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Essay: Speculation Of When The Great Tribulation Will Start (NIV based)
by Mel W. Coddington, Ph.D., written in April, 2022
SEARCH KEYWORDS: when will the Tribulation start, when will the Rapture happen, speculative prediction about 03 April
2034, speculative prediction about a mass abduction and disappearance of people on 03 April 2034, speculative prediction about people floating up into the sky and vanishing on
the day of April 3, 2034
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THREE MAIN TERMS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT:
- - the 'Church Age' = A period of time in history in which God established and uses His religious institution known as the 'church', which is comprised of Gentile (non-Hebrew)
true believers in Jesus Christ, to carry out this stage or phase of His program and His various objectives in the world.
Please note that the term 'Church' used in this document refers in a collective sense and applies only to persons who have personally correctly and genuinely placed their faith in Jesus Christ, that He died on the cross to take and suffer the eternal punishment they deserve for their
own sins, that He rose from the dead on the third day, and that He freely gives them eternal life in heaven as a result of His substituting atoning sacrificial death on the cross that He endure for them personally
(see 1 Corinthians 15:1-6; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:20-25a). The term 'Church', used in this document, does not refer to any church building(s) or any church group(s) of people such as a particular organization, or institution, or denomination, and etcetera.
- - the 'Rapture' = A miraculous action by Jesus Christ in which He instantaneously physically removes all of the living true believers off from the earth and raptures or transports them up into His presence.
- - the 'Great Tribulation' = A 7-year stage or phase of God's program in which He ordains, and/or oversees, and/or orchestrates, and/or inflicts a consecutive onslaught of widespread mass destruction, mass suffering, mass torment, and mass death upon the inhabitants of the earth because of their gross and pervasive wickedness.
INTRODUCTION:
When considering various aspects of end-times events, an alluring and intriguing prospect is to try to determine the year when the 'Great Tribulation' will start.
Having been fascinated by and following this topic since my teenage years 5 decades ago, I now have found some modern-day researches that use descriptions in the Scriptures, along with science and reliable historical data, to achieve a finding that seems to be crucial and key to determining the
probable date when the Great Tribulation will start. This finding from these outside researches, coupled with my research utilizing careful examination of sections of Scriptures relating to the start of the Great Tribulation, analysis, common sense, logic, and prayer, have produced for me two
very astonishing solutions that also credibly pertain to the time that the 'Church Age' will end and the 'Rapture' of the Church will occur.
Therein, these discovered astonishing solutions exhilarate and compel me to share my research, determinations, and solutions with other true believers by means of publishing this document on my ministry website, www.BelieverAssist.com.
As a matter of disclosure, this is the first and only assertion (so far) that I have personally bought into and promoted publicly regarding what date the Great Tribulation will probably start.
I do make some assumptions within my research, which each I identify within this document. Please note that even though the various aspects of the contents of this document appear (to me) to have a sound and reasonable basis, nevertheless the assumptions, assertions, conclusions, and solutions in this document contain some
elements of speculation, and are not derived from any supernatural direct audible or visual prophetic
revelation.
THE 'CHURCH AGE':
- - The current stage or phase of God's program that we true believers are in now can be referred to as the 'Church Age', as identified by Jesus Himself in Matthew 16:18 and 28:20.
- - The Church Age started immediately upon Jesus having completed His atoning work on the cross, including that He resurrected from the dead, left the earth and ascended into heaven, and then the Holy Spirit came to the earth to indwell each of those persons who properly place their faith in Jesus, therein becoming true believers
(Acts 1:1-10a).
A KEY PASSAGE ABOUT THE CHURCH AGE - Daniel 9:24-27:
- - I assert that verses 24-27 of Daniel 9:20-27 is a key passage regarding the length of time that the Church Age will occur.
- - A substantial familiarity with and understanding of New Testament content, regarding Jesus Christ, the work of Christ, and the Great Tribulation, yields an immediate and easy recognition, understanding, and identification of Daniel 9:24-27 as describing major features of Jesus' work on the cross
(v.24)
, the length of the Church Age
(v.25), which I assert is identified in this passage as being ended upon the Rapture of the Church
(v.26a), and then followed by the Great Tribulation and its major features
(vv.26b-27), which in Matthew 24:15 Jesus directly verifies as pertaining to the Great Tribulation.
