The “Know Nothing” Deception

                                                                          By Pastor F. M. Riley

    “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only,” Matthew 24:36.

    “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father,” Mark 13:32.

Introduction

    Millions of people today, especially those claiming to be “Christians,” hold as truth an idea about the Second Coming of Christ that is totally false and unscriptural; that is, that no one can know anything about the timing of the Lord’s return.  Sadly, those caught up in this error are so proud that they can quote [or misquote]the two Scripture texts given above as justification for their position. 
    However, being able to quote Scripture is not proof of anything.  Satan quotes Scripture [Matthew 4:6]but that doesn’t make Satan right.  The ability to quote Scripture only makes one right when the Scripture being quoted has been correctly understood and correctly applied.Unless the Scriptures have been “rightly divided,” 2 Timothy 2:15,  then the person quoting the Scripture is only promoting or perpetuating a falsehood or error that is not actually supported by theWord of God.  Such is the situation today regarding this unscriptural idea about the Second Coming of Christ.
    Many today who claim to be “Christians,” when confronted with the truth about the soon coming of our Lord, seek to dismiss the entire subject by saying, “No man knows the day nor the hour.”  They seem to think that just uttering this statement reveals their “superior” knowledge of God’s Word, and is therefore grounds to dismiss the whole subject.  They don’t realize that what is really being revealed is their own woeful lack of serious Bible study, and a willingness to remain in ignorance of God’s Word.  God have mercy on such gross ignorance. 
    My prayer is that this Bible study will open the eyes of some of God’s people to real  spiritual truth, and motivate them to a more faithful and diligent study of God’s Word.

Rightly Dividing the Book of Matthew

    For many centuries serious Bible students have recognized that Matthew is the one gospel out of the four gospels that was particularly written to the Jews, for the Jews, and about the Jews.  By making this statement, I mean that the emphasis in the Gospel of Matthew is on presenting the Lord Jesus Christ to the Jewish people as their promised Messiah and Savior, and on bringing the Jewish people into the kingdom of God through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.    
    This truth is made plain from the very first verse in Matthew.  The Gospel of Matthew begins with these words, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham,” Matthew 1:1.  Folks, you can’t get any more Jewish than that.  This verse is pointing out to the Jewish people that Jesus Christ Himself is the fulfillment of both the Davidic and Abrahamic Covenants, and this first verse sets the theme for the entire gospel.   
    This first verse is then immediately followed by the genealogy setting forth the ancestry of Christ.  It is then the Gospel of Matthew that confronts the Jewish people with their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, more than any of the other three gospels.  Now I want to demonstrate this truth for our readers…..

    In Matthew chapters 1 through 7, the Lord Jesus preached and ministered only to the Jewish people.  Matthew 8:5-13 contains the first record in the Gospel of Matthew of Christ ministering to a Gentile. Following this incident, Christ continued to preach and minister only to the Jews. 
    In Matthew 10:5-6 Christ chose His twelve apostles, and explicitly commanded them, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  How could the Lord get any more specific than this? 
    The very first statement in the Gospel of Matthew that gives any indication that Christ would receive anyone to Himself other than a Jew, occurs in Matthew 10:32, where the Lord said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven.”  Glory!  This promise is then amplified in 10:42, where the Lord promises a reward to “whosoever” will give even a cup of water to a little one in the name of Christ. 
    In Matthew 11:1-24, the Lord rebuked the Jews for having rejected Him.  Then in 11:28-30, the very first invitation in the Gospel of Matthew is issued to “all that labor and are heavy laden” to come to Christ.  It is at this point that the door opens to the Gentiles to come to Christ for salvation.  Up to this point in Matthew, the Lord has preached and ministered only to the Jewish people.
    In Matthew 12, the Lord appeals to the religious leaders of the Jewish people, presenting to them the credentials of the Messiah.  See Isaiah 35:5-6 and Luke 7:18-23.  But those leaders of the Jews refused to acknowledge the Lord’s credentials, and remained “stiff necked and stubborn” in their unbelief.  They then accused the Lord of being empowered by “Beelzebub the prince of the devils” [demons].  They knew full well that their accusation was not true even when they made it.  See John 3:2 and Matthew 21:38.  Thus they committed what the Lord Himself called the “unpardonable sin,” 12:31-32.  Their willful committing of the “unpardonable sin” resulted in opening wide the Lord’s ministry to the Gentiles. In 12:46-50, the Lord made it clear that from that time forward a spiritual relationship would exist between Himself and “whosoever” would do His Father’s will.  From this point, the Lord continued to minister and appeal to the Jewish people, but He also preached and ministered to the Gentiles that came to Him.  Matthew 15:21-28 is a notable example of Christ’ tender care for a grieving and believing Gentile woman.  Glory!
    The rest of the Gospel of Matthew records one confrontation after another between Christ and the religious leaders of Israel, with Christ repeatedly presenting Himself to them as the promised Messiah and Savior of Israel.  But they continued to repeatedly reject Him. 
    Finally in Matthew 23, the Lord delivered to the religious leaders of Israel the most blistering rebuke found in any of the four gospels.  They had repeatedly rejected Him as their Messiah and Savior in spite of the many “infallible proofs” He had presented right before their eyes.  It is at this point in His ministry, that Christ rejected those Jewish religious leaders, and unbelieving Israel, Matthew 23:37-39. Compare Luke 19:39-44.
   
