KNOWING THE SEASON

D.P. Weary

January 2011

With all of the controversy concerning the time of the Rapture and the time of Christ’s Second Coming or His return to earth, let’s look at what the scripture actually says.

Jesus directly addresses this question in Mathew 24.

Mat 24:1 YNG - And having gone forth, Jesus departed from the temple, and his disciples came near to show him the buildings of the temple,

Mat 24:2 YNG - and Jesus said to them, `Do ye not see all these? Verily I say to you, there may not be left here a stone upon a stone, that shall not be thrown down.'

Jesus begins by prophesying the destruction of the Temple that
occurred in 70A.D.

Mat 24:3 YNG - And when he is sitting on the mount of the Olives, the disciples came near to him by himself, saying, `Tell us, when shall these be? and what [is] the sign of thy presence, and of the full end of the age?'

Notice that there is more than one question here regarding more
than one topic or event. The first question refers to the destruction of the Temple. The second and third questions refer to what we typically call “the last days”.

Mat 24:4 YNG - And Jesus answering said to them, `Take heed that no one may lead you astray,

Mat 24:5 YNG - for many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and they shall lead many astray,

False christs and false teachers will come and lead many astray.

Mat 24:6 YNG - and ye shall begin to hear of wars, and reports of wars; see, be not troubled, for it behoveth all [these] to come to pass, but the end is not yet.

There will be many wars between the time Jesus was speaking to them
          and the end, but the end is not yet.

Mat 24:7 YNG - `For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places;

Between the day Jesus was speaking to them and the end there will be
ethnic wars, and world wars, and there will be famines, various pestilences, and earthquakes, in many places.

Mat 24:8 YNG - and all these [are] the beginning of sorrows;

All of these things are just the beginnings of sorrows that are
associated with the last days.

Mat 24:9 YNG - then they shall deliver you up to tribulation, and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated by all the nations because of my name;

Jesus prophesies that there will be much trouble and many martyrs
down through the ages, including the disciples themselves. Jesus warns us that believers will be hated by all the nations down through the ages and especially near the end of days.

Mat 24:10 YNG - and then shall many be stumbled, and they shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.

This trouble will cause many to stumble and fall away from the faith.
 2 Thes. 2:3 tells us that there will be a great falling away from the faith before the Antichrist is revealed. Those without an intimate relationship with Jesus the Messiah will not have the fortitude to stand faithful to Him.

Mat 24:11 YNG - `And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray;

There will be many false prophets and false teachers. Even today, we
have many false prophets and teachers, men and women deemed “anointed”, who are popular with the people, but their message is not of the Lord. Their message is one of the flesh, one that “tickles the ears” of the listeners. We are in great need of discernment during this time (1 Cor. 12:10).

Mat 24:12 YNG - and because of the abounding of the lawlessness, the love of the many shall become cold;

There will be much lawlessness in the world (2 Tim. 3:13). (Lawless is
defined by Merriam-Webster as “1) not regulated by or based on law, and 2) not restrained or controlled by law”.) People will call that which is evil “good”, and that which is good “evil” (Isa. 5:20).

Mat 24:13 YNG - but he who did endure to the end, he shall be saved;

The implication is that towards the end, during the time frame of Jesus’ return, all of these things get worse and worse, much like the birth pains of a woman in childbirth. But Jesus also promises that those who stay true to Him, those who remain faithful and endure to the end, will be saved.

Mat 24:14 YNG - and this good news of the reign shall be proclaimed in all the world, for a testimony to all the nations; and then shall the end arrive.

The time between His second coming and the actual day He was talking to the disciples is to be a time of proclaiming the good news of the Gospel, the good news of the Kingdom of God, to all the nations.

Mat 24:15 YNG - `Whenever, therefore, ye may see the abomination of the desolation, that was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever is reading let him observe)

Now Jesus moves to the midpoint of Daniel’s last seven years when
the Antichrist desecrates the newly rebuilt Temple by standing in the Holy of Holies and declaring himself to be God (Dan. 11:31,12:11). This act of the antichrist is the Abomination of Desolation.

Mat 24:16 YNG - then those in Judea -- let them flee to the mounts;

Mat 24:17 YNG - he on the house-top -- let him not come down to take up any thing out of his house;

Mat 24:18 YNG - and he in the field -- let him not turn back to take his garments.

