“Of That Day and Hour No One Knows.”
Updated: Dec 2, 2022
Noah and Lot: Mismatched Metaphors?
Most Christians are aware that whenever the subject of the return of Christ or the rapture of the church is discussed, there is bound to be someone who says “No one knows the day or the hour.” When they say it, they're implying that no one should want to understand the exact timing of end times events, because the Bible clearly tells us that the timing is...unknowable. I have to admit, at first glance, that's what scripture does seem to say. This is the single most discouraging teaching when it comes to studying biblical prophecy.
But is that teaching really true? Does God want his people to be in the dark and apathetic when it comes to the timing of coming events? In this post, I want to show you the biblical evidence that the phrase “No one knows the day or the hour” is actually a popular misquote of the Bible. I was very encouraged when the Lord showed this to me and I hope it inspires others to watch for Christ's return who may have been hesitant before now.
The quote comes from Matthew 24, in which Jesus is teaching about several end times events, including the Tribulation period, His future return to the earth, the rapture, and even heaven and earth passing away. Near the end of these teachings He makes this statement:
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” ~Matthew 24:36
Then, to illustrate his point, Jesus compares these things to Noah's day.
For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. ~Matthew 24:37-44
We know that Jesus is talking about the rapture, when Jesus will come to gather the dead in Christ and living believers, meeting them in the air before ushering them into heaven, because of these references to those being taken while others are left. But goodness, it sure sounds like no one knew what was going to happen at the time of the flood, right? That must mean that the rapture will also be a complete surprise to everybody, even the believers who will be taken!
In another gospel, Jesus also compares the rapture to Lot being taken from Sodom and Gomorrah before the city was destroyed.
“Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” ~Luke 17:28-35
So no one knew the flood was coming until it happened and life was completely normal until the time when Sodom was bathed in fire. No one knew what was coming in the past, and so Jesus must be saying that no one will have any idea when the rapture will take place. Case closed, open and shut.
Most people stop right there.
But hold on a second, what about those two stories Jesus referenced about Noah and Lot? If we take the time to read those stories, we can see clearly that there's no way Jesus was talking about the timing of end time events. Friends, those stories are critical to our understanding of what Jesus meant, and also provide plenty of clues for what He definitely didn't mean!
If you haven't done so recently, I would encourage you to read these accounts for yourself. The story of Noah and the flood can be found in Genesis 6-8, and Lot's story is in Genesis 18:16-19:29. Then come back here and we'll continue on with those stories in mind.
...Alright, welcome back! Let's get right into it. Maybe you picked up on some of these things yourself. :)
Many people understand from reading Jesus' words in Matthew that no one knew the day or the hour of the defining judgments of Noah and Lot, but right away we find something that directly contradicts that idea.
You see, Noah knew the exact day the flood would come:
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation...For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him. ~Genesis 7:1-5
Not only that, but Lot knew the exact hour that the cities would be destroyed:
As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” ~Genesis 19:15-17
Lot knew that he had only enough time to get to safety before the fiery destruction would come. If he stopped at all, even for a second, he would risk being destroyed along with the city! As he got closer to his destination, he would have known, “Hey, if it takes 10 minutes to make it there, that means that the city will be a smoldering crater in about 10 minutes.” He knew the hour!
So here we have two men, Noah and Lot, who collectively knew both the day and the hour of their respective catastrophic events, directly contradicting the idea that prophetic timing is unknowable. These are very counterproductive examples to use if Jesus meant to say that!
This begs the question: what enabled these men to know the timing of prophecy? Yes, the Lord told them (either directly or with angels), but why did He tell them? The answer lies in the one defining trait they both shared, namely, their righteousness (living lives that were pleasing to God):
...If [God] did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials... ~2 Peter 2:5-9
So, if anything, these two accounts imply that it's possible for the righteous to be aware of both of the day and approximate hour of Christ's return, rather than advocating for their ignorance.
Bridging the Gap: Who are the Righteous?
Back to the Stories...
