Frequently Asked Questions

Are you date-setting? Doesn’t the Bible warn not to do this?

Since we have argued that the 70th Week of Daniel possibly started on Jan. 1, 2007, some people have accused us of setting the date of Christ’s return. Yet, we do not claim to know the date of His return. We hold to the”‘prewrath” view of the rapture, which teaches that Christ will return at some unknown point during the tribulation to rescue his people from the Antichrist’s persecution.

When Jesus’ disciples asked Him about His Second Coming, He told them it wasn’t for them to know “that day and hour” (Matthew 24:36) or “the times and seasons” (Acts 1:7). But we must not forget that Jesus also gave them a number of signs associated with His Second Coming and warned them to watch for their fulfillments (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21). The books of Daniel and Revelation, along with numerous other books of the Bible, contain many specific signs of the end times. So, what did Jesus mean when He said no one knows the day and the hour? He wasn’t saying that we wouldn’t recognize the signs once they occurred — only that we wouldn’t know, beforehand, when they would start to occur. But as soon as we see the signs He gave us, then He tells us to recognize that His return is near (Matthew 24:33, Mark 13:29, Luke 21:28-31).

What about all the end-times predictions that have failed? Doesn’t this damage Christians’ credibility?

Yes, it does. We certainly don’t want to hurt Christians’ credibility with what we’re reporting. Yet, at the same time, the prophecies will be fulfilled one day, and Jesus told us to watch for their fulfillments. We would feel disobedient if we didn’t point out the similarities between the prophecies and the current news coming out of Europe and the Middle East. Just because people have been mistaken in the past — or just because we may be mistaken now — doesn’t mean Christians should ignore end-times prophecy. Our view is a theory that we believe has strong biblical and historical support. Yet, people should not base their faith on end-times theories; they should base their faith on God’s Word and Christ’s work on the cross.

If the 70th Week did begin on Jan. 1, 2007, then what should we expect to happen next?

In the short term, we’re not expecting to see too much more happen than already has. The agreements that we have been watching are already signed and being implemented. The major thing we should expect to see during the first half of the 70th Week is a time of false peace dawning over the Mediterranean, including Israel. This will allow the Jewish people to reinstate their sacrificial system, which the Antichrist is supposed to stop in the middle of the 70th Week (Daniel 9:27). After the middle of the 70th Week, the Antichrist’s persecution of Jews and Christians should begin, followed by the rapture and then God’s judgments on the earth. Read a Timeline of Events.

What is your view of the rapture? When will it occur?

We hold to the “prewrath” view of the rapture, which means we believe that the rapture will occur after the Antichrist launches a persecution against Jews and Christians (the tribulation), but before God unleashes His wrath on the earth. In the prewrath view, the rapture takes place after the opening of the sixth seal in Revelation 6. This view differs from the most popular view held among evangelicals in America today, called the “pretribulation rapture,” which teaches that Christians will be raptured before the Antichrist is revealed and his persecution begins. But we can find no support in Scripture for this teaching. On the contrary, Scripture contains multiple warnings about the need for perseverance during this terrible time (Matthew 24:15-26, Revelation 13:10, 14:12). This is a major theme of the books of Daniel and Revelation. Christians throughout history have had to suffer for their allegiance to Christ. They won’t be exempt during the final and greatest test of their faith at the hands of the Antichrist.

How can you say that Christians will have to go through the tribulation? Doesn’t the Bible say that Christians aren’t destined for God’s wrath?

Yes, the apostle Paul said Christians aren’t destined for God’s wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9). The confusion is caused by equating the tribulation (the Antichrist’s wrath against God’s people) with God’s wrath against the wicked. This is a mistake that the pretribulation rapture teaching makes. We agree that Christians won’t experience God’s wrath, but believe Scripture teaches they will have to experience the Antichrist’s wrath.

If the events you report are actual fulfillments of prophecy, then why haven’t more Christians noticed them?

Good question. Christians have been waiting for these events for two millennia. But most of them are unaware of their possible fulfillments for different reasons. One reason is that end-times prophecy isn’t taught in most churches today, and many Christian leaders discourage people from paying attention to it. But, for those who do pay attention to prophecy, there is another reason — the “pretribulation” view of the rapture. This popular view teaches that Christians will be raptured before the 70th Week of Daniel starts. So, those who hold this view can’t be open to the possibility that the 70th Week has already begun.