord would return at the turn of the new millennium. However, the year 2000 has come and gone and the Y2K scare is a mere memory. More recently, Harold Camping, president of the Family Radio network, claimed the great rapture would come at six o’clock in the evening in May 21, 2011. His first attempt at determining the date of Christ’s return mathematically caused him to claim September 6, 1994. He has picked October 21st to be the final day of history. Now, if that date is too soon for you to be prepared for the end of the world, then perhaps December 21, 2012 will suit your schedule better. This date is based on the ancient Mayan calendar.

What is wrong with speculating about Christ’s return? What difference does it make if we have different dates picked out for the Second Coming? Such conjectures are detrimental to the cause of Christ and damaging to the souls of men.

First, it denies the plan statement of Jesus in Matthew 24:36 that only the Father knows of the day or hour of His return. If Jesus is lying about this how can He be trusted when He promises, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).

Second, many are tempted to twist and abuse the Scriptures in a vain attempt to prove their theories concerning the time of Christ’s return. Often, difficult and figurative sections of the Bible (such as the book of Revelation) are used as proof-texts. Not only does this rob people of the true meaning of these passages it adds and subtracts from the Truth in God’s Word. John warned, “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Rev 22:18,19).

Furthermore, while men and women are so busy working diligently to find out when Christ is to return, they will be missing out on valuable opportunities to discover and practice those commands which are actually found in the Scriptures. Next, they will not be spending time with the lost souls helping them to obey the Gospel because they are too focused on that which God has not revealed to mankind as part of the Gospel message.

Finally, men and women are being convinced by false prophets that Jesus will return at (let’s say) midnight on December 22nd in the year 2012. The danger is they will not be watching and praying throughout the rest of 2011 and 2012 as they are commanded in Matthew 24:44: “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” and Matthew 25:13: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” When Bible students spend a great deal of time and energy searching the Scriptures for something that is not to be found in them, they are benefitting no one but the Devil. While they busy themselves in futile speculation, Christ will return and find them unprepared.

Unfortunately, my attempts to convince my neighbor that the information he was seeking could not be found in the Bible proved fruitless. He continued to argue by saying, “Come on! Are you kidding me? Surely you have an idea when Jesus is coming again?” At this point I just looked at my watch and turned to Ishmael saying, “Okay, He’s coming back in about ten minutes. So, I better hurry up and finish my yard work.” As for my neighbor he gave me half a grin and with a puzzled look retreated back across the street. Although we have spoken since that day, he has never again questioned me about the Second Coming of Christ.

– Daniel R. Vess