Another “Christian” group is claiming to know the day of Jesus’ return, citing May 21st, 2011 as the day of judgment. How can they know?

Jesus Himself said of that day:

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

Matthew 24:36 & Mark 13:32

When He said this, He also drove home His point by further saying

“Be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming” ,

Matthew 24:42 & Mark 13:33

To make His point clear, Jesus at this juncture illustrated what He was teaching by saying that if the head of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been ready, Matthew 24:43. It seems so obvious with this illustration that He is telling us we cannot know when the “thief” or the day of Jesus’ return, will be.

Then, evidently because He understood that we are a little slow, He reiterated the idea a fourth time for us saying,

“For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will” ,

Matthew 24:44.

Now why would He teach His followers that they will not, indeed cannot know when He will return, and also that He will return precisely at a time when they do not believe that He will, when all along He has somehow given them the means to determine exactly when His return will take place?

But wait… following all of this clear teaching, as if all four of the above admonitions were insufficient, Jesus taught three parables, each one of which conveyed the lesson that we must all be faithful at all times specifically because we do not, and cannot know when He will return.

First, there was the parable of the faithful and sensible servant who had been put in charge of his master’s goods while his master traveled abroad, Matthew 24:45-51. Within the parable, Jesus puts forth the hypothetical that the servant abused his privileges believing his master to delay his return. Specifically, Jesus tells us that the master will return when the servant does not expect him and at an hour he does not know.

There is then a second parable Jesus teaches about ten virgins who await the arrival of a bridegroom. Five, being unprepared, go to acquire oil for their lamps and miss the wedding. Jesus closed the parable by warning:

“Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour” ,

Matthew 25:13.

The third parable concerned three servants, each of whom were given a portion of their master’s resources to use while he was away. After being gone “a long time” the master returned and rewarded those faithful to their charge and punished the one who was negligent. Again the message is that He is returning, be ready.

There is more, but if the above does not suffice, what will?