DANGERS OF END TIME “DATE SETTERS” - If the Angels in heaven don’t know the day or even the son of God, what makes you and I believe that any mortal man on earth is going to actually know the precise day and hour that the Lord will return or the end of the age is going to take place - do we stop warning people of the coming of the Lord? No! What we need to do is hopefully get people back in the Bible and get them to understand why it is so dangerous to set dates for the coming of the Lord - As far back as even 53 A.D, there have been “date setters” in the earth that have come and gone with their false prophecies claiming that the Lord told them that his return would be on a certain date. That date came and went and nothing took place. One thing all these people that have come and gone have in common is that they have all failed with their futile attempts to predict the return of the Lord and the end of the world. Even before all the books were compiled into what he call the Bible, there was speculation that Christ had already returned. The Church at Thessalonica panicked when they heard a rumor that the day of the Lord was at hand, and they had missed the rapture. Throughout the years there have been countless predictions and timelines made that all failed. Perhaps if all these men would have just read the Bible, they would have believed the words of Christ when he said: “But of that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” -

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4 Dangers of End Time “Date Setters”
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If the Angels in heaven don’t know the day or even the son of God, what makes you and I believe that any mortal man on earth is going to actually know the precise day and hour that the Lord will return or the end of the age is going to take place - do we stop warning people of the coming of the Lord? No! What we need to do is hopefully get people back in the Bible and get them to understand why it is so dangerous to set dates for the coming of the Lord

Ricky Scaparo 

End Time Headlines – As far back as even 53 A.D, there have been “date setters” in the earth that have come and gone with their false prophecies claiming that the Lord told them that his return would be on a certain date and that date came and went and nothing took place.

What damage does this cause in the Body of Christ and why should we care about these people?

Here are four reasons why “Date Setters” is dangerous in the Church.

1- Date Setting has a 100% Fail Rate
One thing that all these people that have come and gone have in common is the fact that they have all failed with their futile attempts to predict the return of the Lord and the end of the world.

    As I stated above these date setters have been around since 53 A.D., Even before all the books were compiled into what he call the Bible, there was speculation that Christ had already returned.

    The Church at Thessalonica panicked when they heard a rumor that the day of the Lord was at hand, and they had missed the rapture.

    From that timeline, throughout the years there have been countless predictions and timelines made that all failed.

    More recent was Harold Camping who made a prediction that May 21, 2011, would be the date of the rapture and the end of the world, and after this prediction proved inaccurate, he claimed that a non-visible “spiritual judgment” had taken place and that the physical rapture would occur on October 21, 2011.

    This new rapture prediction also turned out to be a flop as well.

    Then we had 2012 come along with New Age writers citing the Mayan and Aztec calendars that allegedly predicting the end of the age on December 21, 2012, and we all know now that didn’t come to fruition as well.

Perhaps if all these men would have just read the Bible, they would have believed the words of Christ when he said: “But of that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” - matthew 24:36

    If the Angels in heaven don’t know the day or even the son of God, what makes you and I believe that any mortal man on earth is going to actually know the precise day and hour that the Lord will return or the end of the age is going to take place.

2- Date Setting makes the Body of Christ a laughing stock
One of the major problems with these “Date Setters” is the fact that as they continue to set their dates and fail it begins to reduce the true message of warning from watchmen and prophets in the earth today to a mere echo.

    It becomes like the old saying of the boy who cried wolf.

    Although a true man or woman of God won’t set dates, they do give strong warnings to people and Nations today to turn from their sin, repent and turn back to God.

    However, many have been reduced to a laughing stock today because of this foolishness that continues year after year.

Noah was a great example of one who was used by the Lord to warn a generation of judgment that was coming: “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” – Hebrews 11:7

     In Noah’s day, the majority refused to heed his Word and sadly perished in the flood that covered the Earth.

    I believe as the day of the Lord does get closer, we not only see more false prophets rise but we will see more and more people that will turn their ear away from the true warnings of the Lord.

