WE DO NOT KNOW WHEN CHRIST WILL RETURN — NOR DO WE NEED TO
In every generation, whenever calamity breaks out or global unrest looms, it is remarkably usual for some voices within the religious world to cry out boldly, “The end is near!” Earthquakes shake the ground, wars rage in many places, pandemics sweep through societies, and political upheavals fill the news.
In those moments, it becomes all too easy for earnest—but sometimes misguided—preachers to interpret these events as clear proof that the Lord’s return is just around the corner. They point to wars and rumors of wars, they highlight natural disasters, they track line after line of current events, and they present charts, calendars, and countdowns as though they hold the secret key to Christ’s return.
Now please hear this: the Lord never gave us a prophecy manual for speculators. He did not intend that we spin every headline into apocalyptic proof. He did not give us a stopwatch for the return of Christ. And yet, often we read with anxious hearts and bend the Scripture to fit what we want to see, instead of letting it shape us. The confusion and fear that fill many hearts today are not because the Word is obscure. Rather, they come because men and women take Scripture, twist it, and read their own assumptions into it—failed attempts at eisegesis instead of faithful exegesis.
We recall how Paul told Timothy to be diligent that he might present himself approved to God, a workman rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). And we remember how the Bereans were commended for receiving the message with eagerness and examining the Scriptures daily to see if what they heard was true (Acts 17:11). These examples remind us that a correct attitude before the Word is half the battle.
When Jesus delivered the words recorded in Matthew chapter 24, He was speaking in context, addressing certain realities in His time and pointing ahead to other realities. Yet many readers ignore the immediate context, the apostolic fulfillment in the first century, and the broader New Testament teaching. In doing so, they turn a chapter meant to build faith and watchful living into speculation, fear, and date‑setting.
It is important to approach Matthew 24 not as a cryptic riddle to be solved by world events but as divine teaching to be received, meditated upon, and lived out. When Jesus said that no one knows the day or hour—not the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Matthew 24:36)—He was dismantling the notion that His coming could be scheduled by us. In other words, our calling is not to determine the date but to be ready in the way of faith, obedience, and endurance (Matthew 24:44).
To study the Word properly, we must take our conclusions off the table before we open our Bibles. If a man opens the Bible merely to confirm what he already believes, he is not a student of truth—he is a seeker of his own comfort or bias. The Bible says that the heart of the prudent obtains knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge (Proverbs 18:15).
That word “seeks” is active. It means listening, exploring, being teachable. And the psalmist who says his delight is in the law of the Lord and that he meditates on it day and night (Psalm 1:2) reminds us that the Bible is not a fast‑food read—it requires slow chewing, prayerful reflection, and the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
If we follow the Lord’s flow of thought from Matthew chapter 21 through chapter 24, the theme begins to shine with clarity: the entrance of the King into Jerusalem, the cleansing of the temple, the conflict with the religious leaders, the prophecy of judgment upon the temple and the city, and the call to faith that endures through trials.
In Matthew 21 Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling Zechariah’s words, and the crowds declared Him king (Matthew 21:4–11). Then He turned to cleanse the temple, binding commerce and reclaiming holiness (Matthew 21:12–13). He taught the parable of the wicked tenants, showing that the Kingdom would be taken from those who rejected the Son (Matthew 21:33–45). He pronounced woes on scribes and Pharisees—lurid words, but they speak of a heart posture far more than a political event (Matthew 23:29–39). Then in chapter 24 the disciples look at the magnificent temple and Jesus says not one stone will be left upon another (Matthew 24:2). They ask Him when these things will be, and what will be the sign of His coming and of the end of the age (Matthew 24:3). His answer spans judgment, perseverance, deception, watchfulness, and promise. Not a timetable, but a tonic for the soul in troubled times.
