A very popular game is "Guess When Jesus Is Coming Back." The rules are very simple. 1) Ignore verses saying you can't know when it is. (Matthew 24:36 et al.) 2) Ignore that there are no secret codes or hidden teachings in the Bible. (Matthew 10:27; Luke 12:2-3) 3) Insist you broke the special code an obscure section is written in so it fits current events. 4) Juggle figures so the Bible says Jesus is coming at date X. 5) Have an explanation or backup date handy when the first one doesn't happen.
I originally wrote this section of my cult dictionary in 1994. Thus 12 more years worth of false prophecies has failed to come to pass. I love saying I told you so.
Here are some dates given through the years.
Montanists: New Jerusalem (Revelation 21) will come to earth in the second century AD after giving everyone a whole century to convert in.
Millennial Fever, Part I: 1000 AD, one millennium after the birth Christ. This was switched to 1030 (1,000 after the resurrection of Jesus). Dropped when the only ones to show up were the Vikings. Nowadays the popular impulse is 2000 AD for the same sort of round figure appeal.
Astrologer John of Toledo, Spain proved the Earth would be destroyed in 1186.
A Dominican Monk Brother Arnold, and Joachim of Fiore separately came up with 1260 by using the 42 generations in Matthew 1. 42 generations at 30 years each = 1260, so the 42 generations before Jesus should be matched by 42 after Him.
In Bohemia, Father Martinik Houska said 1420.
Melchior Hoffman swore it would be 1533.
In 1534 Jan Borkelson, alias John of Leyden, declared himself the second coming of Christ, and that Munster, Westphalia (now part of Germany) was the New Jerusalem. He gained control of Munster, and declaring the Marriage Feast of the Lamb, spent a year having sex with all the women of Munster he could. A Catholic army (with several Protestant units that also found him reprehensible and joined in on the attack) in 1535 captured the city from its fanatical defenders after a major seige. John of Leyden was hung in a cage to starve and be eaten by the birds.
The appropriately named bookbinder Hans Nut claimed the Millennium would start in 1568.
Rabbi Zabbatai Zevi of Smyrna studied the Kabbalah and in 1648 came to the conclusion that he was the returned Messiah. By 1666 he had convinced almost every Jew in Turkey and surrounding countries that he was the Messiah. But that's when the Turks got tired of his shenanigans and arrested him. While in jail awaiting his trial he converted to Islam. When his followers found out half of them converted to Islam as well.
Christopher Columbus said 1656. He was trying to find a fast route for missionaries to get to Asia which avoided Muslim countries when he bumped into America. He was hoping the faster route would give them time to evangelize Asia before the end came. Instead he was delighted when a whole new mission field opened up.
Nicholas of Cusa said it would be 1734.
Emmanuel Swedenborg founded Swedenborgianism. (If you think Swedenborgianism is a mouthful, be grateful. The actual full name of their church is "The General Council of the Ministers and Other Members of the New Church Signified by the New Jerusalem in the Apocalypse or Revelation of John.") Swedenborg said the Last Judgment happened in 1757, and was rather surprised that no one else seemed to notice. He claimed that Christ's victory over rebellious spirits in 1757 lets us now become angels. First and oldest of the modern New Age Churches.
Anna Lee, founder of the Shakers, said she was the reincarnation of Christ, and that the end would happen in 1830.
William Miller, said October 21, 1843. When it failed friends convinced him to rename the date as October 21, 1844. When that failed, He publicly admitted he was wrong, and repented of his sin in trying to work out the date of Christ's return. He is one of only two on this list to admit he was wrong and apologize. The 7th Day Adventists (which Miller [a Baptist] never joined) were founded by some followers who insisted he was right, and came up with a reinterpretation of what happened on October 21 1844.
'Pastor' Russell said Jesus would come visibly in 1874, then changed it to invisibly in 1874 and then visibly in 1914, then changed it again to invisibly in 1914. His followers switched it to 1918, then 1925 (when they claimed Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would be resurrected, and even built them a palace [Beth Sarim] in San Diego to live in) then 1942, and most recently that the Millennium would start in 1975. The Jehovah's Witnesses now claim none of these dates were set by them. At the same time they claim everything Russell said would come true in 1914 did. They just changed what he prophesied.
Joseph Smith said 1890, when he would be 85 years old. Mormons get around this one by saying that he was killed first, so didn't get to be 85, thus spoiling the prophecy. How could God possibly foresee Smith's lynching?
In 1930 Anne Besant, the second Kulten Furher of the Theosophists, declared that her protegee, a young Hindu boy named Jiddu Krishnamurti, was the second coming. To her disgust, when he got older he admitted he wasn't, and resigned as Messiah.
Millennial Fever, Part II: Since WWII, there has been a boom in the number of false dates published, with the 1990's especially favored. Since 1975 books have been coming off the presses as fast as they can be printed. Of course, one of the rather large problems with the appeal the 2000 figure has is that it is only 2000 in the Western Calendar, set up by Denys the Petit (alias Dionysius Exeguus) who got Jesus' birth date wrong by about 4 years, throwing the whole BC-AD scheme off by 4 years anyway. But what will the year 2000 AD be in other calendars?
Hebrew = 5760.
Roman = 2753.
Greek = Year 1 of the 694th Olympiad.
Japan = 2660.
Islamic = 1420.
Byzantine = 7508
Shaka (India) = 1921.
China = Year of the Dragon, 17th year of cycle 78.
Jeane Dixon prophesied that the Antichrist (whom she claimed would be a descendent of Queen Nefertiti of Egypt, Pharaoh Akhenaten's wife) would be born 2/5/62. He would start consolidating his power in the 1980's and take over the world in 1999.