- - Granted, this key passage of Daniel 9:24-27 may apply to one or more other events of other times in history, but clearly this passage
distinctly is referring to the Church Age, then the Rapture, and then the Great Tribulation.
- - As further evidence that this passage of Daniel 9:24-27 pertains to our modern times, in verse 25 is stated that
"Jerusalem... will be rebuilt with" a "plaza"
(Strong's Hebrew #7339)
or 'town square', which was accomplished through using a convergence of four "streets"
(NIV), and was formed in the early 1920's after World War I and is named 'Zion Square'
(Zion).
- - And another evidence in verse 25, that this passage of Daniel 9:24-27 pertains to our modern times, is that "Jerusalem... will be rebuilt with... a trench, but in times of
trouble", which was "constructed by the Israel Defense Forces in 1948" because "Jordanians occupied part of Jerusalem and their snipers" were shooting at the Israelis, "threatening supply lines to the part of Jerusalem" that Israel occupied
(Bar-am). In recent years, a part of that trench has been renovated for tourism, and is called the 'Mount Zion Trench'.
THE 'SEVENS' - periods of time:
- - The 'sevens' cited in verses 9:24-27 are periods of time - lengths of time, as is not only obvious from the contents of verses 24-27 but is outright stated as such in the composite of verses 8:1-2a and 8:15-19,26 and 9:20-23.
- - And from the long and documented history of the Church coupled to the contents of this passage, a reasonable assertion can be made that the 'sevens' contain time periods to which we can utilize the basic measurement of time that we know as 'year' or 'years'.
- - In the passage, the 'sevens' are cited in the quantities of "seventy 'sevens'"
(v.9:24),
"seven 'sevens'"
(v.25),
"sixty-two 'sevens'"
(vv.25,26),
and "one 'seven'"
(v.27).
THE 'SEVENS' - decreed by God:
- - Notice that these time periods are "decreed". (vv.24,25)
- - Consider that the 'sevens' are presented in conjunction with a vision that Daniel had
(vv.8:1-2a,15-16,19)
and that an angel named "Gabriel"
(v.9:21)
again appeared to Daniel and gave him further instruction on "the message and understand the vision"
(v.9:23).
- - An appropriate and warranted conclusion, therefore, is that this vision to Daniel is from God, the angel 'Gabriel' and His instruction about this vision are from God, and the "decreeing"
(vv.9:24,25)
therein is also being done by God.
- - So, God has determined, decreed, set, established, and disclosed in these verses 9:24-27 a specific length of time at which and during which each of these events is to occur.
THE 'SEVENS' - knowable and understandable:
- - God has used the term 'seven(s)' as the designation, the label, and the unit by which time is designated for each corresponding cited event.
Since the time of about 600 B.C.
(Scofield, 871)
when Daniel was given this information, one glaring challenge has been to ascertain what time periods each of the designations of the 'seven(s)' represents.
- - But consider that these 'seven(s)' time periods and their corresponding distinguishing characteristics are specifically cited, described, and written in the Scriptures in Daniel 9:24-27 in order for us true believers to likewise receive "insight and understanding"
(v.22)
that we (along with Daniel) may "know and understand"
(v.25)
when these time-period-distinguishing events have occurred, are occurring, and will occur.
- - As a relating side-note of interest, even though God wants true believers to know this information and timing about the predicted cited events, obviously He has cloaked it in somewhat cryptic terminology and somewhat sparse in details, apparently so that only true believers ascertain the correct meaning of the cited prediction(s).
(Matthew 13:10-17)
- - And apparently only those true believers who are alive very near the time of the occurring of each event can perhaps acquire additional insights and close observations of events and developments that occur closely before and/or during the predicted event, in order to fill in the details and necessary additional information that enable definitive identification of the predicted cited event and its various cited characteristics.
