08.16.06

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. - Matthew 24:36-44.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.

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. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4.

Richard Kyle, a Christian historian, states very well what the dilemma believers have faced throughout the ages, "Through two thousand years of Western history millions of sincere, devout, and knowledgeable people have seen the end as (about to happen in their own lifetimes)…but they have all been wrong.”

Here are a very few of the many who have been wrong:

110 A.D. - Ignatius: "The last days are upon us. Weigh carefully the times. Look for him who is above all time, eternal and invisible.”

236 A.D. - Hippolytus: Predicted Christ would return by 500 A.D.

1500s - Martin Luther: "We have reached the time of the white horse of the Apocalypse. This world will not last any longer than another hundred years.”

1600s - Christopher Columbus: He was sure the world would end by 1656.

1800s - William Miller: "I am fully convinced that somewhere between March 21st, 1843 and March 21st, 1844 Christ will come.”

1900s - Edgar Whisenant: He was a NASA engineer who wrote the book, "88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Take Place in 1988.” Whisenant wrote a second book after the 1988 failure predicting the Rapture in 1989 based upon a correction of his mathematical calculations.

From Wikipedia here are some additional failed predictions:

1992 - Korean group "Mission for the Coming Days” predicted October 28, 1992 as the date for the rapture.

1994 - Pastor John Hinkle of Christ Church in Los Angeles predicted June 9, 1994.

1997 - Stan Johnson of the Prophecy Club predicted September 12, 1997.

1998 - Marilyn Agee, in The End of the Age, predicted May 31, 1998.

Yet to be proved true or false are predictions by:

Jerry Falwell - Predicted in 1999 that the Second Coming would probably be within 10 years.

Jack Van Impe - Has said that he believes Christ will come back sometime between 2008 and 2013.

An interesting site with much information and links about the rapture is www.raptureready.com, which includes the "Rapture Index.” The "Rapture Index” states that it is the, "The prophetic speedometer of end-time activity.” Since 2001, the "Rapture Index” has been in the "Fasten your seatbelts” mode.

It is easy to look at the failed predictions of the past and laugh (as many do) at those who were so wrong. However, it is clear that for those of us who believe that Scripture is true and that all Biblical prophecies will be fulfilled that we are drawing ever nearer to the fulfillment of those prophecies. We must remember that during the days of Noah that the people of that time must have been laughing at Noah and his family for building a huge ship on dry ground (Genesis 6-9). They were no longer laughing when they were swimming for their lives and the rain was still falling.

Remember Jesus tells us, "And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed (Luke 17:26-30).” "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect (Matthew 24:44).”

Are you ready?