Does Anyone Know When? Series

Does Anyone Know When?

Matthew 24:32-51

-Today is the last message in our sermon series on the second coming.

-We have looked at 1. Why Christ must return, 2. The doctrine of the soon return of Christ, 3. birth pangs, 4. The tribulation, 5. Signs in the Sky

This morning we are going to continue to look at this passage from Matthew 24, remember this is where the disciples had asked Jesus the questions “Tell us when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?'

The disciples were still wanting to know when after the resurrection just before Jesus ascended up into the clouds they asked again, “So when they had come together they asked him, Lord will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? He said to them it is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.

This message this morning is an important one for us to grasp because every so often someone comes along who claims to have all figured out and they attempt to set a date when Christ is coming back, and they have all been wrong

look at what Jesus said about his coming in verse 36, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son but the Father only.”

This is an answer the disciples question, God has chosen in his sovereignty to keep the date of his coming the best kept secret in the universe. God has not allowed his angels to know it, and this is even hard for some to grasp but Christ in his humanity did not have a conscious awareness of the precise time of his coming.

Jesus said, Not the angels, nor the Son but the Father only

It will literally be a day that catches the world off guard-

Jesus said it would be like the days of Noah when people were eating and drinking and marrying and in verse 39, “and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away. So will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

in verse 43 he says that his coming will be like a thief in the night and verse 44 at an hour you do not expect.

Again in verse 50, “the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know.”

The coming of Christ is going to catch the world off guard.

But here is the thing I want you to see, it will catch the world off guard, but not the Christian. The flood caught the world off guard but not Noah. He knew it was coming, he didn't know when, but he was ready.

Look at what Paul said to the church

1Th 5:1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.

1Th 5:2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 1Th 5:3 While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

1Th 5:4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.

On March 30, 1981 as President Ronald Regan was leaving the Hilton Hotel in Washington John Hinkley opened fire at close range shooting 5 or 6 times. No one that day was expecting it to happen, and when you go back and watch the video of it you will see something very interesting. No one was expecting the president to get shot that day so you would assume that it caught everyone off guard but it didn't. Most of the people in the video as soon as they hear the first gun shot duck for cover because they are caught off guard, but the secret service don't even flinch they are the only ones in the video still standing and reaching for their own guns and jumping in front of the president. They didn't know it was going to happen that day but they are trained to watch and be ready for it to happen any day. Which is why id didn't catch them off guard.

And that's what Paul is saying about the second coming, its a day that will catch the world off guard

In this passage Christ also says it will be separating day

verse 40, “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.