"Still, the timing of Noah and Lot's respective judgments wasn't known to many people,” you might be thinking. "The unrighteous people were still in the dark." But that's not what we see in the stories. Did unrighteous people have the opportunity to know that destruction was coming? Yes, they did!
Noah, an old man (the bible tells us he was a whopping 600 years old at the time of the flood) was actively engaged in the building of a massive boat, far away from any large body of water, likely for a period of many years. It would have been very strange to anyone around him. It couldn't be chalked up to an eccentric personal hobby or a simple chance to brush up on his woodworking skills. People would have asked questions, they would have taken notice. There's no indication from the account that building the ark was a secret project. They would have seen it come together, piece by piece, until it was ready for boarding. If that didn't get their attention, thousands of animals, all coming in pairs (male and female mates), and being supernaturally herded into the ark should have been cause for alarm.
No, the people likely knew about the flood. They just didn't believe that it would really happen.
How about Lot? Did anyone else, besides Lot, his wife, and two daughters know about the impending destruction of the city? Yes, as we see here:
Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting. ~Genesis 19:14
His sons-in-law knew about the destruction of the city and that it was imminent. They just didn't believe that it would really happen.
So these two accounts, when paired together (as Jesus did deliberately), show us that the righteous knew the day and the hour of the disasters, as well as the rescue immediately preceding them. The unrighteous could have all known as well, but were prevented because of their unbelief. If this is true, then Jesus could not have meant that the timing of end time events is completely hidden. What, then, could Jesus have meant?
Like I said before, “No one knows the day or the hour” is a popular misquote of the Bible, which removes a key word that most people miss. The text actually says:
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only...” ~Matthew 24:36
The word concerning is very important to our understanding of this verse. In other translations, it's rendered as of, about or around. It comes from Strong's 4012, which is defined below:
4012 perí (a preposition) – properly, all-around (on every side); encompassing, used of full (comprehensive) consideration where "all the bases are covered" (inclusively).
Comprehensive consideration? That implies intimate knowledge about a thing, and includes much more information than just timing. This definition is talking about awareness of details, which does make sense. “Of that day...Concerning that day...about that day.” In other words, at the time Jesus was speaking, no one besides the Father knew what it would be like at that time.
Think of it this way: you have an appointment with your dentist, which is on Thursday at 3:00pm. You know the day and the hour of the appointment, but you won't know any details about that appointment until it happens. You don't know how much traffic there will be on the interstate, whether your dentist will find any cavities in your mouth, or what color your complimentary toothbrush will be. You are generally aware of what's going to happen, but not how it's going to happen.
I believe that that's why Jesus referenced Noah and Lot. Noah knew there would be a flood, but a flood had never happened before, let alone one that would cover the entire world. It had never even rained before that time! A worldwide flood was outside his experience and he couldn't imagine exactly what would happen to bring it about. Lot knew that Sodom and Gomorrah would be destroyed, but the angels never actually said what form the destruction would take; He learned that afterward. Even if Lot had known what would happen, it was outside his experience – he had no intimate knowledge of the details of that day and hour.
"To Whom It May Concern"
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” ~Matthew 24:36
The wording of this verse often gets changed in another way. Jesus said no one knows the details of the end, not that no one can know. This is a temporal statement, bound to the time in which it was spoken. Later, Jesus would say this to His disciples:
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” ~Matthew 24:42
The word know here comes from Strong's 1492, eidó, which means knowing by first seeing with your eyes...physically! That's why the disciples were instructed to keep watch: they weren't seeing the Day of the Lord approaching yet! Yet it's possible to see the Day approaching, in a physically apparent way, which is why we watch at all. :)
He continues on:
But know this, that if the master of the house had known (seen with his physical eyes) in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ~Matthew 24:43
Evidently the thief can be seen before he has a chance to break in. Jesus talks about preventing this robbery like it's a no-brainer, which it would be if it was playing out right in front of you.
Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. ~Matthew 24:44
Wait...at an hour we don't expect? This translation has hit a snag: we're to know the day of Christ's return by first seeing with our eyes...and the day will still surprise us? But this becomes clearer if we know the Greek words behind the phrase "an hour you do not expect." You see, it doesn't have to mean an hour of which you (personally) are unaware, but can simply mean "at an unexpected time." The words translated literally read as follows: "Because of this also you be ready for in that not you expect hour the son of man comes." Further, the word for you expect more exactly means to seem.
In other words, when it doesn't seem like Jesus will come, that's precisely the time that he will come.
Suddenly the context makes sense: because people will generally not be expecting Jesus to arrive, you (personally) have to keep watching. How else will we prevent that break-in Jesus is talking about?
One more example:
So when [the disciples and Jesus] had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ~Acts 1: 7-8
To whom was Jesus speaking, to his disciples or to everyone on earth? The Greek word here for you is a personal pronoun in the second person. When we speak in the second person, we're talking to someone right in front of us, not to people generally. “Listen, guys,” Jesus is saying, “I have an important part for you (personally) to play in redemptive history! You're going to be Spirit filled, gospel preaching powerhouses in the entire known world! The Father has a day and hour when I'll be reigning as your King, but you (personally) won't live until that day comes.” I'm so glad that Jesus didn't come back in 33AD, because I, and millions of other believers, hadn't been born to believe on His name.
Was Jesus' Understanding Limited on Earth?
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” ~Matthew 24:36
Okay, so the disciples were told they wouldn't see the end of the age, and that doesn't necessarily apply to everyone reading their Bibles, but what about Jesus?
How could it be that Jesus, the prophesying, food-multiplying, resurrecting, water-walking Jesus didn't know the details of His own coming? Is it reasonable to expect that the one who knew peoples' hearts, even seemingly reading their minds, didn't know something that ordinary people would eventually be able to recognize?
Many pastors and evangelical speakers say no. They say that Jesus' identity as the Son of God granted Him supernatural powers not afforded to the rest of humanity. I was certainly taught that Jesus was an all-wise, all-knowing person during the course of my life. So which is it? Was Jesus all-knowing during His time on earth or not?
I know asking this question is offensive, even bordering on blasphemy for many, because it comes against a view of Jesus that is very ingrained in our thinking. Nevertheless, it's important to ask because the answer won't only effect our theology - it will inform what degree we can expect to live as Jesus lived. I definitely don't know everything and I've never met anyone who does, but if Jesus did he was operating with a superhuman advantage far beyond our spiritual paygrade. In that case, there's more hope for a jet ski to follow a commercial airliner than for a person to follow in Jesus' footsteps. This question is worth asking because having an inaccurate view of Jesus always leads to an inaccurate view of our relationship with Him, which often ends in discouragement and/or disillusionment, pushing us away from Him. On the other hand, knowing the truth about Jesus will always bring us closer to Him and make us more like Him.
So in order to answer this question responsibly, we need to be careful to read the word for what it says and not for what we expect it to say.
With this in mind, let's look at the only recorded event of Jesus as a young boy, found in the gospel of Luke. Jesus, after being accidentally left in the city of Jerusalem following the Passover feast, is later found talking with the religious teachers:
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” ...And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. ~Luke 2:46-52
Here we see Jesus asking questions and displaying incredible knowledge of the scriptures. I was always taught that whenever we see Jesus asking people questions, He did so knowing the answer the whole time – simply wanting to teach the other person by having them answer them. Essentially, I was taught that Jesus utilized the Socratic Method of argumentation. Supporting evidence includes this exchange between Jesus and a blind man:
And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. ~Mark 10:51-52
It can appear that Jesus (being all-knowing) only asked this man about what he wanted so that the man could display his faith in Jesus' healing power with his words, prompting the man to say “I want you to let me see again.” Jesus had asked rhetorical questions before:
“Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?" ~Luke 14:5
They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. ~Mark 2:16
"...Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" ~Matthew 6:27
Jesus knew the answer to all these questions, and expected everyone else to know them as well. He used them to teach the people around him.
