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The following is section six from a series on emphatic elements in the Greek New Testament, written by biblical language expert Justin Alfred. Previous blog entries in this series:<\/p>\n
But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37<\/sup> “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38<\/sup> “For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39<\/sup> and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. 40<\/sup> “Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. 41<\/sup> “Two women will be <\/em>grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. (Matthew 24:36-41)<\/span><\/p>\n In the above passage, Jesus certainly presents what appears to support the view of the rapture of believers in verses 40-41: \u201cThen there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.\u00a0 Two women will be <\/em>grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.\u201d\u00a0 On the other hand, Jesus is making it abundantly clear that \u201cof that day and hour NO ONE KNOWS (my emphasis<\/em>),\u201d and there are NO EXCEPTIONS with regard to anyone having either a partial or full grasp of remotely knowing when Jesus is returning.\u00a0 On the other hand, in just my lifetime and the almost 47 years I have been a Christian, I have witnessed Christians, evangelical pastors, teachers, writers, and theologians who seem to think that Jesus should have made a qualifying statement such as, \u201cof that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone, as well as certain and very well-informed Christians, evangelical pastors, teachers, writers, and theologians in the 20th<\/sup> and early 21st<\/sup> centuries AD.\u201d<\/p>\n After Jesus\u2019 resurrection, and just before His ascension into heaven, His disciples were once again anxious about knowing about the \u201cend times,\u201d just as they were in Matthew 24:3. They approached Him with the same question:<\/p>\n And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7<\/sup> He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority<\/span><\/strong>; 8<\/sup> but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth<\/span><\/strong>.” 9<\/sup> And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10<\/sup> And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; 11<\/sup> and they also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:6-11)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Verse 7 cannot be more clear. Yet, just in my brief lifetime, I have continually witnessed Christian, evangelical pastors, teachers, writers, and theologians who appear to have TOTALLY DISREGARDED this verse, as well as Matthew 24:36, and they believe they are the exception to these two all important verses.\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at these two essential and important verses, Matthew 24:36 and Acts 1:7, and see how they fit in with all that Jesus is saying concerning His return.<\/p>\n Here is the first thing to note in Matthew 24:36: the Greek word used to translate the English words, \u201cno one,\u201d is \u03bf\u1f50\u03b4\u03b5\u1f77\u03c2<\/strong> <\/strong>(oudeis<\/em>); it is made up of two Greek words: \u03bf\u1f50 <\/strong>(ou<\/em>), which means \u201cno or not\u201d; and \u03b5\u1f37\u03c2<\/strong> <\/strong>(eis<\/em>), which means \u201cone.\u201d\u00a0 The \u03b4<\/strong> <\/strong>(d<\/em>) is added simply as a consonantal connective for what is called a more euphonic<\/em> reading and articulation.\u00a0 In other words, it’s just easier to say!<\/p>\n Thus, Jesus is saying is that \u201cNO ONE,\u201d which means, \u201cNO ONE, NOT ANY, NOT ONE knows the day or hour\u201d of His return.\u00a0 Now believe it or not, over the years I have heard Christiasn, evangelical pastors, teachers, and writers, but only a few theologians, say, \u201cbut He didn\u2019t say anything about not knowing the week, month, year, decade, or century in which He will return.\u201d\u00a0 If such a statement like this was not so tragically ludicrous, it would be funny. But, unfortunately, it is utterly and tragically ludicrous.\u00a0 The term that Jesus uses\u2014\u201cday and hour\u201d\u2014 is merely an idiom of the time in which He lived, and it meant, \u201cNO ONE KNOWS THE TIME AT ALL!\u201d:<\/p>\n In very strong contrast to the emphasis in v. 33 concerning what can<\/em> be known\u2014namely, the experienced signs of the interim up to the point of the nearness of the parousia of the Son of Man\u2014the present verse clearly indicates the impossibility<\/em> of knowing the time of the Son of Man\u2019s coming and the end of the age in advance of their actual occurrence . . . . This stress on our ignorance of the actual time of the parousia continues through the next several periscopes . . . . \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1f21\u03bc\u03ad\u03c1\u03b1\u03c2 \u1f10\u03ba\u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03b7\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f65\u03c1\u03b1\u03c2, \u201cof that day and hour,\u201d refers to the<\/em> event\u2014the climactic return of the Son of Man\u2014by which this formula (for \u201cday and hour,\u201d see v. 50; 25:13; \u201cday and hour\u201d are split in vv 42, 44) is said to be beyond human determination altogether, and not just partially, e.g., so that, say, the month or year could<\/em> be known (rightly Meinertz, L\u00f6vestam, Carson, Blomberg).[1]<\/a><\/p>\n Thus, what Hagner is saying, and Meinertz, L\u00f6vestam, Carson, and Blomberg agree with him, is that \u201cday and hour\u201d is an all inclusive term, meaning that \u201cNO ONE AT ALL HAS ANY IDEA AS TO THE NEAR OR EXACT TIME\u201d when He will return.\u00a0 To emphasize this even more so, Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 24:36 that \u201cnot even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone\u201d knows when His return will be!\u00a0 The other important aspect of Matthew 24:36 is the Greek verb \u201cknows,\u201d \u03bf\u1f36\u03b4\u03b5\u03bd<\/strong> <\/strong>(oiden<\/em>), which is technically a perfect active verb<\/em>, meaning it speaks of a completed act with an ongoing result.