by Roy A. Reinhold, 1998
If I were to tell you that the 7 year period were to begin in 1997, or 2008, or 2025, what effect would that have on your life decisions with regards to marriage, children, college, a career, or work? Many, in times past, have seriously erred by selling possessions and heading off to some mountaintop to await God's coming; and they were all in error. In the 1970's, I knew a number of people who put off college, a family, or training because they were totally convinced that the second coming of Jesus was near. I don't know what happened to most of them, but I know that they were wrong and had wrong attitudes. Knowledge of prophecy should propel us to live a godly life without fear, not seek to avoid the circumstances of life out of selfish desires. I believe that God has not told us the exact year of the beginning of the end-times period in order that there wouldn't be so many crazy people doing crazy things. However, the hundreds of prophetic passages in the Bible give us clear signs to know the times that would precede the 7 year period.
A short review of past predictions might be helpful. Around the year 1000 AD, many became convinced that they were in the end-times and gave their possessions to the poor and awaited the second coming. 1878 AD was a big year in end-times beliefs, since it was 2520 prophetic years (of 360 day years) after the Babylonian captivity of Judah in 606 BC. The Jehovah's Witnesses trumpeted 1914 and later 1929 as the end the world, and those days passed without any prophetic significance, as have all the other predicted dates by this cult. In the 1970's, fine Christians like Hal Lindsey hinted at 1988 as the year of the second coming, which means that the 7 year period would begin in 1981. We all remember Edgar Whisenant who wrote, 88 Reasons Why Christ Is Coming In 1988, and when it passed published another book called, 89 Reasons Why Christ Is Coming In 1989. In 1992, a Korean group took out newspaper ads all over the world and said that the rapture was on the Feast of Trumpets in 1992, as did one group in the US. In 1993, a group called the Great White Brotherhood in Russia and the Ukraine, headed by Maria Christos a self-styled messiah, said that the kingdom of God would begin in the fall of 1993. Harold Camping, a radio preacher on the Open Forum program of the Family Radio network, published a book titled, 1994, teaching that Jesus was coming in 1994 based mainly on studies of numerology in the Bible.
Many other teachers have predicted the 7 year period around the year 2000 AD. A fine Christian named Gordon Lindsay wrote, God's Plan Of the Ages, in the 1970's, in which he presented very interesting studies of cycles to arrive at the conclusion that the 7 year period runs from 1994- 2001 AD. Similar work in the studies of cycles by Grant Jeffrey and presented in his fine work, Armageddon: Appointment With Destiny, predicted 2000 AD as the year of the second coming. Finally, a sincere Christian and long-time television teacher on Bible prophecy, Dr. Jack Van Impe, taught that the 7 year period will end about 2000 to 2003 AD, leading to the beginning of the 7 year period in 1993 to 1996. Dr. Van Impe also relates that Pope John Paul II has taught that Jesus is coming in the year 2000 AD, and that the Pope expects to be alive at His return.
Do any of these teachers have specific inside knowledge from God that they are correct? No they don't, and neither do I know the exact year that the 7 year period will begin, nor do I know the exact year for the second coming! The one thing I know for sure, is that the second coming will not happen in the year 2000 AD, because the peace treaty of prophecy did not occur in 1993 on 30 September/1 October. Therefore, the year 2000 AD prediction can conclusively be proven to be wrong already!
One methodology explored by Grant Jeffrey in his book was extremely interesting, where he arrived at the end of the 69 weeks of years of Daniel 9:25-27, on April 6, 32 AD. I agree with this conclusion. He then added four 490 year cycles for Israel to arrive at 1993, which led to the second coming in the year 2000 AD. Another proof Mr. Jeffrey explored was the Jubilee in 28 AD, to which he added 2000 prophetic years to arrive at the year 2000 AD (2000 years times 360 days divided by 365.25 = 1971.25 years, then 1971.25 years plus 28.8 AD = 2000 AD). The thought process here is excellent, since he used the following texts to arrive at his theory:
Hosea 6:1-3 ... after two days he will revive us: in the third day he will raise us up ...
Psalm 90:4 ...For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past ...
2 Peter 3:8 ...with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day
Revelation 20:6 ...reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
the thought process was excellent by Mr. Jeffrey, the conclusion was and is wrong.
All of these verses indicate that God sees things on a different scale than we do. There were 2000 years where mankind was governed by conscience, 2000 years under the law of Moses, 2000 years under grace in the church age, and a Sabbath rest for the earth under the reign of the Messiah for a thousand years. So the idea that one thousand years is as a day has much merit in the scripture. Some have attempted to add 2000 years to the year of Jesus' birth in the year 4 BC, and arrive at 1996 AD. However, they don't realize that the church didn't start at Jesus' birth, but on Pentecost after His death and resurrection. That would mean 32 AD plus 2000 years equals 2032 AD, with the second coming in either 2033, 2034, or 2035 AD. This is based on the church age ending at the catching away of the church, which I have proven takes place at the end of the Great Tribulation and before the Day of the Lord, and accounts for all 3 possibilities for the prophetic fulfillment of Rosh Hashana. Also, this leads to the predicted beginning of the 7 year period in 2026, 2027, or 2028 AD. However, if we use 2000 prophetic years of 360 days each, then 32 AD plus 1971.25 years equals 2003 AD, with a corresponding second coming in 2004, 2005, or 2006 AD. This calculation leads to the beginning of the 7 year period in 1997, 1998, or 1999 AD.
So if we were facing one another and talking about this subject, I would tell you that my guess based on my knowledge of Bible prophecy would be the 7 year period beginning in 2026-2028 AD or 1997-1999 AD. It would only be a guess based on the thousand years as a day in God's viewpoint and the millennium being presented as a Sabbath day for the earth and lasting a thousand years. It would also be based on the teaching of Jesus that the generation alive at the time Israel becomes a nation would not pass away before all these things would be fulfilled (and this uses either 1948 or 1967 when they captured Jerusalem and the West Bank). If we use 70 years as a life span of a generation (Psalm 90:10), then 70 plus 1948 equals 2018 AD, and 70 plus 1967 equals 2037 AD. This I firmly believe, that the second coming will occur on or before the year 2037 AD. I also know that those teaching a second coming in 1999 or the year 2000 AD are wrong!
Rather than looking for a specific year for the beginning of the 7 year period, the believer ought to be cognizant of specific signs that Jesus told the disciples, that would be present as birth pangs prior to the Tribulation period. Matthew 24:4-8, relates these birth pangs signs as false teachers within Christianity, ethnic warfare, famines in various places, and earthquakes (also Mark 13:5-8). The Luke 21:8-11, version of the Olivet Discourse speaks of false teachers within Christianity, ethnic warfare, and famines, while adding plagues, great earthquakes, terrors, and great signs from heaven.
* Quote from: http://ad2004.com/prophecytruths/Articles/Prophecy/proph.html