But then you have exchanges like the one between Jesus and a man with a demonically oppressed son. After the father brings the son to Jesus and asks for the removal of the spirit, Jesus asks him “How long has this been happening to him? (Mark 9:21)” This question doesn't prompt a statement of faith or cause the father to see the present situation any differently. In fact, Jesus isn't teaching him anything. It's logical to conclude that Jesus asks this question, not to inform the father of any special teaching, but to inform Himself of something He didn't know.
So when Jesus is found in the temple, asking questions of the teachers, He did so simply to grow in His understanding and knowledge...just like we do! Luke 2:52 clearly tells us that's what was happening: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”
“Wait, I thought that God knew everything. How can Jesus be God and man and not have complete knowledge?” You may ask. Well, it's true that God the Father knows everything. Jesus told his disciples:
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” ~Matthew 6:6-8
The Father, Jesus tells us, both sees secret things that no one else knows about AND knows what a person will ask for before they ever speak to Him. He clearly has powers of perception and knowledge that go beyond what any one person could ever hold in their finite mind. He even knows minute details like the number of individual hairs on each person's head (Luke 12:7)! It's true that Jesus is intimately connected to the Father, even one with the Father (John 10:30), but Jesus is also separate and distinct from the Father in this area of knowledge. How can we know that?
First we should look at what it means for Jesus to be “one with the Father.” The night of His arrest, leading up to His eventual crucifixion, Jesus prays for everyone who will be saved through His sacrifice – which includes all Christians living today.
“I do not ask for these only (the disciples), but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. ~John 17:20-23
When Jesus was living on earth, he was revealing what God is like in physical form. This revelation was one of personhood, displaying the character, values, motivation, and personality of God Himself. Jesus prayed that all believers would be one in the same way that He and the Father were one. One doesn't mean the exact same, because believers don't share the same abilities or giftings. Rather, believers are united in purpose, intention, and vision. In a wonderful way, all believers are united through the Holy Spirit (who is called the Spirit of Christ, Romans 8:9, 1 Peter 1:11, Galatians 4:6) to Jesus, and through Jesus to the Father. It's this union that makes it possible for the world to recognize that Jesus was sent by the Father to earth – through the Father's heart being displayed in our lives!
This is all because of Jesus. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Christ “is the radiance (outshining/revealing) of the glory (substance) of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” What is God like? The answer is simple: look at Jesus Christ!
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. ~John 1:18
Notice here that Jesus has made God, as a whole, known. Yet he didn't come in power, with a flaming sword or thunder and lightning. He didn't come with an army of angels or flaming eyes or creating new forms of life. Like the Church, He didn't share the same abilities with His Father, but did share his heart and essential nature.
If we look closely at scripture, we can see that this differentiation was very intentional on the part of Jesus:
Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ~Philippians 2:5-8
“...though he was in the form of God.”
Form here comes from the Greek word morphé, and specifically means an “outward expression that embodies essential (inner) substance so that the form is in complete harmony with the inner essence.” In other words, Jesus was, at one time, completely equal to the Father in appearance and ability.
“...did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (seized upon), but emptied himself...”
Emptied himself. This comes from kenoó, which means to empty, but more exactly means to deprive of content or to render void. Jesus voided parts of Himself? That's obviously referring to His outward appearance on earth, but there's more here...
“...emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
Again, Form is the same word as before, morphé, an “outward expression that embodies essential (inner) substance so that the form is in complete harmony with the inner essence.” Only this time, instead of being equal to God, we see that Jesus has completely transitioned to a human essence, meaning appearance and ability. He was fully comparable to a human being, both in seen and unseen qualities.
And what was the purpose of becoming a man?
“...being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient...”
Humbled himself. This is tapeinoó, which speaks of being assigned a lower rank or becoming abased. It has this incredibly eye opening explanation attached to it:
“With the believer, [the root word] ("show humility, true lowliness") happens by being fully dependent on the Lord – dismissing reliance upon self (self-government) and emptying carnal ego. This exalts the Lord as our all-in-all and prompts the gift of His fullness in us.”
