End times prophets
Source: https://www.bible.ca/pre-false-end-times-charts.htm
This page is a small sampling of the many endtimes prophecies that have been made throughout history. They all rest on a methodology of saying “this is that”.
In spite of Christ’s words that “that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” the people who drew these charts and make endtimes predictions considered themselves to be smarter than Jesus, because they could understand Scripture so well that they figured out when these things would occur. It was actually inevitable that such false prophecies would come about because depending on your starting date if you add certain numbers that occur in biblical passages you end up at another date which you can then exploit and tell your followers are special dates in the biblical economy.
Harold Camping’s Failed Numerology chart
- Camping predicted the end of the world on May 21, 2011 (See YouTube documentaries.)
- His numerology appeared so convincing that thousands of followers sold their houses, exhausted life savings and borrowed large sums of money to give to Camping so he could advertise the end of the world.
- His date of May 21, 2011 was based entirely upon two very wrong, unbiblical and speculative dates: 11,013 BC for creation and 4990 BC for the flood. No one else in the history of mankind had ever heard of these outrageous dates which Camping pulled out of his hat and conned thousands to follow him.
- Camping chose the dates because he believes in the false doctrine called, “Latter Rain” which means he is inspired by God to learn new truths never previously known to man.
- Camping and all date setters like him destroy faith in the Bible since he claimed the Bible guaranteed it.
- In fact Camping did not get his date from the Bible at all, but his “ Latter Rain” inspiration.
- May 22, 2011 was also the day that Latter Rain theology was proven to be a false doctrine.
1 Tim 4:1-4. But such a doctrine is popular among those who have no Bible knowledge except false doctrine: 2 Tim 4:2-5
Harold Camping’s chart
Ron Weinland predicted the end of the world on May 27, 2012
- Ron Weinland failed in predicting the end of the world on April 17, 2008. He claimed to be a prophet, apostle and that he and his wife were the two witnesses of Revelation.
- When that failed, he predicted the second coming on May 27, 2012.
- Here is Weinland’s end of the world chart.
Jack Van Impe
Donald Perkins
Seventh-day Adventists:
William Miller’s original “1843 is the end” chart. Ellen White claimed God confirmed to her that Miller’s chart was accurate. (How can you verify that God confirmed to her that Miller’s chart was true? You can’t. You have to trust her. Yet, God’s Word tells us not to put your trust in man.) The Watchtower of July 15, 1997 discusses the “Great Disappointment” of the Adventists and how they supported their interpretation of scripture to arrive at their dates.
*** w97 7/15 p. 25 The “Investigative Judgment”—A Bible-Based Doctrine? ***
What is it?
The anchor text cited to support this doctrine is Daniel 8:14. It reads: “He said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” (King James Version) Because of the phrase “then shall the sanctuary be cleansed,” many Adventists link this verse with Leviticus chapter 16. It describes the cleansing of the sanctuary by the Jewish high priest on the Day of Atonement. They also connect Daniel’s words with Hebrews chapter 9, which describes Jesus as the Greater High Priest in heaven. One SDA scholar says that this reasoning is based on the “proof-text” method. A person finds “a certain word like sanctuary in Dan. 8:14, the same word in Lev. 16, the same word in Heb. 7, 8, 9” and holds “that they are all talking about the same thing.”
Notice also how Ellen White used religious language and the word “God” to win people’s trust. This is how religous leaders use language to get people to trust them. By tightly connecting themselves to God (“God confirmed to me”), they piggyback on people’s belief and trust in God to then extend that faith and trust in the religious leader.
Notice the “this is that” method used by all end time prophets. Many charts make connections between Bible verses or biblical figures to historical or current events or figures. Notice where this connection comes from; it’s not found literally in Scripture, but the connection is made by the interpreter. He inserts meaning into the text rather than restricting himself to only what the text actually says. They are the ones who connect verses together or give symbolical and allegorical interpretations of their content. Another phrase that is used is claiming something is a “type” or “anti-type” of something else. All of these interpretations rest on the authority of the one making the connection because they are not found literally in scripture.
For example, in the chart below, Miller notes that Rev 9:7 “means” the “Mahometans” or Muslims (Mohamedans). Or the ten kingdoms of Daniel 2 were identified with 10 European people groups of the Middle Ages. Another such connection is made by connecting dates to certain events in order to make their calculations work out. This is because of the existence of numbers used in biblical books such as Daniel and Revelation. By using this method of claiming “this means that” they use their own authority to interpret Scripture and thus run the risk of becoming a false prophet or false teacher when things don’t turn out the way they predicted.
Christadelphians
Charles T. Russell’s “1914 end of the world”
Russell founded the Jehovah’s Witnesses who still use Russell’s 1914 date. There is a difference though between what the WTS says happened at 1914 and what Russell claimed would happen at 1914. Russell said 1914 marked the end of the Times of the Gentiles; the WTS says 1914 marks the start of Christ’s “invisible second coming” or “parousia”. The chart used “pyramidology” to confirm Russell’s interpretation. Most JW’s don’t know the “pyramid connection”. Rutherford and the “Governing Body” currently rejects pyramidology but accepts the conclusions of such non-biblical speculation.
