Jesus spoke from His human side when He said no man knows the day or hour, yet from His divine side He knew the exact time.
In His earthly ministry, Jesus fully identified with humanity, so He could truthfully say that no man knew the hour—only the Father. However, because He and the Father are one, He also knew the exact day and hour from His God side. Les Feldick emphasizes that this statement was not a denial of His deity but was made from His human side, and it concerns His Second Coming rather than the Rapture.
Matthew 24:36 — Jesus directly states that no man knows the day or hour—the verse that the question asks about and Les explains in context.
In Matthew 24:36, Jesus told His disciples, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only." This immediately follows His teaching about the cataclysmic events of the end of the age, including the powers of heaven being shaken, after which the Son of Man comes with power and great glory (Luke 21:25–27). The setting is His Second Coming to the earth, not a secret meeting in the air. Scripture also shows that the Father alone has set the times and seasons for these events. In Acts 1:7, after His resurrection, Jesus told the eleven, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." The fact of the coming Kingdom was not in question, but the timing was not for them to know. The Bible simply records that God knows the exact hour and day, while human beings—including the Son in His humanity—do not.
Les Feldick explains that when Jesus said no man knows the day or hour, He was speaking from His human side. He was fully God and fully man, but He never let the two interfere in His earthly ministry. From His human side, He could honestly say, "no man knoweth the time or the hour," because He was not speaking from His divine omniscience at that moment. Yet because He and the Father are one, He certainly knew the exact day and hour from His God side—He simply chose not to reveal it. Les also emphasizes that this statement is set in the context of His Second Coming, not the Rapture. Jesus spoke to Israel about the end-time tribulation and His glorious appearing on the Mount of Olives, which will occur after devastating events on the earth. The Rapture of the Church was a secret not yet revealed to the Old Testament prophets or the Gospel writers; it was later revealed through the Apostle Paul. Therefore, Jesus' words in Matthew 24:36 are about the Second Coming, not the Church's departure.
Les Feldick insists that Jesus did know the day and hour from His divine side. He says, "He and the Father were one, so of course He knew. He could have told the disciples exactly at what day and time certain things would take place, but He didn't." The reason He could truthfully say He didn't know was because He was speaking from His humanity. He had taken on flesh and voluntarily lived within human limitations, not allowing His divine knowledge to interfere with His human speech.
Les explains that when Jesus spoke of the end-time events, He was always speaking of the Second Coming—when He would come in power and great glory to the Mount of Olives—not the Rapture of the Church. In Luke 21:25–27, Jesus describes cosmic signs, distress of nations, and devastation, and then says, "Then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Les says, "Remember Jesus here is speaking to the Jew, and He's speaking in reference to His Second Coming, not the Rapture." The Rapture was a secret never revealed in the Old Testament or the Gospels, but was later revealed by the Apostle Paul.
Les provides what he calls a "pet definition or explanation" for this. Because Jesus was speaking from His human side, He could truthfully say that no man knew the time or hour. He was not deceiving anyone; He was expressing the limitation of His humanity. At the same time, from His deity, He knew the exact hour, day, and year. The two natures did not cross over in His statements. This allowed Him to make an honest statement about His human knowledge without denying His divine omniscience.
Second Coming Context
Les shows that Jesus' end-time teaching in Luke 21 refers to the Second Coming, not the Rapture, because it involves cataclysmic events followed by the Son of Man coming with power and glory.
No Hint of 2000-Year Gap
Les reads Matthew 24:36 and notes that during His earthly ministry Jesus gave no hint of 2,000 years between His first and second comings, which affects how we understand the verse.
Jesus Spoke from His Human Side
Les explicitly teaches that in Matthew 24:36 Jesus was speaking from His human side, while from His God side He knew the exact time—they were one—but He chose not to reveal it.
Jesus Knew from His God Side
Les says that only the Father knows, yet God the Son also knows as God, and God knows the exact hour, day, and year—but it was not for the disciples to know.
Jesus Could Honestly Say 'Not for You to Know'
Les connects Acts 1's 'not for you to know' with Genesis 21, explaining that Jesus could honestly tell the eleven they couldn't know even though He knew from His God side.
The Timing Was Hidden, Not the Fact
Les shows that Jesus did not rebuke the disciples for expecting the Kingdom; He only refused to answer when it would come, because the timing was in the Father's authority.
Jesus Never Revealed the Rapture Secret
Les uses Matthew 25:31 to show that when Jesus spoke of His coming in glory with angels, He was speaking of the Second Coming—not the Rapture—and He never revealed that secret.
Rapture Was a Secret Not Revealed by Jesus
Les explains that all of Jesus' references to His coming in the Gospels are about the Second Coming to the Mount of Olives, while the Rapture was a secret later revealed to Paul.
Matthew 24:36: But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
This is the key verse the question asks about; Jesus states that no one knows the timing of His Second Coming.
Luke 21:25-27: And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
This passage reveals that Jesus was speaking of His Second Coming after catastrophic cosmic events, not the Rapture.
Acts 1:7: And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
After His resurrection, Jesus again tells His disciples that the timing of the Kingdom is the Father's own authority.
Matthew 25:31: When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Les uses this verse to illustrate that Jesus' teaching about His glorious coming involves angels and judgment, indicating the Second Coming rather than the Rapture.
According to Les Feldick, yes. Jesus knew the exact day and hour from His divine side because He and the Father are one. However, when He said no man knows, He was speaking from His human side, and He intentionally did not reveal the timing.
Les explains that Jesus was speaking from His humanity. In becoming a man, He set aside the independent use of His divine attributes, so He could honestly say that as a man He did not know. From His God side, He did know, but He did not speak from that side at that moment.
Les Feldick teaches that Matthew 24 is about the Second Coming, not the Rapture. Jesus was speaking to Israel about the end-time tribulation and His glorious coming to the earth. The Rapture was a secret not yet revealed in the Gospels.
Because the Father had put the timing in His own power, and it was not for them to know. Les adds that Jesus never gave a hint that 2,000 years would intervene, and He focused on the certainty of the event rather than the timing.
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