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A Thief in the Night

by Edward O. Bragwell, Sr.

``But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up'' (2 Pet. 3:10).

The Birmingham News (Sunday, August 12, 1990) carried an interesting article entitled ``Armageddon fever.'' It pointed out that during the previous week volunteers handed out 15,000 reprints of America in Prophecy by the late Ellen G. White. Apparently the current problems in the Middle-east have stirred up various Adventists and date-setters to a fever pitch again in their predictions of the imminent return of Christ.

It looks like that after being burned by past failures at predictions these folks would wise up and finally accept what the Bible really teaches about the return of our Lord. He is going to return (Acts 2:11). He will come as a thief in the night (2 Pet. 3:10; 1 Thes.  5:2). A thief does not publish a time table when he is going to appear on the scene. Peter spoke of some who doubted that He would come, since he had not come (2 Pet. 3). Peter assures them that Jesus would come, but he did not say when it would be, only that he would come as a thief in the night. Time is of no consequence to the Lord, since ``one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.''

Jesus could return at any time. Christians have recognized this ever since the days of the early church.  Many, over the years, have taken upon themselves to  predict when he would return. Some have given exact dates, while others have been content to only say that it is imminent.  These have not only embarrassed themselves by their failed predictions, they have caused Christianity to be scorned by skeptics. No one knows when the Lord will return. Jesus said, ``But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only'' (Matt. 24:36).

As the News article pointed out, past attempts at date-setting have all been proven wrong. William Miller, founder of the U.S. Adventist movement, predicted it would be between March 1843 and March 1844 and then updated it to Oct. 22, 1844. Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Jehovah's Witness movement, predicted 1914. Jehovah's witness leaders made another stab at it by predicting it in 1975. Edgar Whisenant, a retired rocket scientist, tried Sept. 1, 1988 and updated it to Sept. 1, 1989. It is amazing that these folks still have followers in view of what the Bible says in Deut. 18:21,22: ``And if you say in your heart, `How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?' when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.''

Some have learned the hazards of setting an exact date, so they just simply say that it is imminent. One local Adventist preacher was quoted in the article as saying that he teaches that the turn of the century is the likely time for the Second Coming. He said, ``We can't nail down the year 2000 and say that's it. We've got to give or take a few years either way.''

I suspect that Oxford resident John Ronner, who was quoted in the News article, hit the nail on the head when he said, ``Millennialism sells, and that's an indisputable fact. There is money in Armageddon.'' The sad thing about it all, is that there are many sincere followers who are helping these prognosticators sell their wares thinking they are doing the Lord's work.

We need to be prepared whenever the Lord comes. We can do this by believing the gospel of Christ, repenting of our sins, being baptized for the remission of sin and being faithful to the Lord (Mark 16:15,16; Acts 2:38; Rev. 2:10).

Don't be taken in by these speculating book and pamphlet salesmen. They do not know anymore than you do about when the Lord is going to return.   

Other Articles by Edward O. Bragwell, Sr.
The Brotherhood
The Kingdom of God Still Stands
Can We Withdraw from the "Withdrawn?"