Imminence Part 2

Q. I find it illogical reasoning. Pre-tribulation believers say that the word Church is not mentioned after Revelations chapter 3, which means the Church won’t be on earth (raptured out). Jesus was giving messages to the churches, so naturally, the word church was no longer mentioned subsequently. But what about the words “the saints” and “God’s people”?

Pre-tribulation supporters say the rapture is secret. How could it be secret when suddenly millions or billions of people disappear and accidents everywhere (driverless cars), missing family members, and children orphaned?

They say Rev. 3:10 means to take out of (raptured), but the original text means to protect. If Rev. 3:10 means raptured out, then no need for verses 11 and 12 as they won’t be on earth!

The problem may arise from a mindset that prioritizes ease and comfort. When someone with that mentality reads a verse such as:

1 Thes 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come,

the interpretation would focus on being delivered from trouble altogether.

However, historically, that had not been God’s way. For example, He kept Noah’s family safe through the Flood. He did not whisk them away before the Flood came. When God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt, He delivered them through the Red Sea. God did not “rapture” them to safety. Throughout Israel’s history, He kept the nation as He promised the patriarchs but allowed them to suffer the consequences of their sins so that they would learn to follow Him. The same is true throughout church history. Why would He change His method to favor the last generation of Christians when most people’s love has grown cold (Mt 24:12)? So they won’t face trouble and learn? Hardly!

To justify their assertion, pre-tribulation proponents use circumstantial “evidence.” For instance,

• Rev 3:10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

They claimed that “keep you from the hour of testing” means “keep you from the time of trouble,” i.e., take or rapture you away to avoid that period altogether. You pointed out that the New Living Translation is:

• NLT Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.

But what is God’s method of protection? Remember the Ten Plagues?

• Ex 9:6 So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died.
• Ex 9:26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail.
• Ex 10:23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.
• Ex 12:23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to smite you.

God’s way has always been to protect through the time of testing, not avoiding it. So, the argument based on the wording “hour” or “time” is not supported by actual examples.

What about the absence of the word “church” after Rev 3? Does that mean the Church has been raptured and is no longer on earth? Some even suggest that Rev 4:1’s “come up here” refers to the rapture:

• Rev 4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”

This misinterprets Scripture as the phrase applies strictly to John, not the Church.

The above is an example of an “argument from silence,” a weak form of evidence. Borrowing from forensic investigations, direct physical, written, or verbal evidence is needed to “prove” a case. Circumstantial evidence can support an argument but is insufficient to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. Your observations of “the saints” and “God’s people” are direct evidence in referencing the Church. But of course, pre-tribulation supporters claim that these apply only to the Jews or Christians saved after the rapture. If the mind is closed, you can find all kinds of excuses to justify yourself, which is sad!

Imminence

Q. People who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture claim that the Bible says the rapture will happen at any time, and we won’t know when. So, this is possible only if the rapture is pre-tribulation. If the rapture is post-tribulation, we would know it is after the 7-year tribulation. What is your view?

A. First, let us start with what the Bible says about rapture, imminent, and imminence, not what people say. While the concept of rapture or translation of Christians to meet the Lord is well-known, the word “rapture” itself does not appear in most English translations in use today. [It appeared once in DBY (Darby Translation, Songs 2:3) and four times in BBE (Bible in Basic English, Ps 28:7, 45:15, 51:8, and Prov 5:19). However, in these cases it is used in the sense of being rapturous, ecstatic, or extreme excitement. This is NOT “a seizing by violence; a hurrying along; rapidity with violence,” which is Webster’s definition and what most Christians understand rapture to mean.]

The adjective “imminent” appeared once in the NASB (New American Standard Bible), AMP (Amplified Bible), and LSB (Legacy Standard Bible) – 2 Pet 1:14, and three times in the NET (New English Translation) – Ps 27:3, Prov 10:14, and Hos 9:7. The noun “imminence” does not appear in contemporary English versions at all. The Greek word for imminent in 2 Pet 1:14 is transliterated tachinos, which means “swift, quick” of events soon to come or impending. Tachinos appeared twice in the Greek NT:

• 2 Pet 1:14 knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
• 2 Pet 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

In 2 Pet 1:14, Peter was talking about his impending death, while in 2 Pet 2:1, he was referring to punishment that will quickly fall upon the false prophets and teachers. In neither case was he referring to the rapture of the Church.

