By Tim Warner - 04/2002
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Knowing the Day & Hour
One argument that is often leveled against post-tribulationism is the claim that no one knows the day and hour of Jesus' coming. According to pre-tribulationists, this necessarily rules out a post-trib rapture. Daniel gives us precise numbers of days between the "Abomination of Desolation" and the second coming. It is argued that if we are here during the tribulation, we could simply count the days from the Abomination of Desolation and we would know precisely the day, if not the hour.
From an exegetical perspective of the passage in question, the whole argument is completely bogus. It is an exegetical fallacy! The context clearly shows that the words "that day and that hour" (of which no one knows) are pointing to the day and hour of Jesus' post-trib coming in the previous verses! They CANNOT be referring to an alleged pre-trib coming that is nowhere hinted at in the text! Therefore, the whole argument is moot, regardless of whether or not we can account for the alleged descrepency between knowing or not knowing.
Matt 24:29-36
"That day and that hour" is most definately the day and hour just mentioned in the preceeding verses - the "day" and "hour" when the whole world will see Jesus coming in power and great glory "immediately after the tribulation." Therefore, to allege that Jesus cannot be referring to a post-trib rapture, on the grounds that we would know the time, is to completely violate the context and ignore the fact that Jesus most definately DID refer to His coming "immediately after the tribulation" in this manner! So, the whole argument falls flat at this point, and is shown to violate the clear implications of the context. It cannot be used against the post-trib view unless one can show that the CONTEXT at least ALLOWS that Jesus was referring to some other coming not mentioned in the text! It most certainly does not allow this, because "that day and hour" must have an antecedent in the text at hand, or at least in the disciples understanding. Since even pre-tribbers would agree that at this time they knew absolutely nothing of a pre-trib rapture, it is ludicrous to argue that the words "that day and that hour" would refer to some alleged secret coming of which the disciples knew nothing, and is not even hinted at in the context!
Of course, we still need to address the apparent conflict with the passages in Daniel and Revelation, not to get post-tribbers off the hook, but to have a proper understanding of why Jesus said what He did. First, Jesus used the perfect indicative verb for "know" in His statement, literally, "no one has known." The perfect tense indicates action completed in the past with continuing results. The past nature of the perfect tense is relative to the time of the speaker. In short, when Jesus spoke this, no one had received this information (the exact day and hour). He did not rule out someone knowing at some particular point in the future (future indicative - "no one shall know"), or the potential for someone knowing (present subjunctive - "no one may know"). All He said was that at the time He spoke, no one had gained this knowledge, not even Him. This fact is important because the entire discourse was intended to tell the disciples WHEN they could KNOW! The whole point of signs was to alert believers when the time of the end would become imminent. It was to tell them when the countdown to the second coming of Jesus had begun.
Jesus started out in verses 4-6 by telling them of some things that must happen, "but the end is not yet." He also told them something big MUST happen BEFORE He returns - the Gospel going to all nations (vs. 14). However, verse 15 is the pivotal point in the whole discourse, because Jesus gave them the very first definate sign that would indicate the beginning of the countdown mentioned in Daniel. He said, "when you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, ... whoso readeth let him UNDERSTAND." In other words, whoever reads Daniel's words about the "abomination of desolation" could UNDERSTAND. Understand what? Exactly how much time was left until the second coming! The Abomination of Desolation is the trigger of the countdown to the second coming. According to Daniel whom Jesus referrenced, the starting point for counting down the days is the "Abomination of Desolation."
Dan 12:10-11
Note the comment by Jesus, "whoso readeth (Daniel's prophecy) let Him understand." This is a direct referrence to verse 10 above. When we read Daniel, after seeing the "Abomination of Desolation," we can UNDERSTAND that there are 1290 days left until the rest of this prophecy is fulfilled!
How does this mesh with the statement that "no one has known?" Simple. Look again at Matt. 24:33. He tells His disciples WHEN they could "know."
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors
Note the precise wording also in verse 15, "when you therefore shall see..." When the things Jesus predicted come to pass, we can "KNOW" that His coming is "at the doors," ie, is imminent, or is about to happen momentarily. Until that time, no one knows the day or hour. No one knew in the first century, and no one knows now because the trigger for the countdown - the "Abomination of Desolation" - has not yet occurred.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
(KJV)
10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
(KJV)