When will Jesus return? Let’s learn that we do not know when Christ will return but that he will come back and we must keep watch. Let’s discuss this in Matthew 24:36-44.
End of an Era
Matthew 24:36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
If Jesus is God the Son and coequal with the Father, how does He not know the day or hour? The Athanasian Creed says that Christ is "equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father, as touching his manhood.” Jesus the man is speaking here.
When is the end of this age? Jesus predicted the fall of Jerusalem and the Gospel preached in the whole world. No one knows the day or the hour of His return, a purposefully vague prophecy. We keep watch, because we don’t know on what day our Lord will come.
Like Noah’s Day
Matthew 24:37-39 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
Jesus confirms the Noah flood narrative. Does science prove it wrong? Are we sure? If the flood is a myth, how were transcontinental sedimentary rock layers formed? How were the Grand Canyon layers formed without any evidence of erosion between layers? How are whale and possum fossils found mixed together?
Jesus includes a picture of normal life before Noah’s flood. We can become deluded that we don’t need to keep vigilant watch in prayerful preparation for his return. It appears that in apocalyptic times there may also be periods of normalcy. During those times watching will be even more imperative.
Left Behind
Matthew 24:40-41 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.
The “left behind” theories have difficulties with this passage. Jesus compares those “taken away” with evil people swept away in Noah’s flood. The natural reading of this passage is the opposite of the “left behind” theories. Jesus gave us enough to encourage hope, and enough left out to stimulate faith.
Watch
Matthew 24:42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.
A mandates in the passage is to watch. A watchman must be vigilant. In Matthew 26:41 we are to watch and pray not to give into temptation. Jesus encourages us to be ready at all times, because he is coming at an hour when we do not think he will.
Shepherds watch flocks to protect them. Jesus warns us to remain clothed (Revelation 16:15), to watch and pray that we do not fall into temptation (Mark 14:38). Unlike the five foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) a good watch is always ready, on guard lest the enemy tempt them.
Jesus Like a Burglar
Matthew 24:43-44 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
Jesus like a burglar in only one way, his coming is unexpected. The only way to deal with burglars is preparation and watching. Most people will be uninterested in Jesus and unaware of the approach of his coming. Jesus challenges us to stay alert, be vigilant, prepared for his coming.
Rather than becoming deluded by consumerism and materialism, let’s live out the kingdom of God here and now, like Nicholas of Myra who gave away his life’s fortune so that others could be blessed. We cannot know when Christ will return but He will and we must keep watch. We need to watch and pray so that when he comes we will be ready.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Readings
Isaiah 2:1-5
Isaia 2:1 This is a vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all—the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. 3 People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. 4 The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. 5 Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
The word of the Lord from Isaiah.
Turning swords into plows is carved into a wall across the UN building in New York. Isaiah describes a future that begins at the coming of the Lord. His first coming began this future for those in the church. His second coming will bring this future to all the world.
Psalm 122
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. 1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” 2 And now here we are, standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem is a well-built city; its seamless walls cannot be breached. 4 All the tribes of Israel—the Lord’s people—make their pilgrimage here. They come to give thanks to the name of the Lord, as the law requires of Israel. 5 Here stand the thrones where judgment is given, the thrones of the dynasty of David. 6 Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. 7 O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. 8 For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.” 9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.
Thus ends the Psalm.
Jerusalem pictures the church, the place for all who love God, the place we all pray together. It is where God meets us. It is where the words of life are rehearsed in our ears. It is the place where national greatness begins.
Romans 13:11-14
11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
The word of God for the people of God.
The Holy Spirit helps us to see through the darkness of this world. We battle the evil that brings hatred and fear. We become like Christ, just as became one of us. We welcome and embrace all humanity, just as Christ embraced all humanity at the cross.
Matthew 24:36-44 in Rhyme
No one knows the day or the hour
When these things will happen down here
No not the angelic order
Or the Son, only the Father
When the Son of Man comes our way
It will be like in Noah’s day
In those days before the drenching
Were banquets, parties and weddings
Right up until Noah boarded
They ignored warnings afforded
Unaware of what was coming
‘Til swept away in the flooding
Just like when the Son of Man comes
Two farmers; two different outcomes
Two women working at the mill
One taken, the other left still
So you, too, must keep watch!
It’s not something to botch
You don’t know when the Lord’s coming
It’s just like the burglar’s cunning
Keep watch lest your goods be stolen
Always ready, that’s the slogan
For the Son of Man will then come
Unexpected by everyone
