Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
A Different Look At End Time
Does anyone really know when The Second Coming of Christ will be upon us?
We have seen and heard many prophecies from Navajo, Nostradamus, Jim Jones, Charles Manson, David Koresh, Mayan, Pat Robertson, Jean Dixon, Said Nursî, Talmud, Orthodox Judaism, Rashad Khalifa, and many evangelical prognosticators.
But other than what the alluring, fairytale Meta-world may suggest, I have never heard that the end will never come.
So my question is whether I really need to know exactly when that “Biblical End Time” will be. (For a list of prognosticators on the subject see: “List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events.”
Whenever the end comes, it will be the end of the world as we have known it.
We already know that there are different perspectives of “time” in the Bible.
There is God’s time and our time. God’s time is always the “perfect time,” like whenever:
Psalm 31:15 - "My times are in [Your] hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me."
Habakkuk 2:3 - "For the vision is yet for the appointed time. It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it. For it will certainly come, it will not delay.”
But, it could also be a thousand years compared to our one year, as written in 2 Peter 3:8
“But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.”
The Bible says that man used to live as long as Methuselah, 969 years (Genesis 5:27); and after the Great Flood of Noah’s days, God said that man’s age would be one hundred twenty years at most (Genesis 6:3).
“My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for he is flesh; his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.”
The world’s average age of population longevity as of 2019 was estimated to be only 72.6 years of age. It seems that time is currently only a reference that God gave us to help us set health goals. But out base desires is to be first, to be the fastest and live the longest with the most money and having seen more of the world than anyone else.
That’s kind of why God got rid of that Babbling, I mean Babylon Tower. The Babylonians wanted to see as much or more of the Earth than God. Most all of us have an instinct to make the decisions of how we want to live our lives. Though, whether you believe this or not, the problem is this:
Our need to know reveals mankind’s desires to “game the system.”
The only thing that should be our focus at any and all times is our relationship with God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Messiah and The Holy Spirit. The following Steve Green song, "The Plan,” is inspiration to leave all options about my life up to God; check it out.
And if our belief is in only one or two of those, then we’re just playing games like W.C. Fields is rumored to have done on his death bed. The rumored recount by those witnessing the event is that on his impending death bed, W.C. directed his doctor and those attending him to:
“Quick, quick, somebody get a priest.” The doctor is said to have replied in shock, “But, W.C., we didn’t think you believed.” W.C. is said to have answered in his fashionable snidely style, “Well, it’s like this, at this point in time, I don’t wants to take any chances.”
It is kind of natural for all of us to want to cover our bases, so to speak. This is especially true when God has made it clear that nobody knows when “The End (Judgment) Time” will be. At some point in time, however, we all need to know deep in our heart and soul that at whatever time, each of us are ready to be with God.
We know what will happen when it is upon us. We know our salvation will be singularly God’s judgment. God will know everything and to attest to the veracity of every person's commitment to God, His Son Jesus will be there, and the one and the same Messiah will be there as well, There will be no “He” said “She” said moments. I would not expect demonstrating signs professing “#Me Too,” “#Black Lives Matter,” “Infidel” or “LGBTQ.” God will sort out whether any of all that was important in your relationship with Him.
God will know that each and all of us had a choice on how to handle our conflicts and plans for how we live our lives, and whether He was at the center of our choices or not.
God Knows Whether You Do or Not
God knows the relationship of each person’s heart, mind and soul to The Lord says.
- “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:10
- When will we face that judgment? We know from the Bible that only “One” will truly know, according to Mark 13:32-33
“But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed; keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.”
This is what it simply but truly comes down to for each individual:
“Be ready whatever the time.”
There are numerous methods for prophesying when the Tribulation is likely to start. The Mayans, are already known to be wrong in their 2012 prophecy because, well look around, we’re all still here. But, perhaps the hieroglyphics of their prophecies were miss-interpreted. I do not know, nor do I really care about false prophecies of the past. I seriously doubt any method that was devised was used to intentionally deceive people.
