The most-used reason pre-Trib adherents use for not setting a date for the Rapture is based upon Jesus’ words:

But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. (Mark 13:32–33)   

Many seminary students, and even their professors, argue that this declaration by the Lord in the Olivet Discourse isn’t referring to the Rapture of the Church, but to the Second Advent of Revelation 19:11. I completely dismiss that as making no sense whatsoever.

Careful study of prophecy clearly presents the case that the day of Christ’s return in power and great glory can be determined by the number of days given from the occurrence of certain events in the future. For example, Daniel is given such a time frame:

And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. (Daniel 12:11)

There are, of course, all the arguments involved in the extra days given in the verse following that time frame.

Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. (Daniel 12:12)

This involves Jesus dealing with cleansing the earth and removing rebels from the planet. So that’s another topic for another time. Suffice it to say that we are told by the angel, through the prophet Daniel, that there are a specific number of days (1290)—after a certain event—left before the Second Advent (Revelation 19:11).

Jesus told us of the Antichrist going into the temple and declaring himself to be God. The angel told Daniel—and us—this at that earlier time in biblical history. So we know the precise number of days for the Second Advent as 1290 from that “abomination of desolation.”

Jesus, by saying in the Olivet Discourse that no one knows the day and hour of His coming except the Father, was referring to the earlier time He would next intervene into the affairs of mankind. That time will be the Rapture of His Bride, the Church. No one but God the Father knows that “twinkling of an eye” moment prophesied by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:51–55 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13–8.

So to repeat, the pre-Trib adherents’ most-used reason for not setting a date for the Rapture is:

But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. (Mark 13:32–33)

This predominately involves the Church. Looking up as we who constitute the Church see that electrifying moment coming—as commanded by Jesus in Luke 21:28—is crucial to being comforted at this darkening time of evil. It is a primary matter to consider as we think on signals that the great event called the Rapture might be close to snatching us from this growingly dangerous earthly orb.

We’ve looked in these commentaries numerous times at the signals pointing to Christ’s coming in the Second Advent. We always point out that if the signals we see are for the time when He breaks through the black clouds of Armageddon, we know that we can expect the Rapture to be even at the door—even sooner—because that event will take place at least seven years before Christ’s foot touches down on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

We’ve also pointed out that Jesus told His disciples that the first signal of His Second Coming will be great deception. That has been the topic of many of our articles for many months, of course. Daniel, the prophet, and John, the close disciple of Jesus and the writer of Revelation, were given glimpses of earth’s last evil empire: the Antichrist and his regime of tyranny. We have looked at this signal of Christ’s coming—the globalist agenda and all involved in its Ephesians 6:12 wickedness—over the months and years many times. Our commentaries have covered developments in regard to religious apostasy—including a pope who denies Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation—an eventuation that has now overwhelmed this generation. We have looked at how our day—filled with every sort of sexual perversion and debauchery—is almost precisely in line with times as they were in the days of Lot in Sodom. Jesus said the days will be filled with violence and evil, exactly like the days of Noah as laid out in Genesis 6.

But now, we want to look at what I believe is perhaps the prime signal of the moment to look at when we consider just how near we must be to Christ calling us to Himself.

This has at its center the hatred of Satan for the Church. The Church—again, all born-again believers—is indwelt by God, the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent back to believers at the time of Pentecost (Acts 2). The Holy Spirit, resident within each believer, thus within the Church, is the Restrainer of evil. He, through the Church (and through all other means the Lord uses) restrains Satan’s completion of his wicked intentions as outlined in the struggle told in Ephesians chapter 6, especially Ephesians 6:12.

We are told in 2 Thessalonians 2 that the devil and his man of sin, the son of perdition, Antichrist, can’t come to power until the Restrainer is taken out of the way. Therefore, Satan wants to destroy the Church.

This isn’t possible, because Jesus said that the “gates of hell” (meaning Satan and all his minions and their evil activity) can’t prevail against the saints of the Church Age (Matthew 16:18). The Antichrist will overcome the saints of the Tribulation (Revelation 13:7), but he cannot prevail against the Church Jesus promised to keep from the very time of God’s wrath (Revelation 3:10).

The signal that is coming more and more into view at this end-times moment is Satan’s attempt to damage and even destroy the Church. If he can do this, he can make God a liar and can avoid his own prophesied punishment in the Lake of Fire.

It isn’t difficult to see that he and his minions, both supernatural and human (governments, etc.) are seeming to make headway in prevailing against God’s people. But this will never happen. Satan will not destroy the true Church.

The fact is, however, that the assault gets stronger and stronger—through COVID-19 shutdowns of gatherings of believers and outright governmental actions intended to eliminate expression of belief in Jesus Christ. There seems no way, humanly speaking, to stop the encroachment on true Christianity.

An example of things happening in this regard is made apparent in the following.

A Canadian pastor will remain in police custody for several more months following his arrest on Feb.16 for holding in-person worship services. Authorities won’t release him unless he consents to run his church the way they tell him to.

Pastor James Coates with GraceLife Church of Edmonton was arrested and taken to the Edmonton Remand Centre for allegedly violating COVID-19 restrictions by not enforcing mask-wearing, social distancing, and for gathering beyond the 15 percent capacity limits for indoor worshipping, the Edmonton Journal reports.

The Edmonton Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Peter Michalyshyn ruled Friday that Coates shall remain at the correctional facility for not signing a release form indicating that he would abide by specific health orders.

In a statement, Coates said the health orders “directly contravene the authority of the local church, and the supreme authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.”…

“I’m doing what I’m doing in obedience to Christ. I am quite content to let the Lord Jesus Christ himself decide whether or not this is persecution,” Coates said. “He promises that those who are persecuted for his namesake will be blessed. He’s the one that blesses and I’m content to leave that in His court.” (Andria Morris, “Canadian Pastor Refuses to Bow Before Gov’t, Will Stay Imprisoned Until May Trial for Holding Church Services,” CBN News, RR News, March 13, 2021)

With all of the seeming insanity going on in every direction we look in society and in culture, the time must almost certainly be short. There doubtless is coming loss of religious freedom for true Christians in America, as there has been for our Christian brothers and sisters even in our nearest neighboring country, Canada.

But the promise from the very Creator of all that is says that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against my church.” Jesus Christ, who is God, cannot lie. Here is one of the most comforting promises from our Bridegroom, our Lord:

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)

I think perhaps in addition to watching Israel for developments, knowing that the Church is under ever-increasing assault is the prime indicator to consider in regard to just how near we are to the time when Christ calls to us: “Come up here!” (Revelation 4:1).