The night when no man can work (John 9:4)

[8thdaypriest]

When (or what) is "the night" when no man can work?

[8thdaypriest]

6 hours ago, 8thdaypriest said:

When (or what) is "the night" when no man can work?

John 9:4 "As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work." (NIV)

Is this the 1000 years of the 7th millennium?  Will this planet be dark, "uninhabited" - "without form, and void", perhaps under water? 

During the 7th "rest" year for "the land" - no one was to plant or to sow.   Was this a prophectic TYPE of the "rest" for this earth, during the upcoming 7th millennium? 

I'm asking what else it might be - the "night, when no man can work" ?

[phkrause]

I'd say that to me it means that right now we have the freedom to witness for Christ! But at some point we will not have that opportunity any longer! Right now in this country and a few others people can go to church, but there are many countries that are starting to close that door for Christians to worship, preach, etc.!! That's my take of that passage!

[JoeMo]

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.  As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:3-5)

From the context of this verse, I think Jesus was somehow speaking about the work needed while He was on earth.  Alternatively, He could have been speaking of a time when people's faith was so dark that they quit believing in miracles and the power of God's Holy Spirit - that the age of miracles ended with the death of the apostles.  Kinda like many people believe now.

[BlessedMan]

23 hours ago, 8thdaypriest said:

John 9:4 "As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work." (NIV)

Is this the 1000 years of the 7th millennium?  Will this planet be dark, "uninhabited" - "without form, and void", perhaps under water? 

During the 7th "rest" year for "the land" - no one was to plant or to sow.   Was this a prophectic TYPE of the "rest" for this earth, during the upcoming 7th millennium? 

I'm asking what else it might be - the "night, when no man can work" ?

I guess that my first question would be, where in that text (John 9:4)  or surrounding verses would we get these ideas from? What is the INTENTION of that verse, and the CONTEXT of the text? Our "answer" could be the difference between a "prooftext," or  a "pretext."  I have no problem with proof-texting.

[B/W Photodude]

Mark Cahill, a Baptist, wrote a book called "One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven." It was a book about evangelism, and of course there will be no evangelism in heaven.

But there will also be a time on this earth before the Second Coming when there will be no value in continuing to do evangelism. Jesus talks about a time when He will stand and say "Let the righteous be righteious still, and the filthy be filthy still" (paraphase). It has been a teaching of the Seventh-day Adventist church that that is roughly the close of probation. God's people will no longer sin. But also, it is no longer possible to be converted and be saved. If you are not saved at the close of probation, you are forever lost. 

Between the close of probation and the Second Coming, there is an indeterminate amount of time which also enclose the Time of Trouble. As mentioned there will be no value in evangelism as no one will be able to be brought to Jesus. While the Latter Rain has occurred, it is now unavailable to the wicked. Amos wrote of this when he penned, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." Amos 8:11-12 See, the thing is, nearly every home in America probably has more than one Bible in their home, usually with a thickening layer of dust. You can go to any second hand store and find shelves full of Bibles. So, why will they search for the word of the Lord? One thing coming to mind is that when you read the Bible the Holy Spirit speaks to you through the pages of the Scripture. He will not so speak to the wicked in that day. Bibles for the wicked will have gone dark and no more understanding is available.

The world for most of the people in it will have gone into a spiritual darkness or night time.

[BlessedMan]

43 minutes ago, B/W Photodude said:

nearly every home in America probably has more than one Bible in their home, usually with a thickening layer of dust.

my favorite "rock & roll"

 

Edited October 1, 2019 by BlessedMan

[phkrause]

I loved Hee Haw and I loved the singing quartets, etc. If I'm not mistaken all those guys are now passed away??

[BlessedMan]

6 minutes ago, phkrause said:

I loved Hee Haw and I loved the singing quartets, etc. If I'm not mistaken all those guys are now passed away??

Yes, I think so. But their music will live on, if I have anything to do with it. We used to watch them on Friday night TV, Gordy Tap & Ed Sullivan type TV :)

[phkrause]

1 hour ago, BlessedMan said:

Yes, I think so. But their music will live on, if I have anything to do with it. We used to watch them on Friday night TV, Gordy Tap & Ed Sullivan type TV

Yep us too, but I think they were on on Sundays or maybe it was Saturdays!!

