“No One Knows the Day or Hour?” What Scripture Really Says About Yeshua’s Return

“No One Knows the Day or Hour?” What Scripture Really Says About Yeshua’s Return

A Belief Worth Examining

We’ve all heard it. Whether in sermons, study groups, or casual conversation, the phrase “No one knows the day or the hour” tends to come up anytime someone starts asking questions about the timing of Yeshua’s return. For many believers, it’s become the final word—almost a theological period at the end of any sentence that dares to wonder when the Bridegroom might appear.

But have we ever stopped to really examine what Scripture says about that phrase? Have we asked who Yeshua was speaking to, why He said it, and whether it was ever meant to mean “we’ll never know—ever”? Or have we allowed a surface reading of a single sentence to shape our entire view of prophecy, end times, and the heartbeat of a God who says He reveals His plans to His people?

This article isn’t about date-setting. It’s not about claiming secret revelation or pretending we’ve cracked some divine code. It’s about returning to the whole counsel of Scripture and asking an honest question: Does the Bible truly say that the day of Messiah’s return will always be unknowable? Or has God, as He always does, embedded His truths within patterns, appointments, and prophetic promises—ready to be seen by those who are watching, awake, and walking in covenant?

Let’s walk through this together, line by line, step by step. You might find that what you’ve always been told… doesn’t quite match what the Scriptures actually reveal.

The Famous Phrase: “No One Knows the Day or the Hour”

The phrase comes straight from the mouth of Yeshua, recorded in two of the synoptic gospels:

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
— Matthew 24:36

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
— Mark 13:32

On the surface, it sounds pretty conclusive, doesn’t it? No one knows. Not even the Son. Only the Father. And for generations, this one statement has been used to discourage further exploration of prophetic timing. “See?” some say. “It’s pointless to even try. We’re not meant to know. Just trust and wait.”

But here’s the thing: Yeshua never contradicted Scripture, and Scripture never contradicts itself. If we take this one sentence and pit it against everything else the Bible says about God’s patterns, revelation, and appointed times, we have a problem. Either the rest of Scripture is misleading, or we’re missing something about what Yeshua really meant.

So before we jump to conclusions, we have to ask: Was Yeshua making a blanket statement for all time? Was He saying that not only do we not know now, but that we will never know? Or could He have been referring to something deeper—something rooted in Hebrew culture, prophetic language, and the covenant traditions His audience would have understood instantly?

As we continue, keep this in mind: Sometimes what sounds mysterious in English is actually a very specific reference in Hebrew thought. And when you see it through that lens, the words of Yeshua don’t contradict the rest of Scripture at all—they unlock it.

Prophetic Patterns and Divine Consistency

One of the most important ways we can test whether a common teaching aligns with truth is to ask: Does it match the character and pattern of God as revealed in Scripture? When it comes to the idea that Yeshua’s return will always remain unknowable, we’re faced with a tension: That belief seems to imply that God, who has always revealed His intentions to His people, would suddenly reverse course and act in total secrecy.

But the character of YHWH never changes.

“For the Master YHWH does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”
— Amos 3:7

This isn’t abstract poetry—it is a foundational principle. God always reveals before He acts, not after. The very structure of prophecy depends on this. Consider the historical record:

Before the flood, God told Noah, gave him precise instructions, and warned of timing.
Before Sodom and Gomorrah’s judgment, God told Abraham what He was about to do.
Before the plagues of Egypt, He sent Moses to speak warnings, perform signs, and declare the appointed time of deliverance.
Before the Babylonian exile, God sent prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah for years, pleading with the people to return.
Before Yeshua’s first coming, Daniel was given an exact prophetic timeline (Daniel 9:24–27), down to the arrival of “Messiah the Prince.”

In every case, God gave revelation to those who were watching, listening, and obedient. He didn’t shout from rooftops to the rebellious; He whispered to the faithful and opened the eyes of those who sought Him.

To say “no one will ever know the time” runs contrary to this consistent thread. God’s pattern is revelation before judgment, not mystery for the faithful.

The Lights in the Heavens Weren’t Just for Beauty

In the very first chapter of Genesis, God embedded His pattern of revelation into creation itself:

“Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.’”
— Genesis 1:14

The Hebrew word for “seasons” here is moedim (מוֹעֲדִים), which means appointed times. This is the same word used in Leviticus 23 to describe God’s feast days—Passover, Unleavened Bread, Shavuot, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Shemini Atzeret.

