Jesus was to be an unexpected arrival

JESUS WAS TO BE AN UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
MATTHEW 24:42-44 42 “Thereforekeep watch,
because you do not know on what day your Lord will
come. 43 But understandthis: If the owner of the
house had known at what time of night the thief was
coming, he would have kept watch and would not have
let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be
ready, becausethe Son of Man will come at an hour
when you do not expect him.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Abiding Readiness
Matthew 24:44
R. Tuck
Therefore be ye also ready. The one point which our Lord seeksto impress on
his disciples is the uncertainty of the time of the greattesting day, and of all
testing days. The fact that a reckoning day for the Lord's servants must come
has to be fully accepted. If there is any sense in which we are now in trust
during our Lord's absence, it is certainthat his absence canonly be
temporary. We can never ceaseto be servants in charge. We can never geta
personalright in the things of which we are set in charge. Purposelyour Lord

withholds from his disciples of every age the date of his return. It is truest
kindness to do so. It is moral training to do so. His disciples always go wrong
when they try to fix dates. Christ distinctly refuses to allow any data on which
such fixtures can be made. Prophets of the "secondcoming," and of the "end
of the world," are wise above what is written, and let their imaginations run
riot over Bible figures of speech.
I. THE MORAL INFLUENCE OF FEELING THAT THE MASTER MAY
COME AT ANY TIME.
1. It keeps the thought of the Masterclose, nearto us at all times. So it takes
us out of ourselves.
2. It keeps us thinking what the Masterwould like to see when he comes. So it
makes us ever busy about our work.
3. It sets us upon thinking what pleasantsurprises we can give our Master
when he comes. So it lifts our work high above the drudgery of service.
4. It keeps in our hearts the ever-cheering confidence of the Master's smile, if
he sees all has been right and is right in his home. Add that all this filling of
our souls with the thought of our Masterprovides the healthiestdeliverance
from all self-centredsentimentalism. Illustrate from our Lord's picture of the
goodservant, who was found "watching," in the sense ofbeing busy about his
work.
II. THE MORAL INFLUENCE OF FEELING THAT THE MASTER IS
DELAYING HIS COMING. This represents the most striking contrast. The
thought of the Masteris lifted away, and self rises to fill the vacant space. No
need to hurry preparations;it will be soonenough when he sends notice.
Meanwhile there can be self-enjoyment. There is no fear of being takenat
unawares. See the picture of the unworthy servant. Whether men think they
can, or think they cannot, fix the time of Christ's coming, the fact for them all
will be that he will come to them at unawares, and find them out. - R.T.

Biblical Illustrator
Them be ye also ready.
Matthew 24:44
Ready for death
A. Fletcher, M. A.
I. To speak of DEATH.
1. At death, the body is dissolvedinto dust.
2. At death, the souland body separate.
3. At death, the soulappears before God.
II. WHO ARE READY FOR DEATH?
1. All who are prepared to die see their lost state by nature.
2. All who love God.
3. All who have God.

III. REASONS WHY WE SHOULD BE PREPARED TO DIE.
1. Deathis sure.
2. The time is uncertain.
3. This is the only world where you canbe prepared to die.
4. Now is the time God has given you to prepare to die.
5. He is a wise man who prepares to die.
6. He is a fool who refuses to prepare to die.
(A. Fletcher, M. A.)
Comfort under bereavement
T. Brown, D. D.
I. THE ADMONITION. To be ready for the coming of Christ ought to be the
greatend of life.
1. To be ready for death, is to have obtained the pardon of all sins.
2. It is to possessrenewednatures.
3. It is to have all the graces ofthe Spirit in vigorous exercise.
II. THE MOTIVE AND ARGUMENT EMPLOYED.
1. The uncertainty of the event in question. '2. Death may come when,
according to human calculation, there is the leastProspectofit.
3. It may callus when our earthly concerns may make it most inconvenient for
us to depart.
4. It may approachwhen we are leastready for its approach.
(T. Brown, D. D.)

The shortness and uncertainty of life
A. Grant, D. D.
I. THE SCRIPTURALACCOUNT OF THE UNCERTAINTYOF HUMAN
LIFE.
II. INQUIRE HOW THE UNCERTAINTYOF LIFE SO SELDOM LEADS
MEN PREPARE FOR LEAVING IT.
1. Want of consideration.
2. Love of this world and its enjoyments.
3. A vague impression that death is a distant event.
III. SOME OF THE COMFORTSAND ADVANTAGES OF BEING
PREPARED FOR DEATH.
1. It secures the testimony of a goodconscience, connectedwith the favour of
God, and the happiness that results from both.
2. Preparationfor death alleviates the afflictions of life, and affords much
consolationunder them.
3. It frees from slavish fearof that event.
(A. Grant, D. D.)
The greatbusiness of life
T. Hitchin.
I. THE EVENT PREDICTED.
1. His coming at the day of judgment.
2. At the hour of death.
II. THE DUTY ENJOINED.

1. It is an evangelicalreadiness.
2. It is a gracious readiness.
3. It is an habitual readiness.
(T. Hitchin.)
The secondadvent
E. Fisk, LL. B.
I. WHAT IS REVEALED concerning our Lord's characterand appearance?
1. Preparationmade.
2. His first coming was in weakness;His second, in illimitable power. His first,
in humiliation; His second, in glory.
II. The EFFECTofHis coming.
1. Renovation.
2. Dissolution.
3. Manifestation.
(E. Fisk, LL. B.)
Ready to die
C. Bradley., J. Rattenbury.
A ship in a port, with all its provisions and sails and men on board, is in one
sense ofthe word, "ready" — ready for sea;but it may not be "ready " in the
sense this text enjoins. Its sails must be in their places, its anchormust be up,
every man must be at his post: then it is actually ready for the oceanand its
storms. Let the command come, and in a minute or two it is disengagedfrom
the fastenings that held it, lies down to the breeze, and without hurry or alarm

is gone. And this is the readiness our Lord has here in His mind — a state of
actualreadiness, preparedness ofmind and heart.
(C. Bradley.)
I. A CALL TO A STATE OF PREPARATION.The readiness to which we are
calledis a state that will give us admission to Paradise. The qualification for
such a distinction and privilege is —
1. The possessionofChristian acceptanceandholiness.
2. A faithful and assiduous fulfilment of trust. Trusts of the most important
kind are committed to man, for which he is accountable andresponsible.
3. Habitual watchfulness.
II. OUR LORD ENFORCESTHIS CALL BY THE DECLARATION OF AN
IMPRESSIVE FACT.
1. The coming of the Son of Man.
2. The purposes of His coming.
3. Man's ignorance of the period of His coming.
(J. Rattenbury.)
Preparationfor death
W. N.
I. THE EVENT FOR WHICH WE ARE TO BE READY.
1. At death, the body turns to its original dust.
II. WHAT IS IMPLIED IN BEING READY? Great events require suitable
preparation. Preparationfor death implies —

1. A perception of unfitness for death, without an interest in the favour of
God.
2. Faith in Christ, which is instrumental in obtaining pardon of sin, etc.
3. Holiness.
4. Diligence in the use of the public and private means of grace.
III. MOTIVES TO URGE US TO BE READY.
1. Deathis sure to come.
2. The time of death's approach is uncertain.
3. Abundant provision is made to induce this preparation.
4. The present life is the only period in which we can prepare for death.
5. To be ready indicates true wisdom, and gives peace.
(W. N.)
Ready
J. Cumming, D. D.
I. WHAT ARE WE TO BE READY FOR? To be ready to leave all that is
about us and all that belongs to us, howevercherished.
1. To be ready to leave this world, with all its cares, its troubles, and anxieties,
for a better.
2. To be willing to be rid of many things that now burden us, and that every
Christian more or less feebly desires to be rid of: sin, sorrow, sickness,
appetites, disquiet, etc.
3. To be ready to stand at the judgment-seat of Christ. How do you expect to
appear there?
II. WHY WE ARE TO BE READY.