    Throughout these first 23 chapters of the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord repeatedly appealed to the Jews to receive Him as their Messiah and Savior.  It is because God’s people today ignore this obvious truth, that some make such a mess of “interpreting” Matthew 24 – 25.  It should be obvious to any true believer that the Gospel of Matthew is primarily concerned with the relationship between Christ and the Jewish people.  Since this is the main theme of the first 23 chapters of this gospel, why should it be any different when we come to chapters 24 – 25?   Well…?? 

Rightly Dividing Matthew 24

I want to point out for our readers that Matthew 24 – 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21 are the individual accounts of the same discourse, given to the same four Jews, on the same occasion.  The three accounts vary in wording only because the Lord obviously wanted to emphasize different aspects of truth in each of the three accounts.  Keep this fact firmly in mind when you study these three gospel accounts of the same discourse. 
    In Matthew 24 – 25, the Lord continued the same theme set forth in the preceding 23 chapters of this gospel.  In these two chapters, the Lord continued to speak of matters that were of concern to the Jewish people.  He again made it clear that He was the promised Messiah and Savior of Israel, and that He will return and establish His Kingdom, even though rejected by unbelieving Israel during this present dispensation.

    In Matthew 24:1-2 the Lord and His disciples left the Temple.  As they were leaving, the disciples began to point out to the Lord the magnificence of the Temple.  Compare Mark 13:1 and Luke 21:5.  The Lord then told them that the Temple would be destroyed, to the extent that “There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”  Remember that these disciples were Jews.  To the Jewish people, including those Jewish disciples, the Temple represented the glory of the whole Jewish nation, and the special position of the Jews as “God’s chosen people.”  When Christ pronounced destruction upon this golden Temple of the Jews, the disciples were shocked.  Their reaction was not because they were the Lord’s disciples. Rather, it was because they were Jews. 
    Later, four of the disciples came privately to the Lord, and asked Him the three questions recorded in 24:3. By comparing Mark 13:3, we learn that these four disciples were Peter, James, John and Andrew.  It was not all of the apostles [representing the church; Ephesians 2:19-22] which came to the Lord on this occasion, but only four of the disciples came to Him. They came to Him, not representing “the church” as some claim today, but rather as representatives of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. Proof of  this statement can easily be seen by any of our readers who are willing to deal honestly with the Holy Scriptures, as we proceed in this study.   
    In 24:5 the Lord began to answer their questions by immediately warning them to beware of false messiahs.  It is evident that this warning was not given for New Testament believers, for God’s people [true believers] today are not waiting or looking for a messiah to come.  We know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel and our Savior, and that He has already come.  People that now rise up claiming to be “Christ” only reveal to New Testament believers that they are “false messiahs” and deceivers.
     But on the other hand, the warning the Lord gave is still very applicable to the Jews today, for the Jewish people rejected Christ as their Messiah and Savior, so they are still looking for their “Messiah” to come.  It is then obvious that this warning was not given to these four Jews as “Christians,” but rather as representatives of “the Jewish people.” 