I'm constantly amazed by this: Jesus Christ became like us to such an extent that He made it impossible for Himself to live for God under His own power. Because of this “emptying process” He forced Himself into a state of true and total dependence on the Father in order to do His will. Jesus put Himself in our exact position in relation to God!
Jesus did incredible things during his time on earth, but He never performed a single miracle before starting his public ministry, after the Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove (John 2:11). Why? Jesus answers that question:
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” ~John 5:30
Not, "I choose not to do anything on my own," but, "I'm unable to do anything on my own." Again, I have to ask, do we trust Jesus' testimony about himself or our own ideas and opinions about him?
“As I hear, I judge.”
Judge here is krinó, properly, to separate or distinguish. This directly relates to making choices. Jesus is saying that He doesn't make any decisions without first consulting His Father.
A great example of this is the night before Jesus would choose the twelve men who would become His closest followers:
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles... ~Luke 6:12-13
It's very likely that the subject of this night-long prayer was simply, “Father, who do you want me to call?” Jesus calls, but not of His own will, as seen in that prayer before He was arrested:
“Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” ~John 17:11
“As I hear (present tense), I judge."
This suggests a continual dialogue, sustained communication, between the Son and the Father - exemplifying the way all Christians are instructed to live in scripture (to pray without ceasing, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
So, did Jesus have his own agenda when He was on Earth? Not at all, Jesus erased that possibility when He said this:
“...The testimony that I have is greater...For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.” ~John 5:36
Every miracle, every action, and every decision came first as a command from the Father that was then carried out by the Son. Every knowing of the hearts of men, every word of prophecy, and every spiritual insight was revealed by the Father to the Son. Literally everything Jesus did was given to Him by the Father for the purpose of showing that Jesus was sent to the world from the Father.
The highly influential religious leader Nicodemus understood this perfectly well when he said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. (John 3:2)”
So, being in this completely dependent condition as a man, did Jesus struggle with uncertainty? Yes, He must have.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ~Hebrews 4:15
Temptations to worry about the future, lean on our own understanding, lose heart, and lose faith cannot exist in a person who knows everything that can be known. So was Jesus all knowing?
...No. Not in his time as a servant anyway.
The Day and Hour...Revealed!
Let's quickly recap this study:
We saw that Noah and Lot collectively knew both the day and the hour of simultaneous rescue and judgment. It's because of this that we know that timing is not what Jesus was referring to when he spoke of people being ignorant about the end of the age.
We discovered that the word meaning “concerning, of, or about” that day and hour deals with the details surrounding end times events.
We clarified key instances when Jesus spoke only to His disciples about the end, and was not addressing everyone who would be living on earth in the future.
We extracted exact meanings of words that reveal Christ's limited abilities while He was on earth, including knowledge of the end. He was completely dependent on the Father for everything he did.
Let's look at our main text one more time.
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” ~Matthew 24:36
The details surrounding the day and hour were unknown when Jesus spoke these words. Jesus admitted that He didn't know, and said both angels and humanity were also in the dark. Only God the Father knew the details.
So, here's our final question: was this statement a temporal one (confined to the time in which it was spoken) or was it an unchanging truth that's true for everyone until the end comes? Put simply, can anyone know the details of the end?
What day and hour are we talking about again? In Matthew 24, Jesus alludes to not one, but four major events concerning the end: the rapture of the church, the Tribulation, the day heaven and earth pass away, and the very end of the age. It's my belief that Jesus was talking about the details being unknown for all four of these events.
But then we come to the book of Revelation, the contents of which were communicated to the apostle John through a vision:
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. ~Revelation 1:1-3
In the opening verses of the book, we're told that the Father gave Jesus a revelation (an unveiling/disclosure) about the end. Jesus then clued the angels in, who would help explain the vision to John. Lastly John wrote the vision down to show to the rest of Jesus' servants, making it clear that this revelation should be heard, studied, and cherished by them all. In Revelation, we see that John was shown, in detail, everything from the rapture, to the Tribulation, to the new heavens and new earth. These are the very same things that Jesus said no one knew about! God wants us to know details about the end, so much so that He revealed them to the Son, the angels, and humanity – the exact same groups who were completely ignorant of the details of the last days before this time.
