No One Knows
No One Knows
Matthew 24:36-25:13
We’re picking up Matthew where we left off before the Advent season. But we need a short review. Matthew 24 and 25 comprise what is known as the Olivet Discourse, due to the location of the sermon. Jesus had warned the disciples about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in part by denouncing the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. Chapter 23 is primarily a warning that they should obey the words, but not the behavior, of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, coupled with seven woes, or seven curses against the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. If you are reading the King James Version, it is “scribes and Pharisees.” Jesus was talking to the theologians and what would be called today, the “influencers,” or the enforcers of religious law.
But, then, as they are walking away from the city, the disciples turn to look at the temple glistening in the sunlight. As they are admiring it, Jesus begins this discourse by telling them of a coming catastrophe: the Roman will lay siege to the city and destroy it, even leveling the temple and thus ending the sacrificial system. I told you then, and remind you now, that prophecy often has meaning on multiple levels. That presents a problem to people who want to pigeon-hole us and trap us into a particular way of thinking. Someone who believes that certain prophecies refer to the immediate future are labeled “preterist.” Someone who believes that certain prophecies have already been fulfilled is labeled “historicist.” Someone who believes that certain prophecies are yet to be fulfilled is labeled “futurist.” But Biblical prophecy is rarely so simple. It is often complex and has meaning on multiple levels, so that I have described myself as a blend of all three of these, a sort of historical preterist futurist.
And Jesus’ prophecies regarding the destruction of Jerusalem actually did come to pass in AD 70 when the Romans, under Titus after his father, Vespasian, was called to Rome to assume the mantle of Emperor, put down a Jewish revolt that had begun in AD 68. Masada, the last holdout, was conquered in AD 73, decisively ending Jewish rebellion until the Bar Kokhba revolt in AD 132. So, when Jesus told them that “this generation would not pass away until all these things have happened,” he was speaking of the immediacy of the destruction of the city. But on the second level, which is what concerns us, “this generation” is probably the descendants of Jacob, the Israelites.
And now we are ready to go on. And this is where we need to exercise caution in our interpretations.
Several weeks ago, in response to a question, I remarked about date-setters, those people who try to predict the date of Jesus’ return, or try to fit the end times prophecies into a calendar of events. I’ve described these people as engaging in “blender theology,” by taking bits of prophecy from Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, Matthew, Paul’s letters (1 Thessalonians 4-5), and Revelation, and trying to arrange them into a cogent calendar. Some years back, a Nazarene evangelist predicted the Rapture would occur in September, 1985 or 1988, I don’t recall exactly. But there have been a regular stream of rapture predictions since William Miller (Seventh Day Adventists) predicted October 22, 1844, and Charles Taze Russell (Jehovah’s Witnesses) predicted 1874, then 1875, then 1878, then settled on 1914. Herbert W. Armstrong first predicted Christ’s return would be in 1936, then in 1943, then settled on 1975. Hal Lindsey, author of “The Late, Great Planet Earth,” predicted 1988. Harold Camping, a radio evangelist, predicted the Second Coming for October, 2011. And Joshua Mhlakela, predicted first September, then October, 2025.
All the prediction have failed. There is one very good reason: Jesus said that no one could know. “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” We are not meant to know. We are not meant to lay aside our earthly work, don white robes and stand gazing into the heavens for Jesus’ to return. We are meant to be busy with the work Christ has set us to. We are meant to work in anticipation, not to sit around waiting. And so the dates and times are hidden from us. And the so-called “signs of the times” are things that have gone on since nearly the dawn of time – war, talk of war, earthquakes, famines, and all the rest.
Jesus goes even further: “As in the days of Noah ... people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, right up to the moment Noah entered the ark.” Life goes on as usual, right up to the very moment of Jesus’ return. We will be doing as we have always done, busy as we have always been.
Let me deal quickly with the “taken” and the “left behind.” Note first that “the flood came and took them all away.” That sets the pattern. Those who were taken away died. Those that remained, Noah and his family, were spared. Rapture theology gets it backward. When Jesus returns, those who are “left behind” are those who are saved. They remain to live in the New Creation. Those who are “taken away” are the ones destined for destruction. Taken does not mean raptured; it means destroyed. Thus, when the Roman army over-ran the city, those who were left were the survivors.
“Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch ...”
The owner, in Jesus’ brief parable, would have been prepared. The thief would have walked into a trap and been arrested. “So you also must be ready ...” Prepared, because you do not know when Jesus will return. The Johnstone clan motto, Nunquam non paratus, means “never unprepared.” Always watchful. The way a farmer works his fields with an eye to the weather. The way a sailor pilots his ship with an eye on the clouds. They are not simply waiting for something to happen; they are working prepared for the rain or the storm.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant ...?” Not the one sitting idly and waiting for the master’s return. Not the one packing to leave. Not the one watching the calendar. The faithful and wise servant is the one who is busy with the tasks assigned to him. He is the one who occupies his mind and his time with the work at hand. “It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.”