    This truth is verified in 24:9 where the Lord said to these same four Jews, “…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.”  Folks, Peter, James, John, and Andrew were not a nation.  But they represented a nation!  In this discourse they stand as representatives of Israel and the Jewish people.  Subsequent history since that time reveals that the Jews have been hated of all nations.  They have wandered from nation to nation, and have never found a secure dwelling place in any nation.  As the end of this age swiftly approaches, hatred for the Jews and Israel is rising with every passing day.  This again makes it obvious that this discourse was to the Jews, is for the Jews, and is about the Jews.
    In 24:11 the Lord then warned, “false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.”  This warning also emphasizes that this discourse is for the Jews.  New Testament believers have no need for prophets, true or false, because we have the complete revelation of God’s Word.  It is sufficient to meet every need we have for spiritual truth, 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Revelation 22:18-19; Psalm 119:105. New Testament believers look into God’s Word for truth and guidance.  It was to Israel that the Lord raised up prophets.  It is the Jewish people who are highly susceptible to deception by false prophets, for they are still expecting the Lord to send them “a prophet,” Deuteronomy 18:15; 18:18-19. The Jews do not accept as truth the fulfilling of this prophecy by the Lord Jesus Christ at His first coming, Acts 3:22-26. So they are still looking for “a prophet,” laying themselves wide open to deception by some slick tongued deceiver who is yet to come, John 5:43. This passage again makes it plain that this discourse was to the Jews, about the Jews, and for the Jews.
    In 24:15 the Lord warned of the coming “abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet…”  See Daniel 11:31.  Every serious student of Bible prophecy knows that the “abomination of desolation” has no application to New Testament believers.  The “abomination of desolation” will be set up in the courtyard of the Jewish Temple at the middle of the Tribulation, Daniel 9:27; Revelation 13:14-15.  This warning then is not a concern of New Testament believers, for they will have been raptured to glory just preceding the beginning of the Tribulation 3 ½ years earlier.  So who is Christ warning in this passage?  Obviously, He is warning the Jews.  Are you about to get the picture set forth in the Olivet Discourse?
    Immediately following the warning given in verse 15, the Lord then said in the next verse, “Let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains.”  Now why should New Testament believers be concerned about this?  Most New Testament believers do not live in Judea, have never even been in Judea, and likely will never go to Judea during this present life.  So obviously this command of the Lord doesn’t apply to New Testament believers.  Likewise for verses 17, 18, and 19.  So this is obviously a word of wisdom for the Jews who are on earth when the “abomination of desolation” is set up during the Tribulation.
    In 24:20 the Lord urged them to pray that their “flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day.”  Folks, whether some like it or not, as a New Testament believer I am not a “Sabbath keeper,” Colossians 2:16-17.  During this present dispensation, I couldn’t care less about the Sabbath Day. True New Testament believers observe Sunday as their day of worship, honoring and remembering the day that Christ was resurrected.  It is the Jews who still cling to the Old Covenant and insist on observing the Sabbath Days specified in their Law.  See Romans 3:19-20.  It is therefore the “law keeping” Jews to whom Christ was speaking in this verse.  This verse then again verifies that in this discourse Christ was speaking to and about the Jews. 
    Then in verses 23 – 26 the Lord again warned the Jews about  the “false messiahs” and “false prophets” that would rise up during the last half of the Trib, trying to deceive them into leaving the safety of Petra.  See Revelation 12:6 and 12:14.  Obviously these verses apply to the Jews.  They have no application whatsoever to New Testament believers. 

