Key Verses Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

The short answer to the question is "We can't". Jesus makes it quite clear that the exact date of his second coming is information privileged for the Father alone. Numerous people and groups have come out with dates over the years, all the way back to the start of the second millennium, but all of them have been proven wrong. Currently there are TV shows with dire warnings that ancient prophecies predict the end of the world on December 21, 2012. All such predictions run contrary to the clear message of Scripture.

Nonetheless, the Bible also makes clear that, if we can't know an exact date, we can certainly know the season. The Word is replete with prophecies connected with the End Times, such as the restoration of Israel, fulfilled in 1948. The prophecies in Matthew 24 concern, in part, the destruction of Jerusalem, but like so many prophecies there is another level of meaning. The passage above clearly refers to the Great Tribulation, and Christ's return to the earth at the end.

Most Christians with an opinion insist that there are actually two comings recorded in Scripture, one at the beginning of the Tribulation, and another at the end. According to this view, Christ will first come in the clouds without descending to earth, and call his church, both the living and the dead, to join him in the air. This is what is popularly called "the Rapture", though the term does not appear in Scripture. This is the return anticipated by the church; people will be saved during the Tribulation period, but these are not part of the "church", as we use the term now. This is the majority view, but not the unanimous one. Some look for the "raising up" of the church in the middle of the Tribulation period, and others not until its end.

Be that as it may, there can be no doubt that Christ will return to earth, as ruler and king, and that he will institute the rule of the Millennial Reign. If we are born again, we are assured of a part in, and a view of, that return. The fact that we don't know the exact date should not concern us; our only obligation is to be ready and watching. Christ said, "Occupy til I come" (Luke 19:13). That means we are to stay busy about his work, and not worry ourselves with useless speculation.