Can we know the day and hour of Jesus' return?
The bible says...Matt 24:36
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
I guess that settles it. Right? For many it does.
BUT
We know the tribulation will be for 7 years...or...2,520 days using a 360 day lunar cycle year or 2,555 days using our 365 day calendar.
We also know the tribulation starts when the anti-Christ incorporates the "peace contract"....So why can't we add 2,520 days or 2,555 days from the moment the peace contract is signed? At that point it's pretty much a 50/50 guess as we don't know what number to use.
But, the bible says the peace contract will be broken after 3 1/2 years. That is 1,277 days or 1,260 days after the contract is signed.
Once the antiChrist declares himself to be God on day 1,277 or day 1,260.....all we have to do is add either 1,277 or 1,260 days to which number turned out to be correct.....and show Matt 24:36 has some problems as the day can be predicted.
BUT. Matt 24:36 can't be predicted...
Knowing Jesus return is imminent....I would suggest of that date no one knows when Jesus will return. This would be the date of the pre-tribulation rapture.
One way we can know the return of Jesus...(the first return)...is pre-tribulation is the mention of what the world will look like when Jesus returns. We know this return isn't speaking about the end of the tribulation because after going through the 7 year tribulation the world will not be rainbows, puppy dogs, butterflies and daisies. People will not be eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, buying and selling, planting and building.
Jesus says the world will look like the days of Noah and Lot when He returns. Those day fit the pre-tribulation description rather than an end of the tribulation world view and economy.
It's amazing just how many people fight against the theology of the pre-tribulation rapture of the church.
One thing about the pre-tribulation rapture is the signs say it's soon....sooner than you think.
I think that the meaning behind no man knowing the day or hour is intricately linked to the reason behind the 1,260 days equating to 42 months and 3.5 times.
In Hebrew, the "time(s)" in the time, times and a half is
moed, the same word used for appointed times, tied to the appointed people (Israel) meeting at the appointed place (Zion) at God's appointed times. That is why 3.5 times is equated to 42 months or 1,260 days on the lunisolar calendar used to track God's appointed times.
The one caveat is that Israel didn't care how many months were in a year, they just cared that the first month was counted such that a little over half way through that first month they would have a harvest nearing readiness and a wave sheaf to bring to God on firstfruits. Because the crops are tied to the solar calendar, this required that sometimes the shorter lunar year would have to include an intercalary month to catch back up to the harvest season even though new moons were what defined the start of each month.
So, it's not every 7-year period where 1,260 days will equal 42 months and 3.5 times, it has to be those time frames without the intercalary months added. That runs on the Metonic Cycle repeating a sequence every 19 years.
But how the new month is defined as having begun is two or more witnesses visually seeing the first light after a new moon. Since the moon is between the earth and the sun at a new moon, they set at the same time. Now we have fancy software that can tell us the future state of the sun and moon at any point on earth based on the miraculous celestial clock God made and assigned Israel's statutes to. But it's still visually based and sometimes that first light after a new moon doesn't happen until after the sun and moon set. So you never really knew ahead of time what day the new month would land on until it was observed.
The only appointed time given to Israel that was not in the midst of a month was Yom Teruah, the feast of trumpets. It was on the first day of the month, which is not known until observed.
Therefore, if Yeshua returns on Yom Teruah, it will be the idiomatic day and hour no man knows. It will take place in a season of the midst of the year that correlates to the idea of 3.5 times.
What I found interesting was that taking the framework of exact day prophecies for the 70th week and the ability to see back and forward the movement of the heavens with
Stellarium, as well as other checks on harvest times, etc., I just picked a range from 2020 to 2041 and mapped the appointed times, new moon based on the barley harvest time in Israel and the vernal equinox to see where the framework of exact day prophecies fit into that.
Across fifteen 7-year periods, only 3 ended up falling within a day of God's appointed times with relevance across the 7 years. This assumes the exact middle of the week falls on Yom Kippur, the start of the day of the Lord following the sixth seal during Yom Teruah. Even the end on the first of Abib/Nisan has relevance when recognizing the 45 days remaining that then would fall on 2nd Passover. Numbers 9:6-14 This is also laid out in my
more comprehensive chart of the 70th week as I understand it at this time.
So I think there is an explanation for the day and hour not being known that also hints at the integral part God's appointed times plays in His plan for the 70th week appointed to Israel and Jerusalem leading to His kingdom being established in the earth.
