Give me a Break - I’ll be Back

The desire for and anticipation of the ‘embodied’ return of Jesus is a wonderful longing in and for all the saints; it is the great hope of God’s church; creation groans for this too.   

I say embodied as, has often been the case, when Jesus fails to materialize on the dates ‘enlightened’ ones reveal, he is said to have come back spirituality and secretly – whatever that means. Aside from being a sad way to justify error it is missing the point – Jesus’ resurrection, ascension and return were and will be observable, tangible, visceral events – nobody will be left in doubt. It is a day of both salvation and judgment, and no amount of theological conjuring can make it secret.

What is sadder is - when will we learn? This last month (Sept 2025) another group of Christians sold up and made themselves comfortable for Christ’s return. He failed to oblige. To their credit one leader apologized for making a mistake – but it is almost certain they will go away, lick their wounds, then postulate a new date, explaining why they messed up with this one, now that they have had further revelation.

Don’t be fooled. They are wrong. They will never get it right, (unless coincidentally). No one knows the day nor the hour.  

Why can we say this with such certitude? What gives us the right? Firstly, nothing we say is authoritative. Secondly Jesus made it crystal clear in his parables and sayings that the time of his return, although certain, cannot be known, not by the finest of the saints. There are no hidden codes or esoteric means of finding out. John’s Revelation doesn’t tell you. He didn’t write with timelines in mind or textually embedded secrets, The Late Great Planet Earth and Da Vinci Code notwithstanding.

Jesus wasn’t being opaque when he stated, “It is not for you to know the times or periods the Father has set by his own authority.” Of more importance than dates or speculation to Jesus was the infilling of the Holy Spirit so that his church (“the Israel of God”) could fill the earth with the gospel. And no matter what we may think of ethnic Israel and the land, and all the end times speculation surrounding this, Jesus still said nobody knows and nobody will know.  Anything beyond this is beyond the scope and intent of Jesus’ words to us.

When Jesus is speaking of the latter days, the end of the age, in Matthew 24, it isn’t hard to see his main point was never dates and times but being on the lookout for false Messiahs (Matt 24.3-7), watchfulness (Matt 24.36-44) and faithfulness (Matt 24.45-51). He was adamant that no one knows the day nor the hour, not the angels, nor the Son (Matt 24.36). So, the question is why do we think we know better? Well, we don’t. Take no notice of the person who says otherwise.

Life continued as normal before the Noahic flood – the people were ignorant of what was about to befall them, none the wiser. The difference with God’s people is that they/we are prepared, not open to deception, but watchful and faithful. We don’t know when, but we are always ready. That is Jesus’ end time message to the church: stay alert, keep awake. “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.” Mark 13.32-33

Matt 25 has two long stories that in effect say (Matt25.1-13 and 14-30) there will be a long interval between his appearing and his second coming, after which the nations will be judged. Also Mark 13.32-37.

There have been so many times in history God’s people must have thought this is it.  Imagine living through the plagues that wiped out 1 in 3 in Europe, or living in firebombed Dresden at the end of the Second World War, or being a Japanese believer watching the elements burn up in atomic smoke, not to mention natural disasters. We have always had reason to prognosticate, and have always been proved wrong. Give it a break.

There are some who appeal to the fact that, yes, they don’t know the actual day or hour, but they know the moment (month, year) in history when it will all happen. This is an entire industry in the US. But their faith is built upon flimsy exegesis.  Aside from not listening to Jesus, they can’t see or understand literary terms, even though literally staring them in the face. Jesus wasn’t being specific with these words about days nor hours – they are a common form of speech that say what they say – no man knows the time. In fact, it will come as a surprise, a wonderful surprise, even to the ready – this is an important point in the two stories of Matthew 25, as well as the story of the faithful and unfaithful servant of Matthew 24.

We do ourselves no favors saying this is now the end times, when in fact they began at the resurrection, nor these days at are the worst in history (they may not be at all) – therefore the end of the end times, therefore Jesus must return. Sorry - he doesn’t do well with must. His delay is his long suffering, not willing that any should perish.

He will return – we just don’t know when.