No One Knows the Day or the Hour: What Is Its Meaning?

A said, “Do you know some people testify that the Lord has returned?”

B responded, “How is this possible? The Lord Jesus said clearly, ‘But of that day and that hour knows no man, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father’ (Mark 13:32). No one knows when the Lord will return. How could they know? You must not believe it.”

Hearing this conversation, I couldn’t help but think: “Is it really that no one will be aware of the Lord’s return? If this is true, then how can we welcome the Lord? What exactly does ‘no one knows the day or the hour’ mean?” Later, through seeking, I understood the true meaning of “no one knows the day or the hour.” Below, I will fellowship a little of my own knowledge.

The True Meaning of “No One Knows the Day or the Hour”

Many people believe that “no one knows the day or the hour” means when the Lord does return, no one will know. But does this belief really conform with God’s will? The Lord Jesus promised us that He would come again, and He also prophesied, “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6). And Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”

We can see from this that when the Lord returns, someone will cry out to us that the bridegroom has come, meaning they are testifying that the Lord has returned. This proves that when the Lord returns, some people will know about it first, and then they will spread to others the good news of the Lord’s return. Those who hear God’s voice and are thereby able to welcome the Lord may attend the feast with Him. If we believe that no one will know about the Lord’s return, how then can these prophecies of the Lord be fulfilled? So, our belief that “no one knows the day or the hour” means no one will know about the Lord’s return doesn’t conform with God’s will and is man’s notion and imagination.

Then, what’s the true meaning of “no one knows the day or the hour”? Actually, we can understand it by seeking in these verses linked together, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near: So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Truly I say to you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knows no man, not the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but My Father only” (Matthew 24:32–36). “Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes” (Matthew 24:44).

In these verses, the Lord Jesus spoke of “the Son of man comes.” The “Son of man” refers to God incarnate, the One who is born of man and has normal humanity and yet whose essence is God. Just like the Lord Jesus was the incarnate Son of man and appeared ordinary and normal on the outside. God’s Spirit, however, is formless and so can’t be called the Son of man. All this shows that the Lord’s return is His incarnation as the Son of man. It’s precisely because of this that no one knows the specific time of the Lord’s return. That is, “no one knows the day or the hour” means that no one knows the exact time of the Lord’s return. However, after He has come to speak and do work, there will definitely be some people who know of it, and then they will spread God’s gospel. For example, before the Lord Jesus came to work, the prophets prophesied the coming of the Messiah, but no one knew the specific time of His return. Only after the Lord Jesus began to work and preach did many people know the Messiah had come, and then those who first accepted the Lord Jesus’ work began to spread His salvation. Therefore, the real meaning of “no one knows the day or the hour” is that no one knows the specific time of the Lord’s return in the last days. So, if our understanding of it is that no one will know about the Lord’s return, then this goes against the Lord’s words.

How to Welcome the Lord in the Last Days

Now that we’ve known the real meaning of “no one knows the day or the hour,” then how can we welcome the Lord? Actually, the Lord Jesus prophesied, “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come” (John 16:12–13). “And if any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects Me, and receives not My words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:47–48). 1 Peter 4:17 says, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.” John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them through Your truth: Your word is truth.” And Revelation 22:14 prophesies, “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”

From these prophecies, we can see that when the Lord returns, He will express more truths and do the work of judgment beginning from God’s house, using the truth to cleanse and change people, so that man can completely escape the bonds of sin. So, once we hear someone testifying to the Lord’s return, we should actively seek and investigate to see whether this way contains expressions of the truth and whether it can cleanse and save man. As long as we are sure that this way can judge and cleanse man and that it is the work of the returned Lord, we should accept and submit to it. Are we not welcoming the Lord and attending the feast with Him by doing this?

Today, across the whole world, only The Church of Almighty God openly testifies that the Lord has returned as Almighty God. On the foundation of the Lord Jesus’ work of redemption, Almighty God has expressed millions of words and launched the work of judgment beginning from God’s house to cleanse and save people. This precisely fulfills the prophecies of the Lord returning to express the truth and to do the work of judgment. The words expressed by Almighty God are rich and bountiful, and they reveal many truths and mysteries, such as the mystery of God’s incarnation, the mystery of God’s name, the inside story of God’s three stages of work, how God does the work of judgment to cleanse mankind, and how God brings mankind into a beautiful destination. All true believers in all religions and denominations, after hearing the news that the Lord has returned to do work, have humbly investigated Almighty God’s work of the last days, recognized God’s voice from the truth expressed by Almighty God, determined that Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus, and turned to Him. Through experiencing Almighty God’s work of judgment in the last days, they have had their life dispositions changed to differing degrees and borne various testimonies—Almighty God has gained a group of people who are of one mind with Him. Almighty God’s words and these testimonies of experience have all been posted on The Church of Almighty God website, and they openly testify to all the world that the Lord Jesus has returned as the incarnate Almighty God. Therefore, if we want to welcome the Lord’s return, we must investigate Almighty God’s work of the last days—this is the only way to greet the Lord’s return.

Editor’s Note: Do you now understand the true meaning of “no one knows the day or the hour”? Do you want to welcome the Lord’s return? Do you want to attend the feast with the Lord? You can continue to seek and investigate through our live chat options below.