Question: Dear Greg,

I recognize the importance of always asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit when it comes to analysis and interpretation of the Scriptures, especially concerning the Second Coming of Christ.

I agree with you that our Lord has warned us many times to always be ready because we do not know when the Master will come. Before his death, Christ himself told his disciples that he didn’t know the exact time when he would return, but only his Father in heaven.

However, I believe that since Jesus gave the book of Revelation to his apostle John, our Lord knows when he will return and he is preparing his church by giving a better understanding of the Scriptures. Near the end many will have grown in knowledge and in grace and will have a much improved understanding of the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation, just to name a few. They will be able to recognize the signs that Jesus told us to watch for before his Second Coming.

Therefore, I honestly believe that it is possible to know when our Lord Jesus is coming back to Jerusalem because the Holy Spirit is the one who provides the answers to those who seek according to our Father’s will in heaven.

What do you think?

Pierre

Answer: Dear Pierre,

The fact is that Jesus tells us that we will not know the time when he returns. The fact remains that this statement, made four times in Matthew 24 and once in Matthew 25, have not stopped men and women from feverishly trying to predict the time.

 “Prediction addiction” started in earnest about 200 years ago, and over the past two centuries the fever has caused many to stumble, lose faith and blame God for the mistakes of imperfectly speculating humans. In the past 50 years or so this “prediction addiction” has become an industry with television evangelists and authors gaining great financial success as they offer possible geopolitical scenarios that will bring about the Second Coming.

The book of Revelation was written well over 1900 years ago. It was not written or intended to read like a newspaper, giving a blueprint of present-day events and specific individuals.

We have many questions and answers, as well as articles posted on our web site about this topic. You may use the “search our site” feature and type in words like “last days”, “great tribulation”, “Revelation”, “Second Coming”, or “dispensationalism”. These key words will then lead you to a wealth of materials we provide to help you better understand the real message of the Bible, which is not sensationalism or “prediction addiction”. May God bless you.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht