“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the
angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of
Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 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, and they were unaware until the flood came and
swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will
be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at
the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not
know on what day your Lord is coming. 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. Therefore you
also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Matthew 24:36-44)
Let’s use the KISS
principle (Keep it Simple Saint!). In Matthew 24, Jesus has just answered the
disciples’ question, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the
sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (vs 3). But reading his answer
may leave one somewhat confused about how everything fits together. Added to
this is the fact that most of the people who would read this post are Gentiles,
meaning we need to get "teached" about how the Jewish disciples heard this!
What Jesus makes so
clear at the end is that he wants us to think of what he said as all the answer
the disciples needed… AT THAT TIME! After Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and
ascension back to heaven, more would be explained, but none of it would ever
answer the question about “the day and hour” of his return. It is not ours to
know. But if we are some of those who will be alive at his return we WILL KNOW
when he comes.
Jesus’ reference to
the “days of Noah” indicates that the worldwide flood described in Genesis was
a real historical event, and the return of Christ will be just as real,
historical, condemning, saving, and unexpected as the flood.
When he gives two
examples of “one will be taken and one left”, it fits what he just said that
his angels “will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven
to the other” (vs 31). What will that look like at ground level? One person
suddenly being “taken” up with overwhelming joy while another is "left" to “mourn”
Jesus’ appearing (vs 30).
Believers in Jesus Christ
must live in readiness. No one can know the day or hour, but neither can anyone
say it is not the day or hour. We simply cannot know!
Now, because this is
such serious business, forgive me an extra paragraph here, but I want to share
a humorous way God affirmed the impossibility of knowing when Jesus will
return. Years ago, I was reading the book of Revelation, and when I came to
Revelation 10, I was fascinated with John’s vision of the “the seven thunders”.
And then I came to this, “And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about
to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what the seven
thunders have said, and do not write it down’” (vs 4). I think I started
laughing out loud (while prayer journaling) because I suddenly pictured God
taking puzzle pieces out of John’s hand and telling him they must not be
included in the box!!! No matter how we want to look at it, puzzle pieces are
missing so the picture in Revelation is not complete! Data is missing so the
formula for figuring out when things will happen is impossible to extrapolate!
We simply cannot know!
We must let
ourselves be like little children (not childish) and obey Jesus’ words in
faith, “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is
coming.” And, “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming
at an hour you do not expect.”
And that means we
are either already Jesus’ servants and must get about his business with
whatever “talents” he has given us to multiply for the kingdom, or we must
accept how serious this is and “confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, (so) you will be
saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one
confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:9-10).
And, if you do not
know what to do, please ask one of us who is ready and waiting for Jesus’
return!
© 2024
Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8
Email: in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the
English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text
Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.)
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