Jesus was saying that he did not know

JESUS WAS SAYING THAT HE DID NOT KNOW
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Matthew 24:36 36"But aboutthat day or hour no one
knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but
only the Father.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
The Unknown Day And Hour
Matthew 24:36 (as in RevisedVersion)
W.F. Adeney
This is one of the most striking words of our Lord. The recordof it shows the
veracity of the Gospelwriters. No early Christian would have invented such a
sentence as this. The words themselves testify to the truthfulness and to the
humility of Christ. They are significant also in the light they throw on the
limitations of knowledge.
I. THE FACT. No one but our Father in heaven knows the whole future. Some
parts of it are revealedto all of us, some are within the perceptionof prophets,
more may be specially knownto angels, very much must have lain open before
the eye of Christ. But God only knows the whole. The final judgment is known
only to him. Why is this?

1. Perhaps the date is not fixed. To God, who is independent of time, all our
uncertainties and contingencies must be visible and sure. But it is impossible
for us to imagine the form of thought that comprehends such things. To us
many things are uncertain, in part because theyare dependent on changing
conditions. Will a particular man be savedor lost? No one can say, because no
fixed destiny determines his future. It will be conditioned by his conduct, by
the actionof his free will. It is open for him to repent at any time. So it may be
that the date of the final judgment will be determined according to the
conduct of men, according to the course of history. It may be hastenedor it
may be postponed, as the behaviour of the world changes.
2. Certainly full knowledge wouldbe injurious. It is one of the greatest
mercies of life that God hides the future. If any sorcerycould reveal it, the
depth of folly would belong to those people who resortedto that sorcery. The
knowledge offuture evil would crush us; the knowledge offuture goodwould
take the zest out of our joys and make the blessings of life stale and
uninteresting. Moreover, Goddisciplines us by ignorances.This should not
make us indifferent to truth; it must be our duty to learn what God teaches.
But it cannotbe healthy to attempt to pry into secrets whichGod means to
keepto himself. Calculations ofmodern prophets about unfulfilled prophecy
are here rebuked beforehand by our Lord.
II. INFERENCESIN REGARD TO JESUS CHRIST.
1. The distinction betweenChrist and his Father. Clearly they are here seenas
two Persons. Yetit is the fashion of popular theologyto "confound the
Persons,"and to speak of Jesus as if he were just the same as the Father.
2. The comparative subordination of Christ. We dare not say, with Cyril, that
the ignorance ofChrist was only apparent. That must be to represent him as

an unreal Actor. He meant what he said in all honesty. It may be that
Athanasius was right in applying all such passagesas that before us to the
earthly humiliation of our Lord. Still, the statements of Scripture as to the Son
being sent by the Father (e.g John 20:21), applying as they do to the first
advent and the very origin of the lncarnation, suggestsomething like a
secondaryposition even prior to the earthly life, as we shall see if we reverse
the phrases, and think of the Son sending the Father - a most improper
notion. The Sender must be in some waysuperior to the Sent.
3. The Divinity of Christ. This is apparent even in this passage, where the
secondaryposition is stated:
(1) Because Christ separates himselffrom all other men, and even places the
angels betweenhimself and them.
(2) Because Christshows Divine knowledge ofthe fact of the ignorance of
angels as well as men, and of the fact of his Father's unique consciousness. -
W.F.A.

Biblical Illustrator
But My words shall not pass away.
Matthew 24:35
The words of Christ
Canon Liddon.
The characteristicsofour Lord's words.
1. The authority which speaks in them.
2. Their elevation.
3. Their awful depth.
(Canon Liddon.)
The permanency of Christ's teaching
The WeeklyPulpit.
1. The words of Christ are abiding because oftheir specialinspiration. His
words cannot die by reasonof the living powerthat is in them.
2. The teachings of Jesus have a greatand an enduring task to perform. The
gospelhas the "powerof an endless life" which the work before it demands.
Greatthings and greatends require great and large preparation. The Niagara
Falls is one, if not the greatest, ofthe wonders of the world; but the river St.

Lawrence was twenty-seventhousand years making the deep cutting in the
rock which forms the cataract. The greattask before the gospel, ofbringing
the light of truth to every heart, must be accomplished. The efforts of the
Church must not be relaxed until this end has been attained. Whatever
changes are woveninto the nature of things the continuation of gospel
teaching is inevitable. "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word
of our God shall stand for ever."
3. As the gospelhas survived the revolutions of more than eighteencenturies,
so it will survive those yet to come.
4. The impression which the words of Jesus make on the souls of the redeemed
is another proof that they shall not pass away. When the world has passed
away, these words will abide in the hearts of men who have believed in Christ.
Every portion of the gospelwe learn and feel and practice will remain with us
for ever.
(The WeeklyPulpit.)
The transient and the permanent
L. D. Bevan, D. D.
"Heavenand earth shall pass away."
I. IT NEEDS SOME THOUGHTFULNESSTO APPREHEND THE
TRANSIENT CHARACTER OF THESE GREAT OBJECTSOF OUR
INTEREST.
1. The forms of life and activity with which we are familiar pass away. The
morning light, buds, seasons,living creatures, soondie.

2. If we extend our vision and take within its sweepnot only the life of the
individual, but the course ofthe ages, andthe history of the world. These pass
away.
II. AND YET IN ALL THIS THERE IS PERMANENCE. The form passes,
but the material remains. Perhaps even the material may be our name for the
unknown nothing, and there remains only the law, only the type, only the
order, which unceasinglylives. Thus the form of the living thing disappears,
but life remains; and that vegetable life which we saw so busy and so plentiful
in forms of flowerand leaf and tree, shall next year bring forth new flowers
and put out fresh leaves;and when the trees that to-day stand erect, monarchs
of the forest, shall, fallen prone, be slowly turning into the fuel of future ages,
that same life shall yet be lifting up new pillars of the forest, tall and stately,
beautiful and strong, over which new generations of branches and leaves shall
wave beneath the sunshine and be swayedby the breezes of the future years.
And so is it with the life of the animal and man. This animal, this man, may
perish, but man remain. And the human race has not vanished. Babylon,
Egypt, and ancient Greece andRome have disappeared, but man remains, in
his essentialnature unchanged. The moods of the sensitive nature pass away
and follow eachother like the shadows onthe mountain-side when the fleecy
clouds are floating o'er the sky on a summer noon. And yet there is something
that remains. There is the subjectof these sensations;there is that element
which is always presentin these conscious stateswhichknows itself and them,
and the differences betweeneachstate, and the resemblances andthe
differences betweenitself and them, and the combination of all into one
homogeneous whole. There is something permanent, something that lasts. You
cannot destroy, you cannotwaste it, you cannot, indeed, change it. It is itself
— itself always — eternal, I believe, as the eternalGod. Or we might illustrate
it againin relationto thoughts, to ideas, to concepts;to those class cognitions
of the mind which result from the comparisonand the abstractclassification
of states of sensation, ofmemory, of judgment. We thus gain ideas — the
good, the beautiful, the true, the evil, the human, the Divine. The individual

states, the individual acts, the individual persons who, by these acts, produce
these states — all these may vanish. They may be only a memory; or even
grow in memory dim, and at last fade away from the last reminiscence of the
soul; but the ideas we have formed — that abstractbeauty, goodness,
humanity, or divineness — these remain. Their light will play about other
forms; their relations dwell within the caverns of our nature and fill them
with music, or make them hideous with discord.
III. THUS THE WORDS OF CHRIST SEEM ONLY TO BE THE
FOLLOWING, ACCOMPANIMENTOF WHAT WE SAW ON ALL SIDES
OF OUR QUEST — THAT THERE IS A PERMANENT,AND THAT
THERE IS A TRANSIENT.He goes downto the very base of the nature, and
declares that a man must be born from above if he is to see the kingdom of
God. The spiritual only can behold the things of that kingdom, which are
wholly spiritual. The worship of God is to be in spirit and in truth. His own
very words are to be interpreted in the sphere of the spiritual and the true,
and the work He came to do for men was not to make their lot here easyor
hard, not to spreadlife's path with flowers or with thorns; it had no respectto
these mere circumstances and conditions of outer life. But it went to the very
centre of being, to the inner personalityof the man. And, as Christ Himself
gave up all that He had that was external, material, physical, letting it all go in
death, and living only in His living union with the eternal God, so must man
live only in that living personality, letting all else die with Christ, and even
when living, not living except as Christ lived in him.
(L. D. Bevan, D. D.)
The immutability of the words of Christ
E. S. P.

I. The permanence and immutability of the gospelare proofs of the perfection
of its plan.
II. The immortality of the words of Christ is proof of their perfect
adaptability to the constitution and course of nature.
III. Is proof of their perfect consonancewithabsolute truth.
IV. Is proof of their identity with the ultimate basis of life.
V. Two lessons.
1. He that formulated this immutable scheme and must be Divine.
2. Upon these words of Christ we have an assuredand stable basis upon which
to build for eternity.
(E. S. P.)
The enduring word
J. Cumming, D. D.
I. WHAT WORD IS THIS?
1. "My Word." Who spoke this word? Jesus Christthe Saviour. Must not He
be God who could fling upon the winds such a prophecy as this, and be sure of
its everlasting success? Itis not the word of Jeremiah, John, etc. They were
the instruments, but Christ's word is nevertheless audible in all.

