But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matt 24:36–44)
Concerning the end of that time, the Lord removed the weight of our anxiety by saying that no one knows that day. Not only are the angels ignorant of it, but He Himself. O inestimable mercy of the divine goodness! Has God the Father denied the Son knowledge of that day by hiding His intentions, even though the Son said, All things have been committed to Me by My Father? How could everything be committed to Him if there is something denied to Him? But He delivered to us everything which He received from the Father. The Word possesses in Himself the certainty, not so much of future events that will happen, as of the events that have happened. For this reason the day has been set but without further qualification. Even though God permits a generous amount of time for our repentance, He recognizes our anxiety, always a fear of the unknown. By telling no one about His will when it comes to setting this day, He prevents any further qualification of His words. As it was at the time of the flood, that great day will burst into the course of our lives, into the midst of all our business and misery.
And so that we should realize that His ignorance of the day is kept secret for us all, not without a reason for the usefulness of silence, He warned us to be watchful for the coming of the thief, and to adhere assiduously to prayer as those who are occupied with all the works of His teaching. For He shows that the devil is a watchful thief who seeks to take away spoils from us and who attacks the houses, of our bodies, in order to break into them with the arrows of enticement and of his purposes, while we are negligent and given to sleep. It is appropriate that we be prepared therefore because ignorance of the day exacerbates the stressful anxiety of anticipation held in suspense.
Hilary of Poitiers, Commentary on Matthew 26.4, 5
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