Know this however:
No AI App Exists or Will Ever Exist That Can Determine Your Compatibility with God’s Righteousness
When it comes to numbers and statistical mathematic reasoning, there is a lack of heuristic predictive accuracy in determining whether any given individual’s heart and soul is compatible to enjoy an eternal relationship with our Holy God.
Everybody is fixated on how much time they have before The End Time, when they should be alerted to characterizations and conditions mentioned in Scripture that relate to when God’s judgment will be rendered.
Time, time, time
We already know that nobody but God knows anyway. Consider again Mark 13: 32
- "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”
When men get tired of waiting, they tend to set their own schedule (sounds familiar doesn’t it God?)
Let’s now look, then, at some numbers with respect to time.
Well meaning people have seen, read and heard of many different methods used to identify an End Times. Most of the projections of an End times have had to do with extrapolating from Scripture in Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelations, among books of the Bible.
It can be very difficult to extrapolate with the traditional Scripture. Sometimes events are represented with symbols prophesied to occur is terms of a range of days, weeks, months or years. Their occurrences may relate to cries in the wilderness.
Questions that come to mind are whether they are God’s time, a seasonal time, symbolic celebration or event marking time, a universal time, or relative time references such as that. Our eyes gloss over looking for information that helps to translate the information into a linear beginning and end. Then again, sometimes our mind goes a little fuzzy.
For example, take the line, “The quick brown fox jumped over the log.”
That was a sentence used to establish and build typewriting speed and accuracy skills when I was in highs school. Industrial engineers and human factor specialists determined that typing speed and accuracy could be measured with an analog time piece, which enabled businesses to put a value on typing skills.
I recall that my mother always included her dictation, typing speed and accuracy in her resumé to justify what she felt was a good Executive Secretary pay rate. The same metrics were used for a grade in typing class in High School (unless you were like me, in which case you probably mastered a hunt and peck method that allows you a lot more freedom to choose how you find and press a key.)
Figuring out possible End Times are not as straightforward. Indigenous ancestors would take a sentence like “A quick brown fox jumped over the log” and they would use symbols that they figured meant the same thing to everyone. For example, “quick” was described in terms of the amount of time it took the hummingbird to extract all of the nectar out of the flower. They might draw a pictograph of a fox with hummingbird wings hurdling over a log. That method requires me to fire up too many neurons. But, I sure respect and admire skilled linguistic interpreters.
This is a different and perhaps rarely thought of approach to identifying a possible End Time range that is grounded in the Scriptures.
It provides a range as opposed to a specific day and date. After all, the Bible says the knowledge of the hour or day of the End Time is reserved for only God. It is also relatively numerical. It is generally easier to measure differences between numbers more easily than how long it takes hummingbirds to fly, suck nectar and repeat the process. (Whew, that’s “quick”)
Scripture rarely referenced by others that identified major milestones came to mind:
- Mankind’s “Beginning Time” for an estimate of when Adam was created in the Garden of Eden (Genesis) according to archeological or geological or theological for evidence.
- Nephilim began appearing (Genesis 6:4); no woman was safe from their over powering desires.
- Another milestone was the Great Flood of Noah’s days and a great help were the various genealogies given in the Bible enabling a time reference between Adam and The Great Flood. The Great Flood was technically that last time that mankind was almost completely wiped out by God for his disobedient and generally evil ways.
- Given the ambiguity of the Genesis passage, there are several interpretations about the relationship between the “sons of God” and the Nephilim. Some have understood the sons of God to be fallen angels, and the Nephilim are the offspring they produced with human women. The Nephilim being fallen angels, then, came back to earth (Numbers 13:33) to scourge the women and add to the debauchery going on. Grasshoppers have appetites that can be described as jumping from woman to woman getting a fill to their heart's content until they decide to move on to their next sexual morsel.
- Information about Sodom and Gomorrah and the Tower of Babel events that identified rebellion from God are just now being confirmed by archeological and geological digs.
- After many wilderness periods experienced by Israel's wars and exiles, Christ appeared and was crucified, and clues that were given during in His life as recounted by the New Testament Bible to when an “End Times” would most likely occur.
