The Bible declares that the work day is 12 hours in length.  Jesus said this in the gospel of John:

 

 

John 11:9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

 

 

Following the 12 hour workday comes the evening or night.  Jesus also commented on the night a littler earlier in the 4th gospel, in chapter 9:

 

 

John 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

 

 

Christ is saying that He must work God's works while it is day.  Then the night comes and 'no man can work'.  This is certainly referring to the work of Christ. And that work has everything to do with salvation (see John 6:28,29).  

 

 

Why does the Lord give us this information?  What can we understand by this 12 hour day?  And is it possible to know exactly when the period of 'night' comes?  

 

 

The Lord Jesus gave us an important parable in the gospel of Matthew, in chapter 20.  In that parable Christ gave an earthly story of a householder that hired laborers to work in his vineyard.  The householder went out and hired men early in the morning, and then at the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 11th hours.  The following was said of them hired at the 11th hour:

 

 

Matthew 20:12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

 

 

We should note that since they were hired in the 11th hour, and according to verse 12's statement they only worked one hour in the vineyard, that this would mean that the work day was 12 hours long.  Exactly as Jesus had said in John's gospel.  It's also significant for us to see that once the 12 hour workday ended, the night came:

 

 

Matthew 20:8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

 

 

Even came after the 12 hours of work.  This agrees with the following Scriptures:

 

 

Psalm 104:23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

 

 

And this verse in the book of Ecclesiastes:

 

 

Ecclesiastes 11:6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand:

 

 

We need to make a correction to the King James translation in the above verse found in Ecclesiastes.  The word 'in' should actually be translated as 'until'.  Jay Green's literal translation correctly translates the verse this way:

 

 

"Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hand UNTIL the evening..."

 

 

Now the translation is in agreement with the rest of the Bible.  The work of sowing seed is done during the day, and not at night.  No man (according to the Lord) can work at night.  

 

 

But again, what is this to us?  So what if the Bible's workday is 12 hours, and the Bible says no man works at night.  Well it is actually very meaningful once we look more closely and consider how the 12 hour work day was broken up in the parable.  Men were hired at evenly spaced periods of 3 hours each: early morning (6:00 am), 3rd hour (9:00 am), 6th hour (12:00 pm), and the 9th hour (3:00 pm).  It was only towards the end of the day, in fact the very last hour of the day that God changed the pattern and put to work a group of men that had been standing idle all the day long.  In the 11th hour these men were put to work until the day ended.  And the day ended only 1 hour later.  

 

 

Why the change in pattern?  

 

 

The work day points to God's plan of sharing the gospel with the world over the New Testament era.  For most of this period of time (1955 years to be exact) God used the churches and congregations of the world to accomplish His purpose in this area.  Yet, it was also the purpose of God to end the church age and to never again use them for evangelizing the world.  It was the Lord's plan to save a great multitude of people outside of the churches primarily via the electronic medium.  It was God's plan to open up the Scriptures and to move within His elect people that He had commanded and drawn to leave the churches----to move in them to begin trumpeting the gospel's warning of the coming Day of Judgment with all the world.  

 

 

This transition from using those in the churches to accomplish His gospel work, to using the elect outside of the churches took place over the course of the great tribulation period.  And it so happens that the great tribulation period in the Bible is spiritually identified as ONE HOUR:

 

 

Revelation 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

 

 

Revelation 18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

 

 

The Bible calls the great tribulation period 1 hour.  And as we study the Bible we do find that it was indeed during this 'one hour' of the great tribulation that the Lord intended to save a great multitude and to save the last of the elect.  Following this the Day of Judgment would come on May 21, 2011.  This means that the final phase of God's salvation plan was viewed as a period of one hour.  And it is not surprising that we see this same truth in the parable of the vineyard.  Furthermore, what does the Bible declare follows the great tribulation (the last hour)?  

 

Matthew 24:29 tells us: 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:

 

 

Once the sun is darkened the light of the day is gone.  Darkness comes and it is night.  We find that spiritually following the last hour of the 'day of salvation' the Lord has brought spiritual night to this world.  And Jesus said of Himself (and any others) concerning this night "no man can work".  

 

 

The time of sowing seed is finished.  The time of working in the gospel with the intent that people will hear and become saved---has ended.  We were never to withhold our hand---until the evening.  

 

 

Now regarding the question of whether or not God is still saving, we know the following things:

 

 

1. On May 21, 2011 the Bible indicates the Door shut

2. On May 21, 2011 the Bible indicates that the sun darkened

3. On May 21, 2011 the Bible indicates men will seek death (in Christ) and not be able to find it

4. On May 21, 2011 the Bible indicates the spiritual workday (day of salvation) ended and the spiritual night has come wherein no man can work

 

 

Any one of these ought to be enough to cause the child of God to begin a sincere and intense study of these things.  Certainly all of them together ought to at least do the same.