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Speaking of the timing of His return in His famous prophecy on the Mount of Olives shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus said, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matthew 24:36).
On the surface this seems to indicate that we can't know when Jesus Christ will return until it actually happens. Is that what Jesus meant? Consider several verses from Luke's parallel account of that same prophecy in Luke 21:
• "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near" (verse 20, emphasis added throughout).
• "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (verse 28).
• "So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near" (verse 31).
Here, within the span of a dozen verses, Jesus tells us three times that events and trends in this same prophecy are clear indications that His coming is near.
Further, the book of Revelation, which is "the Revelation of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 1:1), in several verses gives us specific spans of time during which events will take place leading up to His return.
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