What Jesus means by ‘No one knows the day nor the hour’

I think the time for the end of all things, the end of the world order as we have it today, is near. But what is even closer is the end of the church age, for the saints must be quietly taken away out of the world to be with their Lord: Yeshua or Jesus Christ, before judgement and wrath of God falls on the rest of the world especially the enemies of the church and Israel, and then the kingdom of God is established from Jerusalem, Israel to the ends of the world.

This judgement in the scriptures is referred to as the Day of the LORD. Zechariah 14:1; Joel 2:31; Revelation 16:14.

What time will Jesus come back?

There is a clear answer to this question in the bible when the disciples privately asked Yeshua: “tell us, when will these happen?” Matthew 24:3. Yeshua’s answer is sufficient for us, especially if we understand him correctly. In 33 verses, Jesus first spoke of the signs of his coming before directly answering the question of ‘when’. He answered:

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” Matthew 24:36.

Jesus went ahead in verses 37,38 to give another sign of the time:

‘As it was in the days of Noah.’

So, it is true that no one can tell the exact day or hour of our Lord’s second coming. But does this mean it is impossible for us to at least know the year or the century or even the millennium that will herald our Lord? The answer is no. Why else would he give us the signs of the time if not for us to at least know the period when our expectation of his presence should be very high?

Jesus said “no one knows the day and hour.”

The Greek used there “ἡμέρα” hemera for day and “ὥρα hora” for hour means, especially in that context, 24-hour day, and hour or exact time. In fact, further down in verses 45-50 clearly show that day and hour is what Jesus literally meant. Jesus used an example we all can relate with. He said: “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?” vs 45. Verse 50 says: “the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know”. The watchman/servant watches day and night, hour by hour.

Therefore, what Jesus implies is that no man can claim to know the date and time of his second coming like say 9pm of 1^st October 2027, which is Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Trumpets of that year 2027. But we can indeed use the given signs to know the millennium or the century of his coming and if the revelation in the word of God permits, we can even ascertain the exact year of the second coming which is the beginning of the end of this world order, the day of the resurrection of the dead and the beginning of the judgement of the household of God.

We are going to see if in the already revealed plan of God in the Bible, especially in the books of Revelation, we can find this time of the end. The Most High declares the end from the beginning.

“9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’”

Isaiah 46:9,10.

He does this so that when His words are fulfilled, those who lived to see them would revere and glorify Him and know that the earth and it’s fulness is the LORD’s. So, we can be very sure of fulfilled events with less error of interpreting spiritual events with human understanding. We can also, through the pages of scriptures see the time of future events. If it is the will of God, then he will aid us in our understanding of future events, like in determining the time of the end, all to His glory. He alone is indeed God and Omniscient.