(see v.3 in Matthew 16:1-4)
THE 'SEVENS' - now identifiable:
- - I assert that in Daniel chapter 9, verse 24 contains an overall and declarative statement that decrees and specifies the time length of "seventy 'sevens'" between when Jesus was crucified on the cross as a sacrifice for sins / rose from the dead / ascended into heaven, and when He will return "to anoint the most holy" "place" by taking His rightful seat on the throne in the newly-constructed Temple in Jerusalem at the very end of the Great Tribulation.
(v.27; Strong's Greek #6944)
- - Next, in verse 25, the overall time length of "seventy 'sevens'" of previous verse 24 is broken down firstly into a composite of the first time period connected with the second time period - in other words, "seven 'sevens' and sixty-two 'sevens'".
- - I assert that this composite of the time periods "seven 'sevens' and sixty-two 'sevens'" is what is now known as the Church Age - which starts at the time of Jesus' crucifixion / resurrection / ascension, and spans
until the start of the third time period, cited in verse 27 as "one 'seven', which is the Great Tribulation.
- - I assert that in order to ascertain a probable year in which technically the Church Age ends and immediately the Great Tribulation begins, this composite of the time periods,
"seven 'sevens' and sixty-two 'sevens'", is the key phrase that needs to be determined as to how many years it represents or consists of.
THE YEAR THE CHURCH AGE STARTED:
- - In years recent to this year now of 2022, various scholars have made credible determinations and findings that establish the probable date of the crucifixion of Jesus as being on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33.
[Personal Note: When I now found this development that the date of the crucifixion of Jesus had recently been determined, I was very astonished!!!
I have been following this topic for decades and the answer (previous to now) I read from the various scholars was "We don't know the exact year or the date that Jesus was crucified, but we think it was probably between the years of about A.D. 29-33."]
- - The recent scholars used descriptions in the Scriptures and theology, along with science, astronomy, and "reliable historical data" to ascertain possible dates of the crucifixion, and then from those dates they determined the date that best encompasses all of the various events and information pertaining to the crucifixion.
(Köstenberger)
- - Some events and aspects pertaining to the crucifixion of Jesus that were researched include the earthquake
(Matthew 27:51,54),
the daytime darkness
(Luke 23:44-45),
the apparent lunar eclipse
(Acts 2:20),
the Jewish calendar and religious events, the timing of that Passover, the reign of those Roman officials, and etcetera.
(see Humphreys; Köstenberger)
- - A reasonable assumption seems to be that the Church Age technically started at some point in time during which occurred the crucifixion, the resurrection, or possibly the ascension of Jesus, which was only a few weeks later, or at 'Pentecost'
(Acts 2:1-4),
which was 50 days after the first day of Passover, all of which certainly happened within the same calendar year.
(Shavuot)
- - No institution known as the 'church' existed before Jesus left the earth by means of His ascension back into heaven.
- - And the first instance in which the word "church" is used in identifying a group of believers existing up to that time is cited in Acts 5:11, with that church forming or congealing together and the activities of a few of its constituents appear to be described in Acts 4:23-5:14.
- - Using these Scriptural evidences and using logic, therein, I assert that this probable year date of A.D. 33, in which Jesus was crucified / resurrected / ascended, can be reasonably used as the probable year that the Church Age technically started.
- - So the key phrase "seven 'sevens' and sixty-two 'sevens'" in Daniel 9:25, which represents the length of time of the Church Age, probably started in the calendar year A.D. 33.
THE LENGTH OF YEARS OF THE CHURCH AGE:
- - To determine the length of the Church Age, one obvious parallel that first needs to be considered is the future reign of Jesus Christ on the earth, which is distinctly identified in Revelation 20:4,6 as being for the duration of "a thousand years".
- - The term "a thousand" does not seem to be a general approximation in those verses, because elsewhere in the Book of Revelation, the same term and Greek word
(Strong's Greek #5507)
is used in conjunction with other numbers to state specific amounts over 1,000, for examples in Revelation 11:3 and 14:20.
- - So therefore, a reasonable conclusion is that the future reign of Jesus Christ on the earth will be for an even amount or exact amount or nearly-exact amount of "a thousand" years.
