But
no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Matthew 24:36
Matthew 24 [25.] “Behold, I have told you beforehand. If therefore they tell you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ don’t go out; ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ don’t believe it. For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For wherever the carcass is, there is where the vultures gather together. But immediately after the oppression of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Matthew 24 [32.] “Now from the fig tree learn this parable. When its branch has now become tender, and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near. Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all these things are accomplished. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Matthew 24 [37.] “As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship, and they didn’t know until the flood came, and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left; two women grinding at the mill, one will be taken and one will be left. Watch therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come.
Meaning:
Jesus had just given the parable of the fig tree: when his followers see the signs, they should know that the end is near (Matthew 24:32-34). Now he adds an important limit. The signs show that his coming is near, but no one can know the exact day. This verse is a turning point. From here on Jesus speaks less about signs and more about being ready (Matthew 24:37-41; Matthew 24:42).
- “But no one knows of that day and hour”
“That day” is the day of the Lord, the day of Christ’s return and the final judgement. Jesus says plainly that no human being knows. After his resurrection, when the disciples asked whether he would now restore the kingdom to Israel, he answered, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority” (Acts 1:7).
- “not even the angels of heaven”
Angels stand in God’s presence and carry out his purposes, and they will come with the Son of Man to gather his people (Matthew 24:31). Yet even they have not been told the day.
- “but my Father only”
Mark’s Gospel adds, “nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32), and the PIB footnote notes that some Greek manuscripts of Matthew include these words too. How could the Son of God not know? Paul explains that Christ, though equal with God, “emptied himself, taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). As a man on earth Jesus lived in full dependence on his Father. The date of his return was among the things the Father kept to himself.
The Significance of Matthew 24:36
- Avoid date-setting
Since Jesus himself said no one knows the day or the hour, believers should be wary of anyone who claims to know it.
- Live ready every day
Not knowing when he will return is not meant to make us careless but watchful. Paul wrote that “the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). If we cannot know the day, we must be ready on every day.
Cross-References:
Mark 13:32: "But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." The parallel in Mark.
Acts 1:7: "It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority." The Father’s authority over times.
Deuteronomy 29:29: "The secret things belong to Yahweh our God;" What God keeps to himself.
1 Thessalonians 5:2: "For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night." An unexpected day.
Conclusion: Matthew 24:36 teaches that the day and hour of Christ’s return are known to no one, not even the angels, but to the Father only. The signs tell us that his coming is near, but they do not give us a date. Instead of guessing, believers are called to trust the Father’s timing, for “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years” (2 Peter 3:8), and to live ready every day.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible