Written By Pastor Mike Chambers

INTRODUCTION

I suppose that more mental energy has been expended in the search for the answer to this one question than all others found in the twenty-seven books of Christ's New Testament. More books have been written, more audio and video tapes have been made on this subject than any other.

The truth is that the interest stirred by this question has been used as an effective fund raiser, very effective, especially with the coming of radio and television. With some in each new generation of New Testament preachers claiming to have the right answer to the question this time, and all the while explaining why those before them were wrong in their predictions.

The Jehovah's Witnesses for example have prophesied the world's end many times, 1914, 1920, 1925, 1941, and then again in 1975. The year 1975 was said, by the leadership of this organization, to be the year in which Jesus would return and the world would end. This time they said they had it right. This prediction was based upon their assumption that Adam was created in 4026 B.C., and their belief that the entirety of human existence as we know it would be exactly 6000 years. So then 4026 B.C. + 1975 A.D. = 6001 years since the creation of Adam. Well the date passed, thousands of their faithful lost hope, and those that didn't should have. Not in the promise that Jesus would return, but in that their leaders knew when?

By the way, the explanation the church gave when 1975 came and went was that the six thousand years began not with the creation of Adam as they had said before, but with the creation of Eve. That is, that there was some number of years between the creation of Adam and God forming Eve from one of Adam's ribs. However, they did not care to say just when this was.

The Baptists, Pentecostals, Methodists, Presbyterians, and all of the other main line denominations as well as those lesser known groups have had their share of false prophets predicting the date of the end that never occurred.

Thankfully, not every preacher has made false claims as to having had special knowledge of Christ's return. Only to then have the weeks, months, and years prove them wrong. So here, I am talking about date setters. Their track record isn't very good, in fact they have all been wrong!

"World War II led to a wave of keen interest in prophecy. Prophecy is heady stuff, and it is hard to escape the temptation to be sensational in handling it. Many a prophetic speaker of those days (war years) did not hesitate to identify Adolf Hitler or Benito Mussolini as the anti-christ, demonstrating that the numerical value of his candidate's name came to the required 666. I also remember a convincing booklet which held that the Ark of the Covenant was hidden in Ethiopia, from which it was momentarily to be produced as the first of a series of spectacular events culminating in the rapture and the Apocalypse. Prophecy suffered at the hands of its friends in those days and their misplaced enthusiasm led to its being assigned to the theological dog-house for lo these many years."

This kind of guesswork and rush to judgment also became popular in the 1970's. Involving names like Henry Kissinger and Nelson Rockefeller, Anwar Saddatt, and Minachunbagun. In the 80's it was Mickhail Gorbechev and Ronald Reagan. The 90's has seen the name Juan Carlos of Spain frequently mentioned as the latest, no doubt about it, anti-christ. This determination is based upon his genealogy.

The sad fact is that prophecy continues to suffer at the hands of its friends today also. Good men, well intentioned, who become carried away and go to far, why? Could this excess be intentional? I don't think so. However in an effort possibly to maintain their crowds and to hold the attention of their listeners they inadvertently go beyond what the Holy Spirit has revealed to them, and at times let their imaginations run wild.

To me, it is clear that some of the big names in the prophetic teaching and preaching circle have felt pressure to produce new information, to discover some hidden prophecy, and to be the first to call attention to the significance of a late breaking news story.

This little speech of mine is not intended to be a wet blanket thrown upon those who are eagerly awaiting the return of Christ. I'm looking for him as well, and for many reasons I believe his return will be soon. The point must be made however that when we make predictions, when we set dates, and when we read into current events what is not there then we bring reproach upon Christ and make fools of ourselves.

In return for my pointing out these mistakes, (and that's all that I know to call them) some will want to class me as a last day scoffer, II Peter 3:3-4, but I am not doubting his second coming. I believe his promise and by grace through faith I can say with John "even so come Lord Jesus".

Caution, when we say what the Bible does not say and teach what the Bible does not teach, we become in the words of Paul, "false witnesses of God." However, it is the Bible and not twentieth century theologians that raise the question as to when the end will come. More specifically, Christ's own disciples in Matthew 24:3.

In I Thessolonians chapter 5 : 1-3, Paul makes clear that there is an uncertainty as to the exact time of the end. However, in the same passage he also says that Christ's church should not be in total darkness.

Let's read it. I Thessalonians 5: 1-4.

I Thessalonians 5:1-4. "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should not overtake you as a thief."

The world will have no idea. The church will have some idea. The world will know nothing. The church will know something, but the church will not know everything. God's people can, and should know if they look, and listen enough that the return of Christ should not catch them totally off guard.

Now the Bible does teach that we are to look for him, wait for him, and live our lives in faith expecting him to come. In answer to the disciples question of Matthew 24:3; Jesus taught a lesson that we call the Olivet Discourse. We call it that because that is where he was at the time. In this sermon Jesus did not give a day and date answer to the question of when.

