No One Knows the Day or Hour — Matthew 24:36, the Feast of Trumpets, and the Witness of 70 AD

 No One Knows the Day or Hour — Matthew 24:36, the Feast of Trumpets, and the Witness of 70 AD

When Jesus said in Matthew 24:36, "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only," many have taken this to mean a far-future, end-of-the-world event. But what if this phrase had a much more specific meaning to Jesus’ Jewish audience—one tied to their festal calendar, their historical context, and even the events of 70 AD?

Let’s unpack this verse and its connection to the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), the idea of two witnesses, and the prophetic imagery of Revelation 11—all pointing to a first-century fulfillment.

The Feast of Trumpets and the Phrase "No One Knows the Day or Hour"

The phrase “no one knows the day or the hour” was commonly associated in Jewish idiom with the Feast of Trumpets—the only festival that began on a new moon (Tishri 1). Since the new moon is difficult to predict precisely, ancient Israelites would rely on two witnesses to observe and confirm its first sliver in the night sky.

Once confirmed, the Sanhedrin would declare the new month had begun, and the Feast of Trumpets could officially commence.

Thus, the Feast of Trumpets became known colloquially as the feast “of which no one knows the day or the hour.” Jesus’ use of that exact phrase in Matthew 24:36 may not have been random—it was likely a clear allusion to this feast.

Judgment and Trumpets: A Fulfillment in 70 AD?

In Matthew 24, Jesus is answering the disciples' question about the destruction of the temple (Matt 24:1–3). Throughout the chapter, He warns of signs and events leading up to this climactic judgment—wars, famines, tribulation, and the abomination of desolation—all of which find parallel descriptions in the lead-up to the Roman siege of Jerusalem.

By referencing the Feast of Trumpets—a day of trumpet blasts, warning, and awakening to judgment—Jesus could be framing the coming destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD as a festal and prophetic fulfillment. It would be a "day of the Lord," a visitation in judgment upon the old covenant system.

Just as trumpets sounded in ancient Israel to gather the people, announce war, or proclaim coronation, so too the trumpets of this feast point to the dramatic shift in covenant history that took place with the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the temple age.

Two Witnesses and Revelation 11

Now consider Revelation 11, where two witnesses prophesy for 1,260 days, are killed, and then raised up in front of their enemies. This chapter has long been debated, but many see these two witnesses as symbolic of the prophetic witness against Jerusalem, much like the two witnesses needed to confirm the new moon and begin the Feast of Trumpets.

In this connection:

The two witnesses of Revelation 11 could reflect the two witnesses needed to confirm the timing of Yom Teruah.

Their death in the "great city... where also their Lord was crucified" (Rev 11:8) identifies the location as Jerusalem.

Their resurrection and ascension in a cloud echo Christ’s own ascension and also reflect vindication—just as Jesus had promised that the temple’s destruction would be a sign of the Son of Man coming in power (Matt 24:30).

This all points to a first-century context, aligning with the idea that the Feast of Trumpets imagery was fulfilled in the judgment that came upon Jerusalem in 70 AD.

A New Era Begins

With the destruction of the temple came the end of the old covenant age, and the beginning of the new—a new priesthood, a new temple (the body of Christ), and a new city (the heavenly Jerusalem). The trumpet had sounded. Judgment had come. The “day and hour” unknown had arrived, and with it, a great turning point in redemptive history.

Conclusion

Matthew 24:36 is not a vague reference to some future unknown apocalypse. Rather, it may be a deliberate pointer to the Feast of Trumpets, signaling the imminent judgment Jesus had been describing throughout the chapter. The need for two witnesses, the use of trumpet imagery, and the Revelation 11 narrative all converge to form a tapestry of symbolic and prophetic meaning—fulfilled climactically in the events of 70 AD.