- - If this reasonable assumptive conclusion about the length of time of Jesus' future reign is true, then a logical and seemingly reasonable proposal would be that the length of time of the Church Age could and perhaps is likewise an even amount or exact amount or nearly-exact amount of "a thousand" years or multiple of "a thousand" years.
- - From historical information, we can confidently declare that the Church Age did not end at the time of its 1,000th year anniversary in about the year A.D. 1033, nor has it ended up until the time of the writing of this document in April, 2022, which would make the current age of the Church Age (in April, 2022) as being 1,989 years old (the current year 2022 minus the Church Age's apparent starting year date of A.D. 33, when Jesus was crucified).
- - The first 1,000th year anniversary of the Church Age has well-passed without the Church Age ending; now is coming soon the next thousandth year anniversary, which will be the 2,000th year anniversary of the Church Age in the year 2033.
- - If indeed God has assigned that the Church Age be in effect for an amount of exactly or nearly-exactly 2,000 years, then in order for the distinct time period "seven 'sevens' and sixty-two 'sevens'" prediction statement in Daniel 9:25 to be true, that "seven 'sevens' and sixty-two 'sevens'" must mathematically somehow readily align with the number 2,000.
- - Exploring with a calculator, a quick determination can be easily reached that the fixed numbered unitized amount of "seven 'sevens' and sixty-two 'sevens'" or '69' ("seven" plus "sixty-two") does not divide evenly into the number 2,000
but it does divide exactly evenly (by 29) into the next whole number of 2,001. [Personal Note:
This discovery was even more astonishing to me than the previous discovery described above in this document!!!
This discovery and the next discovery (described below) occurred while I was already writing this document, during which I had no prior or current awareness or expectation that I would find any substantially pertinent or even astonishing information - that furthermore is now changing and guiding the direction and content of what I am writing as I am writing this document!!]
- - Therein, the "seven 'sevens' and sixty-two 'sevens'" in Daniel 9:25 seems to solidly indicate that the Church Age is to be exactly 2,001 years long, which would make its ending date in the coming year of
2034.
THE DATE OF THE END OF THE CHURCH AGE AND SIMULTANEOUS OCCURRING OF THE RAPTURE:
- - As a thought of inquiry that results from this speculative assertion that the Church Age will probably end in the
year 2034, a new question arises as to if it is now possible to further speculatively determine on what day this will occur in the year 2034.
- - In my contemplating this question, a follow-up question arises as to would God just pick any random day in the year 2034 to end the Church Age and execute the Rapture on that day, or would He likely select a specific day that holds religious and/or theological significance.
- - Considering that God chose for the crucifixion of Jesus to occur on the day right before the Passover in that year because that is when the Passover lamb is sacrificed and Jesus is the ultimate Passover Lamb, then it seems likely (to me) that God would likewise choose a day that has substantial religious and/or theological significance to be linked to such a great extreme historic event as the Rapture of the Church.
- - The Rapture of the Church is very much like the original Passover, which is when the Lord God passed over the enslaved Israelites, who by faith had put the blood of a sacrificed lamb on their doorframes, as the Lord God then immediately inflicted instantaneous death on the firstborn persons in all of Egypt.
(see Exodus 12:1-30)
- - The Rapture of the Church will be an instantaneous physical removal from the earth of all living true believers of Jesus Christ, causing them to be passed over from the immediate starting of 7 years of Tribulation in which God inflicts ongoing torment and death upon the inhabitants of the earth.
(see 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10)
- - Therefore, a reasonable assumption would be that the day of Passover seems to be a day that God might choose in the year 2034 to implement the Rapture of the Church.
- - A quick search on the Internet website Google.com reveals that the Jewish Passover in the year 2034 will begin on "April 3rd" - which is the same probable
day of the month that I am promoting in this document as being the probable day of the month that Jesus was crucified on!!!!
[Personal Note: Going far beyond being again very astonished, I was totally flabbergasted when I discovered this alignment (of April 3rd) just after I had finished writing this document and was preparing to finalize it for posting on my website.
