The people of Noah's day were not given any signs of impending doom; thus the people to whom Peter was talking could expect to be given no signs. 2 Peter 3:10 makes this perfectly clear: "The day of the Lord will come like a thief." How does a thief in the night come? With signs that announce that he is about to arrive? Of course not. A thief in the night comes without any warning at all. The only "sign" of his arrival is his arrival itself. Everything Jesus said in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 tells Christians: "You can't know the time of my coming, so don't even bother trying to figure it out. I'll be there when I arrive. Any of you who start looking for a sign should be avoided by real Christians."
Quoted Titiana.
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Matthew 24:3-4 3 While he was sitting upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately, saying: “Tell us, When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?”
4 And in answer Jesus said to them:
And in answer Jesus GAVE A SIGN not only about when Jerusalem would fall, but also a dual prophecy concerning 'his presence" (not to be mistaken with 'the helper' or holy spirit) and the conclusion of the age or system of things.
Peter 3:3-13 merely mimics Jesus' prophetic teaching of the sign by the 'day to day' attitude manifest among men during the 'time of the end' which in itself encourages people examining Jesus' sign.
Matthew 24:36-42 36 “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 38 For as they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; 39 and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken along and the other be abandoned; 41 two women will be grinding at the hand mill: one will be taken along and the other be abandoned. 42 Keep on the watch, therefore, because YOU do not know on what day YOUR Lord is coming.
The erroneous explanation that people should not examine the biblical sign for the end times because Peter said it comes as a "thief in the night" is also clearly diffused in the Apostle Paul's God breathed inspired utterances at:
1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 Now as for the times and the seasons, brothers, YOU need nothing to be written to YOU . 2 For YOU yourselves know quite well that Jehovah's day is coming exactly as a thief in the night. 3 Whenever it is that they are saying: "Peace and security!" then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them just as the pang of distress upon a pregnant woman; and they will by no means escape. 4 But YOU , brothers, YOU are not in darkness, so that that day should overtake YOU as it would thieves, 5 for YOU are all sons of light and sons of day. We belong neither to night nor to darkness.
So here we see part of the sign involving a cry of "Peace and Security" being coined with the phrase, "coming ***exactly*** as a thief in the night."
Jerusalem fell and the 1st Century christians 'taking note' of the sign were probably greatly encouraged that Jesus spoke 'the truth' regarding the sign. Many Apostles were executed during the "tribulation in those days."
IN LIGHT OF THE ABOVE ARGUMENT, where did the BSA & WTS go wrong in approaching the subject of Jesus' sign. They kept attempting to predict the 'day and hour' by pinpointing a year using the chronology of the bible. The Apostles and Jesus never did this concerning the day and hour of Armageddon, but gave the exhortations, "it comes as a thief" and "nobody knows the day or hour."
Peace Out ;-)
Sherwood