Could It Be That New Testament Predictions About
the Speedy End of the World Were Right After All?
by Mark Mountjoy
Preamble
What happens when a self-proclaimed prophet like Montanus declares that the New Jerusalem is about to descend upon Asia Minor, only for his elusive prophecies to dog the emerging Christian church for centuries? What happens when a brilliant theologian like St. Augustine devises a theory of the millennium that leads to widespread disappointment when Jesus fails to return at the stroke of midnight in the year 1000? What happens when a young Scottish woman named Margaret McDonald has visions of a "secret Rapture" that capture the imagination of American Christians, spawning countless doomsday cults and end-times speculations?
What happens when Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, boldly proclaims that Jesus will return within a mere 56 years, leaving his followers disillusioned when the prophecy fails to materialize? What happens when Baptist preacher William Miller convinces thousands that the Second Coming will occur in 1844, only to face the "Great Disappointment" when the day passes without incident? What happens when Ellen G. White, the prophetess of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, makes erroneous predictions about the Civil War and the "shut door" of salvation?
What happens when Charles Taze Russell, the founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses, boldly sets dates for Christ's return ranging from 1789 to 1915, only to pass away with his prophecies unfulfilled? What happens when Hal Lindsey's "The Late, Great Planet Earth" and Tim LaHaye's "Left Behind" series captivate millions with their vivid depictions of the Rapture and the Tribulation, yet the years march on without the promised apocalypse?
The answer to these questions is simple: disappointment, disillusionment, and the realization that something has gone terribly wrong. For nearly two thousand years, Christians have grappled with the New Testament's clear and direct pronouncements that Jesus would return within the lifetimes of his first disciples. As generations have come and gone, the Second Coming has remained an elusive promise, a source of hope and frustration in equal measure.
THE NEW TESTAMENT ITSELF LEADS US INTO a frank discussion about the Second Coming of Christ by openly declaring, at almost every step—in books, chapters, verses, and extended topics—that Jesus would return in the lifetime of the first Christians, during the last days of the doomed Second Temple and the declining Second Jewish Commonwealth. It is widely assumed that these specific, direct, and clear pronouncements failed completely, utterly, and inexplicably. This "principle of embarrassment" has sparked countless interpretations, predictions, and disappointments over the past two millennia, providing valuable wisdom for those willing to learn from history.
In the wake of the Second Temple's destruction, Christians began claiming that the Jewish nation would soon disappear, speaking approvingly of the Temple's smoldering end. Within seven decades, the Hebrew nation did vanish in the chaos, blood, smoke, and horror of the failed Bar Kokhba insurrection. However, about 25 years later, Montanus of Asia Minor sounded the alarm that the New Jerusalem, "The Temple of the Spirit," was about to descend upon the Anatolian peninsula. His elusive prophecies would dog the emerging Christian church for centuries, causing significant headaches for authorities.
St. Augustine of Hippo devised a counter-argument that would become the next major note in a long line of lessons the Christian church would be forced to learn. His theory of the millennium led to assumptions that Jesus' Second Coming and the Great White Throne judgment would convene at the strike of midnight on the eve of the year 1000. Many forgave offenses, repented, and waited nervously, only to be disappointed when nothing happened. From this public fiasco, officialdom relegated such notions to the back burner of Christian concerns, where they remain firmly situated in older churches to this day.
However, in the 18th century, Margaret McDonald's visions of a "secret Rapture" preceding the Great Tribulation found their way from Scotland to the American colonies, becoming a defining feature of popular American Christianity. Religious revivals swept across the eastern United States, and last-days speculations became the defining ideas expressed in doomsday cults and normative denominations alike.
Despite drawing from the same wells of "wisdom," these groups' prophecies seemingly failed for the same reasons as the original New Testament predictions. Joseph Smith claimed Jesus would return within 56 years, while William Miller's "Great Disappointment" of 1844 disproved his plausible but false claims. Ellen G. White's prophecies about the Civil War and the "shut door" of salvation went awry, and Charles Taze Russell's doomsday predictions from 1789 to 1915 fell like dominoes.
