Topic(s): Bible Study, Philosophy, Time

Bob Prichard

The approach of A.D. 2000 sparks interest, because it seems the perfect time for something to happen. Many proclaim the year 2000 will usher in the return of the Lord because we will come to the end of two millenniums (two thousand-year periods). A.D. stands for “anno Domini,” Latin for “in the year of the Lord.” A.D. describes the era since the birth of Christ, and B.C., or “before Christ,” counts time in reverse from the birth of Christ. Thus an event, such as the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C., occurred three hundred and twenty-three years before the birth of Christ.

There are some serious problems with our calendar, however. When the current calendar was originally devised, the birth year of Christ was designated at A.D. 1, and the year before that at 1 B.C. There was no year 0, because no one had invented the concept of zero. Because of this, the second millennium of the A.D. era will not actually arrive until 2001. 2000 is really the last year of the twentieth century, not the first year of the twenty-first century. There are other more serious problems, however. Scholars are sure now, by comparing historical records of Roman emperors and rulers, that the original calculation of when Christ was born was actually off by some four to seven years. Thus we know now that Jesus was actually born as early as 7 B.C., and no later than 4 B.C. That means that it has already been more than 2,000 years since Christ was born.

Many people have set dates for the second coming of the Lord. They all have proved to be false prophets. In 1843, and again in 1844, William Miller calculated that the Lord would return. He was wrong both times. Charles T. Russell said that Christ would return in 1914, and when this prophecy failed, he said the Lord came “secretly.” Edgar Whisenant published “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988.” His prophecy failed. Hal Lindsey, in The Late Great Planet Earth, described the events of the Lord’s second coming, pointing to the establishment of the modern state of Israel. “If this is a correct deduction, then within forty years of 1948, all these things could take place” (page 43). Lindsey has proved to be a false prophet, as will all who set dates for the Lord’s second coming, because no man will know that date!

In Matthew 24, Jesus told His disciples about two coming events, the destruction of Jerusalem, and His second coming. Verses 4 through 34 told them of signs to watch for in preparation for the destruction of Jerusalem, telling them, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matthew 24:34). He then explained that there would be no signs of His second coming, so His followers needed to be always ready. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:36-37). “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matthew 24:42). Let no man deceive you by claiming to know when Christ will return. No one knows if it may be in 2000.