Since this website has a section dedicated to end time information that specifically provides dates for end time events, it is prudent to address the well used statement by Yeshua that is recorded in Matthew 24:36 and the companion scripture of Mark 13:32. This article will explore how it is possible to know the dates for certain events while still upholding the words of Yeshua.
Here is what these two scriptures say in the KJV;
Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”
Mark 13:32 “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”
There are other scriptures as well that support these two verses such as Matthew 24:42 “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doeth come.” And Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
These four scriptures are referring to a very specific period of time which is identified as “that day” and/or “the hour”. Before progressing with this article, we need to understand what Yeshua meant when He spoke of “that day” and “the hour”.
Many people today unwittingly apply these scriptures to all the end time prophecies and say that we are not to know any dates whatsoever. But that is not what Yeshua was speaking about. When we read the scriptures again we clearly see He has been very specific about one certain day and one certain hour – nothing else.
So, let’s identify what is “that day” and “the hour”.
“That day” and “the hour” is described in Matthew 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: 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. 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."
This is the description the events of “that day and the hour which no man knows” which Yeshua spoke about in Matthew 24:36. We are given some details about what will happen on that day but we are not given the information about exactly WHEN that day or hour is to happen. Yes, we are informed it happens “Immediately after the tribulation of those days” which gives us a clue to the time frame when Yeshua actually sets foot on this earth. This clue will be discussed further in this article related to the Ten Days of Awe. But once again the scriptures only give us a generalized timeframe and do not give us a definitive date like what we see with most of the other prophecies.
The tribulation period consists of 1290 days – as described in Daniel 12. Daniel 12:8, “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? Daniel is given the answer in verse 11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.”
So, immediately after the 1290 days of the tribulation the following events pertaining to “that day which no man knows” are described. Matthew 24:29-31:
the sun and moon are darkened;
stars fall from heaven;
the powers of the heavens shall be shaken;
the sign of the Son of man appearing in heaven;
the tribes see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory;
there is a great sound of a trumpet;
the Son of man sends His angels to gather together His elect from the four winds.
Let’s back up a little bit to understand how we can arrive at some of the dates pertaining to certain prophecies in the timeline. This can help us narrow down the timeframe of when Yeshua returns on “that day” so we won’t be caught unawares but still fulfill Yeshua’s requirement that we won’t know the actual day or hour.
As per the understanding laid out in the article of the 70 Weeks (Years) prophecy of Daniel 9, we know that the date for the start of the 70 Years prophecy began on Shavuot, June 17/18, 1967. This prophecy must happen before the prophecies about the tribulation itself because the end result of the Daniel 9 prophecy is the stopping of sacrifices, which is the trigger that starts the tribulation (Daniel 12:8). Since this 70 Years prophecy comes first, it enables us to know the days, months and years of the prophetic events from that point forward. Counting 70 years onward from Shavuot, 1967, the completion of the 70 Years prophecy happens on Shavuot, May 24/25, 2037. However, as Daniel 9:9 states, the tribulation begins in the midst of the final one week of the Daniel 9 prophecy.
So we have to ask; can we determine what the day will be ‘in the midst of the week’? Yeshua Himself gave us the clue about the events in the midst of that final one week. He spoke about the abomination being set up and those in Judea needing to flee “not on a Sabbath or in the winter”. This is a Hebrew antiphrasis* that means we are to understand they WILL flee on a Sabbath and in the winter. Thus as we check the calendar for a Sabbath and the solstice dates from winter to spring, we can extrapolate a date when the sacrifices are stopped. The only date that fits Yeshua’s clues is Purim, February 28/March 1, 2037 (a Sabbath and in winter). From this date we can count forward 1290 days to September 7/8, 2040 – which happens to be Tishri 1, the high Sabbath of Yom Teruah (Rosh haShahnah) or the Feast of Trumpets.
*Antiphrasis is the rhetorical device of saying the opposite of what is actually meant in such a way that it is obvious what the true intention is.*
Therefore, immediately after the tribulation will be Yom Teruah, the day of the blowing of trumpets which fits the description pertaining to a great sound of a trumpet mentioned in Matthew 24:29-31.
Looking over the points listed above, we can take note that there is no mention of Yeshua descending to the earth in the description of the events of “that day or hour which no man knows”. This verse suggests that He remains in the clouds initially until His elect are gathered.
According to the prophetic timeline that is available on this website, it is determined that Yeshua comes into proximity of this earth but temporarily remains in the clouds to prepare for the upcoming final stages of the Battle Plan He has developed against hasatan. Up until this point in the timeline of end time events, we have been given sufficient information that allows us to know the year, month and day of the various end time elements, but it is interesting to note that there is no information whatsoever about WHEN Yeshua will actually descend upon this earth.