These appointed times were fulfilled not figuratively, but to the exact day.

If the first four moedim were fulfilled with such precision, it is unthinkable that the remaining ones—especially those related to judgment, kingship, and tabernacling—will be fulfilled without similar intentionality.

And let’s be clear: these are not Jewish cultural holidays. Scripture calls them God's holy days—His moedim. God says in...

Leviticus 23:2 “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: ‘The appointed times of YHWH, which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, these are My appointed times.’”

They are His, not Israel’s invention, and certainly not merely “Jewish” in the post-exile sense of the southern kingdom. The phrase “Jewish holidays” only appears after the northern tribes (Ephraim/Israel) were scattered and the southern kingdom (Judah) became more prominent. But these moedim were never abolished or transferred—they remain God's appointments for all His people.

They are not bound to ethnicity but to covenant. And they were given not just to remember the past, but to rehearse the future.

And Yeshua fulfilled them with divine precision:

He died on Passover as the Lamb of God
John 1:29
“The next day John saw Yeshua coming toward him and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’”
1 Corinthians 5:7
“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Messiah, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”
He was buried during Unleavened Bread, removing the leaven (sin) from the house.
He rose on First Fruits, the first of the resurrection harvest
1 Corinthians 15:20
“But now Messiah is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
He poured out the Spirit on Shavuot (Pentecost), the same day the Torah was given at Sinai.

These appointments were fulfilled not figuratively, but to the exact day.

The Moedim Reveal, Not Conceal

The final three appointed times are yet to be fulfilled in their ultimate sense:

Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) – often called the “Day of Blowing” or “Day of Shouting”
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) – a day of affliction and judgment
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) – symbolizing dwelling with God
(followed by Shemini Atzeret, the 8th day—a day of eternal rest and dwelling)

These feasts contain prophetic markers tied to Yeshua’s return, judgment, and millennial reign. And they are given to us in Leviticus—not hidden, not symbolic—but commanded rehearsals, generation after generation, for what is still to come.

To say “no one will ever know” is to ignore the very reason God gave the moedim in the first place: to teach us what is coming.

A God Who Longs to Be Known

YHWH is not a God of concealment for concealment’s sake. He does not play games with His Bride. He does not tease the faithful with prophetic breadcrumbs and then say, “You’ll never figure this out.”

What He desires is for His people to watch, learn, wait, and respond. His pattern is consistent:

Prophetic warning
Preparation period
Faithful remnant responds
Judgment or fulfillment comes right on time

This is why we must not accept the idea that we are forever barred from understanding the times. If we are walking in covenant, studying His Word, and honoring His calendar, we should expect—not presume, but expect—that He will not leave us in the dark.

The return of Yeshua will not be random. It will be timed. It will be patterned. And it will be known to those who are awake and seeking.

Daniel’s Prophetic Timeline: Not Vague At All

When people claim that “no one will ever know” the timing of Yeshua’s return, they often overlook something startling: God gave actual day counts for end-time events. And He gave them not in symbolic riddles, but in precise numbers through His servant Daniel.

These day-counts are not attached to vague metaphors—they are attached to real events, and they form a prophetic clock for those who are watching.

The 1,260 Days — The Great Tribulation

Daniel 7:25 introduces us to a final period of oppression and testing:

“He shall speak words against the Most High,
and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
and shall think to change the times and the law;
and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.”
— Daniel 7:25

This phrase—“a time, times, and half a time”—means 3.5 years. In prophetic terms, that equals:

1,260 days
Revelation 12:6
“Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.”
42 months
Revelation 13:5
“And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.”
A time, times, and half a time
Revelation 12:14
“But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.”

These all refer to the Great Tribulation, a specific time of global distress, persecution, and divine testing that precedes the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom.

The 1,290 Days — A Pre-Tribulation Marker?

Daniel 12:11 says something important—something that invites us to reconsider how we’ve understood this timeline:

“And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days.”
— Daniel 12:11

Most assume this verse comes after the 1,260 days, but that’s not what the text says. The 1,290 days begin with the removal of the daily sacrifice and the setup of the abomination.

So what if the 1,290-day period starts 30 days before the Great Tribulation begins?

