Let’s begin with Matthew 25:13--- “watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the son of man comes.”  There are many scriptures in the New Testament that talk about events of the end time.  God knows that we are not able to change one single event that He has said would come to pass. He has also said that we can not know the day nor the hour that Christ would return.  However, he gives us clues  as what we are to watch for.  In Matthew 24:32-33 he says: “ now learn a parable of the fig tree; when his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves , you know that summer is nigh; so likewise you, when you shall see all these things , know that it is near, even at the door.”  Even though we don’t know the day nor the hour, we can search the scriptures and put all the events together that He has told us to “watch” for, and we can know when we are getting close to that time.

In II timothy 3:1-5, we find a long list of things to watch for.  “ This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers  of their own  selves, covetous, boasters, proud , blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good , traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof, from such turn away.”

Just a glance at today’s news and anyone can begin to see that all the things that we just read are already all around us. Most of us who have computers, receive e-mails almost every day from friends or relatives describing certain injustice that continually affect us.  Many times we pass them on to others so that others might also be aware.  Even though we know that we can’t stop them from happening, we can watch and be aware of what ‘s going on.

In Ezekiel 33, it appears that we have been given the responsibility of being watchmen.  If we find something going on that could adversely affect our people, we are to pass it on to them. Ezekiel 33:7 “ So you, O son of man, I have set you a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.”

In the past there have been those who like to set dates for the return of Christ.  Some are still doing it today.  When we compare the prophecies of Jesus in Matthew  24 and the other gospel accounts, unto the opening of the first six-seals of Revelation 6, we can see that all these events unfold in order of time sequences.  There is very little revealed about how much time is involved in each event until we get to the time of the tribulation.  We can know that the beast power will continue for forty-two months (Rev. 13:5).  In Revelation 11:3, it tells us that God’s two witnesses will prophesy  a thousand  two hundred and sixty days.  There are no dates given for the beginning of reign of the beast power or for the beginning of the ministry of the two witnesses.  We are told to watch those events take place and they will lead up to the beginning of the tribulation, the beast power and the ministry of the two witnesses.  Aside from that, I would not be able to set a date for any of those things to begin to happen.

Daniel was told that the things he saw, and didn’t understand, would be closed and sealed until the times of the end (Dan. 12:8-9) Does anyone know when the time of the end began?  Can anyone give a date for the beginning of the time of  the end?

Obviously, even though Daniel saw these future events in vision, God knew that Daniel would not live long enough to see their fulfillment.  God said to Daniel, “ But to you go your way till the end, for you shall rest, and stand up in your lot at the end of the days” ( Dan. 12:13).  So God told Daniel that these things would be closed and sealed until the time of the end.

Jesus Christ began to reveal these events to his disciples in the Olivet prophecy.  Even still they did not know how much time would be involved.  Since that time, the Church of God has been given ‘bits and pieces’  of end time events, but no one has ever accurately laid it all out giving accurate dates.  We can take all the clues in the prophecies of the bible, put them all together and so far all we can know for sure is, “ When his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, you now that summer is nigh. So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the door.” 

If it would be possible to know the exact date of the beginning of the ministry of the two witnesses, then we could know the date of the return of Christ.  The two witnesses will be killed and their bodies will lie in the street of Jerusalem for three and one half days (Rev.1:8)  Verse 11, “ and after three and a half days the spirit of life from God entered into them and they stood upon their feet and great fear fell upon them which saw them.”  This is obviously the date that we are looking for.

In the meantime, what are we to do?  Luke 21:36, “ watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the son of man.”

                                                                                                 -Neil Wroten