Little Verse
Big Controversy
Jim
Gunter
There is one particular
verse in the new covenant Scriptures which, although relatively short in
content, is of enormous significance as it relates to our eschatological
thinking in the 21st century Christian community. This is because of
the fact that it has much to do with how we think regarding the “the Parousia”
[coming, presence, arrival], which is most often spoken of as the “the
second-coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This little verse is from a statement
made by our Master in Mt. 24:36
in His “Olivet
Discourse” and reads: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, nor The
Son, but The Father alone.” In this little essay, it will not be my
purpose to engage in an in-depth study of all the elements contained in The
Lord’s “Olivet
Discourse,” but to simply express my modified understanding of this
verse. I say modified because
just a few years ago, I began to ask myself many questions regarding not only
this verse, but a number of those passages over which brethren seem to be
divided as to their meanings. Well, this is one of those verses which fit that
mould, and I will confess to you; I have now come to a different conclusion as
to its meaning from my former thinking. I sincerely hope that if you find my
understanding on this little verse to be different from that of your own, you
will not infer from that that I am saying or implying that I’m right and you’re
wrong, because I believe that we are all
on the same quest; that quest for a better understanding of our Father’s Word,
because we realize that not one of us has the corner on the truth when
it comes to understanding Bible matters. There are no two of us who have
reached the same conclusion on every passage of Scripture. So, I say, thank God
for His marvelous and wonderful grace,
otherwise we would all be
without hope, right?
I would like to begin by
relating to you just how I had always understood this verse. You examine it,
and just see if this may possibly coincide with your view. For some 33 years,
my understanding was like this:
“Mt. 24:36 was a sort of pivotal
verse in the discourse, in which Jesus, in His instructions to His apostles,
beginning with v-4 and going
thru v-35, deals specifically
with “the 70
A.D. destruction of Jerusalem,” but then in v-36, He suddenly shifts gears, so to speak, and changes the
subject from the destruction of Jerusalem, to then explain to them what was to
come many, many centuries later. To me, this would be a time when time and the universe would come to
an end, and Jesus would also, at that point, effect the resurrection, and
the final
judgment.”
Now I’m sure that many of
you would recognize this as being the A-millennial
view. And, since this is the same position that my church subscribed to as well, I can’t deny that this perhaps
influenced my thinking also. Consequently, anytime that I was in a Bible
discussion with fellow disciples, and Mt.
24 was the matter under discussion, and I was offering my understanding
of v-36, I would put the
greatest emphasis on the words “that
day and hour,” with a raise in my tone of voice on the “that.“
And therefore, I would exclaim, “But of ‘that’ day and hour knoweth no
man etc..” I did this in an effort to differentiate between all the
things that Jesus had said in vss.
1-35, from the things which He will then say in vss. 36-51. In other words, I would have Jesus, in v-36, to suddenly begin talking about
a different subject. Yes, I had Jesus, at that point, to suddenly begin
speaking of an event that I perceived to be far into the apostles’ future---and
even our own. However, I think that you would agree with me that the view of any person or group
neither makes a view right or wrong. The “truth” is “the truth,” no matter what, and
certainly, truth never fears
honest investigation.
Brethren, In my advancing
years, I have come to realize that in those former years of my Bible study, one
critical mistake I was making in my approach to study of our Father‘s Word, was
that I failed to be careful to look at the new covenant Scriptures through the
eyes of the 1st century disciple. I viewed them from afar; through a
20th or 21st century lens, and as a result, I do believe
that I deprived myself of understanding them as those 1st century
disciples would have understood them. In other words, I failed to take into
account “audience
relevance.” I was not thinking about what these things spoken by Jesus,
and the things written by the inspired apostles, would have meant to those to
whom they were directly spoken and/or written. But thanks be to God, I’m
beginning to learn! And so, now
I strive to keep ever before me, the fact that the words of our Master were not written “to” me, but rather “for” me.