In that case, the timeline would look like this:

Day 0: The daily offering is taken away; the abomination is set up
Day 30: The 1,260-day Great Tribulation begins
Day 1,290: The Tribulation ends at Yeshua’s return

This 30-day difference could be a grace window—a prophetic warning period. It might relate to the biblical precedent of the Second Passover (Numbers 9:10–11), given to those who were not ready for the first. It may also explain a brief delay between warning signs and the sealing or protection of the righteous remnant (Revelation 7:3).

In this view, the 1,290 includes the 1,260, but begins earlier—emphasizing God's consistent pattern of forewarning before judgment.

The 1,335 Days — The Restoration and the Temple?

Daniel 12:12 then offers this curious blessing:

“Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days.”
— Daniel 12:12

This means 45 additional days after the 1,290. If Yeshua returns at the end of the 1,260, what could the last 45 days be for?

Here are a few compelling possibilities:

The mourning period for those who realize they missed the first resurrection or were unprepared
Zechariah 12:10–14
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves;the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves;all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.”
The sorting of sheep and goats (Matthew 25:31–46)
The rededication or cleansing of the Temple area (Ezekiel 43:18–27)
Or, perhaps most significantly: the establishment of Ezekiel’s Temple—a detailed, measured structure that could be inaugurated during this time.

Ezekiel 43:7 says:
“And He said to me, ‘Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever.’”

This Temple, unlike any built before it, could be the dwelling place of the King during the Millennial Kingdom.

A Moedim Connection? Yom Kippur to Hanukkah

Here’s a remarkable possibility: If Yeshua returns on Yom Kippur—the day of national atonement and judgment—then 75 days later would fall near Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication.

This creates a powerful prophetic arc:

Yom Kippur: Judgment and return of the King (Zechariah 14:4)
Following 45 days: Cleansing, setting in order, restoration
Hanukkah: Temple dedication, light restored, worship reestablished

This would make the 1,335th day a day of joy, blessing, and the beginning of the Messianic reign in fullness.

Final View of the Timeline:

Event	Day Count	Description
Removal of daily offering / Abomination set up	Day 0	Beginning of Daniel 12:11 countdown
Start of Great Tribulation	Day 30	1,260-day tribulation begins
Yeshua returns	Day 1,290	Tribulation ends, judgment begins
Restoration complete	Day 1,335	Blessing, Temple possibly dedicated, Kingdom fully inaugurated

Conclusion

This prophetic structure is not vague. It is exact. Daniel was not given riddles—he was given timeframes. And Scripture invites us to watch, wait, and understand.

If we are awake and obedient, these numbers don’t bring confusion. They bring confidence—that everything God has appointed will be fulfilled exactly on time.

Wise and Foolish Virgins: Obedience as Love, Not Legalism

We’ve all heard the parable. Ten virgins, all waiting for the Bridegroom. All with lamps. All clearly part of the bridal party. And yet—when the cry rang out in the night—only five were ready.

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.”
— Matthew 25:1–2

This is not a parable about unbelievers versus believers. It’s a parable about believers versus covenant keepers.
All ten expected the Bridegroom. But only five had oil—the kind that fuels faithful obedience, not just theological acknowledgment.

Walking in Darkness vs. Walking in Light

Many believers are taught that because they’ve “accepted” Yeshua, they are in the light. But Scripture gives a much more practical definition.

“This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Yeshua His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
— 1 John 1:5–7

To walk in darkness means to claim fellowship while living in disobedience. The foolish virgins are not outside the believing community—they are inside it. But they lack the oil that comes from ongoing faithfulness.

They are asleep. They are unprepared. And worst of all, when the door is shut, they are unknown:

“Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.”
— Matthew 25:12

That phrase should sound familiar. It mirrors what Yeshua says elsewhere:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.”
— Matthew 7:21

This isn’t about legalism—it’s about covenant loyalty.

Obedience Is Not Salvation. It’s Love.

It must be said plainly: Obedience does not save us.
We are saved by faith, by the blood of the Lamb.

But obedience is the evidence of that faith.

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
— John 14:15

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”
— 1 John 5:3

Obedience is not about fear. It’s about love.

It’s about hearing the Bridegroom’s voice and responding with joy. It’s about filling our lamps not with performance, but with intimacy, loyalty, and daily readiness. It’s about treasuring His ways as good and holy—not old and discarded.

The wise virgins didn’t have oil because they were perfect. They had oil because they were prepared.

