So what is date setting? The Bible says that, "...of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." Matt 24:36
If read in context one can see that this applies not to the Church but in fact it is a clear message to the Jews about the Second Coming." It also says "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." Matt 24:42-44
Jesus strongly implies in Matthew that there will be a spiritual blindness in Israel concerning the Second Coming. The Second Coming will only come as a surprise to those that wait not and revert to a sinful life. A simple study of the parable of the 10 Virgins shows how all 10 Virgins of Israel fell asleep. Only those that had the oil of the Holy Spirit went on to the wedding.
Just as a side bar, In Matthew 25 we see the parable of the virgins. These virgins wait for the return of the Bride who is Christ. Verse 10 says that "the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut." The Syriac and Vulgate versions say that he came with His Bride. The only way that this is possible is if the Church was Raptured BEFORE the Tribulation. Anyhow back to the topic at hand.
Now even if the phrase "no man knows the hour" applies to the Church, what would it mean? Could we know the day or know the week, or even know the month? Yes we can because the Church is told,
"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 1Thes 5:1-9
Here we can see that the body of Christ will not be asleep when Christ returns for the Church at the time of Rapture. We are told that this day should not overtake us. Why is because we will be spiritually awake. Israel on the other hand will be asleep and miss the Rapture, (as a nation). Then they will enter into the 7-year tribulation and will slip into apostasy under the antichrist.
Being the children of the day we will not see the Tribulation and the Second Coming, because will be Raptured and come back with Jesus at the Second Coming. Are not in darkness so we will know when it is soon. So to me this is not so called "date setting" when we know that it is very close.
I myself believe that it may be this year. Why is because I am a child of the day. "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them."
Notice that Paul here refers to "them" and not us the Church. "Them" refers to Israel under the antichrist. In Daniel we are told that the antichrist will make a covenant, "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week." Dan 9:27 Most scholars believe that this will be a signing of a peace accord between the antichrist and Israel.
Also it says about the antichrist that "...he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. Dan 11:39 In Israel the whole foundation of this is being laid down for the antichrist to come in and do this. As we speak Israel is making plans to give up land. The new "peace" accord in the Middle East is now calling for the "dividing of the land."
We will know that we are getting close to the Rapture by watching Israel. The closer we get to that peace accord the closer we are to our departure. After we are gone the antichrist will emerge to confirm the peace accord. Now since the foundation of that antichrist peace accord is now in place, what does that tell us? Are we not close?
Paul's says, "let us watch and be sober." He also says "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them. Is being alert to His coming date setting? When we see the covenant getting closer, does this not mean that we should know that the time is very soon to the coming of our Lord?
There's nothing wrong with being like a child with our noses against the window waiting for our Lord to return. Like a child waiting for his or her dad to come home, sometimes there is a false alert. Sometimes the child may feel that a noise outside is daddy coming home only to find that she had made a mistake. In other words the more we look for the coming of Jesus, the more mistakes we will make. The whole point though is that we do look and be ready! Our Lord Jesus could come at anytime. Have you done all the things you wanted to do in the Lord? Are you eagerly waiting?
The whole foundation of this current peace accord in the middle east only needs the antichrist to step in to seal it, and put in place. We are so very close to our departure!
Richard Vizzutti