“This does not mean we get to sit on our hands and do nothing.“
That is the point of not knowing the day, or hour continuing the work.
Not sure how that works for certain people that know there is no rapture. If Christians remained once the antichrist makes peace with Israel they could count the exact day to the 2nd coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 1260.
Cronus, what say ye?
“Not sure how that works for certain people that know there is no rapture. If Christians remained once the antichrist makes peace with Israel they could count the exact day to the 2nd coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 1260.”
Well, you make some assumptions there (a peace treaty with Israel, for example is just your interpretation, the Bible doesn’t actually say that). But the Bible doesn’t only tell us that no man knows the day or hour of Christ’s return. It also tells us that Christ is returning soon, tells us the signs of his return, gives us a detailed timeline of the final stages before his return (which many rapture believers seem to ignore when it explicitly conflicts with their belief), and commands us all to watch for these signs so we can be ready. It even advises us to take certain actions in response to those signs happening, which seems supremely silly if none of us would be here to take those actions.
But one thing to note is that saying “no man knows” is not the same as saying “no man will ever know”. If you take Daniel 12 to be a parallel to the timeline of Revelation, then you have Daniel in fact asking when the end will be, in verse 6: “How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?”
He receives an answer much in the form of the “simple math problem” that you posited, but is also told that “the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end” and “the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand”. To me this seems to weigh in favor of the idea that what is unknowable now may not always be unknowable, but is merely sealed by God until the time of the end approaches, and then we will be able to understand.
It (Armageddon) will be 1,260 days after the Mark of the Beast is forced upon the unbelieving world. And that happens in the middle of the 7-years.
The covenant (of false peace) is broken in the midst of the week.
Confirmed covenant (by the Antichrist) = start of the 7 years
Covenant broken half-way through - Then shall be Great Tribulation.
Mark of the Beast now forced upon unbelievers - those who refuse are killed beheading (Revelation 20:4).
Those who take the Mark of the Beast burn in the lake of fire and brimstone forever (Revelation 14).
When the 7 years have run their course, the world gathers their armies at Megiddo for the battle of Armageddon.
(YMMV - no offense)
“If Christians remained once the antichrist makes peace with Israel they could count the exact day to the 2nd coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 1260.”
Exactly! And to that point, the Words spoken, “no man knoweth the day nor the hour” had to refer not to the Second coming, but indeed to the snatching away. Which I’m certain was your point. Well said my friend, well said indeed.