We are only given sufficient information to know there will be a window of ten days from Yom Teruah (when He returns in the clouds) and Yom Kippur as the period when Yeshua will set foot upon this earth. This period of time is known as the Ten Days of Awe. Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is the day of the last trumpet blast for the festival season. It is at the time of the last trump that the dead in Messiah are raised and together with the faithful they ascend into the clouds to be with Yeshua (1 Corinthians 15:52 / 1 Thessalonians 4:16) signaling the start of His Kingdom upon this earth. By the time Yom Kippur occurs and the last trumpet is sounded, Yeshua has already set foot upon the Mount of Olives and has defeated hasatan and his hordes at the battle of Armageddon. With the last trumpet He returns to the clouds to receive those who are ascending.
In the chart below, the arrival of Yeshua in the clouds takes place on September 7/8, 2040. This is Yom Teruah and is a date which can be known to us as per the reasoning given above that begins with the 70 Weeks prophecy of Daniel 9. It is noted that sometime in the Ten Days of Awe (yellow arrow section) will be when Yeshua actually sets foot on the Mount of Olives. Could it be the 5th day or another day? That is the reason for the question mark noted on the chart in slide 4 in the Armegeddon box.
So why are we not supposed to know the day or the hour of Yeshua’s return upon the earth?
There is a very good reason why we are not given the exact day and hour when Yeshua descends from the clouds to this earth to engage hasatan in the final battle at Armageddon.
This one portion of Yeshua’s Battle Plan must remain secret to ensure success. However, in Yeshua’s case, He is Elohim and thus He will win against hasatan no matter what. So there must be some other reason for the secrecy. We can only speculate at this point, but it could be necessary for the salvation of mankind.
Not knowing when Yeshua will set foot on this earth to wage war keeps hasatan off balance and removes his focus from attacking the faithful upon the earth.
So, by keeping us in the dark about “that day” and “the hour”, we cannot give away valuable intel which hasatan could use against us. Yeshua has purposely done this to bless us and keep us from hasatan.
But knowing the approximate time of the Master’s return enables us to remain vigil and watchful. That is why He included the parable of the fig tree in Matthew 24:32-33. Have you ever noticed that when it comes time for leaves to sprout on trees, it is always at the same time each year? The leaves do not sprout at random times, but at a very specific period in the year. It’s like clockwork and farmers take advantage of this to plan in advance. And with the aid of calendars which have been in use by mankind for millennia, farmers correlate the calendars with their observances of the times of the sprouting of leaves, etc. to know in advance when their fields need planting and their crops need harvesting. We can too with the coming of Yeshua haMashiach as our Master.
That is why we are given a ten day window of time between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur to know an approximation of when Yeshua will actually set foot upon this earth. Having this level of information helps us to remain watchful. We may not know the exact day and hour (as Yeshua directly says), but we can narrow it down to a specific period of time. And we can be thankful that Yeshua’s Battle Plan and the withholding of this one specific piece of information about when He literally returns will keep hasatan off balance and not focused on the remnant.
Now to address the “thief in the night” teaching.
Many people use the scriptures about the Master coming as a thief in the night as another reason that we are not to set dates.
The scriptures pertaining to this include;
Matthew 24:43
Luke 12:39
1 Thessalonians 5:2
1 Thessalonians 5:4
2 Peter 3:10
Revelation 3:3
Revelation 16:15
However, once these verses are read it becomes clear that the focus is on the individual who is waiting and how that individual reacts. A thief comes at an unexpected time or not at all, but when he does, what is the waiting individual doing? Is he asleep and unprepared or awake and vigilant? Revelation 16:15 encapsulates the purpose of this teaching. Revelation 16:15 says; “Behold, I (Yeshua) come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”
The point is that we will be blessed if we are watching. We watch and know when the fig tree sprouts and correlate that to the yearly calendar, which is like creating a timeline of what to do with the fig tree. So too can we watch the events that will lead up to Yeshua’s return and correlate them to the calendar as well. The development of a timeline is the way we remain awake and vigilant as does the farmer with the fig tree.