Russell’s Early Associations with Adventists
Source: ChatGPT
In the early 1870s, before launching his own ministry, Charles Taze Russell encountered and associated with several prominent Adventist figures, most notably:
- Jonas Wendell
Russell credited Jonas Wendell, a Second Adventist preacher, with reviving his faith in the Bible and Christianity. Around 1870, Russell attended one of Wendell’s lectures in Pittsburgh, which significantly influenced him. Wendell, like many Adventists, taught the imminent return of Christ, though his specific predictions (e.g., for 1873 or 1874) did not materialize.
- George Storrs
Storrs was a prominent Advent Christian who had broken with mainstream Adventism over his rejection of eternal torment and his belief in conditional immortality (that only believers receive eternal life). Russell appreciated and adopted Storrs’s view of soul sleep and the nonexistence of hellfire, both of which became foundational in Russell’s theology.
- George Stetson
Stetson was also part of the Age-to-Come Adventist movement. Russell viewed him as a respected Bible teacher, and Stetson was an early mentor. Russell even arranged for Stetson’s funeral and gave the eulogy.
📚 Theological Influence
Russell absorbed and adapted Adventist prophetic frameworks, particularly:
- The focus on 1844 (from William Miller’s failed prediction of Christ’s return) and the idea that it marked the beginning of the “time of the end.”
- Belief in the invisible presence of Christ—a key teaching that Russell reinterpreted to assert that Christ had returned invisibly in 1874.
- The use of Bible chronology and prophetic time periods, which Adventists used heavily to set dates for end-times events.
🛑 Break with the Adventists
Despite these deep influences, Russell eventually distanced himself from Adventist groups, mainly because:
- He rejected their date-setting failures and some of their sectarian attitudes.
- He formally separated from Adventist affiliations around 1878, when he established his own publication, Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence (first published in 1879).
- He emphasized non-denominationalism and avoided forming a church or denomination initially, though a distinct movement inevitably formed around his teachings.
Charles Taze Russell’s Connections with Adventism
| Time Period | Person/Group | Affiliation | Nature of Connection | Key Influence on Russell |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ~1869–1870 | Jonas Wendell | Second Adventist | Attended lectures; rekindled Russell’s faith | Introduced prophetic date-setting; sparked interest in Christ’s return |
| Early 1870s | George Storrs | Advent Christian | Read writings; possibly met | Conditional immortality; rejection of eternal torment |
| Early 1870s | George Stetson | Age-to-Come Adventist | Mentor and teacher; close associate | Millennial hope; prophetic focus; personal support |
| 1874 | Prophetic Date (1874) | Age-to-Come/Adventist tradition | Accepted and promoted idea of invisible return of Christ in 1874 | Became cornerstone of Russell’s prophetic timeline |
| 1876–1878 | Nelson H. Barbour | Adventist (Age-to-Come) | Co-authored Herald of the Morning; collaborated on prophecy | Shared 1874/1878 doctrines; used prophetic chronologies |
| 1879 | Zion’s Watch Tower | Russell’s Independent Ministry | Broke with Barbour and Adventists; launched own publication | Start of distinct Bible Student movement |
| Unknown | Benjamin Wilson | Christadelphian / One Faith Movement | Russell adopted his Emphatic Diaglott translation | Reinforced anti-Trinitarianism; soul sleep; restitution |
| 1830s–1844 | William Miller | Millerite | Indirect influence through legacy of date-setting and 1844 as “Time of the End” | Prophetic framework inherited from Millerite chronology |
| 1860s–1870s | H. L. Hastings (Indirect influence) | Adventist publisher | Adventist publications in circulation during Russell’s formative years | Eschatological literature widely read in Adventist circles |
| Ongoing | Age-to-Come Movement | Adventist offshoot | Theological overlap | Earthly millennial kingdom; Christ’s reign on Earth |
| Possibly 1870s | Rachel H. Stetson | Wife of George Stetson | Member of early Bible study circles | Supported doctrinal development in informal networks |
Core Adventist Influences on Russell’s Theology
| Doctrine or Theme | Adventist Source | How Russell Adapted It |
|---|---|---|
| Christ’s Invisible Return | Barbour, Age-to-Come Adventists | Christ returned invisibly in 1874 |
| No Eternal Hellfire | George Storrs | Taught annihilation of the wicked |
| Conditional Immortality | Storrs, some Adventist writers | Immortality only for faithful believers |
| Soul Sleep | Christadelphians, Adventists | Dead are unconscious until resurrection |
| Earthly Kingdom (Restitution) | Age-to-Come Adventists | Christ’s kingdom will be on Earth during the Millennium |
| Prophetic Chronology | Millerites, Barbour, Adventists | Used to calculate 1874, 1878, 1914 (and later dates) |
| Anti-Trinitarianism | Common among Adventist offshoots | Rejected the Trinity; saw Christ as subordinate to God |
| Time of the End Begins in 1799 | Adventist historical framework | Russell adopted this interpretation |
| The “Ransom for All” doctrine | Adventists like Stetson | Christ’s death redeems all humanity for eventual resurrection |