What he did was to give to both them and to us signs, signs that indicate times, really the time in the same way that a road sign warns of a distant danger before the danger is actually arrived at. Christ gave signs of his coming so that his disciples could know when his coming was near.

Wars, false Christs, nation rising against nation, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, and the list goes on. The gospel of the kingdom shall be preached for a witness, the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel, the parable of the Fig tree, the days of Noah and Lot, the story about the householder who didn't know at what time the thief would break in, the parable of the ten virgins, and more.

In all of these there are found truths that when properly understood in light of other scriptures give clear indication as to the condition of the world just prior to the end. And so we find that the question of when is both valid and scriptural.

When will the end come? Just what do preachers, teachers, pastors, and evangelists mean by the end? Are they all referring to the same thing? Are they all talking about the same end? Is it the end of this age? By this age, I mean the church age. The dispensation of grace. They might be. They could be, because the Bible teaches that this age will end, Matthew 28:20.

Or do they mean the end of the times of the Gentiles, which began according to most modern evangelical theologians, with Nebuchadnezzar's invasion of the southern kingdom of Judah and the rape and destruction of the temple in Jerusalem six hundred years before the birth of Christ; and lasts until the Lord Jesus destroys anti-christ, throws him into the lake of fire, and binds Satan for a thousand years at the end of the seven year tribulation period.

And it could very well be that they are referring to the end of this Earth on which we live, the Earth according to pre-millennial doctrine will be destroyed by fire and the elements shall melt with a fervent heat and then the Lord will make a New Heaven and New Earth.

When will the end come? The truth is that the answer to this question as it is found in the Bible is neither simple nor exact. Now then if we knew the answer to the question, when will the church age end?, or when will the rapture take place?, or when will the anti-christ take charge?, or when will the tribulation begin?

Then we could give, I think, an exact answer to the questions of when will the end come, and when will the times of the Gentiles end? You see, I am of the opinion that the rapture takes place, the church age ends, the anti-christ takes power, and the tribulation period begins all at the same time, simultaneously, and the first resurrection too I might add. This is the position of most of the pre-millennial pre-tribulation rapturists.

I believe that it can be shown that the times of the Gentiles come to an end seven years after the rapture and further that the world will come to an end one thousand years after that. ( This Earth we live on will be destroyed by fire, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the heavens as we know them will be destroyed, and God will make a New Heaven and New Earth )

These subjects are best understood by most students by the use of what we call a time-line. A horizontal line drawn from left to right, the line of course, has a beginning and an end. For our purpose here let the beginning of the line on the left represent the death of Christ on the cross and let the other end represent the destruction of this Earth by fire and the making of a New Heaven and a New Earth by God.

There is the beginning, Point A, the cross and there is the end, Point B, the end of this Earth, and so between Point A and Point B on this time-line we would then have represented those years between the two events. All prophecy teachers that I know of, use some version of a time-line to explain their view of the chronological order of end-time events. Mine is certainly not unique but I hope it will be of some help.

So the real question is when will the church age end? When will the rapture take place? When will the tribulation begin? That is what we need to know, if we can. To find an answer, an approximate answer from the Bible, I want us to look at the Book of The Revelation, Chapters two and three.

Some believe, and I am among them, that the seven churches to which the book of the Revelation was addressed represent the period of time from the age of the apostles until the rapture of the church. The last church listed in Revelation Chapter three is the church of Laodicea. And if this is a right dividing of the Word of God, then the church of Laodicea and what is said of her would indicate the general spiritual condition of the churches of Christ, just prior to the rapture. This teaching is not new.

"The Laodicean church state embraces a period extending from the Philadelphian state until the Second Advent. There are good and sufficient reasons to place its commencement about the year A.D. 1776. When the church in Europe and America ceased to suffer from the evil rulers and vigorous persecutions that had followed it onward from the days of John the Baptist. From this period the churches multiplied and their substance no longer distrained for fines and penalties. They commenced to rapidly increase in this world's goods on account of their great numbers and wealth they began to be esteemed respectable and treated with consideration by those who had persecuted and shed their blood."

Now although I do embrace this kind of dispensational dividing of the church age, I believe that some have placed to much emphasis in seeking to ascertain exact dates for the beginning and ending of these seven periods of church history.

Personally I would not want to debate the beginning and ending of any of these. The rule that I try to follow is if the Bible is not crystal clear and dogmatic, than neither should we be. However, a brief and general summation of this position would be as follows.

These dates are the same as found in the work of Clarence Larkin in his book "Dispensational Truth" and again caution should be taken. Brother Larkin was a great teacher but not infallible. And so I am telling you that I do not necessarily agree with the dates that he gives, and at the same time I can tell you that I do not feel qualified to argue with Clarence Larkin. I'm just not sure.

