Predicting the Date
Question: You say that back in the Seventies you used the scriptures as a basis of predicting that the Second Coming wouldn’t happen before the year 2000. Could you tell us how you arrived at this?
I wrote down my thoughts on the matter around 1977-78 but on reflection I think I arrived at the conclusion as early as 1965. Then after I ran it by my soul it seemed correct to me.
My reason is for the prediction is from the account of the seven days of creation as related in Genesis — see below. Even though I was a student of DK [Djwhal Khul] when I wrote this and realized the earth was billions of years old I still saw value in the cycle of seven and used the Law of Correspondences for the prediction.
This selection is from my book “Eternal Lives” and was written around 198-79. At that time no religious person I knew thought the Second Coming would be after the year 2000. Most were expecting it within a decade. There was a lot of talk of 1984-5 being the date.
Here is a selection from my book Eternal Lives — written 1978-79
In the face of all this evidence many in the church still say that the Lord will come BEFORE the year 2000. We often hear people in the church say: “The coming of the Lord is nearer than you could imagine.” Actually, it is farther away than they imagine and because they do not study the scriptures, when the time passes that they expect the Lord to come and 2000, 2010, 2020 rolls by many will say “that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth.” (D&C 45:26) But what are they saying now? “The Lord is right on schedule!!!” They will not say that forever for the time will come when those who have not prepared will have their hearts and faith fail them.
In light of this evidence, why is it that so many expect the Lord to come before the year 2000? The answer is that a day with the Lord is a thousand years to man and since God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh then since the year 2000 approximately begins the Lords seventh day then the Lord will cause his millennium to begin around the year 2000.
This is good reasoning as far as it goes, but again someone did not read the scriptures. It is true that the millennium is symbolic of the Lord’s day of rest, but God did not rest at the beginning of the seventh day. He continued working: “And on the seventh day God ENDED his work which he had made.” (Gen 2:2) Then the same chapter goes on to tell us that God actually made Adam’s physical body on the seventh day and planted the garden of Eden. Next God created the physical animals on the seventh day. (See Gen 2:19.) Finally, he created the woman. (Verse 21)
All this is easily verified in the Doctrine and Covenants:
“Q: What are we to understand by the sounding of the trumpets, mentioned in the 8th chapter of Revelation?
We are to understand that as God made the world in six days and ON THE SEVENTH HE FINISHED HIS WORK, and sanctified it, and also formed man out of the dust of the earth, even so in the BEGINNING of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth and complete the salvation of man, and judge all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he shall have sealed all things unto the end of all things; and the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, IN THE BEGINNING OF THE SEVENTH THOUSAND YEARS – the preparing of the way BEFORE THE TIME OF HIS COMING.” (D&C 77:12)
From Eternal Lives, Chapter Ten
Question: Why would you use the Bible’s arbitrary chronology of seven thousand years when you know the earth is billions of years old?
It’s not an arbitrary point in time. I think the Bible covers a 7000 year cycle and approximately 4000 BC a new Adam appeared to initiate the new cycle with improvements in human evolution.
The prediction is noteworthy because I cannot find any other believer in the Second Coming from the Sixties or Seventies who definitely stated that Christ would not appear before the year 2000. I would be surprised if anyone could dig one up. At best some said that it “could happen” after 2000, but not that it definitely would happen after that time. I did not say mine was an “astounding” prediction, but if one stands alone in making a prediction and it comes to pass then that is a significant insight. It may not seem like a big deal on hindsight but if one returns to the mindset of the believers of that time then it was really out of the mainstream.
Of course, those who do not believe in the scriptures think a Second Coming will never happen, but an unthinking rejection of all things in the scriptures is far from impressive.
Question: Why do you give credibility to the 4000 BC date of the Bible?
First, I sense it intuitively and secondly, the Jews were meticulous record keepers and this indicates that there was a beginning of a new cycle around 4000 BC.
Question: Didn’t DK tell us that Christ would not return until after the year 2000?
