The Day and Hour Unknown?

At the end of the Great Tribulation, there will be a short period of several weeks that will kill more people than the previous 2000 years, which is the wrath of God. In Matthew chapter 24 Jesus describes the Great Tribulation and wrath of God in detail, then he gives several parables about being prepared for those events. Jesus said:

32 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. . . . 36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matt. 24:32-33, 36)

Notice that Jesus said we will not know the day or the hour, but we will know for a fact that his return is very near, even right at the door. One of the worst beliefs that has been propagated within Christianity is that we cannot know when Christ will return, but we just read that we can and will know, for a fact. If we listen to most prophecy teachers Jesus was soon to come for the past 150 years, but that is not true. We will know for a fact when Christ is right at the door, we just won’t know the exact day or hour. Matthew 24 continues:

37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 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; 39 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. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. (24:37-41)

In this passage people are living their lives as usual when the flood came and killed them all. Even though Noah warned people of the coming flood they did not believe him. The reference Jesus makes here does not refer to being spiritually ready, but to being physically ready for the coming destruction. This refers to those who do not go in the Rapture at the end of the tribulation, which is most of Christianity. (The full unrestrained wrath of God will take place after the end of the tribulation.)

Those who are taken, in the above verses, do not go in the Rapture, they are killed in the global destruction at the return of Christ. We should be ready like Noah so we will not be killed like the man in the field and the woman grinding grain who are going about their lives as usual. Most people not prepared like Noah, will die. Noah did not know what day it would start to rain, but he did not wait until it started to rain to start building the ark.

Jesus could have worded the above passage like this, "I'm coming with destruction as great as Noah's Flood, therefore you should watch the signs and be ready like Noah, otherwise, you will die." People who are watching the signs and the world events will know when to seek shelter.

This shows that even though we will not know the day or the hour in advance, we can know the year well in advance so we can prepare like Noah. And when that year arrives we can know when we must seek shelter for a short time in order to be protected from the natural disasters of God’s wrath. Even though the Bible proves this point, there still will be many people crying and screaming that we cannot know when Christ will return, because they believe what they want to believe rather than what the Bible says.