May 21

Certain people are saying that the end will come on May 21.

http://www.ebiblefellowship.com/outreach/tracts/may21/

These people disregard what Jesus said. Jesus emphasized that his disciples would not know when the end would be.

Matthew 24:

---------- Matthew 24:36-44
36 “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 38 For as they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; 39 and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken along and the other be abandoned; 41 two women will be grinding at the hand mill: one will be taken along and the other be abandoned. 42 Keep on the watch, therefore, because YOU do not know on what day YOUR Lord is coming.

43 “But know one thing, that if the householder had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have kept awake and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 On this account YOU too prove yourselves ready, because at an hour that YOU do not think to be it, the Son of man is coming.
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---------- Luke 21:34-36
34 “But pay attention to yourselves that YOUR hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon YOU 35 as a snare. For it will come in upon all those dwelling upon the face of all the earth. 36 Keep awake, then, all the time making supplication that YOU may succeed in escaping all these things that are destined to occur, and in standing before the Son of man.”
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---------- Mark 13:32-37
32 “Concerning that day or the hour nobody knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but the Father. 33 Keep looking, keep awake, for YOU do not know when the appointed time is. 34 It is like a man traveling abroad that left his house and gave the authority to his slaves, to each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to keep on the watch. 35 Therefore keep on the watch, for YOU do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether late in the day or at midnight or at cockcrowing or early in the morning; 36 in order that when he arrives suddenly, he does not find YOU sleeping. 37 But what I say to YOU I say to all, Keep on the watch.”
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Jesus told his disciples to keep on the watch, to remain alert for it, since they would not be able to predict its exact time. Jesus has been present since 1914, so we are now living in the time of the end. We do need to stay alert for the "great tribulation" and "Jehovah's day", but it is a mistake to try to predict the exact timing of them ahead of time.

These same people argue against these facts:

http://www.ebiblefellowship.com/outreach/tracts/wecanknow/

There, they immediately contradict the Bible by declaring that "Jesus Christ is God Almighty" (the Trinity doctrine). That contradicts the scripture they had just quoted.

They then quote Daniel 12:4.

---------- Daniel 12:3,4,9,10
3 “And the ones having insight will shine like the brightness of the expanse; and those who are bringing the many to righteousness, like the stars to time indefinite, even forever.
4 “And as for you, O Daniel, make secret the words and seal up the book, until the time of [the] end. Many will rove about, and the [true] knowledge will become abundant.”
...
9 And he went on to say: “Go, Daniel, because the words are made secret and sealed up until the time of [the] end. 10 Many will cleanse themselves and whiten themselves and will be refined. And the wicked ones will certainly act wickedly, and no wicked ones at all will understand; but the ones having insight will understand.
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True knowledge has increased. Jehovah's Witnesses do now understand the prophesy in Daniel 12. See our book "Pay Attention to Daniel's Prophesy" for details.

But that does not mean that we would know in advance the timing of the great tribulation or Armageddon.

They quote Amos 3:7

---------- Amos 3:7
For the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will not do a thing unless he has revealed his confidential matter to his servants the prophets.
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Jehovah has revealed that Armageddon is coming, the manner in which it will occur, and what it will accomplish. He has not revealed the timing of it, just as the timing of the destruction of Jerusalem was not revealed in advance.

They quote Genesis 6:3. However, Jehovah was not addressing Noah at that time. See The Watchtower, Dec 15 2010 issue, pages 30-31.

When they quote Matthew 24:39, they mistranslate "parousia" as "coming" instead of "presence". See the New World Translation, 1984 Reference edition, appendix 5B.

They quote 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4:

---------- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10
Now as for the times and the seasons, brothers, YOU need nothing to be written to YOU. 2 For YOU yourselves know quite well that Jehovah’s day is coming exactly as a thief in the night. 3 Whenever it is that they are saying: “Peace and security!” then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them just as the pang of distress upon a pregnant woman; and they will by no means escape. 4 But YOU, brothers, YOU are not in darkness, so that that day should overtake YOU as it would thieves, 5 for YOU are all sons of light and sons of day. We belong neither to night nor to darkness.
6 So, then, let us not sleep on as the rest do, but let us stay awake and keep our senses. 7 For those who sleep are accustomed to sleep at night, and those who get drunk are usually drunk at night. 8 But as for us who belong to the day, let us keep our senses and have on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet the hope of salvation; 9 because God assigned us, not to wrath, but to the acquiring of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us, that, whether we stay awake or are asleep, we should live together with him.
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Jesus disciples would stay awake, as he told them to. Therefore, they would not be "overtaken". They would need to stay awake and be alert because they wouldn't know the timing ahead of time. If they did, they wouldn't need to be alert, would they?

The prophesies at Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13 applied to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, and also to the now imminent "great tribulation" and Armageddon. In the former case, the disciples did not know the timing ahead of time, and in the latter case, we also do not know the timing.

---------- Habakkuk 2:3
For [the] vision is yet for the appointed time, and it keeps panting on to the end, and it will not tell a lie. Even if it should delay, keep in expectation of it; for it will without fail come true. It will not be late.
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If you are always doing God's will, what he and his son asked us to do, you can be ready for the end no matter when it comes.

---------- Matthew 7:21
“Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will.
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---------- 1 John 2:17
Furthermore, the world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.
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Regards,
Michael