Like many of you, I long for the Lord’s appearance, and my greatest dream is that He will return in my lifetime. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! But I have a real problem with setting dates for His return. And I have a real problem with the mindset that He could return at any moment. Let me explain why.
To be clear, none of us know when we will die, and in many cases, our deaths will be sudden and unexpected. So, at all times, we should live in readiness to meet the Lord. That goes without saying.
But when it comes to predicting the day (or year) of the Lord’s return, the first problem is that, to date, every single prediction, without exception, has been wrong. The failure rate is 100%. Why should anyone believe the next prediction when all previous predictions have been wrong? Based on what new, definitive data? (For the record, I’ve seen some of the “data,” and I don’t buy it for a second.)
The second problem with date-setting actually explains why every previous prediction has been wrong. Simply stated, God never intended us to set dates, and He has not given us sufficient data in His Word for determining the year, let alone the day or hour of the Second Coming.
Without question, we should know the times and seasons of His return as it draws near (according to 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, we will know). Paul plainly tells us that the final rebellion must come first and that the man of the sin (aka the antichrist) must be revealed. Only after that will we be gathered together to meet the Lord in the air and escort Him to earth. (Please take a moment to read 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 followed by 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 and note the use of the same Greek word parousia, “coming” or “arrival,” in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1, 8, all describing the same event, the Second Coming.)