3- It discourages true watchmen from teaching on the End Times or Bible Prophecy.
Another major reproach this stuff makes in the Body Of Christ is the fact that it will discourage anyone who has a call or burden to preach or teach on “End Times” and Bible Prophecy because the majority today don’t want to hear about it because it has become undesirable to hear throughout the years or it has become a joke to many because of the last point we just made.

    As a watchman myself, I always try to encourage myself and remind myself that there is still a remnant out there that still desires to be informed of the times and seasons we are in regardless of the nonsense that has been around from the beginning and this brings me to my last point.

4- It gives fuel to mockers and scoffers in the last days
Have you ever read the words of the Apostle Peter in the New Testament where he warned that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?” 

    Have you ever asked yourself why these people will be saying this?

I believe the answer is two-fold.

One the Bible says they will be walking according to their own lusts, meaning that these people who are mocking and scoffing the message of the true Gospel are living in the pleasure of sin and don’t want the Lord to return and be held accountable for their lifestyles.

The second reason could very well be what you and I will hear a lot when witnessing to others about the coming of the Lord and warning them about what is to come.

They will respond with something like

“Oh I’ve heard this all my life, and nothing ever happened” or

“They have been telling us this every year and nothing ever happens”

When Date Setters make mainstream media with their day and hour of the end and the return of the Lord’s return only to once again fail, it will only pour gas on the fire of the scoffers and mockers who will continue to say “Where is the promise of his coming?”

So, do we stop warning people of the coming of the Lord?

No! What we need to do is hopefully get people back in the Bible and get them to understand why it is so dangerous to set dates for the coming of the Lord!

Ricky Scaparo is the pastor and founder of the international ministry End Time Headlines. A ministry that provides resources to equip believers and to inform the discerning of the signs and seasons in which we live. His mission is to inform his readers and viewers of prophetic events and how they are unfolding before our very eyes through news and headlines presented from a prophetic perspective in light of the Holy Bible.

https://endtimeheadlines.org/2020/06/4-dangers-of-end-time-date-setters/

You might also like:

Predicting The Rapture

CLICK HERE . . . to view . . . 

https://puricarechronicles.blogspot.com/2018/08/predicting-rapture-early-church.html

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Wars and Rumors
of Wars

CLICK HERE . . . to view . . . 

https://puricarechronicles.blogspot.com/2018/01/wars-and-rumors-of-wars-millions-of.html  

THE END OF THE AGE - The disciples were asking about the time when Jesus would return to end humanity’s age of destruction and begin the rule of the Kingdom of God over the earth. The signs Jesus gave include religious deception, wars and rumors of wars, famines, disease epidemics and much more. To be truly ready for Christ’s return, we must be sure we are living as He lived and doing what is pleasing to Him - Jesus’ disciples asked Him for signs of “the end of the world.” Jesus didn’t give a date, but He did give prophetic signs we should watch to be ready. There are many ideas about when the world will end, and even about what the end of the world and the end times mean. For many, it’s a joke. But it’s not just kooks and religious people talking about the end of the world. Scientists and politicians throw around the phrase as well. The prestigious Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists annually updates its Doomsday Clock. Human survival and the world as we know it are truly under threat. Many passionate and even desperate people are warning and trying to reverse whichever of the dangers to our existence seems most real to them. But there is little agreement and precious little action. The dangers grow worse, and most people do their best to put them out of their minds. But is there a source that can give definitive answers about what is going to happen and when? Is there a real solution to prevent human extinction?

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The End Of The Age

When Will the World End?

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The disciples were asking about the time when Jesus would return to end humanity’s age of destruction and begin the rule of the Kingdom of God over the earth. The signs Jesus gave include religious deception, wars and rumors of wars, famines, disease epidemics and much more. To be truly ready for Christ’s return, we must be sure we are living as He lived and doing what is pleasing to Him

by Mike Bennett

Jesus’ disciples asked Him for signs of “the end of the world.”

Jesus didn’t give a date, but He did give prophetic signs we should watch to be ready. Is the end of the world near now?

When Will the World End?

There are many ideas about when the world will end, and even about what the end of the world and the end times mean.

For many, it’s a joke. Cartoonists draw a strange man wearing a sandwich board sign proclaiming “The End Is Nigh” to the unheeding crowds on a big city street.

But it’s not just kooks and religious people talking about the end of the world.

Scientists and politicians throw around the phrase as well.

Headlines discuss “Here’s How Stephen Hawking Predicted the World Will End” and “How Will the World End? Experts Reveal Nine Most Likely Ways Humans Will Be Wiped Out.”

The prestigious Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists annually updates its Doomsday Clock.

As I write, it is set at 2 minutes till midnight, the closest it has ever been throughout the atomic age.

Existential threats and the end of the world

Human survival and the world as we know it are truly under threat.

Many passionate and even desperate people are warning and trying to reverse whichever of the dangers to our existence seems most real to them.

But there is little agreement and precious little action. The dangers grow worse, and most people do their best to put them out of their minds.

But is there a source that can give definitive answers about what is going to happen and when? Is there a real solution to prevent human extinction?

Why not consider the source that most likely gave us the term end of the world and see what it says?

Where the term end of the world came from

Before there was a scientific or political interest in the end of the world, there was a religious one, based on the wording of the most influential English translation of the Bible.

The venerable King James Version of 1611 uses the expression end of the world seven times.

Four of these are in the book of Matthew, referring to the prophetic end times.

(In Psalm 19:4 and Isaiah 62:11, “end of the world” instead has the connotation “to all parts of the world.”)

In the Bible, what does “end of the world” mean? And when did Jesus say it would come?

The disciples asked Jesus about the end of the world

Jesus had warned His disciples that the most magnificent structure of their nation and religion was going to be totally destroyed (Matthew 24:2).

They were understandably concerned and wanted to know when this would take place.

They connected His prediction of the destruction of the temple with other predictions that He would come again at the end time. So, they approached Him.

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (verse 3, King James Version unless otherwise noted).

End of the world means end of the age

If you check other, more modern translations, including the New King James Version, you will see that most of them translate the last phrase as “end of the age.”

The Greek word used here is aion, which here means an age — specifically, the time of man’s misrule that will end when Jesus Christ returns.

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words says this about aion: “‘An age, a period of time,’ marked in the NT usage by spiritual or moral characteristics, is sometimes translated ‘world;’ the RV marg. always has ‘age.’ … The phrase ‘the end of the world’ should be rendered ‘the end of the age,’ in most places.”

The disciples were asking about the time when Jesus would return to end humanity’s age of destruction and begin the rule of the Kingdom of God over the earth.

What are the signs of the end of the world?

In Matthew 24 Jesus gave many signs that would lead up to His return, including His promise that the good news about God’s Kingdom would be shared around this world — a world steeped in bad news.

Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (verse 14).

The good news is that, though Jesus will come back during a time of unparalleled “great tribulation” when humanity is at the brink of self-annihilation, He will return and save humanity (verses 21-22).

The signs Jesus gave include religious deception, wars and rumors of wars, famines, disease epidemics and much more.

We can examine all of Jesus’ prophetic signs and know we are very close to the end, but Jesus said we won’t know the day or the hour (verse 36).

What does Jesus want us to do until the end of the world?

So, what did Jesus tell us to do? At the end of Luke’s account of the same Olivet Prophecy, Jesus warned:

“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.

“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man [Jesus Christ]” (Luke 21:34-36, NKJV).

Jesus compared the end times with the days of Noah, when most people ignored Noah’s warnings and were completely unprepared for the Flood.

Parable of the tares and the end of the world

The King James Version also quotes Jesus using the phrase end of the world twice and end of this world once in His parable of the wheat and the tares (weeds).

This parable was about how God sows His truth in this world and prepares people for His Kingdom, while Satan sows lies that produce people who pretend to follow God but follow Satan instead.

“The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels” (Matthew 13:39; see also 40 and 49).