2. What are some of the marks and characteristicsofChrist's word?Givenin
the Bible.
1. Authoritative. We hear men saying, "We want an authority:" here it is.
2. True.
3. Spirit and life.
4. "Neverman spake like this man."
II. WHAT DOES CHRIST SAY? of His word? It shall not pass away.
Empires, etc., have passedaway, but the word of Christ still survives; it
speaks with undiluted emphasis; it spreads with uninterrupted speed. All
things that threatened to extinguish it have only aided it. Those things that
once seemedto rise like mountain obstructions to its march are day by day
dissolving like wreaths of snow in the sunshine, in contrastto the advancing
and triumphant word of the Lord. And when the new heaven and the new
earth shall come, Christ's word shall not cease. The only change will be, all its
promises will be enjoyments, etc. Comfort for the believer. Of the least
promise that you chooseto selectyou may say, "Heaven and earth," etc.
Encouragementto the seeker, worker, minister, etc.
(J. Cumming, D. D.)
The immutability of the Divine Word

D. Moore, M. A.
1. The certainty of Divine truth.
2. The words of Christ consideredin their necessaryimperishableness.
3. The words of Christ shall never pass away, because they form the last of
that series ofcommunications given by God to a lost world.
4. Becausethey are founded on eternaltruth, and on the fixed counsels ofthe
immutable God.
5. Becauseoftheir connectionwith His own final glory as Mediator.
6. These are the words preachedunto you.
(D. Moore, M. A.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(36) No, not the angels of heaven.—St. Mark’s addition (Mark 13:32),
“neither the Son”—orbetter, not even the Son—is every way remarkable.
Assuming, what is well-nigh certain(see Introduction to St. Mark), the close
connectionof that Gospelwith St. Peter, it is as if the Apostle who heard the
discourse desired, for some specialreason, to place on record the ipsissima

verba of his Master. And that reasonmay be found in his own teaching. The
over-eagerexpectationsofsome, and the inevitable reactionof doubt and
scornin others, both restedon their assumption that the Son of Man had
definitely fixed the time of His appearing, and on their consequent
forgetfulness of the “long-suffering” which might extend a day into a
thousand years (2Peter3:3-8). It is obviously doing violence to the plain
meaning of the words to dilute them into the statement that the Son of Man
did, not communicate the knowledge whichHe possessedas the Son of God. If
we are perplexed at the mystery of this confessionin One in whom we
recosniise the presence of“the fulness of the Godheadbodily” (Colossians
1:19; Colossians2:9), we may find that which may help us at leastto wait
patiently for the full understanding of the mystery in St. Paul’s teaching, that
the eternalWord in becoming flesh, “emptied Himself” (see Note on
Philippians 2:7) of the infinity which belongs to the divine attributes, and took
upon Him the limitations necessarilyincidental to man’s nature, even when
untainted by evil and in fullest fellowship, through the Eternal Spirit, with the
Father.
BensonCommentary
Matthew 24:36. But of that day and hour knowethno man, &c. — I consider
ωρα, hour, here, says Grotius, as denoting, not a part of a day, but a larger
portion of time. So also Bishop Newton, who observes, “Itwould seem
improper to say, Of that day and hour knowethno man; for if the day was not
known, certainly the hour was not, and it was superfluous to make such an
addition. I conceive, therefore, thatthe passageshouldbe rendered, Of that
day and seasonknowethno man, as the word is frequently used in the best
authors, both sacredand profane. It is true, our Saviour declares, ‘All these
things shall be fulfilled in this generation;’ it is true also, the Prophet Daniel
hath given some intimation of the time in his famous prophecy of the 70
weeks;but though this greatrevolution was to happen toward the conclusion
of 70 weeks, or490 years, to be computed from a certaindate that is not easy
to be fixed; yet the particular day, the particular seasonin which it was to
happen, might still remain a secretto men and angels:and our Lord had
before, (Matthew 24:20,)advised his disciples to pray, that their flight might
not be in the winter, nor on the sabbath day; the day not being known, they

were to pray that their flight might not be on the sabbath day; the seasonnot
being known, they were to pray that it might not be in the winter.”
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
24:29-41 Christ foretells his secondcoming. It is usual for prophets to speak of
things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness andcertainty of
them. Concerning Christ's secondcoming, it is foretold that there shall be a
greatchange, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the
Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was setfor a sign that
should be spokenagainst, but at his secondcoming, a signthat should be
admired. Sooneror later, all sinners will be mourners; but repenting sinners
look to Christ, and mourn after a godly sort; and those who sow in those tears
shall shortly reap in joy. Impenitent sinners shall see Him whom they have
pierced, and, though they laugh now, shall mourn and weepin endless horror
and despair. The electof God are scatteredabroad;there are some in all
places, and all nations; but when that greatgathering day comes, there shall
not one of them be missing. Distance ofplace shall keepnone out of heaven.
Our Lord declares that the Jews should never cease to be a distinct people,
until all things he had been predicting were fulfilled. His prophecy reaches to
the day of final judgment; therefore he here, ver. 34, foretells that Judah shall
never cease to exist as a distinct people, so long as this world shall endure.
Men of the world scheme and plan for generationupon generationhere, but
they plan not with reference to the overwhelming, approaching, and most
certain event of Christ's secondcoming, which shall do awayevery human
scheme, and set aside for ever all that God forbids. That will be as surprising
a day, as the deluge to the old world. Apply this, first, to temporal judgments,
particularly that which was then hastening upon the nation and people of the
Jews. Secondly, to the eternal judgment. Christ here shows the state of the old
world when the deluge came. They were secure and careless;they knew not,
until the flood came;and they believed not. Did we know aright that all
earthly things must shortly pass away, we should not set our eyes and hearts
so much upon them as we do. The evil day is not the further off for men's
putting it far from them. What words can more strongly describe the
suddenness of our Saviour's coming! Men will be at their respective
businesses, andsuddenly the Lord of glory will appear. Women will be in

their house employments, but in that moment every other work will be laid
aside, and every heart will turn inward and say, It is the Lord! Am I prepared
to meet him? Can I stand before him? And what, in fact, is the day of
judgment to the whole world, but the day of death to every one?
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
But of that day and hour - Of the precise time of the fulfillment. The "general
signs" of its approachhave been given, as the budding of the fig-tree is a
certain indication that summer is near; but "the precise time" is not indicated
by these things. One part of their inquiry was Matthew 24:3 when those things
should be. He now replies to them by saying that the precise time would not be
foretold. Compare the notes at Acts 1:7.
Knoweth no man, no, not the angels - See the notes at Mark 13:32.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
CHAPTER 24
Mt 24:1-51. Christ's Prophecyof the Destructionof Jerusalem, and Warnings
Suggestedby It to Prepare for His SecondComing. ( = Mr 13:1-37;Lu 21:5-
36).
For the exposition, see on[1355]Mr13:1-37.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Mark addeth, Mark 13:32, neither the Son, but the Father. Of that day and
hour, that is, the particular time when the heavens and the earth shall pass
away, as he had before said, or when the end of the world shall be, which was
one of the questions propounded to him by his disciples, Matthew 24:3.

Knoweth no man, no mere man, nor have men any reasonto be troubled at it;
for it is a piece of knowledge whichthe Fatherhath reservedin his own
power, and his own pleasure, from the angels, who continually behold his face.
Nay, I myself, as man, know it not. Nor is it more absurd, or derogating from
the perfectionof Christ, than for to say, that Christ, as man, was not
omnipotent, or omniscient, &c. By the way, this gives a greatcheck to the
curiosity of men’s inquiries after the particular time or year when the world
shall have an end, or the day of judgment begin, or be.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
But of that day and hour knoweth no man,.... Which is to be understood, not
of the secondcoming of Christ, the end of the world, and the last judgment;
but of the coming of the son of man, to take vengeance onthe Jews, and of
their destruction; for the words manifestly regard the date of the several
things going before, which only can be applied to that catastrophe, and
dreadful desolation:now, though the destruction itself was spokenof by
Moses andthe prophets, was foretoldby Christ, and the believing Jews had
some discerning of its near approach; see Hebrews 10:25 yet the exactand
precise time was not known: it might have been: calculatedto a year by
Daniel's weeks,but not to the day and hour; and therefore our Lord does not
say of the year, but of the day and hour no man knows;though the one week,
or seven years, being separated from the rest, throws that accountinto some
perplexity; and which perhaps is on purpose done, to concealthe precise time
of Jerusalem's destruction:nor need it be wonderedat, notwithstanding all
the hints given, that the fatal day should not be exactly known beforehand;
when those who have lived since, and were eyewitnessesofit, are not agreed
on what day of the month it was;for, as Dr. Lightfoot (i) observes, Josephus
(k) says,
"that the temple perished the "tenth" day of "Lous", a day fatal to the
temple, as having been on that day consumed in flames, by the king of
Babylon.

And yet Rabbi Jochananben Zaccai, who was also at the destruction of it, as
well as Josephus, with all the Jewishwriters, say it was on the "ninth of Ab";
for of this day they (l) say, five things happened upon it:
"On the "ninth of Ab" it was decreedconcerning our fathers, that they should
not enter into the land (of Canaan), the first and secondtemple were
destroyed, Bither was taken, and the city ploughed up.
Though the words of R. Jochanan, citedby the doctor, refer to the first, and
not to the secondtemple, and should have been rendered thus:
"If I had been in the generation(which fixed the fast for the destruction of the
first temple), I would not have fixed it but on the tenth (of Ab); for, adds he,
the greatestpartof the temple was burnt on that day; but the Rabbins rather
regardedthe beginning of the punishment (m).
And so the fasting of Rabbi, and R. Joshua ben Levi, on the "ninth" and
"tenth" days, were on accountof the first temple; for they were under the
same difficulty about the one, as the other:
no, not the angels of heaven; who dwell there, always behold the face of God,
stand in his presence readyto do his will, and are made acquaintedwith many
of his designs, and are employed in the executing of them, and yet know not
the time of God's vengeance onthe Jews;to this agrees the sense that is given
of the day of vengeance in Isaiah63:4 it is asked(n),
"whatis the meaning of these words, "the day of vengeance is in my heart?"
Says R. Jochanan, to my heart I have revealedit, to the members I have not

revealedit: says R. Simeon ben Lakish, to my heart I have revealedit, , "to
the ministering angels I have not revealedit".
The Ethiopic version adds here, "nor the son", and so the Cambridge copy of
Beza's;which seems to be transcribed from Mark 13:32 where that phrase
stands; and must be understood of Christ as the sonof man, and not as the
Son of God; for as such, he lay in the bosom of the Father, and knew all his
purposes and designs;for these were purposed in him: he knew from the
beginning who would betray him, and who would believe in him; he knew
what would befall the rejecters of him, and when that would come to pass;as
he must know also the day of the lastjudgment, since it is appointed by God,
and he is ordained to execute it: but the sense is, that as he, as man and
mediator, came not to destroy, but to save;so it was not any part of his work,
as such, to know, nor had he it in commissionto make knownthe time of
Jerusalem's ruin:
but my Father only; to the exclusionof all creatures, angels andmen; but not
to the exclusionof Christ as God, who, as such, is omniscient; nor of the Holy
Spirit, who is acquainted with the deep things of God, the secrets ofhis heart,
and this among others,
(i) In Mark 13.32. (k)De Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 26. (l) Misu. Taanith, c. 4. sect. 7. T.
Hieros. Taanioth, fol. 68. 3. & Maimon. Hilch. Taanioth, c. 5. sect. 2.((m) T.
Bab, Taanith, fol. 29. 1.((n) T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 99. 1.
Geneva Study Bible
{9} But of that day and hour knowethno man, no, not the angels ofheaven,
but my Father only.