So, what do pre-tribulation proponents base their claim that “the rapture is imminent” on? They based it on deductions from their interpretation of certain verses, not on direct biblical statements.

Second, let’s review the two primary passages that describe the rapture:

• 1 Thes 4:16-17 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. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
• 1 Co 15:51-52 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

Note the following:

• The rapture – the resurrection of the dead in Christ followed by those alive being caught up together to meet the Lord – will happen when the Lord descends from heaven. It will be a public event with loud sounds, not a secret rapture. Even pre-tribulation supporters agree that the Lord’s return will be after the tribulation and not before it.
• It will take place in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet of God. That is, it will happen very quickly. The text did not say at any moment or imminent, as pre-tribulation proponents claimed.

Then where does the idea of imminence come from? Let me quote a few verses cited by the pre-tribulation school to support their argument:

• Mt 24:36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
• Mt 24: 42, 44 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. For this reason, you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
• Mt 25:13 13 Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
• See also the parallel passage Mk 13:32-37

Their reasoning is since no one knows, not even the Son, the only conclusion is that it could happen at any moment or at any time. If something else needed to happen before the rapture, for example, the great tribulation, then that would be a sign, and we would know. On the surface, that sounds reasonable. But is that the only solution?

When the day or the hour of an event is not known, at any moment is one possible solution. Another possibility is that it is in the future, for which timing is indefinite, with or without signs. For example, when a child is born, the day or the hour of his (or her) death is unknown. Under normal circumstances, the current life expectancy for Canada in 2024 is 83 years. If he (she) has a fatal disease (with signs) or an accident (without signs), the life span would be cut short. The death may be imminent, but not necessarily. The timing of the death is unknown but need not be imminent. Similarly, the rapture’s timing is unknown but need not be imminent. This is simply logic.

Third, any Bible passage’s interpretation must be consistent with the context. What does the context of the quoted passages say?

• The immediate context of Mt 24:36 is the parable of the Fig Tree (Mt 24:32-41), which follows Christ’s glorious return in v 29-30, “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.” It refers to Christ’s Second Coming after the tribulation, not a pre-tribulation rapture.
• Mt 24:42’s context follows the parable of the Fig Tree, with the Lord warning His disciples to be ready for His coming. The subject has not changed. It is still after the tribulation.
• Mt 25:13’s context is the parable of the Ten Virgins (Mt 25:1-13). In Mt 25, the Lord taught two parables, the Ten Virgins followed by the parable of the Talents (Mt 25:14-30), before describing the Final Judgment (Mt 25:31-46). The entire chapter teaches about Judgment after the tribulation. It is not talking about a pre-tribulation rapture.

You can search other verses cited by pre-tribulation proponents to see whether they support their premise. But my bottom line is: how can we legitimately apply Bible passages describing post-tribulation events to justify a pre-tribulation and imminent rapture? We can’t! Period.

Fourth, one well-known author explained “imminence” as follows:

• Other things may happen before the imminent event, but nothing else must take place before it happens. If something else must take place before an event can happen, then that event is not imminent. In other words, the necessity of something else taking place first destroys the concept of imminency.

Unfortunately, his definition is what destroys their understanding of imminency.

Let me cite two examples in which the biblical characters involved did not expect an imminent rapture would derail what they thought would happen:

• Jn 21:18-19 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!” The Lord was prophesying how Peter would die. Remember, according to pre-tribulation supporters, He did not know the day and hour of the rapture. Did He assume an imminent rapture, which could occur before Peter’s death, to nullify His prophecy? I don’t think so.
• What about Paul? Was he an advocate of an imminent rapture by which God would deliver him out of his trials and tribulations? No. When he bid farewell to the Ephesian elders, he said in Acts 20:22-23, 25 And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. Paul did not know what would happen to him except that imprisonment and persecution awaited him in Jerusalem. He will not see the elders from Ephesus again. He also knew he would testify in Rome because the Lord told him. Acts 23:11 But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.”  This must occur before the rapture because the Lord said so, which destroys imminency according to the pre-tribulation school’s definition.

