American Style Excuses - How to Stay Blissfully Ignorant About
the Second Coming of Christ
Question: Because Jesus said ...but of that day and hour knoweth
no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Mt
24:36, doesn't that mean that we shouldn't spend too much time
learning about the second coming of Christ?
Answer: To use this verse as an incentive to ignore second
coming doctrine would he the same as using it as an excuse. In
fact, we need only to go to the very next verse to see that is
not what Christ was saying by any stretch of the imagination....
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Mt 24:37. The keyword in this verse is watch, and that implies
an active and thoughtful pondering, perusing and studying the
whole aspect of the promise of his return. It is painfully
obvious that Jesus did not expect us to stand around gazing into
the sky all day looking for him on a white horse. The verb watch
is active, and at the very least means to he aware of the full
meaning of everything to do with his second coming.
We have all heard some preacher reminding us of how many times a
subject is alluded to in scripture as a means of emphasizing the
urgency or the validity of some particular Bible teaching. I
have told others hundreds of times, just to note the times Jesus
began a statement with, verily, verily. It clearly was a means
of raising the seriousness of what he was saying. The scripture
is not just redundant as it applies to second coming doctrine,
but it is replete. The second coming messages of the Bible make
up about one quarter of the entire scripture, including old and
new testaments. If God saw fit to give that much attention to
making Christ's return known to us how can we dismiss it as an
unneeded or extraneous doctrine that shouldn't be given much
attention? I would say that to espouse this kind of approach
borders on disobedience not just misinformation or laziness.
Now more than ever before, as the signs are being fulfilled all
around us we are under the greatest call of all time to study,
contemplate and proclaim this most serious doctrine.
Question: If as Jesus said, we cannot know the day or the hour.
What can we know? Can we know within a year, a decade or some
measurement of time'?
Answer: There are two measurements of time apart from the day or
the hour that we can recognize and use without naming dates and
bringing God's disfavor upon ourselves. One of those
measurements is referred to as a season, specifically summer.
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet
tender and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So
likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is
near even at the doors. Mt 24: 32-33. The entire twenty fourth
chapter of Matthew has to do with the signs of the second
coming, so those are the things he meant when he said, when ye
shall see all these things. Without adding any other biblical
cross references that pertain directly to the subject. Matthew's
passages alone should be sufficient to show us what that season
is exactly. The words, know that it is near in verse thirty
three hardly sound like something we are not supposed to pay
much attention to. These words are a biblical imperative that
clearly addresses the lackadaisical attitude some folks have
about the second coming.
Taken seriously, these words mean that not only must we know the
doctrine of Christ's return, but we must know the season as
well. This season must not be confused with a literal season of
nature. It could be shorter or longer than that, but it is used
only to convey the idea of a short period not a long stretch of
years or decades. The sense of it implying only a short period
is conveyed by the words...even at the doors. A pet or a child
knows when you are shuffling around at the front door about to
make your entrance. The front door is very close and so is the
summer season when everything comes into full bloom.
The second knowable measurement of time the Bible uses is a
generation. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not
pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Mt 24:34 Taken in the
context in which it was given, it is obvious that Jesus meant
the generation that would actually see the signs he was
describing throughout Matthew twenty four. He would have to he
deceived, misinformed and sadly mistaken if he thought it would
happen in his own generation. It is impossible that the Light of
the World, John 8:12 was in any way deceived. In the plainest
English, Jesus always knew what he was talking about.