No One Means NO ONE!
Devotions for Growing Christians
No One Means NO ONE!
Matthew 24:32-39 - "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!
Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
The perfect billboard Message from God to any “Judgment Day date-setters” would be, “What did you not understand about my statement that no one knows the day and the hour?” The Lord Jesus could not have stated the matter any more clearly than he did in Matthew 24:36. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but My Father only.” In other words, no one should try to figure out the date of the Lord’s return - because no one knows!
So what does “no one” mean? No one means no one! And yet there are always some believers who don’t seem to get it. Somehow they don’t believe that no one means no one. In their zeal, they unashamedly disobey the straight teaching of our Lord, or they arrive at incorrect interpretations by using convoluted hermeneutics.
Examples of their convoluted interpretations are:
1. The Lord meant that generally speaking no one knows, because most people are ignorant of Scripture. But godly students of the Word can figure it out from the clues hidden in the Bible.
2. The Lord meant that His Jewish audience then didn’t know the time of His return because the New Testament was not yet written. Now that we have the full revelation of Scripture, we can figure out the date of the Lord’s return.
3. The Lord meant that we should not try to figure out the day or the hour, but He didn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to figure out the month or the year.
4. The Lord meant that no one knows for sure, but there’s no harm in trying to figure it out with educated guesses and prophetic speculation!
These supposed loopholes are a departure from practicing the clarity of Scripture. the clarity of Scripture a basic and primary principle for interpreting the Bible. Do you really think it’s possible that the Lord wanted His hearers (then and today) to understand that “You can figure out the date if you know the hidden secrets of the Bible”? Or did He want His hearers (then and today) to understand that “No one knows, so don’t try to figure it out!” In other words, “no one” means no one!
Background Notes
To better understand our Lord’s emphatic statement that “no one knows,” it’s important to realize that He spoke these words in a teaching on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24-25). His disciples had asked about the future: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3). In the Olivet Discourse Jesus answered their questions. And in this section the Lord gave some significant signs of His return. Not the day or the hour, but signs!
It’s important to note that these are signs of the Lord’s Second Coming and His return to earth, not the rapture of the Church. The great truth of the rapture had not yet been revealed when the Lord gave this message. And, by the way, Matthew 24:40-41 are not so-called “rapture verses” (a frequent misinterpretation). Notice the context! The people who are “taken away” are taken away to judgment, not taken away to Heaven! The people who are left behind are the believers who enter the Lord’s earthly kingdom. Based on a number of prophetic Scriptures, the rapture of the Church will precede the return of the Lord to this earth. Thus, if the signs that the Lord gave for His Return are clearly evident, those signs surely would be an indication that the rapture is at hand.
Before we look at the signs, let’s consider the interpretation of two verses that have caused a lot of discussion.
Question #1: Matthew 24:34 is one much-discussed verse: “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place…” What did our Lord mean by “this generation”? There are several possible interpretations:
Interpretation #1. The Lord meant that the generation that begins to see these end time events will live to see the Lord’s return. In other words, the end time events associated with the Lord’s return will not be stretched out over centuries, but will take place during one generation.
Interpretation #2. Since the word “generation” in Greek can also be translated “race,” the Lord meant that as a “race,” the Jewish people would not cease to exist, but would continue right on until the end times.
Interpretation #3. The Lord meant that the unbelieving generation of His day would continue. In other words, Israel’s rejection of Jesus as their Messiah would continue on until the time of the end. Spiritual revival and change of heart of the Jewish people would not come until the end times. They would be an “unbelieving generation” or an “unbelieving race” all the way through - as indeed they have been. This third interpretation is probably the correct one, but the other interpretations are possibilities as well.
Question #2: The other verse that has caused a lot of discussion is Matthew 25:36, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but My Father only.” (See also Mark 13:32.) What did our Lord mean when He said that even He didn’t know the day or the hour of His return?! If Jesus is God, and God is omniscient, and He knows everything - how is this explained?
Answer: in the eternal councils of God, it was divinely decided and decreed that when the eternal Son of God became Man, He voluntarily would not use His omniscience - at certain times and in certain areas - during His earthly ministry.
This verse does not mean that our Lord gave up any of His divine attributes in the incarnation! When our Lord becomes Man, He did not give up any part of His deity in any way. He only limited the full use of certain of His attributes. He was (and is) fully God as well as fully Man! Now, of course, as the glorified Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ certainly knows the day and hour of His return.
Doctrinal Points
1. The condition of Israel is a sign of the return of the Lord.
“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near” (v32). What did our Lord mean? Did He simply mean that when the events that are mentioned in the earlier part of the chapter begin to take place, then we will know that He is about to return? Or did He mean something more specific?
