Preached in Larne FPC on Lord’s Day evening 19th November 2017
By Rev Ivan Foster.
When considering such a question as this we must carefully bear in mind the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:42. “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
Setting a date upon the Lord’s return is utter folly in the light of these words and even more so in the light of 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 those who use this verse in Mark 13 as an argument against the study of prophecy since, they claim, even the Lord Jesus does not know the day of His return. Therefore it is useless for us to search the Scriptures for indications of when He will return since He would not have been able to give us such information!
I might say that I believe that the verb rendered “knoweth,” in Mark 13:32, sometimes means to make known, or to reveal. The same Greek word translated in Mark 13:32 as “knoweth” is used in 1 Corinthians 2:2. There Paul says: “For I determined not to know” – or to make known, to expound – “any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” If we use the word in the sense in which it is translated in 1 Corinthians 2:2, then the passage could be read, indeed should bed read,“That day and hour none makes known, neither the angels, nor the Son, but the Father.”
Please note the announcement at the end of the message. You can read an article based on this message here.
Stream or download Are we nearing the end of the age and how close is Christ’s return?