(9) It is sufficient for us to know that God has appointed a latter day for the
restoring of all things; but when it will be is hidden from us all for our sake, so
that we may be all the more watchful, so that we are not taken as those were
takenin the flood years ago.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Matthew 24:36. The affirmation of Matthew 24:34, however, does not exclude
the factthat no one knows the day and hour when the secondadvent, with its
accompanying phenomena, is to take place. It is to occurduring the lifetime of
the generationthen existing, but no one knows onwhat day or at what hours
within the period thus indicated. Accordingly it is impossible to tell you
anything more precise in regard to this than what is statedat Matthew 24:34.
εἰ μὴ ὁ πατ. μου μόνος] This reservationon the part of the Father excludes
even the incarnate Son (Mark 13:32). The limitation implied in our passage as
regards the human side of our Lord’s nature is to be viewedin the same light
as that implied in Matthew 20:23. See, besides, onMark 13:32.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Matthew 24:36. περὶ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης καὶ τῆς ὥρας, of that day and
hour. The reference is to the coming of the Son of Man, the expression
throughout the N. T. having the value of an “indisputable fixed terminus
technicus,” Weiffenbach, Wiederkunftsgedanke,p. 157.—οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, no one
knows, a statement made more emphatic by application to the angels of
heaven, and even to the Son (οὐδὲ ὁ υἱός). The meaning is not that Jesus
disclaims even for Himself knowledge ofthe precise day, month, or year of
what in Matthew 24:34 He has declaredwill happen within the present
generation;whether, e.g., the crisis of the war would be in 69 or 70 A.D. That
is too trivial a matter to be the subject of so solemn a declaration. It is an
intimation that all statements as to the time of the παρουσία must be takenin

a qualified sense as referring to a subject on which certainknowledge is not
attainable or even desirable. It looks like Jesus correcting Himself, or using
two ways of speaking, one for comfort (it will be soon), and one for caution (it
may not be so soonas even I think or you expect). His whole manner of
speaking concerning the secondadvent seems to have two faces;providing on
the one hand for the possibility of a Christian era, and on the other for an
acceleratedParusia.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
36–Endof Ch. 25. Parables and Teachings concerning the SecondAdvent
36–51.The Coming of Christ; the Needof Watchfulness
More briefly reported in Mark 13:32-37;Luke 21:34-36.
36. But of that day and hour] the Day of Judgment. The discourse turns from
the type—the fall of Jerusalem—to the antitype—the Day of Judgment, and
continues on this subjectto the end of the following chapter.
Bengel's Gnomen
Matthew 24:36. Περὶ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης, but of that day) The Lord shows
the time of the temple and the city in Matthew 24:32-34;He denies in this
verse that the day and hour of the world are known. The particle δὲ, but,
implies a contrast:the pronouns ταῦτα, these, αὕτη, this, refer to events close
at hand; the pronoun ἐκείνης, that, to that which is distant. If, however, the
former time is defined with some latitude, THAT DAY and hour is much less
definitely indicated here: and yet He does not speak of the day and hour
without cause. A day is a whole;an hour is a part. The day is not necessarily
unknown because the hour is: the time takenwith somewhatgreaterlatitude
is not necessarilyunknown because the day is. And that which was unknown
when this discourse was delivered, might be revealedafter the Ascensionof

the Lord and the Apocalypse given to St John; and as the sand by degrees
glides awayin the hour-glass of time,[1063]it may be known more nearly.
Otherwise, the last day and the lasthour would not even then be knownwhen
it actually arrives. Our Lord goes on to speak ofthe day in Matthew 24:37-38,
of the hour in Matthew 24:42-43, and of both in Matthew 24:50.—ἄγγελοι,
angels)whose knowledgeis otherwise great.—τῶνοὐρανῶν, ofthe heavens)
The plural number.
[1063]In the original, “clepsydra sensimelabente.” The ancients measured
time in the hour-glass, not by sand, but by water. I have given the
corresponding idiom.—(I. B.)
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 36. - The apostles had asked(ver. 3), "When shall these things be?"
Christ does not now expresslyanswerthis question; he puts forth strongly the
uncertainty in the knowledge ofthese greatevents, and how this ignorance is
disciplinary. Of that day (de die illa, Vulgate) and hour, viz. when Christ shall
appear in judgment, The expressionplainly, implies that a definite day and
moment are fixed for this greatappearing, but known only to God. Knoweth
no man, no, not (οὐδὲ, not even) the angels of heaven. A kind of climax. Man
is naturally excluded from the knowledge;but even to the angels it has not
been revealed. A further climax is added in St. Mark, and from that Gospel
has been introduced by some very goodmanuscripts into this place, neither
the Son(the RevisedVersion admits the clause). The words have given
occasionto some erroneous statements. It is said by Arians and semi-Arians,
and modern disputants who have followedin their steps, that the Son cannot
be equal to the Father, if he knows not what the Fatherknows. Alford says
boldly, "This matter was hidden from him." But when we considersuch
passagesas "I and my Father are one;" "I am in the Father, and the Fatherin
me" (John 10:30; John 14:11, etc.), we cannot believe that the time of the
greatconsummation was unknown to him. What is meant, then, by this
assertion? How is it true? Doubtless it is to be explained (if capable of
explanation) by the hypostatic union of two natures in the Personof Christ,

whereby the properties of the two natures are interchangeably predicated.
From danger of error on this mysterious subject we are preserved by the
precise terms of the Athanasian Creed, according to which we affirm that
Christ is "equalto the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the
Father, as touching his manhood ... one altogether;not by confusionof
substance, but by unity of Person," etc. If, then, Christ asserts that he is
ignorant of anything, it must be that in his human nature he hath, willed not
to know that which in his Divine nature he was cognizantcf. This is a part of
that voluntary self-surrender and self-limitation of which the apostle speaks
when he says that Christ "emptied himself" (Philippians 2:7). He
condescendedto assume all the conditions of humanity, even willing to share
the imperfection of our knowledge in some particulars. How the two natures
thus interworkedwe know not, and need not conjecture;nor can we always
divine why prominence at one time is given to the Divine, at another to the
human. It is enoughfor us to know that, for reasons whichseemedgoodunto
him, he imposed restriction on his omniscience in this matter, and, to enhance
the mysteriousness andawfulness of the greatday, announced to his disciples
his ignorance ofthe precise moment of its occurrence. This is a safer
exposition than to say, with some, that Christ knew not the day so as to reveal
it to us, that it was no part of his mission from the Father to divulge it to men,
and therefore that he could truly sayhe knew it not. This seems rather an
evasionthan an explanation of the difficulty. But my Father only. The best
manuscripts have "the Father." "But" is εἰ μὴ, except. So Christ said to his
inquiring apostles, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons, whichthe
Father hath put in his own power" (Acts 1:7). These words do not exclude the
Son's participation in the knowledge, though he willed that it should not
extend to his human nature. With this and such-like texts in view, how futile,
presumptuous, and indeed profane, it is to attempt to settle the exactdate and
hour when the present age shallend!"

PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD
Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of
heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Peri de tes hemeras ekeines kai
horas oudeis oiden (3SRAI) oude oi aggeloiton ouranon oude o huios eis me o
pater monos (Mt 24:42,44 Mt 25:13 Zec 14:7 Mk 13:32 Acts 1:7 1Th 5:2, 2Pe
3:10 Rev 3:3 Rev 16:15)
SETTING DATES FOR
CHRIST'S RETURN
No doctrine is more closelylinked to practicaldaily living
than that of the Lord's return.
But (de) - Normally this introduces a contrastbut in this case the "but" (de) is
coupled with another Greek word"peri" which is better translated"but
concerning" (as in Mt 24:36ESV)and frequently indicates a move to a new
thought (e.g., (Mt 22:31; Mk 12:26; 13:32;Ac 21:25;1Co 7:1; 8:1; 12:1; 16:1,
12; 1Th4:9, 13;5).
Ray Pritchard rightly said that "We face two dangers whenever we talk about
the SecondComing:A. Becoming more concernedabout the date and the
signs than about his return. B. Ignoring the truth of the SecondComing and
living as though he will never return. Frankly, I don't know which is worse…
God knows the future because he has ordained the future. God reveals the
existence ofcertain future events. (Bible prophecy) God choosesnot to reveal

the timing of those future events. No matter how many times we may ask the
question, God's answeris always the same: "It is not for you to know." What
is left for us is to know as much as we can know and to trust God for the rest.
That perspective comes through clearly in Matthew 24." (Matthew 24:36-51
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? Why Christ May Come at Any
Moment)
Before you read my comments on Mt 24:36-51 you need to be aware that this
is a difficult passageto interpret and there is no clearconsensus onhow it
should be interpreted even among conservative evangelicalwriters. Why is
this sectionso difficult (as if Mt 24:1-35 is not difficult enough!)? Dilemma is
defined as a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made betweentwo
or more alternatives. Here the dilemma is how can Jesus'SecondComing be
precededby clearsigns in Mt 24:15, Mt 24:21, Mt 24:27, Mt 24:29, et al, and
still be a time regarding which Jesus says "ofthat day and hour no one
knows?" In addition, Jesus'warnings againstbeing unprepared in Mt 24:36-
51 seemto be describing a time (as in the days of Noah) in which it is
"business as usual" for the world (Mt 24:37, 38ff). And yet we know that in
the time of the Great Tribulation there will be "business" like the world has
never seennor will eversee again(Mt 24:21-note). At that time believers (and
even unbelievers - Rev 6:16-17-note)will surely be aware ofthe fact that the
end of the age and the return of the King is near (e.g., Lk 21:28). And as
discussedbelow, because ofthe distinct time segments (7 years, 3.5 years, 1260
days, 42 months) of the Seventieth Week ofDaniel, it would seemto be
theoreticallypossible to know the day of Jesus'return (see some thoughts on
this point). And yet Jesus clearlystates not even the Son knows, so how can
men expectto know? Canyou see the dilemma that these passages inMatthew
24 pose? I must confess thatI am at a loss to explain how on one hand signs
point to His return and on the other hand we cannot know the day nor the
hour. As discussedbelow because ofthis dilemma some have been led to
believe Jesus is referring to the signless Rapture and not to His Second
Coming.

