One of the jeopardies of predicting (even with the purest of intention) that the Lord is coming on a certain day or in a certain hour, is that when He may fail to comply with our prognostications, we unintentionally do damage to the credibility of prophetic scripture, and in many ways undermine God’s own plan re the conclusion of this age. Our well-intended zeal can drive folks away from Kingdom plans. Flipside of that: we’re challenged to not be like the Pharisees in failing to see the signs of our times, as they did the signs of their own times. Like Paul, we’re called to warn all men.
BTW: We are told we won’t know the day nor hour, but no one has ever said we won’t know the season, but we need to be oh so careful, particularly if someone has entrusted you with a microphone or even a computer keyboard. Be careful little fingers what you type.
Jesus called the religious folks hypocrites (GR: “Hypokrites” an actor under an assumed character) in that they pretended spirituality and yet they were dull in their ability to see and hear. God wants his people to be seeing and hearing, accurately.
Matthew 16:2-4
2 He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’;
3 and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.
4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
To make things yet more challenging, Jesus rebukes them for hungrily looking for signs (v4) and tells them signs will be given to them on God’s terms, not their terms.
FAST FORWARD TO NOW – The sincere church is thus left in the quandary of:
1. Understanding for certain there will be a return of the Lord, in the clouds (Rev 1:8), in flaming fire (2 Thess 1:8), at the appointed time (Matt 24:36); and
2. Recognizing many prophetic components are in place as they’ve never been before; and
3. Knowing that all the saints before us who thought they knew for certain and pointed to a calendar date in the past, were wrong.
Compound to that the fact that we’re to be the light of the world, ambassadors of God, walking in the Spirit of Elijah, and you see the predicament.
What is one to do?
There’s simply too many signs, number-coordinations of celestial events (eclipses, constellation alignments), occurrences and even dating of geo-political events on earth, and more, that sure appear to be pointing to the imminent (“imminent” – happening very soon) return of our Lord.
We’re told some things will become more evident as the Day approaches (confirmed by this popular verse that clearly tells us we will be able to see that approach)….
Hebrews 10:25
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
…..and we’re also told certain things won’t be clear at all until the time when our Lord actually does appear, at which many things will become very evident.
A notable marker-phrase in the book of Ezekiel, in dealing with lots of eschatological events still awaiting complete fruition, is: “THEN”, or THEN they will know” – implying not before the THEN (e.g. the certain event), but only when that THEN occurs.
Ezekiel 36:11
I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 38:23
Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 39:6
“And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.
All this to say, our call/job/appointment/assignment is to intentionally draw as close to God as possible, daily, staying in touch and in tune with heaven, with oil in our lamps.
I don’t see the Ps 32 promise of being led by the eyes of God with any disclaimer that would cause us to believe as things accelerate and heat up, He will not be leading the ones whose eyes are on His. THAT is a huge consolation and comfort.
We are safe in Him, in every season.
All scripture NKJV
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