No One Knows the Day Nor the Hour

Now many people use Matthew 24:36 to support the idea that no one can know the time of the Lord's return. However, it is one scripture, taken out of context:

Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

However, just a few seconds before saying this, and followed by a lengthy description of the events leading up to the coming of the Son of Man, the Lord said:

Mat 24:32-34  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:  (33)  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.  (34)  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Here He is saying that we will be able to identify the timing or season (since He mentions "summer") by looking for these signs.

Even before that in describing the signs with which we will be able to identify the nearness of His return, He clearly states:

Mat 24:29-31  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:  (30)  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  (31)  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Notice that? "Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days..."

Then He describes the very same events as described throughout the Bible as the Day of the Lord.

You can read a more indepth earlier study of the Day of the Lord and another study on how the events Jesus describes in Mat 24:29 are also part of the 6th, 7th trumpet and 7th vial in Three Descriptions But One Event

Why the Rapture is NOT going to Happen Today 09/11/11

There was a long message on Facebook today, and the essence was: "The signs of His soon coming multiply, yet we still wait. Nevertheless, He has promised to return, and His Word is true and sure. He will come--perhaps today! 'For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.'"

 Well, here's my response:


‎2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

According to that (as well as Mark 13 and Matt 24) certain things must happen first before we can expect to see Jesus. As you can see the "man of sin" or "son of perdition", aka "antichrist" must be revealed first.

Now I follow current events pretty carefully, and I have yet to see anyone step into the limelight as the savior of the world. So until that event takes place, I don't think structurally we can expect to be raptured.

1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Here it says at the "last trump"...well, if there's a "last", mustn't there also be a "first". The only place I see clearly spelled out in the Bible where it talks about prophetic events more than one "trump" mentioned is in Revelation and the 7 trumpets. So, that would mean "after" the Tribulation has started, and even been going on awhile." Which also lines up with Mark 13:

Mar 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
Mar 13:25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
Mar 13:26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

and Matt 24:

Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Notice both say "after" the tribulation that Jesus comes, and in Matt 24:31, it is very clear that this is the time when the "elect" are gathered".

All of these also have something else in common...Jesus coming for his saints (the elect) is going to be a very noisy affair...with trumpets, and shouts"brightness".

It's not going to be a secret. People aren't just going to "disappear" and all the sinners get left behind, where hopefully some can muddle through and get saved and have their heads chopped off to be counted as worthy for the third coming of Jesus.

Oops! There ain't no "third coming" just like there isn't any pre-tribulation rapture. You see the entire tribulation is NOT the wrath of God. It's Satan's wrath and God's jugdments and finally opportunity for non-believers to acknowledge Jesus Christ. But the Wrath of God is not "poured out" until the 7 Vials of God's Wrath. They get poured out after the "last trump"...which means those that are "alive and remain", those that "overcome to the end" have be gathered from "the four winds".

That's the Rapture of the Church...a one-time event."

So, the Rapture of the Church is NOT going to be today and probably not tomorrow, 'cause there's a lot of things that have to happen first. However, that doesn't mean you get to go out and live the wild life, yuck it up...because the one thing you don't know is when you will die. 


Anyone that uses the fact that the Rapture isn't going to happen today as a reason to continue in sin, needs to remember what happened 10 years ago today. On September 11, 2001 over 3000 people died and met their Maker, ready or not. If you are reading this, you still have time. Don't waste it. 


Many terrible things are...not getting ready to happen..but have already started happening: tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes...they sound like natural events, but God moves in the whirlwind and his judgment is falling on the nations of this world (especially the US), so you never know how long you will have to "get ready." Better get ready now, for tomorrow may not come for either of us.

When Will the Day of the Lord Occur?

While the Bible says that no man knows the day or the hour of the Lord's return, we are also warned to be watchful that the day doesn't catch us unaware. We can know the season, and the Bible actually give some very specific markers for knowing when the Day of the Lord will occur.

