Spurgeon on End Times Foolishness

Though I am a Premillenialist who holds to the "Pretribulational Rapture Theory", I am not too dogmatic about Eschatology. I frequently read the works of preachers and theologians that hold to various Eschatological positions -and I repect their opinions.

If you happen to be an Amillenialist, a Postmillenialist, or an "historic Premillenialist" such as Charles Spurgeon, I will not break fellowship with you over our differences. My mind is even open to the possibility that I may be the one who is wrong.

One way or the other, Jesus is coming again and my opinion of it won't change how (or when) He does it. I believe these are topics that Christians are free to discuss and debate- just so long as you do affirm the 2ND coming of Christ, we'll be fine.

I'll have to admit though, I do get a bit aggravated with some of these so-called "prophecy teachers", who are constantly looking around trying to figure out which news headline fulfilled some prophecy in Isaiah and/or are trying to identify the Antichrist.

Their nonsense has spilled over into the churches and is having some terrible side-effects. I have known Christians whom -it seemed to me- were not planning for the future because they said they just knew Jesus would return before their children could graduate high school. Now here we are -some years later- and all their children (but one) are grown and have families of their own! I even heard recently that some folks are now going around proclaiming Arnold Schwarzenegger is the Anti-Christ!!! I really think such things are foolishness.

It looks as if this plague has been around long before our times. While reading John MacArthur's book Why Government Cannot Save You, I found a sermon in the appendix by Charles Spurgeon entitled "Citizenship in Heaven". While reading it, I found some words of wisdom concerning the topic of prophecy and this "end times foolishness" -as I have decided to call it. I want to share with you a few paragraphs from the sermon.

Please note that it appears that in Spurgeon's day, the magic year was 1866:

"You know I am no prophet. I do not know anything about 1866; I find quite enough to do to attend to 1862. I do not understand the visions of Daniel or Ezekiel; I find I have enough to do to teach the simple truth in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and the Epistles of Paul. I do not find many souls have been converted to God by exquisite dissertations about the battle of Armageddon, and all those other fine things. I have no doubt prophesyings are very profitable, but I rather question whether they are so profitable to the hearers as they may be to the preachers and publishers. I conceive that among religious people of a certain sort, the abortive explanations of prophecy issued by certain doctors gratify a craving, which in irreligious people finds its foods in novels and romances.

People have a panting to know the future. And certain divines pander to this depraved taste by prophesying for them and letting them know what is coming by-and-by. I do not know the future, and I will not pretend to know. But I do preach this because I know it: that Christ will come, for he says so in a hundred passages. The Epistles of Paul are full of the advent, and Peter's too, and John's letters are crowded with it. The best of saints have always lived on the hope of advent."

After some more wonderful thoughts that I won't take time to quote here, the Prince of Preachers adds more advice I truly desire more Pre-trib, Premillenialists would take to heart:

"Never mind about the last bowls, fill your own bowl with sweet odors and offer it before the Lord. Think what you like about Armageddon, but do not forget to fight the good fight of faith. Guess not at the precise era for the destruction of Antichrist; go and destroy it yourself, fighting against it every day. But be looking forward and hastening unto the coming of the Son of Man, and let this be at once your comfort and excitement to diligence, that the Savior will soon come from Heaven."

Amen, Reverend Spurgeon. Amen!