1. It is Christ's command. Surely that is enough.
2. He who commands is competent to saywhat the readiness consists in. It is
not what we think, nor what the minister prescribes, nor what customsays;
but what Christ has inspired in His own holy word. Faith in Christ, etc.
3. He has promised to make us ready. He is the author first, and the finisher
next, of our faith.
4. Why is it so important to be ready? We are to see the Sonof God, etc.
5. Such readiness will not interfere with the duties of this world.
(J. Cumming, D. D.)
Getting ready for heaven
"Mamma," saida child, "my Sunday-schoolteachertells me that this world is
only a place in which God lets us live a little while, that we may prepare for a
better world; but, mother, I do not See anybody preparing. I see you
preparing to go into the country, and Aunt Eliza is preparing to come here;
but I do not see any one preparing to go to heaven. If everybody wants to go
there, why don't they try to getready?"
Always ready
John Trapp.
Sir Colin Campbell, when summoned to go to India to quell the rebellion, was
asked, "How long would it take him to getready?" He replied promptly,
"Half-an-hour." As a goodsoldier he lived in constantreadiness for the call of
duty. What a lessonfor Christian soldiers!Suetonius tells us that it was a
piece of Julius Caesar's policynever to fore-acquainthis soldiers of any set
time of removal or onset, that he might ever have them in readiness to draw
forth whithersoeverhe would. Christ, in like manner, who is calledthe
"Captainof our salvation" (Hebrews 2:10). Our enemy is always ready to

annoy us; should we not therefore look to our stand, and be vigilant?
Solomon's wisdom, Lot's integrity, and Noah's sobriety, felt the smart of the
serpent's sting. The first was seduced, the second stumbled, and the third fell,
while the eye of watchfulness was fallenasleep.
(John Trapp.)
Judgment not the less certainbecause unexpected
F. W. Robertson, M. A.
Every judgment, coming of Christ, is as the springing of a mine. There is a
moment of deep suspense afterthe match has been applied to the fuse which is
to fire the train. Men stand at a distance, and hold their breath. There is
nothing seenbut a thin, small column of white smoke, rising fainter and
fainter, till it seems to die away. Then men breathe again;and the
inexperienced soldierwould approachthe place, thinking that the thing has
been a failure. It is only faith in the experience of the commander, or the
veterans, which keeps men from hurrying to the spot again — till just when
expectationhas begun to die away, the low, deep thunder sends up the column
of earth majestically to heaven, and all that was on it comes crushing down
againin its far circle, shattered and blackenedwith the blast. It is so with the
world. By God's Word the world is doomed. The moment of suspense is past:
the first centuries in which men expectedthe convulsion to take place at once
— for even Apostles were looking for it in their lifetime. We have fallen upon
days of scepticism. There are no signs of ruin yet. We tread upon it like a solid
thing fortified by its adamantine hills for ever. There is nothing againstthat,
but a few words in a printed book. But the world is mined; and the spark has
fallen; and just at the moment when serenity is at its height, the heavens shall
pass awaywith a greatnoise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat,
and the feet of the Avenger shall stand on the earth.
(F. W. Robertson, M. A.)

Sudden death
EssexRemembrancer.
I. The SOLEMN EVENTS for which we ought always to be ready.
1. Death.
2. Judgment.
3. Eternity.
II. In WHAT THIS READINESS CONSISTS, andhow it is to be obtained. It
consists in a proper arrangementof all our temporal and spiritual concerns.
The preparation of the heart for the worship of God on earth and in heavenis
from the Lord, and includes —
1. Divine illumination.
2. There must be faith.
3. A life of faith must be evidenced by a life of holiness.
4. We must live a life of prayer.
III. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ALWAYS READY, Reasons —
1. It is certain the Son of Man will come.
2. It is uncertain when the Son of Man will appear.
(EssexRemembrancer.)
The latter end considered
H. W. Beecher.
Why do men refuse to heed the caution, and shrink from contemplations on
their latter end.

1. The love of life is a powerful instinct. As men shrink from death by this
vital instinct, so the thoughts of it are disagreeable.
2. The sentiments and symbols of men respecting death which have a painful
and mischievous effectupon the imagination and feelings.
3. There are reasons whichactpowerfully from out of the affections, to make
men slow to think of death. The mother could think of death except as a
separationfrom her child.
4. Do you fear to come to God because ofsin. Christ removes this. The pain of
dying is small. We shall enter upon another life divested of the hindrances of
this. Why is it not as easyto think of death as a goldengate, as to think of it as
a murky gate?
(H. W. Beecher.)
Watching for the future no hindrance to present duty
H. W. Beecher.
I remark, then, in view of this subject thus far opened, that a proper Christian
watchfulness and forethoughtfulness in regardto death and the future life will
not abstractus from this world, but return us back to it better fitted to
perform our part here than everbefore. You are, after a long, weary
summer's day, suffocatedwith heat, grimed with dust, coveredwith
perspiration, and fretted of skin; and you are permitted to go down to the
shore of the ocean, and bathe in its translucent waters;and your body is
cleansedand cooled, and reinvigorated; and you return along the shadow of
the evening, grateful, and strongerthan you went. Now, God's oceanof
eternity is so near, that the soul, moiled with trouble, may castitself in, and
bathe its troubles away, and return to its life again, bright, clear, inspired,
strong. If you think of death as a slave, looking upon it as going into servitude
under a hard master, then it may weakenyou, and take awaythe comfort that
you have; but if you think of it, as every child of God has a right to think of it,
as going to your Father's house, where a rich banquet is prepared for you,