Ready Doesn’t Mean Knowing the Hour. It Means Living Like You Will.

When the call came—“Behold, the Bridegroom!”—it was midnight. Unexpected. But for the wise, it was not a surprise. They had been waiting. Watching. Living with expectation.

“But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:4–5

This is what separates the wise from the foolish. Not information, but preparation.

And that preparation—according to the Word—is expressed through love-fueled obedience. Not as a means to earn a place in the Kingdom, but as a way to live out our place as the Bride already chosen.

Obeying God Is Not Legalism. It’s the Fruit of the Spirit.

Some say that following Torah—or even suggesting we should keep God's commandments—is "legalism" or “falling from grace.” Some even go as far as quoting 1 Timothy 4:1 to claim that Torah observance is a “doctrine of demons.”

But that claim misunderstands both Paul’s writings and the character of God.

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons…”
— 1 Timothy 4:1

But what are these “teachings of demons” according to Paul?

“…who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving…”
— 1 Timothy 4:3

Paul is not condemning the dietary instructions of Leviticus 11 (which define food in the first place). He’s condemning man-made religious asceticism—teachings that say all food is bad, marriage is sinful, or pleasure is evil. These were gnostic ideas, not Torah. In fact, Paul consistently upheld the Torah when rightly understood.

“Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”
— Romans 3:31

“For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being…”
— Romans 7:22

“So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”
— Romans 7:12

When Paul warns against being “under the law,” he is speaking of trying to be justified by it—as if righteousness could be earned through perfect behavior. That was never its purpose. The Torah was never given to save. It was given to teach us what pleases God—a pattern of life, holiness, justice, and mercy.

Yeshua didn’t come to replace it. He came to fulfill it—and write it on our hearts.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
— Matthew 5:17

“And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules.”
— Ezekiel 36:27

This is the New Covenant: not the erasing of Torah, but its internalization. The Spirit empowers us to walk in obedience—not to earn salvation, but to walk in love and truth.

To obey is not bondage. To obey is not regression.
To obey is to be conformed to the image of the Son, who kept every word of His Father's instructions and called us to follow Him.

“No One Knows the Day or the Hour” — A Hebrew Idiom, Not a Mystery

The phrase “no one knows the day or the hour” has been used for generations to dismiss any attempt to understand the timing of Yeshua’s return. But when viewed through Hebrew thought, it becomes clear that this phrase was not intended to conceal, but to reveal. It was a familiar idiom, one tied specifically to the appointed time of Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets.

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
— Matthew 24:36

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
— Mark 13:32

To a modern reader, these verses might sound like a blanket statement of ignorance. But to the original audience—rooted in the moedim—it would have triggered a specific reference: the one day of the year that no one could declare until the new moon was physically seen.

The First Visible Sliver — A Waiting Game

Yom Teruah is the only appointed time that begins on the first visible sliver of the new moon. This sliver usually appears one to three days after the moon has gone dark.

Unlike the Hillel II calendar model that uses astronomical calculations to pre-assign dates, the biblical model required two witnesses to physically see the sliver with their eyes.
Once confirmed, the Sanhedrin would declare the start of the month with trumpet blasts.
Until that moment, no one could be certain of the day or the hour.

That’s why this feast came to be known by its idiomatic phrase:
“The day and hour no man knows.”

Not because it was shrouded in mystery, but because it was awaiting visual confirmation—a perfect prophetic picture of those who are watching the skies and staying ready.

Yom Teruah: The Day That Awakes the Dead

This appointed time is also known in Hebrew tradition as the Day of the Awakening Blast.

Paul echoes this theme:

“For the Master Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command,
with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.
And the dead in Messiah will rise first.”
— 1 Thessalonians 4:16

This is not symbolic. This is resurrection.

Yom Teruah prophetically awakens the physically dead, calling them from the grave at the sound of the shofar. And for those still alive, it marks the call to gather, to rise, and to meet the returning King.

The spiritually asleep—that is, the unbelieving world—will not understand the significance of this blast. But those in covenant, those with ears to hear, will know the call when it comes.

What Yeshua's Disciples Would Have Heard

When Yeshua said, “no one knows the day or the hour,” He wasn’t introducing a new theology of unknowability.
He was referring to a known cultural reality—a moed that everyone in His audience was familiar with.

