Matthew 24

32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

 

36“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41“Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

Background: This of course is the Olivet discourse, where Jesus is with His disciples and He is giving them final instructions about the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD (Luke’s account) and the Abomination of Desolation in the Temple during the Tribulation period (Matthews account). This is an interesting study in itself because in Luke 21:12 He says “before” these things and in Matthew 24:29 He says “after” these things, indicating two different times of destruction of Jerusalem, one in the past and one in the future.  

Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets.  – Amos 3:7

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. – Proverbs 25:2

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;  – John 5:39

1.  One explanation of why people can know the day and the hour is because, this saying applied to those hearing these words at that specific time but this doesn’t apply to us now. Those hearing Jesus’ words at that time did not know the day or the hour, even the Angels didn’t know, only God knew.

Of course the disciples didn’t understand so many things that Jesus said … that He had to suffer on a cross for sin, be buried and resurrected … even though He told them this on many occasions. They were looking for a Messiah King to take out Rome and set up a Millennium Kingdom, which He will said he was NOT doing at that time. 

This is the verse everyone seems “to know” by saying “no one can know” when someone wants to discuss the nearness of Jesus’ return but the Greek word used for “knows” is εiδω and it is in the perfect active tense.  This means “no one can know” should be rendered as “no one has seen” the revelation of this event up to that point in time.   Jesus is communicating “end time events” to the disciples who do not truly understand the order of events that are coming.  Jesus is yet to be crucified, buried, raised, and ascended.  Jesus explains that no “one has seen” the time of the end, because it is not occurring at that time until after His resurrection and the coming Church Age.  Jesus is not restoring the kingdom as they are hoping He will at that time.  Jesus is trying to drive that point home.  He is not intending the message for us in the future to not know and see what He has clearly revealed.  His message is to the disciples who do not understand.  No disciple has seen what Jesus just explained because it is still in the future, past their life times.

I am one of the few who thinks that Jesus refers to the Rapture of the Church in the Olivet discourse.  In the Luke account Jesus is addressing the the current Jews and future Christians about the 70 AD destruction and He is also addressing the Tribulation period.  In the Matthew account Jesus is addressing both Christians about the time before the Tribulation and the Rapture, and He is addressing future Jews and Tribulation Saints.  I think where the reference that there will be “two in the field and the one is taken”, is that one is taken in the Rapture and the one is left behind who is not a “born again” believer of the Church body and that person will go into the seven year Tribulation period.

And these days are like Noah, very, very few really believe that Jesus is coming for His Bride the Church on September 21-23, 2017.  They think life like usual will go on forever on planet earth but we can sense and see the earth groaning for it’s redemption as severe weather conditions intensity and we can see sinful man’s desire to establish his own peace and safety, a Global New World Order, apart from God is at an all time high on earth … while the Church and it’s influence on the culture is at an all time low.

2.  Like I said, the disciples at first didn’t really understand Jesus.  It was only after they were baptized with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, that these timid disciples were transformed with new understanding that amazed the Scribes and Pharisees and they gained the boldness and the power to proclaim the gospel of Christ.

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. – John 16:13

The Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth … well don’t you think a wedding date is some truth that a Groom would want to share with His Bride.  And I will cover this point more later in this article.

“But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.” – Daniel 12:4

Then there is Daniel prophecy that in the last days knowledge will increase … this means both knowledge of earthly things, like DNA and prophetic knowledge will increase so Christians can understand the end times.

Knowledge has also increased so that today we understand the movement of the planets and we have developed computer programs that can map out their orbits and determine things like when the Revelation 12 sign will appear in the sky. The phrase “Many will go back and forth” is not a reference to travel but I think it is a reference to the way ideas, information and opinions travel back and forth on the Internet and make the availability and the access to knowledge easily obtainable.

An increased amount of prophetic knowledge to discern God’s truth has brought an increased sense of joy of the Lord, like when I was first saved.  This has me relying on the “paraclete”, the voice of the Holy Spirit within me that is assuring me Jesus is coming in just a few day more than the voices of the parakeets who are echoing the phase “No one knows the day of the hour”.  If I am wrong and Jesus tarries, I will always have this time of joy to remember. 