No, beloved, they were actually written to
those disciples in the 1st century. As someone else has well said,
“We are reading someone else’s mail.” I truly hope that I am making sense here.
Just to give you an example of this, please allow me to cite a passage which I
believe demonstrates exactly what I’m talking about. It’s a passage that we
will also deal with again just a little farther along in this thesis: In Mt. 24: 15, 16, Jesus said, “Therefore, when you see the abomination of
desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy
place [let the reader understand], then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains.” Now, when I study this passage, I believe that it’s
incumbent upon me to view it through the eyes of the ones to whom Jesus was
directly speaking viz., His apostles,
which is evidenced by vss. 3, 4. As
I consider this warning by Jesus, I see it as a warning not to “me,” but rather to His apostles to whom He was speaking. They
[the apostles and those 1st century disciples in
Again, in this 24th chapter
of Matthew, we learn that all
the things that Jesus will say in the entire chapter is being spoken
directly to these apostles. Further, I understand that He is speaking these
things in response to questions asked of Him by His apostles [v-3]. And
I also see that their questions were prompted by His statement to them in v-2, regarding the complete and total
destruction of “the
temple,” which was so revered by the Jews. But yes, it was to be razed
to the ground!
Now, there is one other
thing which I firmly believe to be paramount to a correct understanding of chapter 24, and that is, to first make
a close examination of chapter 23, for it’s there that we find the background for everything that is said in chapter 24. Now good folks, in this chapter 23, one learns that Jesus was
speaking in “the temple” and to
the rulers of the Jews, the scribes and Pharisees, Sadducees, the people, and
also His disciples. This would be His last time to teach in this, the very epicenter of the Jews' religion. Upon
a careful reading of Mt. 23 [vss. 29-39
in particular], we learn that Jesus is excoriating the Jews for their
gross hypocrisy and “murder of the
Prophets.” Then, notice carefully what He says to them beginning in v-34. He first tells them that He is
going to send them “prophets, wise
men, scribes etc.,” and that, “some
of them you [the Jewish rulers]
will kill and crucify, and some of them you
will scourge in your synagogues,
and persecute from city to city.” Now beloved, please watch v-35 and following: “That upon you [1st century Jewish rulers] may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from
the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and
the altar. Truly I say to you [1st
century Jews], all these things shall come upon this generation [that 1st century generation of Jews].”
Now, in v-37, Jesus weeps
over
Brothers and sisters, when
Jesus said “this
generation,” it bears mentioning that the Greek word used here for
generation is “genea,”
which the lexicographers and linguists, almost without exception,
render, “all
the people alive at one time.” I bring this out because it has been
suggested by some that it means “this race of people,” which of course is
not according to the Greek. The Greek word for race is “genos,” which the inspired apostle, Matthew, did not use.
So, I believe that we can
correctly ascertain from all these things in chapter 23, that they are what precipitated those things which
follow in chapter 24, where Jesus
and His apostles are now leaving the temple. As they depart, His apostles call
to His attention, the magnificence and beauty that adorned the many buildings
which comprised the temple complex, to which Jesus replied in v-2, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone
here shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down.” Wow! To
me, it’s obvious here, just why the apostles pulled their Lord aside, upon
ascending the Mount of Olives, to asked Him the questions recorded in v-3 viz., “…tell us when will
these things be, and what will be the
sign ‘of your coming [parousia]’ and of the end of the age?” Beloved, it seems to me that we learn
some very important things simply from the questions they asked Jesus. The very
structure of their questions suggests to me that they associated several things
with His coming [parousia]: [1]
The destruction of the temple that Jesus predicted [23:38; 24:2]; [2]
The destruction of the city of
Good folks, in light of
Greek language the inspired writer employs here, I believe that we should ask
ourselves a question: “With all the remarkable and frightening things which
Jesus had just described, and which loomed so large in the near future of that,
then present, 1st century generation; why would these apostles even
entertain a thought about the physical
world or universe coming to an end? Let’s not forget; they knew the
meanings of “aion
and kosmos,” and they also understood the difference between the two! Therefore,
brethren, I just have to say that I really don’t believe that that an “end of the physical universe” would
have been the thing on their minds at this point. So, why then, should their
Master even talk about such a thing? It just seems to me that He would have
stuck to the subject at hand and simply answered the questions which they
asked. And beloved, I’m persuaded that that’s exactly what He did. And for this
reason, it is my conclusion that they associated all four of the things
mentioned above, with His coming
[parousia].