and where you shall enjoy the companionship of saints and angels, it will be a
source of comfort and strength to you. We can afford to take trouble here for
the sake ofgaining such an inheritance. What would I care for being poor, if I
knew that at the end of one year I should have ten millions of dollars? Men
would toil hard, and unremittingly, and without complaint, if they could be
assuredthat the boundary of their toil was within their computation, and that
all beyond was to be enjoyment and the amplestwealth. Men do endure
everything in the hope of securing wealth and enjoyment. How will they
pursue laborious industry in the chilling regions of the North, or how will they
plunge into the heat of the tropics, encountering sickness,and the malaria of
every delta that has commerce in it, in the hope that they may return to their
father's house, or the village or neighbourhood of their birth, and spend the
few closing days of their life in pleasure and comfort. And if such is the
strength of the hope of a short period of earthly peace and rest, how much
greatermust be the strength of that man's hope who expects, after a few years
(he cares nothow few, so that God's will is done) he shall rise out of this world
of trouble, and care, and vicissitudes, into the land of glory; God's land of
freedom, of nobility, of purity, of truth?
(H. W. Beecher.)
Dying in work
John Trapp.
It was s wish that Christ, when He came, might find him either praying or
preaching. It was Latimers wish (and he had it) that he might shed his heart-
blood for Christ. It was Jewel's wishthat he might die preaching, and he did
so, for presently, after his last sermonat Lacock,in Wiltshire, he was, by
reasonof sickness, forcedto his bed, from whence he never came off till his
translation to glory. I have heard the like of Mr. Lancaster, a precious man of
God, some time pastorof Bloxham, in Oxfordshire, a man very famous for his
living by faith. Cushamerns, a Dutch divine, and one of the first preachers of
the gospelatErfurt, in Germany, had his pulpit poisoned by the malicious
Papists there, and so took his death in God's work. "Whatl would you that

the Lord, when He comes, should find me idle?" saidCalvin to his friends,
who wished him to forbearstudying awhile for his health's sake. And such a
like answermade Dr. Reynolds to his physician upon the like occasion. Elijah
was going on and talking with Elisha (about heavenly things, no doubt) when
the chariotof heavencame to fetch him. There can be no better posture or
state for the messengerofour dissolutionto find-us in than in a diligent
prosecutionof our generalor particular calling.
(John Trapp.)
Always ready to die
Mr. Wesleywas once askedby a lady, "Suppose you knew you were to die at
twelve o'clock to-morrow night, how would you spend the intervening time?"
"How, madam?" he replied; "why, just as I intend to spend it now. I should
preach this night at Gloucester, andagainat five to-morrow morning. After
that I should ride to Tewkesbury, preachin the afternoon, and meet the
societiesin the evening. I should then repair to friend Martin's house, who
expects to entertain me, converse and pray with the family as usual, retire to
my room at ten o'clock,commendmyself to my heavenly Father, lie down to
rest, and wake up in glory."
A minister is a steward
Benjamin Keach.
I. What Christ's ministers are entrusted with?
1. The gospel.
2. The ordinances.
3. The care of the Church.
4. The souls of the members.

II. What ministers may be said to be stewards and rulers; teachers and
preachers;elders or pastors?
III. Who are wise, faithful servants of Jesus Christ?
1. Such as serve Christ because they love Him.
2. Such as serve Christ in all humility.
3. Such as serve Him with a perfect heart.
4. Such as feed the Master's householdwith all that food the Masterhath
provided or appointed for them.
5. Such as feeds the whole household.
6. Such as seeks the honour of Christ in all he does, not his own gain.
7. Such as cares for the weak babes, or little children, of his Master's family.
(Benjamin Keach.)
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
Be ye also ready - Luke Luke 21:36 says that he chargedthem to pray always,
that they might be accountedworthy to escape those things - the judgments
coming upon the wicked- and to stand before the Son of man - that is, to
stand there approved by him, or to be admitted to his favor. He also charged
them Luke 21:34 to take heed and not to suffer their hearts to be overcharged
with surfeiting, or too much eating, or drunkenness, or the cares ofthis life,
lest that day should come upon them unawares;things improper if there were
no judgment - especiallymad and wickedwhen the judgment is near.

Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Barnes, Albert. "Commentaryon Matthew 24:44". "Barnes'Notesonthe
Whole Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/matthew-
24.html. 1870.
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The Biblical Illustrator
Matthew 24:44
Them be ye also ready.
I. The coming of the Son of Man. His title. His coming is death. There is
certainty in His coming.
II. That man in his unconverted state is unready for his coming. Man is not
ready-
1. Forhe is born under the curse of the law.
2. Forhe is under the dominion of sin.
3. Forhis life is one of disobedience to the commands of heaven.
4. Forhe is unfit for the glorified state.
III. The absolute necessityfor being ready.

1. The nature of the readiness. Notbeing born in a Christian land-not mere
profession. Be ready: the actis ours, the grace is God’s.
1. Readyin state.
2. Readyin life.
IV. The argument used to enforce this necessity-“Forin such an hour.”
1. Youthful hour.
2. Hour of health.
3. Hour of carnal amusement.
4. Hour of worldly prosperity. (T. Jones.)
Ready for death
I. To speak of death.
1. At death, the body is dissolvedinto dust.
II. Who are ready for death?
1. All who are prepared to die see their lost state by nature.
2. All who love God.
3. All who have God.
III. Reasons whywe should be prepared to die.

1. Deathis sure.
2. The time is uncertain.
3. This is the only world where you canbe prepared to die.
4. Now is the time God has given you to prepare to die.
5. He is a wise man who prepares to die.
6. He is a fool who refuses to prepare to die. (A. Fletcher, M. A.)
Comfort under bereavement
I. The admonition. To be ready for the coming of Christ ought to be the great
end of life.
1. To be ready for death, is to have obtained the pardon of all sins.
2. It is to possessrenewednatures.
3. It is to have all the graces ofthe Spirit in vigorous exercise.
II. The motive and argument employed.
1. The uncertainty of the event in question. ‘2. Death may come when,
according to human calculation, there is the leastProspectofit.
3. It may callus when our earthly concerns may make it most inconvenient for
us to depart.
4. It may approachwhen we are leastready for its approach. (T. Brown, D.
D.)
The shortness and uncertainty of life
I. The scriptural accountof the uncertainty of human life.

II. Inquire how the uncertainty of life so seldom leads men prepare for leaving
it.
1. Want of consideration.
2. Love of this world and its enjoyments.
3. A vague impression that death is a distant event.
III. Some of the comforts and advantages ofbeing prepared for death.
1. It secures the testimony of a goodconscience, connectedwith the favour of
God, and the happiness that results from both.
2. Preparationfor death alleviates the afflictions of life, and affords much
consolationunder them.
3. It frees from slavish fearof that event. (A. Grant, D. D.)
The greatbusiness of life
I. The event predicted.
1. His coming at the day of judgment.
2. At the hour of death.
II. The duty enjoined.
1. It is an evangelicalreadiness.
2. It is a gracious readiness.
3. It is an habitual readiness. (T. Hitchin.)
The secondadvent

I. What is revealedconcerning our Lord’s characterand appearance?
1. Preparationmade.
2. His first coming was in weakness;His second, in illimitable power. His first,
in humiliation; His second, in glory.
II. The effectof His coming.
1. Renovation.
2. Dissolution.
3. Manifestation. (E. Fisk, LL. B.)
Ready to die
A ship in a port, with all its provisions and sails and men on board, is in one
sense ofthe word, “ready”-readyfor sea;but it may not be “ready“ in the
sense this text enjoins. Its sails must be in their places, its anchormust be up,
every man must be at his post: then it is actually ready for the oceanand its
storms. Let the command come, and in a minute or two it is disengagedfrom
the fastenings that held it, lies down to the breeze, and without hurry or alarm
is gone. And this is the readiness our Lord has here in His mind-a state of
actualreadiness, preparedness ofmind and heart. (C. Bradley.)
I. A callto a state of preparation. The readiness to which we are calledis a
state that will give us admissionto Paradise. The qualificationfor such a
distinction and privilege is-
1. The possessionofChristian acceptanceandholiness.
2. A faithful and assiduous fulfilment of trust. Trusts of the most important
kind are committed to man, for which he is accountable andresponsible.
3. Habitual watchfulness.

