Accurate calendar dating of prophetic events in the future is impossible.
This is evident by the various attempts to date prophetic events by many men for many years–both Bible believers and Bible critics.
Hebrew and Greek expertise does not help the problem and neither does believing the English of the King James Bible.
There are some scriptures that bear on the subject of whether or not we can have, or even need a thorough understanding of the future “times and seasons”:
“9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).
“4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:4-10)
The believers in the Thessalonian and Corinthian churches were “waiting” in the First Century for the Lord Jesus Christ to come from heaven. Paul corrected other errors in these churches, but he did not correct their anticipation of the imminent return of Christ.
The Thessalonians are assured that they have been “delivered from the wrath to come” and the Corinthians are assured that Christ will also “confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Paul also made special reference to this patient “waiting” on the Lord (not for a judgment or wrath) in his introductory remarks to both churches.
By these facts, we are assured that the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is (a) the next prophetic event,
(b) a time of blessing for the body of Christ, and that
(c) it could happen at any moment.
That this coming has not happened since Paul wrote these words, does not negate or deny the promise of God. The long awaited event simply reinforces the truth that this coming is preceded by no other prophetic event, and that it is a coming that is imminent, or one that could happen at any moment.
“15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18).
The Thessalonians were assured in chapter one (1:10) that there was no possibility of the saved members being under any “wrath to come”. Also see the same promise to saved people in Rome in Romans 5:10.
Dr. Dave Reese
