No One Knows the Day or Hour
Will you see the great I am? Or will you be a goat? Join me in discovering how you can see him!
To begin with, we’ll start by digesting the actual scripture reference this is alluding to, that being <Matthew 24:36-44>
“36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of [a]heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch, therefore, for you do not know what [b]hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what [c]hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Now when we look at this passage, you may be left with more questions than answers, or if you’re Jewish (orthodox or otherwise), you’ll likely understand this scripture perfectly.
But what do we commonly think of when we read this passage? Well, the thought comes to mind that we’ll never truly know when Jesus is coming back, so we should reach out to the lost in effect by preaching, teaching, and exhorting “in season and out of season.” How does one do that? Disclaimer: This is not a spiritual gift that “some Christians have while others don’t! This is unilateral, and everyone should be actively engaged in this practice. Now hear this as well; you don’t have to give a theological dissertation on salvation or what have you. You have to be present and alert to the potential scenarios where you can capitalize on them. That’s it; just be aware. But we’re getting away from the intended explanation of said verse.
This verse is a “Jewish Idiom.” Meaning, one) it was a figure of speech, and two) there is an intended direction and a clue as to what said idiom is averting our eyes to. It’s not just a filler statement; there’s certainly more than meets the eye here.
You can know when Christ is coming back, but it’s not as you would think. It’s not saying on Saturday the 5th of such and such month and year, Jesus will come back. Sorry to tell you, but it’s not that direct. Instead, it references Jewish times of celebration and specific times of biblically prophetic events.
”Understanding the expression “No man knows the day or hour” is not possible by simply taking the English translation literally because, in the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation, we are given EXACT descriptions of timing relative to KEY events – such as the shutting down of the altar sacrifices in Jerusalem at the MIDPOINT of the 70th week. Dan 9:27
Jesus was asked, “When shall these things be?” (Matt 24:3) His answer ties us into a very specific event (The Abomination of Desolation) which can be measured on our calendars: “When you, therefore, shall see the Abomination Of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoever reads, let him understand:)….” Matt 24:15.”
Jewish idiom explained.
However, upon careful examination of that passage, we are clued into yet another “Ends times” prophetic message.
What exactly is it, you ask? Well, let’s revisit it:
”40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch, therefore, for you do not know what [b]hour your Lord is coming.”
The reference here is a nod to “The Rapture.” You might question that and vocalize the talking point that the term ‘rapture’ isn’t discussed much in the bible, But o'contraire! It is, just subtly. The part contested among certain sects and particular factions within the faith is whether the rapture occurs ‘Pre-trib,’ ‘Mid-trib,’ or ‘Post-trib.’ believe you me. Some circles get heated if you disagree with their viewpoint.
Also, for those out of the loop, ‘trib’ is short for *tribulation*
As in the tribulations prophesied that the world will go through at the time of the end. The most sensationalized is, of course, the ‘Pre-trib.’ We have people like Tim Lahaye to thank for that sensationalism and all those movie directors that peg the Rapture as pre-trib. I’m not sold on the Hollywoodized account of it, mainly because they ruin everything they touch, and ‘They’ also claimed the world was going to end as a result of the Mayan calendar ending in 2012, but here we are in 2023. Worlds are still ticking, albeit running poorly and on a collision course for a cashless society, CBDCs, and a host of other concerns currently at our doorstep. But still technically running.
Because of this, I don’t put much stock in the things ‘they’ say. I prefer to keep things on a biblical level and be a watchful observer of the times. We are told of multiple items to keep an eye on regarding end-times prophecies; the trick is to keep it centered on factual accounts of world news. Not a crackpot spouting off about theories they have which aren’t rooted in truth.
Looking further at the concept of the rapture, how do we ensure we’ll be the one “taken” and not the one “left behind?”
Well, we start by examining other scriptures, such as this one.
<Matthew 25:33-46>
“33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer [b]Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
What do we see here? Is there some magical formula for doing good? Or some particular skill to meet the needs of God?
Nope! Instead, what we see here is simple people like you and me stepping in the gap for everyday people and their needs. How do we accomplish this? Just put yourself in others’ shoes. Others who may be less fortunate than yourself. Or people in your direct sphere of reach that you can tangibly help out with, say, giving them a bottle of water or even holding the door open for them as you’re entering or exiting a building and or letting them go in front of you at the store if they have significantly less than you. You haven’t put anything up just yet. Sometimes it’s the little things. Here’s where it gets dicey, say it’s someone who doesn’t think the same way you do. Whether socially, politically, or otherwise, your task is to be the light in the dark still. The tricky part here is to do it from a genuine place; don’t do it as the Pharisees did, to show off what a “spiritual” person you are or how “Humble” you are. Do it “in secret,” do it subtly; do it and refuse to take acknowledgment for it. The point is don’t make it a ‘public spectacle.’ Otherwise, you’ve, in essence, already received your reward for it here on earth rather than in heaven. God will know at the appropriate time that you’ve done those deeds, whether good deeds, bad deeds, or missed deeds! He’ll know.