There are basicallytwo different approaches to explaining this dilemma.
(1) Some, such as RayStedman (A Thief in the Night), Arnold Fruchtenbaum,
et al (see note 8), interpret this sectionas a description of the Rapture of the
church, reasoning that Jesus'descriptionof "business as usual" (Mt 24:37-
39ff) simply cannotbe true of the horrible time of the Tribulation and
therefore must be a description of the Rapture which could happen at any
time (if one holds to a pre-tribulation view of the rapture).
(2) The other interpretation, held by the majority of commentators is that
Jesus'words are calling for men to ready for His return at the end of the
GreatTribulation but that the rapture is not taught in Matthew 24 (See notes
6 and 7). After studying this text for some time, I am uncertain of which
position is correct, although I favor interpretation (2). Therefore in these
comments I am referring to His return as something for which we should
always be prepared because that is what the tenor of the text teaches -Be
prepared! It's a goodmotto for the BoyScouts and a greatmotto for believers
of every age!
For those who would like to study this issue in more depth, below are
resources thatmay be of assistance:
John Hart - Should Pretribulationists Reconsiderthe Rapture in Matthew
24:36-44? -Pt 1
24:36-44? -Pt 2

24:36-44? -Pt 3
John Hart writes that "Mostif not all posttribulationists argue that the
Rapture of the church is describedin Mt 24:36-44 and that this Rapture
coincides perfectlywith the return of Christ after the Tribulation period
mentioned in Mt 24:29-31.5 Byfar, the most common interpretive approach
by pretribulationists is to assignMatt 24:29-31 and Mt 24:36-44 to the same
posttribulational SecondComing of Christ.6 Accordingly, the Rapture is not
found in the Discourse whetherit is a posttribulational or pretribulational
Rapture.7 Nevertheless,a few, but only a few, pretribulationists argue that the
Rapture is taught in Matthew 24, specificallyin 24:36-44.8 (Ref)
5 Gundry, The Church and the Tribulation, 129-39;
Douglas J. Moo, "The Case forthe Posttribulation Rapture Position," in
GleasonL. Archer et al., Three Views on the Rapture: Pre-, Mid-, or Post-
Tribulational? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), 190-96.
6 Contra Carson, who thinks that the most common view among
pretribulationists is to assignMt 24:36-40 to the rapture of the church. D. A.
Carson, "Matthew,"Expositor's Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), 8:494. Later, on p 495, however, he
acknowledgesthatmany dispensationalists deny the rapture in the Discourse.
7 Louis A. Barbieri Jr., "Matthew," Bible Knowledge Commentary, NT, ed.
John F. Walvoordand Roy B. Zuck (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1983), 76-79;

Paul N. Benware, Understanding End Times Prophecy: A Comprehensive
Approach (Chicago:Moody, 1995), 209;
Ron J. Bigalke Jr., "The Olivet Discourse:A Resolutionof Time,"
Conservative TheologicalSeminaryJournal 9 (spring 2003):106-40;
Thomas R. Edgar, "An ExegesisofRapture Passages," in Issues in
Dispensationalism, ed. WesleyR. Willis, John R. Master, and Charles C.
Ryrie (Chicago:Moody, 1994), 217, 221;
Paul D. Feinberg, "DispensationalTheologyand the Rapture," in Issues in
Dispensationalism, ed. WesleyR. Willis, John R. Master, and Charles C.
Ryrie (Chicago:Moody, 1994), 242-43;
Feinberg, "The Case for the Pretribulation Rapture," Three Views, 80, 225,
229-31;E. Schuyler English, Rethinking the Rapture (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux
Brothers, 1954), 41-55;
Ed Glasscock, Matthew, MoodyGospelCommentary(Chicago:Moody,
1997), 476;
William K. Harrison, "The Time of the Rapture as Indicated by Certain
Passages:PartIII: The Time of the Rapture in the Light of Matthew 24,"
Bibliotheca Sacra 115 (April-June 1958):109-19;
John MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur New TestamentCommentary: Matthew
24-28 (Chicago:Moody, 1989), 70-72;

RussellL. Penney, "Why the Church Is Not Referencedin the Olivet
Discourse," Conservative TheologicalJournal1 (April 1997):47-60;
J. DwightPentecost, Things to Come: A Study of Biblical Eschatology(Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1964), 162, 275-85;
James F. Rand, "The Eschatologyof the Olivet Discourse" (Th.D.
dissertation, Dallas TheologicalSeminary, 1954), 126, 162;
Charles C. Ryrie, Come Quickly, Lord Jesus:What You Need to Know about
the Rapture (Eugene, OR:Harvest House, 1996), 94-97;
Ryrie, What You Should Know about the Rapture (Chicago:Moody, 1981),
82-84;
Renald Showers, Maranatha:Our Lord Comes!(Bellmawr, NJ: Friends of
IsraelGospelMinistry, 1995), 178-84;
John A. Sproule, "An ExegeticalDefenseofPretribulationism" (Th.D.
dissertation, Grace TheologicalSeminary, 1981), 56, 60;
Gerald B. Stanton, Kept from the Hour (Miami Springs, FL: Schoettle, 1991),
57-65;

David L. Turner, "The Structure and Sequence of Matt 24:1-41:Interaction
with EvangelicalTreatments,"Grace TheologicalJournal10 (spring 1989):
21-22;
Stanley D. Toussaint, "Are the Church and the Rapture in Matthew 24?" in
When the Trumpet Sounds, ed. Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy (Eugene, OR:
Harvest House, 1995), 235-50;
Stanley Toussaint, Beholdthe King (Portland: Multnomah, 1980), 280-82;
John F. Walvoord, The BlessedHope and the Tribulation (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1976), 85-90;
John F. Walvoord, "Christ's Olivet Discourse onthe Time of the End: Part
I," Bibliotheca Sacra 128 (April 1971):116.
8 Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps ofthe Messiah:A Study of the
Sequence of Prophetic Events (San Antonio: Ariel Press, 1982), 446-47;
Hodges, Jesus, God's Prophet, 24-32;Dave Hunt, How Close Are We?
Compelling Evidence for the Soon Return of Christ (Eugene, OR: Harvest
House, 1993), 105-6,210-11, 238, 314-15;
J. F. Strombeck, First the Rapture (Moline, IL: Strombeck Agency, 1950), 68-
71; RayC. Stedman, What on Earth's Going to Happen? (Glendale, CA:
RegalBooks, G/LPublications, 1970), 130-43.

Beechick understands the Discourse as a double reference, applying to both
tribulation saints and the church. Allen Beechick,The Pretribulation Rapture
(Denver: Accent Books,1980), 231-68.
Woodstates that the Discourse implies the rapture in Mt 24:42-44 and that
Jesus'language has an unusual similarity to other passagesonthe
pretribulational rapture.
Leon J. Wood, The Bible and Future Events: An Introductory Survey of Last-
Day Events (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), 91
(Ed: Add John Phillips - Exploring the Gospelof Matthew;Jon Courson).
Of that day and hour - This does not mean we can know the year! Some have
falselyreasonedthat since He just said day and hour, that does not mean we
cannot discernthe year, but that is fallacious reasoning and is not correct. The
Adventist spredicted 1844 and were wrong! Jehovah's Witnessespredicted
1916 and were wrong! Only the Father knows the timing and clearly this
includes His knowledge ofthe specific year, which no one can know.
Phil Newtonadds that "The expression, "dayand hour," was not intended to
exclude only the preciseness ofpredictability but to go on with broader
predictions. As John Broadus wisely comments, "It is mere quibbling to say
that still we may ascertainthe year and month" [SelectedWorks ofJohn
Broadus, vol. 3, 492]. And that was written in the late 1800's. I'm not sure if
Dr. Broadus could have imagined the "quibbling" the next century has
endured! (Sermons from the Gospelof Matthew)

In Acts the disciples askedthe resurrectedJesus "Lord, is it at this time You
are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" Jesusmade it clear that "It is not for
you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own
authority." (Acts 1:7,8).
No one (3762)(oudeis from ou = not + de = even + heis = one) means not even a
single one.
Glover has an interesting comment (quoted by Leon Morris in the Pillar NT
Commentary) on Jesus'words noting that "No day is named, that every day
may be hallowed by the sense of the possibility of its being the day of His
Advent. It helps to hallow eachday of life, to realize that before its close we
may be in the presence ofChrist's glory." (A Teacher's Commentaryon the
Gospelof St. Matthew - London, 1956)
Broadus writes "how cheerfully should we his followers restin ignorance that
cannot be removed, trusting in all things to our Heavenly Father's wisdom
and goodness, striving to obey his clearly revealedwill, and leaning on his
goodness forsupport"
Leon Morris comments that "With such firm and detailed prophecies of the
end of the age it seems natural to most of us to look for the date, and through
the centuries there have never been lacking those who felt that it was possible
to work out that date, sometimes exactly, sometimes approximately, referring
only to a generalperiod. But all such efforts are wreckedon this saying of
Jesus. It is both clearand emphatic." (The Gospelaccording to Matthew - The
Pillar New TestamentCommentary)

John MacArthur - Although there will be observable, worldwide, and
unmistakable indications of His coming just before it occurs, the exacttime
will not be revealedin advance. Of that day and hour no one knows, Jesus
declaredcategorically. The signs He had just been describing will be
conclusive proof that His arrival is very near. Once they have begun, the
generaltime period of His return will be known, because one of the key
purposes of the signs will be to make it known. But even during those sign-
days the precise day and hour of Jesus'appearing will not be known, a truth
He reiterates severaltimes in this Olivet discourse (see Mt 24:42, 44, 50;
25:13).
William Barclaysays Mt 24:36 tells "us that the hour of that event is known
to God and to God alone. It is, therefore, clearthat speculationregarding the
time of the SecondComing is nothing less than blasphemy, for the man who so
speculates is seeking to wrestfrom God secrets whichbelong to God alone. It
is not any man's duty to speculate;it is his duty to prepare himself, and to
watch." (Barclay's DailyStudy Bible)
"Impatient heart, be still!
What though He tarries long?
What though the triumph song
Is still delayed?
Thou hast His promise sure,

And that is all secure:
Be not afraid! Be not afraid!
Be still! be still!
Impatient heart, be still!"
My eagerheart, be still!
Thy Lord will surely come,
And take thee to His Home,
With Him to dwell:
It may not be to-day;
And yet, my soul, it may —
I cannot tell! I cannot tell!
Be still! be still!

My eagerheart, be still!
My anxious heart, be still!
Watch, work, and pray: and then
It will not matter when
Thy Lord shall come,
At midnight or at noon:
He cannot come too soon
To take thee Home: to take thee Home.
Be still! be still!
My anxious heart, be still!"
Knows (1492)(eido the aoristof horao = to see and perceive with emphasis on
perception) means in generalto know by perception.

Jesus gives 3 more admonitions in the Olivet Discourse regarding the fact that
the time of His coming cannot be known: (1) Mt 24:42 = "you do not know
which day your Lord is coming." (2) Mt 24:44 = "the Sonof Man is coming at
an hour you do not expect." (3) Mt 25:13 " you do not know the day nor the
hour." Date setting is absolutelyforbidden! In Deut 29:29 Moses writes "The
secretthings belong to the LORD our God." Clearly the date of the Son's
return is a "secretthing!" Paul and Peterboth affirm that all that we truly
need is revealedin the Word of God - 2Ti 3:16-17 and 2Peter1:3-4. Stated
another way if something is not revealedfor us in the Bible then it is not
needed to accomplishGod's will in our lives.
R. T. France "In view of such plain statements as this, it is astonishing that
some Christians canstill attempt to work out the date of the parousia!"
MichaelGreensaid that even the rabbis warned againstsetting a date for
Messiah's arrivalwriting that "He who announces the messianic times based
on calculations forfeits his share in the future."
Ray Pritchard - Here is the application of this greattruth. Jesus is coming.
That much is certain. The precise time is hidden in the heart of God. It may
be soon. It may not be for a 100 years. But one of these days, the sky will split
open, there will a loud shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet call
of God. Then the dead in Christ will rise first. Living believers will be
raptured, and all God's children will rise to meet the Lord in the air. That
starts the chain of events that leads eventually to the return of Christ to the
earth. Since no one knows when the rapture will occur, our job as believers is
very clear:
Believe in His coming.