Take notice of one section of Revelation 16:15. Why does Yeshua say that if we watch, we keep our garments and won’t be forced to walk naked in public? Yeshua is referring to the night watchman in the tabernacle/temple, who is the young priest charged with the care of the altar fire through the night. It is his job to keep the embers lit so the altar fire does not go cold. When the high priest returns in the early morning and finds the altar cold and the young priest asleep, he causes the young priests garments to be set on fire which quickly wakes up the young priest who then hurriedly removes the burning garments from his body. He then must walk home through the camp without any clothes that reveals some burned skin and is thus shamed. Alternatively, if the young priest was awake throughout the night and tended to the altar, the high priest would arrive in the morning to find the altar fire lit and would say to the young priest, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.
See the parallel to what we are to do right now? In Revelation 16:15, Yeshua is the One Who connects the end times to this event with the nightly altar vigil. We are the young priests who are tasked with keeping the altar fire lit. We cannot sleep at this time. We must remain watchful otherwise we will be naked, burned and shamed. It must be noted that the time when the high priest arrives each morning is at a specific set time. He must arrive at a specific time in order to set the events for the day in motion that must be done at set times. For instance the morning and evening sacrifices must be done at specific times each day. The young priest knows when the high priest will arrive each morning, so thus the high priest is not coming as a thief in the night. That only happens should the young priest fall asleep. That is what Yeshua refers to in Revelation 16:15 that if we are not watchful, then He will be returning as a thief in the night. But if we are watchful, His return will be anticipated.
This brings up one further question.
Does being watchful require us to set and know dates? The answer is yes!
So many of the prophecies recorded in the scriptures involve timing points such as in Daniel 12 with the numerical prophecies of the 1290 days and the 1335 days. There are more numerical prophecies that involve 1260 days; 2300 evenings and mornings; time, times and half a time; 42 months; 70 weeks/years. Why would our Elohim give us these prophetic numerical timing points if we are not supposed to set dates?
Daniel 9 is very specific about the prophecy of the 70 weeks/years. The angel Gabriel point blank explains to Daniel what to look for to know when the prophecy starts. He says to watch for a decree to rebuild Jerusalem with plaza and moat as this event will trigger the start of the prophecy. That was done in ancient times, but this is a prophecy that is meant also for our day and time (Daniel is told to seal up the scroll until the end times, Daniel 12:4).
As mentioned earlier, on Shavuot, June 17/18, 1967 this decree was fulfilled after the Six Day War when Israel controlled the whole of Jerusalem and (temporarily) the Temple Mount. An announcement (decree) went out about hooking up the Old City to the water system of the rest of Jerusalem (moat) and making the plaza large at the Kotel for Jews to come worship. That day fulfilled what Gabriel has said to Daniel and triggered the start of the 70 weeks/years prophecy.
And there is further confirmation. Gabriel also separated the 70 weeks/years into segments of 7 weeks/years; 62 weeks/years and a final one week/year. He did this to be a clue we must watch for and use as a confirmation that we are definitely within the 70 weeks/years prophecy. Therefore, we must look for something significant to have happened 7 weeks/years after 1967. Well, something significant did happen – the Yom Kippur War in 1973. This marked the 7 week/year portion of the Daniel 9 prophecy and thus means we are in the midst of the 62 week/year portion of the prophecy.
Having these two confirmations gives us the confidence to know that the Daniel 9 prophecy is active right now and we can use this with certainty to look forward to when the final 70th week/year will be. That year is 2036/2037. This is identified by Gabriel as the final one week/year portion of the Daniel 9 prophecy. What transpires at the end of Daniel’s prophecy? As verse 27 states, the sacrifices are stopped and the oblations cease. This is the trigger for the 3 ½ years of tribulation or more specifically the tribulation period of 1290 days as per Daniel 12:8, 12. Using the information given earlier that included Yeshua’s clue about not fleeing in the winter or on a Sabbath, we can count forward 1290 days and know when the tribulation ends – which occurs on Yom Teruah/ Feast of Trumpets September 7/8, 2040. That’s when Matthew 24:29-31 occurs and we see Yeshua return in the clouds. Then sometime in the ten day window between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur, will be when Yeshua actually does return by setting foot on the Mount of Olives. This is the period of time that Yeshua refers to in Matthew 24:36 as the time when no man or angel will know the day or the hour of His actual return.
The point of this article and the timeline of end time events is to bring confidence and encouragement to us as the people of Elohim – His remnant upon the earth. And it will help us to be vigilant as like the young priest who remains awake through the night.
We can know the dates for a nearly all parts of the end time prophecies, but we are not allowed to know the actual day and hour of Yeshua’s return to this earth. As already mentioned, it is a blessing for us to not know that part since it keeps us safe from the rampaging of hasatan as the dragon.
Let this mind be in you that is in Messiah, Yeshua.
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