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Fire in My Bones, by J. Lee Grady

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Calm Down! The World Isn't Ending on Sept. 23
10:00AM EDT 9/13/2017
J. Lee Grady

I'm not surprised that another doomsday prophet has predicted the end of the world. (Getty Images/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Kontrec)
We are drowning in bad news these days. We've experienced a divisive presidential election, a wave of racial violence, a solar eclipse and two devastating hurricanes. If that's not bad enough, North Korea's dictator is threatening to fry the United States with his nuclear missiles.

So I'm not surprised that another doomsday prophet has predicted the end of the world.

This time it's a "researcher" named David Meade, author of a book called Planet X—The 2017 Arrival. He has marked his calendar for Sept. 23, and he says that's the day the world will end.

Meade says a hidden planet called Nibiru will crash into Earth that day. (Never mind that Nibiru hasn't been detected on any telescopes.) Meade also claims he has Bible passages to back up his outrageous theory. So because he can "prove" his prediction from Scripture, many Christians are spreading his loopy ideas.

Meade believes the Aug. 21 solar eclipse indicated the ghost planet's arrival. He has no scientific evidence of this oncoming collision, but he cites Isaiah 13:9: "See, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate, and He shall destroy its sinners out of it."

Conspiracy theorists like Meade have been spreading rumors about a planet called Nibiru for more than 40 years. They claim it is inhabited by a race of ancient aliens who came to Earth thousands of years ago to mine for gold. Meade says the world will end on Sept. 23, 2017 because the date is somehow encoded in both the Bible and the Egyptian pyramids.

I cringe when I hear that Christians are falling for this hoax. I can't compete with this doomsday madness, but I can offer an appeal for sanity. Here are three reasons why you shouldn't believe or spread Meade's prediction:

It is a false prophecy. Jesus Himself said all end-times date setting is strictly off-limits. He told His disciples on the day He ascended: "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority" (Acts 1:8, NASB). Matthew 24:36 says the date of Christ's return is known only by the Father. If it is not for us to know, then how does David Meade know? Only the worst form of spiritual pride would lead a person to claim such knowledge.
Failed date-setting has discredited Christians many times before. Why can't we learn from history? William Miller, the father of Seventh-day Adventism, was convinced Jesus would return in 1844. When his prediction turned out to be bogus, many disillusioned "Millerites" abandoned their faith.


Jehovah's Witnesses taught that Jesus would begin His millennial reign in 1914. When that didn't happen, they pointed to the outbreak of World War I and began teaching that this was the "beginning of the end." A few years later they moved the date to 1925. Nothing happened that year, but more than a generation later they circulated the prediction that the world would end in 1975. (They also taught that only Jehovah's Witnesses would survive a global holocaust.)

Recent history is littered with more of these embarrassing predictions. It hasn't been that long since Edgar Whisenant, a Christian layman, wrote 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988. Millions of believers bought that paperback book. Other Christians have made similar predictions—such as the Y2K scare in 1999 or Harold Camping's infamous warning that the world would end on May 21, 2011.

End-times date-setting hinders the cause of Christ. It's wrong-headed and irresponsible for any Christian to tell an unbeliever when Jesus is coming back or when the world will end. That's not the message we were commissioned to preach. Dates and deadlines don't have the power to save souls—only the gospel can do that.
When we share Christ with others, we don't need to provide a date for His Second Coming. Instead, we should tell them about the miracle of Calvary and remind them: "Today is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). Hundreds of thousands of people die every day without Jesus, whether or not He returns in their generation. This alone should motivate us to avoid foolish distractions and false prophecies so we can get busy with the task of evangelism.

Our job is to preach the good news—not the bad news!

All the storms, floods, fires, earthquakes, riots, political tension, terrorism and nuclear attacks have put fear and anxiety in people's hearts today. But the answer to all this bad news is not a doomsday prediction; the answer is Jesus, who gives us supernatural peace so we can live securely in a chaotic world.

