Matthew 24:36-39 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
With a setting of the date for the Rapture and the beginning of the seven-year tribulation as May 21st, 2011, the ministry of Harold Camping joins the long list of many others who have tried to predict events Jesus said “No man could know”.
I am not sure which part of “That day and hour no one knows…” was misunderstood, but by the writing of this article, it is clear that no man knows the day or hour of the event called “The Rapture”.
Jesus does not want us to know that day. He has always intended that it would be a date that would surprise the secular world, and be a date to watch for by the Christian church. By not knowing the day or the hour when the Rapture would take place, Jesus intends that all of us who love Him and believe He will return for us, would be kept in a constant state of expectation.
If a person truly believes that Jesus could come at any moment, they will be living their life in such a way that they would be seeking to purify themselves of everything not of the Lord.
1 John 3:2-3 … we know that when Jesus is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
The person who truly believes in Jesus for their salvation and is waiting and watching for His return at any moment, will daily be trying to purify their life. If Jesus could come at any moment, I do not want the Lord to come and find me doing anything that would not please Him.
That basic premise is the reason that Jesus did not tell us the day or hour of His return.
It is for certain the Jesus will return as He promised. Not one of His promises has ever failed to happen.
John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.“
The promise of Jesus’ return at the Rapture is for the purpose of removing all those who love Him and are waiting for His return, just before the beginning of the seven-year tribulation.
Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
The seven-year tribulation is a specific time chose by God to pour out His wrath on all those who have rejected Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins and the kingdom of the antichrist. This wrath is spoken of in the Book of Revelation as being poured out by Jesus Himself, “The Lamb”:
Revelation 6:15-16 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!“
It is completely inconsistent for Jesus to die for His church so that we would not experience the wrath of God in judgment for our sins, then subject us to His wrath during the seven-year tribulation.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
I considered writing this article before the time and date set for the Rapture on May 21st, but thought it better to take an opportunity after the predicted time came and went. I admit, I hoped that Jesus was coming. It would be far better to have been wrong in my opinion that the date set was certainly inaccurate. Who of us that love Jesus and long for His return did not hope that He was coming today?
Now that the prediction has been proven to be false, my concern is for all those who may have their faith shaken by this false prediction. All followers of Jesus should learn a valuable lesson from this day and never again be swayed into believing that anyone can know the exact day Jesus will return.
We can know the “Times and the Seasons”. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for being able to predict the weather changes by the signs in nature, but being unable to predict the timing of His first coming by comparing the events happening on the earth with what God’s word predicted.
Luke 12:56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?
The Bible is clear that by the increase in earthquakes, floods, natural disasters in general, and the increase in wickedness upon the earth, that we could tell when the coming of Jesus for His church was near.
It is for certain that we are very near the day of the Rapture. Credence to that truth being that Jesus said when people begin to set dates for His return, that this in itself is a sign of His soon return.
Matthew 24:23-27 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
Now these verses in Matthew 24 are describing those during the great tribulation claiming that Jesus has returned, but the basic premise is the same before the Rapture happens. If they will claim during the seven-year tribulation that Jesus has already come, they will also claim that He is coming on a specific date, before the Rapture happens.
The very reason that Jesus told the disciples that no one knows the day of hour of the Rapture, is because Jesus knew that there would be many who would try to set a date.
Make sure that you understand the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus.
The Rapture is a secret event, unknown to anyone except the Lord. The purpose of the Rapture is to remove Jesus’ Church before the beginning of the outpouring of His wrath during the seven-year tribulation.
The Second coming of Jesus occurs at the end of the seven-year tribulation where He will return physically to the earth with His church.
At the Rapture, Jesus is coming FOR His church. At the second coming, Jesus is coming WITH His church.
At the Rapture, Jesus will not be seen by the rest of the world, and He will not come to the surface of the earth, He will meet us in the outer atmosphere of earth.
1Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
At the Second coming, Jesus will come to the earth at the same point of His departure from the earth after His resurrection, the Mount of Olives.
Zechariah 14:4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move
Acts 1:10-12 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.
If the news of today about “The end of the word” has startled you and caused you to fear, it may be perhaps due to the uncertainty of your relationship with God. If you have not yet come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then there is great cause to fear.
All those who have not received Jesus as their Lord and Savior, will not be taken by the Lord in the Rapture when He comes for His church. They will go through the seven-year tribulation in which nearly two-thirds of those on the earth will perish in 21 separate judgments.
You can change your eternal destiny at this very moment by bowing your head in prayer and asking Jesus to forgive your sins and become your Lord and Savior.
If you would like to know for certain that when Jesus does come for His church, you will be included, you can make that important decision right now. I invite you to pray this simple prayer and invite Jesus to save you at this moment. As you begin to say the words to this small prayer, and mean them with your heart, Jesus will hear you and save you.
“Dear Lord Jesus, please forgive me for all of my sins. I want to accept you at this moment, as my Lord and Savior. I believe that you died on the Cross for my sins and I accept the sacrifice you made on the Cross and the payment for my sins. Please come into my heart and live Your life through me. Help me to live for you from this day forward, and for the rest of my life. “
“I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
According to the authority of God’s Word, if you prayed that prayer and meant it, Jesus has forgiven ALL of your sins and has given you eternal life. If you continue to believe in Jesus until He comes for you at the Rapture, you will go up to meet Him in the outer atmosphere of the earth with all the rest of us when He comes. You will miss the judgement of the seven-year tribulation and you will never see any judgement or condemnation for any of your sins.
Romans 10:8-11 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
John 20:31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
John 6:37 (Jesus) All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
It is important that we continue to wait and watch for the coming of Jesus. It is for certain that this year has brought us closer to the Rapture than any other year before. By the rapid increase of natural disasters, a worldwide economic collapse, and the massive increase in evil throughout the world, Jesus’ return is eminent.
Rob Robinson