\u00a0 In this particular instance, therefore, this “perfect” goes by several names (e.g., perfect with a present force; intensive present perfect; or perfect of existing state), all of which are emphasizing a present state of being.\u00a0 Now what is important in understanding of just how this present state came into being is explained by Wallace:<\/p>\n The reason why such per\u00adfects have the same semantics as presents is frequently that there is very little distinction between the act and its results<\/em>. They are stative<\/em> verbs. The result of knowing is knowing. When one comes to stand he\/she still stands. The result of persuading someone is that he\/she is still persuaded. Thus this usage occurs especially with verbs where the act slides over into the results. They are resul\u00adtative perfects to the point that the act itself has virtually died; the results have become the act.[2]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n What all of this means is that one\u2019s past actions have become so enmeshed into the present result, that the present result is the ultimate reality and the unalterable, state of being of repeated, past actions.\u00a0 Consequently, because of God\u2019s sovereign purpose and plan, even \u201cbefore the foundation of the world\u201d (Ephesians 1:3-6), His ultimate actions and purposes are at times far beyond our seriously flawed, human ability to comprehend, grasp, and understand, which UNEQUIVOCALLY INCLUDES THE RETURN OF CHRIST!\u00a0 Therefore, all such repeated, human efforts to make such a determination are doomed to failure, misdirection, confusion, and at times, serious deception, which will ALWAYS END IN A STATE OF BEING OF NOT KNOWING when Christ\u2019s Return will be!<\/p>\n In this verse, He says, \u201cIt is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority, except for certain spiritually and intellectually gifted Christian, evangelical pastors, teachers, writers, and theologians in the 20th<\/sup> and early 21st<\/sup> centuries <\/em>(my addition<\/em>).\u201d\u00a0 Obviously, we do not see ANY INCLUSION such as I added in this verse, let alone even intimated at.\u00a0 The Greek word translated in English for \u201cto know\u201d is \u03b3\u03bd\u1ff6\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9<\/strong> (gn\u014dnai<\/em>), and it is an aorist infinitive, and the aorist focuses on action that is viewed in individual instances, as well as actions over a period of time that are viewed as one unit.<\/p>\n Thus, for our purposes, Jesus is saying that individual attempts to determine when He is returning based on specific, world events at specific times is utterly misdirected, as well as a long period of analysis of world events, culminating in some type of projected determination of Jesus\u2019 return date is equally misdirected and misleading.\u00a0 In addition, the two words, \u201ctimes and epochs,\u201d in the Greek are respectively, \u03c7\u03c1\u1f79\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2<\/strong> (chronos<\/em>) and \u03ba\u03b1\u03b9\u03c1\u1f79\u03c2 <\/strong>(kairos<\/em>), with \u03c7\u03c1\u1f79\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2<\/strong> (chronos<\/em>) meaning \u201can indefinite period of time during which some activity or event takes place, or a point of time consisting of an occasion for some event or activity,\u201d[3]<\/a> and \u03ba\u03b1\u03b9\u03c1\u1f79\u03c2 <\/strong>(kairos<\/em>) meaning \u201ca point of time or period of time; a defined period for an event, such as a definite, fixed time<\/em>; and a period characterized by some aspect of special crisis or time<\/em>.\u201d[4]<\/a>\u00a0 In addition to all of this, Jesus said that the \u201cFather has fixed by his own authority\u201d the time and circumstances related to His return, with the word in Greek for \u201cfixed\u201d being \u1f14\u03b8\u03b5\u03c4\u03bf<\/strong> <\/strong>(etheto<\/em>), which is an aorist verb, coming from the root verb \u03c4\u1f77\u03b8\u03b7\u03bc\u03b9 <\/strong>(tith\u0113mi<\/em>), and it means \u201cto put, place, assign, arrange, establish, and appoint in a particular location.\u201d[5]<\/a>\u00a0 Thus, with the aorist tense being used with \u1f14\u03b8\u03b5\u03c4\u03bf<\/strong> <\/strong>(etheto<\/em>), what Jesus is saying that at an instance \u201cbefore the foundation of the world\u201d (Ephesians 1:3-6), God determined when Jesus will return, as well as all of the circumstances surrounding His return, and as we read Acts 1:6-11, we can see quite clearly that Jesus is saying NO ONE IS GOING TO BE GIVEN THIS SPECIAL INSIGHT AND KNOWLEDGE as to when His return will be!<\/p>\n However, what we are unequivocally told to be engaged in is found in Acts 1:8: \u201cbut you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.\u201d\u00a0 Now indeed, being a \u201cwitness\u201d for Jesus in all aspects of our lives is not nearly as titillating to our carnal and emotional sensitivities as is going to a prophecy conference and hearing the latest and greatest ideas being propagated about when we can expect Jesus\u2019 return, but without question the former is where the \u2018eternal blessing\u2019 is going to come from, and the latter is where valuable energy, effort, and time will be wasted on useless and meaningless speculations, bringing no lasting fruit in one\u2019s life.\u00a0 What was communicated to Jesus\u2019 disciples at His ascension by the two angels concerning His return, which is the same message for us in the 21st<\/sup> century, was and is, \u201cMen of Galilee (and 21st<\/sup> century believers throughout the world \u2013 my note<\/em>), why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven\u201d (Acts 1:11).<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Donald A. Hagner, World Biblical Commentary: Matthew 14-28, Vol. 33B<\/em> (Dallas: Word Incorporated, 2002), 716.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n…of that day and hour no one knows<\/h3>\n
Jesus’ words are clear<\/h3>\n
Getting into the Greek<\/h3>\n
Beyond human determination<\/h3>\n
Perfect active verbs<\/h3>\n
In Acts 1:7, Jesus once again responds quite emphatically to the disciples\u2019 question about the \u2018end times\u2019<\/h3>\n
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