Date Setters Vs. Date Teasers—Equally Guilty?
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, July 27, 2023
“In My Father’s house are many
mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for
you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you
to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2-3 NKJV)
Now when He had spoken these
things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of
their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee,
why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from
you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
(Acts 1:9-11 NKJV)
When I was speaking at a church, the pastoral staff and few
others took me out to lunch. We chatted about all sort of things. One thing
that came up was the issue of Jesus’ return. I really wasn’t interested in the discussion
because I knew their eschatological position was different from my own. So was it worth a debate over lunch? Probably
not.
There is a time to sit and listen and a time to speak. This time
I wanted to sit and listen to what they had to say so I could better understand
their position.
Meanwhile, a teen in the church was sitting with us—diagonally
across from me. I asked her what she liked to do. She said she liked basketball
and was going to focus on that. I asked how she was doing in school; she said she
really wasn’t worried about school or getting good grades because she said it
was pointless. She continued to say that
since Jesus is coming back “probably later this year or early next year”, that there
was no reason for her to exert herself in her studies. So she was just going to
play some basketball until Jesus comes.
When she said this, I was shocked, but what came next
shocked me even more. Nearly the entire table of 12 people or so started giving
her an “amen” and joined in the chorus with things like, “Jesus is coming back
any minute now”, “I really doubt we will make it to next year—the time is ripe”,
and “that’s right girl, Jesus will be coming back shortly”.
There was so much affirmation for her and each other’s testimonies
that I was really taken back. This brings me to Date Setters and Date Teasers.
Date Setters
The sad thing about many Christians—especially in more
recent times (1800 to the present) is that far too many people have tried to
guess a precise date for the return of Christ. These are called Date
Setters and so far every date in history that has been selected by a Date
Setter has been wrong. This means they made false predictions.
But some people just keep trying! Usually when a failed
predictor’s date comes and goes—if they are still alive—they make an excuse and
then adjust their date to something else in the future (e.g., William Miller, Jehovah’s
Witnesses, or Harold Camping).[1]
Some of these Date Setters try to work out some sort of
calculation with some wild interpretations from Scripture or odd theological
positions to arrive at their date (e.g., Clarence Larkin predicted AD 2000 in
his book Dispensational Truth in
1918).[2]
Others say that the Holy Spirit spoke to them like the prophets or apostles of
old.
When their date failed to come to pass, it should have been
obvious that the Holy Spirit was not their
source! Was it demonic, did they simply deceive themselves, or was it something
else? That too is a great question.
Date Setters are abundant and they can be found giving false
dates for millennia now (see the lists in Reference
3 for example.[3] )
Date Teasers
When someone toys around with the timing of Jesus’ return
without putting a specific date on it, they are called Date Teasers. Due to the bad name Date Setters get because of their
consistently failed claims, Date Teasers try to be a bit more coy.
Instead of putting a precise date, they sometimes use vague terms or indefinite time referents like Christ’s return “is imminent”, “very
soon to take place” or “in my day”.
But when you look at what they are claiming, they still have a prediction that
is bound in a specific range.
So although Date Teasers are unwilling to make commitments
on specific dates, they are still giving
a date range. Essentially, they too have made a prediction about the timing of
the return of Christ. For some reason, Date Teasers seem to think this is a
much better position—but is it?
The reality is that date teasing is no better than the date
setting. They have both made a definite prediction about the return of Christ
where one names a specific date and the other a date range. The main difference
is that you usually won’t have your name listed on these long lists of failed
predictors and get called out by name as a false prophet.
Conclusion
Yes, I was shocked at the response from that young teen and
those at the table with her. And just so you know, this was about 10 years ago.
So these predictions didn’t come to fruition.
The truth of the matter is that both Date Setters and Date
Teasers are equally guilty. They have both given false predictions and they both
have consequences. And sadly, this young lady was on a trajectory to ruin her
school opportunity because of date teasing into which she also bought. I prayed
for her of course.
For those who disbelieve in Christ’s return altogether—they
have also made their wager too and when Christ does return, their false
predictions will be made complete. In those instances, they will have eternal
consequences for their rebellion against God if they do not repent. But Date
Setters and Teasers need a wakeup call as well.
When will Jesus return? The answer is simply that Jesus will
come back when Jesus comes back. We should be doing the Lord’s business until
He comes.
[1] Tim
Chaffey, Are You Ready for the End of the World?, Answers in Genesis, December
20, 2012, https://answersingenesis.org/christianity/are-you-ready-for-the-end-of-the-world/;
Editors, Changed Dates: Failed Predictions, Facts
About Jehovah’s Witnesses, January, 2019, https://jwfacts.com/watchtower/1800s.php.
[2]
Clarence Larkin, Dispensational Truth, Rev. Clarence Larkin Est. Publishers, Philadelphia,
PA, 1918, p. 16.
[3] With
caveats, see for instance: https://www.bible.ca/pre-date-setters.htm
and (although I’m not a fan of Wikipedia) see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events.
