Appendix C Harmony of Prophecy Chart & Appendix D Warnings and Cautions

Appendix D
Warnings and Cautions

In these tumultuous times there is a great deal of interest in prophecy. Unfortunately,
there are some dangerous temptations in the study of prophecy. Some teachers and writers go far
beyond the boundaries of sound scriptural interpretation. There have already been many wild and
irresponsible claims made by prophecy teachers, and there certainly will be many more errors
taught during this time. The effect of this will be to mislead many and to discourage many others
from study of this important aspect of the Scriptures.
Several cautions are in order for those who wish to know the truth but do not want to not
be misled by false teachers. Here are some of these warnings and cautions:
1 – We cannot know the date of Christ’s return. Jesus said, ―No one knows about that day or
hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.‖ – Matthew 24:36
He also said:
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But
understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming,
he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be
ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. – Matthew
24:42-44

It should be noted that the previous passages relate to Christ’s Glorious Return, not to the
rapture. But if it is true for that later event, how much more would it be true for the rapture, for
which no specific signs are given.
In answer to their question about when he would establish his Kingdom, Jesus answered,
“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” – Acts 1:7
In another place, where Jesus’ disciples wrongly thought that the Kingdom was going to
appear at once, he gave them a parable about ten stewards, each of whom received money to
invest. They were told to “Occupy until I come.” (Luke 19:13 KJV) We do not know when he
will return, but we should be busy about his business until that glorious day.
2 – We cannot know who the evil ruler will be. According to 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, he will not
be revealed until the Holy Spirit, the Restrainer, has been taken away, presumably by the rapture.
3- We must base our views on Scripture and proper methods of interpretation, and use
supplemental information only for illustration.
4- We dare not be dogmatic about how future events will unfold. Like those who were looking
for Christ’s first coming, we should have carefully developed ideas of how his second coming,
and all the related events of prophecy, might occur, but we should be open to other possibilities.
5- We must maintain respect and fellowship with other Bible-believing people who do not
understand prophecy the way we do.
6- We must not ignore the importance of prophecy in the Bible. It is wrong to lose interest in this
part of God’s Word just because it is difficult or confusing, or even because others have made
serious errors before.
7- Many times during the past two thousand years of history, events in the Middle East have
escalated suddenly and rapidly, seemingly out of control, so that even careful news

commentators spoke of dire, apocalyptic times. Again and again the Lord has rolled history back
from the edge of the precipice to decades of relative calm. Ray Stedman once said, ―What
determines the future is what God has done in the past and what He has promised to do in the
future. So don’t look horizontally at current events.”74