Revision #14455
Date-Setting Eschatology
Localized for English-speaking readers
Status: approved
Changes from the previous English revision
= ## Definition and Meaning
=
- **Date-setting eschatology** (Korean *sihanbu jongmallon*, 時限附終末論) literally means an eschatology with a fixed deadline attached. The term refers to claims that calculate and announce a specific date or year for Christ's Second Coming, the Rapture (the event in which believers are said to be caught up into the air), or the end of the world.
+ **Date-setting eschatology** is an eschatology that attaches a fixed deadline to the end times. The term refers to claims that calculate and announce a specific date or year for Christ's Second Coming, the Rapture (the event in which believers are said to be caught up into the air), or the end of the world.
=
- Many denominations share belief in an "imminent return," the conviction that the Second Coming is near. Date-setting eschatology goes further by specifying the date, and the term is used to distinguish it from eschatology in general.
+ Belief in an "imminent return," the conviction that the Second Coming is near, is shared by many denominations. Date-setting eschatology differs in that it goes further and specifies the date. The term is used to distinguish such claims from eschatology in general.
=
= ## Biblical and Historical Background
=
- Date-setters chiefly base their calculations on numbers found in apocalyptic literature such as Daniel and Revelation. Some have also linked the parable of the fig tree in Matthew 24:32–34 to the founding of the State of Israel in 1948.
+ Date-setters chiefly base their calculations on numbers found in apocalyptic literature such as Daniel and Revelation. Interpretations linking the parable of the fig tree in Matthew 24:32–34 to the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 have also been used.
=
= Opponents cite the following passages:
…
= - 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11: "the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night"
=
- In church history, the Millerite movement led by William Miller in nineteenth-century America is commonly cited as a leading example. The movement predicted that the Second Coming would take place in 1844; when it did not occur, the episode became known as the "Great Disappointment." The Seventh-day Adventist Church emerged from this movement, but the denomination has since maintained that it does not set a date for the Second Coming.
+ In church history, the movement associated with William Miller in nineteenth-century America is commonly cited as a leading example. The movement predicted that the Second Coming would take place in 1844, but it did not occur, and the episode became known as the "Great Disappointment." The Seventh-day Adventist Church emerged from this movement, but the denomination has since maintained that it does not set a date for the Second Coming.
=
- ## In the Korean Church
+ ## In Korean Churches
=
- The term came into wide use in Korea through the 1992 Dami Mission incident. Lee Jang-rim, leader of the Dami Mission, claimed that the Rapture would occur on October 28, 1992. Some of his followers quit their jobs or left school, and some donated their property to the group. Before the predicted date, Lee was arrested on fraud charges, and he was subsequently convicted. Nothing happened on the predicted day, and the incident drew widespread public attention.
+ In South Korea, the term came into wide use through the 1992 Dami Mission incident. Lee Jang-rim, leader of the Dami Mission, claimed that the Rapture would occur on October 28, 1992. Some of his followers quit their jobs or abandoned their studies, and some donated their property to the group. Before the predicted date, Lee was arrested on fraud charges and was subsequently convicted. Nothing happened on the predicted day, and the incident drew widespread public attention.
=
- Around this time, the general assemblies of several denominations, including the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), reportedly declared date-setting eschatology a heretical teaching or warned their members against it. Since then, date-setting eschatology has become a frequently used criterion in Korean church discussions of heresy designation.
+ Around this time, the general assemblies of several Korean denominations, including the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), reportedly declared date-setting eschatology a heretical teaching or warned their members against it. Since then, date-setting eschatology has become a frequently used criterion in Korean Protestant discussions of heresy designation.
=
- Denominations differ in their eschatological frameworks. Some churches accept the dispensationalist understanding of the Rapture, while others interpret the millennium differently. Nevertheless, the major denominations—Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Full Gospel—are broadly united in rejecting any attempt to specify a date.
+ Denominations differ in their eschatological frameworks. Some churches accept the dispensationalist understanding of the Rapture, while others interpret the millennium differently. Nevertheless, the major Korean denominations—Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Full Gospel—are broadly united in rejecting any attempt to specify a date.
Date-setting eschatology is the practice of predicting a specific date or year for Christ's Second Coming or the end of the world. In Korea it became widely known through the claim that the Rapture would occur on October 28, 1992.
Date-setting eschatology is the practice of predicting a specific date or year for Christ's Second Coming or the end of the world. In South Korea it became widely known through the claim that the Rapture would occur on October 28, 1992.
Full revision
Date-setting eschatology is the practice of predicting a specific date or year for Christ's Second Coming or the end of the world. In South Korea it became widely known through the claim that the Rapture would occur on October 28, 1992.
Definition and Meaning
Date-setting eschatology is an eschatology that attaches a fixed deadline to the end times. The term refers to claims that calculate and announce a specific date or year for Christ's Second Coming, the Rapture (the event in which believers are said to be caught up into the air), or the end of the world.
Belief in an "imminent return," the conviction that the Second Coming is near, is shared by many denominations. Date-setting eschatology differs in that it goes further and specifies the date. The term is used to distinguish such claims from eschatology in general.
Biblical and Historical Background
Date-setters chiefly base their calculations on numbers found in apocalyptic literature such as Daniel and Revelation. Interpretations linking the parable of the fig tree in Matthew 24:32–34 to the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 have also been used.
Opponents cite the following passages:
In church history, the movement associated with William Miller in nineteenth-century America is commonly cited as a leading example. The movement predicted that the Second Coming would take place in 1844, but it did not occur, and the episode became known as the "Great Disappointment." The Seventh-day Adventist Church emerged from this movement, but the denomination has since maintained that it does not set a date for the Second Coming.
In Korean Churches
In South Korea, the term came into wide use through the 1992 Dami Mission incident. Lee Jang-rim, leader of the Dami Mission, claimed that the Rapture would occur on October 28, 1992. Some of his followers quit their jobs or abandoned their studies, and some donated their property to the group. Before the predicted date, Lee was arrested on fraud charges and was subsequently convicted. Nothing happened on the predicted day, and the incident drew widespread public attention.
Around this time, the general assemblies of several Korean denominations, including the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), reportedly declared date-setting eschatology a heretical teaching or warned their members against it. Since then, date-setting eschatology has become a frequently used criterion in Korean Protestant discussions of heresy designation.
Denominations differ in their eschatological frameworks. Some churches accept the dispensationalist understanding of the Rapture, while others interpret the millennium differently. Nevertheless, the major Korean denominations—Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Full Gospel—are broadly united in rejecting any attempt to specify a date.