II. Our Lord enforces this callby the declarationof an impressive fact.
1. The coming of the Son of Man.
2. The purposes of His coming.
3. Man’s ignorance of the period of His coming. (J. Rattenbury.)
Preparationfor death
I. The event for which we are to be ready.
1. At death, the body turns to its original dust.
II. What is implied in being ready? Great events require suitable preparation.
Preparationfor death implies-
1. A perception of unfitness for death, without an interest in the favour of
God.
2. Faith in Christ, which is instrumental in obtaining pardon of sin, etc.
3. Holiness.
4. Diligence in the use of the public and private means of grace.
III. Motives to urge us to be ready.
1. Deathis sure to come.
2. The time of death’s approach is uncertain.

3. Abundant provision is made to induce this preparation.
4. The present life is the only period in which we can prepare for death.
5. To be ready indicates true wisdom, and gives peace. (W. N.)
Ready
I. What are we to be ready for? To be ready to leave all that is about us and
all that belongs to us, howevercherished.
1. To be ready to leave this world, with all its cares, its troubles, and anxieties,
for a better.
2. To be willing to be rid of many things that now burden us, and that every
Christian more or less feebly desires to be rid of: sin, sorrow, sickness,
appetites, disquiet, etc.
3. To be ready to stand at the judgment-seat of Christ. How do you expect to
appear there?
II. Why we are to be ready.
1. It is Christ’s command. Surely that is enough.
2. He who commands is competent to saywhat the readiness consists in. It is
not what we think, nor what the minister prescribes, nor what customsays;
but what Christ has inspired in His own holy word. Faith in Christ, etc.
3. He has promised to make us ready. He is the author first, and the finisher
next, of our faith.
4. Why is it so important to be ready? We are to see the Sonof God, etc.
5. Such readiness will not interfere with the duties of this world. (J. Cumming,
D. D.)
Getting ready for heaven

“Mamma,” saida child, “my Sunday-schoolteachertells me that this world is
only a place in which God lets us live a little while, that we may prepare for a
better world; but, mother, I do not See anybody preparing. I see you
preparing to go into the country, and Aunt Eliza is preparing to come here;
but I do not see any one preparing to go to heaven. If everybody wants to go
there, why don’t they try to getready?”
Always ready
Sir Colin Campbell, when summoned to go to India to quell the rebellion, was
asked, “How long would it take him to getready?” He replied promptly,
“Half-an-hour.” As a goodsoldier he lived in constantreadiness for the call of
duty. What a lessonfor Christian soldiers!Suetonius tells us that it was a
piece of Julius Caesar’s policynever to fore-acquainthis soldiers of any set
time of removal or onset, that he might ever have them in readiness to draw
forth whithersoeverhe would. Christ, in like manner, who is calledthe
“Captainof our salvation” (Hebrews 2:10). Our enemy is always ready to
annoy us; should we not therefore look to our stand, and be vigilant?
Solomon’s wisdom, Lot’s integrity, and Noah’s sobriety, felt the smart of the
serpent’s sting. The first was seduced, the secondstumbled, and the third fell,
while the eye of watchfulness was fallenasleep. (JohnTrapp.)
Judgment not the less certainbecause unexpected
Every judgment, coming of Christ, is as the springing of a mine. There is a
moment of deep suspense afterthe match has been applied to the fuse which is
to fire the train. Men stand at a distance, and hold their breath. There is
nothing seenbut a thin, small column of white smoke, rising fainter and
fainter, till it seems to die away. Then men breathe again;and the
inexperienced soldierwould approachthe place, thinking that the thing has
been a failure. It is only faith in the experience of the commander, or the
veterans, which keeps men from hurrying to the spot again-till just when
expectationhas begun to die away, the low, deep thunder sends up the column
of earth majestically to heaven, and all that was on it comes crushing down
againin its far circle, shattered and blackenedwith the blast. It is so with the
world. By God’s Word the world is doomed. The moment of suspense is past:

the first centuries in which men expectedthe convulsion to take place at once-
for evenApostles were looking for it in their lifetime. We have fallen upon
days of scepticism. There are no signs of ruin yet. We tread upon it like a solid
thing fortified by its adamantine hills for ever. There is nothing againstthat,
but a few words in a printed book. But the world is mined; and the spark has
fallen; and just at the moment when serenity is at its height, the heavens shall
pass awaywith a greatnoise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat,
and the feet of the Avenger shall stand on the earth. (F. W. Robertson, M. A.)
Sudden death
I. The solemn events for which we ought always to be ready.
1. Death.
2. Judgment.
3. Eternity.
II. In what this readiness consists,and how it is to be obtained. It consists in a
proper arrangementof all our temporal and spiritual concerns. The
preparation of the heart for the worship of God on earth and in heaven is
from the Lord, and includes-
1. Divine illumination.
2. There must be faith.
3. A life of faith must be evidenced by a life of holiness.
4. We must live a life of prayer.
III. The importance of being always ready, Reasons-
1. It is certain the Son of Man will come.