Also, Revelation 1:1 shows us something surprising: Jesus is still learning new things, even in heaven! If Jesus was all-knowing in heaven, why would the Father have to give him any revelation at all? Wouldn't the Father and the Son just share the same mind and resources automatically if they truly function in the same way? Yes, but that's not what is seen in the text. Jesus had to be told about these things because He is still dependent on the Father for everything He does. That means He's a true representative for humanity, not an all powerful entity merely impersonating the position of human beings before God.
Parallel Parables:
Watch, Watch, Watch!
A big reason why this understanding of Matthew 24:36 (i.e. "no one knows the day or the hour") rings true to me is that other parts of the Bible suddenly make a lot more sense, especially the parables Jesus told about his coming! There are three I want to look at briefly: the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, the parable of the wise and wicked servants, and the “thief in the night.”
First up is the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. Many teachers seem to think that all the virgins had no idea when the bridegroom was coming (“they all became drowsy and slept”), so that must be how it will be for believers when Jesus comes. The thing is, they actually did have a pretty good idea when the bridegroom would come!
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. ~ Matthew 25:1-13
Did the virgins know the day of the wedding? Yeah, both the wise and the foolish virgins all knew the day, because the bridegroom came that night (within a 24 hour period of their watch for him). They also knew the hour, because at midnight a cry came, presumably from a member of the wedding party. The bridegroom didn't show up immediately, but we can safely say that he came that very hour, as the foolish virgins didn't have enough time to pick up more oil from the local market. Everyone was aware of the timing.
So the foolish virgins were unprepared, but why were they ultimately shut out of the wedding feast? The answer may surprise you, but it's the exact same reason as in the case of Noah and Lot...it was because of unbelief. Remember, parables are symbolic of spiritual truth and we need to let the Bible interpret itself when we look at them. Here are the puzzle pieces: the Holy Spirit is often compared to oil in scripture (Acts 10:38, Isaiah 61:1), light represents the word of God (Psalm 109:113) or God himself (1 John 1:5), and the context of the story is the coming of the Lord. Jesus helps us out quite a bit when He says “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour,” because that's the point! Know here is the exact same word that Jesus used earlier, eidó, meaning knowing by first seeing with your physical eyes. When Jesus says to watch, what does he mean? Many pastors will tell you that Jesus is telling you to stay spiritually awake, as the Bible warns us to do here:
“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.” ~Luke 21:34
That's a very important point, but all of the signs Jesus gave us to watch for are expressly physical signs, which makes perfect sense when we're to know the time of the end by using our physical eyes! Things like famines, pestilences, earthquakes, racial tensions, and nations rising up against one another happening all at the same time are designed to signal the day approaching. Not only can we see the day getting closer, but watching for Jesus' return (and anticipating life with Him in glory) has a purifying effect on our lives:
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. ~1 John 3:2-3
Staying spiritually awake IS the main idea, but watching in a physical way brings us closer to that goal, not further away from it. :)
That brings us back to the interpretation of the parable. Jesus tells His audience to watch because they don't yet physically see the day and hour of his coming...meaning that if the foolish virgins had watched they would have been prepared...and they would have had oil! The way I see it, the oil and watching are definitely connected: the lamps were going out because the virgins were not keeping the word of God filled in their hearts. They didn't value prophecy and didn't remember Jesus' words about His coming, and it's because of this that they were unprepared and shut out of the wedding. More than that, it's this attitude of unbelief that reveals that they are actually unsaved, as Jesus tells them that He never knew them (or had a close relationship with them).
Does that mean that people who don't know bible prophecy are unsaved? No, but Jesus is warning us that if we have the truth and reject it, that may be an indicator of a deeper spiritual problem, even a dead faith! May that never be said of you or me.