1. Ephesus -- covers approximately A.D. 70 - A.D. 170.

2. Smyrna -- A.D. 170 - A.D. 312 (Emperor Constantine)

3. Pergamos -- A.D. 312 - A.D. 606

4. Thyatira -- A.D. 606 to the beginning of the reformation of 1520 A.D.

5. Sardis -- 1520 A.D. - 1750 A.D.

6. Philadelphia -- 1750 A.D. - 1900 A.D.

7. Laodicea -- 1900 - The Rapture.

Now the last church in Revelation Chapter three is Laodicea. In chapter four I believe that we have a description of the rapture. In Revelation 4:1 John says "after this", as I understand it, after the church age has come to an end. And then he says that a door was opened in Heaven. Doors are used to enter or exit. The inference is, in light of other scriptures, (I Thessolonians, 4) that Jesus is going to exit Heaven, call forth the church which will then go with him back through the door to Heaven. This is the prepared place of John 14. He hears the voice of the trumpet and then the command to come up. So it stands to reason if that is true then when Laodicea ends, the rapture takes place.

We should make note of the fact that the book of The Revelation is divided into three sections by the Lord himself. Revelation 1:19, contains a command of Christ to John that he should :

(1.) Write the things which he had seen, that is the past, this he did in chapter 1 :1-18.

(2.) He was commanded to write the things which are, that is the present, this he did in chapter two and chapter three, (The church age including the present having been represented by the seven churches).

(3.) He was told to write the things which shall be hereafter.

Here after what? Here on Earth after the church age has come to an end, and that is exactly what John did. Beginning with chapter four we read of events that occur after the church is called away to Heaven. Now then if all this be true, and there is a good deal of evidence that it is, then if we can learn the lesson of Laodicea and see when the majority of the church world reflects the characteristics of this church, we would then have a clear sign that the end of the church age was near. I believe that there can be no question even for those who would discredit this kind of dispensationalism that much of the church world today is a mirror image of Laodicea.

Lukewarm, rich, increased with goods, ignorant of their true condition, deceived by the enemy. Salem Kirban has a very good note on this subject.

"I am rich, and increased with goods". This is more literally translated, "I am rich, and I-have-become-rich" (peplouteka). Surely Laodicea, the banking and woolen manufacturing center could make this boast, and apparently this was also the attitude of the local congregation.

They felt that they needed nothing. Yet these were Miserable, (they boasted contentment) Poor, (they claimed to be rich) Blind, ( they made eye-salve for others) and Naked, (but their woolens covered multitudes)! The greatest boasters and the conceited are often the worst of all, Matthew, 7:3.

After His scourging rebuke, Christ the Great Physician does not leave without prescribing a cure, ( Lesson for us? ). Not that this prescription is to be bought "of Me," i.e., from Christ. He not only names the remedy, but He also offers to supply it.

But the possible cure for lukewarmness that Bro. Kirban pointed out has not taken place. In our day in fact this condition is becoming worse and worse. There are pockets of revival here and there, souls are being saved, Gods word is being preached and taught, victories are being won, but the overall trend is down and away from God.

And so, to me at least, it seems as if the attitude of Laodicea is dominating the majority of Christianity today as it has been for many years.

Now I have given you one example of how men try to answer the question of when. Does this mean that Jesus will come in the next few months or years as some so dogmatically teach? I don't know. I believe it is so, and I hope it is so, I am looking for him to come. Are you?

Sometimes I think we need to be a little more concerned with what he is going to find when he gets here, than we are about the exact moment that he returns. Are we faithful? Are we busy doing what he leads us to do, or are we Laodicean like church goers { I John,3:2. & Hebrews,10:25 }.

When will the end come? Let me ask you a question. If you thought that he wasn't going to come in your lifetime would you be less faithful than you are today? Less interested in the things of God? If that's true, then you have the wrong motive for your faithfulness, we should be faithful not because we believe the King is soon to come, but because our Lord demands and deserves it.

Many modern day prophets of the Word have lost all respect in the eyes of the people they prophesy to, because of predictions that never came to pass. They have so to speak given God a bad name, saying that God told them to say thus-and-so, when he didn't.

Do you really believe that God can't make up his mind about the return of his son to this Earth. I mean do you think he would say through some so called prophetic genius 1974 is the year, or 1979, or 1981 and then say "Well, I've changed my mind. The prophets were right, it is I God who is inconsistent."

Jesus said that no man knoweth the day nor the hour. So, according to Jesus, there is a literal day and a literal hour, at least that is my understanding. There is a day and an hour in the not-to-distant future (not-to-distant future compared to the distant past) when the trumpet shall sound and the bodies of the dead in Christ shall be raised, then all those who are saved and alive at that time; their bodies will be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, and both they who are raised and those who are alive will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall they ever be with the Lord.

Don't loose hope, but have hope, in the promise of God. Don't quit looking for him just make sure you're looking unto him as the author and finisher of your faith.