    There is no further need to labor the point.  It is clear that this entire discourse was given to inform and warn the Jewish people of what will happen to them at the end of this age, and especially during the coming Tribulation.  The Olivet Discourse is actually a continuation of prophecy concerning Israel and the Jewish people, taking up the  prophecies right where Daniel left off in Daniel 12:8-9.  With so much evidence in this chapter that this discourse was given to the Jews, was for the Jews, and is about the Jews, then why do some today who claim to be “Christians” choose to ignore the statements made in this discourse, and the context, and substitute their own fallible “opinions,” especially when speaking of the “time” of the Lord’s return?  Well…??

Who is it that doesn’t Know..??

    In Matthew 24:36 the Lord said, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
    In verse 42 the Lord then warned, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
    Again, in verse 44 the Lord said, “Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”
    And finally in Matthew 25:13, for the fourth and final time in Matthew’s account of the Olivet Discourse, the Lord warned, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
    Our readers will find similar statements in Mark 13:32-33, 13:35, and Luke 12:40.  When you read these passages keep in mind that Mark 13 is Mark’s account of this very same Olivet Discourse given on the same occasion to the same four Jews.  Therefore Mark’s account is also speaking to the Jews, about the Jews, and is for the Jews.
    Since I have demonstrated that the Olivet Discourse was for the Jews, to the Jews, and about the Jews, then who was Christ speaking to in the above Scripture passages?   
   
    I would point out that Luke 12:40 was spoken by the Lord in an entirely different setting than that of the Olivet Discourse, yet the context of the chapter makes it clear that the multitude He was speaking to were Jews and He was speaking to them also about matters that concern the Jews. 
    In verses 35-36 the Lord exhorted them to have their loins girded and their lights burning as “men that wait for their Lord, when He will return from the wedding; that when He cometh and knocketh, they may open to Him immediately.”  It is obvious from this statement that the rapture of New Testament believers and the wedding of Christ to His Gentile bride [the Lord’s church] will have already taken place, and this passage is dealing with Christ returning to the Jews at the end of the Tribulation.  This then indicates that verse 40 is a warning for the Jewish people to be ready to receive Him when He comes back to this earth. 

    Now let’s examine the Scripture passages in Matthew 24 – 25 and Mark 13, which I listed above, in more depth and see what we can learn.

    First, please notice the tense used in Matthew 24:36 [and also in Mark 13:32].  One of the first things I was taught as a school child learning to read and write, was the difference between past, present, and future tenses.  When it comes to God’s Word, many people either don’t know the difference in the tenses, or they choose to ignore them.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32 are both written in the present tense.I mean by this that when Christ made these statements He spoke in “the present tense.”  This means that at the time Christ spoke, no man including Himself, knew the day or the hour that the Father had appointed for the Lord to return.  But this in no way states nor implies that no one in the future could ever know, or would be prevented from knowing.  Wake up folks, and smell God’s roses.    
    The fact is, after making this statement the Lord went on to the cross, was crucified for our sin, and was raised from the dead, and made “Lord over all,” Philippians 2:5-11; Acts 2:36; Matthew 28:18.  What this means is that Christ Himself as “Lord over all” is now in charge of and is directing the entire kingdom of God. See the type of this truth  portrayed in the life of Joseph in Genesis 41:37-44.  In spite of this obvious truth, there are some today who would have God’s people believe that He who is “Lord over all,”  He who is in charge of the whole kingdom of God, He who is running the entire kingdom,  does not know yet know when He is going to return to rapture His people to glory.  I beg to be excused from such shallow Bible study and such gross ignorance!  Sic!

    Second, let’s compare the two types of men listed in Matthew 24:36-37.  The man born of nature [the natural man] in verse 36 is obviously contrasted by the Lord Himself with Noah, the man born of God [the spiritual man] in verse 37.
    The Scriptures are quite plain that the natural man is spiritually blind, and cannot know the things of God, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 4:17-18.  However, the Scriptures are just as plain that the man born of God has the indwelling presence of God’s Holy Spirit in him [or her] to “guide you into all truth…..and He will show you things to come,” John 16:13. 
    In 1 Corinthians 2:11-16, the contrast between the natural man and the spiritual man [the man or woman born of God] is clearly set forth, 
    “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
    Now we [born again believers] have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
    Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
    But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
    But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
    For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him?  But we [believers] have the mind of Christ.” 