Mat 24:19 YNG - `And woe to those with child, and to those giving suck in those days;

Mat 24:20 YNG - and pray ye that your flight may not be in winter, nor on a Sabbath;

Mat 24:21 YNG - for there shall be then great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world till now, no, nor may be.

Mat 24:22 YNG - And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but because of the chosen, shall those days be shortened.

Jesus is speaking about the great time of trouble during the second
half of Daniel’s 7 last years. It is a time called the Time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jer. 30:7).

Mat 24:23 YNG - `Then if any one may say to you, Lo, here [is] the Christ! or here! ye may not believe;

Mat 24:24 YNG - for there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and they shall give great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, also the chosen.

These great signs and wonders would be those associated with the
Antichrist and the False Prophet taught about in the book of the Revelation. The signs Jesus speaks of here are not empowered by the Holy Spirit, but by the adversary, Satan. These occur during the last 3½ years of Daniel’s last 7 years.

Mat 24:25 YNG - Lo, I did tell you beforehand.

In other words, Jesus says, “I’ve told you ahead of time! Be
prepared!”

Mat 24:26 YNG - `If therefore they may say to you, Lo, in the wilderness he is, ye may not go forth; lo, in the inner chambers, ye may not believe;

Again, we are to use the gift of Discernment to know what is truly
from the Lord God Almighty, and what is from the adversary.

Mat 24:27 YNG - for as the lightning doth come forth from the east, and doth appear unto the west, so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man;

When Jesus returns to end the battles of Armageddon, everyone will
know it.

Mat 24:28 YNG - for wherever the carcass may be, there shall the eagles be gathered together.

This is the carnage that results from the battles of Armageddon
(Rev. 19:17-18).

Mat 24:29 YNG - `And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken;

These are the seven trumpet judgments and the seven bowls of wrath
spoken about in the book of the Revelation. Note that these events in the book of the Revelation are events that occur after the breaking of the 6^th and 7^th seals of the great scroll. This verse tells us that they occur immediately after the tribulation of those days. It follows then that this “tribulation of those days” refers to the wars and events of the first 5 seals as presented in Revelation 6.

Mat 24:30 YNG - and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in the heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth smite the breast, and they shall see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of the heaven, with power and much glory;

This is Jesus the Warrior King returning to destroy the armies of the
Antichrist and capture Satan to throw him into the Abyss for 1000 years. This occurs at the end of the seven years of tribulation, when Jesus returns to stand upon the earth once again to begin His reign. When He comes down from Heaven to earth, everyone will know it.

Mat 24:31 YNG - and he shall send his messengers with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the heavens unto the ends thereof.

This is the blast of the Shofar Hagadol spoken of the book of Isaiah
(Isa. 27:13). It is the blast of the Great Trumpet that gathers all Jews to Israel from the four corners of the earth. It is blown on the Day of Atonement, the day Messiah comes to establish His Kingdom on earth.

Mat 24:32 YNG - `And from the fig-tree learn ye the simile: When already its branch may have become tender, and the leaves it may put forth, ye know that summer [is] nigh,

Mat 24:33 YNG - so also ye, when ye may see all these, ye know that it is nigh -- at the doors.

Mat 24:34 YNG - Verily I say to you, this generation may not pass away till all these may come to pass.

In other words, Jesus says that just as anyone is expected to know when a certain season is coming by certain signs, we are also expected to know when the end times are near by the signs we see. Jesus also tells us that the generation that sees all of these things
happening, taken together will see Him coming as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Mat 24:35 YNG - The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Mat 24:36 YNG - `And concerning that day and the hour no one hath known -- not even the messengers of the heavens -- except my Father only;

Please note that Jesus tells us that the exact day and the hour of His
return not even the angels know. But it is only the day and hour that are not known.

Mat 24:37 YNG - and as the days of Noah -- so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man;

Mat 24:38 YNG - for as they were, in the days before the flood, eating, and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, till the day Noah entered into the ark,

Mat 24:39 YNG - and they did not know till the flood came and took all away; so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man.

Mat 24:40 YNG - Then two men shall be in the field, the one is received, and the one is left;

Mat 24:41 YNG - two women shall be grinding in the mill, one is received, and one is left.

