The Four Horsemen Ride Forth - by Barbara A. Parker

No Man Knows the Day or the Hour!

By Ben Parker

Not only do we have such jewels of wisdom from history such as:

Ecclesiastes 8:7 
For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be?

Proverbs 27:1 
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

But in Mathew chapters 24 and 25, Jesus tells his followers three times that 'no man will know the hour and/or day of his return.'

Mathew 24:36 (KJV)

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Mathew 24:42 (KJV)

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your lord doth come.

Mathew 25:13 (KJV)

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

So, when I put up a post on the Feast of Trumpets (The Day That No Man Knows) being a pontential candidate for Christ's return, first to call away his elect, I am in the wrong according to all these.

People have thrown them at me a lot lately, and I know of them myself. Matthew 24:36 is especially popular.

But, if you're going to throw those last three at me, you best be familiar with the entire passage. 

Mathew 24 starts of with Jesus lamenting the destruction of the temple and segueing into signs of the future. When asked, he gives more signs to look for and then we get to 24:32 - the parable of the fig tree. Notice, it comes before all the comments of not knowing.

Mathew 24:32-33(KJV) 

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

We have been given signs of the times. We will know when he's about to return.

And, let's not forget the helper that God sent to help the Christians in their lives and in doing their lord's bidding - the Holy Spirit, which appears in Acts, and is told about at the very beginning of that book. The Holy Spirit is responsible for all kinds of miracles, including giving insight to the thoughts of our creator and savior.

The Bible is supposed to be the inspired word of God to the world. But, why does it have to stop with Paul and John? In all actuality, it really hasn't. God's been good about giving a heads up to individuals and nations. He sent Jonah to warn a very non-Jewish Nineveh of their plight and how to escape it. Jonah didn't like it, but it was done. 

If he did it for people not in the covenant then, why would he have stopped in the last 2000+ years?

In fact, Jesus tells us the second two times to watch. 24:42 launches into the man left in charge of his master's house. 

Matthew 24:48-50 (KJV)

But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, 'My lord delayeth his coming;' and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,...

And bad things happen.

The first portion of Matthew 25 starts with the Parable of the 10 Virgins (1-13), switches to the Parable of the men given 5, 2, and 1 talents (13-30) and finally goes into the judging of nations (31-46).

Taken in context of watching for the King's return, the first parable sounds a lot like the events that happen during the feast of trumpets when people have to race to the temple before the doors are closed. That's significant to me. And, it shows we're to be prepared.

Taken in the context of watching for the King's return, the second parable sounds a lot like what we should be doing with what has been given us while we wait for his return, knowing that he will eventually come back. We will either be rewarded or punished for our activity or inactivity.

The judging of nations is a preview of one of the things that will happen during his reign on Earth.

That's right. We will be rewarded, not just punished. 2 Timothy 4:8 says we'll get a crown:

Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

So, yeah. I watch for the signs, and I feel the lord has given me a heads-up. But, I feel, as a watchman on the tower, I should probably warn you, too. I've found I'm not the only one who has concluded Feast of Trumpets as the time, or the tetrad blood moons lining up with the Feast of Tabernacles this year as a sign that things are going to change soon.

Don't worry. It'll only be seven years of Tribulation, and it might even start out with peace and prosperity before War, Pestilence and Death & Hell follow along.

Then he will return and reign. 1000 years of peace. I actually look forward to that, because I haven't seen anything wonderful coming out of any invention of man or his oppressor.

Why We Do What We do

By Barbara A. Parker

Proverbs 22:3
The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.

Proverbs 19:2
Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.

Ecclesiastes 8:6
For there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy on him.

These would seem prudent scriptures to follow.  

However, in II Corinthians 5:18 it says Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself and He gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

Verse 19 says He committed unto us the ministry of reconciliation.

Mark 16:15 (Amplified) "and He said unto them, go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the gospel) to every creature of the whole human race."

Now that wasn’t just a suggestion but a command of the Lord to his believers of all generations.

So when people squawk at me that I ‘m trying to tell you how to live your life, you are soo right.  The Lord wants and expects us as believers to point out to others that they may not be reconciled at this point in time and may want to fix it. 

According to Ezekiel 3:17 we are called to be watchmen on the Watchtower.

18) "When I say unto the wicked, 'Thou shalt surely die;' and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thing hand.

19) "Yet, if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul."

As a watchman on the wall we are to warn of incoming danger.  The danger I speak of is that Christ will very soon return for His own and catch them all away.  All others will be left behind to face a horrendous tribulation, the likes of which the world has never seen before or will see again.  If you choose to ignore His invitation to life and forgiveness then you will not be counted among the missing when He comes.

So instead of growling at me for interfering in your immoral business you should thank me for warning you to welcome Jesus into your heart and escape the danger to come.

I care about you and don’t want to see you left here to suffer the consequences of your total lack of judgment.   Jesus loves you too and does not want to leave you here, but He will because you failed to accept His promises and His salvation He so freely offered you.  When you stand before God on judgment day you can’t tell Him you didn’t know.

I feel some of you are offended at God because you asked Him for something and failed to receive it.  I can’t explain why that happens, but I’m not God. A lot of the things we blame Him for He is not responsible for.  The Devil is; but he tries to convince everyone that God did it. 

Perhaps some one you loved died.  If you read Isaiah 57:1-2 you will discover your loved one may have been spared from the evil to come. 

I personally believe that every soul that ever lived will one day accept Christ and serve Him gladly.  Some of them may have to spend a little time in the fire to be convinced, but in the end all will live for Him.  So that loved one that you are so sure you will never see again, yes, you will, someday.  Oh, Happy day.  God will wipe all tears from all faces.