Pray for His coming.
Love His coming.
PreachHis coming.
Watch for His coming.
Wait for His coming.
Expect His coming.
Look for His coming.
Live as if it might be today and one day you won't be disappointed. If you
don't know Jesus, don't waitanother day, another hour, another second. Run
to the cross, layyour sins on Jesus, and trust him as your Savior. This is the
most important decisionyou can ever make. Don't be caught unprepared
when the Son of God returns to the earth. Amen. (Sound the Trumpet!
Christ's SecondComing to the Earth)
THE ANGELS DO NOT
KNOW THE TIME OF THE SON'S COMING

Angels (32)(aggelos/angelos)literally means a messenger(one who bears a
message- Lk 1:11, 2:9, etc or does an errand). Mostof the NT uses refer to
heavenly angels (messengers)who are supernatural, transcendentbeings with
powerto carry out various tasks. All uses of aggelosthat refer to angels are
masculine gender(the feminine form of aggelos does notoccur.)
It is interesting that Jesus mentions that the angels did not have knowledge of
the timing of His return. In Mt 18:10 Jesus is describing "little ones"
explaining that "their angels in heavencontinually behold the face of My
Father Who is in heaven." So here we have these createdbeings who are
always in close proximity to the Father and yet they do not know the Father's
timing of the Son's return. How canmen possibly think they canpredict the
timing of His return! It borders on the height of arrogance mixed with
foolishness to try to do so! In addition although the angels will play a role in
the work of the eschatologicalday (Mt 24:31), the timing of that day has not
been revealedto them. The limited knowledge ofthe angels is also shownin
Ephesians 3:10 and 1Peter1:12.
MichaelWilkins - The knowledge ofhis return was not given to angelic
heavenly beings, who apparently have superhuman but not unlimited
knowledge. Theircomprehensionaccords with what is God's will for them to
know. (The NIV Application Commentary)
Heaven (3772)(ouranos)in this context refers to the abode of Godand of the
angels. So even though the angels are presumably in the presence ofthe
Father, they still do not know the Father's mind on when this time will come.
THE SON DOES NOT

KNOW THE TIME OF HIS COMING
It is interesting that Jesus uses the title "the Son of Man" 6 times in the Olivet
Discourse (Mt24:27, 30, 37, 39, 44, 25:31) and only in Mt 24:36 refers to
Himself as "the Son."
The Son (huios) - The first uses of huios in the NT are in the very first verse of
Matthew - "The record of the genealogyofJesus the Messiah, the son of
David , the son of Abraham." (Mt 1:1) Jesus is the Son calledImmanuel (Mt
1:23), the Son born to a virgin (Mt 1:25), God's Son Who He calledto Egypt
(Mt 2:15, the beloved Son of the Father (Mt 3:17), the acknowledgedSonof
God (Mt 4:3,6), the Sonof Man (first used by Jesus Himself - Mt 8:20). While
Jesus did not add the specification"ofMan," here in Mt 24:36, most
commentators infer from the context that Jesus was speaking ofthe Son of
Man (cp this exactphrase in the next verse - Mt 24:37), the title Jesus usedof
Himself frequently in the Gospels (84x/80v)and the title which placed
emphasis on His humanity. The significance of this inference is discussed
below.
Nor the Son - Note that some Greek manuscripts (Nestle-Aland27) omit this
phrase. And thus the NET reads "But as for that day and hour no one knows
it- not even the angels in heaven- except the Father alone." On the other hand
the parallelpassage in Mark 13:32NET reads "Butas for that day or hour no
one knows it- neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son- except the Father." So
even though some Greek manuscripts of Matthew's Gospelquestionthe
phrase "nor the Son," the factthat it is present in the Gospelof Mark
supports the point that only the Father knows. How the omniscientChrist
cannot know the day or hour is explained below.

Jesus'acknowledgedlimitation of His knowledge does notdeny His deity, but
to the contrary is a mark of His true humanity.
RelatedResourcesonthe Humanity and Deity of Christ:
How Can Jesus Be Godand Man- Matt Perman
The Personof Christ - His Humanity and His Deity (written outline) by
Wayne Grudem
Audio Discussionofthe Personof Christ by Wayne Grudem - Parts 1 of 3
It is notable that around 320AD proponents of Arianism used Mark's text
(Matthew's Greek text was less certainas noted above)to assertthat Jesus
Christ was not God in the Fleshbut was createdby God as His first act of
creation. In short, Arianism taught that Jesus was a createdbeing with divine
attributes, but was not Himself divine. This was one of the greatestof heresies
in the early church. The Arians reasoned that Christ's ignorance regarding
the timing of His return substantiatedtheir false belief. They argued that
since the Sonof God did not know the time of His own return, He could not be
omniscient by definition.

Hiebert remarks that Jesus'use of the title the Son (and not the Son of Man)
places "Him alongside the Father, points to His consciousnessofHis unique
nature as the divine Son. Since it is not the prerogative of any man "to know
times or seasons,whichthe Father hath setwithin his own authority" (Acts
1:7), in His incarnation, Jesus also voluntarily acceptedthis limitation.
Plummer points out that "after the ResurrectionChrist does not saythat He
is ignorant." It was not expedient that His people should know the day and
hour of the end, and it was not a part of His revelation to them. God's wisdom
graciouslywithheld any indication of a definite date for the SecondComing,
otherwise no believer living before the indicated date could have experienced
the purifying hope of His coming (1 John 3:2-3). (The Gospelof Mark:An
ExpositionalCommentary)
D A Carsonon not even the Son - John's Gospel, the one of the four Gospels
most clearly insisting on Jesus'deity, also insists with equal vigor on Jesus'
dependence on and obedience to his Father—a dependence reaching even to
his knowledge ofthe divine. How NT insistence on Jesus'deity is to be
combined with NT insistence on his ignorance and dependence is a matter of
profound importance to the church; and attempts to jettison one truth for the
sake ofpreserving the other must be avoided. (The Expositor's Bible
Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke)
Gundry explains not even the Son - Theologically, we may say that just as
Jesus didn't exercise his divine omnipotence exceptto further the kingdom
(compare, for example, his refusalto make stones into bread for himself), so
he didn't exercise his divine omniscience exceptto further the kingdom. To
have known and made knownthe exacttime of his coming would have
damagedthe work of the kingdom by encouraging carelessnessduring the
interim. What Jesus couldhave done because he was divine didn't
predetermine what he did do as also a human being. The incarnation didn't
lessenhis divine potencies, but it did lead him to limit the use of them.

(Commentary on the New Testament:Verse-by-Verse Explanations with a
Literal Translation)
John MacArthur on not even the Son - Christ voluntarily restrictedHis use of
certain divine attributes when He became flesh. "Although He existed in the
form of God, [He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,"
that is, to be held onto during His humanness (Phil. 2:6). It was not that He
lost any divine attributes but that He voluntarily laid aside the use of some of
them and would not manifest those attributes exceptas directed by His Father
(John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38). Jesus demonstratedHis divine omniscience on many
occasions."He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man for He
Himself knew what was in man" (John 2:25). When, for example, Nicodemus
came to Him at night, Jesus alreadyknew what he was thinking and answered
his question before it was asked(John 3:13).
But there were certain self-imposedrestrictions in His human knowledge. He
told the disciples, "All things that I have heard from My Father I have made
known to you" (John 15:15). Jesus obediently restricted His knowledge to
those things that the Father wantedHim to know during His earthly days of
humanity. The Father revealedcertainthings to the Sonas He reveals them to
all men-through the Scripture, through the Father's working in and through
His life, and through the physical manifestations of God's powerand glory
(see Rom. 1:19-20). Jesus learnedmuch of His earthly knowledge just as every
human being learns, and it is for that reasonthat He was able to keep
"increasing in wisdom" (Luke 2:52). In addition to those ways, some truths
were revealedto the Son directly by the Father. But in every case Jesus'
human knowledge was limited to what His heavenly Father provided.
Therefore, evenon this last day before His arrest, the Son did not know the
precise day and hour He would return to earth at His secondcoming. During
Christ's incarnation, the Father alone exercisedunrestricteddivine
omniscience.

It seems probable that Christ regainedfull divine knowledge afterthe
resurrection, as implied in His introduction to the GreatCommission: "All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matt. 28:18). Just
prior to His ascension, He told the disciples, "It is not for you to know times
or epochs which the Fatherhas fixed by His own authority" (Acts 1:7). He
repeats the truth that the disciples would not be told the time of His
appearing, but He did not exclude His own knowledge, as He did in the Olivet
discourse. (MacArthur New TestamentCommentary)
SeanO'Connell - The highest heavenly createdbeings and the highest
uncreated being don't know. (And yet some Christians think they know. I
don't get it.) God the Father alone has such knowledge. (Matthew
Commentary-Preaching the Word)
Phil Newtonon not even the Son - Not only does Mt 24:36 stand as warning
againstspeculationon Christ's return, but it also gives us a remarkable
picture of the Incarnation. Jesus tells us that at that point, He did not know
the day of His return. He, who is 'very God of very God,'co-equal with the
Father, co-eternalwith the Godhead, co-existentwith the Fatherfrom all
eternity, even He did not know. Now that is puzzling. Yet here we learn
something more of the wonderof what took place in the Incarnation. Jesus
Christ exists in two distinct natures. He is fully divine. In His deity there is
nothing that He does not know-He is omniscient. Every detail of every
molecule in the universe is known by Him. Not a speck ofdust floats in the
atmosphere apart from His knowledge. All of the infinite knowledge ofGod
resides in Him as God. But we struggle, because here Jesus refers to
something that He does not know. How can that be so, since He is God? Jesus
Christ has always been God. He did not become God at some stage in the
process ofeternity. Before time existed, He is God. Yet, He did not exist as
man with a human nature of the same stuff that constitutes us as humans until
the Incarnation. So, while He has never, not been God, He was not always
man. That came about in the wondrous story of the angel announcing the

supernatural conceptionin Mary's womb by the Holy Spirit of the Son of
God. The one person of Jesus Christ took on the distinct nature of humanity.
All of the limitations of the human race, He knew and understood from
experience. He was sleepy, hungry, tired, thirsty, angry, grieved; He laughed,
cried, talked, prayed, and entered into the depth of human relationships. But,
He did not stop being God. At one and the same time, He sustainedthe
universe by His power while in His humanity grew tired from a day of
ministering to needy people. He kept the infinite solarsystems in their
revolutions while crying to the Father as a human being with needs.And now,
the One that saw Nathaniel under the fig tree and who discerned the thoughts
of scheming religious leaders, declares, that in His humanity, He did not know
the time of His return. He does not complain about not knowing. Our Lord
held complete confidence in the Father. The Omniscient One as God, in His
human nature admitted things that He did not know. That gives further
evidence of the genuineness ofHis humanity as well as His trust in the Father.
Jesus knew everything necessaryto be our Redeemerand to do the work of
the Fatheron our behalf, but His human mind did not contain the infinite
knowledge He possessedin His deity. "As man he knew only what God was
pleasedto make known to him," wrote Geoff Thomas. He adds severalhelpful
statements about what Jesus did not know. "JesusChrist our Mediator was
never ignorant of anything he ought to have known." The date of the second
coming fell within this range since;"the date of the secondcoming was not
revealedto him for this reason - you and I have no need to know it. It would
not help our earthly pilgrimage, and so Jesus our Lord was not told the time."
This further demonstrates that "Jesus Christour Mediatorhad to save us
within the limitations of his human body." He trusted the Father for all that
He needed to know to complete the redemptive work. And so we hear His
agonyin the Garden and His cries of derelictionon the cross as a human
suffering for humans. "Jesus Christ was limited in knowledge but not fallible
in his knowledge."He held "no mistakennotions" or fallible understanding.
What He knew, understood, and spoke was absolute truth. So, if Jesus Christ,
in His humanity, did not need to know when He would return, then neither do
we need that kind of precise knowledge. He will come againbut the time is
known only to God and not to man. (Sermons from the Gospelof Matthew)