Notice here a hint of the rapture. Suddenly, one person will disappear
and another beside him or her will be left. Also, remember that God told Noah beforehand what He was going to do. Noah had foreknowledge so that he could prepare.

Mat 24:42 YNG - `Watch ye therefore, because ye have not known in what hour your Lord doth come;

Again, the hour is not known.

Mat 24:43 YNG - and this know, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief doth come, he had watched, and not suffered his house to be broken through;

Mat 24:44 YNG - because of this also ye, become ye ready, because in what hour ye do not think, the Son of Man doth come.

Mat 24:45 YNG - `Who, then, is the servant, faithful and wise, whom his lord did set over his household, to give them the nourishment in season?

Mat 24:47 YNG - verily I say to you, that over all his substance he will set him.

Mat 24:48 YNG - `And, if that evil servant may say in his heart, My Lord doth delay to come,

Mat 24:49 YNG - and may begin to beat the fellow-servants, and to eat and to drink with the drunken,

Mat 24:50 YNG - the lord of that servant will arrive in a day when he doth not expect, and in an hour of which he doth not know,

Jesus tells His disciples that He expects them to keep watch and to be ready. Note that it is the evil servant that does not expect Him. The evil servant will be taken by great surprise when He does come. It is insinuated here that the good servant has been watching, does know, and so is prepared and not surprised.

Mat 24:51 YNG - and will cut him off, and his portion with the hypocrites will appoint; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.

This is a hard verse. The evil servant, the one who had given up on his
master coming back, the one who stopped watching for him (if he ever watched in the first place), the one who was not prepared and was therefore surprised at the master’s coming, it is he who is “cut off”. The evil servant receives the same “portion” (reward, inheritance) as the hypocrites, and because of this, the evil servant will greatly mourn.

Jesus also warned us in the book of Matthew about not discerning the signs of the times.

Mat 16:1 NKJV - Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.

Jesus is speaking to the “religious” leaders of the day, the very men
whom He called “hypocrites” and “snakes” and “false teachers”. These men were “religious” outwardly, but not changed by God inwardly.

Mat 16:2 NKJV - He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red';

Mat 16:3 NKJV - "and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.

Mat 16:4 NKJV - "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed.

Jesus calls the ones who can read signs in the weather but not “signs of the times” hypocrites and a wicked and adulterous generation.
The only sign He says He will give them will be His own death and resurrection. Yet we clearly know from previous verses that He does give varied and numerous “signs of the times” for those who are looking and watching, for those who “look up, for [our] redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).

Mark also discusses this time of the Lord’s return.

Mar 13:35 NKJV - "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—

Mar 13:36 NKJV - "lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.

Mar 13:37 NKJV - "And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"

Again, it is the exact day and exact hour when the Lord will come that is not known. The admonition is for us to be watching and not sleeping!

(For further study and reference, see also: Luke 21 and 22)

Now let’s turn to the teachings of Paul where he reveals the secret of the rapture.

1Th 4:16 KJV - For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1Th 4:17 KJV - Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1Th 4:18 KJV - Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Jesus goes only “to the clouds”. He does not set His feet upon the earth. (He will do that at His Second Coming.) He “descends” to a certain point and then calls His own to be “caught up” to Him.  Also note that it is the Lord Himself who descends, shouts with the voice of the archangel, and who blows the Trump of God, calling the faithful – both dead and alive – to meet Him in the clouds.

This is one of the two places in the Bible where we find the word ‘          archangel’ (archaggelos or chief messenger). The other is in Jude 1:9. The phrase “the angel of the Lord” is used 53 times in 12 books of the Bible referring to the presence of God or the Lord ("God" -Heb. 'elohim- or "the LORD" -Heb. YHVH) in the form or appearance of a man. Since no man has ever seen God the Father except Jesus (John 1:18, 5:37, 6:46, 1 John 4:12), it follows that this angel of the Lord is a pre-incarnation manifestation of Jesus. These appearances are called a Christophany.  We might conclude then that the archangel or chief messenger is in fact Jesus, the Chief Messenger of God the Father to mankind. It is interesting that in Jude, this chief messenger or chief prince is called Michael the archangel. In Daniel, Michael is called the Great Prince who stands guard over Israel. Sounds like Jesus to me.