Next is the parable of the wise and wicked servants:
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ~Matthew 24:45-51
As if to confirm the interpretation of the parable of the virgins, this story centers on the theme of faithfulness. Faithfulness is being loyal or constant, and I would argue that it's faithfulness to the word of God that separates the two servants. Notice what leads to the expulsion of the wicked servant: he decides in his heart that his master is delayed. This belief leads him into a sensual lifestyle and one of violence toward his coworkers. Remember, this is a parable and the master in the story is Jesus, who has told us to watch for His coming. The wicked servant is not concerned with watching, and instead lives as if Jesus isn't coming back at all! Like the stories of Noah, Lot, and the virgins, the ones who are judged are unbelieving. It isn't that they can't see the day coming, it's that they won't see.
Lastly, the 'Thief in the night.' I talked about this in a previous post, which you can view here: https://livingforheaven.wixsite.com/livingforheaven/post/who-was-the-thief-in-the-night
Jesus compares Himself to a 'thief in the night,' a nickname for the captain of the temple guard. Like the virgins in the parable, the temple guards were responsible to keep a fire burning, but it was located on the altar of God instead of on a lamp! The 'thief in the night' would come at night to see if anyone was sleeping on the job, and if he caught anyone unaware he would light a torch from the altar and burn their clothes. Ouch!
Jesus says this to the church in Sardis:
"I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.” ~Revelation 3:1-3
Again, we see a group in danger of judgment. They are living in a state of continued sin and need to repent (return to God). They are not being faithful to God or his word, and aren't being watchful like Jesus commanded. In short, they are unbelieving.
What Jesus says next is so simple, but wonderfully profound: “If you will not watch, you will not know.” We can file that away next to “If you don't eat, you're going to get hungry,” and “If you're tired, you should probably sleep.” The word of God is so clear if we're only willing to simply accept what it says simply.
“If you will not watch, you will not know.” That implies that if we watch we will know in advance when the Lord is coming! Yet we're taught that it's more noble and wise to remain ignorant of Christ's coming because we "can't know," but this often leads to a cynical and dubious attitude toward prophecy in general, ultimately preventing us from being faithful to keep the word of God close to our hearts. “We can't know, so who cares?” Many Christians think. “Anyone who looks at that prophecy stuff is probably a false teacher or crazy. No one knows the day or the hour!”
Some of the harshest words Jesus said were reserved for people who missed the signs of his first coming.
He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? ~Luke 12:54-56
Perhaps the biggest tragedy of Israel missing the signs is that, because the nation as a whole didn't recognize Him as their Messiah, they would be headed for destruction and persecution. They could have had peace, but they either didn't know or didn't believe the scriptures foretelling the time they were living in.
And when he drew near and saw the city (Jerusalem), he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” ~Luke 19:41-44
That day of destruction would come in 70 AD, when the Jewish nation would be plundered and burned, scattering the people of God throughout the world, all because of their unbelief.
The destruction of our day is the Tribulation, the worst period of human history (Daniel 12:1). When it comes to knowing Bible prophecy, understanding what "concerns that day and hour" is essential. Given how strongly Jesus reacted to His people's ignorance of his first coming, is it really an admirable thing for us to risk missing his second coming under the banner of "Jesus told me not to pay attention?"
Eagerly waiting for Him,
~Daniel
For more on faithfully watching for the day and the hour, I encourage you to check out this post on the Feasts of the Lord: https://livingforheaven.wixsite.com/livingforheaven/post/the-feasts-of-the-lord
Here's an excerpt:
In Leviticus 23, God established seven feasts and told His people to observe them every year. The translated word for feasts is Strong's H4150 – mow`ed, which means several things:
An appointed time
An appointed sign or signal
A meeting place
These appointed times are prophetic in nature, as God's redemptive events are set to happen on those exact days. In fact, God describes these times as “holy convocations.”
The word for convocation means a dress rehearsal.
Through the Feasts of the Lord it's possible to know the season when God has intersected, and will intersect, with human history to bring about His redemptive work.
The next Feast to be fulfilled is the Feast of Trumpets...
Comments