It is the time of Christ's return when he receives his church and to brings vengeance upon the earth, of which day or hour no one knows of except God alone.

We live in an age of date setters concerning the return of Christ.  If we examine the following passages of scripture we should see that setting dates for the return of Christ is rather pointless.  There is no way to determine the time of his return, because that information is hidden in God.  Do we have any way of knowing the general time [century, year, month, week]?  No, because "day" and "hour" are figurative.  Remember that his return is like a thief in the night, and therefore we have nothing to help us with in determining a time frame.  A thief can come at any time [century, year, month, week, day, hour, minute, second].  Only the thief himself, decides when he will appear.   Likewise, because Christ is at his fathers, side and in his command, only his father can determine the time when he will send his his son back, to return in judgement upon earth.

Mark 13:24-37
24    But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25    And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26    And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27    And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
28    Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
29    So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
30    Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
31    Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
32    But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33    Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
34    For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35    Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36    Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37    And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

1Thes 5:1-11
1    But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2    For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord [which includes Christ's coming for his church] so cometh as a thief in the night.
3    For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4    But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5    Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6    Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7    For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8    But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9    For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10    Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11    Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

The verses below speak of his second coming in different perspective viewpoints.  They need to be carefully examined to see how the viewpoint of each verse concerns to whom it is written to.  Not all verses directly concern the church.   The first is the old testament prophesies concerning the coming messiah.  The second are the gospel accounts of Jesus's own words concerning his coming to the Jews [the Christian church was still a hidden mystery at this time].  The third, are the epistles concerning his return and, gathering of his church [all true Christians] to be with him bringing judgement on earth of the devil and his kingdom.  The forth and last concern the revelation of his actual coming in judgement upon earth.

Job 19:25
25    For I know that my redeemer [the future messiah] liveth [will be alive on earth], and that he [the messiah] shall stand [found his kingdom] at the latter day [after the wrath of God is finished] upon the earth:

Matt 16:27-28
27    For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
28    Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here [alive on the earth], which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

Matt 25:31
31    When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Matt 26:64
64    Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Mark 8:38
38    Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Mark 9:1
1    And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

Mark 14:61-62
61    But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
62    And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Luke 9:26
26    For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

Luke 17:20-24
20    And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21    Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
22    And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
23    And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
24    For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day [in the day of his appearing].

Luke 18:8
8    I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

John 14:3
3    And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

John 14:18-20
18    I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19    Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20    At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

John 14:28
28    Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

Acts 1:11
11    Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven [he will descend, and set his foot upon the earth at his return].

Acts 3:19-21
19    Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
20    And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21    Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

1 Cor 1:7-8
7    So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
8    Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day [appearing] of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Cor 4:5
5    Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

1 Cor 11:26
26    For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

1 Cor 15:22-23
22    For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23    But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

Phil 3:20
20    For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Col 3:4
4    When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

1Thes 1:10
10    And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

1Thes 2:19
19    For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

1Thes 3:13
13    To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

1Thes 4:15
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.

1Thes 5:23
23    And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

II Th 1:7
7    And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

II Th 2:1
1    Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

II Th 3:5
5    And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

1 Tim 6:14
14    That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Tim 4:1
1    I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2 Tim 4:8
8    Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Titus 2:13
13    Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Heb 9:28
28    So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

1 Pet 1:7
7    That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

1 Pet 1:13
13    Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

1 Pet 4:13
13    But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

1 Pet 5:4
4    And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

2 Pet 1:16
16    For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

2 Pet 3:3-4
3    Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4    And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

I Jn 2:28
28    And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

I Jn 3:2
2    Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Jude 1:14
14    And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

Rev 1:7
7    Behold, he cometh with clouds [the host of heaven (angels) - including the church]; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Rev 3:11
11    Behold, I come quickly [without warning]: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

After reading these verses we should see that there is more to Christ's return than tradition teaches us.  Tradition is very narrow minded when it comes to understanding scripture.  Therefore by following tradition we lose sight of the context of scripture, which leaves us believing something in a way other than which it was meant.  Which then leads us astray from the word which God gave us to learn by.