They would have thought of:

The watching for the sliver of the moon
The shofar blast that announced its arrival
The season of repentance and readiness that Yom Teruah began

This feast, far from being mysterious, is a blueprint. It shows that the return of Messiah is not a surprise to those who are alert and prepared. It is only unexpected to those who are sleeping.

A Day We Don’t Predict—But Can Prepare For

Yeshua didn’t say, “You’ll never know.” He pointed to the Feast of Trumpets, a day that is unknown in timing until the moment of confirmation, but completely expected for those who understand the times.

It is a day rooted in Scripture, in pattern, and in the heavenly calendar.
A day of trumpet blasts, resurrection, and gathering.
And it is not hidden—it is revealed to those who are watching.

The Wedding Model: The Groom, the Father, and the Ready Bride

When Yeshua described His return as something only the Father knows, He wasn’t just referencing the Feast of Trumpets—He was also speaking in terms of the ancient Hebrew wedding model. This picture, deeply embedded in Scripture and tradition, helps unlock much of what the New Covenant says about our relationship to Messiah.

To understand it is to understand why watchfulness is not about guessing the day—it's about living like you’re going to hear the shofar at any moment.

The Betrothal (Kiddushin)

In a traditional Hebrew betrothal, the covenant between the bride and groom was sealed at the time of engagement—not at the wedding day itself. The bridegroom would visit the home of the bride, offer a cup of wine, and enter into a binding promise to return for her. Once the cup was received, she was set apart—sanctified, though the marriage was not yet consummated.

Yeshua used the same imagery when He said:

“And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you,
for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day
when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.’”
— Matthew 26:27–29

This was not only the New Covenant—it was a betrothal.

The Groom Prepares a Place

After the betrothal, the groom would return to his father’s house to prepare a place for the bride. This wasn’t just poetic—it was literal. He would build a room onto his father’s dwelling, making ready the place where they would live.

Yeshua mirrors this in His promise:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you
that I go to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself,
that where I am you may be also.”
— John 14:1–3

This imagery is not metaphorical. It’s marital.

Only the Father Knows the Day

While the groom worked to prepare the bridal chamber, the father was the one who decided when it was ready.

The son could not return for the bride until the father gave approval.
That’s why, even if the groom knew it was close, he would say:

“Only my father knows the day.”

Now we see Yeshua’s words in their original context:

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows… but the Father only.”
— Matthew 24:36

He wasn’t declaring Himself permanently ignorant.
He was using a culturally recognized phrase from the wedding tradition—one that every disciple would have understood.

The Midnight Cry

When the father gave the signal, the groom would go to retrieve his bride—often in the middle of the night, preceded by a loud shout and the blowing of a shofar. The bride was expected to be always ready, with her lamp trimmed and her garments clean.

Yeshua echoes this in the parable of the ten virgins:

“But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.”
— Matthew 25:6–7

The wise virgins were prepared. The foolish were not.
The door was shut. The time of preparation had ended.

The Bride Must Be Ready

In this model, the groom keeps his word, the father oversees the timing, and the bride keeps herself pure and watchful. There’s no countdown clock. No calendar guesswork. Just faithfulness.

When we understand Yeshua’s return through this lens, it makes sense why He said:

“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
— Matthew 24:44

This is not to say the day will never be known—it means the Bride doesn’t know when the moment will come. Her only role is to be found ready and awake when it does.

“Not Even the Son Knows”—Still True Today?

When Yeshua said, “no one knows the day or the hour… not even the Son,” it raised a serious theological question:
If Yeshua is God in the flesh, how could He not know something the Father knows?

This question has caused confusion for many. Some have used it to deny His divinity, while others have used it to suggest we’ll never know the timing of His return. But both conclusions miss the deeper truth.

Let’s examine what Yeshua was actually saying—and what changed after His resurrection and glorification.

He Emptied Himself — Not of Deity, But of Privilege

Paul explains this mystery in his letter to the Philippians. Speaking of Yeshua, he writes:

“Though He was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
— Philippians 2:6–8

Yeshua didn’t stop being divine—but He willingly set aside access to His divine prerogatives. This included knowledge, power, and glory. He took on true humanity, subjecting Himself to human limitations so He could be a perfect, obedient servant—even unto death.

In that state, He could say truthfully: “Only the Father knows.”

But that statement was tied to His mission as the Suffering Servant, not His eternal nature as the Son of God.

