To share or not to share?

Some people may wonder why I share messages or words from others that do not come to pass. The answer is that if I knew they would not have come to pass, I may not have shared them! Hindsight is always 20/20!

My discernment is not perfect and in cases where I am not sure, I choose not to deprive others of the information and to let them judge for themselves. Also, in some cases a person may have heard from God but interpreted it incorrectly. If shared, God may give others clearer insight on the subject. I do not share everything that comes my way, but instead try to evaluate the credibility and maturity of the source.

I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet. I have never prophesied about end-time dating. In spite of that, however, 2-3 hostile people have called me a false prophet for sharing what others have said. But I have a feeling they would be hostile no matter what is said. Some people are just naturally belligerent. May God help them.

Let me clarify my calling. Beginning in 1993, God has called me (and confirmed it) to collect and share information concerning His return and events and signs related thereto. I am sort of a collecting point or clearing house. He has given me a measure of discernment, and I often can make it work, but sometimes I may fail. Pray for me. I am not a scholar but I constantly read and quote scholars, plus I have access to scholarly material.

Knowledgeable and sincere believers are divided on the issue of whether of not God will reveal the approximate time of end-time events such as the rapture. In my humble opinion, the weight of scriptural evidence most strongly argues that He will reveal at least the approximate time, perhaps within days or closer. See evidence below. Because of that, I have no qualms about sharing what someone may claim as a revelation, either direct from the Holy Spirit or through Bible interpretation, that a certain date or timeframe is likely. In my opinion, these people are not "date setting," realizing that only God can set dates, but they are "date seekers." I thank God for them, even when they are wrong. They are diligently "searching the Scriptures," and listening for the voice of the Spirit. Their efforts should not be disparaged.

About the time of the first coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, there were some who were knowledgeable of the prophecies and were expecting Him. As now with the second coming, no doubt they speculated on possible dates, probably based on the time-specific Daniel chapter 9. Some speculation may have been wrong, but some were given accurate revelation, such as Simeon (Luke 2:26), Zechariah and Elizabeth, and the Wise Men from the East. When they spoke of these things, like now, belligerent scoffers probably called them "false prophets," and condemned them. Some things never change.

In my opinion, a false prophet in the New Testament sense is one who proclaims another Christ, and with signs and wonders (Matthew 24:24). A false prophet rejects Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God by whom we must be saved. A Spirit-filled believer in Jesus Christ cannot be a false prophet in the Matthew 24:24 sense. Also, modern prophecy is not infallible and must be judged. "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part… Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge" (1 Corinthians 13:9, 14:29). Speaking mistakenly does not make one an unbelieving false prophet.

While I have seen some potential windows of time come and go, the Lord has never revealed to me the timing of His return. If He does, I will let you know! If He reveals it to anyone, it will not necessarily be to some big ministry head but would probably be some unlikely candidate, a nobody in the world's eyes, which is His style. As author Fulton Sheen wrote, "Divinity is always where one least expects to find it" (such as a babe in a stable). That is why I try to remain open to revelation from unlikely, unknown sources.

A case in point is the recent e-mail about January 1st and anonymous "Rapture Alert" that I forwarded about January 6-7, by the same author. I do not personally know her but I know a little bit about her and greatly respect her walk with the Lord. I honored the requested anonymity, which was done for personal reasons. She is devastated by the error and is properly repentant, contrite, and humble, diligently seeking the Lord for answers. The Lord has already shown her how she misunderstood and misinterpreted something He told her. She loves Jesus with all heart, and her heart is right. Let us pray for her, and not rule out all of her claimed revelation. She may have prophesied "in part."

Another case is David Gant's 1992 underwater cave experience when he got dramatically saved and then heard a voice say, "Go tell the whole world that I am coming for my children before the year 2000." There are several possibilities here, but just last week a lady called me from Colorado saying that she believed David had really heard from God but that many intercessors there had been earnestly crying out to God to "delay," and she is convinced that is what happened, just as at Nineveh in Jonah's day. Jonah actually prophesied a "date" to Nineveh, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed" (2:4). But God changed His mind. Was Jonah a false prophet? No, he was speaking what God had told him, for His purposes. Did God lie through Jonah? No, He just changed His mind, His prerogative.

The Lord works in mysterious ways. We may someday be surprised to learn God's intent and purpose in all these things. In the meantime, let us be kind one to another, and show grace to other believers who are earnestly seeking God for insights. I am convinced that much (or all) of what we are experiencing is a test of our own hearts, and God is bringing dross to the surface in many of us. Some seem to be failing the test.

Below is a summary of why I believe God will reveal at least approximate timing to some one or more of His choice:

GOD'S PROMISES OF REVELATION

Many people quickly point out that Jesus said, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man" (Matthew 24:36 KJV). They may also mention Paul's words that the day of the Lord will come like "a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). But many believers have so misunderstood these verses that they are oblivious to the times, not watching for the Lord as He commanded, and are often absorbed by the cares of this world and their own agendas.

As to Matthew 24:36, some scholars point out that Jesus' words here are in the present tense, addressed to His hearers at the time, and not to those alive at the end of the age when Daniel's vision would be unsealed (Daniel 12:9). This would be similar to Matthew 16:20: "Then he warned His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ"(NIV). As evidence, many other Scriptures reveal to us that God will reveal at least the approximately time. (Even if the "day and hour" restriction is literally valid today, it may be because the Earth is in 24 time zones and always in two different days.)

1. It is clear that Jesus will not come as a "thief in the night" for watchful believers, because in the very same passage, verse 4, Paul tells us, "But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this DAY should surprise you like a thief." If we are trusting in Christ and looking for His coming, Paul said that even the very DAY does not have to surprise us! In fact, Jesus exhorted, "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief" (Revelation 3:3, KJV), saying He will come as a thief only to those not watching!

2. Jesus rebuked those who did not understand the signs of the times in His day: "O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye not discern the signs of the times" (Matthew 16:3).

3. Of the end of the age, Jesus said, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh"(Luke 21:28). He said we would know when it is near!

4. God said, "Surely the sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing it to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7, NIV). God said "nothing," and He did not exclude Christ's return. I take Him at His word.

5. God not only knows the end from the beginning, He tells us that He makes it known! "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come." (Isaiah 46:10). He has already made it known! I personally believe it has been hidden in His Word all along, to be unlocked in His timing.

6. God said, "I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee" (Isaiah 48:5, KJV).

7. Jesus said the Holy Spirit "will teach you all things" (John 14:26). He said "all things." Did Jesus make a mistake, forgetting to exclude when He will return? I don't think so.

There are other such passages. God clearly promised that we would know at least approximately when Christ will return, and even "the DAY" will not surprise us, as the Holy Spirit reveals through Paul!

In addition, there is ample precedent for God revealing specific times in advance. (1) He gave Noah notice of when the flood would be (Genesis 6,7). (2) He told Abraham how long the Israelites would be in Egypt (Genesis 15:13). (3) He revealed to many the very day of Elijah's rapture (2 Kings 2). (4) He told Jeremiah how long the Babylonian exile would be (Jeremiah 29:10). (5) He told Daniel exactly when Messiah would come the first time (Daniel 9:25-26). (6) Some, including the brilliant Sir Isaac Newton, believe this same passage holds the key to the timing of His return. (7) There is evidence that the Bible reveals the exact number of years of "the times of the Gentiles" and the exact span of time to Israel's rebirth in 1948 and the recapture of Jerusalem in 1967. Leaving us clueless now would violate God's own established pattern!