A synthesis of this information suggests that we could have about 440 more years from 2022, sometime around 2462.
It is a time when virtually no more Christians will be added to the population suggesting that the time is ripe for God to enact His judgment in a similar manner to how he wrought The Great Flood.
Researchers have been keeping track of population trends for many reasons not the least of which is to project life sustainability limits. Here are a few graphs that started with Adam and were extended by reasonable assumptions and projections to 2100:
The world population is expected to slow and peak and then actually decline after 2100 because of a combination of slowing birth rates, attrition and world population sustainability limits, perhaps aggravated by climate control or lack thereof.
Once data identifying the downturn in the world’s population and the downturn in the Christian population was found, it was fairly easy to load the data into a statistical program to get a regression equation that approximated the trend of the data.
The projections from 2020 to after 2100 led some to believe that quite a few converts to Judaism may come from the other religions in the world into the Jewish religion.
"What is going to happen between then and now for the Jewish religion to grow that much?"
The overall population growth had essentially gone to near zero growth (less than .02% per year), fewer and fewer Christians were being added by comparison. Projecting the regression curve for the Muslims with declining birth rates and thus overall world populations suggested that the Muslim population would also peak and decline somewhat.
What would cause such a number of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Agnostics and Atheists to convert to Judaism?
Who knows? It is ventured that conversion candidates could come from Indian, Muslim or Buddhist religions. Perhaps it could have something to do with other religions accepting a Messiah. Perhaps they might be finally and fully persuaded as was Abraham (Romans 4:21) that Judaism is close enough to their beliefs. Then again, it may not grow much.
How is that possible?
God’s Word enables us to form parallels with the character of the population from Adam and Eve to the Great Flood of Noah’s days and the character of the populations of Babylon and Sodom and Gomorrah. Obviously, there have been other events similar to those.
Recall societal characterizations through times of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and the Jewish exile led by Nebuchadnezzar into Babylon through to Christ’s crucifixion and beyond to opening up the Scripture to the Gentiles and descriptions of God’s timing.
A list of Bible references that relate to this analysis, hypothesis and methodology is provided at the end of this positing for your review.
The year 2462 is a projected date at which the Tribulation begins. In other words, for Scriptural reasons, the Tribulation should not start until after that year.
The next 440 years between now and then is equivalent to eleven 40 year wilderness journeys, journeys by migration-groups from "Egyptian"-like bondage to the Promised Land similar to those journeys of Abrahams' and Moses’ and events described by Prophets such as forced mass exile migrations to Babylon were tribulation periods that God designed to recoup the Jewish Chosen.
These 11 Wilderness experience periods might be likened to the ancient wilderness periods of Abraham and Moses and the Prophets.
From 2022, today, to the projected 2462, there will be 440 years, which we can infer is equivalent to 22 generations (with 20 years per generation) from today. At 20 years per generation, our 22nd generation from today should be 14 years old. If life expectancies average, say 120 years, senior parents and grandparents will be 84 years old.
Converts in such migrations may be placing their salvation bets on Israel's being God’s Most Favored Nation instead of hanging their hats so to speak, on Jesus' Lamp Stand.
I remember when I was anointed as the only Single Deacon our Southern Baptist Church ever had. My mother confided in me. I recall that her only question to me at the time was whether all the Jews were going to be saved.
I told her that I recalled the Bible reference that a Jewish "remnant" (Ge. 45:7, 2 Kings 19:30-31, Ezra 9:15, Isaiah 10:20-22, Isaiah 11:11-16, Isaiah 16:14, Isaiah 37:31-32, Zechariah 8:11-12, Ro. 9:27, Ro. 11:5, Rev.7:4, Rev. 14:3-5 to name a few references) would be saved, but estimates above 144,000 on up to these projections of that remnant in this exercise were above my "pay grade" to make.