After the Resurrection, All Authority Is Restored

Once Yeshua completed His mission—once He rose from the grave—He was restored to His position of heavenly glory. He says so plainly:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”
— Matthew 28:18

That’s not partial authority. That’s everything.

After His resurrection, there is no indication that the Son is lacking any knowledge. In fact, when He appears to John in Revelation, He is no longer veiled in humility. He is radiant, sovereign, and fully enthroned.

“His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns…
He has a name written that no one knows but Himself.”
— Revelation 19:12

This is not a Servant—this is a King. A Bridegroom who knows the time, has been prepareing the place, and is waiting for the Father’s signal to ride out.

“Not Knowing” Was for a Time—Not Forever

When Yeshua said “no one knows,” it was true in that moment, spoken from His position of voluntary submission. But now, seated at the right hand of the Father, crowned with many crowns, and given all authority, He is no longer in that limited state.

So to continue quoting “not even the Son knows” as a present reality is to misunderstand the entire purpose of His first coming—and to ignore the glory of His resurrection.

He now knows the time, and His Bride must stay ready for the moment the Father says, “Go.”

Before we move forward, let’s take a moment to remember why Yeshua said, “only the Father knows.” It wasn’t a mysterious theological riddle—it was the language of the ancient Hebrew wedding. In that culture, the groom would go to prepare a place for his bride, and only when the father approved the preparations would the groom return—often at night, with a shofar blast and a joyful shout.

The bride didn’t know the exact day, but she was expected to live as if it could be any day—ready, watchful, set apart.

That’s the picture Yeshua was painting. And it’s not disconnected from the rest of Scripture—it’s woven into the very structure of how time works. With that in mind, let’s look at something else that often gets brushed off as “symbolic”...the idea that a day is like a thousand years...

A Day Is Like a Thousand Years — Literal Pattern or Poetic Phrase?

There’s a prophetic pattern throughout Scripture that many notice but few take seriously: the idea that God has designed a 7,000-year plan for human history. Six days of labor, one day of rest. Six thousand years of human striving, one thousand years of Messiah’s reign.

Whenever this is brought up, someone inevitably quotes:

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Master one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
— 2 Peter 3:8

This is often used to dismiss the 7,000-year idea as symbolic. But is that what the text is really doing?

Is the Word “Like” Really in the Original?

Yes—the word “like” (hos in Greek, kemo in Hebrew) is present. But its usage isn’t meant to negate the pattern—it emphasizes how God views time differently, not that we shouldn’t discern times.

“For a thousand years in Your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.”
— Psalm 90:4

Peter is quoting this Psalm to say: God’s not slow—He’s patient. But this doesn’t mean there’s no pattern. In fact, the Bible is filled with very literal uses of time:
3 days, 40 years, 70 weeks, 1,260 days, 1,335 days…

If God’s promises are fulfilled on the feast days, down to the exact day, why wouldn’t His broader timeline follow the same order?

The Creation Blueprint and Messiah’s Arrival in the 4th Millennium

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to YHWH your God.”
— Exodus 20:9–10

This Sabbath pattern is prophetic. Each day corresponds to a thousand-year period:

Millennia 1–4 (0–4000): From Adam to Messiah

Millennia 5–6 (4000–6000): The Gospel goes to the nations

Millennium 7 (6000–7000): The Messianic Kingdom—the Sabbath rest

Here’s where it becomes astonishing: Based on reliable historical and biblical evidence, and signs in the heavens at and around his birth Yeshua was born around 3 BC (gregorian date), placing His first coming near the very end of the 4th millennium. This directly aligns with the fourth day of creation, when:

“God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens…
to give light on the earth and to mark the moedim [appointed times].’”
— Genesis 1:14

Yeshua—the Light of the World—came just as the sun, moon, and stars were created on day four. The creation pattern points prophetically to His arrival.

