Chuck Smith’s Prophetic Pronouncements Under the Microscope

American Vision ^ | 11/19/2007 | Gary DeMar

[topcat54]

Chuck Smith, founder of Calvary Chapel and senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, California, has authored another prophecy book: The Final Act: Setting the Stage of the End Times Drama. The book carries the ringing endorsement of Tim LaHaye, co-author with Jerry Jenkins of the widely popular Left Behind series of prophetic novels. LaHaye offers the following complimentary words: “This unique dramatic treatment is both true to the Scripture and practical—both hallmarks of all Pastor Chuck’s teaching! I found it very interesting.” In addition to his new prophecy book, Smith has written the Foreword to Breaking the Apocalypse Code co-authored by Mark Hitchcock and Thomas Ice. Breaking the Apocalypse Code is said to be a “point-by-point” critique of Hank Hanegraaff’s The Apocalypse Code (2007).

I found it ironic that LaHaye would write that Smith’s teaching is “true to the Scripture” on the subject of prophecy when Smith has been so wrong on the subject for more than 30 years. I was surprised that Ice would want Smith to publish¹ and write the Foreword to a book on prophecy when Ice has written “Why the Bible Still Prohibits Date Setting.”² Has Smith read Ice’s paper, and has Ice read Smith’s prophecy books? Norman Geisler’s claim that Breaking the Apocalypse Code is “an excellent point-by-point critique of the fallacious claims . . . [of the] preterist interpolation of the End Times” stunned me since Smith has had a long history of making “fallacious claims” in his “interpolation of the end times.” Dr. Geisler is the dean of Southern Evangelical Seminary and the founder and president of the International Society of Christian Apologetics. He is applying a hermeneutical double standard, critiquing the interpretive methodology of Hanegraaff’s Apocalypse Code (a legitimate academic exercise) but saying nothing of the date-setting methodology of Chuck Smith.

In his 1978 book End Times, Chuck Smith wrote the following: “If I understand Scripture correctly, Jesus taught us that the generation which sees the ‘budding of the fig tree,’ the birth of the nation of Israel, will be the generation that sees the Lord’s return. I believe that the generation of 1948 is the last generation. Since a generation of judgment is forty years and the Tribulation period lasts seven years, I believe the Lord could come back for His Church any time before the Tribulation starts, which would mean any time before 1981. (1948 + 40 – 7 = 1981).”³ If this prophetic math sounds familiar, it’s because the same end-time logic was used by Hal Lindsey in The Late Great Planet Earth (1970).

In order to cover himself against charges of date setting, Smith wrote that “it is possible that Jesus is dating the beginning of the generation from 1967, when Jerusalem was again under Israeli control for the first time since 587 B.C. We don’t know for sure which year actually marks the beginning of the last generation.”⁴ A 1967 starting point to begin calculations and a 40-year generation would mean the rapture should have taken place before 2000. While it sounds like Smith is simply engaging in conjecture, in his book Future Survival, which was first published in 1978 and updated in 1980, his prophetic dogmatism is retained:

“We’re the generation that saw the fig tree bud forth, as Israel became a nation again in 1948. As a rule, a generation in the Bible lasts 40 years. . . . Forty years after 1948 would bring us to 1988.”

Keep in mind that it’s not only important to show where Smith was wrong in his predictions, it’s crucial that we understand that he is using an interpretive model that leads him to make these predictions. We could easily turn Geisler’s criticism around and point it at Smith and much of the date-setting rhetoric of futurists: “This is an excellent point-by-point critique of the fallacious claims . . . [of the] futurist interpolation of the End Times”.

Smith wrote in 1980 that from his “understanding of biblical prophecies, he was “convinced that the Lord [would come] for His Church before the end of 1981.” He did add that he “could be wrong” but went on to say in the same sentence that “it’s a deep conviction in my heart, and all my plans are predicated upon that belief.”⁵ Notice the last statement. He may have voiced some doubts, but actions speak louder than words. He made plans based on his beliefs that were founded on his “understanding of biblical prophecies.” Remember, LaHaye wrote that Smith’s teaching is “true to the Scripture” which is a hallmark “of all of Pastor Chuck’s teaching.” On these and other prophetic claims, the test of time has proved Smith to be wrong.

