I'm probably as Calvinistic as anyone here--except in the area of eschatology
Israel is God's timepiece--watch and see which one of us is in error...
Why, and what exactly are we supposed to be looking for?
According to the 70s-style futurists, it was a matter of simple math. Just add 40 years (one biblical generation) to 1948 (founding of modern, secular Israel) and the date of Jesus’ Second Coming was obvious -- 1988.
When that one didn’t pan out they decided to redefine the start date to 1967 coinciding with the Six Day War and the unification of old Jerusalem. That means the Second Coming was now set for 2007. Oops. We missed that one.
Then they started redefining what the term "generation" means to make all the date-suggesting a bit more flexible.
Other dates included Y2K … the disruption of all things would be a perfect opportunity for antichrist to rise and set things straight. And don't forget 1844 or 1914. Other futurist perdictions.
The futurist haven't gotten one call right yet. The track record is abysmal.