I can continue to provide a rebuttal for other points raised, but this is a short article, and I have written enough to show you my train of thought. If there are issues you want me to address, please specify them, and I would be glad to discuss them when I have time.

Principles of Judgment

Final Judgment

Q. I get mad watching the protesters in Hong Kong flaunting all authority, swearing profanities, blocking traffic, occupying the airport, smashing windows, throwing bricks at the police, setting cruisers on fire, unlawfully detaining and torturing opponents etc. Yes, the police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the rioters, but after extended provocation. Yet the media ignored the protesters’ crimes and lied about police brutality on “peaceful demonstrators”. Are they blind? I am aware of traitor politicians paid by foreigners to betray their own people, and even some teachers and school principals who ought to be teaching public morals and respect for law and order are rooting for the rioters. What is this!? Are the hooligans getting away with committing crimes with impunity? Where is God?

A. Yes, there is anarchy in Hong Kong now and it appears that we are entering difficult times of the last days:

• Judges 17:6b … every man did what was right in his own eyes. (Also 21:25)
• 2 Tim 3:1-4 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. ² For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,⁴ treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

Much of 2 Tim 3 fit the rioters very well. I think both the government and the protesters have done wrong. I have no insight into how things will resolve, and it is likely that it will get worse before it gets better:

• 2 Tim 3:13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 

While God is merciful and will forgive those who repent, He is also just and will not let the guilty go free. But whatever the earthly outcome, we know several principles of the final judgment revealed in Scripture:

1. According to what was done. Since God is omniscient, there won’t be any perversion of justice due to people doing crooked deals in secret, hiding behind face masks, or wrong convictions based on false accusations.
   • 2 Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
2. Punishment will be proportional to the crime. Men are prone to be vengeful and want their pound of flesh, but God’s justice weighs out the penalty without going overboard:
   • Ex 21:23-25 ²³ But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, ²⁴ eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.Lev 24:19-20 If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him.Deut 19:21 Thus you shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.Mt 5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’
3. Poetic justice in paying back what you mete out to others. God returns to you what you render to others, so in the end we have only ourselves to blame.
   • Mk 4:24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.
   • Lk 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

So, although currently the government seemed unable to curb the lawlessness and violence, it is the legitimate authority allowed by God to execute law and order in the land. Ultimately justice will prevail. Let me borrow from Habakkuk 2:3 And God’s justice will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it. For it will certainly come, it will not delay. The HK government will have to correct its ways, but the rioters will pay for their lawlessness.

Daniel’s Four Beasts (2 of 2)

Yesterday I summarized my views on the four beasts in Daniel 7 and the supporting biblical-historical evidence. Most commentators believe that the dreams and visions in Daniel 2 (large statue), 7 (four beasts) and 8 (ram and goat) parallel each other because of their similarities, which help to identify them:

Today I will explain why I disagree with your author’s rationale. He based his belief on Dan 7:12 “The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time”. Since “ALL FOUR of Daniel’s Four Beasts are said to be IN POWER – IN EXISTENCE” (author’s emphasis), they could not be the four empires of Daniel 2, which were successive. Therefore they must be kingdoms that necessarily EXIST ON EARTH at the time of the Second Coming of Jesus (author’s emphasis). I have problems with two things:

• Direct contradiction with Scripture. Dan 7:12 specifically states that the first 3 beasts were no longer in power, stripped of their authority, though still in existence, contrary to the author’s assertion.
• Jumping to application without proper interpretation. A basic rule in hermeneutics is that before you determine what does the passage mean to you, you must ascertain what it means to the original readers. To jump to the conclusion that Daniel’s four beasts must be immediately before the Second Coming of Christ, without any reference to Daniel’s ancient readers, is poor exegesis. Did the Holy Spirit skip over them and had only twenty-first centuries readers in mind? Hardly!

So does Daniel 7 have nothing to do with Christ’s Second Coming? No, it does, but not in the way your article put it. To apply Daniel 7 to the end times is a valid application, as its four beasts are all rolled into one in the beast of the sea of Rev 13. There are many speculations as to what the seven heads and 10 horns mean e.g. G7, EU etc. As applications, the author’s ideas do have their circumstantial evidence. But to interpret Daniel 7 as having no significance historically, except as it relates to the last days, is not proper interpretation. Hope this helps.

