Jack Van Impe- The Cardinal Sensationalist and Date Setter

In the early 1990’s I wrote Dr. Van Impe a letter which was followed up by two brothers in the Lord and all were not returned. The letters requested Van Impe’s interpretation of Ezekiel 38:13- “Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of TARSHISH, and all their young lions”. In truth this is a prophecy chapter of Ezekiel but not in the way Van Impe portrayed it. He took the word, Tarshish, and applied that to Great Britain but without logical expplanation. In fact, Tarshish in Hebrew related to a place in Southern Spain and the only way Van Impe could have gotten England as its meaning is by way of a reference to Herbert W. Armstrong. Van Impe refused to remove his interpretation even in the light of biblical evidence to the contrary. Both me and my brothers in Christ had researched several Hebrew Lexicons with none revealing Great Britain as the meaning of the word Tarshish.

Van Impe began on very solid biblical grounds but along the way he partnered with the Roman Catholic Church and urged the church at large to return to Rome. In addition he began to predict dates of the Lord’s return beginning in the 1980’s right up to the present. “Of that day and hour NO ONE knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only”- Matthew 24:36. “It shall be one day which is known to the Lord”- Zechariah 14:7. “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority”- Acts 1:7.

Van Impe is a preacher of sensationalism with words of aliens in the heavens and flying saucers and he markets his sensationalism to an adoring public. He has backed off his date setting of late but his predictions have come and gone without fulfillment. He had spoken all those dates presumptiously. You see people seem to have a preoccupation with the end times and Van Impe capitalizes on each and every opportunity that comes his way. With his attachment to Rome the walking Bible has evolved into the walking aporcrypha and all this is quite sad to behold.

We ask for prayer for Jack Van Impe that he will cease his date setting and sensationalism not to mention his attachment to Rome and repent of those actions.