To be truly ready for Christ’s return, we must be sure we are living as He lived and doing what is pleasing to Him.

This can also serve as a sober warning to Christians to not fool themselves into thinking they are okay just because they attend church or consider themselves Christians. Satan is the master of deception.

Here again, in this parable of the tares, “world” is translated “age” in the New King James Version and other modern versions.

From other passages that give more specifics about God’s times of judgment, it seems these passages are talking about judgment that will occur sometime after Jesus’ return.

Jesus Christ’s words of reassurance about the end of the world

In what has come to be known as the great commission, Jesus gave His followers a job to do before His return, and He gave us encouragement as well.

Jesus said to go and teach all nations, baptizing them and “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20).

This mission trains His Church to do His work and to learn to care for the people He is calling now.

Jesus promised to be with us in this effort to the end. He will never abandon us. His help—and His Kingdom — are sure.

World without end?

It is interesting to consider that, even though the King James Version talks about the end of the world, it also talks about “world without end”:

“But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end” (Isaiah 45:17).

“Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:21).

In both passages, the New King James Version translates “world without end” as “forever and ever.”

God’s plan is not just about an end. The end of this evil age will actually mark the beginning of something much better.

The Kingdom of God is a joyous, peaceful and ever-increasing kingdom that will have no end.

You need to understand and prepare for this wonderful world of the future.

Are the events in Revelation going to happen in the future? How can we know?

Mike Bennett is editorial content manager for the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, in the Dallas, Texas, area. He coordinates the Life, Hope & Truth website, Discern magazine and the Life, Hope & Truth Weekly Newsletter. He is also part of the Personal Correspondence team of ministers who answer questions sent to Life, Hope & Truth.

https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/end-times/when-will-the-world-end/

APOCALYPSE! - The word apocalypse comes from the Greek word apokálypsis,which simply means “revelation,” and is equivalent to apokalýptein,meaning “to uncover, reveal.” In religious contexts it is usually a disclosure of something hidden, like knowledge or understanding. Bible prophecy reveals that humankind will come to the very brink of self-destruction. At that point, Jesus Christ will return to put a stop to humanity destroying itself. In the Bible the Greek word apokálypsis refers to the book of Revelation, which was given to the apostle John. The book of Revelation is Jesus Christ’s unveiling of events to His servants. What is revealed is a series of major events that lead to the end of this present age, including Christ’s return to the earth.

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Apocalypse!

by Chris Moen

Why do most people associate the word “apocalypse” with end-of-the-world events? What does the word really mean in relation to biblical prophecy?

The popular narrative often shows a collapsed civilization!

The planet has become a wasteland of crumbled buildings and motionless cars.

Millions of bodies are scattered about. Radios and televisions are silent. The power grid is gone, and all appears dark.

But then, like Noah and his family stepping off the ark, a few survivors who took refuge in underground shelters slowly make their way to the surface to rebuild the earth.

As they stumble through the smoke and rubble, they begin to gather in small groups, searching for meaning in their now-shattered world.

Novels and films with such doomsday scenarios abound.

When most people hear the word apocalypse, it engenders an immediate association with great devastation on the earth that leaves only a remnant of survivors to carry on the human race.

Stories about the end of the world have fascinated people throughout human history, and today science fiction movie theatrics can create the vivid imagery of nuclear explosions and leveled cities, catastrophic loss of human life and zombies roaming the streets in the aftermath.

While history shows that humanity in general has a penchant for bringing much suffering, the world is not destined to end this way. Please read on.

Author Daniel Wojcik wrote, “Until recently, the end of the world has been interpreted as a meaningful, transformative, and supernatural event, involving the annihilation and renewal of the earth by deities or divine forces. During the last half of the twentieth century, however, widespread beliefs about a meaningless apocalypse have emerged and now compete with traditional religious apocalyptic worldviews” (End of the World as We Know It: Faith, Fatalism, and Apocalypse in America, p. 1).