I was so flabbergasted and overwhelmingly filled with surprise, shock, and astonishment that progressed into including amazement and awe of God, that I literally walked around in circles for about 5 minutes, repeatedly examining and checking the Google search results on my phone for correctness, and not knowing how to verbally express my flabbergasted-ness as I found my wife outdoors to tell her what I had just discovered!]
- - Considering that the day of the month, on which the Jewish Passover occurs, changes from year to year (because it is based on the cycle of the moon and other considerations
(Humphreys)
), therein this exact alignment of April 3rd appears to mutually support the accuracy of both being the probable day that Jesus was crucified in the year A.D. 33 and being the probable day that the Church Age will end along with the probable simultaneous occurring of the Rapture of the Church in the coming year A.D. 2034.
- - So now according to the researches and findings presented herein above in this document written in April, 2022, I assert that
it is very probable that on the day of
April 3rd
(Jerusalem time)
in the coming year of
2034,
the Church Age will officially end, marked by an instantaneous Rapture of the Church, and then followed immediately on that very same day by the official start of the 7-year Great
Tribulation.
[Personal Note: I realize that this assertion may be a quite bold and audacious statement to make, and I want to remind the reader / listener that the date of April 3rd in the year 2034 in this statement essentially is
speculation and is not a direct quote of nor exclusively derived directly from the Scriptures.
But considering the various characteristics of the process that I employed to discover this date as described above in this document as well as the additional attracting features listed below in this document, I am confident that this assertion and its date have much credibility and may actually prove to be entirely correct.
And if they do prove to be correct, this document will then serve as a powerful testimony to the unbelievers who become left out of the Rapture - left behind to experience
God's judgments during the 7 years of the Great Tribulation. This document will help unbelievers discern the incorrectness of the then popular conclusion that space aliens have carried out a mass abduction of humans, using advance technology to transport those humans into their hovering cloaked spaceships by floating those abducted humans up into the sky and then causing them to disappear by loading them into the aliens' awaiting strategically-positioned numerous spaceships.
If, on the other hand, the Rapture and the start of the Great Tribulation do not happen on the date asserted herein, then consider that the date may be slightly off the mark but the events and their sequence may nevertheless prove to be correct on a later date.]
ATTRACTING FEATURES OF THIS ASSERTION REGARDING THE YEAR 2034:
- - First attracting feature: Of course, this assertion regarding the day of April 3rd in the year 2034 certainly is speculative and utilizes several assumptions, but nevertheless there is a logicalness to it, a reasonableness, and a seeming mutually-verifying accuracy that are quite attracting and compelling.
- - Second attracting feature: The "seven 'sevens' and sixty-two 'sevens'" in Daniel 9:25 herein is a representation of, an identification of, and even a declaration of
an exact amount - an exact number of years - 2,001.
- - A third attracting feature: The number 2,001 aligns to a theory that God used essentially even 'thousand' year periods of time in assigning how long both the Church Age and Christ's reign would be, but yet the disclosure of the time length of the Church Age used different terminology to accurately accommodate the very slight difference of 1 additional year (beyond an even 2,000) for the length of the Church Age.
- - Fourth attracting feature: The term "sevens", which was used in Daniel 9:25-26 to state the length of the Church Age,
effectively veiled the knowing of the corresponding amount of years, and this veiling spanned from the time of its writing in about 600 B.C. until perhaps now in 2022 A.D., a few years before the event will occur - all of which apparently is by God's design.
- - A special note needs to be added here, though, that the "one 'seven'" cited in verse 27 is different than the other designations using the term 'seven(s)' in verses 24-26 because the "one 'seven'" is referring to
7 actual years for the time length of the Great Tribulation, but nevertheless the "one 'seven'" is therein contained in the phrase "seventy 'sevens'" in verse 24 even though the other cited 'sevens' in verses 24-26 are
units of actual years.
- - Fifth attracting feature: Calculating and determining a specific day and year that the Church Age will end
evidently has not been possible until recently, but has now apparently become ascertainable shortly before the event will occur (albeit a few years before), which aligns with Daniel being told and documenting this information far
in advance of the events (albeit millennia in advance) - all of which apparently is likewise by God's design.