Remember, this is a parable, and the Lord’s parables were more than mere illustrations. All the parables have deeper meaning - in fact, that is the essential definition of a parable. The fig tree represents Israel, and the fig tree putting forth leaves is more than just an illustration of approaching end time events.
The idea that the fig tree represents Israel in this parable is not just a wild guess, because there are other places in the Bible where the fig tree represents Israel. In Hosea 9:10 God said, “I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first fruits on the fig tree in its first season.”
Our Lord likened Israel to a fig tree in Luke 13:6-7. “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?” In this parable the fig tree clearly represents Israel. The “three years” in the parable were the three years of our Lord’s public ministry, when He was looking for spiritual fruit in Israel. He found none, therefore Israel was “cut down.” Israel as a nation was temporarily set aside from its place of God’s special favor. This “setting aside” of Israel was dramatized in the cursing of the fig tree in Matthew 21.
So here in the Olivet Discourse a parable (not just a mere illustration) of a fig tree is given, and once again the fig tree represents Israel. The basic meaning of this parable is that Israel (the fig tree) will show signs of life once again, and when it “puts forth leaves,” we will know that “summer is near.” In other words, keep your eye on Israel! When you see signs of life, you will know that end time events are not too far ahead.
Are there signs of life in Israel today? Yes! A resounding yes! In 1948, Israel became a nation once again, after 1900 years of dispersion and severe persecution. And the Jewish people continue to return to their homeland, despite the troubled situation in the Middle East. Notice that our Lord did not say when the fig tree puts forth fruit, you will know that summer is near. No! He said that when the fig tree puts forth leaves, you’ll know that summer is near. At resent we don’t see great spiritual fruit in Israel - although there is some, and it is rapidly increasing. The harvest time of much fruit is yet to come. And it will come!
The nation of Israel will not only return to the Land, but they will return to the Lord as well. But the leaves are emerging now. The Lord said when the fig tree shows signs of life, and it puts forth leaves (not fruit), you will know that summer is near. The leaves are there now. We are on the threshold of the end times! The condition of Israel is a sign of the return of the Lord.
2. The condition of society is a sign of the return of the Lord.
“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (v38-39). At the time of His return, the Lord predicted that conditions in society would be similar to societal conditions at the time of Noah. What were society and culture like in the days of Noah? Genesis 6:5 says that it was a time of great wickedness: “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Does not the evil and wickedness in our own day parallel that of Noah’s day?
However, the main point that our Lord was making in these verses is that the people of Noah’s day were unprepared and unconcerned. The people of that day ignored the warnings of God given through Noah. They were going about their lives in a routine and everyday way, with no awareness of imminent judgment. The great worldwide Flood came upon them suddenly - and it took them all away!
In the same way, the return of the Lord will be sudden, and when He comes, He will come in judgment! But people will be unprepared and unconcerned. They will be going about life in a normal, routine way - “eating and drinking and marrying.” The return of the Lord will come when they least expect it, and they will be taken away in judgment. The condition of Israel and the condition of society are both signs of the return of the Lord.
Practical Applications
1. Read and study the Word of God, that will never pass away.
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (24:35). The “heaven” mentioned in this verse is not the dwelling place of God, but the “heaven” of the planets and the stars. A day is coming when this present “heaven and earth” will pass away - but the Lord’s words will never pass away!
The Lord’s words will never fail, and they are contained in Scripture. So why not spend more time reading and studying His Word - words that will never pass away? Why do we spend so much time on things that are passing away, like reading less worthwhile books, or watching movies or TV, or spending a lot of time on our hobbies, or sports, or decorating our homes?
Do you read and study the Bible? Do you have a systematic approach to Bible reading and the study of God’s Word? Or do you have a “hit or miss” approach to the Bible? Bible reading and Bible study doesn’t happen automatically. For example, have you ever tried reading through the Bible in a year? You’ll need “sanctified will power” to keep up with the schedule! Is it worth it? Yes, it certainly is worth it!
The study of God’s Word has eternal value. Read and study the Word. It will never pass away!
2. Practice the “clarity of Scripture.”
In your reading and study of the Word of God, practice the clarity of Scripture. Don’t come up with your own ideas! Don’t search for new “doctrines” that are not there! And don’t try to figure out dates that the the Lord purposely has not revealed! Don’t search for “hidden clues” in the Bible that only “elite” Christians can figure out. The Lord is not out to trick or exclude humble believers!
The meaning of Scripture is usually quite clear and obvious. In His Olivet Discourse, the Lord gave definite signs of the end times that every godly believer can recognize. But when He said, “No one knows the day or the hour,” He meant exactly what He said. No one means NO ONE!
- Dave Reid