All of these numbers of this analysis are likely on the high side, especially if you take into account what Jesus said about there being many who claim salvation that He never had known (Matthew 7:21-23). That would hold true for Jews and Gentiles I would think. Regardless, Jesus' Second coming will more likely begin after 2462 based on 2 Peter 3:9:
- "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
Right before the Great Flood, God spoke to Noah basically telling him that He was going to start over. Methuselah, "Man of the dart," as the name translates in Hebrew, was referenced to be the last "Man of the dart" (blameless) to die before the Flood.
Another interpretation from Hebrew of the meaning of Methuselah could be as a "blameless Man."
As sin has often been referred to "missing the mark." Missing the bull's eye of the dart board represent/symbolizes missing right or wrong, the meaning “Man of the dart” may be more palatable. Blameless is another matter. In a game of darts man may be able to regularly hit the bull’s-eye of blamelessness, but missing it only one time will take away all those at-a-boys.
I highly encourage you to visit The Flood and Noah’s Day by Harold S. Martin of Bible Helps. He has presented a very good account of the times of the Great Flood.
- Genesis 6:13- "Then God said to Noah, “The end of humanity has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of people; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth … go make yourself an ark ..."
I can just hear the wheels turning in Noah's mind. He might be wondering, how many are going to die, how many are going to be saved? It’s just telling about man’s nature of wanting to see how close he can get to the line without losing his life.
Recall how God answered Abraham when he asked God quite a few times about how many righteous people need to be left in Sodom and Gomorrah for them to be left unharmed.
The account of the dilly dally is in Genesis 18:23-32. It's kind of humorous that Abraham would try to pin God down to a number; that is so "human" isn't it? God's last words to Abraham about how many would be spared from the fire of Sodom were:
- [Even if there were only ten innocents among the guilty,] "I will not destroy it on account of the ten.”
We know however that He doesn’t want to lose anyone living their life as as a testimony of being led by God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit. (Matthew 18:14, Luke 15 4-7, 2 Peter 3:2-9).
So, as referenced earlier in this discourse, these population estimates represent the total population projected at Tribulation Time. We know, however, that not everyone calling themselves a Jew or a Christian will be someone known to Jesus and therefore in the Book of Life. Let's look at various scenarios.
A friend of mine confided to me recently that only about 10% of the Jews who professed to be Jewish members of his Jewish Temple (which happens to be one of the 10 largest Jewish Temples in the United States) and expected salvation were likely true practicing Jews. If that's the case and extrapolating it across the Jewish population estimated at the time of Christ's crucifixion, when the Jewish population was estimated to be about 7 million, would only be about 0.35% of the total world population at that time.
Thus, an estimate that could more accurately reflect practicing Jews from this chart in 2020 could be as low as only 144,000 to 26,250,000 worldwide may be closer to those passing God's judgment come Tribulation time.
According to Barna Research, defining true Christians as those with a world view of religion, described as integrated disciples, and regularly attending church are only about 6% of the Christians professing to be saved. This would reduce the estimate to about 174,000,000 worldwide.
The resultant projections by 2462, as shown represent only about 1 out of every 20 people in the world (5.08%). I would suspect that a more likely scenario is somewhat less than that will be saved.
The saved Jews and Christians may be much lower on the basis that many will have said they were believers who do not really live a believer’s life. The saved population could be the 144,000 remnant plus the Christian integrated disciples or 1.092%, about 109,292,874 out of the 10.4 billion total world population.
There may be some truth to the timing for The End Time, The Second Coming of Christ, based in large part to the verses He has given us when every year results in a lower and lower population and due to lower birth rates, droughts and famines, violent weather and earthquakes that hit the land, when converts of non-believers the Christian population of believers dwindles out of attrition and reduced success of the Great Commission.
One thing we do know is: When God feels there will be no more additions to be made to the Kingdom of Heaven, Christ will return (Matthew 18:14, Luke 15 4-7, 2 Peter 3:2-9).
You have a choice. Whatever the population and whatever the time is at that time, it will come down to your choice and God’s patience. So, my friend:
The following references were used for this study and the numerical table of World Population Trending to End Times use these links:
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