Hosea’s Prophecy: Two Days, Then Revival

This timeline is further confirmed in Hosea:

“Come, let us return to YHWH;
for He has torn us, that He may heal us;
He has struck us down, and He will bind us up.
After two days He will revive us;
on the third day He will raise us up,
that we may live before Him.”
— Hosea 6:1–2

This speaks to national Israel, especially the house of Ephraim, who was scattered in 722 BCE. According to Ezekiel 4:4–5 and Leviticus 26:18, their punishment was to be multiplied seven times over:

“I assign to you a number of days, 390 days,
equal to the number of the years of their punishment.”
— Ezekiel 4:5

“If after all this you will not listen to Me,
then I will punish you sevenfold for your sins.”
— Leviticus 26:18

390 years × 7 = 2,730 years
722 BCE + 2,730 = 2009/2010 CE

This marks the end of Ephraim’s spiritual blindness and dispersion. And sure enough—around 2009–2010, a global awakening began:

Believers realizing they are not Gentiles but grafted into Israel

A return to Torah observance

A rediscovery of the appointed times

A deep hunger for truth and covenant identity

This is the “revival after two days” that Hosea prophesied. And we are now stepping into the third day—the seventh millennium—when He will raise us up, and we will live before Him.

But Isn’t That Too Simple?

Some will say, “This is too clean, too neat. God wouldn’t make it that straightforward.” But when has He ever made it confusing?
1 Corinthians 14:33
“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the congregations of the saints.”

The moedim happen on exact days

The Sabbath comes every seventh day

The Torah repeats patterns so we won’t miss them

It’s not too simple. It’s beautifully designed.

The only reason people miss it is because they’ve inherited traditions that teach them not to look.

Jeremiah 16:19
“O YHWH, my strength and my fortress,
My refuge in the day of affliction,
The Gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say,
‘Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
Worthlessness and unprofitable things.’”

The Prophetic Week

Millennium Timeline Key Events
1 0–1000                Adam to Noah
2 1000–2000                Abraham, covenant begins
3 2000–3000                Sinai, Judges, Kings
4 3000–4000                Temple, Prophets, Messiah’s 1st coming (3 BC)
5 4000–5000                Gospel spreads, scattering of Israel continues
6 5000–6000                Awakening of Ephraim
7 6000–7000                Millennial reign of Messiah—Sabbath rest

The Day Is Almost Over

We are standing at the edge of sunset on day six.
The Bridegroom is almost ready to return.
And just like the Sabbath always follows six days of labor, the Day of YHWH will come right on time.

It’s not guesswork. It’s pattern.
It’s not hidden. It’s revealed to those with eyes to see.

Awake and Ready: No Longer in the Dark

We’ve walked through prophecy, idioms, moedim, timelines, and traditions—not to fill our heads with knowledge, but to awaken our hearts to what Scripture has been saying all along: Yeshua’s return is not a mystery to those who are awake.
The warnings in Scripture were never aimed at the Bride. They were aimed at those who refuse to prepare, who ignore the patterns, and who scoff at the idea that God's calendar might still be in effect. But for those walking in the light—this is not a day that will surprise us.

“But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
For you are all children of light, children of the day.
We are not of the night or of the darkness.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:4–5

Yom Teruah, the wedding idiom, the creation week, Daniel’s day counts, Hosea’s prophecy, the awakening of Ephraim—none of this points to confusion. It points to a God who declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), and who is calling His Bride to be awake, holy, and ready.

The Bride Will Know the Season

The world may not know. The unbelieving may scoff.
But the Bride?
She knows the season. She watches the sky. She hears the footsteps of the Bridegroom in the distance. She’s trimming her lamp—not in panic, but in love. Not to earn salvation, but to live in covenant faithfulness, reflecting the beauty and holiness of the One she loves.

“And it was granted to her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”
— Revelation 19:8

Obedience is not legalism.
Torah is not bondage.
These are the garments of the Bride—woven with love, dyed in faithfulness, and worn with joyful expectation.

You Were Never Meant to Be in the Dark

It’s time to put away the idea that we’re supposed to be confused about the timing of Yeshua’s return. Scripture doesn’t teach that. Man-made tradition does. But the Word has always pointed to appointed times, revealed cycles, and clear markers.

“Surely the Master YHWH does nothing
unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”
— Amos 3:7

“He answered them, ‘When it is evening, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.” And in the morning, “It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.”
You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.’”
— Matthew 16:2–3

We are no longer in spiritual exile. The veil is lifting. The Bride is waking up. And now is the time to live like the wise virgins who see the day approaching.
The cry will go out. The trumpet will sound. The Groom will come.
And on that day, may we be found ready—not surprised.
Watching—not sleeping.
Obedient—not apathetic.
Awake—not in darkness.

Because the day is drawing near.

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April 24, 2025