Posted on 02/24/2009 10:10:12 AM PST by topcat54
Calvary Chapel of Chino California held “ The Southern California Prophecy Conference” last week (Feb. 20–22, 2009). I wonder if those who came to hear speakers like Tim LaHaye, Mark Hitchcock, Paul McGuire, David Hocking, David Reagan, and Ed Hindson were aware that Chuck Smith, the founder of the Calvary Chapel network of churches, made some very definite predictions about when the “rapture” was going to take place.
While cleaning up my office, I came across a cassette tape of a sermon Chuck Smith preached on December 31, 1979. He told his very accepting audience on that day that the rapture would take place in 1981. The former Soviet Republic going into Afghanistan in August of 1978 was the prelude to what Smith considered to be a full-force invasion of the Middle East. It would not be long before “Russia” would invade Israel, Smith told his audience. All of this was said to have been “predicted” by Ezekiel 2600 years ago.
Smith went on to claim in his end-of-the-year message of 30 years ago that because of ozone depletion Revelation 16:8 would be fulfilled during the soon-coming Great Tribulation: “And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given to it to scorch men with fire.” According to Smith, Halley’s Comet would pass near the earth in 1986 and would wreck atmospheric havoc for those left behind as debris from its million-mile tail pummeled the earth. Halley’s Comet did appear in 1986 with no damage done to our planet. (A similar prelude to the end had been predicted based on the so-called Jupiter Effect.[1]) ...
(Excerpt) Read more at americanvision.org ...
36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
37 "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
38 "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
40 "Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.
41 "Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. Be Ready for His Coming
42 "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
43 "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
44 "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
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Mark 13:32-37 (New American Standard Bible)
32 "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
33 "Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.
34 "It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert.
35 "Therefore, be on the alert--for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning--
36 in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep.
37 "What I say to you I say to all, 'Be on the alert!'"
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Luke 17:26-36 (New American Standard Bible)
26 "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:
27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 "It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building;
29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 "It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
31 "On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back.
32 "Remember Lot's wife.
33 "Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
34 "I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.
35 "There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left.
36 ["Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left."]
been attending a CC locally since ‘94 when I surrendered to Him.
Read LOTS of Chuck Smith and litened to his c2000 series teaching and his 5000 series, have read MANY books he authored and have NEVER heard him predict a date. A season, yes. That Jesus could return at any instant, yes. But never as a date-setter.
Thanks for your view.
I’d have gone to that conference if I could have.
congrats.
Glad to read of it.
They usually do things right.
Have you been to their shops in Coasta Mesa? Great fun place—or used to be!
There's that term again..."hyper-Calvinist." topcat54 in particlar is most assuredly NOT a hyper-Calvinist...unless there are espresso shots involved ;)
Really, if you're gonna insult us, at least try to be accurate :D
How do I know who fits and doesn’t fit in the Calvinist ball park???
That’s a mysterious, nebulous, mystical, convoluted rabbit hole I don’t claim much understanding of! LOL.
insult you? Not really. That was a mild tweak.
I suppose I could get into heavy duty insulting but I love too many of you too much to be able to put much heart into that.
Now insulting your perspectives . . . that’s a different matter! LOL.
Thanks for your kind reply. I’ll take it under advisement.
BTW, as far as I can tell, double shots of expresso are routine in some such quarters . . . judging by the fierce instant responses, knee-jerk slap downs of standard plain Biblical truths.
"However" ... that's a key word for the Rapture Ready® crowd. They are always hedging their bets, insinuating they know more than they really know. Anything to sell books and videos, especially to Joe Average in the pew who lacks the discernment to know truth from falsehood.
So although the Antichrist has not appeared what we have is a Climate of Antichrist which is in Politics, Society and in the Church...
That’s an easy statement to make. John said the same thing in the first century (1 John 4:3). In reality Hinson knows nothing more than what John knew, probably much less. Besides, why would he spend a whole lecture trying to help you identify someone that you won’t be around to identify? Was it just to show you how cleaver he can be with the Bible? “Is the Antichrist Alive Today?” Who really cares?
Some other titles:
“What's About to Happen in the Middle East” Oh, brother. Yet another revision from the failed date-suggesting theology.
“Why God Has Given Us Bible Prophecy?” To sell books and DVDs, obviously.
“The Late Great United States” Coming down a notch from Hal Lindsey days.
“Will You Be Left Behind?” Another opportunity for Tim to remind you of all his works of fiction.
This was a confrence based on scripture, living in the Last Days and how to survive in these challenging times..
Did anyone teach on the Great Commission, Christ’s word to His Church to go into all the world, making disciples of the nations and baptizing? Did they talk about how Christ is seated on His throne, subduing the nations into the kingdom He is preparing for the Father? Did they talk about an eschatology of victory, or was it all defeatist doom-and-gloom, we’re outta here “real soon now” stuff?
BTW,
even if I do make inferences about folks hereon . . .
they are inferences about
THEIR PRESENTATION OF THEIR NEW PERSONA’S HEREON!
Who knows what that has to do with reality! LOL.
And in terms of insults . . . some folks in the Calvinist camp are way ahead of where I’d ever be able to catch up if I lived to be 500 years old! LOL.
Which “season” was that? The season marked by the coming of Comet Halley back in 1986?
Go back to 1978. Chuck said stuff like this:
“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.”
“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.”
“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).”
Which “season” is Chuck predicting these days?
You can't expect someone with a theology that has the spiritual nutritional value of a Pixy Stix to understand the difference.
First off..Jesus coming like a *Thief in the Night* is not the second coming, if that were the case...Most of the world would be destroyed..How many people still deny Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the World?
Most of the Jews, Muslims, Pagans, Atheists, Agnostics, even many so called christians..
According to you Jesus Christ is only going to be concerned with his true flock and to hell with the rest.
The Purpose of Jesus Christ removing his church is to give people another chance to be reconciled to GOD, even if you deny the rapture from scripture a Loving GOD would never ever just destroy people because, they have not had the opportunity to hear the Gospel, been denied the opportunity to accept the Gospel or destroy almost all of the Jews who are his Chosen People, because they still do not understand the Gospel.
LOVE READING YOUR COMMENTS.
THX.
Yes it still is very pretty and all the stores are still there, plus snow was all over Mt Baldy, it looked more like Colorado rather than Southern Cal!
Ahh, how I long for the good old days...drstevej was the Rembrandt of debate insults.
Ah yes...the Gospel According to Tim LaHaye.
Friend, God will not destroy men because they "have not had the opportunity to hear the Gospel," etc. He will destroy them because they are sinners deserving of condemnation. The rapture is not a "last chance" for unbelievers, it is a victory march for the church to meet with Him as He returns to the earth in full and final victory.
Well put.
So what does GOD plan on doing to the people living in remote villages in the Amazon in every part of the world that has never heard the Gospel?
When do the dead have an opportunity to hear the Gospel?
Where is scripture on this....
So what does GOD plan on doing to the people living in remote villages in the Amazon in every part of the world that has never heard the Gospel?
When do the dead have an opportunity to hear the Gospel?
Where is scripture on this....
So what does GOD plan on doing to the people living in remote villages in the Amazon in every part of the world that has never heard the Gospel?
When do the dead have an opportunity to hear the Gospel?
Where is scripture on this....
WOW.
Interesting.
Wellllllllll, Enjoy some blackrasberry jam on some Dudley’s Date-nut bread for me next trip!
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