J. Lee Grady was editor of Charisma for 11 years before he launched into full-time ministry in 2010. Today he directs The Mordecai Project, a Christian charitable organization that is taking the healing of Jesus to women and girls who suffer abuse and cultural oppression. Author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, he has just released his newest book, Set My Heart on Fire, from Charisma House. You can follow him on Twitter at @LeeGrady or go to his website, themordecaiproject.org.

This is what happens when people try to read the Bible like a newspaper.  Or let me rephrase....when people try to read just a few verses and treat them like a newspaper.  When they watch the news then try to make verses fit.

Jehovahs Witnesses had even more dates for the beginning of Armageddon than mentioned by OP.  After alibiing each they later claim to have never made any such predictions.  For the failed 1914 prediction they stole an idea from the Millerites and claimed that the event actually happened but it was on the heavenly version of earth not the earthly version of earth so that's why people didn't notice it.

The response is as bad as the original article.

Yes the guy in the original article is a kook, but there is some fulfilment of Revelation 12 in a few days. How the following verses are fulfilled after is anyone's guess: 

If I was to take this literally, I would still be wondering because there are not 12 stars, the supposed crown includes stars and planets.  I have not followed a bit of this.  What is the understanding of this discrepancy?

I will say that I have heard reference to Virgo being referenced to the Virgin Mary. But, I do not know enough to argue or speculate.


Astronomy has been utilized before. The Christmas Star for example.

Her the 46 stars on the Tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe corespond with the stars of the winter solstice in 1531. Or Dec 12th 1531 the exact day the tilma was "created".

46 stars

In the world before telescopes, planets were simply wandering stars. 

BTW one of the major things about this particular alignment is that Jupiter has been in the womb of Virgo for 9 months, since UN Resolution 2334 happened. 

This relates to the Hebrew Mazzaroth, which is the 'Gospel in the stars'. The real "star" is Jesus, which is often represented by Jupiter (which coincidentally, is striped and pierced with a wound in it's side). 

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So what exactly is supposed to happen on the 23?

Revelation 12:1-2. You can see Venus in the morning sky already, along with Regulus, Mercury and Mars depending on the light pollution in your area. 

I'm not setting dates for the rapture dude. Some are, but many are not. Without the fulfillment of v. 3-4 being clear, I don't think we can say v.5 will happen next. 

Revelation 12 has been historically the primary scripture for the pre-tribulation rapture. 

I have no idea. I only saw this on ARFCOM. Which is surprising since my mother usually lets me know through the Catholic Charismatic movement.

Yes, and I would hope no one would set a date...but on the 24th, what can you say happened?  Was something initiated?  Did the stars just line up like you expected?  What is your interpretation of the purpose in this?

I thought that dispensationalist followed a timeline from chapter to chapter.  Why are we starting with 12, what about the 2 witnesses? They happen in 11. And all the trumpets and seals.  I honestly don't know.  I learned all I know about the timeline from the left behind series...seriously.

So, were is rapture exactally stated in the Bible? Not trying to be obtuse.

Rapture is the Greek term for " to be caught up".  It is used in 1Thessalonians 4:17.  So in Greek the word is there.  No debate on that part.  Everyone agrees that at some point Christians will be taken up.  However, a secret rapture, where Jesus comes back, takes Christians and leaves non Christians, for 7 years of worse and worse calamities until He comes again to sit on a throne in Israel for 1000 years, is what people usually mean when they say the Rapture.  Others can probably explain that view better than me.  So when you ask where Rapture is in the Bible, there the word is...in Greek.  Where the secret Rapture is? M1975 will be a better person to ask than me.

Thank you. I will research it more. I always hear about it. But that is the one thing I really don't worry about. I habe no control over.

Exactly what shade of retardation does one need to suffer from to believe the world is coming to end end on Sept. 23rd? 

Yep, same here.

