For example, a thief does not call the home that he plans to enter and say, “About one O’clock this evening I plan to arrive.” When he enters a home, he wants the element of surprise to be on his side.And the Bible tells us in Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”
When you hear a religious group claim they know the day and the hour that Christ is going to return, you can mark it down, they do not know what they are talking about.
The Word of God makes it clear, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man…”. I do not possibly see how the Lord could make that any clearer than that. After enlightening us about the time in which He will come, He gives us two things to consider that teach us about His coming.
(1) HE COMPARES HIS COMING TO NOAH’S GENERATION
Look at Matthew 24:37-39, we read, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
Noah’s generation became so wicked, God had to send a flood and destroy them. Notice, how God described them:
• They were eating
• They were drinking
• They were marrying and giving in marriage
This is how they lived until God sent Noah and his family into the ark, and drowned everyone else.
But the question for us to ask ourselves is this, “Can Noah’s generation be any more wicked than our generation?” I do not think so, and if the Lord does not bring judgment soon on this generation, He is going to have to raise Noah’s generation back up and apologize for destroying them.
All the wickedness we see today tells us it CAN NOT BE LONG before Christ is going to come back for his church. We do not know the DAY OR THE HOUR, but the Lord tells us that when society reaches the level of the wickedness of Noah’s generation, it will not be long.
WILL EVERYONE BE RAPTURED? No, He lets us know that everyone will not be raptured.
(2) HE COMPARES HIS COMING TO TWO WORKERS
Look at Matthew 24:40-41, we read, “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”
The Lord is not using this passage of scripture to teach that 50% of the people will be raptured and 50% will be left, as some have taught. He is using two, to show us that everyone will not be raptured. He does this by showing us:
• Two in a field, the one shall be taken, and the other left
• Two women shall be grinding at the mill, one shall be taken and the other left
The picture we get is that when the rapture takes place, it is going to be an ordinary day when people are going about the routine of life, and in the “Twinkling of an eye,” every Saint of God is going to be changed into their glorified body, and they are going to be gone so fast that the person next to them will not be able to comprehend it.
After the Lord states this, He closes this little passage of Scripture by saying in verse 42, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
The apostle Paul picks up on the Lord’s return by comparing it to Him coming, “As a thief in the night”.
Look at 1 Thess. 5:2-6, we read, “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”
Notice that Paul said He would come, “AS a thief in the night”, not “A thief in the night”. You see, a thief takes that which is not his, but when the Lord comes back AS a thief in the night, HE WILL ONLY TAKE THAT WHICH IS HIS.
In comparing the Lord’s coming to A THIEF IN THE NIGHT, we have to always remember the emphasis is on THE SURPRISE OF HIS COMING!
As we look at the element of surprise of His coming AS A THIEF IN THE NIGHT, let’s also look at the element of surprise of the ancient wedding feast in this parable. Let’s look at several things the Lord is teaching us in the parable.
I. THE CUSTOM
In the parable, a wealthy land owner left his servants to attend a wedding. He would be gone, but as the land owner, he planned to return, and the servants are to do those things they are suppose to do while he is gone.
He used the wedding to teach us a valuable lesson. But this wedding does not make any sense if we do not consider the CUSTOMS of weddings in those days. They had customs that we do not have, and we have customs they did not have.
Today we have customs that are supposed to represent certain things, such as:
(1) The father walking down the aisle with the Bride to give her away.
Illus: Jean Murphy tells the story of her sister, Ann, a third-grade teacher, who invited her class to her wedding. The wedding was at 3:30 p.m. on a weekday, so the substitute brought Ann's class to the church. The music started, the attendants took their places, and the bride came down the aisle on the arm of her father. At this point one alarmed student exclaimed, "She's not going to marry that old man, is she?" (Christian Reader, "Rolling Down the Aisle.")
(2) The lighting of the unity candle.
Illus: James S. Hewett tells how one mother was escorted by her twenty-four-year-old bachelor son. She said, “He appeared unaffected by the ceremony until the bride and groom lighted a single candle with their candles and then blew out their own. With that he brightened and whispered, ‘I've never seen that done before.’" I whispered back, "You know what it means, don't you?" His response: "No more old flames?" (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 334.)