Thomas Ice on not even the Son - In this passageJesusis referred to as "the
Son." When the New Testamentuses terms like "the Son," or "the Son of
Man," as occurs in the next verse (Mt 24:37), it stressesHis humanity and the
incarnation. This passagedoes notsay, "that no man will ever know. This He
did not say." 1 I agree with most commentators that this passage is saying that
in His incarnation as the Son of Man it was not given to Him (or revealedto
Him) the time of His return. I am sure that He knows (Ed: Referring to Jesus
in heaven today) the day and the hour upon His return to heaven. John
MacArthur notes the following:Therefore, evenon this lastday before His
arrest, the Sondid not know the precise day and hour He would return to
earth at His secondcoming. During Christ's incarnation, the Father alone
exercisedunrestricteddivine omniscience. EdGlasscockechoes this
understanding: "The Lord did not attempt to display His deity but rather, in
contrast, emphasized His humanity. As an obedient servant in His humanity,
Jesus did not know the day or the hour of His return." Jesus is saying that in
essenceHe was not telling them at that time when He was returning. However,
this does not mean that those at a future time would not be able to know when
He was returning. Yeagersays:"The thought of the context is that at the time
that Jesus spoke this to His disciples, and even yet now, at the current writing,
nobody knows the day and the hour." 4 It is not until after the rapture, when
one is in the tribulation that God's prophetic clock will resume ticking. For
believers living during that time they will be able to know at leastthe day
when Christ will return to planet earth. (Ed: see discussionof this statement)
(Matthew 24:36-39 No One Knows) (Bolding added)
Zodhiates explains nor the Son not knowing about the timing of His return - If
we take the unqualified "Son" here as the Son of man-not the Son of God-
then we can offer the rational interpretation that the triune God, the Father,
the Word, and Holy Spirit, did not revealto the human nature of Christ (the
"Sonof man" who "increasedin wisdom" [Lk 2:52]) the time of His return of
which the LÃ³gos (SecondPerson of the Godhead)or Infinite Wisdom had no
need of revelation. In His humanity, He may have laid aside this particular

detail as He did His glory. This is logicallyscriptural, and it was the mainstay
argument of the most famous Greek Trinitarian in Christian history,
Athanasius. It was used successfullyagainstthe Arians in the fourth century,
the Nestorians in the fifth, and againstevery cult that has denied the Trinity
since. (ExegeticalCommentaryon Matthew)
Hiebert has an interesting thought noting that "God's wisdom graciously
withheld any indication of a definite date for the SecondComing, otherwise no
believer living before the indicated date could have experiencedthe purifying
hope of His coming (1John3:2-3)."
Morris - Much of the restof the Olivet discourse is an urgent exhortation
always to be ready and watching for Christ's return, an exhortation that
would be contradictoryif we first had to watchfor the signs of His coming.
The initial phase of His coming, therefore, is always imminent.
Criswell- The exacttime of Christ's coming is not to be the concernof God's
people (cf. also Jesus'parting words in Acts 1:6-8). That Christ, in His
humiliation (incarnation), was not aware ofthe time is not a denial of His
deity, but an evidence of His functional subordination and temporary
surrender of the use of certain attributes while living a life of faith and
dependence upon the Father.
SOME THOUGHTS
TO PONDER
If one interprets literally the numerical descriptions of the "Tribulation"
(1260 days, 42 months, 3.5 years, time, times and half a time) this
interpretation introduces an interesting question. In other words if one

believes in a literal 7 yearperiod of 360 days per year, then one would be
aware of when this time begins for the Antichrist will make a 7 year covenant
with Israelas the starting point. This event will make international news for
many days, so that all believers would know when the treaty was inaugurated.
One could then count off 1260 days until the Antichrist breaks the covenantin
the middle (Da 9:27 - 3.5 years). Then one would know that there are 1260
days remaining in the Great Tribulation (cp the abomination of desolationMt
24:15, 2Thes 2:3-4 "inaugurating the "GreatTribulation" of Mt 24:21)and
presumably the time of the return of the King. And so THEORETICALLY
one would be able to know the day of His arrival. However one problem with
this "theory" is the factthat Daniel speaks ofa period of 1290 days (Da 12:11)
and also a period of 1335 days (Da 12:12) Exactly what transpires during
those 75 days (past the 1260 days)is uncertain.
In his sermon on this sectionDr John MacArthur says
"The time period of the secondcoming will be known (Ed: He is referring to
the "general"time period), it has to be known. It has to be known because of
all the sequence ofevents. The abomination of desolationwill be an historical
event. The tremendous worldwide conflicts, the wars, the rumors of wars, the
nation rising againstnation, kingdom againstkingdom, the famines, the
pestilences, the descriptions of Revelation6-18 where the fresh wateris
devastatedand the salt wateris devastatedand the sea is turned to blood and
where the day is setoff its normal cycle and daylight is shortenedand there's
a greateramount of darkness, and all of those events that are very observable
will indicate that it is the generalperiod and the generaltime of the Second
Coming. But the day and the hour will not be known. That will come with
suddenness in an unexpected way. The period of the Tribulation, very clearly
indicated, and we know the coming of the Sonof Man, verse 29 says, is
immediately after the Tribulation. But how immediately, we don't know." To
approachit another way, remember this: That both Danielin the Old
Testamentand John in the New Testamentwriting in Revelationtell us that

the Tribulation period, the Great Tribulation, is a period of three and a half
years, 42 months, 12 hundred and 60 days. We find that in Daniel7:25, 9:27,
and 12:7. We find it in Revelation11 verses 2 and 3, in Revelationchapter 12
verse 14 and Revelation13 verse 5. So there are all those indicators, very
clearly, that that's a three-and-a-half-year period. It starts with the
abomination of desolationin Mt 24:15, the antichrist setting up his self-
worship. So that's very observable. Then it'll be three and a half years.
Immediately after, says Mt 24:29, comes the sign of the Son of Man in heaven.
Now, how immediately after, we don't know. And once the sign comes, we
don't know how long it'll be before He actually establishes the kingdom. So
there's some latitude in that. There's a period of time in there - Daniel gives us
a hint of it because in Daniel 12:11, Danielspeaks ofa period of testing and
tribulation of 1290 days, so he adds another 30 days on the end. And then in
Daniel 12:12, he speaks of1335 days - he adds another 45, making a total of 75
days. So Daniel sees a three-and-a-half-yearperiod, 42 months, 1260 days, and
then he sees anotherperiod, which is not described, as to its content of 75
days. So we don't know exactly the day and the hour. The time period, yes;
the generalperiod, yes. Now, we only know that once that period has begun,
right? We don't know it now because we don't know what generationthat's
going to come upon. It will be initiated with the Rapture of the church. That
hasn't happened. And then three and a half years of peace as antichrist comes
to the political rescue ofthe Middle Easterncountry of Israeland brings them
safetyand starts to build his revived Roman Empire in Europe. And
everything's going along fine. And then it's in the middle of that seven-year
period that all this begins when he sets up the worship of himself. So the
Rapture, the rise of antichrist, the birth pains, the signof the Son of Man,
those have not happened yet. We don't know what generationthey will come
upon. It could be this generation. It could happen any moment, the church
removed and the Tribulation begins. So we don't know what generationit is.
But the generationthat it comes upon, even with all those signs, evenwith all
that goes on, still won't know the exactday and the exacthour when Christ is
coming. That is a secret. Now, this is not talking about the Rapture, this is
talking about the secondcoming. We're at the end of the Tribulation here, as
is every obvious from verse 29. We have passedthrough the time of the

Tribulation in the thinking of Matthew and the teaching of our Lord. (Ready
or Not—Here I Come!, Part 1)
Thomas Ice disagreeswith MacArthur asking
What does this mean (Ed: Jesus'statementin Mt 24:36)in light of the fact
that Matthew 24:4-31 speaks concerning the tribulation period that is seven
360-dayyears, divided at the midpoint by the abomination of desolation? In
other words, alert believers in the tribulation should be able to know the exact
day of the SecondComing. I believe that believers in the tribulation will
indeed be able to know the day of Christ's return since Luke 21:28 says, "But
when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads,
because your redemption is drawing near." Also, Matthew 24:34 is a time
related statementsaying that the generationthat sees "allthese things," (i.e.,
the events of the seven-yeartribulation) will not pass awayuntil Christ
returns." (Matthew 24:36-39 No One Knows)
In his Study Bible notes MacArthur writes that
"evenwith all those indisputable signs and preciselydesignatedperiods, the
exactday and hour will not be known by any human beings, not even
Tribulation believers, in advance." (MacArthur New Testament
Commentary)
So whether a Tribulation believer cannot know (MacArthur) or can know
(Ice) the day of Christ's return, one thing is certain. Anyone who becomes a
believer during the Tribulation/Great Tribulation will certainly know that the
return of Christ is very near (within the next seven years)and given the
persecutionand martyrdom inflicted by the Antichrist (in the last 3.5 years -

the GreatTribulation), this sure hope will be soulstabilizing truth that
enables tried saints to endure to the end (either the end of their life if
martyred or to the end of the age when Christ returns, cp Mt 24:13-note)!
Perhaps John Walvoord offers the balancedexplanation -
In any case, Christpoints out that while prophecy is absolutelycertain of
fulfillment, the day of the SecondComing is not revealed, although the
approximate time will be known by those living in the GreatTribulation…
While these illustrations, beginning in Mt 24:32, have as their primary
interpretation and exhortation the situation immediately preceding the
SecondComing of Christ, there are parallels to those living today in
expectationof the rapture. Believers today also need to be faithful, to be
recognizing the signs of the times, and to be living in such a way that they are
ready for the Lord's return. Even among those who differ in their basic
interpretation of prophecy, there is this constantunifying note of being ready
for the Lord's return. John Calvin, for instance, in commenting on 1 John
2:18, states, "Itbehooves us to comfort ourselves atthis day, and to see by
faith the near advent of Christ … nothing more now remained but that Christ
should appearfor the redemption of the world." Martin Luther likewise
anticipated the early return of the Lord, stating "I think the last day is not far
away." He also adds, "The world runs and hastens so diligently to its end that
it often occurs to me forcibly that the lastday will break before we can
completely turn the Holy Scriptures into German. Forit is certain from the
Holy Scriptures that we have no more temporal things to expect. All is done
and fulfilled." So today, even though we may not understand all the prophetic
Word and may not interpret it alike, believers should be looking for the
coming of the Lord. As statedin 1John 3:3, "And everyone who has this hope
(1Jn 3:2) on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (Matthew: Thy
Kingdom Come - Matthew 24 The Signs of the End of the Age)