As we now look further into
their questions in 24:3, it
would appear that they wanted to know two things with regard to what their Lord
has just said: [1] First, they
want to know “when” these things were going to happen [See also Mk. 13:4; Lk. 21:7], and
then [2] They wanted to know
what would be “the
sign” that they should watch for, which would signal that these things
were about to occur [See also Mk. 13:4;
Lk. 21:7].
Now, in Mt. 24:4, Jesus begins
answering their questions, as He begins with the “sign” question first. However, before He tells them exactly what
would be the sign they should
watch for, He cautions them about some terrible things that they could expect
to come to pass before they
would see “the
sign”; things which would precede “the sign”; things which would “mislead many,”
and by which many would be deceived.
But, as He said in vss. 6, 13, 14, “the end is not yet” [Please do read
vss. 4-14]! Beloved, please let me repeat: In those vss. 4-14, Jesus does not give them the answer to their “sign” question, but rather instructs
them in some of the terrible things that they could and should expect to happen
before they would see “the sign” of
“the end.”
Now as to the answer to their “sign” question, we ultimately find that in v-15. There, He tells them exactly
what “the
sign” was that they were to watch for; the sign which would indeed
signal “His
coming” in judgment on Jerusalem, the nation of Israel, and the temple;
bringing to an end the old covenant age,
about which the apostles asked. He says that “the sign” would be, “when
you see the abomination of desolation spoken of through Daniel the Prophet,
standing in the Holy place.” Luke, who was a gentile, and writing to a
gentile, recorded it this way in Lk.
21:20, 21: “But when you see
So then, the answer to the
question as to what would be “the sign” of Jesus’ “coming” [parousia], it would be: “When they saw
Now, as to just “when” the
judgment would come, let us continue with vss. 16-35, as Jesus speaks of the terrible “tribulation,”
which was to come upon the people [vss.
21, 22], which had also been spoken of by Daniel in Dan. 12:1. Then there were other
amazing things that were going to happen during that period immediately after
the tribulation [v-29], with the
sun being darkened, and the moon not giving its light, and the stars falling
from heaven etc. [See also Acts
2:19-21]. Jesus says also, that at that time, they would see the sign of
the Son of Man in Heaven, and that He would send forth His angels and gather
His elect from the four winds etc. [Mt.
24:29-31]. And finally, their Master tells them in v-33 “…when you see all these things, recognize that He is near; right at
the door.”
And now, brethren, it’s in v-34, where we find the answer to
their other question as to “when” these things would come to pass. The Lord, very clearly
and definitively exclaims, “Truly I
say to you, this generation [Gr. genea]
will not pass away until all these things take place.” Wow,
folks! Could the Lord have made it any clearer than that? These things would all come to pass “in that, then present, 1st
century generation!” Then the Lord proceeds, in verse 37, and continuing on to the end of the chapter, and into chapter 25, to elaborate on the “suddenness”
of His coming. And those who were not His disciples [the unbelieving Jews}, would be caught unawares, and destroyed,
just as those ante-deluvians in Noah’s day etc. [See also 1Thes. 5:1-10; Mk.13:28, 30; Luke 21:31-33; 2 Pet. 3:10].
