THE DAY AND HOUR KNOWETH NO MAN

Matt 24:36-41 But of that day and hour knoweth 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 doth come. (Also See Matt. 24:32-35; Mark 13:28-33; Luke 21:29-33)

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell how Jesus used the parable of the fig tree to illustrate the signs of His future coming (Matt. 24:32-33; Mark 13:28-29; Luke 21:29-31). Just as the putting forth of leaves by the fig tree is a sign of the coming of spring, so the signs that marked the end of the Jewish state and the beginning of the Christian era are to precede the second coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The parable of the fig tree is followed with this scripture: Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. This is one of the many passages that brought about much debate among religionists. Taken literally, Jesus said that many of the Jews living at the time He was delivering this prophecy, in 33 A.D., would still be alive until a portion of it had been fulfilled. Certainly this was true as it had to do with the destruction of the temple and the end of the Jewish state which took place between the years 66 to 70 A.D. However, it was certainly not true of the second coming of our Savior. The siege and conquering of the Jewish state was exactly predictable and those signs were given to warn the Jewish Christians to flee and be saved from onslaught by the Roman armies.

This predictable portion of Jesus' prophecy, the destruction of the Jewish state, is now contrasted to the totally unpredictable nature - the second coming of Christ Jesus. Jesus begins His explanation of this in verse 36 when He prophetically states: But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only. Many men and women have spent much of their adult life trying to predict the hour, day, etc., when Jesus will be coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. This verse assures everyone who reads and understands its meaning, that their efforts are futile, completely fruitless, and without profit. Only God knows the specific day and hour that the Lord will descend with His angels to gather His elect and transport them into the heaven He has prepared for them. When we speak of this day we must also say that it will be the same day the unfaithful men and women of the world will be transported into the place prepared to administer eternal punishment - all those that, while living on earth, abandoned God, turned against His Son, the Savior, and rejected the plan of salvation He died to establish.

Jesus now compares His second coming to the days of Noah. Although he warned the sinful world at that time, his preaching fell on deaf ears; no one heard and believed Noah's message. Therefore when the deluge came, it seemed to be a complete surprise to them. They were not prepared to be saved from what God had in store for the world. Up until the first raindrop fell, men and women of the world were simply going about the same carnal lifestyle that they had been previously living. They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage - continuing to live in rebellious sin and degradation, until the day that Noah entered into the ark. They did not recognize the danger that they were about to face until the flood came, and took them all away. With this in mind, Jesus warns all Christians today of the uncertainty of His second coming - as it was in the days Noah, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Jesus gives us an example of what will take place when He comes again, and the totally unpredictable day and hour His second coming will take place. Two may be working in the field, and two could possibly be grinding at the mill. When He comes again, there will be a separation of the people - the good from the evil - the obedient from the disobedient. The example indicates that you may even beseparated from your family, friends, and neighbors. The good will be gathered in by angels and taken into the eternal bliss of heaven, while the evil will be required to depart into hell, and there suffer eternal punishment. With these prophetic sayings of our Savior, He then gives all mankind this warning: Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.