2. It is uncertain when the Son of Man will appear. (EssexRemembrancer.)
The latter end considered
Why do men refuse to heed the caution, and shrink from contemplations on
their latter end.
1. The love of life is a powerful instinct. As men shrink from death by this
vital instinct, so the thoughts of it are disagreeable.
2. The sentiments and symbols of men respecting death which have a painful
and mischievous effectupon the imagination and feelings.
3. There are reasons whichactpowerfully from out of the affections, to make
men slow to think of death. The mother could think of death except as a
separationfrom her child.
4. Do you fear to come to God because ofsin. Christ removes this. The pain of
dying is small. We shall enter upon another life divested of the hindrances of
this. Why is it not as easyto think of death as a goldengate, as to think of it as
a murky gate? (H. W. Beecher.)
Watching for the future no hindrance to present duty
I remark, then, in view of this subject thus far opened, that a proper Christian
watchfulness and forethoughtfulness in regardto death and the future life will
not abstractus from this world, but return us back to it better fitted to
perform our part here than everbefore. You are, after a long, weary
summer’s day, suffocatedwith heat, grimed with dust, coveredwith
perspiration, and fretted of skin; and you are permitted to go down to the
shore of the ocean, and bathe in its translucent waters;and your body is
cleansedand cooled, and reinvigorated; and you return along the shadow of
the evening, grateful, and strongerthan you went. Now, God’s oceanof
eternity is so near, that the soul, moiled with trouble, may castitself in, and
bathe its troubles away, and return to its life again, bright, clear, inspired,
strong. If you think of death as a slave, looking upon it as going into servitude
under a hard master, then it may weakenyou, and take awaythe comfort that
you have; but if you think of it, as every child of God has a right to think of it,

as going to your Father’s house, where a rich banquet is prepared for you,
and where you shall enjoy the companionship of saints and angels, it will be a
source of comfort and strength to you. We canafford to take trouble here for
the sake ofgaining such an inheritance. What would I care for being poor, if I
knew that at the end of one year I should have ten millions of dollars? Men
would toil hard, and unremittingly, and without complaint, if they could be
assuredthat the boundary of their toil was within their computation, and that
all beyond was to be enjoyment and the amplestwealth. Men do endure
everything in the hope of securing wealth and enjoyment. How will they
pursue laborious industry in the chilling regions of the North, or how will they
plunge into the heat of the tropics, encountering sickness,and the malaria of
every delta that has commerce in it, in the hope that they may return to their
father’s house, or the village or neighbourhood of their birth, and spend the
few closing days of their life in pleasure and comfort. And if such is the
strength of the hope of a short period of earthly peace and rest, how much
greatermust be the strength of that man’s hope who expects, after a few years
(he cares nothow few, so that God’s will is done) he shall rise out of this world
of trouble, and care, and vicissitudes, into the land of glory; God’s land of
freedom, of nobility, of purity, of truth? (H. W. Beecher.)
Dying in work
It was Augustine’s wish that Christ, when He came, might find him either
praying or preaching. It was Latimer’s wish (and he had it) that he might
shed his heart-blood for Christ. It was Jewel’s wishthat he might die
preaching, and he did so, for presently, after his last sermonat Lacock,in
Wiltshire, he was, by reasonof sickness, forcedto his bed, from whence he
never came off till his translation to glory. I have heard the like of Mr.
Lancaster, a precious man of God, some time pastor of Bloxham, in
Oxfordshire, a man very famous for his living by faith. Cushamerns, a Dutch
divine, and one of the first preachers of the gospelatErfurt, in Germany, had
his pulpit poisonedby the malicious Papists there, and so took his death in
God’s work. “What l would you that the Lord, when He comes, should find
me idle?” said Calvin to his friends, who wished him to forbear studying
awhile for his health’s sake.And such a like answermade Dr. Reynolds to his
physician upon the like occasion. Elijahwas going on and talking with Elisha

(about heavenly things, no doubt) when the chariotof heavencame to fetch
him. There can be no better posture or state for the messengerofour
dissolution to find-us in than in a diligent prosecutionof our generalor
particular calling. (John Trapp.)
Always ready to die
Mr. Wesleywas once askedby a lady, “Suppose you knew you were to die at
twelve o’clock to-morrow night, how would you spend the intervening time?”
“How, madam?” he replied; “why, just as I intend to spend it now. I should
preach this night at Gloucester, andagainat five to-morrow morning. After
that I should ride to Tewkesbury, preachin the afternoon, and meet the
societiesin the evening. I should then repair to friend Martin’s house, who
expects to entertain me, converse and pray with the family as usual, retire to
my room at ten o’clock,commendmyself to my heavenly Father, lie down to
rest, and wake up in glory.”
A minister is a steward
I. What Christ’s ministers are entrusted with?
1. The gospel.
2. The ordinances.
3. The care of the Church.
4. The souls of the members.
II. What ministers may be said to be stewards and rulers; teachers and
preachers;elders or pastors?
III. Who are wise, faithful servants of Jesus Christ?
1. Such as serve Christ because they love Him.

2. Such as serve Christ in all humility.
3. Such as serve Him with a perfect heart.
4. Such as feed the Master’s householdwith all that food the Masterhath
provided or appointed for them.
5. Such as feeds the whole household.
6. Such as seeks the honour of Christ in all he does, not his own gain.
7. Such as cares for the weak babes, or little children, of his Master’s family.
(Benjamin Keach.)
Copyright Statement
Text Courtesyof BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Exell, JosephS. "Commentary on "Matthew 24:44". The Biblical Illustrator.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tbi/matthew-24.html. 1905-
1909. New York.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
Therefore be ye also ready,.... Or prepared for the coming of the son of man;
which as it is said to be like a thief in the night, expressesthe suddenness of it,
may excite to watchfulness and readiness;which readiness is to be
understood, not of a readiness to do the will and work of God, though this is
absolutely necessary;as to watchand pray, to hear the word preached, to
confess Christ, and give a reasonofthe hope that is in us, to communicate to

the support of the cause and interest of Christ, and to suffer for his sake;but
of a preparedness to meet the Lord in the wayof his judgments, when
desolating judgments are coming on the earth, such as these in Jerusalem;by
faith and trust in the power, providence, and care of God; by humiliation
before him, and resignationto his will: and if this can be applied to a
readiness for a future state after death; for the secondcoming of Christ, and
last judgment; this lies not in a dependence on the absolute mercy of God; nor
in an external humiliation for sin; nor in an abstinence from grossersins, or in
mere negative holiness;nor in any outward, legal, civil, and moral
righteousness;nor in a submission to Gospelordinances;nor in a mere
professionof religion; but in being in Christ, having on his righteousness, and
being washedin his blood; and also in regenerationand sanctification, in
having true knowledge ofChrist, and faith in him; for all which it becomes
men to be concerned, as also all believers to be actually, as well as habitually
ready; being in the lively exercise ofgrace, and cheerful discharge ofduty,
though without trusting to either. And such a readiness in either branch of it,
is not of themselves, but lies in the grace of God, which gives a meetness for
glory; and in the righteousness ofChrist, the fine linen, cleanand white,
which being granted by him, his people are made ready for him: and as for
their faith, and the exercise ofit, and their constantperformance of duty,
these are not from the strength of nature and the power of freewill, but from
the Spirit of God and his grace;who makes readya people prepared for the
Lord, and all according to the ancient settlements of grace, in which provision
is made for the vessels ofmercy, afore prepared for glory: though there
should be a studious concernin men for such readiness, fornothing is more
certain than death, and nothing more uncertain than when it will be; and
after death, no readiness canbe had, but he that is then righteous, shall be
righteous still, and he that is filthy, shall be filthy still, and a deathbed is by no
means to be trusted to; and though a personmay not be snatchedaway
suddenly, but may have space givenhim to repent, yet if grace is not given
him, to repent and believe in Christ, he never will; the grave is ready for men,
and in a little time all will be brought to this house, appointed for all living,
where there is no wisdom, knowledge,and device; and therefore whateverwe
are directed to do, should be now done, with all that might, and strength, and
grace, that is given us; to which may be added, that after death comes