But now, let us go back to Mt. 24, and since we have now covered
all of the words of Jesus down through v-35,
we come to that most controversial little verse; v-36. Please, let’s cite it one last time! Jesus said to the
apostles: “But of ‘that day and hour,‘ no one knows;
not even the angels of heaven, nor the
Son, but the Father alone.” So, just what does Jesus mean by these
words? Is He in fact speaking of
a different event from that
spoken of in vss. 31-35? Does He
now suddenly shift gears and begin speaking of something of which His disciples
have not even asked Him about?
Gentle reader, we noted earlier that from v-1 through v-15, as Jesus answered their “sign” question, that He never
once said anything at all about an “exact day or hour,” when they could
expect “the
sign.” And now, if you will re-read vss. 16-35, where He answers their “when” question, you will likewise
notice again, that Jesus never once gives them an “exact day or
hour,” as to when His coming [Parousia]
and, “the
end” would be. But beloved, He did give them a general time-frame as to when it would be.
Yes, He said that it would be “during that generation.”
Now, brethren, at this
point, and with these facts in mind, I would like to ask some very simple,
albeit, pertinent questions: [1]
Since Jesus does not mention anything at all about an “exact day or hour” of His “coming,“
in all of the first 35 verses, why O why then, when we get to v-36, should we exegete that verse as
though He had given an exact day
and hour in those first 35 verses? How in the world, then, could we, reasonably
and fairly, just “assume” that The Lord is suddenly changing the subject in v-36, and have Him begin speaking of another day; another day, about which
the apostles haven’t even asked Him? Dear brothers and sisters, why would we
not conclude that our Master would be consistent here, and understand Him to be
simply continuing to answer the questions that we asked of Him? If He “were”
actually changing the subject in v-36,
wouldn’t that totally confuse His apostles? It surely seems to me that it would
be misleading to them.
Brothers and sisters, I
would like to offer some things which I believe to be implicit in the words of
our Lord; things which I believe can be correctly inferred from His words in
both v-36, and all the things He
said in the 35 verses leading up to that verse. You then can judge for yourself
if it sounds plausible. After all the many, many things that He has intimated
to His apostles in the first 35 verses, and having, never once, spoken of an “exact day or
hour,” as when they could expect them to come to pass, I understand our
Lord to simply be explaining to them [and I will paraphrase]: “Men, I want you to know that as far as an
exact ’day or hour,’ on which you can expect all these things to come to pass,
well, I cannot say because no one
knows; the angels don’t know; in fact, neither do I, the Son, know. Only
the Father knows the exact day or hour.” But I can tell you this: that it will
be in this generation.”
Now good folks, wouldn’t that be totally consistent and in perfect harmony with
everything that He has said all throughout this discourse? Personally, I see
absolute continuity and consistency in His statement in v-36. However, you can make your own determination about that.
So, in closing, let me say
that I understand our Lord to be speaking of the same “coming” in verses 37-51 as His “coming”
spoken of in vss. 3-35. However,
if we, upon arriving at v-36,
should suddenly change the subject of our Master’s conversation, from an “imminent, 1st century coming” to some event that we may perceive as
not coming to pass for many, many centuries in the far distant future, then I
see a total breakdown in continuity! Now, obviously, you don’t have to agree
with me, but I would only ask you to simply consider these things regarding
this passage. If you disagree with me, then that’s alright; that doesn’t mean
that you are my enemy. I would welcome any comments, questions, or explanations
you may have. Maybe you can help me, for I certainly don’t consider myself to
have all the answers.
Gentle reader, if you are still with me at this point, I wish to thank you for bearing with me through this lengthy article. I do hope that I haven't wearied you. But it seemed necessary to me to lay out as clearly as possible what I do understanding of this most controversial statement in this most interesting and intriguing discourse of our Lord. And still, there were so many of the details of our Lord’s Parousia that we were not able to cover in this study due to constraints of time and space. Those will be for another time. Thank you so much, and may the Lord richly bless you with His grace and peace.