2. Does God predict names & dates?

2. Does God predict dates? or better yet, does he reveal to us the names & dates he has pre-planned?
As with most prophecies, He gives clues as to the timing of their fulfillment, allowing those interested to look for the answer instead of just telling us the answer. For example, when asked of Jesus by his disciples on the Mount of Olives, Jesus stated at Matthew 24:3, "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?" The answer Jesus gave to them is found in part at Matthew 24:4-14. The entire Bible hinges on the fulfillment of this prophecy since it leads us to understand the full purpose of Gods intended direction for the earth. Jehovah could reveal that date or time period to anybody He chose, but instead, through Jesus, He has chosen to reveal it by using a "sign" (Matthew 24:3). This is clearly stated when Jesus stated at Matthew 24:36 where he says, "Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father." Jesus was then and is still now Jehovahs chief spokesman and representative. Jesus is known and referred to as Michael the Archangel (Jude 9) Take note that the word "sign" is singular it is not plural. There is one sign which identifies this time period.

Jesus arrival prophesied - Over five centuries in advance (500 years), the Bible prophesied the exact year of the Messiah's appearance. The time until his arrival was measured in weeks of years, meaning that each "week" was seven years long. There would be 7 plus 62 of such weeks, making a total of 69 weeks of years. That equals 483 years. When did that span of years begin? According to the Bible, the period began when God's servant Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem and began to rebuild the city. Persian history establishes the date as 455 B.C.E. (Nehemiah 2:1-5) Jesus was baptized as the Messiah 483 years later, in the year 29 C.E. exactly on time (Daniel 9:25)

Consider the Account of Noah's Day - The Genesis account reveals that Jehovah did not have the ark built and then decide when to bring the floodwaters, as if he needed to keep the timing of the start of the Flood flexible in case the construction project ran behind schedule. Rather, long before he said anything to Noah about building an ark, God fixed the time for the Flood to begin. How do we know that? The Bible tells us that Jehovah issued a decree in heaven. According to (Genesis 6:3) After that Jehovah said: “My spirit shall not act toward man indefinitely in that he is also flesh. Accordingly his days shall amount to a hundred and twenty years.” This is not a statement regarding the average human lifespan. It was a judicial decree in which Jehovah declared when he would act to cleans the earth of ungodliness. Since the Flood began in 2370BCE, we infer that God made this pronouncement about the coming Flood in the year of 2490BCE. At that time, Noah was 480 years old. (Genesis 7:6) "And Noah was six hundred years old when the deluge of waters occurred on the earth."

Some 20 years after the announcement to Noah to build the Ark, in the year 2470BCE, Noah's sons began to be born. (Genesis 5:32) "And Noah got to be five hundred years old. After that Noah became father to Shem, Ham and Ja'pheth." About 100 years remained before the Flood was to begin, but Jehovah had still not revealed to Noah the special role he would play in preserving the human family and the Ark had not yet begun to being built.

How long would God wait before he told Noah? Jehovah apparently waited decades before revealing to Noah what He was going to do. The Bible says that Noah's sons were already grown and married when God commanded Noah to build the ark. Jehovah tells Noah, "I do establish my convenant with you; and you must go into the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you" (Genesis 6:9-18) It is possible, therefore, that when Noah received the commission to build the ark, only 40-50 years remained before the Flood occurred. As the constructing the ark progressed, Noah and his family must have wondered how God would accomplish his purpose and when the Flood would begin. Yet, their lack of knowledge of these details did not stop them or slow them from getting the ark built. The Scriptural record states: (Genesis 6:22) "And Noah proceeded to do according to all that God had commanded him. He did just so." Seven days before the floodwaters fell, just enough time for Noah and his family to load the animals into the ark, Jehovah finally told Noah exactly when the Flood would begin. (Genesis 7:1-5) After that Jehovah said to Noah: “Go, you and all your household, into the ark, because you are the one I have seen to be righteous before me among this generation. 2 Of every clean beast you must take to yourself by sevens, the sire and its mate; and of every beast that is not clean just two, the sire and its mate; 3 also of the flying creatures of the heavens by sevens, male and female, to preserve offspring alive on the surface of the entire earth. 4 For in just seven days more I am making it rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will wipe every existing thing that I have made off the surface of the ground.” 5 And Noah proceeded to do according to all that Jehovah had commanded him. Jehovah was very specific in his keeping an accurate time table for here at (Genesis 7:11) he states: "In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on this day all the springs of the vast watery deep were broken open and the floodgates of the heavens were opened." The account of the Flood testifies to Jehovah's skill not ony as a Timekeeper but also as a Deliverer. Everything that Jehovah has purposed will take place at his appointed time, to the very day and hour.