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No One Knows the Day or the Hour: Elder Cleopa on the Second Coming
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What the video says
Elder Cleopa of Romania teaches that the exact time of Christ's Second Coming has not been revealed to mankind, neither to angels, nor to men, nor even to the Son of Man in His humanity. He cites Scripture: only the Father knows the day and hour, and the Lord commands watchfulness because He will come at an unexpected hour. The promise that the Holy Spirit would show the disciples things to come did not mean revealing the date, but revealing signs and events such as the Antichrist, false prophets, and persecutions.
Failed date-setters like William Miller and his followers illustrate the danger of such speculation. Although the date is unknown, Christ revealed signs that will precede His coming, culminating in the sign of the cross in the heavens. The uncertainty of the day is a call to spiritual watchfulness, not to calculation.
Key moments
- The Orthodox Church teaches that the exact time of Christ's coming has not been revealed: neither to angels, nor to men, nor to the Son of Man as man. Only the Father knows.
- The Lord commands watchfulness: as in the days of Noah, His coming will be unexpected, like a thief in the night, so we must be ready at all times.
- Christ's promise that the Holy Spirit would guide the disciples into all truth must be understood as He gave it, not according to human speculation about dates.
- William Miller predicted Christ would return between 1 March 1843 and 1 March 1844; his disciple Snow added seven months and ten days, announcing 10 October 1844.
- Believers spent their fortunes, bought white garments and candles, but the day passed like every other day, and the prophets became objects of mockery.
- The promise of the Holy Spirit referred to revelations of signs and events, such as the Antichrist, false prophets, and persecution, not to the exact date of the return.
- Paul's words to the Thessalonians about children of light do not mean Christians can know the date; the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night.
- Signs preceding the coming include the Gospel preached to all nations, the turning of the Jews to Christianity, the Antichrist in the temple of God, wars, famines, signs in the heavens, and finally the sign of the Son of Man, the cross.
Elder Cleopa of Romania, in his book The Truth of Our Faith, teaches that the exact time of Christ's Second Coming has not been revealed to anyone. Neither angels, nor men, nor even the Son of Man in His humanity knows the day or hour; only the Father knows. Because the Lord said He will come at an unexpected hour, like a thief in the night and as in the days of Noah, Christians are called to watchfulness rather than calculation.
Elder Cleopa addresses a common objection: Christ promised that the Holy Spirit would guide the disciples into all truth and show them things to come. He explains that this promise concerned signs and events, such as the coming of the Antichrist, false prophets, and persecutions, not the date of the return. He illustrates the danger of date-setting with the example of William Miller, who predicted Christ would return between 1 March 1843 and 1 March 1844.
His disciple Snow added seven months and ten days, announcing 10 October 1844. Believers spent their fortunes, bought white garments and candles, but the day passed like any other day, and the prophets became objects of mockery. Elder Cleopa also reads Paul's words to the Thessalonians about children of light: these do not mean Christians can know the date, since the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night.
Although the date remains unknown, Christ revealed signs that will precede His coming: the Gospel preached to all nations, the turning of the Jews to Christianity, the Antichrist in the temple of God, wars, famines, and signs in the heavens. The sequence culminates in the sign of the Son of Man, the cross, appearing in the heavens.
The teaching draws on Matthew 24-25, 1 Thessalonians, Romans 11:25-34, and Revelation 13 and 20.
Main points
- Only the Father knows the day and hour of the Second Coming; it is hidden from angels, from men, and from the Son of Man in His humanity.
- The promise that the Holy Spirit would show things to come refers to signs and events, such as the Antichrist and persecutions, not to the date.
- William Miller predicted Christ's return between 1 March 1843 and 1 March 1844; his follower Snow set 10 October 1844, and the day passed like any other.
- Paul's words about children of light do not mean Christians can know the date; the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night.
- Signs preceding the coming include the Gospel preached to all nations, wars, famines, the Antichrist in the temple of God, and finally the sign of the cross in the heavens.