Dear John Tng,

I just read your article on Can We Know When? (Part 2) http://www.fivedoves.com/luke2136/tng411-2.htm. What a great, well written article. I was blessed to read this and it certainly reflects my own sentiments on the subject. Thank you so much for taking the time to put your thoughts to words.

The body of Christ is so divided over stuff we should be either embracing, or asking questions about. There is so much mis-placed anger over Jesus, no less!

My life has been changing dramatically these last few years. It started with an epiphany when I began diligently studying the gospel of Matthew, and realizing Matt 25 deals with the rapture, and chapter 24 makes it clear  (with other scriptures in the Bible) that not everyone is raptured.  We see this in clearly in Matt 24:40,41. Unto them that look for him....shall he appear (Hebrews 9:28). I also really appreciated what you said about the proverbial and often truculent rebuke we get from believers that 'no man knows the day or the hour' so what's a matter with you, don't you read the Bible? 

Well, actually I do, and I have been raised is western theology that has failed to ask hard questions at times about certain things in the Bible  to dig deeper for truth. This presents a great conundrum for those who do read the Bible! Christians often times seem to throw critical thinking right out the window, because, after all, no man knows the day or the hour, and we might make God angry if we search for truth, right? Wrong!

The genesis of my search for more truth came from the words of Jesus. When asked what the great commandment was, Jesus referred to the words of Moses, love the Lord thy God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might, but Jesus, tweaked this verse, praise God! He added to it with all your mind, and I guess Christians everywhere failed to get the memo.

If we apply critical thinking, and study scripture, and go a little deeper we find that the expression no man knows the day or the hour is an idiom linked to the Feast of Trumpets and to Jewish wedding customs that Jesus observed. In fact he manifested this at the Last Supper with his words, I go to prepare a place for you. Drink ye all of it, (the wine toast) that the bride and groom exchange when they agreed to the covenant of marriage. In this culture the groom goes to prepare a place for his bride, often a period of one year or more, and  neither the bride or the groom drink of the fruit of the vine until the groom comes back (usually around midnight) and ceremoniously snatches his bride (just as Jesus described in Matt 25:1-10). No man knows the day or the hour, only my father, was a Jewish idiom that described the wedding culture of Jews in Jesus' day. The father set the wedding date, and only the father knew when the wedding would be. That did not mean Jesus literally did not know. If he and the father were one, then how could Jesus not know, since he was laying down his life on the cross for his bride? Jesus never said "I don't know." He said "no man knows." Again, since he and his father are one in the Spirit then Jesus would have known, or could have known by asking the Father. The Father would not withhold any good thing from his son who was obedient even unto the cross. All power was given unto Jesus in heaven and in earth. It made not sense to me that Jesus could prophetically tells us all sorts of signs and events that would come, including great specificity about the tribulation, but he would not know when he would be returning to snatch his bride. People who have been smoking crack cocaine would not accept such an answer! If we understand that Jesus spoke in parables (or code) deliberately disguising much of what he said from the eyes of the self-righteous Scribes and Pharisees, and if we read what Daniel said about the end of days, that the words would be sealed until the end, and that the wicked would not understand but the wise will understand (Daniel 12:10) then all of this starts to make more sense.

We are challenged to seek the truth and ask questions. Call unto me, and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not (Jeremiah 33:3) And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). I guess the church didn't get the memo on this either. Christians aren't asking, seek, and knocking on God's door for answers, but answers are available for those who seek. Unto them who look for him shall he appear the second time. They that were ready were taken into the marriage, and the door was closed (Matt 25:10). Blessed are they which are called to the marriage feast of the Lamb (Rev 19:9). Not everyone is called; some are making excuses. I have a piece of property I need to look at. I just got married, please excuse me. The bride doesn't make excuses. The bride is watching and ready and fully engaged in service until he comes. This is what I live and breathe for!

Thank you for your article on this.

Mark