><>><>><>
Robert Neighbourasks "Is Christ's Coming Near?" -- "Foryet a little while,
(how little, how little) and He that cometh will come, and will not tarry" (Heb.
10:37).
We may not know the day of the coming of Christ, but we certainly may know
the times and the seasons. If the men of the world can discern the sky and
foretell whether it will be fair or foul weather, surely we can discern the signs
of the times (see Mt 16:3). Where is the bride that does not know that her
marriage draws near? She knows it long before the public knows. It is her
secret;it is the joy of her heart; and God has written certain things across the
years by which we will know when the time of His coming is near.
1. There are the Jewishsigns. Truly when the fig tree puts forth its leaves, we
know that summer is nigh; so also when we see Israelturning her face toward
Jerusalem, her long cherishedhome, we know that Christ is near; even at the
doors.
2. Spiritual signs proclaim His coming. To our minds, there is no sign of
Christ's sooncoming so marked as these. All overthe world to-day, ministers
who know the Book, andsaints who love the Lord, are preaching and
proclaiming the blessedhope of the Lord's return.
3. Moralsigns proclaim His coming. The fact that evil men and seducers are
waxing worse and worse;that the apostasywith its denials of the faith has
come. All of these proclaim the sooncoming of the Lord.

There are many other signs of Christ's sooncoming, surely He is near, even at
the door.
Many are the signs that greet us,
As we lift our eyes — they meet us,
Christ is coming — He is near:
Far and wide the cry is sounding,
Through the world it is resounding;
Soonthe Bridegroomwill appear.
O then, let your lamps burn steady,
Be ye robed and be ye ready;
That the wedding ye may share.
Don't delay your preparation,

Men of every tribe and nation,
For the Coming now prepare.
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False Predictions - Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the
sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? —Matthew 24:3 - News that a
solareclipse would take place on July 22, 2009, broughtan alarming
prediction. It was predicted that the eclipse would sufficiently affect
gravitationalpull, causing tectonic plates to "pop a seam," resulting in a
sizable earthquake and a subsequent devastating tsunami in Japan. The US
GeologicalSurveyresponded that no scientists "have ever predicted a major
earthquake. They do not know how, and they do not expect to know how,
anytime in the foreseeable future."
There have also been many false predictions about the date of Christ's second
coming—despite our Lord's emphatic words: "But of that day and hour no
one knows, noteven the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matt. 24:36).
Christ told His followers that instead of trying to predict the date of His
return, they should "watch" (Mt 24:42)and "be ready" (Mt 24:44).
Peterwarned, "The day of the Lord will come like a thief." Then he added:
"What kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives"
(2 Peter3:10-11 NIV).

Striving to live for God—that's what Jesus wants us to focus our energyon
while we wait for that "blessedhope and glorious appearing of our great God
and SaviorJesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).
When someone says, "Ican discern
Exactly when Christ will return,"
Don't be deceivedor led astray—
The Lord said we can't know the day. —Sper
Look for Christ's return,
and you'll live for Christ's glory.
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Day Unknown - Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of
heaven, but My Fatheronly. —Matthew 24:36 - To many Londoners, 1666
lookedlike the year when Jesus would return. Prophecyenthusiasts had
added 1,000 years since Christ's birth to 666, the number of Antichrist, to
arrive at the date 1666. The world did seemto be on the verge of destruction
when in 1665 a plague claimed the lives of 100,000people in London. Then in
September 1666, a London fire destroyed tens of thousands of buildings. Some
wondered, Didn't the Bible predict catastrophes atthe end of the world? (see
Matt. 24:1-8). Yet the year 1666 passed, andlife went on seemingly as it had
before.

Even in our own day, there are those who have predicted the end of the world.
A date is predicted, the media covers the frenzy, and then that day passes
uneventfully.
In God's wisdom, the actualtime of Christ's return has been kept from us.
Jesus said, "Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of
heaven, but My Fatheronly" (Matt. 24:36). This any-moment aspectof Jesus'
return helps keepbelievers motivated in Christian service and spiritual
growth all the time—not just near a certain date (Mt 25:1-13;1 John 3:2-3).
Be assured, Christ's personalreturn will take place. And as we awaitthat day,
our lives should be marked by "holy conduct and godliness" (2Peter3:11).
Should He come in the dawn of morning,
At noon or at twilight dim,
I only pray that every day
I'll be waiting and watching for Him.
—Bearden
No doctrine is more closelylinked to practicaldaily living
than that of the Lord's return.
><>><>><>
Surprised To Be Here? - You also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at
an hour you do not expect. —Matthew 24:44 - It was earlyFebruary 2000. My
wife and I had just flown into Palm Springs, California, for the funeral of a
family member. At the airport, a couple we had never met askedus if we were

associatedwith RBC Ministries. They had overheardmy name at the car
rental counter where they were standing. When the woman learned that I was
with RBC, she said, "We are Christians too." Then she asked, "Are you
surprised to still be here?"
"No, not really," I replied, wondering what was behind her question. But the
reasonsoonbecame clear. She said that many people had expectedJesus to
come on January 1, 2000, to take believers to heaven.
Ever since Jesus left this earth, people have tried to interpret history in the
light of prophecy and predict the day of His return. After centuries of
unsuccessfuldate-setting, many well-meaning believers have been surprised—
and disillusioned—on the day after they were supposedto be gone.
When Jesus told His disciples about His secondcoming, He said that only God
the Fatherknew the day and hour (Matthew 24:36). Jesus gave many details
about the time, but one practicaltruth stands out: If we are faithfully serving
Him, we'll be ready no matter when He comes.
O Lord, we do not need to know
Exactly when You will return;
So give us patience as we make
A godly life our main concern. —Sper
If Christ comes today,
will you be ready to meet Him?

><>><>><>
Perhaps Today - You also be ready, for the Sonof Man is coming at an hour
you do not expect. —Matthew 24:44
A year ago, I read an article saying that millions of TV sets in the United
States would stop working today unless they were able to receive digital
signals. Noticesappearedin electronics stores, andthe government even
offered a free $40 coupon toward the purchase of a converterbox.
I suspectthat most people took the necessarysteps to make sure their TV set
would work when they turned it on today. We usually respond well to
warnings tied to specific dates, but often fail to prepare for an event that will
come "some day."
When the disciples askedJesus aboutthe date of His return (Matt. 24:3), He
told them that only God the Father knows:"But of that day and hour no one
knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Fatheronly" (Mt 24:36). Then
He urged them to be prepared so that they would not be taken by surprise.
"Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do
not expect" (Mt 24:44).
We don't know when Jesus will return; He may come at any time. Dr. M. R.
De Haan, founder of RBC Ministries, kept a two-wordmotto in his office:
"Perhaps Today"
When we make our daily plans, are we aware that Christ may return? Are we
prepared to meet Him?

The darkness deepens!Yes, but dawn is nearer!
The Lord from heaven may soonbe on His way;
The "blessedhope" in these dark days grows dearer,
Our SaviorChrist will come—perhaps today! —Smith
If Christ comes today,
will you be ready to meet Him?
><>><>><>
Are You Ready? - When Jesus promisedHis disciples that He would one day
return to earth, He said He would come at a time they did not expect
(Matthew 24:44). Therefore, people today who set dates for Christ's second
coming are really wasting their time. Jesus never told His followers how to
calculate the day of His return. Rather, He emphasized that our main priority
is to make sure we're ready for Him, and that we are occupiedin His service
when He comes (Mt 24:45-46).
A woman who lived by this teaching was shopping in a small country store.
Severalyoung people were just standing around doing nothing. Knowing she
was a Christian, they beganridiculing her. "We hear you're expecting Jesus
to come back," they jeered. "That's right," she replied brightly. "Do you
really believe He's coming?" they asked. "Absolutely," she answered. They
said, "Well, you'd better hurry home and getready. He might be on the way!"
Facing them, she said, "I don't have to get ready—I keepready!"

Are you ready for the arrival of God's Son? Will you be glad to see Jesus
when He returns? If not, get ready now. Without delay, turn awayfrom your
sin and trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Then keepready by
walking in His will every day.
The Christ I love is coming soon,
It may be morning, night, or noon;
My lamps are lit, I'll watchand pray;
It may be today, it may be today. —Bixler
Jesus may come at any time,
so we must be ready all the time.
><>><>><>
Are You Ready? (Part 2) - Two unusual things happened as I was sitting in a
restaurant having my usual breakfastof a bageland coffee. FirstI read an
article on the front page of the newspaper. It quoted a certainChristian
author who theorized that Christ would callmillions of Christians to heaven
before sundown that particular day.
A few minutes later, a friend walkedup, satdown, and beganto tell me that
his life had been dramatically changed. He said that for the first time in his
life he was ready to meet the Lord. This was goodnews, since we had often
discussedhis unwillingness to live in a manner consistentwith his claim to be
a Christian.

