Saddleback Church lead pastor Rick Warren shot down rumors that he had any eschatological intentions when he posted a picture of Monday’s (April 15) lunar eclipse to his Facebook earlier this week.
“Friends, when I recently posted a Bible verse with a picture of Monday night’s blood I was NOT making a prediction about the timing of Jesus’ return. It would be foolish to do that,” wrote Warren. “The color of the moon just reminded me of Acts 2:20, (The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.)”
Without referring to John Hagee by name, a Texas megachurch pastor who recently authored Four Blood Moons: Something Is About to Change, which implies that the lunar eclipse correlates with End Times related activities, specifically tied to Israel, Warren spoke out against those trying to read into the natural phenomena.
“The Bible clearly says that NO ONE can figure out the timing of Jesus’ return. It’s a waste of time. In fact, if anyone claims to know the date, you can be certain it WON’T occur on THAT date – because Jesus said ‘NO ONE knows the day nor hour it will happen!'” wrote Warren. “In fact, Jesus admitted that even HE did not know the date of his return! (Only the Father knows.) It WILL happen someday, regardless of scoffers, but it is a waste of time trying to figure out the date. To attempt to figure out something that even Jesus admitted he didn’t know – is pure arrogance.”
Warren backed up his argument and pointed references in Matthew 24:36-37 and 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 as explicitly denying that anyone could decipher when Christ might return.
“If you are looking for a specific sign to happen before Jesus returns, here it is from Jesus himself: ‘This Gospel of my Kingdom (Good News) MUST FIRST be preached throughout the ENTIRE WORLD, as a testimony to EVERY NATION so EVERYONE hears it, and THEN FINALLY, the end will come.’ Matthew 24:14,” wrote Warren.
The recent co-author of the diet book, The Daniel Plan , then turned his reference to the Great Commission into a promotion for Saddleback’s “The Final Frontier Project,” an initiative by the Southern California megachurch to share the Gospel globally.Warren also argued that churches had a duty to simultaneously share the Gospel at the local and international level: “It is not a sin to be a small church but it is a sin to have a small vision.”
“It is interesting that the last topic the disciples wanted to talk about before Jesus ascended back to heaven was prophecy and future events, But Jesus changed the subject! . (Acts 1:6-8)
Jesus was far more interested in evangelism and missions than prophecy!” wrote Warren. “We should be too! Instead of teaching about “last things” Jesus changed the subject. Jesus essentially said ‘IT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS to figure out the future. INSTEAD I want you to go be witnesses to the entire world.'”
Editors Comment:
Some very good commentary from Pastor Rick, pity it’s only partly the truth.
Here’s Rick’s Version of Matthew 24
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take no care for the morrow, no man needs to know the hour or the day, instead take this gospel to all nations….
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Sounds great doesnt it! I mean here is a man like Noah who is getting the job done!
How foolish! We ignore prophecy at our own peril!
Now lets read some of Matthew 24 again as written in the gospel writings itself.
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Conclusion:
The point is, evangelism and the need to preach the gospel should be in the light of prophecy, the coming destruction, and our Lord’s SOON return! They are two cords bound together making the one rope – warning every man and teaching every man God’s wrath will be the reward of the ungodly, and prophecy is part of this instruction!
Otherwise there is no urgency, we see no need for anyone to ‘flee from the wrath to come’ Instead our evangelism just becomes a glib appeal from lukewarm churches to come to Jesus….
Rick Warren’s sideswipe at prophecy buffs, is his veiled way of saying the world has always been, the latest phenomena are nothing new, the moons are not end times. It’s suits Rick Warren’s own version of end times, to say the moons are meaningless, because his Jesus won’t come back until the gospel has been preached and churches like Saddleback usher in Christ’s Kingdom on earth!
2 Peter 3
…3Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” 5For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water 6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance
Romans 4:5
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Let us not have a form of Christian Schizophrenia. The scriptures are clear.
Gen 1:14
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years
The stars and the heavenly bodies are signs to us to get ready, for the end is nigh!
According to NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenak, the blood moon will be visible in North America three more times between now and September 2015, including on Oct. 8, followed by April 4 and Sept. 28 of next year.
Source:
Coercion Code - "Dark Times are upon us" 
the end times is not preached in many apostate churches,so many christians have no idea about the prophecies of the end times, or what to even look for.Yes we are to evangelise and share the true gospel, which is not the one Warren shares.But we should also be able to give to those seeking answers to what’s happening in our world, why it is happening.And point them to scripture to do with it.Because the bible prophecies many a thing to do with these days.What Warren and like minded so called christians are doing in essence, is helping the antichrist come to power.Because they are fullfilling the scriptures to do with the great falling away,and the many false prophets etc.So by their unbiblical doctrines and bringing the world into their churches, their sin is what will bring Yeshua back sooner than they think or even want him too. How many of these filthy rich apostate churches, even want him to come back soon.How many of them enjoy the limelight, the glory, the celebrity materialistic lifestyle they have been having due to preaching false doctrine, that him coming back would stop all of that.How many would rather keep having that lifestyle than him come back.There are many signs to usher his second coming,just as there were signs to usher in his first, the bible clearly shows.So if we are to preach the gospel in season and out, we should be preaching the whole gospel,and that includes preaching about the end times .But man doesn’t want to face the reality he will still be judged for his sins, if he never repents.So the second coming of Yeshua to many christians, isn’t as great to preach about, as showing people his first.I preach both. Because My Yeshua is a God of love, but he is also a God of wrath too,and to preach him as just being one kind of God, ie just a God of love,or just a God of wrath, is preaching a false gospel and false God.And by doing that, you don’t do him justice at all.
Good Questions Warrior,
How many of these filthy rich apostate churches, even want him to come back soon? How many of them enjoy the limelight, the glory, the celebrity materialistic lifestyle they have been having due to preaching false doctrine, that him coming back would stop all of that? How many would rather keep having that lifestyle than him come back?
The question for ALL is:- Have I repented of all known things that grieve the Holy Spirit; of sin, the world and the devil. Are my garments spotless, or do I allow some stains here and there?
I understand your drift, and do not get me wrong, but isn’t it mentioned in scripture that only a fool would look forward to those days?
Sorry Mark,
Which scripture would that be, or which bible for that matter?
For anyone to say the blood-moons presence is, or isn’t a sign of end times is nothing but personal speculation. From what I interpret from scripture, the presence of the blood moons could very well be a sign, and I could word it out that it is indeed a sign. The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood before the coming, . . . During this eclipse, the sun is dark to those that see a red moon; and to my knowledge, the Christ has not returned yet! Does this mean that in fact it is, . . No! Therefore for one to say it isn’t, would be the same as the one who would search for the hour and day of Christ’s return. I believe the term was “arrogant!”