No one Knows

"No one knows the day or hour." Most people quote these words to rationalize not figuring out when Jesus will return, but the context in which Jesus spoke these words was to prepare His followers to "watch and pray"...to be made ready for His return and the great and terrible events leading up to it. This third transitional generation of human history will live in the most intense time of human history. Very great and very terrible things will be occurring at the same time. The wheat and the tares, sin and righteousness, WILL mature together.


Because the end of the age is so intense, Jesus gave His followers very specific information concerning His return and how long the extreme events surrounding it will last. This is not general information, Jesus gave exact numbers of days several times, first to Daniel, then to John in the book of Revelation. Understanding the basic timeline of these events should be Christianity 101, but most Bible believing followers of Jesus have no idea what these time frames even refer to, let alone having a paradigm for why they are relevant for our lives right now. The events prophesied to happen thousands of years ago are literally materializing daily, but most people have no idea they are even happening. A few key events are what we should be watching for, and once they happen, we will actually know the day of Jesus' return. I know that sounds like bad theology to many, but it is only because we have become a generation that listens to what others say without studying this ourselves. Now is the time to get a handle on what Jesus and the prophets really said. I am seeing some key headlines that really matter right now!


First off, Matthew 24 is Jesus most clear statement regarding the actual chronology of world events leading up to His return. He said the generation that sees this stuff all happen at the same time should know they will not pass away from the world scene until His return is complete:


Matthew 24:3-15, 17-35 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.


All you have to do is watch the news to know these things are all increasing at alarming levels. Even re-insurance firms are raising rates to account for unprecedented losses from "natural disasters."


The rest of Matthew 24 is filled with a chronological description. Look for the words "then" and "after" (I circled them in my Bible) and you will see Jesus is very straight-forward regarding the chronology of events. The description culminates in the event that marks the great tribulation, and then the gathering of the church in the sky with Jesus for the last battle of this age:


Matthew 24:15-22 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.


29-31 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.


The length of time for the Great Tribulation was precisely described by Daniel as being 3.5 years. It is the "second half" of Daniels "70th week" of prophetic history, or the final 7 years of this age. This is the last 7 years of natural history. It begins with false peace for Israel which will be promised to them in a peace agreement for 7 years, but will be broken half way through the agreement (keep in mind Jewish years are only 360 days long):


Daniel 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”


The ruler of the last "global empire" will make a covenant with (agreement with) many people resulting in peace in the middle east. Other places it is called a "treaty with death, or a covenant with death." The treaty will be an agreement Israel makes with a man who represents a much stronger country. This man will promise to defend any attack against Israel like it was an attack on His own soil for 7 years. He knows Israel does not feel safe to negotiate peace alone, and so he volunteers His own resources...a military alliance for 7 years that comforts Israel into agreeing to make peace with her neighbors...but for them it is a treaty with death. The Bible is clear that Israel will reach a two state solution with even the temple mount being split to accommodate a third Jewish temple:


Revelation 11:2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. (3.5 years/1260 days)


Whichever world ruler brokers peace in the Middle east is the one Daniel spoke of, he will be the antichrist. I don't know who that will be, but world events are pointing to the fact it will happen soon.


When peace is achieved in Israel, the last 7 years of satan's rage kicks off. 1260 days, or 42 months, or a "time, times, and half a time" later, the peace is broken. Daniel 11:36-45 tells us exactly how it is broken: Syria and Egypt will attack Israel together, a combined attack from north and south. When this happens, the antichrist, who promised to "protect" Israel, will see his chance to capture Israel for himself! He will attack from afar and first enter into Syria and wipe them out, then pass through Israel into Egypt and wipe them out. The Bible says Jordan will be spared. Then news of a new attack from the north (Russia?) and the east (Iran?) will make antichrist rush back and setup shop on the temple mount, in Israel's new temple. This arrogant man will setup a statue of himself in the temple and demand the world worship him. Jesus said this will kick off the Great Tribulation.


From the day this statue is setup in the temple, Revelation and Daniel both tell us it will then be 1,260 days (3.5 Jewish years) until Jesus appears in the sky to gather His followers in the sky to go with Him into Edom (present day Jordan) to march with Jesus for 30 days into Jerusalem. At the end of those 30 days (1,290 days from the time the statue is setup by antichrist in the new temple), Jesus will defeat the antichrist in the temple, and will begin taking over every government of the earth, by force. This will be an overthrow of every evil world government by Jesus! Within 45 days, the world will rejoice that Jesus earthly kingdom is established:


Daniel 12:9-13 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”


Jesus is the one who told this to Daniel, starting in Daniel 10. Jesus is the one who told this to John in Revelation. Jesus is the one who told His disciples the exact chronology of events: birthpangs, tribulation, rapture, Kingdom established. It is really important to Jesus that we be clear of what is happening and when. We are supposed to watch, and then, as we see these things take place, know what is next.


Right now, there is a significant visit of the US to Israel with the stated purpose of restarting of peace talks. No one knows if this is the event that will spark peace in Israel, but it is very interesting they way Israel sees this visit by a world power. They have "named" the visit, and according to media outlets are treating it "like a military operation." They have named the visit "Operation Unbreakable Alliance" in english, and "Brit Amim" (meaning Covenant of Peoples) in Hebrew.

Prophesy is being fulfilled right before our eyes in amazing ways. The world stage is being set. Jesus told Daniel that the wicked would have no understanding of what was happening, but the wise will understand (Daniel 12:10). Now is the time to understand!