3.  The Jewish wedding custom is a picture of the Rapture of the Church, we are the Bride of Christ. This is such a beautiful analogy where the groom goes to to prepare a place for his bride as an addition onto the Father’s house and he can’t go get His bride until his father approves the place. When someone would ask the groom when was the wedding he would say “No one knows the day or the hour except the father”.

But eventually, the groom would know the day and he would convey to his wedding party the day and the arrangements for the wedding and the feast would be made.  Of course the bride and brides maids would see these signs of preparation and they would gather together in anticipation for the groom’s arrival. Then suddenly at the shout in the street from someone in the wedding party and at the sound of the trump the groom would catch up the bride in the air and carry her to the wedding Chuppah, an open wedding canopy.  There they would exchange their vows and then they would retire to consummate their marriage, which lasts 7 days while the wedding party feasts and celebrates.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 1 Thessalonians 4:16

So you see the Jewish wedding is a beautiful analogy of the wedding of Jesus to the Church.

4.  The festival of Rosh Hashanah is the appointed time for the Rapture of the Church, the other festivals have been fulfilled after the cross and this is the next event of major prophetic importance. Then you will have Yom Kippur which will be fulfilled at Armageddon, 7 years later after the Rapture.  Then you will have the fulfillment of the final Feast of Tabernacles during the 1,000 year Millennium period.  Then you have the New Heaven and the New Earth.

If you consider the fact that a day to the Lord is like 1,000 years and you consider that the time for sinful man to walk the fact of the earth will be like the 7 days of creation, then you have a 7,000 year timeline to complete the time of sinful man, before making a resurrected “new” earth on the 8th day … in a similar way that Jesus arose on the 8th day … Sunday.  With that being the case if you subtract 1,000 years for the Millennium and 7 years for the Tribulation then the last year for the fullness of the Gentiles is the year 5993 since creation.  If this is the year 5993, which from my research this is very likely, then this is the year of the Rapture!

Notice, Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour …. and since the September 23, 2017 sign has come and gone, this is proving to be true.  However, Jesus didn’t say that no one knows the year.  Is this the year 5993?  Jesus also didn’t say that no one knows the season.  The New Testament feast events were fulfilled by Jesus’ death and resurrection.  The middle feast of weeks was fulfilled by the arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentacost.  It makes very good sense that the last three feasts will be fulfilled by end time events of the “Day of the Lord”.  The Rapture nad start of the Tribulation the feast of Trumpets, the end of the Tribulation on the Day of Atonement and the beginning of the Millennium on the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Feast of Rosh Hashanah is also known as the “blowing of trumpets” … how appropriate.  It is also the beginning of “new” year and the Church will get a “new” body.  Now, the Jewish New year begins when the new moon is first spotted, when the smallest crescent of light appears, which begins the month of Tishri 1.  However, the blowing of the Trumpets begins when two witnesses and have a crescent of light on the moon is large enough to give light to earth, usually on the 2nd day of Tishri.  So no one really knows the day or the hour until these two witnesses declare the new year, which is called the “Twinkling of the Eye”.   

Isn’t it interesting that born again believers have a deposit of light, a crescent of light,  the Holy Spirit but when we are transformed at the Rapture we will have the fullness of Christ’s light within us and a New Resurrected body too!

Another inserting thing is the trumpet is blown 100 times when the new moon is confirmed, beginning the fall month of Tishri 1.  I think the Church will be taken at this trump blast of the trump on Sept 21^st but some think we will be raptured on Sept 23rd, the fulfillment of the Great Sign.  But there is also good reason to believe we will be raptured on Friday, Sept 22nd because Friday is the day of “Venus” the bright and morning star, which is the sign of Jesus coming, while Thursday is Jupiter’s day, which represents Jesus the suffering Messiah and Reigning King.  Of course, Sunday, the 24th, day of the resurrection may be the appointed day and time of the rapture. Someone pointed out that Jupiter and Saturn (which represents Satan) have been in conjunction exactly 100 times since the birth of Jesus.

