THE DANGERS OF DATING

 False prophets dot the landscape. History is replete with abort-
ed attempts to date the coming of Christ or to hasten it with
claims of fulfilled prophecy. In 1884, William Hechler, A Chris-
tian acquaintance of Theodore Herzl, thought that Zionism was the
beginning of the end of days. (See Michael Progai, Faith and
Fillment, Christians and the Return to the Promised Land, pp. 58-
62.)  Hechler died depressed and discouraged in London in 1931.
(See Claude Duvernoy, The Prince and the Prophet.)  At the turn
of the century, John Alexander Dowie of Zion, Ill., was convinced
he was Elijah and was to usher in Christ's Second Coming. Howev-
er, he left many disappointed. (See Gordon Lindsey, John Alexan-
der Dowie, pp. 190-191.)  More recently, John Todd, Constance
Cumbey and Edgar Whisenant, all said that the signs pointed to an
imminent end, but they were dead wrong. (See further, Miami
Christian College, Clarion, Vol. 1, No. 3, pg. 4, "A Balanced
View of the Lord's Return.")

 Some people seem determined to smash themselves against the
brick wall of Jesus' statement in Matthew 24:36: "But of that
exact day and hour no one knows."

 In his book, Predators in Our Pulpits, Phillip Keller calls
Christians to discernment, and publishing houses, printers and
broadcasters to responsibility. He writes:

 Of course many common people really have no way of knowing. In
their trusting simplicity they are being led astray by the very
teachers whom they assume are instructing them in truth. The
laity look to them for life while being led to the slaughter, or
at least to impotence.

 The stark truth is that multitudes are being deluded to believe
a lie. They are being deceived by the very ones they thought had
only their best interests in mind. There has been an insidious
infiltration of the church by men and women whose work and words
spell its destruction. (pg. 4)

 In recent years all kinds of sensational and fictional stories
have circulated purporting to prove the fulfillment of Bible
prophecies. A popular fantasy on in the 1970s was the story of
the "Belgium Beast." Popular Christian speakers and writers told
of a three-stories-high computer in Brussels that contained in
its memory the name of every living person. By implication, it
could spit out an identification number for each one. It was seen
to be a fulfillment of Revelation 13 as part of the Antichrist's
plot to give each person his mark. In August 1976, Christian Life
magazine published the following news item:

"Dr. Hendrick Elderman, chief analyst for the Common Market Con-
federacy, announced recently that a computerized restoration plan
is already underway in Brussels, according to the Altoona (Pa.)
Mirror. 'The Beast' is a gigantic computer that takes up three
floors at the Administration Building of Market  headquarters.
This self-programming unit has over 100 sensing input sources.
Computer experts have been working on a plan to computerize all
world trade. This master plan involves a digital numbering system
for every human on earth for all buying and selling. The number
would be invisibly 'laser-tatooed' on the forehead or the back of
the hand, and would show up under an infra-red scanner to be
placed at all check-out counters and places of business."

 Dr. Eldeman suggested that by using three sets of six-digital
units, the entire world could be assigned a working credit card
number. Credit notes would be exchanged through a World Bank
Clearing Center. (pg. 14)

 With its publication in Christian Life, the Belgium Beast took
on the status of fact and became grist for radio and TV sermons.

 In reality, the Belgium Beast was the product of the imagination
of Joe Musser, who wrote the novel, Behold a Pale Horse. In
November 1976, Musser wrote to Christian Life:

 "'Beast' Is Yet To Come  -- The item referring to a computer
'Beast,' a confederacy of Common Market nations, and laser tat-
tooing for a world-wide numbering system (People and Events,
August) is based on fictional portrayals of end time events,
drawing from my novel, Behold a Pale Horse (Zondervan), and a
screenplay I wrote for the David Wilkerson film, The Rapture. For
more than three years I have heard my story ideas circulated as
fact. Perhaps, in light of what's happening in the world today,
items such as the one printed seem quite plausible. However, for
the moment, they are fiction. Joe Musser, Rockford, Ill."

 The publication and promotion of fantasies can never spread the
truth. The practice destroys Christians' credibility and encour-
ages skepticism about the Gospel. Questionable, curious, undocu-
mented, unverified information should never be printed. The truth
of God cannot be promoted by a lie. There are dangers to the
dating game.

GRF

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