The Day of Christ’s Return Part 2

The Day of Christ’s Return Part 2 – The Moon

The Day and Hour No Man Knows… The Moon

Matthew 24:36
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Matthew 25:13
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

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.

If God says something once it’s important. If he says it more than once we need to pay careful attention to it, meditate on it, and make sure we understand what He is saying. In order to properly understand anything in scripture we MUST begin to understand Hebrew, Greek, and Ancient culture. We cannot take idioms written to an eastern audience and assume we understand them in a western mindset. For those who are bilingual this should be an easy thing to understand. Just translating Spanish to English can be hard sometimes and we share the similar cultures and economies. We use many of the same words. But a saying such as: “He’s a shoe in” meaning that he’s is sure to win, does not necessarily translate to Spanish. They may hear that he is a shoe and look at you VERY cock eyed?

Here we have such an issue. Even if we lay aside Idioms, the only thing we know for certain by evaluating this scripture in English is that know one in Jesus’ Audience including himself knew the day or hour. He said, present tense, “no man knows” not that no man would ever know. Even at face value it’s not as clear as people draw it to be. However let’s take a deeper look at what he said.

The New Moon

But let us take a look at just such an idiom. The New Moon Festival. The new moon was the start of each month and year on the Jewish Calendar. See the Following:

Judaism 101: Jewish Calendar

The lunar month on the Jewish calendar begins when the first sliver of moon becomes visible after the dark of the moon. In ancient times, the new months used to be determined by observation. When people observed the new moon, they would notify the Sanhedrin. When the Sanhedrin heard testimony from two independent, reliable eyewitnesses that the new moon occurred on a certain date, they would declare the rosh chodesh (first of the month) and send out messengers to tell people when the month began.

Rosh Chodesh (ROHSH CHOH-desh)

Lit. head of the month. The first day of a month, on which the first sliver of the new moon appears. It is a minor festival today, though it was a more significant festival in ancient times.

The date of the new month and the new year was to be set by those placed in charge of the Temple. They would use ancient methods to watch for signs and calculate the New Moon. This would allow them to declare the new month or year. Because this date was impossible to know until JUST before it happened it became known as the “Day and Hour no man knows.”

The Church is The Moon

Jesus is referred to as the Sun and we are the light to this darkened world. It stands to reason then that if He is the Sun we are the Moon. All things given under the Old Covenant are shadows of New Covenant Realities. If they celebrate every new moon so should we, knowing that we are that new moon.

Malachi 4:2
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

1 Corinthians 15:41
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

Matthew 5:14
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Closing Thoughts

We are the New Moon, or we will be when He comes. His Coming is about bringing us New Life, New Bodies, New everything. His coming will become clearer each day that it becomes closer. Those who are trained and ready and watching will be able to announce the day just as they did in Ancient Israel. But trusted people, with a track record of being spot on will have to be those people. Not some kooks who have a track record of making wild predictions that turn out to be wrong.

The day is coming… I’m watching… are you?

Matthew 24:32
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

Israel is our time piece, you want to know what’s going on on God’s prophetic calendar keep an eye on them!

Darrell G. Wolfe