Looking at this same teaching in 1 Corinthians:

1Cr 15:51 YNG - lo, I tell you a secret; we indeed shall not all sleep, and we all shall be changed;

1Cr 15:52 YNG - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in (at) the last trumpet, for it shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we -- we shall be changed:

First notice that a “secret” is revealed. God said in Amo. 3:7 and Isa. 42:9 that He would do nothing without first telling the prophets. God will tell us His plans if we are listening to Him (John 15:15).

An important thing here is to note that it is at the Last Trumpet that the rapture occurs. The key here is to understand this as a first century Jew would have understood it. They knew what the blast of the First Trumpet was, and they knew what the blast of the Last Trumpet was. So we must ask, 'what are they?'

In Jewish thinking and tradition, the blast of the First Trumpet was a
reference to the Feast of Pentecost – Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks. It celebrated the giving of the Law to Moses in the wilderness, and it was considered to be the time of the betrothal of Israel to God.  The Feast of the Blast of the First Trumpet ended the spring barley harvest and began the wheat harvest.

To the Jews, the Last Trumpet is Rosh HaShanah. This Feast occurs on the first day of Tishrei, a new moon, the 7th month of the religious calendar but the first month of the civil calendar. The Feast of Trumpets or Rosh HaShanah is also known in Judaism as Yom Teruah or the Day of the Awakening Blast or the Day of the Blowing of the Last Trump. The feast celebrates the last of the wheat harvest, and is considered to be the future the time of the wedding of Messiah.

Now let’s go back to 1 Thessalonians 5 to see why this is important to us. Immediately after teaching about the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul goes on to say:

1Th 5:1 NKJV - But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.

The “brethren” know full well about the “times and the seasons”.
Remember, this verse comes right after Paul speaking about what we call the rapture.

1Th 5:2 NKJV - For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

Refer back to Mark 13:35-37.

1Th 5:3 NKJV - For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

This day overtakes the “they”, those that are in darkness. “They”
does not include the “brethren”. Also, take note that the “they” will not escape the destruction.

1Th 5:4 NKJV - But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

Note that this day should not overtake the “brethren” as a thief.
That means that we are expected to know when He is coming.

1Th 5:5 NKJV - You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

First, note that this discourse is about “times and seasons”. He rebukes the Jews for not knowing the times and seasons of the rapture. He tells the Jews that when they say, “peace and safety”, sudden destruction will come upon them. This “they” are the people of darkness. The “brethren” were not supposed to be the people of darkness. The “brethren” were supposed to know the season. So, what was this “times and the seasons” they were supposed to know?

We turn to the Old Testament to find the answer.

Lev 23:2 YNG - `Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, Appointed seasons of Jehovah, which ye proclaim, holy convocations, [are] these: they [are] My appointed seasons:

Lev 23:4 YNG - `These [are] appointed seasons of Jehovah, holy convocations, which ye proclaim in their appointed seasons:

Lev 23:37 YNG - `These [are] appointed seasons of Jehovah, which ye proclaim holy convocations, to bring near a fire-offering to Jehovah, a burnt-offering, and a present, a sacrifice, and libations, a thing of a day in its day,

2Ch 2:4 YNG - lo, I am building a house to the name of Jehovah my God, to sanctify [it] to Him, to make perfume before Him, perfume of spices, and a continual arrangement, and burnt-offerings at morning and at evening, at Sabbaths, and at new moons, and at appointed seasons of Jehovah our God; to the age this [is] on Israel.

2Ch 8:13 YNG - even by the matter of a day in its day, to cause to ascend according to the command of Moses, on Sabbaths, and on new moons, and on appointed seasons, three times in a year -- in the feast of unleavened things, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of booths.

1Th 5:1 YNG - And concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need of my writing to you,

The “times and seasons” to the Jew are references to the Holy
Convocations of Jehovah, the Appointed Feasts of Israel. As Paul taught that the rapture would occur at the Last Trump, the hint here is that the rapture will occur some time during the 2 day Feast of Rosh HaShanah, the Feast of Trumpets (the Feast of the Blast of the Last Trump). Which day of the two day Feast, and at what hour it will occur, no one knows. But it seems that we are to know the season.