judgment; the day is fixed, the judge is appointed, and all must stand before
his judgment seat;and nothing is more sure than that Christ will come a
secondtime, to judge both quick and dead; and happy will those be that are
ready; they will be received by Christ into everlasting habitations, and be for
ever with him: and miserable will those be, who will not be ready, who will not
have the oil of grace in their hearts with their lamps, nor the wedding garment
on them; they will be shut out, and bid to depart into everlasting burnings:
how fit and proper is such an advice and exhortation as this, "be ye also
ready". A readiness the Jews report Bath Kol, or the voice from heaven, gave
out concerning the Israelites,
"BathKol (sayF25 they) went out, and said to them, ‫אבה‬ ‫םכלוכ‬ ‫ןינמוזמ‬ ‫ייחל‬
."emoc ot dlrow eht fo efil eht rof ydaer uoy fo lla era ey" ,‫העולם‬
And elsewhere itis saidof Bath Kol, that it went forth and affirmed of some
particular Rabbins, that they were ready for eternal life; as of Ketiah bar
Shalom, R. Eleazarben Durdia, and R. ChaninaF26:
for in such an hour as ye think not, the son of man cometh: this is true of his
coming in powerto destroyJerusalem, and of his secondcoming to judgment.
The Jews saymuch the same of the coming of the Messiah, whomthey expect:
"there are three things, they sayF1, which come, ‫תעדה‬ ‫,חסיהב‬ "without
knowledge", orunthought of, at an unawares;and they are these, the
Messiah, anything that is found, and a scorpion.
Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernisedand adapted
for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved,
Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard
Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography

Gill, John. "Commentary on Matthew 24:44". "The New JohnGill Exposition
of the Entire Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/matthew-24.html. 1999.
People's New Testament
Be ye also ready. The duty enjoined is not to watch for Christ, but to watch
ourselves to see that we are ready.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian ClassicsEtherealLibrary Website.
Original work done by Ernie Stefanik. First published online in 1996 atThe
RestorationMovementPages.
Bibliography
Johnson, BartonW. "Commentary on Matthew 24:44". "People's New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pnt/matthew-
24.html. 1891.
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
That ye think not (ηι ου δοκειτε ωραι — hēi ou dokeite hōrāi). It is useless to
setthe day and hour for Christ‘s coming. It is folly to neglectit. This figure of
the thief will be used also by Paul concerning the unexpectedness of Christ‘s
secondcoming (1 Thessalonians 5:2). See also Matthew 24:50 for the
unexpectedness ofthe coming with punishment for the evil servant.
Copyright Statement

The Robertson's WordPictures of the New Testament. Copyright �
Broadman Press 1932,33,Renewal1960. All rights reserved. Used by
permission of Broadman Press (Southern BaptistSunday SchoolBoard)
Bibliography
Robertson, A.T. "Commentary on Matthew 24:44". "Robertson's Word
Pictures of the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rwp/matthew-24.html.
Broadman Press 1932,33.Renewal1960.
The Fourfold Gospel
Therefore be ye also ready1; for in an hour that ye think not the Sonof man
cometh.
Therefore be ye also ready, etc. See .
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian ClassicsEtherealLibrary Website. These files
were made available by Mr. Ernie Stefanik. First published online in 1996 at
The RestorationMovementPages.
Bibliography
J. W. McGarveyand Philip Y. Pendleton. "Commentaryon Matthew 24:44".
"The Fourfold Gospel".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tfg/matthew-24.html.
Standard Publishing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. 1914.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible
Matthew 24:44.Butknow this. Another similitude is now employed by Christ,
in exhorting his disciples to keepdiligent watch; for if any person shall hear
that robbers are prowling in the night, fear and suspicionwill not allow him to
sleep. Since, therefore, we are informed that Christ’s coming will be sudden
and unexpected, like that of a robber, and since we are expressly forewarned
that we must always watch, lest he come upon us when asleep, and we be
swallowedup with the ungodly, there is no excuse for our indolence;more
especiallysince there is reasonto dread not only a breach of the wall, and a
loss of our property, but a deadly wound to ruin our soul, unless we are on
our guard. The tendency of these words therefore is, that the warning of
Christ should arouse us; for, though the lastjudgment be delayed for a long
time, yet it hangs overus every hour; and, therefore, when there is ground for
alarm, and when danger is near, it is unreasonable that we should be sluggish.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Calvin, John. "Commentary on Matthew 24:44". "Calvin's Commentary on
the Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cal/matthew-
24.html. 1840-57.
Scofield's ReferenceNotes
Son of man
(See Scofield"Matthew 8:20")

Copyright Statement
These files are consideredpublic domain and are a derivative of an electronic
edition that is available in the Online Bible Software Library.
Bibliography
Scofield, C. I. "ScofieldReferenceNoteson Matthew 24:44". "Scofield
Reference Notes(1917 Edition)".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/srn/matthew-24.html. 1917.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of
man cometh.
Ver. 44. Therefore be ye also ready] Suetonius tells us that it was a piece of
Julius Caesar’s policynever to forewarn his soldiers of any set time of
removal or onset, that he might ever have them in readiness to draw forth
whithersoeverhe would. {a} Christ, in like manner, who is calledthe "Captain
of our salvation," Hebrews 2:10. Our enemy is always readyto annoy us,
should we not, therefore look to our stand, and be vigilant? Solomon’s
wisdom, Lot’s integrity, and Noah’s sobriety, felt the smart of the serpent’s
sting. The first was seduced, the secondstumbled, and the third fell, while the
eye of watchfulness was fallenasleep.

For in such an hour, &c.]Christ will soonestseize upon the secure, 1
Thessalonians 5:3; such shall sleepas Sisera, who ere he awakedhadhis head
fastenedto the ground, as if it had been now listening what was become ofthe
soul. {See Trapp on "Matthew 24:42"}
{a} Scilicetut paratum ot intentum momentis omnibus, quo vellet subito
educeret.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Trapp, John. "Commentary on Matthew 24:44". John Trapp Complete
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/matthew-
24.html. 1865-1868.
Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible
Matthew 24:44. Therefore, be ye also ready— As the miseries which men were
to undergo at the destruction of Jerusalem, the reasons ofthat destruction, the
passions which its approachwould raise in their minds, togetherwith the
suddenness and unexpectedness ofit, nearly resembled what shall happen at
the destructionof the world and the generaljudgment; it was natural for our
Lord, on this occasion, to put the disciples in mind of that judgment, and to
exhort them to the faithful discharge of their duty, from the uncertainty of the
time of his coming to callevery particular person to an accountat death.
Concerning the form and structure of the parable in the next verses, we shall
enlarge, when we come to Luke 12:42., &c.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Coke, Thomas. "Commentaryon Matthew 24:44". Thomas Coke
Commentary on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tcc/matthew-24.html. 1801-
1803.
Heinrich Meyer's Critical and ExegeticalCommentaryon the New Testament
Matthew 24:44. διὰ τοῦτο]in order that, as regards your salvation, your case
may not be similar to the householder in question, who ought to have watched,
although he did not know the φυλακή ofthe thief.
καὶ ὑμεῖς] as the householderwould have been had he watched.
ἕτοιμοι]spokenoftheir spiritual readiness for the secondadvent, which
would take them by surprise (Matthew 25:10; Titus 3:1). This preparedness
they were to acquire for themselves ( γίνεσθε).
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Meyer, Heinrich. "Commentary on Matthew 24:44". Heinrich Meyer's
Critical and ExegeticalCommentary on the New Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hmc/matthew-24.html. 1832.

Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomonof the New Testament
Matthew 24:44. ἔρχεται, cometh) The presenttense.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Bengel, JohannAlbrecht. "Commentary on Matthew 24:44". Johann
Albrecht Bengel's Gnomonof the New Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jab/matthew-24.html. 1897.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
Ver. 42-44. Mark saith, Mark 13:33, Take ye heed, watchand pray: for ye
know not when the time is. What our Lord here meaneth by watching is easily
gathered, as well by what went before, where our Saviour had been speaking
of the security and luxury of the old world, as by what followeth, Matthew
24:44, where he biddeth them be always ready; and therefore Luke 21:34-36,
expounds this thus: And take heed to yourselves, lestat any time your hearts
be overchargedwith surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so
that day come upon you unawares. Foras a snare shall it come on all them
that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watchye therefore, and pray
always, that ye may be accountedworthy to escape allthese things that shall
come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. Our Saviour in these verses,
from the uncertainty of the particular time when the day of judgment shall be,
pressethupon his disciples a sober, heavenly, and holy life; intimating that by
such a life only they can make themselves ready for the coming of Christ, and
to stand before the Sonof man, when he shall appearin his power and glory.
He presseth this from that which common prudence would teachany

householder, viz. if he knew in what watchof the night a thief would come, to
watch, and not suffer his house to be broken open; that is, in what time of the
night, for the Jews divided the night into the first, second, third, and fourth
watch, as the Romans divided it for relief of their military guards. Now, saith
our Saviour, you, knowing that there will come such a time, and not certainly
knowing at what time, stand concernedto be always watching and praying.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Poole, Matthew, "Commentaryon Matthew 24:44". Matthew Poole's English
Annotations on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/matthew-24.html. 1685.
Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament
Ready; for the coming of your Lord, in whateverway.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Edwards, Justin. "Commentary on Matthew 24:44". "FamilyBible New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/fam/matthew-
24.html. American TractSociety. 1851.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
44. Therefore be ye also ready — As, like the householder, ye know not at
what hour, or at which watch, the spoiler will come, so all the night is watch
time. Be ye, like the householder, at all time ready. Forthe individual death is
the virtual coming of the Son of man. Not that the coming of the Son of man
here is death, nor truly to be identified with death; but the being on the watch
for judgment is pressedinstead of the being on the watchfor death, inasmuch
as death is nothing but a passageto judgment. If a man live in preparation for
judgment he is in preparation for death. Deathis simply a transition into the
world where retribution reigns, and where the virtual judgment throne of
Christ is in spirit continually in session.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Whedon, Daniel. "Commentary on Matthew 24:44". "Whedon's Commentary
on the Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/matthew-
24.html. 1874-1909.
PeterPett's Commentary on the Bible
“Therefore be you also ready, for in an hour that you think not, the Sonof
man comes.”
But when it cones down to the coming of the Son of Man we cannot afford to
make that mistake. We must be watching all the time, and living in the light of
His coming, for He will come at an hour when we do not expect Him. The only
way to be ready therefore, is to watchall the time.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Pett, Peter. "Commentary on Matthew 24:44". "PeterPett's Commentaryon
the Bible ". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pet/matthew-
24.html. 2013.
Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Matthew 24:44. Therefore be ye also ready. Comp. Luke 21:34; Luke 21:36.
To be ready at all is to be ready always. The caution of this passageis not a
threatening for the Lord’s people. He does not rule them by terror; those
ready find Him a Friend; only those not ready find His coming as
uncomfortable as that of a thief.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Schaff, Philip. "Commentary on Matthew 24:44". "Schaff's Popular
Commentary on the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/scn/matthew-24.html. 1879-
90.

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
Therefore = on this account. Greek. dia touto. App-104. Matthew 24:2.
be = become.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Bullinger, Ethelbert William. "Commentary on Matthew 24:44". "E.W.
Bullinger's Companion bible Notes".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bul/matthew-24.html. 1909-
1922.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(44) In such an hour as ye think not.—The words are important as showing
that even the signs which were to be as the budding of the fig-tree at the
approachof summer were intended only to rouse the faithful to watchfulness,
not to enable men to fix the times and the seasonswhichthe Fatherhath set in
His own power. The apparent destiny of failure which has attended on all
attempts to go beyond this in the interpretation of the apocalyptic eschatology
of Scripture might have been avoided had men been more carefulto restrain
here also their efforts after knowledge “within the limits of the knowable.”
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Ellicott, Charles John. "Commentary on Matthew 24:44". "Ellicott's
Commentary for English Readers".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ebc/matthew-24.html. 1905.
Treasuryof Scripture Knowledge
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Sonof man
cometh.
25:10,13;Luke 12:40;Philippians 4:5; James 5:9; Revelation19:7
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Torrey, R. A. "Commentary on Matthew 24:44". "The Treasuryof Scripture
Knowledge". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tsk/matthew-
24.html.
E.M. Zerr's Commentary on SelectedBooksofthe New Testament
In such an hour as ye think not. Unlike the time of the destruction of
Jerusalem, the secondcoming of Christ will not be heralded by specific signs.
Instead, the world in generalwill be going on in the pursuit of earthly

interests, feeling a sense of security and satisfaction, and hence will be taken
by surprise as it is awakenedto a sense ofthe awful doom just upon it (1
Thessalonians 5:1-3).
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
Dr. Jack L. Arnold
Lesson#8
WATCH AND BE READY!
Matthew 24:42-44
I. INTRODUCTION
Do you believe that Christ could return any moment to receive His Church?
If you are a believer in Christ your response to this question should be a
resounding “YES!”
Now I want to ask you a secondquestion, “Do you live your life in constant
expectationthat Christ will return to take you to Himself?” At this point,

many would have to bow their heads in shame, for they have failed to keepthe
Lord’s command to watch.
II. WATCH FOR THE LORD -- Matthew 24:42, 43
INTRODUCTION: Our Lord in 24:36-41 has been speaking about the
parousia of His coming-presence. He in contextis referring to the first phase
of the parousia which is the Rapture of the Church in which He will secretly
snatch awaythe Church before the Tribulation period begins. This phase of
His coming is imminent and unpredictable for “the day and the hour no man
knows” (24:36). The time of the Rapture is knownonly to God. Therefore
Christians are commanded to watchand be ready.
“Watchtherefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” The
Christian is to be constantly and continually looking for the coming of Christ.
The Rapture can occurat any moment. Other parts of scripture tell the
Christian to constantlywait (I Thess. 1:10)and to constantly look (I. Thess.
1:10) and to constantly look (Titus 2:13) for Christ’s coming.
“But know this, that if the Goodman of the house (householder) had known in
what watchthe thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have
suffered (allowed)his house to be broken up (into).” -- Christ uses the
illustration or parable of a house owner. Notice carefullyhis argument. He
says that if the householder had known when the thief was coming he would
have watchedand prevented the robbery. That is, if a man knows he is to be
robbed at night, and knows the very hour in which it will take place, he will be
ready for the burglar when he comes. NOTE: So Christ will come in the
Rapture as a thief in the night. Since the Christian does not know when His
Lord is coming he must be watching and ready at all times. NOTE: Does the

