NO ONE KNOWS JESUS’ RETURN DATE

J. Grant Swank, Jr.


There is much speculation regarding Jesus’ return within the biblical believers’ community.


What is certain is that only the Father knows the day and hour.


Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He told His disciples that the times and seasons are known only to the Father.


In His dialogue with the disciples during his three year public ministry, Jesus accented that only the First Person of the Trinity knows the Second Coming day and hour.


However, Jesus left it open for believers to know the year and month of His Second Coming. In fact, Jesus, in His vision given John on Patmos, stated in Revelation 11 that believers will know how to calculate the year and month of His return.


Jesus in that vision stated that two witnesses will begin the about-seven year tribulation by appearing preaching in Jerusalem, enemies seeking to murder them. They will proclaim the gospel for the first half of the tribulation; consequently, believers can count off the first three-and-a-half years to the desecration of the temple.


With that, believers can calculate the second half of the tribulation that is given as 42 months in Revelation 11. From the temple desecration to the Second Coming are those 42 months that obviously can be figured out on the calendar by the biblically informed.


However, that will still yield to the knowing only the year and month of Jesus’ return, not the day and hour. The day and hour are known only to the Father.


Therefore, no one knows specifically the Second Coming day and hour; but biblically attuned disciples can count out the year and month, the last month shortened somewhat for the elect’s sake.


How thorough is God in providing such detail to believers! This is exceptionally comforting in that such data also reveals once again God’s love for His saved ones.


All the more it is imperative that believers scour the Bible for detail regarding the present global frequencies as they lay alongside Scripture.