In other words, a more contemporary use of the word apocalypse describes meaningless mass destruction.

The age of potential annihilation

Over the past 60 years or so, interest in the end of the world has dramatically increased. But why such a fascination with the destruction of society? 

According to Wojcik, “The creation and proliferation of nuclear weapons, in particular, have fundamentally altered contemporary apocalyptic thought, fueling fears of global annihilation and evoking widespread fatalism about the future of humanity” ^{(p. 1).}

The dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August of 1945 helped promote the idea that civilization as we know it could end by an apocalyptic disaster.

This fairly universal human concern is one major reason for the popularity of apocalyptic movies and novels.

Added to that, scientific research is often dramatized by media portrayals of other risks to humankind.

These include the gradual destruction of the environment, mega-storms, volcanic eruptions, solar storms, global ozone depletion, widespread famine and incurable strains of diseases.

These are real concerns, but they also help feed fatalistic fears that the world might end by one or more of these causes.

In a 2012 Ipsos poll conducted in 21 countries and involving 16,000 adults, one in seven (14 percent) agreed with the statement “the world will come to an end during my lifetime.”

In the United States, one in five (22 percent) agreed to this statement.

While there are many potential global hazards, the world is not destined to end this way.

Fascination with biblical disaster

In the United States interest in apocalyptic themes in Bible prophecy is integral to the worldviews of many evangelical Christians.

Such widespread interest in apocalyptic disasters in recent decades is indicated by the success of best-selling books on the subject.

Wojcik holds up Hal Lindsey’s 1970 book The Late Great Planet Earth as an example of works appealing to those interested in biblical end-time prophecies (p. 37).

It became the largest-selling American nonfiction book of that decade (New York Times Book Review, April 6, 1980, p. 27).

By 1991 more than 28 million copies of the book had been sold (Los Angeles Times, Feb. 23, 1991).

Apocalypse simply means revelation

Though the word apocalypse has come to have doomsday overtones, it’s interesting to note what it originally meant.

According to Dictionary.com, the English word apocalypse comes from the Greek word apokálypsis,which simply means “revelation,” and is equivalent to apokalýptein,meaning “to uncover, reveal.”

In religious contexts it is usually a disclosure of something hidden, like knowledge or understanding.

At that point, Jesus Christ will return to put a stop to humanity destroying itself.

In the Bible the Greek word apokálypsis refers to the book of Revelation, which was given to the apostle John.

The book of Revelation is Jesus Christ’s unveiling of events to His servants (Revelation 1:1).

What is revealed is a series of major events that lead to the end of this present age, including Christ’s return to the earth.

What will happen to planet earth?

The Bible is the only absolutely reliable source for learning the fate of planet earth.

Within this divinely inspired book, God reveals His plan for humanity through His servants, the prophets (Amos 3:7).

God has given an outline in the Scriptures of troubles that will intensify in the end times because of the increase of many evils in societies around the globe (2 Timothy 3:1-5; Revelation 6:1-7).

Bible prophecy reveals that humankind will come to the very brink of self-destruction. At that point, Jesus Christ will return to put a stop to humanity destroying itself (Matthew 24:22).

The world will not end with some cataclysmic, apocalyptic event, leaving just a few human beings wandering aimlessly in a struggle for survival without law and order. Thankfully, this is not the final outcome that God has in store for planet earth!

When Jesus Christ returns to earth, He will forcefully put down all opposition and establish the Kingdom of God. This will be the start of 1,000 years of global peace, prosperity and abundance.

This Millennium of joyous, meaningful existence is a stark contrast to the apocalyptic scenarios imagined by many today. While there are difficult times ahead, God tells us the future is very bright!

Chris Moen currently serves as associate pastor in the combined Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Michigan, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.

Chris graduated from Ambassador College in Pasadena, California, in 1979, married Angela Hays in 1982, and was ordained into the ministry in 1991. Since then, together they have had the joy of serving in 17 Church of God congregations.

