Failed Prophecies:
End time prophets and their end time prophesies: Let’s begin with,“The Prophet Hen of Leeds, 1806.”
History has countless examples of people who have proclaimed that the return of Jesus Christ is imminent, but perhaps there has never been a stranger messenger than a hen in the English town of Leeds in 1806. It seems that a hen began laying eggs on which the phrase “Christ is coming” was written. As news of this miracle spread, many people became convinced that doomsday was at hand — until a curious local actually watched the hen laying one of the prophetic eggs and discovered someone had hatched a hoax.
Of course, today, more than ever before there are those of us who like to take a shot at determining the “when” of the second coming up of Jesus Christ. The book of Daniel and Revelation are used mostly to come up with that magical intriguing formula that will solve this seemingly unsolvable mystery.
I do believe certain people, times and events have shaped Bible prophecy thinking. Today, more than ever before, we have the technology and information available to us, all we have to do is type in a question, and almost immediate you will be given the answer. Now, it’s up to each of us to sort out which of them is correct. Answers to questions concerning Biblical numbers, symbols and images mean can also be found easily, also the history of kingdoms and kings; their births, deaths and any other important dates needed can be found quickly.
Crucial to understanding end time prophesy is the gathering of correct information and then to understand what you’ve gathered. Kings; rulers; their empires such as Babylon, Medes, Persians, Greeks, Pagan Rome, the Holy Roman empire, Mohomet and Islam.
Another step toward a proper understanding of Bible prophesy is to know and have the correct meaning of particular Hebrew, Chaldean, Greek and old English words and phrases.
What does a day mean in the context in which it is used? Is it twenty four hours, or does it mean a year? What is a season, what is meant by time, times, half times: end times, last days, weeks of years, etc? When speaking of a year are we to understand in as a symbolic year, or literal year? And, how long is that year, 360, 365, 365 days? Or, are we to calculate end time prophesy according to Jewish Holy days?
What we have out there today concerning end time prophesy is a Ten-Wheeler full of shaky assumptions; bad math; to many animal and dragon like images and symbols; questionable historic events and dates, and the use of poorly done Biblical chronology.
Following is a short history of a few end time prophets and their prophesies.
William Miller a Baptist preacher predicted Christ’s return on earth in the year 1843, this based upon his study of Daniel 8, concerning the “cleansing of the sanctuary.” He had concluded this phrase meant the cleansing of the world. And when the time came with no results, Jesus return was moved to 1844, but that also was another failed attempt.
Mormon Armageddon, 1891 or earlier
Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church, called a meeting of his church leaders in February 1835 to tell his followers that he had personally spoken to God, and in their conversation Joseph Smith learned that Jesus would return within the next 56 years, after which the End Times would begin promptly. Again, failure! Yet, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is unique among Christian churches claiming divine, revelatory guidance through a living prophet.
The Jehovah Witnesses also calm to have a sort of hot line to heaven in their revelations. Taze Russel the founder of the Jehovah Witnesses used Pyramidology as an early method of calculating the coming of Christ. When that failed he used the dates of 1914 and 1917 both 1st World War dates, but these also failed.
Recently Halley’s Comet in 1910 sparked interest in end time prophesy. In 1881, an astronomer discovered through spectral analysis that comet tails include a deadly gas called cyanogen (related, as the name implies, to cyanide). This was of only passing interest until someone realized that Earth would pass through the tail of Halley’s comet in 1910. Would everyone on the planet be bathed in deadly toxic gas? That was the speculation reprinted on the front pages of “The New York Times” and other newspapers, resulting in a widespread panic across the United States and abroad. Finally, even-headed scientists explained that there was nothing to fear.
Pat Robertson, 1982
In May 1980, televangelist and Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson startled and alarmed many when — contrary to Matt.24:36 (“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven…” Mr. Robertson informed his “700 Club” audience around the world that he knew when the world would end. He said, “I guarantee you by the end of 1982 there is going to be a judgment on the world.”
Nostradamus predicted, August 1999:
The heavily obfuscated and metaphorical writings of Michel de Nostrdame have intrigued people for over 400 years. His writings, the accuracy of which relies heavily upon very flexible interpretations, have been translated and re-translated in dozens of different versions. One of the most famous quatrains read, “The year 1999, seventh month / From the sky will come great king of terror.” Many Nostradamus devotees grew concerned that this was the famed prognosticator’s vision of Armageddon.
Here are two that many of us should remember: First, Heaven’s Gate, 1997:
When comet Hale-Bopp appeared in 1997, rumors surfaced that an alien spacecraft was following the comet — covered up, of course, by NASA and the astronomical community. Though the claim was refuted by astronomers (and could be refuted by anyone with a good telescope), the rumors were publicized on Art Bell’s paranormal radio talk show “Coast to Coast AM.” These claims inspired a San Diego UFO cult named Heaven’s Gate to conclude that the world would end soon. The world did indeed end for 39 of the cult members, who committed suicide on March 26, 1997.
Secondly, Y2K, Jan. 1, 2000
As the last century drew to a close, many people grew concerned that computers might bring about doomsday. The problem, first noted in the early 1970s, was that many computers would not be able to tell the difference between 2000 and 1900 dates. No one was really sure what that would do, but many suggested catastrophic problems ranging from vast blackouts to nuclear holocaust. Gun sales jumped and survivalists prepared to live in bunkers, but the new millennium began with only a few glitches.
May 5, 2000
And in case the Y2K bug didn’t do us in, a global catastrophe was assured by Richard Noone, author of the book “5/5/2000 Ice: The Ultimate Disaster.” He claimed the Antarctic ice mass would be three miles thick by May 5, 2000 — a date in which the planets would be aligned in the heavens, somehow resulting in a global icy death. Perhaps global warming kept the ice age at bay.
God’s Church Ministry, Fall 2008
According to God’s Church minister Ronald Weinland, the end times are upon us– again. His 2006 book “2008: God’s Final Witness” states that hundreds of millions of people will die, and by the end of 2006, “there will be a maximum time of two years remaining before the world will be plunged into the worst time of all human history. By the fall of 2008, the United States will have collapsed as a world power, and no longer exist as an independent nation.” As the book notes, “Ronald Weinland places his reputation on the line as the end time prophet of God.”
Now after all the above, what do I think, hmmmm! I’ll give you my answer on a series of articles titles, “The Final Countdown.”
Phillip LaSpino www.seekfirstwisdom.com