“But suppose the servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time.’ There are two extremes in the Church these days: those who are always on edge, calendaring, seeing everything, every disaster, every war, as a sign of the imminent rapture of the Church; and those who deny that Jesus will return. After all, it’s been over 2,000 years since the promise was made. Peter remarked on this in 2 Peter 3, beginning with verse 3 – Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” On the one hand, they deny that Jesus will return. On the other hand, they suppose there will be some magical moment of warning, in which they can repent and turn to faith.
There are people who live the lives they wish to live, supposing that they will make peace with God on their death-bed. “Dilbert” cartoonist, Scott Adams, diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and knowing that he would die soon, announced that he planned to adopt Christianity just before he died. But he thought he still had time. He died this week (1/13/2026). Whether he had time to convert as he planned, I don’t know. But I can tell you that there is no warning, no magical moment. No one knows the moment, and the “signs of the times” are not definitive. Jesus even said that the signs are the beginning. They don’t signal the moment. The moment of Christ’s return is unknown, and therefore, in some ways, unexpected. The faithful and wise servant is busy fulfilling his task, because he wants to be at the plow, so to speak, when the master returns. He has made ready. He is not waiting for some magical moment to get ready.
Peter reminds his reader, just as Jesus did, of the suddenness of the flood, and then in a glance as Psalm 90:4, remind them that with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. It is not slowness, but patience that God is demonstrating, giving second chances, giving opportunities, because he is not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. He’s giving us time to fulfill the Great Commission, to give the gospel in the same measure as we have received it, to bring our friends and neighbors to Christ. What some perceive as slow is really God’s patience, because God really does not want anyone to perish. But the wicked, lazy servant will be caught unawares and be punished.
Here, by the way, is one reference to hell. Even though this man is identified as a servant, because of his inattention, because of his delay, Jesus says, he will be assigned “to a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Benjamin Franklin is supposed to have quipped, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” The faithful and wise servant prepares and is rewarded. The foolish and wicked servant fails to prepare and is punished.
And to drill the lesson home, Jesus relates a wedding parable. I’ve noticed that kingdom parables are often wedding parables. Something to think about. But Jesus tells of a wedding ready to start. All they are waiting for is the arrival of the groom. But no one knows when that will be. As was the custom, ten bridesmaids are assigned to wait outside for the arrival of the groom. When he arrives, they will accompany him in. But, Jesus tells us, five of the bridesmaid were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones were unprepared for any delay; they had not taken extra oil for their lamps in the event the groom was delayed for some reason. The wise bridesmaids were prepared with an extra jar of oil for their lamps.
The groom was delayed, and being at night, the bridesmaids fell asleep while they were waiting. But at midnight, a cry rang out waking them and alerting them to the near arrival of the groom. Quickly, the ten girls trimmed their lamps so they would shine brightly. But the five foolish girls found that their oil had run out and their lamps were fading. They begged the others for some oil, but the wise answered that they had only brought enough oil to refill their own lamps, and should they give (or sell) any of their oil, there would not be enough for all of them. The foolish girls were instructed to go, find a merchant, and buy oil for their lamps. So they hurried away on their urgent errand.
But, while they were gone, the bridegroom arrived and the five wise girls accompanied him in to the wedding. The doors were shut, so that when the five foolish girls finally returned, the wedding was already in progress and the doorkeeper turned them away – with sobering words, “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.” They were too late. Their opportunity had passed.
Now, we can analyze the parable fairly easily. The groom, of course, is Jesus. The bride is his Church. Not the organization, but the ekklesia, the called out ones who believe in Jesus. Part of the church is wise, prepared, doing as they have been commanded, and serving faithfully. Part of the church is foolish, unprepared, preoccupied trying to be relevant, exciting, politically correct, but distracted from their commission. The oil would be the witness of the Church, for Christ called his followers the light of the world and told us to let our light shine brightly (Mt. 5:14-16). If we keep our witness bright, we are prepared. But if we let our witness dim, or turn our attention to other matters and forget who we are, we will be unprepared.
Jesus ends this part of the discourse with this warning: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” There is no calendar. There will be no warning, no definitive sign. The moment will come in an instant, and there will be no time to prepare, no waiting period to get ready. We either are ready or we are not. Jesus calls us to prepare, to be ready, and to be busy doing the work of the kingdom while we wait.
This is not meant to be frightening. Jesus never tries to frighten us into the kingdom. Faith is not fire insurance. It is rather an invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb. Jesus really does want you to join him in the kingdom. He hold out his arms to you and calls to you. He is patient because he does not want you to be lost, and opportunities abound. The call is a loving call, and our response of faith is our preparation. Give your life to Christ. Don’t delay. Do it today.