    It has already been pointed out that Christ was speaking to the Jews and about the Jews in the Olivet Discourse.  The Jews rejected the Lord as their Messiah and Savior, and are still in unbelief today.  Therefore, the unbelieving Jews are spiritually blind and cannot know the things that God freely reveals to those who have been born of God.  This isn’t just my opinion.  This is explicitly stated in God’s Word.
   
    “What then?  Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
    (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.  
    .....let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back always,” Romans 11:7-10.

    “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in,” Romans 11:25. 

    “And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
    But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ.
    But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart,” 2 Corinthians 3:13-15. 

    “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
    In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them,” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4.

    These passages of Scripture clearly point out that unbelieving Israel is spiritually blind.  This fact totally agrees with the contrast the Lord Himself made between verses 36 – 37 in Matthew 24.  Verse 36 refers to the natural man; one who has never been saved by receiving Christ as Savior.  Such people are spiritually blind and cannot know or understand the spiritual truths of God’s Word.  But in verse 37 the Lord referred to Noah, a man who had “found grace in the eyes of the Lord,” Genesis 6:8.  Such true believers today have the presence of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in them to guide them into “all truth,” John 16:13. 
    Any reader who wants to argue about this needs to remember that Noah was not ignorant of the exact day the flood was to begin; a type of the coming Tribulation.  The Lord gave to Noah a 120 year advance warning of the coming flood, Genesis 6:3, then gave him another warning seven days in advance, Genesis 7:4-10. Noah, the man of God,  knew exactly when the flood was coming. 
     The Lord Jesus Himself in Matthew 24:37 explicitly stated, “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”  Do our readers believe what Christ said in this verse?  Or, do you just believe verse 36?  Isn’t it about time that those who are so quick to misquote verse 36 start harmonizing these two verses?  They do harmonize! 
    It is a simple truth that the Word of God teaches that it is lost people who are in darkness and have no spiritual discernment.  It is lost people who are spiritually blind and cannot understand spiritual truth.  Where does that place you?  Well…??
    True believers have no excuse for being ignorant of the “times and seasons” that the Lord has “before appointed” in His Word, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2; Acts 17:24-26.  

God’s People are not in Darkness

    In 1 Thessalonians 5:4 God’s Word explicitly states, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”  This passage is speaking expressly to the Lord’s church at Thessalonica, whose members were “born again” believers.  They were explicitly told that they were not in darkness in respect to the beginning of “the day of the Lord” [the Tribulation], verse 1. 
    This verse is in perfect harmony with Amos 3:7, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets.”  Folks, I don’t know how a more direct statement could be made.  Everything that the Lord is going to do in His great plan of the ages, has already been revealed to His people through the writings of the Lord’s prophets.  This statement is all inclusive.  Nothing is left out!  Would this then not include the time of the rapture of New Testament believers to glory?  Well…??  Think about it!
    Folks, God’s inspired Word plainly predicted the exact day when Christ would be presented to Israel as their “Messiah the Prince” [King], Daniel 9:25; Luke 19:28-44.  God’s Word predicted the exact day when Christ would be set apart as the Lamb of God, Exodus 12:3; Matthew 26:1-13.  God’s Word predicted the exact day when Christ would be crucified, Exodus 12:6; Matthew 26:17 – 27:56.  God’s Word predicted the exact day when Christ would be resurrected out from among the dead, Leviticus 23:9-11; Matthew 28:1-7.  There are many other examples set forth in God’s Word showing that the Lord always predicts in advance every work that He does.  He is Almighty God who “declares the end from the beginning,” Isaiah 46:9-10.  It is obvious that He has done this, not only for His own glory, but that His people [true believers] would never be in darkness.  Why then do so many people who “profess” to be “Christians” think it strange that the Lord would place within His Word the exact day when He is coming to rapture His people to glory? 
Why such Ignorance?

    In view of what I have presented, some may wonder why more of God’s people are not aware of the time of the Lord’s return.  It is because of what I choose to call…..