- - Sixth attracting feature: This current determining of specific years fulfills the statements in Daniel 9:25 and 9:22 that we do indeed now "know" and have received "insight and understanding" about the contents of verses 24-27 - particularly regarding specific years and even specific days of starting and/or ending of some of these prophecies therein.
- - Seventh attracting feature: A reasonable assumption, then, is that God has supplied sufficient information in the Scriptures, such as in Daniel 9:24-27, because He wants true believers during this time now shortly before the occurring of these future events to recognize and understand them, so that for our benefit, we respond by being busy doing His work with full effort and urgency
(Matthew 24:45-46)
while simultaneously watching, waiting, expecting, preparing, and maintaining readiness for these end-times events to occur.
- - As with the recent development that the specific date of Jesus' crucifixion has been ascertained and now with the development as represented in this document of ascertaining the
probable specific date that the Rapture will occur and the Great Tribulation will start, we true believers should furthermore be alert to other developments and general "signs of the times" (so to speak) that may verify and/or add information that will fill in gaps in our understanding of the Scripture predictions for the end-times events that seem to be very near to occurring.
(v.3 in Matthew 16:1-3)
POTENTIAL OBJECTION To This Assertion Regarding The Year 2034:
- - This speculative assertion about these end-times events occurring on the day of 03 April in the year of 2034
seems to violate the absolute statement by Jesus in Matthew 24:36,42 that ""No one knows about that day or
hour..."", and ""you do not know on what day your Lord will come"".
- - However, I assert that an important distinction needs to be made here - that there are at least two kinds of rapture that will be conducted at or during the time of the Great Tribulation, which to simplify, I will label one kind of rapture as a
'Temporary-Rescue-Removal-Into-Heaven Rapture', and the other kind as a 'Meet-The-Lord-In-The-Air-As-He-Returns
Rapture'.
- - I speculatively assert that a 'Temporary-Rescue-Removal-Into-Heaven Rapture' will be conducted in a similar manner to the rapture that happened to the Apostle John as recorded in Revelation 4:1-2.
- - In this kind of rapture (as described in verses 1-2), there probably will be the sequence of: "a door standing open in
heaven"; the living true-believer recipients (like the Apostle John) hearing a "voice" (probably of Jesus), that sounds
"like a trumpet", which says "Come up here"; "and"
(Strong's Greek #2532)
"immediately"
(Strong's Greek #2112)
or "at once", the living true-believer recipients are "in the Spirit", being physically carried or transported by the Holy Spirit from the earth, right up in front of or
"before" the "throne in heaven", where God the Father is "sitting on" the throne.
As an interesting observation, notice that all three persons of the Godhead (Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father) seem to be involved in conducting this miraculous action of rapturing living true believers from the earth.
- - A purpose of this kind of rapture is to officially end the Church Age phase of God's program by means of physically removing and rescuing the true believers, who are living on the earth on that day, from experiencing any of the horrific judgments that God is going to next inflict upon the wicked inhabitants of the earth by means of implementing the Great Tribulation, as observed, recorded, and described by the Apostle John within the remainder of the Book of Revelation.
- - This kind of rapture provides a temporary refuge sanctuary shelter for God's people, the living true believers, until the inflicting of God's wrath on the wicked inhabitants is completed, upon which the rescued living true believers will be returned to live on the earth, similar to the temporary refuge sheltering of Noah and his family in the ark until God completed the inflicting of wrath upon the wicked inhabitants of the earth by means of a worldwide flood.
- - Notice that in the Apostle John's account in Revelation chapters 4 and 5, there is no mention or hint that Jesus had left heaven
to return to the earth and rapture John, or to meet John in the air above the earth and then escort John up into heaven.
- - Matter of fact, to the contrary, John first sees Jesus after John has been in heaven for a while and has been observing various features and activities around the throne
(Revelation 4:3-5:5),
and "then seeing" Jesus "standing in the center of the throne"
(v.5:6).
