Knowing The Day and Hour

 

 

"If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee."^{Rev. 3:3}

 

Nowhere in scripture will you find "no one will know the day and hour of the Lord's return." In fact, we are told  “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” ^{1Thes. 5:4}  So, why do so many believe no one will know the day and hour?

 

The problem comes from the misreading of scripture. What Jesus taught of the subject is:

 

“But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord does come.”^{Matt 24:36-42}

 

Jesus began speaking in the present tense about knowing both the day and the hour, telling us that at the time He was speaking no one, but the father, knew the day and hour. Jesus, Himself, didn’t know as He was speaking, but did know after the resurrection when He said: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”^{Matt 28:18}

 

Then Jesus switched to the future tense to tell us how it would be when he returned. It would be as in the days of Noah when the saved knew the day the flood would come: “For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.” ^{Gen 7:4-5}

 

When the flood came, the saved were safely aboard the ark, but it came upon the lost unexpectedly like a thief in the night. The lost were doing every day things as usual expecting nothing until the flood came and carried the ark away.

 

After telling us we would know the day, Jesus addressed knowing the hour. Switching back to the present tense to tell us the hour of His coming wasn’t known as He was speaking, and He told us to watch. Implicit in the command to watch is to know the hour of His coming, for we will see His coming whether watching or not: “he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him.”^{Rev. 1:7} which He confirms elsewhere: “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” ^{Rev 3:3}