I think it's Hydra, not Leo, refereed to in Rev.12. Hydra is the one with 7 heads and 7 crowns. Making the timing for a 9-23 date incorrect.

The Scriptures having to do with the regathering of our Father's children from the farthest parts of the heavens are mistakenly assumed to be a pre-trib rapture.
Moses referred to this as the greater exodus. The book of Deuteronomy is heavy with end time prophecy from Moses. He addresses it to those that are here (at that time), and also those that are not here. All the Father's children living at that time were there. So it was also addressed to those through the end time.

we will come back on the 24th  and post about it

because only the Father knows

Don't bet the farm on Revelation being linear. Many see Revelation 12 as an overview and not being part of a strict linear fulfillment. There's also the fact that the entire book is a chiasm with Satan being cast down as the central point. 


Don't be like the Jews the first time and get locked into a traditional interpretation with a set fulfilment, only to miss the whole thing. The only timeline that matters is God's. 

The "secret rapture" is largely a straw man argument these days made by people looking to profit off of bad history documentaries. Pre-trib doctrine is not dependent on the rapture being secret. It was an idea proposed a long time ago because of a view that if the world saw the rapture happen, they would repent and make the judgement moot. Nowadays the rapture could be on the evening news and people probably wouldn't care for the most part. 

As for pre-trib itself, Revelation 12 is historically the primary passage in support of pre-trib, since the child is snatched away (harpazo) before the woman (Jews) are persued by the Dragon (world system) for 1260 days + 3.5 years = 7 years = Daniel's 70th Week. 

The chiastic structure you showed from Rev. 12 is in perfect agreement with the greater exodus, prophesied by Moses.

Rev. 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

She (the bride) fled to the wilderness, not to Heaven, just like in the 1st exodus. Egypt was the world system at the time. The children of Israel were protected in the wilderness until entering the land, which is a foreshadow of the coming Kingdom, that will be in a new Jerusalem, not in Heaven above.

Throughout the Bible, those taken away, are always taken away to destruction.

Luke 17:36 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left. 37 And answering they said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”

I want to be LEFT BEHIND!

Dude, look into the Greek in that text. it doesn't work out like you think it will. It's also not consistent with other rapture texts like 1 Thessalonians 4-5. It's not even speaking of the rapture, but the tribulation (like Matthew 24 is). 

First off, a dude is an Eastern city feller that visits the West, or a California surfer type, I'm neither.

The end of 1 Thes. 4 is about the 2nd coming of our Messiah, after the greater exodus into the wilderness, where our Father protects His children during the tribulation. Then He regathers them to the coming Kingdom, the new Jerusalem, from the farthest ends of the heavens.

You really should study our Father's 7 Holy days to get an understanding of the end times. Four have been fulfilled by Yeshua at His 1st coming, but the three Fall Feasts are yet to be fulfilled. The next one will be Yom Teruah (the Feast of Trumpets) which one of the Hebrew meanings of this Feast day is the day only YHVH knows. Also study the regathering of both houses in the Tanach (Old Testament).

First off, dude, it's not the second coming because in 1 Thess 4-5 those who are born-again are snatched-up: 

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up (harpazo) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

So how is it the 2nd coming if we're snatched up and meet Him in the air, rather than Him returning? These subtle differences matter. 

God forbid you be counted with those heathen on the west and east coasts. 

First off I do know the difference between Historic Pre Mil and dispensation all premil.  And I always get a kick out of that being a secret Rapture verse.  What's secret about decending with a shout and trumpet?  I guess the timing could be secret but it won't be quiet when it happens. We are told in Acts that Jesus will return in the same manner that He left.  So, decending from a cloud.  In 1 Thess we see that He is decending.  It also says we will be caught up to meet Him.  So what do we do next?  Three options.  We either hang out in the air until He is ready to come yet again, He turns back around and we make a full trip to "heaven " and He goes with us, or We meet Him in the air and follow Him to Judgement day on Earth. That verse doesn't tell us.  if someone that you Love dearly is coming to be with you after you have waited thousands of years and when they get to the start of your driveway and you see them, would it be unheard of for you to meet them halfway and walk with them as they finish their trip to your house?  That would be the way that I read it.