He said he had decided that it was all or nothing. He had an amazing peace,
and now he was also concernedabout others. When I askedhim what had
happened, he told me he had read the book I had been reading about in the
newspaper. He said he finally realized that whether Christ came on that day
or another day, he would have to stand before the Lord eventually.
To claim that Christ will come today may result in a false alarm. But to
believe that Christ may come today and that we will have to answerto Him
will motivate us to live for Him.
Are you ready?
When we live with expectancy,
Awaiting Christ's return,
Our diligent obedience
Becomesour main concern. —Sper
Plan as if Christ's return is many years away;
live as if He will come today!
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Dirty Dishes - Abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence
and not be ashamedbefore Him at His coming. —1 John 2:28 - When I was a
boy, my father often traveled to other cities to speak at churches and Bible
conferences. Sometimes my mother would accompanyhim, leaving my

brother and me alone for a few days. We enjoyed being independent, but we
detesteddoing the dishes.
I remember the time we tried to put off that dreaded chore as long as possible
by stacking all the dirty plates, glasses, and silverware in the oven after each
meal. At the end of the week, there was hardly any room left. Then, on the
evening before Mom and Dad were to return, we rolled up our sleeves and
cleanedup the whole mess. It took hours! How ashamedwe would have been
if our parents had come back earlierthan we expected.
Becausewe don't know exactly when Christ will return (Matthew
24:36,42,44), we must not getlazy in our Christian walk. The expectancyof
His any-moment appearance should help us to be "faithful and wise" servants
(Mt 24:45)and to live in a way that "we may have confidence and not be
ashamed" when He comes (1 John 2:28).
Yes, Christ will come again, just as He promised. Perhaps today! Do you have
any "dirty dishes"? Now is the time to get ready.
Faithful and true would He find us here
If He should come today?
Watching in gladness and not in fear,
If He should come today. —Morris
Live as if Christ is coming back today.
><>><>><>

SeanO'Connell - A SECOND-AND THIRD-CENTURYRomanclergyman
calculatedthat Jesus would return in AD 500. His prediction was basedon the
dimensions of Noah's Ark. Christ did not return at that time. On January 1,
1000 many Christians in Europe, as you canimagine, predicted the end of the
world. Sadly, some Christians, if they can be called that, reactedto that
millennial mark in a military fashion. As the first of the year approached,
Christian armies traveled to some of the pagan countries in Northern Europe
in order to make converts, by force if necessary, before Christ returned.
Christ did not return then. In 1415 the Taborites, a group greatly influenced
by the apocalyptic writings of Joachimof Fiore (ca. 1135-1202), thoughtthat
Christ would return once they shed "the blood of the enemies of Christ"-i.e.,
defeatedtheir persecutors. The group disbanded after they didn't fare so well
againstthe German army. Christ did not return. Also in the Middle Ages,
Pope Innocent III took the number 618 (the year Islam was founded) and
added the number 666 (the number of the beast) to get1284 as the year of
Christ's final judgment. Christ did not return.
On February 14, 1835 JosephSmith, the founder of The Church of the Latter
Day Saints, calleda meeting of Mormon leaders. He announcedthat Jesus
would return within fifty-six years (History of the Church, 2:182). Earlier, in
or around the year 1832, Smith wrote in Doctrines and Covenants, 130.17, "I
prophesy in the name of the Lord God, and let it be written-the Son of Man
will not come in the clouds till I am eighty-five years old." Smith would have
been eighty-five in 1890. Unfortunately a mob murdered him before his
thirty-ninth birthday. Christ did not return. William Miller, founder of a
popular end-times movement that bore his name-"Millerism"-predictedthat
the secondcoming would occur sometime between1843 and 1844. Christdid
not return. In 1874 Charles Taze Russell, founderof what is now knownas
the Bible Student movement, from which came the Jehovah's Witnesses
(Watchtowerand TractSociety)and other organizations, predicted the
rapture in 1910, followedby the end of the world and Christ's invisible return
in 1914. Christdid not return (or at leastno one saw him).

In 1986 the group The Children of God predicted that Russia would defeatthe
United States and Israel, establishing a worldwide dictatorship. Then, in 1993,
Christ would return. Christ did not return. In 1988 Whisenant Edgar wrote
the book 88 ReasonsWhy the Rapture Is in 1988, and Colin Dealwrote Christ
Returns by 1988. Those bookssoldover four million copies. Christ did not
return. Lee Jang Rim of the church Missionfor the Coming Days prophesied
that Jesus would return through the Sydney Harbor on October28, 1992.
Christ did not return (and sadly, Rim did not return as well, walking away
with 4.4 million dollars from his followers'life savings). In 1998 a Taiwanese
cult in Texas claimedthat Christ would return and invite the faithful
followers aboarda UFO. Christ did not return (and to my knowledge, no UFO
was spotted). Also in 1998-a goodyearfor such prophecies, as 666 times three
equals 1998-psychic EdgarCayce taughtthat a secret, underground chamber
would be discoveredbetweenthe paws of the GreatSphinx in Egypt. Within
that chamber would be documents about the history of the lost city of
Atlantis. This new revelation would activate the secondcoming of Christ.
Christ did not return. In 2000 … well, the list of prophecies is too long. Each
time Christ did not return.
To give one final example, Harold Camping (earlier in September 1994 and
again106 days ago before this sermon was preached)predicted the end of the
world. He advertisedon his fifty-five radio stations and on 6,000 billboards,
"Judgment Day is coming/May21, 2011. The Bible guarantees it!" You could
even sign up for a live Twitter feed at Twitter.com/endofworldmay21.I doubt
that Twitter feed is feeding anything now. Christ did not return. Camping
then, without apologyfor his earlier false prediction, named October21, 2011
as the right date for Christ's return. Again Christ did not return. (Matthew
Commentary-Preaching the Word)
THE GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT- "Of that day and hour no one knows"
Mt 24:36 - Those words seemclearenough, but the disregarding of them led
to one of the most highly anticipated—and most disappointing—days in
history.

The churches of northeastern America grew rapidly in the early 1800s, fueled
by one revival after another. The new Christians had little theological
education, yet many of them began to discuss details of biblical prophecy with
greatvigor. Speculationboiled over the exactday and year when Christ would
return, and among the speculators was William Miller of New York.
Miller, when newly converted, had torn into the prophecies of Daniel,
concluding in 1818 that Christ would return in 1843 or1844. Whenhe later
beganpreaching, this became a keynote of his messages, and his listeners,
finding him earnest, eloquent, and sincere, multiplied. He finally announced
that Christ would return to earth on October22, 1844.
The financial panic of 1839 contributed to the belief that the end of the world
was approaching. Enthusiasm for Christ's return became so great that
prophetic charts were added alongside stock marketlistings and current
events in the newspapers. Miller's teachings sweptthrough New England, and
large numbers espousedMillerism.
As the morning of October22, 1844, dawned, a sense offear and foreboding
fell overNew England. People gatheredon mountaintops and in churches.
Normal activities ceasedas everyone awaitedthe sudden rending of the skies
and the end of the world. When the day passeduneventfully, many Christians
grew disillusioned. The unsaved became cynical. The following years saw a
decline in conversions, andthe period of revivals came to an abrupt end. The
event became known as "The GreatDisappointment." (Nelson's complete
book of stories, illustrations, and quotes)
The SecondComing of Christ in Outline

I. Time of Christ's Return
A. Unknown: Matthew 24:36;Mark 13:32
B. Unexpected: Matthew 24:44
II. Other Terms for Christ's Return
A. The Times of Refreshing:Acts 3:19
B. The Dayof God: 2 Peter3:12
C. The Last Days:2 Timothy 3:1
D. The Revelationof Jesus Christ: Revelation1:1
E. The Glorious Appearing of Our GreatGod and Savior, Jesus Christ: Titus
2:13
F. The Dayof Jesus Christ: Philippians 1:6
G. The Appearing of the Chief Shepherd: 1 Peter5:4

H. The BlessedHope: Titus 2:13
III. The Manner of His Coming
A. Sudden and unexpected: Matthew 24:44;Luke 12:40
B. The same way he ascended:Acts 1:11
C. Like a thief in the night: 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter3:10; Rev. 16:15
D. Like a flash of lightning: Matthew 24:27
E. In the clouds:Matthew 24:30;Revelation1:7
F. With a trumpet, a shout, and the cry of the archangel:1 Thessalonians
4:15-16
G. Accompaniedby angels:Matthew 16:27;2 Thessalonians1:7
H. With his saints:1 Thessalonians3:13;Jude 14
I. With greatglory: Matthew 16:27, 25:31

J. In flaming fire: 2 Thessalonians 1:8
IV. The Purpose of His Coming
A. To be glorified with his saints: 2 Thessalonians 1:10
B. To raise the dead in Christ: 1 Thessalonians 4:16
C. To rapture the living saints: 1 Thessalonians 4:17
D. To reign on the earth: Isaiah24:23; Revelation11:15
E. To judge and reward his saints:1 Corinthians 3:11-15;2 Corinthians 5:10
F. To defeat the devil forever: Revelation20:10
V. Our Duties in Relation to His Return
A. Considerit close athand: Romans 13:12;Philippians 4:5
B. Be prepared: Matthew 24:44,46

C. Look for it: Philippians 3:20; Titus 2:13
D. Love his appearing: 2 Timothy 4:8
E. Put on the armor of God: Romans 13:12-14;1 Thessalonians 5:8
F. Wait patiently for it: 1 Corinthians 1:7; Hebrews 9:28; James 5:7-8
G. Purify ourselves in light of it: 2 Peter 3:11-12;1 John 3:1-3
H. Pray for his coming: Matthew 6:10; Revelation22:20
JACK ARNOLD
EVIDENCES FOR THE NEARNESSOF THE RAPTURE -- Matthew
24:36-42
INTRODUCTION: At this point in the Olivet Discourse, there comes a
definite break in thought. The chronologicaloutline of the complex of events
that will occurin the end time has been completed. Christ has spokenmuch
about the last phase of His parousia but now apparently chooses to speak

about the first phase which is the Rapture of the Church. Remember, the
disciples are a representative group.
They are Jews but soonwill be part of the Church, so certain sections are
directed toward the Church. NOTE: Some scholars think that this is a
reference to the secondadvent. However, if the Lord is not describing His
coming for the Church, then we would have no description from His lips of
this tremendous event. All we would have would be His promise, “I will come
againand take you to myself. (John 14:3) NOTE: While there are no definite
signs that precede the Rapture of the Church, there are some evidence that
the Rapture may be near. World conditions may indicate that the Rapture is
not too far distant in God’s prophetic program.
ILLUSTRATION: While there are no signs that precede the Rapture, the
shaping up of world events that will bring the Tribulation period and
ultimately the secondadvent indicate that the Rapture may not be too far
distant.
It is much like the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. About a week
before Thanksgiving we may see Christmas decorations being put up in stores
and our streets. We know very well that the next event on the calendar is
Thanksgiving but the Christmas decorations indicate that Christmas is not
too far distant. So today we know that the next event on God’s calendaris the
Rapture but we see things happening today that tell us that the secondadvent
is not too far in the future.

Matthew 24:29, 30: 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: And then shall
appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of
the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of
heaven with powerand greatglory.
“But of that day and hour knowethno man, no, not the angels of heaven, but
my Fatheronly.” -- Now Christ begins to speak abouta phase of His coming
that no one knows when the day and the hour will be. His coming will be
completely unpredictable. Notice verse 42. Our Lord exhorts believers in
Christ to be constantly watching for the return of Christ. Christ coming is
imminent and can occurat any moment and Christians are to be watching for
this event. NOTE: Christ must be speaking aboutthe Rapture or the first
phase of the parousia. There are no signs that precede the Rapture of the
Church. It would be impossible for Jesus to use these words if He were
referring to the secondadvent in powerand greatglory, for the secondadvent
will be precededby all kinds of signs. (Matthew 24:29, 30). An astute Bible
student in the Tribulation period will be able to predict the day and perhaps
the hour of the secondadvent, but the day Christ is talking about is
unpredictable. The believer in the Church is to be constantly watching for the
Rapture, for it can occurat any moment.
ILLUSTRATION: God is absolutelysilent about the time when Christ shall
come for His Church. We must be carefulabout setting any kind of dates, for

Jesus was saying that he did not know

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