Introduction to the End-Time Prophecies

For years people have proclaimed and set dates for the time of the end, yet none of these proclamations has been actualized. Approximately 2,000 years ago, Yeshua's disciples came to him with similar questions. "Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be [ruined]? And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?'" (Matthew 24:3).

Yeshua then explained what would happen during the end times preceding his final return, "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36).

The verb "know" in the English translation of Matthew 24:36 is in the present tense, meaning that only the Father knows the day or hour while all the others (including Yeshua) will never know them. On the other hand, Yeshua said: "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you." (Revelation 3:3). This verse implies that if we remain vigilant, we might be able to know the hour so that his coming might not be like a thief. This appears to contradict his own words in Matthew 24:36. By carefully examining the original Greek texts, one can readily discover that the tenses of the verbs are present perfect. Therefore, the correct English translation of Matthew 24:36 should be: "But about that day and hour no one has known, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." This means that before Yeshua was crucified, no one, including himself, had known the day and hour except for the Father.

Yeshua's statement at that time agrees with what Daniel stated in Daniel 12:9-10: "He replied, 'Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.'" Daniel's prophecies about the end times were sealed by God at the time they were written. The end-time prophecies were sealed until the time of the end during which the wise will understand the prophecies and keep themselves pure and spotless. Yeshua in Revelation 3:3 warns his saints to be alert before his coming in the last days.

Yeshua also said that his coming would be like the days of Noah. God told Noah that the flood would come in seven days. Noah knew the day and hour, but no other man knew about the flood until it came and swept them all away. To the wicked, the calamities will come like the coming of a thief. But God may reveal the time to the wise by unlocking the sealed prophecies, as written in Daniel 12:9-10.

Only in the last days shall our knowledge increase rapidly (Daniel 12:4) to unveil the sealed end-time prophecies if we study the Scriptures diligently. Thus, unlocking the end-time prophecies right before the coming of the Messiah is not heretical. In contrast, it is perfectly aligned with the teachings of Yeshua Messiah and the prophets in the Hebrew Bible.