This Saturday is the end of the world as we know it! At least according to some: eBibleFellowship.

The Greer Citizen asked me to respond to this prophecy. Below is a snapshot of what I wrote.

The end of the world as we know it will occur at the second coming of Christ. According to Mark 13:32 (and Acts 1:6-7) no one knows the date or time of His return.

This group’s prediction has about as much merit as Charles Russell’s prediction of 1874 or The Watchtower Society’s multiple predictions (1914, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, 1975 and 1994). Their guess is as good as yours.

The real problem with this tract is a hermeneutical one. We live in a day when people are doing all they can to find a “secret” code in the Bible rather than hearing the clear message of the Gospel. Is there a secret code in the Bible or is the Word of God clear?

Throughout Scripture the biblical writers presuppose that God intends that his Word be understood by the common man. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 assumes that fathers are able to teach their children the Law of Moses. In another passage Moses tells that the word of God is clear and understandable:

For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. (Deut. 30:11-14)

The New Testament is equal in its affirmation of the clarity of Scripture. Most notably, Jesus assumes that his listeners are able to read and understand the Word of God. Six times in the Gospel of Matthew the Son of God asks, "Have you not read…." When confronted by the Pharisees Jesus tells them, "Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mat 9:13). The assumption in passages such as these is that the misunderstanding lies not with the text of Scripture, but with the hearer. It has also been pointed out that most of the letters in the New Testament are written to churches, not pastors and/or elders. These biblical writers take for granted that ordinary, average church members can understand their epistles. Some passages of Scripture even assume that children are in the listening audience (such as Eph. 6:1-3).

Verses such as these teach us to seek the clear message in the Bible as opposed to some secret calendar of events.