After the Tribulation

Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Jesus saying that AFTER the tribulation the sun will be darkened which describes the WRATH

It Comes As a Thief to them (the wicked)

1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

But It is Not a Secret to the "Brethren"

1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
1Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Here Paul is identifying exactly who he is writing to and who he is warning not to be caught unaware
1Th 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1Th 5:7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
1Th 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. To "put on" something suggests "getting ready" or "preparing"
1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

At the Trumpet

Joe 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; "Blow the trumpet?" As in the 7th trumpet?
Joe 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
Joe 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Is this the description of the "Rapture"? I believe so, since Jesus is described as the Bridegroom and the Church as the Bride
Zep 1:16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. "Rapture?"

Coincide with a "Battle?"

Zec 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. "Spoil" is something that is taken by the victor in a battle
Zec 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. This is evidently describing a time in the future when Jerusalem will be overrun
Zec 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. This perfectly agrees with scriptures describing the "nations" that go to battle at Armegeddon

The Second Coming Fulfilled

Zec 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. Is this the same battle spoken of in Revelations? This is also the point upon which Jesus Christ sets foot upon the earth again.

Prepare for the Day of the Lord

Part of the reason for this blog is not just to help people prepare for disaster, it's to help Christians prepare to live through the tribulation. Now if you are a believer in the pre-tribulation rapture "theory" then you're going to laugh haughtily and say proudly "but I won't be here!"

No? Are you really sure about that? Have you read it for yourself or are you just accepting what you've been taught? And if you say you've read it for yourself have you read the word like you would read any book, one sentence leading to another to another "and then, after that, etc." or is it a verse here and another verse from somewhere else, with an explanation of why it's a stand-alone verse?

Since I was brought up believing that the "catching away" occured before the tribulation I know the scriptures that are used to support the teaching. Believe me, I much prefer the idea of a heavenly escape route than the thought of persecution, torment, hunger, deprivation and martyrdom.

Imagine my shock when the Holy Spirit led me to search the Word for myself and I found that if I read the Word like I would any other book. One phrase after another leading to the next and taking nothing out of context caused a different picture to emerge as to the timing of the event called the "Rapture of the Church".

Over the next few days I'm going to be giving you scriptures that layout what I discovered in the Word. And lest you think that I'm the only one who believes such a thing, there are a host of Believers around the world that recognize the truth of the Word and do not believe the theory of pre-tribulation rapture.

Although there may be many differing ideas as to when the "gathering of the saints" will occur, most agree that it will take place before the Wrath of God is poured out on what the Bible describes as the day of the Lord. Which also corresponds biblically with the "last trump".

Stick around. You might learn something that could reveal on what shaky ground you are building you and your family's future. And if you are in the ministry you may learn something that will change what you teach your flock. Just remember if you learn the Truth, you will then be held accountable as to what you do with the Truth.

In fact, I urge everyone of you to do the research for yourself. What does the Word really say? In fact, do what I did to get started: on a sheet of paper make three columns and write at the top of the first column "pre-trib", the second column "mid-trib" and the third column "post-trib or pre-wrath". Then list every verse in the Bible that could possibly support each of the various positions. Do that and then come back tomorrow as we begin our study of "The Day of the Lord".

The Time is Now

Even though I was raised to believe in an event most evangelical Christians call the "Rapture", I have since come to believe that the event will not occur as I was taught.

In other words, I don't really believe that the Bible teaches that the "catching away" will occur before the event call the Tribulation. Now, I know this puts me at odds with every member of my family and everyone I know.

However, once I saw what the Word really said, then I couldn't just go backward and accept what I considered a lie. While I can't expect to change anyone's mind, I can try to convey how I came to believe that the Word actually teaches a catching-away that occurs pre-wrath.

I've also come to believe that just as God told Noah to prepare for the saving of his household that I've been told to do what I can to prepare.

It helps to know that I'm not the only person out there who is preparing. While the reasons may vary, everyone who is preparing is doing so because they realize that the world as we know it is changing and the changes are such that eventually our very survival may depend on what we do today.

So stick around and see what I have to say. Later.