Devotionally, these chapters challenge us. Are we willing to take the posture of the servant who doesn’t know when the master will return but remains faithful, keeps the lamps trimmed, the oil in good supply, the work done (Matthew 25:1–13)? Are we willing to live in the tension of “already” and “not yet”—knowing Christ reigns, but also knowing our hope awaits consummation (Luke 22:29–30)? Are we invested in being wise virgins rather than the foolish, not because we know the date but because we know the One who holds it (Matthew 25:8–10)?
Many good believers fall into the trap of trying to decode world events as signs and then link those signs to passages like Matthew 24, Revelation, or Daniel. In doing so, they often surrender the joy of present faith for the exhaustion of speculative anxiety. However, Christ calls us to endurance.
Hebrews reminds us that we are not to live as those who shrink back and are destroyed, but as those who have faith and preserve the soul (Hebrews 10:39). James exhorts us to be patient until the coming of the Lord, as the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth (James 5:7). And Peter writes that the end of all things is at hand, therefore we ought to be sober and watchful in our prayers (1 Peter 4:7).
When the storms of the world rage, our hope is not in knowing when Christ will appear, but in knowing Christ—and living in the power of His resurrection each day. He said that heaven and earth will pass away but His words will never pass away (Matthew 24:35). The apostle John echoed that whatever we hear, whether from prophets or our own hearts, it must agree with the testimony of Jesus Christ—the Spirit bearing witness (1 John 5:10).
Let us fix our eyes, therefore, not on the speculative horizon, but on the sure foundation: Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Let us anchor our souls in the Word, for it is living and active, sharper than any double‑edged sword, piercing soul and spirit, joints and marrow (Hebrews 4:12).
In humility we acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers. The Scriptures themselves remind us that there are secret things belonging to the Lord our God, but those things which He has revealed belong to us and to our children (Deuteronomy 29:29). Our calling is not to know every mystery, but to reverence the One who knows.
We are invited to live in the revealed, to trust in the unseen, and to submit in faith to His sovereignty. That means living not in fear of the future, but in faithfulness in the present. Paul tells us we should live as children of light, understanding what pleases the Lord, and not indulging in the unfruitful darkness (Ephesians 5:8–10). We are to walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us (Ephesians 5:2).
May this message settle in our hearts: we do not need to know when Christ returns to live for Him now. We don’t need to see the sign to act in faith. We don’t need a map of world events to be faithful in obscurity. The apostle Paul declares that we should walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). And the writer of Hebrews urges us to strip off every encumbrance and sin that so easily entangles, and run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1–2). Our pilgrimage is not to second‑guess the date, but to deepen our daily devotion.
To the one who is anxious at the news, I say: pause, breathe, take the Lord’s yoke and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul (Matthew 11:28–30). To the one who delights in scanning headlines for signs, I say: instead delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). To the one who fears the future, I say: weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). To the one who wonders if Christ will still come, I say: God is not slow in keeping His promise, but He is patient toward you, wanting everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Let us walk forward together in this faith: simple, steadfast, surrendered. Let us study the Word not to chase signs but to hear truth. Let us watch the horizon, yes—but let us also do the work to which we are called until the Master comes. For in that day we shall see Him as He is and be like Him (1 John 3:2). And we shall live with Him, reign with Him, for all eternity (Revelation 22:12–13). Until then, by His grace, let us be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient in love (2 Timothy 2:24). Let us shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the Word of life (Philippians 2:15–16).
May our hearts echo the prayer of the psalmist: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight” (Psalm 19:14). Let us be found faithful when He appears. Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, and all the more as we see the day drawing near (Hebrews 10:24–25). And let us do it with hope, with joy, and with the confidence that He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).
He is coming again—this is as certain as the gospel itself (John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Whether He returns tonight or a thousand years from now, we do not know. And that is precisely the point. “But of that day and hour no man knows, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Any attempt to pinpoint His return or tie it directly to modern events is speculative at best—and reckless at worst.
What we do know is what God has revealed in His Word, and that is where our attention must remain. As Moses reminded the people of Israel, “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us…” (Deuteronomy 29:29). There is much to learn—even in challenging passages—when we approach the Bible with open hearts, surrendered wills, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
— Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
