Set a guard upon my mouth, O Lord. Keep watch over the door of my lips. (Psalm 141:3)
Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins. (Psalm 19:13) (A presumptuous sin, I believe, is what happens when you speak where the Lord is silent. When we run ahead of what God has revealed.)
The other day I saw where Franklin Graham was predicting the world’s end any day now. And the return of Jesus Christ.
It sounds so realistic. After all, doesn’t Scripture predict Jesus’ return? It does indeed. And aren’t God’s people to be living in expectation of the Second Coming? Sure. So, therefore, isn’t it the godly thing to be telling the world “He’s coming” and “It could be any day now”?
That depends on how you say it. Tell what Scripture says–that Jesus is coming and that certain signs are to take place before that day. Just don’t leave out one huge thing our Lord also said: No one knows when that will be.
He said it so clearly. On several occasions apparently.
So, you would think it’s most spiritual to emphasize that. But no. A huge segment of conservative Christianity–by which I mean Bible believers all!–seems to buy into the reasoning that to be godly means announcing that the end is upon us.
I’m writing this on Saturday, November 14, 2026, the day after the latest failed prediction. (I’m indebted to an article on the internet I ran across earlier today. I figure it’s accurate, but with the internet it’s hard to know. But for our purposes here, it does not matter.)
In 1960 a physicist Dr. Heinz von Foerster published a paper in the journal Science predicting that by November 13, 2016–yesterday, a Friday the 13th by the way–humanity would reach the breaking point. End of humanity. Not a Christian prediction, thankfully. But just as wrong as every Christian prediction thus far.
The article says doomsday predictions date back to the first century when a Jewish sect interpreted an uprising against the Romans in A.D.66-70 as the signs of a coming Messiah. They were wrong, of course, their Messiah had come and gone while they were playing their little games.
In the 1500’s, we’re told, Martin Luther predicted the world would end no later than 1600. Puritan minister Cotton Mather kept updating his predictions. He called for the end in 1697, then 1716, then 1736. The article says he probably would have kept updating his predictions had he not died in 1728.
We’re told that Isaac Newton himself predicted 2060 as the fateful year.
Those of us who keep up with these things will remember quite a few Christian writers who made predictions for the big event in recent years. And every one was wrong.
“Graveyards are filled with the bones of prophecy experts.”
Warren Wiersbe, asked to bring a message at a prophecy conference, said, “I used to know a lot more about prophecy than I do now.”
I was a 19-year-old college student that summer. Through the pull of my big brother, I was offered a summer job running a tiny Christian bookstore down the Birmingham street from the majestic Alabama theater. Reverend Jim Erwin, a radio preacher, owned the shop and was half-owner of a print shop that adjoined the bookstore. These were on the second floor of a downtown commercial building. His partner Herbert Philyaw had a regular job, so neither one actually spent much time in the print shop or the bookstore. Reverend Erwin held a Bible study one night a week in his bookstore, which he promoted over his radio program. As I recall, 25 or 30 people would show up and sit in folding chairs. Erwin, a graduate of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, was a prophecy expert.
If he predicted dates, I must have missed that. All I remember is he had God’s number. He knew things no one else did and was definite about it all. He was certain and tolerated no hesitancy or ambiguity. My big brother Ron–who would later receive a divine call into the ministry, as I did in two years–was in and out of these meetings, but I don’t recall him taking an extreme position.
My point in telling this is to say that my antenna has always been alert to preachers pontificating on matters they were supposed to underplay.
Let’s revisit our Lord’s word on this–
Matthew 24:36. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
Matthew 24:42 Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
Matthew 24:44 For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
You. Do. Not. Know.
What could be clearer than that?
One of the many Christian prognosticators said, “Well, Jesus said we would not know the hour of His return. But we have figured out the date.”
In my first pastorate after seminary, I was serving Emmanuel Baptist in the river city of Greenville, Mississippi. A friend whom I had recently led to Christ told me about a co-worker named Diane to whom she had witnessed. “Diane is so ready to be saved,” she said. Then she cautioned me, “Her husband Danny is an atheist.”
I had her make me an appointment to see Diane and Danny.
Two nights later I sat in their living room and shared the gospel of Jesus with them. Diane was so eager, she sat on the edge of her chair. When I concluded, I said, “Now, I’m going to ask if you are ready to pray with me and we will pray, asking the Lord Jesus to save you.” I looked at Danny and said, “Danny, do you want to do this?” He said, “No, sir. I’m not ready.”
“Diane, are you ready?” She said, “Oh, yes!” I said, “Then, let’s all kneel.” It was probably the meanness in me that wanted Danny to kneel with us.
Diane was wondrously saved that night. I imagine I baptized her, I don’t remember. It’s been over half a century. But I wanted to tell you the rest of the story.
Some years later when I was pastoring a church in Columbus, Mississippi, I did a revival at the First Baptist Church of Leland, Mississippi, a few miles from Greenville. And one night, Danny showed up.
“Brother Joe,” he said, “I wanted you to know I got saved!”
I was so pleased and told him so.
He said, “You will want to know what did it. I read Hal Lindsay’s book Late Great Planet Earth.” He paused a moment, then added, “I guess it scared the hell out of me.”
You can google that preacher and that book online. And you will see Lindsay made predictions about the second coming of Jesus, which in Christian lingo is the same as “the end of the world,” since it means the end of everything as we know it.
I often wonder where is Danny French now? And has he continued in the Christian faith since Lindsay’s predictions did not hold up?
I appreciate Franklin Graham and I pray for his ministry. But I just don’t want to see him or any other brother in Christ going out on a limb and making predictions about when Jesus is coming.
If the Lord delays another thousand years, it will be just a few days on Heaven’s calendar. See Second Peter 3:8.
The other day I saw online where some brother was listing the atrocities taking place all over the world and the mistreatment of Christians in various lands. “Doesn’t this mean the end is near?” he asked, implying it does.
I left a comment on that. “In World War Two, over a hundred million people were slaughtered. The world was in flames. But that was not the end. Nothing happening now is remotely that massive or that tragic. We are so self-centered. If the price of gasoline doubles and our political party loses an election, some of us think it’s the end of the world. We need to grow up.”
One day it will indeed be the end. One day our Lord Jesus will indeed return. Scripture is certain on this. But it will catch us by surprise.
The coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage--business as usual in other words–until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. (Matthew 24:37-39).
Next time you are tempted to announce a date for Jesus’ return, stop. Send up a prayer.
“Lord, help me! I’m about to do something really, really stupid.”
Amen.