Joseph Rutherford transformed Russell's International Bible Students Association into the Jehovah's Witnesses, a sect notorious for false predictions about the Second Coming and Armageddon. Pentecostal sects exploded onto the scene, each with their own apocalyptic beliefs fueled by world wars and natural disasters. The Cuban Missile Crisis heightened fears of nuclear annihilation, which groups like the Watchtower and Dispensationalists exploited to bolster their ranks.
By the end of the 20th century, all sects and their rival claims about the apocalypse proved unsubstantiated. The leading cause of these painful disappointments lands precisely on the New Testament's claims that these events would be fulfilled in the lifetime of those who witnessed Jesus' earthly ministry. However, many insist that the Second Coming is still future, despite 2,000 years of failed predictions.
To learn from this wisdom distilled from two millennia of objective failures is to have a "learning moment" and a "Eureka" realization. If the New Testament is wrong about this, there is no need for endless speculation. However, another possibility remains: the expectations of the first Christians came true, but we fail to recognize them due to our biased and distorted interpretation of the New Testament. Our prejudices about "what should be" make it difficult for us to understand that we are living in a post-apocalyptic world, the result of something hugely consequential happening within the first 100 years of Christianity—exactly what the New Testament vehemently announced.
This wisdom, often unwelcome and unspoken, challenges us to re-examine our assumptions and approach the New Testament with fresh eyes. By doing so, we may discover a truth that has been hidden in plain sight, obscured by centuries of misinterpretation and false predictions. The key to unlocking this mystery lies in setting aside our preconceived notions and allowing the text to speak for itself, even if its message differs from what we have long believed.
In conclusion, the history of failed Second Coming predictions serves as a cautionary tale and an invitation to deeper understanding. By learning from the wisdom of 2,000 years of disappointments, we can break free from the cycle of misinterpretation and embrace a more authentic reading of the New Testament. Only then can we truly grasp the significance of Jesus' promises and their fulfillment within the context of the early church, and in doing so, find renewed hope and purpose in our faith.
Postscript:
Some may attempt to justify their failed predictions by claiming that they are simply following in the footsteps of Jesus and the Apostles, who they believe also expected the end of the world to occur in their own time. They argue, "Jesus and the Apostles thought the end was near, but nothing happened – we're just doing what they were doing!" However, this excuse falls flat when we consider the stark differences between these modern-day prognosticators and the divinely inspired words of the New Testament.
Jesus and the Apostles were not merely making educated guesses about the timing of the Second Coming. They spoke with authority, conviction, and divine inspiration. Their predictions were not the result of human speculation but were rooted in the very words of God Himself. To suggest that their prophecies were nothing more than guesswork is to undermine the integrity of the entire New Testament and the foundation of our Christian faith.
Moreover, it is a grave mistake to assume that the predictions made by Jesus and the Apostles failed to come to pass. Contrary to popular belief, the New Testament's prophecies concerning the Second Coming and the end of the age were not left unfulfilled. The problem lies not with the veracity of the Scriptures but with our own misinterpretation and misunderstanding of them.
This essay serves as a reminder that if we approach the New Testament with skepticism, viewing it as a series of blunders and failed predictions, we risk missing the truth that lies hidden in plain sight. If, however, we accept that the New Testament is indeed the inspired Word of God, we must wrestle with the possibility that the events foretold by Jesus and the Apostles have already taken place, even if they do not align with our preconceived notions of what the Second Coming should look like.
The wisdom gleaned from 2,000 years of failed predictions should not lead us to doubt the reliability of the New Testament but rather to question our own assumptions and interpretations. By approaching the Scriptures with humility, open-mindedness, and a willingness to challenge our long-held beliefs, we may finally uncover the truth that has eluded so many generations of believers. Only then can we begin to understand the true significance of Jesus' promises and their fulfillment within the context of the early church, and in doing so, find renewed hope and purpose in our faith.
Related
Predictions and claims for the Second Coming
[Click the image]
Interpretive Rules & Doctrinal Guidelines
that do not apply to New Testament Christians