[BlessedMan]

1 minute ago, phkrause said:

Yep us too, but I think they were on on Sundays or maybe it was Saturdays!!

Yes, I stand corrected. I was thinking about that after I posted and realized for us it was on Sunday evenings. :)

[BlessedMan]

On 9/28/2019 at 4:24 PM, JoeMo said:

we must do the works of him who sent

I think that if we were to identify from Scripture the nature of said WORK, we would have a clearer picture of "the night." In brief summary form, Id say its not related to a specific date or time period as much as it is talking about people losing the right/ability to do that "work."  Just as Rev 3:10 warns of a "test" that will come to every person on Earth; it gives no specific indications of dates or time periods.

[BlessedMan]

4 hours ago, B/W Photodude said:

 "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." Amos 8:11-12 

I think this sums it up very well.

[BlessedMan]

On 9/27/2019 at 6:52 PM, 8thdaypriest said:

John 9:4 "As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work." (NIV)

 

On 9/28/2019 at 2:10 PM, phkrause said:

I'd say that to me it means that right now we have the freedom to witness for Christ! But at some point we will not have that opportunity any longer! Right now in this country and a few others people can go to church, but there are many countries that are starting to close that door for Christians to worship, preach, etc.!! That's my take of that passage!

I had meant to return to this some time ago, but kept getting side-tracked. I have studied this text of John 9:4 quite a bit in the past, as I enjoy study of Bible prophecy. This specific text has always been of special interest to me, for several reasons.  I would have to go with PKs assessment here of the text. There is nothing that I know of to suggest that John 9:4 is a specific time prophecy. A period of time," perhaps, but no specific dates are given.

I have always enjoyed the "light and dark" contrasts drawn in scripture. Many important lessons for us there. Just two verses after John 9:4, Jesus says "I am the Light of the world," and the contrast between light and dark is again set before us with startling accuracy. I don't see any specific application of this verse to an "eighth millenium," anywhere. I have looked a fair bit, and I just dont see it.

To me, "light" and "dark" are used in Scripture to denote "truth" and "error."

One part of the prophecy in Mat 24 tells us that Jesus will come "at midnight," and this could have some possible connections to John 9:4. Both Old & New Testament reflect on the fact that when Jesus returns again, the earth will be covered with darkness, but there will still be a "light that shines in a dark place."  (2 Pet 1:19). In fact, even  Job even says: "by His Light I walked through darkness." Job 29:3). The Psalmist also said: ""even the night shall be light about me..." (Psalms 139:11).

Amos was a little more forthright when he stated: "Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?" (Amos 5:20) Certainly, this is much closer to the ideas touched upon in John 9:4. Amos does make it sound like "a night when no one can work."  IDT that anyone really needs to know about any specific periods of time or dates, in order to understand the concept of John 9:4.

Isa gives us a very clear picture of what this "night when no man can work" will actually look like in work clothes:

"For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." (Isa 60:2)

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When Christ came into the world, darkness covered the earth and gross darkness the people. The living oracles of God were fast becoming a dead letter. The still, small voice of God was heard only at times by the most devout worshiper; for it had become overpowered and silenced by the dogmas, maxims, and traditions of men. The long, intricate explanations of the priests made that which was the plainest and most simple, mysterious, indistinct, and uncertain. The clamors of rival sects confused the understanding, and their doctrines were widely apart from the correct theory of truth....  {4BC 1153.4}

Truth looked down from heaven upon the children of men, but found no reflection of itself; for darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people. If the darkness of error that hid the glory of God from the view of men was to be dispelled, the light of truth must shine amid the moral darkness of the world. It was decreed in the councils of God that the only-begotten Son of God must leave His high command in heaven, and clothe His divinity with humanity, and come to the world. No outward splendor must attend His steps, save that of virtue, mercy, goodness, and truth; for He was to represent to the world the attributes of God's character; but the world, unaccustomed to gaze upon truth, turned from the light to the darkness of error; for error was more to their perverted taste than truth (RH Aug. 6, 1895).  {4BC 1153.5}

 

2 Pet 1:19 tells us that "night" is the darkness of error, and "light" (of Bible prophecy) "shines in a dark place...(again comparing with "night"

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We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: