Jesus said he would return stealthily, and nobody would know when. Therefore, if any of those people who keep predicting the time of the Second Coming get it right, then by their own theology they will delay it.

  • Bonifratz@piefed.zipEnglish
    4·
    2 days ago

    I think OP is referring to the passage following what you posted, Matthew 24:36-44:

    36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (ESV - emphasis mine)

    There’s some additional passages in the Bible that reference the “thief in the night” motif, namely 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 2 Peter 3:10, and Revelations 16:15.

    That said, my interpretation is that these talk about the point in time which is unknown, not about the manner of Jesus’ return.