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Near but Unknown: Reading the Times without Setting Dates

Adapted from Clarence Larkin; Scripture quotations ESV

We cannot name the exact date of the Lord’s return. Jesus said no one knows the day or hour (Matt 24:36), yet Scripture does describe a nearness that can be discerned (1 Thess 5:1–6). Daniel was told to “shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end,” when “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase… and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Dan 12:4, 9–10). The point is not date-setting but Spirit-given understanding of what God has already revealed.[1]

Ten Signs of the Times (ESV references)

  1. Scoffers — People mocking the promise of His coming (2 Pet 3:3–4).

  2. Apostasy — A falling away before “the day of the Lord” (2 Thess 2:3).

  3. False teachers — Destructive heresies and a taste for fables over sound doctrine (2 Pet 2:1–2; 2 Tim 4:3–4).[2]

  4. Spiritual deception — Departures from the faith through deceiving spirits (1 Tim 4:1; cf. 1 John 4:1).

  5. Perilous times — Self-love, lawlessness, and a hollow religion “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power” (2 Tim 3:1–5).

  6. Heaped-up treasure — Unjust wealth, exploitation, and luxury ripe for judgment (James 5:1–6).

  7. A Laodicean church — Lukewarm, self-satisfied, Christ outside knocking (Rev 3:14–22).

  8. The fig-tree lesson — As leaves signal summer, events surrounding Israel signal nearness (Matt 24:32–35; Luke 21:29–31).[3]

  9. Distress of nations — Global turmoil, fear, and shaking as the age closes (Luke 21:25–28; cf. Hag 2:6–7).

  10. “Days of Noah/Lot” normalcy — Ordinary life carrying on with God forgotten until sudden judgment (Matt 24:37–39; Luke 17:26–30).

Watchfulness, not speculation

The historic recovery of premillennial hope in the last two centuries[4] didn’t authorize speculation; it re-ignited watchfulness. Jesus’ counsel is simple: “Stay awake” (Matt 24:42), live holy and sober-minded (1 Pet 1:13–16), and preach the gospel while there is time (Matt 24:14; 28:18–20).

The gospel at the center

At the heart of all “signs” is the Son:

  • Who He isChrist means Anointed One, the Hebrew Messiah, promised to Israel and Savior of the world (Luke 2:32; John 4:22).[5]

  • What He did — He died for our sins, was buried, and rose on the third day (1 Cor 15:3–4).

  • How to respondRepent and believe. “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). “Repent… and be baptized… for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). God “commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). We are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8–9).

A word on Israel and the nations

God’s new covenant with Israel is unbreakable (Jer 31:31–37). Gentiles are grafted in by faith to share the root’s riches (Rom 11:17–24). That covenant faithfulness to Israel is the guarantee of His faithfulness to all who are in Christ.[6]

So what now?

  • Repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15; Acts refs above).

  • Be baptized as public identification with Christ (Acts 2:38; 8:36–38).

  • Continue in Scripture, prayer, fellowship, and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42).

  • Join a sound local church that holds the Bible as the final authority and neither adds to nor takes away from God’s Word (Deut 4:2; Prov 30:5–6; Rev 22:18–19). Test everything by Scripture (Acts 17:11).


Footnotes & clarifications

[1] Daniel 12’s “knowledge shall increase” is best read as prophetic understanding increasing as the end draws near, not tech/science in general.
[2] Naming specific groups can date quickly and can be needlessly pejorative. The biblical test remains: Do they deny “the Master who bought them” and depart from apostolic teaching? (2 Pet 2:1; Gal 1:6–9).
[3] Many interpreters see the fig tree as Israel’s revival; others read it as a general lesson about recognizing seasons. Either way, Jesus’ point is nearness, not a date. Regarding “Jerusalem trampled by Gentiles” (Luke 21:24), modern history (e.g., 1948/1967) is significant, yet the verse’s full end-state ties to the Lord’s consummation.
[4] Sometimes called the “midnight cry” renewal of “the blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). Use as church history color, not as a clock.
[5] Christ = Messiah. Christos (Gk.) = Mashiach (Heb.) = “Anointed One.” Jesus is Israel’s Messiah whose saving reign extends to the nations (Isa 49:6; Luke 2:32; John 4:22).
[6] See also Rom 11:25–29 — gifts and calling irrevocable; anticipate both humility and hope.