The Dumb Parrot Syndrome

    Somewhere in the past some shallow “Christian” reading their Bible failed to pay attention to the context of Matthew 24 - 25.  He [or she] therefore failed to see that the Olivet Discourse was given to the Jewish people, was for the Jewish people, and is about the Jewish people.  He then picked out Matthew 24:36, isolating it from the context, and presumed without any further study, that no one could know anything about the timing of the Lord’s return. Then he [or she] began quoting [or misquoting] this passage to others. 
    Then those people in turn, without any real study on their part, just like “dumb parrots,” repeated what they had heard, never bothering to seriously study the passage for themselves.  And on and on the misquote was passed from one person to another until it became generally accepted that “the Lord said no man knows the day nor the hour.” 
    I’m not trying to be offensive.  It is just a sad fact that most “Christians” [?] don’t bother to study the Scriptures for themselves.  Like “dumb parrots,” they just repeat what they have heard someone else say about the Scriptures.  Awk!  Squawk!  No man knows… Awk!  No man knows…Squawk! 
    It is a sad truth that most people never rise above those leading them.  If the pastors and preachers will not seriously study the Scriptures, then the people they are leading won’t do so either.  Today there are far too many spiritually blind preachers standing in the pulpits of America, attempting to lead the people into spiritual truths that they have never seriously studied themselves.  The Lord Jesus Himself referred to such leaders as “blind leaders of the blind,” Matthew 15:14.  Many centuries ago the Lord said through His prophet, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…,” Hosea 4:6.  Now whose job is it to teach and preach to the people the knowledge of the Word of God, and to encourage them to study it for themselves?  Well…??   
    Folks, from the time I surrendered my life to preach God’s Word I thought God’s people, including myself, were supposed to emulate the Bereans, Acts 17:10-11.  After all, God’s Word does explicitly command God’s people to “study” the Word, 2 Timothy 2:15.  I have no desire to be a “dumb parrot,” but if you do that is your choice.  Everyone chooses their own “roosting place.”  As for me, I want to roost with and soar with the eagles, Isaiah 40:31.

A Great Deception

    Because of the failure of preachers, pastors, and Bible teachers to seriously study the Scriptures themselves, and to encourage God’s people to study the Scriptures, a great deception has come upon the whole “Christian” movement.  Many of God’s people today have been deceived into believing that no one can possibly know anything about the timing of the Lord’s return.  Such an idea is nothing but Satanic deception.  Sadly, Satan has used [and is still using] many preachers, pastors, and Bible teachers to further this deception.  The “know nothing” “philosophy,” Colossians 2:8, has been repeated so many times that the people have come to accept it as Bible truth.  God have mercy on the poor people!  And God have mercy on the “hirelings” and sluggards who have helped, and are continuing to help, Satan deceive the people.  Read Jeremiah 5:30-31 and Ezekiel 34:1-10. You might also note Jeremiah 23:28, “…and he that hath My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully.”

Let’s set the Record Straight!

    Why did the Lord say, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man…..”?  I want to conclude this study by giving our readers a Scriptural and logical answer to this question.

    1.    The earth is divided into 24 time zones set apart by an international date line.  At any given time there are two days in progress upon the earth.  If we stand in any given location on earth, there is always one day in progress and another day approaching.  For instance, when I listen to the 6:00 p.m. evening news here in the Central Time Zone in the United States, it is already 2:00 a.m. tomorrow in Moscow, Russia. 
    Now I am sure the Lord Jesus Christ was well aware of this world situation when He stated, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man…..”  It would have been utterly impossible for the Lord Himself to have named a specific day and hour when He is coming again, unless He had correlated such a day and hour to a specific location upon the earth. But He didn’t!  Why didn’t He?  Because the rapture of God’s people is going to occur all over the earth at the exact same time.  Glory to God! 

