Matthew 24:36

Context

In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus speaks of the destruction of the Temple and the coming of the Son of Man. After urging his hearers to discern the times through the parable of the fig tree (Matthew 24:32-35), he speaks the words of verse 36. He then says that, as in the days of Noah, people will be eating and drinking when that day suddenly comes upon them, and he therefore exhorts them, "Watch therefore" (24:42). This line of thought continues into chapter 25 with the parable of the ten virgins and the parable of the talents. Mark 13:32 also contains the phrase "neither the Son." Some manuscripts of Matthew omit "neither the Son."

Interpretation

• As an exhortation to watchfulness: Because the time cannot be known, the verse is read as a call to be ready to meet the Lord at any moment and to remain faithful in one's appointed work. The parables that follow all make this point.
• The meaning of "neither the Son": The statement that Jesus, the Son of God, does not know something has been discussed since the early church. Arianism used it as evidence that the Son is inferior to the Father, while the orthodox church explained that Jesus is true God and true man and that he spoke these words as a man, in the state of having humbled himself (Philippians 2:6-8). This discussion is an important topic in Christology.

Controversies and Issues

Despite this verse, people have repeatedly calculated and announced dates for the Second Coming or the end of the world throughout church history. In nineteenth-century America, William Miller predicted the Second Coming for 1844, and the prediction failed; some of those who went through this "Great Disappointment" formed the roots of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In South Korea, groups such as the Dami Mission claimed that the Rapture would occur on October 28, 1992, which became a major social problem, and the major denominations condemned this as unbiblical date-setting eschatology.

Some date-setters have argued that although the "day and hour" cannot be known, the year and month can be. The major denominations refute this by citing Acts 1:7: "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons." Conversely, some caution that uncertainty about the time should not lead to indifference toward belief in the Second Coming itself.

Related Passages

• Mark 13:32-33
• Acts 1:7
• 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6
• 2 Peter 3:8-10