Decoding the Mystery of When Will Jesus Return
“But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should surprise you as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:4, NIV).
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
In specific reference to the rapture, scriptures indicate that we will not or should not be taken off guard for this grand event. The apostle Paul, after he had just spoken regarding the coming of Jesus Christ to snatch away the saints, soon followed up this affirmation by saying:
“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day.We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thess. 5:1–6).
What is interesting to note from this scripture is that Paul seems to put this event of the day of the Lord in the context or time frame of, “When they say peace and safety.” The “they” in this passage is a reference to Paul’s Jewish brethren, the nation of Israel of whom Daniel 9’s peace deal pertains.
The return of Jesus Christ will no doubt come as a thief in the night, but this is in relation to the unbelievers. If you notice, the apostle Paul made a clear distinction between “they” and “you brethren.” As much as the return of Jesus Christ will be a surprise to many as a thief in the night, it should not be so for the believer.
Matthew 16:1–4 reveals how Jesus was disappointed with the religious leaders for not knowing the signs of the times. They could judge and discern the atmospheric signs of the clouds and so forth to determine what the day was going to be like, but they failed to discern spiritual and prophetic signs regarding the coming of their Messiah.
From Jesus’ point of view, they should not have missed the prophetic times they were in, since the scriptures clearly point to this grand event. If there was not enough available for them to know and discern the time, Jesus would have no grounds on which to be angry with them. They should not have been in darkness.
Now that we’re looking back at the first coming of Christ from a historical point of view, it may be easy for us to say, “Wow, how could they miss that? If they had put all the prophecies together, they would’ve certainly known and recognized the timeline of Christ’s coming and spotted Him in their midst.” But just like the people of Jesus’ day who had troves of prophecy at their disposal, we, who have an even greater wealth of prophetic scriptures, also may find ourselves being totally unaware of the timing of His return if we fail to understand that God has revealed His secrets to us through His word, that we should not be like those who are in darkness.
“Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Here’s an example of what the Lord meant when He said that. The Lord had visited Abraham and Sarah to reaffirm that they would have a child. Then as the Lord and the angels were departing to go and destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord” (Gen. 18:17–19). God did not hide from Abraham what He was doing.
Consider for example the story of Noah and the flood, one of the events to which Jesus compares His return. The Lord told Noah that He was about to destroy the earth and everything that moved on the face of the earth. Thus, because Noah and his family were righteous and found grace in the eyes of the Lord, the Lord told him to build an ark for himself and his family and big enough to accommodate two of every beast of the field and birds of the air. After spending over 120 years building the ark and preaching to the ungodly throughout that time, it finally came time for the Lord to act on His promise.
“Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Come into the Ark you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation … For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth” (Gen. 7:1–4). Though Noah did not know the exact time from the onset of the instruction to build the ark because of the impending flood, when it got close, and at the appropriate time, God did in fact told Noah that the rain would start after seven more days.
In the context of this story as it relates to the comparison of Jesus’ return, and also that of Sodom and Gomorrah, we see that Noah was fully aware of when looming judgment was coming and when his deliverance was about to begin. God did not tell him how many years it would take and when exactly it would happen in terms of a specific year, month, or day. Nonetheless, the ungodly who did not believe but who were mocking Noah all perished because the flood took them by surprise.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Is there a specific Bible prophecy that must first be fulfilled before the return of Jesus Christ? Yes. While it is true that no exact date can be set for this event, the scriptures provide us with a clear context of specific world events that will create the time line for Jesus’ return. Jesus said, “Of that day and hour no one knows” (Matt. 24:36). If this was meant to be a mystery, it was also meant to be revealed eventually. Amos 3:7 says, “Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” This book brings to light the hidden mystery contained in the scriptures—that the return of Jesus Christ should not be a surprise to those who believe.
Jesus also made it clear that there will be a final and specific generation who will witness the fulfillment of all remaining end-of-time prophecies. This book brings clarity regarding the great tribulation. Is it seven years or three and a half years? What is the wrath of God, and why and how does it play a role in the last days? Beyond the general prophecies of wars, famines, earthquakes, etc., lies a great wealth of other specific and unique signs that will indicate the imminent return of Jesus. Are you ready?
About the Author
Born and raised in Jamaica, Raymond Moore is the founding Pastor of God Is Able... Tabernacle church, and the author of “Evidence of Grace”. Raymond is a devout and humble servant leader of Jesus; a passionate worshiper and musician. He is a bible college graduate and a student of the Word, who exemplifies scholarly attributes in the scriptures. Today Raymond resides in Camrose, Alberta with His wife Suzanne and four children, Janaiya, Tahairah, Davion, and Aaliyah.