• Just before Jesus said, "But about that day and hour no one knows" in Matthew 24:36, He made a bold and undeniable declaration in verse 34: "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place."
  
  

• We cannot ignore that. Jesus was speaking to His own generation. He said everything leading up to verse 36 was going to happen in that generation.
  
  

• Some want to dismiss this by isolating verse 36 as though it changes the subject. It does not. When Jesus says, "But about that day," He is still referring to the same topic: the coming judgment on Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, His Parousia, and the resurrection of the dead.
  
  

• In Luke 21:20-22, Jesus gave clear signs that would precede these events: "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains... because these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled."
  
  

• This is exactly why He said in Matthew 24:16, "Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains." It would be sudden, and it would be within their generation. But the exact day and hour? Unknown. The event? Certain.
  
  

• Jesus' point was not uncertainty of fulfillment, but unpredictability of timing. He said, "I cannot tell you the exact hour, but I assure you it will happen in your lifetime."
  
  

Harmonizing the Gospels:

• Compare Matthew 23 and 24 with Luke 17 and 21. They cover the same subject. When Jesus says in Matthew 24:36, "But about that day," He is not starting a new topic, but continuing the same one. He is referring to the same day He just spoke about in the previous verses.
  
  

• This was a 3 1/2 year period of judgment that would come upon that generation, not ours.
  
  

Futurists love to quote Matthew 24:36:

• But Jesus did not say the events would happen thousands of years later. He said in Luke 21:31-32: "So you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place."
  
  

• What things? The things just mentioned: signs in the heavens, tribulation, the abomination of desolation, and Jerusalem surrounded by armies.
  
  

Paul Agreed:

• 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 says, "Now as to the periods and times, brothers and sisters, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night."
  
  

• But then Paul adds in verse 4: "But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, so that the day would overtake you like a thief."
  
  

• THEY were not in darkness. Why? Because THEY were the generation that would see it. Not us. They had been warned, instructed, and were watching for it.
  
  

Jesus Gave Signs:

• In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus laid out all the signs: tribulation, false prophets, earthquakes, pestilence, wars, the abomination of desolation, and ultimately, Jerusalem surrounded by armies.
  
  

• Paul, Peter, James, and John all echoed the same expectation: that they were living in the time of fulfillment.
  
  

Important Fulfillment Passages:

• Matthew 10:23 - Jesus said He would return before His disciples finished going through the cities of Israel.
  
  

• Matthew 16:27-28 - Jesus said some of them would not die until they saw Him coming in His kingdom.
  
  

• Matthew 24:29-34 - Jesus said His coming in the clouds would be in that generation.
  
  

• Acts 3:19-24 - Peter said Jesus would remain in heaven until all the prophets were fulfilled.
  
  

• Romans 13:12 - "The night is almost gone, and the day is near."
  
  

• Romans 16:20 - "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet."
  
  

• 1 Corinthians 1:7-8 - The Corinthian believers were waiting for the revealing of Jesus, who would confirm them until the end.
  
  

• 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 - "The time has been shortened... the form of this world is passing away."
  
  

• 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 - "We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed."
  
  

• Philippians 4:5 - "The Lord is near."
  
  

• 1 Timothy 6:14 - Timothy was to remain faithful until the appearing of Jesus.
  
  

• Hebrews 9:28; 10:37 - "Yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay."
  
  

• James 5:7-9 - "The coming of the Lord is near... the Judge is standing right at the door."
  
  

• 1 Peter 4:5, 7, 17 - "The end of all things is near... the time has come for judgment to begin."
  
  

• 1 John 2:18 - "It is the last hour."
  
  

• Revelation 1:1-3 - "The things must shortly take place... the time is near."
  
  

Conclusion:

• The phrase "no one knows the day or the hour" was not a denial of imminent fulfillment, but a call to readiness within that very generation.
  
  

• Jesus meant what He said. The apostles affirmed it. The signs were visible. The destruction came. The kingdom arrived.
  
  

• It did not fail. It was fulfilled.