It is kindof my pet theory that enough of these blood moon, September 23rd, etc... type theories will come and go that people will be no longer pay attention, and that is when Christ will come.


I say that as somebody who isn't opposed to predicting an event and applying a date based on study of the scriptures, because at least you are looking and contemplating the scriptures and are keeping your lamp trimmed.

Again,  the "secret rapture" is largely a straw man. 

Explain what you mean by " the secret rapture is pretty much a straw man". Are you saying it is easily rebuked?  I know of a fair amount of people who are historic premillennialism, they don't believe in a secret rapture, so that is not a premillennialism requirement.  I also know a LOT more people who do believe in it though.  Not  trying to argue, just confused by your statement.

Guys like Joel Schimmel, who made a pretty bad "documentary" with very poor history, and little intellectual honesty, try to get a lot of mileage from turning the "secret rapture" into a scare word, when it isn't even required to believe in pre-trib. So in that sense it has become a straw man argument. 

We were told none would know when the world is ending except the Father. So anyone that claims to know I tend to think is full of shit

Before Christ went to the cross. 

BTW, that may have been a Hebrew idiom for a Jewish feast. 

Something that's worse than Y2K.

Thanks Capt Obvious,  but my dog already clued me in.

You're right. That set apart Feast Day, given to us by our Father, is today. It's called Yom Teruah(the Day of the awakening blast), or The Feast of Trumpets. It was also called "The Day only the Father knows", because it occurs on the new moon, which couldn't be 100% predictable on what day it would occur at the time.

Are the GD idiots still starting threads on this in hopes of baiting Christians into making fools of themselves?  I noticed more than one, even after there was a "dupe" call.  

It's just trolling of another sort with an opportunity to bash Christians.

?? I don't understand. Are you saying I am trolling? Because this is not the case.

I haven't noticed it either, on this thread anyway.

It would be kind of a relief if it did end. I'm pretty much over this entire world.
God smited Sodom and Gomorrah for less. This is a Godless world we live in. There are these tiny precious treasures of humanity.. walking saints, that make taking another breath bearable.

I know what you mean. But, I am still happy your around to be a prayer warrior! AF

Good read. 
When Jesus asks his audience what they thought the owner would do in response, they replied that he would put the men to a
wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who would give
him the produce at the proper time. Obviously, they did not realize that
in the parable the Lord was actually describing them, and that such a judgment would be upon them unless they repented.
This is not merely a story told to illustrate a moral point. It had an actual historical fulfillment and remains a “real-world
scenario” even today. The vineyard set forth with love and great care
was Israel. God was the landowner, who gave them the land, protected
them with His law, and sustained them with His love and providence. The
servants who called for the fruits represented the prophets. Jesus
Himself is the son whom they kill. Even in spite of this crime, God
allowed Israel 40 biblical years to repent and come to believe in Him,
sending forth apostles, evangelists, and teachers to convince them.
Still, there was a collective and obstinate refusal to believe in Jesus,
the Messiah sent to save. So, in A.D. 70, God permitted the unrepentant
people to wage a foolish war against the Romans. The result was that
the Romans conquered Jerusalem, utterly destroying it and the Temple.
According to Josephus, 1.2 million Jewish people lost their lives in
that terrible war.
The parable was a true warning of the destruction that was sure to come unless repentance and faith replaced the obstinate
refusal to obey and believe. It is tragic that things were so bad that
God had to act drastically in order to reset the moral and spiritual
order, to and save even a few.

Don't give up. C.S. Lewis described Christians as spies or commandos behind enemy lines. Every decent act, every soul saved is a thumb in the eye of the ruler of this world.