- - I assert that the other kind of rapture, a 'Meet-The-Lord-In-The-Air-As-He-Returns Rapture', is conducted as Jesus is 'returning' to the earth at the very end of the Great Tribulation, which Jesus describes in length in Matthew chapters 24 and 25, in response to a question from His disciples in verse 24:3,
""Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and
of the end of the age?"".
- - Within the descriptions in Matthew chapters 24 and 25, Jesus clearly describes His "visible" "coming"
(v.24:27),
His return to the earth when He "will appear in the sky..." and be "coming on the clouds of the sky"
(v.24:30).
- - As Jesus is visibly coming or returning to the earth, He furthermore states in verse 24:31 that He "will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will
gather his elect from the four winds...", which by description must certainly indicate and include a rapturing or physical transporting of the living true believers from every place they are located on the earth.
- - 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 supplies additional information that during this event of Jesus' return, first the dead true believers will be resurrected and then the living true believers
"will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air"
(v.17).
- - Within the context of Matthew chapters 24 and 25 of Jesus answering the disciples' questions in verse 24:3, Jesus absolutely declares that
"No one knows about that day or hour"
(v.24:36)
of "the coming of the Son of Man"
(v.24:37).
- - In verse 24:36, Jesus even supplies the reason that no one will know the exact day or hour - because "not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" knows when that exact time will be, and by implication, the Father is
not going to disclose that information in advance.
- - Therefore, it is not possible for any of us humans to "know" the "day" or the "hour" of Jesus' return although any of us can make a
purely speculative 'guess' in that regard, but it seems probable that the 'year' and perhaps even the 'month' of Jesus' return may be or become 'knowable' in advance.
- - Nevertheless, a very distinct connection is stated in these Scripture sections that the not knowing 'about the day or hour'
is irrevocably tied to when Jesus is returning to the earth, which includes at that time a resurrecting / rapturing / transporting of dead and alive true believers to meet and join up with Jesus in the clouds in the air as He returns at that time.
- - Therein, my assertion in this document about the date of April 3, 2034 does not violate or infringe upon Jesus' absolute declaration that
"No one knows about that day or hour"
(v.24:36)
because Jesus' declaration pertains specifically to the event of "the coming of the Son of Man"
(v.24:37)
at the very end of the Great Tribulation, whereas my assertion date pertains specifically to knowing the date when three different events occur: the Church Age officially ends, the Rapture of the Church is conducted, and the Great Tribulation officially
starts, which are stated as being 'knowable and understandable' in Daniel 9:25 by means of the 'seven(s)' time periods descriptions in verses 9:24-27.
- - Therefore, it is acceptable for me or other persons to not only try to ascertain and apply a probable date of month/day/year (like mine of April 3, 2034) to future end-times events except not to the 'day' and 'hour' of the return of Jesus, but also to make publicly available (in a document like this one) the information about my or their ascertained probable date.
CLOSING:
- - Pervasive wickedness is running rampant in societies everywhere, most of which is equaling or even surpassing the wickedness that prompted God to utterly obliterate Sodom and Gomorrah.
(contained in Genesis 18:16-19:29; see 2 Peter 2:6)
- - It is difficult to imagine that God will allow or tolerate much longer this pervasive rampant wickedness that is occurring everywhere in the world recent to today (of the year 2022).
- - Therein, it seems reasonable and probable that like in the days of Noah, God will soon deal with this current rampant worldwide wickedness forthrightly and decisively, on a worldwide scale, by soon (probably on April 3rd
(Jerusalem time)
of the year 2034) starting the Great Tribulation, which will be 7 years of mass torment and death of most of the humans on the entire earth.
- - The alert has herein now been sounded to you, the reader / listener. May each of us take seriously this alert and exercise wisdom by making all of the necessary steps to be personally fully-prepared now and henceforward.
- - For additional information on the events referred to in this document, see also the document "End Times Speculations" on the "Doctrines" page of this website, www.BelieverAssist.com.
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Works Cited:
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D7%99%D7%9B%D7%A8%20%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%95%D7%9F,and%20Yoel%20Moshe%20Salomon%20Street
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