5.  As I said, I believe Jesus knew the day and the hour of His return but He used this phrase “no one knows the day or the hour” as a custom when speaking about coming for His Bride the Church.  When you have a “three in One” trinity of three distinct persons all with the same knowledge, it is illogical to say that they don’t all know the same thing or that one knows and the other two don’t know or two know and the other one doesn’t know.  It just doesn’t make sense because it violates the definition of the Trinity.  The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are in perfect agreement and cooperation at all the time and they have full knowledge of the past, present and future of all things at all times since they are outside of time.  Jesus in the flesh, did deny His divine rights and it’s hard to understand what He did know or didn’t know, especially as tiny baby, but it’s clear that Jesus knows now.

Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” – John 21:22

Jesus told Peter that John would abide and see His coming, which John did when he had the vision and wrote the book of Revelation. John knew the day of the Lord would occur at the time the Great Sign appeared in Heaven.  And now the Great sign will appear on September 21-23, 2017.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. – Revelation 1:3

Jesus tells us to read the book of Revelation and get a blessing! What greater blessing is there than to understand the time of His appearing?

6.  Now we have all the instruction and admonition of the Lord, through the words of Paul.

Do not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. – Hebrews 10:25

This is clear instruction that we will “see the the signs that the Lord’s return is near” and we will know that it is time to draw near to one another and encourage one another that Jesus’ coming for His Bride is near.  And the sign that the world is ready for it’s redemption is seen in the evidence of “extreme” weather patterns, floods, fires and winds.  The sign that the love of man has grown cold toward God is at an all time high as people protest in the street for their immoral desires to be legalized and for a Global New World Order to be established.  And then of course there is the Great Sign in the sky, the configuration of stars foretold for us that signifies the “rapture” of the Church.  According to God’s word, we should be drawing close to one another and discussing these things in the church, even if we don’t understand them.  Yet, though many desire the return of the Lord, they don’t really desire to spend the time studying these sign and discussing them in a light of the fulfillment of scripture that is happening right before our eyes.

Thess 5:1,4,6 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should over take you as a thief. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober

 

He only comes as thief to the dead church: Rev 3:1-3

 

To the Lukewarm church: Rev 3:14-17/Rev 16:15

 

As a thief to the evil servant: Matt 24:48-50

 

As a thief to the foolish virgins: Matt 25:11-13

There are so many verses that tell us to watch and be ready. And I think the foolish bridesmaids where ones who were not even saved … they were just playing church. They went to get the Holy Spirit oil after the Rapture but this isn’t going to be possible.  I believe God will continue to save people of course during the Tribulation period but His means will be appropriate for that time period.  The bottom line is that you don’t want to be here during this time of Jacob’s trouble and you don’t need to be.  Now is the time for the unsaved to be saved and for the saved to be looking up for their redemption drawth neigh.

For the Christians who don’t understand or agree that Great Sign of Revelation 12 is the marker of Christ’s return for His Bride … that is OK. There will be Christians who receive much greater reward in Heaven for their faithfulness on earth than those who are following this sign at this time, like the wise man followed the Star of Bethlehem.  And doesn’t it make sense that as the Lord put signs in the Heavens for His first coming as a baby, He would put signs in the Heavens for His return?  Yes, of course and the Bethlehem Star appeared again June 2015 to heard the good news of Christ’s return and the Revelation 12 sign occurs September 2017.  The pattern of His first appearing is repeated for His second appearing.  Yes, the Signs are everywhere but signs cannot save you only Jesus can save you.

In the things of prophecy we are called to Liberty but in the things of the gospel we are called to Unity and in all things love.”

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven– Ecclesiastics 3:1

‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
Jeremiah 33:3

Our God is a God of order and reason. He has an appointed time for everything and from all the evidence and research I have done, I believe this is this appointed time for the fullness of the Gentiles and the day of the Lord to begin.  My deepest desire like God’s, is that no man should perish and it is going to be much more difficult to see through the deception of the world once the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit in the Church is gone and only unbelievers are left behind.  Today is the day of salvation!  

for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION “–  2 Corinthians 6:2

Here is Robert Breaker explaining the saying “No Man Knoweth the Day of the Hour”.

Blessings brothers and sister in the name of Jesus Christ … Come Maranatha Come

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