1. I have already pointed out that the Olivet Discourse was to the Jews, for the Jews,

and about the Jews. Now every serious Bible student knows that every great event recorded in God’s Word occurred on, or in relation to, a Jewish Holy Day.  This is because the Holy Days were given to the Jewish people by God Himself as prophetic types of events that would be fulfilled centuries later. See Leviticus 23, Colossians 2:16-17, and Hebrews 10:1.  One such event that was predicted to be fulfilled centuries later is the rapture of God’s people to glory.  This event, just like all the other great events in God’s Word, then has to be fulfilled, either on, or in direct relation to, a Jewish Holy Day. When all of the Jewish people were living in the Holy Land, they observed each of their Holy Days on one specific day.  No problem!
    However, after the Jews were scattered into all the nations of the earth, they were forced to adopt two days for the observance of their Holy Days.  Why?  Because, while it might be, for example, Passover in Israel, it was a different day on the other side of the earth.  Therefore, in order for every Jew to have an opportunity to observe their Holy Days, the Jews adopted a two day system to observe the Holy Days.    
    But even the two day system doesn’t really cover the whole matter, for because of the 24 times zones a given Holy Day might already be past on one side of the earth while it is still being observed on the other side, taking up parts of three days. 
    It ought to be obvious then, that the Lord could not tell His disciples that the rapture of God’s people would take place on any specific Jewish Holy Day, because while it might be that very day on one side of the earth, it would not be that day on the other side. 
   
    Now do our readers begin to get the picture?  Folks, our Lord and our God is Scriptural, reasonable, and logical, and He never violates His own Word.  What an awesome God we serve!  Praise the Lord!

Conclusion

    While I wholeheartedly agree that no man knows the “day and hour” that the Lord is coming to rapture His people to glory, misquoting these text verses does not justify any true believer in refusing to study the great prophetic truths set forth in God’s Word.  Such refusal is “willing ignorance,” 2 Peter 3:5, and there is nothing else one can call it. 
    Neither does misquoting these Scripture texts justify the cowardice of a person who would like to proclaim the great prophetic truths of God’s Word, but who is afraid to do so because “someone” might label them as a “date setter.”  Oh my!  How terrible!
    Everyone knows that today, being labeled a “date setter” is akin to being an axe murderer, or a child molester, or a serial killer.  Why today, people are much quicker to express sympathy and forgiveness for such vicious criminals than they are for someone who dares to “set a date.”  Oh, let’s all wring our hands in despair!  Shh!  Don’t tell anybody I told you this, but we have “those terrible date setters” in the ranks of Christianity.  Awk!  No man knows…..  Squawk!
    While it is true that no man presently knows the “day and hour” that the Lord is coming to rapture His people to glory, this does not prevent God’s people from knowing that “the day [is] approaching,” Hebrews 10:25.  Neither does it prevent God’s people from knowing the month and the year that the rapture will occur.  God does not want His people [true believers] to be in darkness concerning the events that occur at the end of this age.  See Amos 3:7, John 16:12-15, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4, 2 Peter 1:19, and many other similar passages relating to the end of this age. 
    Folks, I have written and posted several Bible studies pointing out that 2008 is the year   when the rapture of God’s people is going to occur, and the Tribulation period is going to begin on this earth.  I have given book, chapter, and verse in God’s Word for every point made in these studies, so that the readers can look up the Scriptures and study them for themselves.  I will be glad to send any of these studies, or all of them, to any reader that is serious about knowing the truth about the Lord’s coming.  They are FREE.  I’m not selling anything.  All you have to do is request them. 
    But if you want them…..hurry!   Our Lord is coming very soon.  You will either be ready [saved by grace and under the blood of Christ], or you will be left.  Are you ready?  Really ready?  If not, then isn’t it time for you to do some real heart searching and seek the Lord as your own personal Savior?   Isn’t it time for you to get saved by receiving the Lord as your own personal Savior?  Read Romans 3:23, 6:23, John 3:36, 5:24, 14:6, Acts 16:31, and Romans 10:8-13.  
    And child of God; you who have the assurance of salvation, isn’t it time that you quit playing games with God, and get serious about studying His Word and living for Him?  Read 1 John 2:28.  When our Lord comes, you can have the “confidence,” or you will have the “shame.”  Which do you want?
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Pastor F. M. Riley – 3900 Clark Lane  Lot 178 – Columbia, MO 65202
fmrglbd5@yahoo.com     fmrglbd5@aol.com