Chris and Angela are blessed with two married daughters, Jennifer and Ashley, along with their fine husbands, and four grandchildren. Chris serves on the Life, Hope & Truth “Ask a Question” answering team and with a prior engineering background, he occasionally assists with technical projects for the Church.

Chris enjoys grandchildren, teaching at youth camps, music, outdoor life, technology and, topping the list, serving God’s people in the congregations.

https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/revelation/apocalypse/

NOSTRADAMUS - Many people are asking, "Did Nostradamus predict the end of the world?" The very short answer to this question is no. His astrological bent had a great deal to do with the content of his writings.

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Nostradamus

Did Nostradamus Predict the End of the World?

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"But the certainty of things past and present gives us confidence in things to come."

Many people are asking, "Did Nostradamus predict the end of the world?"

The very short answer to this question is no.

Michel de Nostredame, later to become known as Nostradamus, was born in France in 1503 and died in 1566.

He was a very well-educated man, an astrologer, an author, and a doctor, who specialized in the treatment of the Bubonic Plague.

He became known as one of the leading experts in the treatment of the Plague.

In spite of his expertise, his wife and two children succumbed to the illness and subsequently died from it. 

His 'so called' prophesies and predictions have been extracted from the approximately 1000 letters he wrote in 4-line (quatrains) and 6-line (sixains) verses.

In one of the letters, he clearly states (in plain French) that his predictions will go on for thousands of years, out to the year 3797.

This is not a prediction for the end of the world, rather a statement about how far his projections would extend. 

His astrological bent had a great deal to do with the content of his writings.

Astrological authorities believed that history inevitably repeats itself.

In one of his pieces, he wrote: "But the certainty of things past and present gives us confidence in things to come."

Nostradamus had only to look back at the ancient chronicles, in particular those regarding 'omens' to find an abundance of material for his quatrains, and sixains. This he did to great effect. 

The largest part of early seminal prophetic texts was written in Latin and included numerous scholarly abbreviations.

They were printed in an unfathomable gothic script. This is critical because it meant that only the 'educated' could read them, let alone hope to understand those texts.

It is known that Nostradamus had the access, and the ability to understand these classical works. He plagiarized from these, in some cases practically verbatim, to fill his letters. Some of the works are listed below: 

Virgil's Eclogues (42-37 BC), Georgics (37-30 BC) and Aeneid (19 BC) 
Julius Caesar's Gallic War (1st century BC) 
Pliny the Elder's histories (1st Century BC) 
Strabo's Historical Memoirs (1st century BC to 1st century AD) 
Livy's History of Rome (1st century BC to 1st Century AD)
Petronius's Satyricon (1st century AD) 
Suetonius's The Twelve Caesars (AD 120)
Plutarch's Parallel Lives (1st-2nd centuries AD) 
Lucian's True History (2nd century AD) 
Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History (4th century AD) and especially Julius Obsequens's On Omens (4th century AD) 
Villehardouin's La Conquête de Constantinople (1209-13)
Joinville's Histoire de Saint-Louis (1270-1309), first printed in 1547
Froissart's celebrated Chroniques (1358 onwards, first printed 1504) 
Commynes' Memoires (1489-98) 
D'Auton's Chroniques de Louis XII (1499-1508) 
The Rozier historial de France (1522) 

Nostradamus Prophecy - Why do we Care so Much?
After the 911 attacks, Nostradamus prophecy was everywhere! It made the BBC News and it was contained in books on Amazon.com's bestseller list.

Dramatically, "Nostradamus" even displaced "sex" from the Internet's top-fifty list for a short period of time. Obviously, people love the notion of prophecy. The tabloids are a testament to that.

Why then, do so many people subscribe to the vague and usually erroneous prophecies of people like Nostradamus, Jeanne Dixon, Edgar Cayce, and others that make all the "urban legends" lists?

Why not read the most dramatic prophecies of all time - over 600 of them contained in a perennial bestseller known as the Bible?

And, guess what? They've all been fulfilled to date! And there's another 300 or so still on the horizon! 

allaboutpopularissues.org