The “No One Knows the Day nor the Hour” Scam
I have a beef with the intense effort of many in the body of Christ to remain willfully ignorant and their self-righteous misuse of a quote from Jesus. They quote it with a great deal of pious justification for their lack of knowledge. That quote is found in multiple Gospels, and in each He is quoted as saying:
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.
Matthew 25:13 “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
Mark 13:32-33 “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.
Both Matthew and Mark faithfully record those words. So let’s rightly divide what’s being said and analyze their content, and not use the traditions of men, making the word of God of no effect. If I were to come to you and say Jesus will return June 30th, 2043 at 3 PM, you could properly reply, “No man knows the day nor the hour,” as I gave BOTH the day AND the hour. You could rightfully throw my words to the ground and properly declare my words to be false.
As a matter of fact, even if I gave the day and not the hour, you could use that scripture, as the heart of it is that total precision of Jesus’ return is not divulged by the Lord or the Word. To say He will return on such and such a day of such and such a year would be wrong.
What it does NOT say, however, is that the Lord wants all His servants totally ignorant of the times and seasons of His return and therefore to keep yourself as ignorant as possible and don’t bother learning what He does say about the timing of His return lest you be disobeying the Lord.
I am about to show His heart about understanding the times and seasons and being well-informed leaders and saints, so you might lead and guide the body of Christ as you see the day approaching.
Knowledge is said to be readily available by James, and the Bible has a great deal to say about the times and seasons of His coming. He actually encourages us to be informed and alert—prepared.
Matthew 24:36-39 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. (Pay attention to “the days of Noah.” He related to that for a reason.) “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
So consider the reference Jesus gives. Who was unprepared and who was ready? Did God not share with Noah and his family the time of the coming flood so they could prepare and be ready? How long in advance of the event did He give them the information so they could prepare? Oh yeah—120 years. Keep that number in your head. It has relevance.
Now Jesus is asked by His disciples, “When will all the things that will take place before the return of the Lord happen?” What was the answer He gave His disciples?
Matthew 24:32-34 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
And what is the maximum length of a generation told to us in Genesis? Oh yeah—120 years!
So if someone comes to you and says the return of the Lord will take place sometime before 2068, they are not saying either the day, the hour, the year, or the month of His return, but only the knowledge of the limits when it, of biblical necessity, must take place. Ten, twenty, or thirty years before? Five years before? The year before? Who knows? No man knows the day. But He surely wants you to be prepared and ready for the times and seasons.
Matthew 24:43-47 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
That scripture seems to indicate it perhaps will be sooner than you think. But it definitely doesn’t negate the understanding of the times. None of the information His Word divulges about His coming is random generalities. Use the Spirit the Lord gave you and be wise.
Does any of this sound to you like the Lord is saying to be as ignorant as possible? You won’t know a thing? “My people perish for lack of knowledge,” the Bible says. Yet knowledge is readily available. The Lord has outlined a clear picture of the timing of His return, but many are too lazy to find out. It’s clearly defined in the Word. He has promised to give understanding to any who ask. But I find many are way too lazy to ask, to wait on the Lord, and patiently listen.
I can confidently say He will return sometime before 2068. You can throw my words to the ground and I won’t be the least offended. I would hate for you to believe this simply because I said it, though my words are true. The Word clearly defines the necessary information to determine it for yourself. I will tell you, if any lacks wisdom and goes to the Lord and requests that He show you the times and seasons of His coming, He will NOT say, “No man knows the day nor the hour. Quit bothering me.”
For God’s sake, for your sake, for your children’s and grandchildren’s sake, for those you are leading toward discipleship in Jesus’ sake, research it and become less ignorant about it. You absolutely can NOT use the excuse that “no man knows the day nor the hour” as a reason for your ignorance. God has given us too much in the Word and declared His willingness to teach us. Use your time to become informed.
We have a little time yet. But the times, they are a comin’, and the instructions of the Lord are to “be ready.” So hitch up your cloak and get busy. Turn the TV off. Delve into the myriad of chapters, books of the Bible, and passages in the Bible that lay out a detailed and complete account of His coming and the events leading up to it. Spend time with Jesus that He might teach you, and stop being ignorant if you don’t understand what is so clearly given.
One other warning: quit reading the accounts of men and read the Word. There is a great deal of misinformation bandied about concerning end times as men repeat traditional thinking not based on rightly dividing the Word. Jesus and His Word will never mislead you. Go to Him and get wise.
My words are true, but be the more noble Berean and find out for yourself whether these things be true. You will never regret the hours you put in, and when the season of His coming is upon you, you will be ready. The days are already leaning toward the winter of His coming, and “this generation” already began some time ago.