On December 31, 1979, Smith told his church audience that the rapture would take place before the end of 1981. He went on to say that because of ozone depletion Revelation 16:8 would be fulfilled during the tribulation period: “And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given to it to scorch men with fire.”⁶ In addition, Halley’s Comet would pass near the Earth in 1986 and would wreak havoc on the earth for those left behind as debris from its million-mile-long tail pummeled the earth.⁷ Here’s how Smith explained the prophetic scenario in his book Future Survival which is nearly identical to what appears on the taped message:

“The Lord said that towards the end of the Tribulation period the sun would scorch men who dwell upon the face of the earth (Rev. 16). The year 1986 would fit just about right! We’re getting close to the Tribulation and the return of Christ in glory. All the pieces of the puzzle are coming together.”⁸

Nothing significant happened in 1986 related to Halley’s Comet, and there is no reason why it should have since it’s been a predictable phenomenon for more than two millennia that can be seen every 75 to 76 years. In fact, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was a better prophet than Smith. Clemens was born on November 30, 1835, two weeks after the comet’s appearance. In his biography, he said, “I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year (1910), and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don’t go out with Halley’s Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: ‘Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.’” Clemens died on April 21, 1910, the day following the comet’s appearance.⁹

To be fair, in a March 30, 1989 interview with William Alnor, Smith admitted that he “was guilty of coming close” to “date setting,” and this was wrong.¹⁰ But when we look back over Smith’s statements about the timing of specific prophetic events, we can see that he did more than come close to date setting. He wrote, “We’re the generation that saw the fig tree bud forth, as Israel became a nation again in 1948.” We are nearly 60 years removed from the 1948 founding of Israel. The interpretive methodology used by Smith, Lindsey, Dave Hunt, and others making the 1948–1988 connection was fundamental to their claim that they were following a literal hermeneutic. If a literal hermeneutic results in near certainty of when prophetic events will take place but ends in a colossal miscalculation on a key element of their system, how should the interpretive methodology that brought them to that calculation be evaluated? To paraphrase Jesus, An interpretive tree is known by its fruit, and the 1948–1988 timetable has turned out to be rotten fruit no matter how you slice it.

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1. The books are published by The Word for Today, the publishing arm of Calvary Chapel and The Word for Today Ministries.

2. Thomas Ice, “Why the Bible Still Prohibits Date Setting”

3. Chuck Smith, End Times (Costa Mesa, CA: The Word for Today, 1978), 35.

4. Chuck Smith, End Times, 36.

5. Chuck Smith, Future Survival (Costa Mesa, CA: The Word for Today, [1978] 1980), 17.

6. Chuck Smith, Future Survival, 20.

7. Halley’s Comet also appeared in A.D. 66 and passed over Jerusalem, four years before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem by the Romans.

8. Chuck Smith, Future Survival, 21.

9. Twain Quotes - Haley's Comet

10. Chuck Smith’s interview with William M. Alnor in Soothsayers of the Second Advent (Old Tappan, NJ: Revell, 1989.

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Gary DeMar is the President of American Vision.

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Permission to reprint granted by American Vision P.O. Box 220, Powder Springs, GA 30127, 800-628-9460.

[Uncle Chip]

You also forget that Jesus in Luke 24 was demonstrating how the prophets were all speaking of Him, not secular Israel thousands of years in the future.

Ohh -- you mean Him whose prophet said this about Him:

"Thus saith the LORD: I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.... Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness." [Zechariah 8]

[Uri’el-2012]

1 "Judge not, that you be not judged.

Perhaps all the Yah'shua and chesed and other unnecessary transliterations give you a sense of superiority over us gentiles.

Have you never read the book of John which is all about chesed.

You seem to cherry pick your verses.

Yah'shua commends us to judge :

NAsbU John 7:24 "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

shalom b'shem Yah'shua

[Uri’el-2012]

as well as commands us.

Just for your understanding, the command was given on G-d's Holy Feast of Sukkot.

Which is about living in temporary dwellings until we reach the promised land.

shalom b'shem Yah'shua

[Lee N. Field]

Have you never read the book of John which is all about chesed.

Which he wrote in, you know, Greek.

[Uri’el-2012]

Which he wrote in, you know, Greek

Yes. As Yah'shua was extending his salvation to the gentiles,
He instructed that his Word be written in the lingua franca of the day and for the next 300 years so all gentiles would be saved.

shalom b'shem Yah'shua

[Dr. Eckleburg]

You also forget that Jesus in Luke 24 was demonstrating how the prophets were all speaking of Him, not secular Israel thousands of years in the future.

AMEN!

[topcat54]

"You also forget that Jesus in Luke 24 was demonstrating how the prophets were all speaking of Him, not secular Israel thousands of years in the future."

Ohh -- you mean Him whose prophet said this about Him:

"Thus saith the LORD: I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem:

Exactly.

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. (Hebrews 12)

All you need to do is read the Old in the light of the New, and Christ’s sacrifice for His people Israel, and it will all make sense.

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2)

Dispensationalism will not get you to the truth.

[topcat54]

Have you never read the book of John which is all about chesed.

There you go again. Do you mean lovingkindness? Chesed is not in my Greek.

You seem to cherry pick your verses.

The feeling is mutual.

Yah'shua commends us to judge :

Then I hope you will apply the same standard to you and your futurist friends.

