“The Day And Hour.”

Verses 36, 37: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

This has become a very familiar passage of scripture because of the frequent use that is made of it to prove that nothing can be known of the proximity of the second coming of Christ. But if we pause a moment and lay beside this verse those we have just studied, we shall be able to discover the exact truth at once. “When ye shall see these things, know that it is near even at the doors;” and, “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled;” “But of that day and hour knoweth no man.” The line of knowledge, then, lies between the former expressions and the latter—between “even at the doors” and the definite day and hour. The former we may know, and every Christian is commanded to know. The latter no man knoweth. One may consistently say that he knows an event is [pg 071] near, and yet say that he does not know the hour nor the day when it will take place. That this is the scriptural teaching upon this point may be readily proved by a reference to 1 Thess. 5:1-4:—

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”

An evident distinction is here drawn between two classes. Upon one class the day of the Lord will come as a thief. Those of the other are not in darkness that that day should come as a thief upon them. The children of God are children of light. Their heavenly Father knows the end from the beginning, and he has promised to reveal his secret to his people through his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7.

The apostle Peter also bears testimony to the same truth.

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day-star arise in your hearts.” 2 Peter 1:19.

The dark place here spoken of is the future. The past is lighted up by history, the present is brought to our knowledge by press and telegraph; but the future no human art or wisdom can penetrate. Prophecy throws its gleam into those dark regions, yet unexplored, and marks out the path of human history centuries and ages before it has echoed to the footsteps of mankind. When at last we pass along the pathway, we may, if we will, recognize the waymarks set up here and there, every one of which [pg 072] is a monument to the wisdom and knowledge of God, and the faithfulness of his word. Those who have no eyes to discern these things, no ears to hear, nor hearts to understand their significance, will pass on, and the final event will come upon them unawares. Not so with those who take heed to the things God has spoken.

We would not detract an iota from the force of the verse under consideration. It means all it says. No man knows the definite time of Christ's coming. The day and hour, and even the year of the second advent are purposely hidden. Some of the prophetic periods reach to the time of the end, while others extend still farther down, very near to the end itself; yet none of them reach to the coming of the Son of man. The prophecies clearly point to the period of the second advent, but do not give the definite time of that event.

But with this passage before us we may claim that it would be transcending its meaning to claim upon its authority that nothing should or could be known of the approach of Christ's coming. More than that, it is not inconsistent with the text nor improbable that prior to that event the Lord will in his own way reveal that which has hitherto been withheld. Those who claim that the text proves that nothing may be known of the period of the second advent, make it prove too much for their own unbelief. As recorded by Mark, the declaration reads: “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in Heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” If the text proves that men will know nothing of the period of the second advent, it also proves that angels will know nothing of it, and also that the Son will know nothing of it, till the event takes place! This position proves too much, therefore proves nothing to the point. [pg 073] Christ will know of the period of his second advent to this world. The holy angels who wait around the throne of heaven to receive messages relative to the part they act in the salvation of men, will know of the time of this closing event of salvation. And so will the waiting, watching people of God understand. An old English version of the passage reads, “But that day and hour no man maketh known, neither the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” This is the correct reading, according to several of the ablest critics of the age. The word know is used in the same sense here that it is by Paul in 1 Cor. 2:2: “For I determined not to know [make known] anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Men will not make known the day and hour, angels will not make it known, neither will the Son; but the Father will make it known. Says Campbell:—

“Macknight argues that the term known is here used as a causative, in the Hebrew sense of the conjugation hiphil, that is, to make known.... His [Christ's] answer is just equivalent to saying, The Father will make it known when it pleases him; but he has not authorized man, angel, or the Son to make it known. Just in this sense, Paul uses the term know, 1 Cor. 2:2: ‘I came to you making known the testimony of God; for I determined to make known nothing among you but a crucified Christ.’ ”

Albert Barnes, in his “Notes on the Gospels,” says:—

“Others have said that the verb rendered knoweth means sometimes to make known, or to reveal, and that the passage means, ‘that day and hour none maketh known, neither the angels, nor the Son, but the Father.’ It is true the word has sometimes that meaning, as 1 Cor. 2:2.”

When the patriarch's work of warning and building was finished, God said to him, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark.” “For yet seven days and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” So when [pg 074] the waiting, watching, weeping, toiling time shall be finished, and the saints shall all be sealed, and shut in with God, then, we conclude, will the voice of the Father from heaven make known the definite time. See Rev. 16:17; Joel 3:16; Jer. 25:30.

The present is emphatically the waiting, watching time. It is the especial period of the patience of the saints. The Lord appeals to us thus:—

“Watch ye, therefore; for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” Mark 13:35-37.

One of the fatal consequences of not watching is distinctly stated in Rev. 3:3:—

“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.”

In consequence of not watching, the people will remain in ignorance of the approach of that hour. And the unavoidable inference is that by watching they will be aware of and prepared for its coming. In answer to the agonizing prayer of the Son of God, “Father, glorify thy name,” there came a voice from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The disciples understood these words from heaven, while the people that stood by said it thundered. John 12:27-29. So will the waiting disciples of Christ understand the voice of God when he shall speak from on high. But the unbelieving world will not understand it. In comparing Noah's days and ours, the Lord continues:—