*Pastor’s Note: We will continue, in no particular order questions posed from the excellent book by Mark Hitchcock entitled, The Complete Book of Bible Prophecy. My hope and prayer is that it will give some insight into much of the end-times prophecy the Bible speaks of and hopefully alleviates some of the fears and confusion people have about studying prophecy. The following is the next in a line of questions I present to you from his book:
Why About Setting Dates For The Rapture?
The Bible strictly prohibits date setting for the coming of Christ.
- Matthew 24:42: “Be prepared, because you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.”
- Matthew 24:44: “You also must be ready all the time. For the Son of Man will come when least expected.”
- Matthew 25:13: “Stay awake and be prepared, because you do not know the day or hour of my return.”
- Acts 1:7: “ ‘The Father sets those dates,’ he replied, ‘and they are not for you to know.’ ”
(All Scriptures NLT)
In spite of the clear teaching of Scripture, people continue to set dates for the coming of Christ. Jesus claimed that during his earthly ministry, he did not even know the day of his coming: “No one knows the day or the hour when these things happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows” (Matthew 24:36).
Anyone who claims to know the specific time of Christ’s coming is claiming that he knows something that the Father didn’t even tell the Son while he was on earth. This is the height of arrogance and folly.
Mr. Hitchcock’s teachings are informative and enlightening as well as inspirational and any book you can get for yourself from his writings will most definitely be well-worth it. I hope you are blessed AND informed and some of these questions and answers will give you a greater strength to walk in confidence and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Bible prophecy ALWAYS points to God and His plans for this world that He created through Christ Jesus. Therefore, for true Christians, it is meant to be a comfort that God continues as always to have everything under control despite what it might appear to the average person.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 