[Lee N. Field]

All you need to do is read the Old in the light of the New, and Christ’s sacrifice for His people Israel, and it will all make sense.

I had one on FR (I can dig it up if I have to) flat out tell me that the way Jesus, the gospel writers, Paul, etc. (the writers of the NT) interpreted scripture didn't matter, that what mattered was how the original recipients would have interpreted the scripture.

[shakes head sadly]

What was Jesus teaching His people between resurrection and ascension? How the scriptures pointed to Him, or the schedule for him whuppin' the Romans and setting up the earthly kingdom?

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2)

OT language about Israel applied directly to the Christian ekklesia.

[Blogger]

Give me a break topcat! Take your straw man and kick it elsewhere.

Effectively what you are saying when you dismiss God’s future for national Israel that God was LYING when He said He would bring Israel back into the land again and they would never again be cast out. You are saying that just because the Jews have come from every nation from every direction on earth that this in no way fulfills Bible prophecy. You ignore any clarifications, such as while the dry bones are coming together as Ezekiel 37 predicted, that there is still some work to be done until they are made fully acceptable in Christ before the Lord. We see this in Romans 11. We see this in Zechariah 12-14. However, those of your particular point of view might as well just cut the book of Zechariah OUT of your Bible. Apparently dispensationalists and Jews are the only ones who have any use for it anyway. This has been my take-away from what conversations we, and others, have had on the end-times threads. There is no discussing these issues with you or several others. (And yes, you are one of the most frustrating people to talk to because you are almost ALWAYS negative and almost never willing to listen to what is actually being said). Rather than have a rational discussion where we can agree to disagree, it is a game of demean the dispies, followed by a pinging of the non-dispy choir to pat folks on the back for what a great job they did at showing those dispies. In the mean time, our Savior weeps!

On the one hand, you have a group that is watching and waiting. They see a future where evil will be definitely dealt with. It is a future that includes a 7 year period of tribulation after which Christ will judge the nations. We see a future for us; and, we rejoice that though she is currently blinded, ALL of that remnant of Israel that God has ordained to salvation will be saved. We see a harmony between Zechariah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation and the gospels. For our honest treatment of scripture we are demeaned and treated like heretics.

Arguing the case on this forum isn’t worth my time because those who want to dispute have ZERO interest in discussing anything. They would rather criticize and throw up men. And, sad thing is, I doubt that until the trumpet sounds it will ever change.

Take your little party elsewhere. I won’t be joining in. This discussion profits nobody. It just serves to build up the pride of the prideful and makes us a mockery before the world.

[topcat54]

Give me a break topcat! Take your straw man and kick it elsewhere.

We’re trying to give you a break by showing you the error of the dispensational system. Christ is the focus of all of history, not national Israel, especially not the modern secular state of the 20th/21st century.

16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ. … 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal. 3)

The dispensationalist says, "No, Paul you are wrong. It is to seeds, national Israel, and we know exactly where they live."

Apparently dispensationalists and Jews are the only ones who have any use for it anyway.

Exactly. Because you share the same problem as unbelieving Jews; they do not see Christ as the center of all the prophecies. I’m glad that one of you has finally admitted it. Would you go so far as to agree with dispensationalist/Zionist John Hagee that Jesus did not come as the Messiah of the Jews? That’s what he gets after slicing and dicing the Bible dispensationally.

Take your little party elsewhere. I won’t be joining in.

Fine by me. You were given the opportunity to make your case.

[Blogger]

More straw men Topcat. More straw men.

[irishtenor]

Amen, and amen.

[topcat54]

More straw men Topcat. More straw men.

Is that the best you can do? At least let us know exactly what constitutes a straw man in your mind.

We can’t help you see your error unless you are more specific.

[Blogger]

Get the mote out of your own eye sister.

[topcat54]

I’m curious, why did you come over to this thread?

[Uncle Chip]

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2)

Dispensationalism will not get you to the truth.

It won't???? Atleast it won't mislead us like Preterism does.

Perhaps you can tell us just exactly who this holy nation [singular] is here from your 1 Peter 2 quote above??? Remembering of course that Peter was writing to the "sojourners" [Jews] scattered throughout Asia Minor, and is citing Exodus 19:6 and Deuteronomy 7:6.

It can't be the Church because the Church is made up of many nations aka Gentiles [plural] not just one [holy nation].

Maybe we have solved the mystery of just what nation Jesus was referring to here:

"The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it." [Mt 21:43]

It will be this nation returned from its 2000 year Diaspora.

[Blogger]

No, you’re not.

[Uncle Chip]

"Thus saith the LORD: I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem:

Exactly.

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. (Hebrews 12)

You need to read more carefully. That says "the heavenly Jerusalem" which is different from this Jerusalem:

"Thus saith the LORD: I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.... Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness." [Zechariah 8]