In the mid sixties, it was a widely spread rumor that Antichrist was born on 6/6/66.
Moses David Berg said Comet Kahoutek would smash into the (edited by LLJ) of Babylon (the USA), totally destroying it and starting the tribulation in 1973. When it missed on the way in, he changed it to hitting us on the return flight. After that he no longer cared. He had moved his followers and headquarters to Europe where it was safe. He then insisted the Tribulation would start in 1989 and Christ would return in 1993.
‘1975 In Prophecy‘. Herbert W. Armstrong's last attempt at setting a date for Christ's return. Starting in 1931 it was constantly put forth the world would end in four to seven years. only to have the date change to 4 to 7 years later when each date failed.
Jack Van Impe said the Great Tribulation would begin in 1976. When it didn't he wrote ‘AD 2000? The End‘.
William Branham predicted the Millenium would start in 1977, and that he was the guide who like John the Baptist would lead it in. He died in 1965 so wasn't there to usher it in, delaying the Millenium indefinately.
Arnold Murray came up with a new twist, when he declared Lucifer would return in 1981.
On April 25, 1982 in hundreds of newspapers around the world Benjamin Creme of the Tara Center, put full page ads saying the Christ had returned and was on the Earth. This was a combined Jesus Christ and Maitraya, a Buddhist Messiah. He admitted that he hadn't actually met him yet, but he knew the New Age Messiah was there. It wasn't a physical Jesus but a spiritual awareness inhabiting this alledged Maitreya-Christ. His purpose was to make everyone in the world aware that it is all one. His name would be revealed in two months. We're still waiting to hear anything from this supposed returned Christ or find out what his name is. Creme said that the reason Maitraya-Christ didn't go on world wide TV and give his message as planned was that the media refused to hand over all the world's TV and radio stations for his use on that day. Thus the Second Coming has been postponed.
Mission for the Coming Days announced the Rapure for October 28, 1992. When it didn't happen they became the first organization to apologize for its errors and disband. They were honest enough to refuse to adjust the date or reinterpret what was supposed to happen.
Edger Whisenant wrote ‘88 Reasons Jesus Will Return In 1988‘. This was followed by ‘89 Reasons Jesus Will Return In 1989‘, then 1990, 1991, and 1992. No further sequels appeared after that, as it finally occurred to him that something was wrong somewhere. That and sales got smaller each year.
Colin Deal came up with more reasons in ‘1988 - 101 Reasons Why‘. He also switched to 1989.
Mary Stewart Relfe said the Great Tribulation would start in 1989. World War 3 would break out in 1989, which the US would lose in total defeat in 1993, and Jesus would show up to end it before it destroyed all mankind.
Elizibeth Clare Prophet, of the Church Universal and Triumphant, said the US and USSR would go to war in February 1989, starting Armageddon.
Rich Hall, ‘Why 1991?’ Well, now we know why not.
The UFO cult lead by Solara Antara Amaa-re claimed that the 144,000 would usher in the New Age on 1/11/92. They misread the spaceship schedule so had to take a later flight that will arrive on 12/31/2011.
The Hyoo Go movement got really big in Korea with several "prophets" agreeing that midnight 10/28/92 is the big day. The one to start it off was the 12 year old prophet Bang Ik Ha, who had a vision, which was verified when his mother Hyun Jung Lee had a dream, in which 50 million would die in earthquakes, 50 million more in collapsing buildings, then 1.4 billion killed in WWIII and 1.4 billion in Armageddon. Another prophet, Jang Rim Lee, became the head of the movement. His pamphlets had several mathematical errors. When it didn't happen he was arrested for fraud and found to possess $4.4 million dollars hijacked from followers in the form of Korean Government Short-term Bonds that wouldn't mature until May 1993, 7 months after the world was supposed to end.
Ray Brubaker ‘6000 Years Ends in 1993‘. So did sales of his books.
D.A.Miller ‘Watch and be Ready, 1992 Millions Disappear?’ I guess too many people were watching, so they couldn't vanish.
James T. Harmon. Christ returns one generation from Israel's independence in 1948 in 1993. And if He doesn't, He will come in either 1996, 2012, or 2022.
Maria Devi Khrystos [Mary Goddess Christ] head of the 150,000 member Great White Brotherhood said she would commit suicide on 11/14/93, then rise from the dead on 11/17/93 to give the Last Judgment. The Ukrainian Police canceled the Last Judgment on 11/13/93 by arresting her and putting her in a straight jacket in a padded room. For insurance, they put the 600 highest ranking followers behind bars for 30 days for disorderly conduct and creating a public nuisance.
Harold Camping 1994.
John Hinkle on Trinity Broadcast Network said all evil would be destroyed off the earth in June 9, 1994. He never showed up for the scheduled show on June 10.
Salty Dok, ‘Blessed Hope 1996‘.
Edgar Cayce said Jesus is returning in 1998. But then Atlantis didn't rise up from the sea bottom, California fall off and sink into the Pacific and the East Coast of the US sink into the Atlantic by 1969 when he said they would, either.
Marvin Hunter, ‘The Prophecy Book‘. 12/25/99. Apparently Jesus hitches a ride with Santa Claus.
Lester Sumrall, ‘I Predict 2000 AD‘. The Millennium starts. Didn’t you notice?
Marvin Byers, ‘The Final Victory, the Year 2000‘.
M. J. Agee, ‘Exit 2007: The Secret of Secrets Revealed.’ On noon (though which time zone is unspecified) 9/13/07 an asteroid will crash, flipping the earth upside down. Then Jesus shows up on 4/6/08.
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