The Day and Hour Unknown

Q: I have become friendly with a Christian who says she has been directly spoken to by God who appeared to her and told her about the last days for man on earth and when this would occur. Should I believe her?

A: No, you should not believe her. The fact you are asking for guidance is evidence that you don't believe your friend, either. If your friend was aware of when and where a thief was going to break into her home would the thief have any success of doing so? Of course not! She would not only have made sure her home was locked and secured, she would have notified the proper authorities so they would be able to apprehend the criminal. "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him (Matthew 24:42-44)." The clear meaning of what Jesus is saying is that nobody knows when that Day will come. Therefore, how would your friend know this information that the Bible clearly says nobody knows?

Many people throughout time have believed they had some special knowledge about when the Lord will come back. All of them have been proven to be the false prophets that they are. In fact, even Jesus Christ did not know when that Day would come. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Matthew 24:36)." Why would God directly speak to your friend about a Day and hour that is unknown to anybody, including Jesus Christ? In some ways she is saying that she has been elevated to a position above Jesus Christ. If I have any advice for you it would be to stay away from your friend because she, in many ways, is calling God a liar. At the very least she is taking the name of God in vain by attributing something to God that He did not do. Furthermore, God has already revealed to us what the signs of the last Days for man would look like.

"In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires. These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit (Jude 1:18-19)." A perfect sign of living in the Last Days are unbelievers who promote and engage in ungodly desires and follow mere natural instincts. Abortion, fornication, homosexuality, materialism, acceptance of false religions and denouncing Christianity are just a few of the sinful acts that are becoming increasingly normal. Jesus, in Matthew 24, talked about other signs of the Last Days. He mentions false Christ's, false prophets, Christian persecution, "wars and rumors of wars," nations and kingdoms rising against each other, famines and earthquakes. We see all of these things going on today to varying degrees. And as Jesus said "All these are the beginning of birth pains (Matthew 24:8)." A pregnant woman knows she will have a baby, but doesn't know the day she will give birth. However, her growing belling and the eventual "birth pains" are signs that giving birth to her child is not far off. So it is with these signs and the return of Jesus Christ.

But, let's be clear that the Last Days have been going on since the day Jesus Christ ascended back into heaven. For nearly two thousand years all the signs the Bible speaks of have been going on. While we do not know the Day or hour of Christ's return or for the events of the End Times to begin, the signs are clear. However, every day is the "end" for many people because they die. This should be a sign not to focus on the future, but to focus on spreading the Gospel so people will be prepared for the future. The Bible says that a "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment (Hebrews 9:27)." Therefore, we should be more concerned about getting unbelievers saved instead of claiming to have special revelation of a future event God is clear He hasn't revealed to anybody. If you're in Christ that Day will be a glorious time to behold, but the exact opposite for unbelievers. Let us make every effort to be available to the Lord to use us to win souls for the Kingdom because when He returns it is "not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him (Hebrews 9:28)."