As we consider this parable, we have to consider that they had many customs in their weddings that we do not have in ours. For example, during the days of Christ, the groom had a wedding feast with his friends, and at a given time, determined by him, he would go to claim the bride at her home.
When this took place, the servants of the groom were expected to be dressed and have their lanterns lit for the return procession. These things speak of the preparation that should take place before the groom knocks on her door.
The picture that the Lord paints for us is that when that time comes, the servants should be fully dressed, even to the point that they have their belt on. Look at verse 35, we read, “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning.”
In the East, men wore long robes that had to be tied at the waist. The belt was used to take all the excess material and bring it close to the body. Without the belt, the person was hampered and it was impossible for them to move quickly and freely.
The point is, if a person is not ready when the Lord returns, they will not have time to get ready. THEY MUST BE READY!
Look at verse 36, we read, “And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.”
Look at the word “Immediately”. This is the word Eutheos (Pronounced as Yoo-theh'-oce). It means at once, as soon as, straightway.
Look at verses 37-38, we read, “Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.”
The message is that the Believer is to always be prepared. The BELT and the LIGHT speak of readiness. This was the custom, they were to be ready when the Bridegroom chose to come.
II. THE COMING
It is not a question of WILL THE LORD RETURN, is a question of WHEN THE LORD WILL RETURN. There have always been those who said, “I have heard all my life that the Lord Jesus is going to return, and He has not returned yet!”
Peter and the disciples had to deal with this same argument. Look at 2 Peter 3:3-5, we read, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:”
We are told these WILLINGLY ARE IGNORANT. They do not want the Lord Jesus to return, and in their foolish minds they deceive themselves, saying they have plenty of time to live their sinful lives as they so please.
But according to the inerrant Word of God, the Lord Jesus is going to return one day.
• The Unbelievers need to get ready for His coming
• The Believers also need to be ready for His coming
While we recognize that all unbelievers are not ready for His coming, we fail to recognize that there are some Christians that are not ready for His coming. They are saved by the marvelous grace of God, but they are not ready for His return.
Illus: In every church there are many people who claim to know the Lord Jesus, but it is obvious from the way they are living the Christian life that they are not looking for Christ to return soon. It is obvious:
• The way they attend church
• The way they spend their time
• The way they spend their money
• The way they use their talents
WHY SHOULD THE BELIEVER BE READY? Let me give you several reasons, such as:
A. BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES, WE KNOW THE LORD IS GOING TO RETURN
The Lord is the Head of the house. The Lord did not desert the house, the parable says He just went away for a short time to attend a great wedding. He will be returning.
We are living in apocalyptic times. Newspaper headlines throughout the world speak of the ominous dangers that the world is facing.
• There's military buildup in many countries and fear of confrontation
• New and more sophisticated tactical and strategic armaments are being built by the major powers of the world
In the midst of the problems and dangers that the world is facing, what is the attitude of the Christian?
WHAT SHOULD BE OUR ATTITUDE? Our attitude should be that THE SCRIPTURES SHOW THAT THE LORD IS COMING AND WE NEED TO BE READY!
Illus: During the years of the Second World War, the words of U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur echoed in the ears of the people of the Philippines while they were under enemy occupation. General MacArthur had promised, "I shall return," and he kept that promise.
JESUS CHRIST ALSO HAS PROMISED, "I SHALL RETURN," AND HE WILL KEEP THAT PROMISE TO US.
The Scriptures make that amply clear:
• Look at Acts 1:11, “…Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
• Look at 1 Thess. 4:13-18, we read, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
We need to be ready because we know that according to the Word of God, the Lord is coming again. Also-
B. BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT HE IS GOING TO RETURN WITH REWARDS FOR THOSE WHO ARE READY!
Look at Matthew 16:27, we read, “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
But what is the greatest reward that we Christians can receive? Look at 1 John 3:2, we read, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
The lost world does not have a thing to look forward to. If the Lord comes tonight, it will be the worst thing that has ever happened to them. If the Lord comes tonight, they will begin to live in eternal damnation.