Actually no. After World War II DK [Djwahl Khul] stated that human evolution had taken a turn for the better and Christ had made a decision to appear again. He indicated this would be soon — ahead of schedule. Most Bailey students in the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies believed Christ would appear before the year 2000. The most famous of these is Benjamin Creme who personally knew her and was an assiduous student. He has taught for decades that Christ is already here living in London just waiting for the right moment to announce himself. He has made a half dozen predictions of the date but they have all failed. As you know I have taught that he is a false prophet.
In making that prediction I was even going against the grain of DK students for
A reader says this: I think I found one believer. I thought you’d be interested in the following:
“Bruce R. McConkie taught on page 498 of ‘Doctrinal New Testament Commentary’ Copyright 1973, that Christ will not come until at least after the year 2021. I’ll type the quote below.
“The reason I remember this is that I taught school in Ashton, Idaho from 1972-76 and I taught the gospel doctrine class 3 of those 4 years. It was a 3 year course and I taught all 3 of McConkie’s books. I remember that he said from the instruction manual that it was his belief that the year would be around 2023 or after. Of course, I don’t have the manual.
“I believe that it will be way after the year 2025 and I base my belief partly on the following.
“McConkie’s Quote:
“‘And the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years–the preparing of the way before the time of his coming. (D&C 77:12)’
“‘Thus our Lord is not destined to return when the seventh thousand years first commences. Plagues. Destruction, fire, blood shed , war, and desolation — all of incomparable power and degree — are to sweep the earth after the opening of the seventh seal and before the Second Coming. These are announced in the 8th and 9th chapters of Revelation.’
“‘According to the apparent chronology set forth in D&C 88:93-94 there shall be a great sign in heaven, then shall come the destruction of the great and abominable church; and then: “There shall be silence in heaven for the space of half and hour’ and immediately after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, and the face of the Lord shall be unveiled; And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him.” (D&C 88:93-96)’
“‘What is meant by the half hour of silence has not yet been revealed. If it is to be reckoned on the basis of ‘the Lord’s time’ of 1000 years to a day, the duration would be some 21 of our years.’ (2 Pet 3:8)”
JJ’s response: This correlation from both the Bible and D&C is pretty obvious and I was surprised that I could find no one else who had seen it. It looks like McConkie did and actually accepted it. He was not quite so bold as to say when the Seventh thousand years would begin. I’m surprised he did not get criticized by the other General Authorities for being even this specific.
Comment: I don’t see why you go with the Bible dating and not some other ancient civilization.
The Bible is the only book I know about that claims to be a record covering from 4004 BC to the time of Christ. I’m sure the history is not 100 percent accurate but I see no reason to completely reject the idea that some type of record keeping began with a new cycle around 6,000 years ago. If it was 10,000 years, so what? The Bible still gives Christians the basis for seven cycles of time and that was what I used for my correspondence. I based my final conclusion not on the Bible being infallible or DK being wrong but on inner confirmation and a spiritual experience. The seven-cycle thing was merely a seed thought.
JJ:
Inner confirmation should always be sought. As I have said many times one cannot accurately predict the future from the Bible using black and white interpretation. Only through the soul can one see correctly. The Bible can supply seed thoughts and give confirmation to the Law of Correspondences.
I’ve never claimed to be a prophet. If I did I would have to maintain I was giving you the infallible word of God and then sooner or later I would be wrong because not even God can predict all the details of the future. End results and cycles can be predicted, but not the details.
For instance, a year ago no one in the universe could have predicted the exact words in this post.
The point of my post on the subject of prediction was far from proclaiming the Bible is 100 percent reliable or proclaiming the record keeping of the Jews is infallible. Instead it was that literal reliance on the scriptures will produce error and what I did was an anomaly, not something I can produce regularly.
I therefore find it amusing that, I, who am not bound by literal interpretation, made a literally correct prediction that corresponds literally to the Bible whereas those who do see it literally cannot make one right prediction from it.
Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. – Will Rogers
Nov 10, 2007
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