As we have examined biblical history we have seen how the Lord repeatedly has informed His people of approaching times of judgment before the judgment actually occurred. It is so consistent throughout biblical history that certainly it can be said to be a biblical principle. As Amos 3:7 says, “...the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”
In the Bible the Lord divides mankind into 2 groups. He calls those He saves ‘wise’; and those He does not save ‘fools’. He also describes them as the ‘righteous’ and the ‘wicked’. The distinction between the two has nothing to do with intelligence or human wisdom, or of human merit of any kind. But simply put, one is wise (and declared righteous) if God has saved them and given them the Spirit of Christ (Jesus is completely identified with Wisdom in the Bible). And those not saved are as fools or wicked because they do not possess Christ’s Spirit (Wisdom).
If we keep the Bible’s definition of wisdom in mind, it will greatly help us understand the following verses:
And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
Daniel 12:9-10
Once again we see how it was most definitely the Lord’s intention to seal up His Word (the Bible) until the time of the end. But then notice, God points out how “NONE of the wicked” will be able to understand. Understand what? Well, He is referring to understanding the Word of God which will be unsealed at the time of the end. None of the unsaved of the world will get it. Just like the people of the world of Noah’s day did not get the message (although they heard it); and just like Lot’s sons in law did not get it when Lot warned them to flee the city. Likewise, at the end none get it. None understand. However, “the WISE” will understand. The ‘wise’ understand only because of God’s great mercy. The Lord expresses this truth once again in this wonderful verse found in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 8:
...and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.
Ecclesiastes 8:5b
And, again, God is making that distinction. The wicked do not understand. The wise do understand.
Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.
Proverbs 28:5
And really, it all boils down to whether or not God has saved us. If He has, we will know that May 21, 2011 is the end of the world. If He has not saved us then we will not know. The Bible tells us that the majority of people in the world are not chosen to salvation. This is why Christ comes unexpectedly for billions of people. They do not understand spiritual things, so they have no ears to hear, no eyes to see. And you could hand them information right from the Bible that is pointing out what is coming very shortly, and they will not get it. They will not understand it. Maybe some things might interest for a little while, yes, they might be interested. But, finally, since they do not have God’s Spirit, they are not going to take warning and they are not going to understand. And sadly, they will surely perish.
It is in our day that God has opened up the Scriptures. He has taken the seal off of His Word in order to allow people to understand that we are at the time of the end. It is true that we now know that May 21 in 2011 will be the date for the Rapture and October 21 in 2011 will be the date for the end of the world.
All of this information is found in the Bible. Therefore, these dates are true and trustworthy. This is only because they come from the Bible and from no other source. If they did come from another source, then we would not have to be concerned about them because they would just be like anything else in the world. However, the Bible is not like any other book or any other teaching of man in the world. It is far supreme and far above all religions, all philosophies, and all of the noble ideas of mankind. The Bible stands by itself. And, really, what we are coming down to, as we get ever closer to this date of May 21 in 2011, is an important question for each person. The big question is, “Do you trust the Bible or do you trust something else?”
Some people are going to trust their churches who will tell them that they do not have to worry about a date. Some people are going to trust their pastor who will say the same thing. Or some people are going to just trust their own minds and conclude that there is nothing to worry about. But none of these things are very trustworthy. The only truly trustworthy thing in the world is the Bible.
In conclusion, the question must be asked: Why are you not responding as the Ninevites? Why are you not taking account of your life and looking at yourself and saying, “I have sinned. O Lord, have mercy!”
An end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold, it is come. The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near...
Ezekiel 7:6-7