Can anyone set a date for the return of Christ?
No one can know the exact day or hour of Christ's return, since Scripture plainly states that only the Father knows it; still, the timeline and season of His coming can be discerned through prophetic events and genealogies.
Scripture is direct on this point. Jesus Himself said, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (Matthew 24:36). This means that setting an exact date, a specific day and hour, for the Lord's return is not something anyone can rightly claim to do, because even the angels do not know it. The emphasis is clear that this knowledge belongs to the Father alone.
At the same time, it is affirmed that the Scriptures provide genealogies and prophetic events that establish dates and timelines which help believers understand where they stand in relation to that coming. Calculations based on these dates, events, and genealogies can show things such as how long it has been since Christ's first coming, but this is different from naming the exact day of His return. The stated aim is not to claim to know the exact day of the Lord's return, but to help believers recognize the season and the signs pointing toward it.
Because the hour is unknown, believers are told to watch and be ready rather than try to calculate a precise date. "Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" and "be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 24:42, 44). The call is to readiness and faithfulness as a servant found doing the Lord's work when He comes, not to pinpointing a calendar date.
So while the exact day and hour cannot be known or set by anyone, the broader timeline, the general season, and the signs that precede His coming are things Scripture does allow believers to recognize and study, so they will not be caught off guard.
The scriptures
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
From the books
This answer is drawn from these passages in the Mary Banks Faith Library.