Daniel’s Four Beasts (1 of 2)

Q. I read an article that says, “the TIME-FRAME in which Daniel’s Four Beasts appear MUST BE the LAST DAYS immediately before the Second Coming of Jesus … These Four Beasts CANNOT be the ancient kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome …
• The lion (first beast) is most clearly associated with Great Britain …
• The bear (second beast), in modern times is universally known as RUSSIA …
• No other country in history has been more prominently identified with a leopard (third beast) than Germany …
• The fourth beast is the end-time world government (AKA New World Order).”
Is this credible?

A. Interpretations are as good as the interpreters’ exegesis. If the premise is faulty, so are the conclusions. I am open to fresh insights into the text, but am also cautious of mavericks who throw time-tested interpretations overboard to opt for something sensational. The article you read is no exception. But before I address where I disagree with his reasoning, let me state what my position is, and why.

• Dan 7:4 The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. The winged-lion is a symbol of Babylon (refer British Museum). The wings torn off refers to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream where the tree representing him was cut down and its branches trimmed off (Dan 4:14, 23), while the giving of the human mind refers to sanity being restored to him (Dan 4:34).
• Dan 7:5 And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. The bear represents Medo-Persia, with the Persian arm stronger (raised). The three ribs represent the three kingdoms it conquered: Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt.
• Dan 7:6 After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. The winged leopard represents the speedy conquests of Alexander the Great (Greece). The four heads represent the four generals who split the empire after Alexander’s death: Lysimachus (north), Seleucus (east), Ptolemy (south), and Cassander (west).
• Dan 7:7 After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; … It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. The unnamed fourth beast represents the Roman Empire, which 10 horns are 10 kings (Dan 7:24). Various kingdoms have been proposed, but when the Roman Empire broke up it divided into exactly 10 kingdoms: Alemanni or Huns (Germany), Franks (France), Burgundians (Switzerland), Suevi (Portugal), Visigoths (Spain), Anglo-Saxons (England), Lombards or Bavarians (Italy), Vandals, Ostrogoths, and Heruli. The last three were uprooted and no longer exist, just as Daniel predicted.

(To be continued)

Daniel’s Flood

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Pictures show:
* Titus arch menorah
* Destruction of Jerusalem

Q. Dan 9:26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and until the end of the war desolations are determined.” A flood at the end was not mentioned in Revelation. What is your understanding of the above?

A. You are interested in the flood, so I will focus mainly on the second half of v 26. But the context of the first half of v 26 is the Messiah being cut off, which refers to Christ’s crucifixion during His first coming, not His Second Coming at the end of time. The final 70th ‘seven’ is not mentioned until v 27, when the ruler who will come will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven’. Futurists therefore believe that between v 26 and v 27, or between the 69th and 70th ‘seven’, there is an indeterminate interval of time called the ‘church age’. So we have to be careful about what time period are we addressing when we cross-reference other verses. With this background, let’s return to the flood.

The city is obviously Jerusalem. Now Jerusalem is a city on a hill (Mt 5:14). The City of David is on Mt. Zion, about 760 m. (2,500 ft.).above sea level. It is 60 km east of the Mediterranean Sea, with no major rivers nearby. The climate consists of hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, but the annual rainfall is only 550 mm or 22 in. Historically there had not been major floods. So neither history nor geography favors a literal flood. To understand what the flood referred to, we have to go back to Daniel first, and only draw in Revelation and other references later.

The word “flood” in Daniel 9:26 is the Hebrew noun sheteph, and appear one other time in Daniel:
* Dan 11:22 KJV And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.
* Dan 11:22 NIV Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed.

I cited both the KJV and the NIV because they translate the same Hebrew word differently – the KJV used a literal translation, while the NIV based on the principle of dynamic equivalence translated the sense figuratively. Daniel in fact used a flood imagery to denote advancing armies in three other places besides 11:22:
* Dan 11:10 NIV His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress.
* Dan 11:26 NIV Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle.
* Dan 11:40 NIV At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood.

In all four verses the Hebrew verb is shataph, on which the noun sheteph is based, and translated by “overflow” in the KJV. This metaphoric use of the word “flood” to describe an overwhelming or overflowing army is quite common in the OT, e.g. Nah 1:8; Isa 8:7-8, 28:18 etc.