But we who are saved and look for His coming, know that if He comes tonight, it will be the best thing that has ever happened to us.
Notice several things that the Bible says will take place when He appears:
(1) We shall be like him.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Look at the word “Like” in 1 John 3:2, this is the word Homoios, (Pronounced as hom'-oy-os) which means similar (in appearance or character).
Each one of us has to battle this sinful nature within us. I do not know about you, but I get tired of fighting this Adamic nature. It is a battle we have to fight each day, and we will have to fight this evil Adamic nature as long as we live.
But the good news is that one day the Lord is going to come back, and in a moment, in the “Twinkling of an eye”, those of us who are saved and looking for the Lord Jesus Christ to return, are going to receive our glorified bodies. We are going to have a body similar to the Lord Jesus Christ, that only wants to live a holy life.
(2) We shall see him as he is.
There are times we seem to get a glimpse of Him:
• In a church service we can be so touched that we get a glimpse of him, and we want to hold our hands up toward heaven, and tears of joy run down our cheeks because spiritually we got a glimpse of the Lord.
• When we read the Word of God, sometimes God speaks to our heart through His Word, and we get a glimpse of the Lord, and tears flow down our cheeks.
• There are times when we can hear a good scriptural song, and we get a glimpse of the Lord, and the tears of joy and adoration start to flow.
• There are times when we pray, we feel so close to the Lord that we feel we can reach out and embrace Him.
But these are only small glimpses of the Lord. When the Lord comes back, the Bible says, WE ARE GOING TO SEE HIM AS HE IS.
The Believer is to be PREPARED FOR HIS COMING, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT HE IS GOING TO REWARD THOSE WHO ARE READY! Look at Luke 12:38, we read, “And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.”
Look at the Word “Blessed”, this of course means happy. This is going to be happiest day of the Believers life.
C. BECAUSE WE KNOWS THAT THE LORD IS COMING WHEN MEN LEAST EXPECT HIM
Let’s go back to our parable. In Luke 12: 39-40, we read, “And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.”
We do not know when the Lord is going to come back, but we live our life each day as if this may be the day.
• Some folks would not say the things they say, if they thought the Lord might come back in a few minutes
• Some folks would not spend their money the way they spend their money, if they knew the Lord was going to come back today
• Some folks would not watch the things they watch on television, if they knew the Lord was going to come back today
• Some folks would not have the priorities they have in their life, if they knew the Lord was going to come back today
Illus: During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy often closed his speeches with the story of Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives: On May 19th, 1780 the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Davenport rose and said, "The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought." Rather than fearing what is to come, we are to be faithful till Christ returns. Instead of fearing the dark, we're to be lights as we watch and wait.
Conclusion:
Illus: Dr. A. J. Gordon tells of two sisters who were very near and dear to one another. One was a Christian, and the other was not. The Christian girl was constantly seeking to lead the unbelieving one to the Lord Jesus Christ. One night she persuaded her to attend church service with her. The minister preached from Matthew 24, where it says that when Jesus comes in the air to call His sons from the earth, one will be taken and the other left. He preached a stirring sermon. The Christian girl hoped very much that the sermon would lead her sister to salvation; but the unbelieving one did not seem to be impressed by what had been said. The two girls slept together. That night the Christian one was so burdened for her sister that she could not sleep. She crept from the bed and went into another room to pray. In the meantime, the unsaved girl awoke, and missing her sister, wondered where she was. As she lay there, the sermon being uppermost in her thoughts, she wondered if her Christian sister had been taken. The horror of having been left behind made such an impression on her, that she cried to the Lord for salvation. Such a scene will be a reality -- one will be taken and one will be left! (William Moses Tidwell, "Effective Illustrations.")
We should live our life in such a manner, that if we knew that the Lord was going to return in the next moment, we would continue to do what we are doing.
I. THE COMING
II. THE CUSTOM