What happened when the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (Temple) were destroyed in AD 70? It was a blood bath. The lower city was besieged and fell after about 3 months. The upper city held out for another month and then fell. Both the city and the Temple were burnt. The Romans overwhelmed the Jews like a flood.

(To be continued)

This Generation will not Pass Away?

Q. In Matthew 24, was Jesus talking about two different events? In v.3 the disciples asked Jesus about His return and the end of the world. V 4-30 should be clearly about the end times, but how does “this generation” in v.34 fit in?

A. Jesus was talking about two different events. His disciples asked Him two things:
1. When will “not one stone of the temple will be left on another” happen, and
2. What will be the sign of His coming and of the end of the age?
Jesus answered both questions.

V 4-30 is not only about the end times, as v 4-26 also described the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. Some believe v 4-26 had been completely fulfilled when the Romans under Titus destroyed Jerusalem, and that there is no future fulfillment. They are called preterists. Others also see a parallel to the dangerous conditions and spiritual decline to come in the last days (2 Tim. 3:1-5). They believe there is a double reference, historically to the destruction of the temple, and futuristically to the end of the age. I hold this view myself.

Mt. 24:34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. There are several suggestions as to who “this generation” is referring to:
1. A literal generation, in its ordinary sense of a normal life span, i.e. the generation living at that time of Christ. This would be true if the reference is only to the destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred about 40 years after Jesus spoke these words. However, v 34 is after the signs in the heavens in v 29, Christ’s return in v 30, and the gathering of the elect in v 31, none of which happened in their lifetime. So I don’t accept this view, otherwise it would imply that Jesus would return soon but was mistaken.
2. Generation can also be translated race, so this is a promise that the Jewish race will survive until the end. This is possible, but the passage was not contrasting Jews and Gentiles, so it would be odd for Jesus to change the subject abruptly.
3. The future generation alive at the beginning of “all these things”, when the hard labor pains start. I hold this view as it fits the context of the lesson from the fig tree in v 31-32. When the fig branch puts forth its leaves, there is only a short time before summer. So when the labor pains start, Christ’s return is near, and all these things will happen in their lifetime.

No One Knows that Day or Hour – Can’t we count?

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Pictures show:
* Days of Noah
* Noah as preacher of righteousness
* No evidence of flood

Q. You believe the rapture to be post-tribulation. Don’t you think that Christians will recognize the tribulation has started when it comes? If so, wouldn’t those people alive at that time know when Christ will return seven years hence? And yet the bible says no one knows, not now, not before, and not then.

A. First, let’s look at the text more closely and do not read into it more than it said: Mt. 24:36-39 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. The text says “no one knows”, but it does not say “no one will have any clue.”

Next consider the days of Noah which Jesus used as an analogy. There were two groups of people then – Noah’s family, and everybody else. God told Noah to build an ark, so his family should know something about God’s plan. What about everyone else? The ark measured 450’ X 75’ X 45’ (Gen. 6:15) and took 100 years (Gen. 5:32, 7:6) to build. Because of its sheer size and the long time it took to construct, it can be reasonably assumed that the ark attracted attention. While it was being built, as a preacher of righteousness (2 Pet. 2:5) Noah would have warned his contemporaries of coming judgment, and by his faith he condemned the world (Heb. 11:7). So the people should know something about the judgment to come, yet the text said they knew nothing, why?

I believe it is due to unbelief. The people probably laughed at Noah and considered him a fool. They did not have a flood before, so why now? They just ignored him and continued with whatever they were doing, until the flood came and took them away. I suspect something similar at the coming of the Son of Man. With the proliferation of mass media, the internet and Christian broadcasting, one would expect that even non-Christians would have known something, or heard of, Christ’s Second Coming and the signs that precede it. The problem is they don’t believe it. And since they don’t take it to heart, they will be caught by surprise.

What about Christians? Since Jesus taught His disciples the signs of the end of the age (Mt. 24, Mk. 13, Lk. 21), and Christians have been studying that the trigger to the tribulation is the abomination that causes desolation standing in the holy place, I expect Christians would recognize that when it comes. Then can’t they add 1,260 days (3.5 years) to that date and know the day of Christ’s return? The answer is still no, because of Dan. 12:11-12 From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.

(To be continued)