Lord mean that the Christian should have one eye pointed towards the skyat
all times? No. He means that the Christian is to be ready at all times for the
coming of Christ. The Christian is to anticipate the any moment return of
Christ and to governall his actions in light of Christ’s return.
ILLUSTRATION: In a small country store in a southern state a Negro lady
came to do her shopping. Two or three young men were standing around
passing the time of day, and knowing that she was a Christian, they began to
taunt her. “We hear you’re expecting Jesus to come back,” they said. “I sure
am,” she replied brightly. “Do you really believe he’s coming?” they asked.
“Sure as you’re born,” she answered. Theysaid, “Well you’d better hurry
home and get ready, he might be on the way!” She lookedher tormentors
straight in the eye and said, “I don’t have to get ready,” she said, “I keep
ready!”
III. BE READY FOR THE LORD -- Matthew 24:44
“Therefore be ye also ready:” -- When our Lord says “watch” He defines it
by telling us to be constantlyready for His coming. What does it mean to
watchand be ready?
To Anticipate And Love His Coming: One of the mysteries or paradoxes of
the Christian life is that the true believer looks for the coming of Christ, yet
all the while he is presently enjoying His spiritual presence and experiencing
His power. The more the Christian loves Christ now, the more he longs for
His coming. The hunger the Christian has to see Christ’s face is directly
proportionate to the present enjoyment he has of Christ’s presence now.
NOTE: If you cringe at the thought of Christ’s coming or getfrightened at
the possibility of His return, you know little or nothing of His presence now.
But if you love Christ right now you long for, anticipate and love the idea that

He will return to receive you. If you do not long for the return of Christ, you
are in trouble spiritually.
2. To Keep Busy Until He Comes: To be watching and ready implies
that we are to “occupyuntil he comes ( Luke 19:13). What are we to do? We
are to carry out spiritual works according to the Bible (John 8:31, 32). We
are to 1) pray, 2) study, 3) witness, 4) give, 5) love and 6) work for Christ, for
the time is coming when no man will be able to work. NOTE: Of course, we
must carry out seculartasks but these must never take precedence overour
spiritual responsibilities.
ILLUSTRATION: Poemby James Slater
Watching, watching, we are watching,
In the hope that keeps us pure;
That in trials and afflictions
Gives us strength to still endure.
Watching lest earth’s vain attractions,
Would our glorious prospectdim;
As in blest anticipation,
We in patience wait for Him.
Praising, praising, and rejoicing,
Since we shall His triumph share;
We shall see Him, and be like Him,

When we meet Him in the air.
With our mortal bodies changed,
In the “twinkling of an eye”,
“Where oh Death, is now thy triumph?”
Will be our victorious cry.
3. To Be Alert To Deceit: One thing the Lord has repeatedover and over
againin Matthew 24 is that believers are not to be deceived. Believers are not
to swallow the philosophy of the world no matter how wonderful it may seem,
for the world’s philosophy is shallow, phony and unreal. The Christian is to
follow the teachings of His Lord, proving himself to be a true followerof Jesus
Christ.
4. To Live A Holy Life: The imminent coming of Christ should challenge
the child of God to Christ should challenge the child of God to a holy walk
before God. Almost without exception, when the coming of the Lord is
mentioned, it is followedby an exhortation to godliness and holy living on the
part of the Christian. Prophecyis all about the coming of Christ. If prophecy
does not make you more holy, godly and saintly, then you have missed the
whole point of prophecy.
ILLUSTRATION: If a goodfriend comes into town unrepentantly and calls
you to say that he will drop overfor just a few minutes, this usually brings a
state of crisis to a home. The woman, in anticipation of his coming, begins to
sweepthe floors, dust the furniture, pick up things off the floor. Often this is
her reactionwhen the place is clean. The anticipation of a visitor spurns the
desire a clean house. So the anticipation of the coming of Christ for us, stirs
us to live a cleanand holy life for Him.

i. I John 3:2, 3
ii. II Peter 3:10-12
iii. Titus 2:11-14
iv. I Timothy 6:11-16
NOTE:Are you living in daily expectancyof the return of your Lord? If not,
then you are probably living a subnormal Christian life.
“Forin such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” -- Because
Christ is coming at an unexpected hour, all Christians must be waiting,
watching, looking and ready. Remember, Christians are not just looking for
an event calledthe Rapture. Christians are actually looking for a person,
Jesus Christ the Lord. Forthe Christian to be with Christ will crown it all.
ILLUSTRATION: Annie JohnsonFlint
“It is not for a sign we are watching --
For wonders above and below,
The pouring of vials of judgment,
The sounding of trumpets of woe;
It is not for a Day we are looking,
Not even the time yet to be
When the earth shall be filled with God’s glory
As the waters coverthe sea;

It is not for a king we are longing
To make the world-kingdoms His own;
It is not for a Judge who shall summon
The nations of earth to His throne.
Not for these, though we know they are coming;
For they are but adjuncts of Him,
Before whom all glory is clouded,
Besides whomall splendor grows dim.
We wait for the Lord, our Beloved,
Our Comforter, Master, and Friend,
The substance of all that we hope for,
Beginning of faith, and its end;
We watchfor our Savior and Bridegroom,
Who loved us and made us His own;
For Him we are looking and longing:
For Jesus, andJesus alone.”
IV. CONCLUSION
You cannot watchand be ready for Christ if you do not know Him. The Bible
says that you cannot know Christ until God brings you the new birth. The

new birth comes your way when you trust Jesus Christ as your personalsin-
bearer and make Him Lord of your life, inviting Him into your life to make
you the kind of personHe wants you to be.
Have you made the wonderful discovery of knowing Christ personally? You
can know Him if you will acceptHim as Lord and Savior. Then you can begin
to watch and be ready for the coming of Christ in the Rapture.
WILLIAM BARCLAY
Ready ForThe Coming Of The King (Matthew 24:42-51)
24:42-51 Watch, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord
comes. Understand this--that if the householderhad known at what watch of
the night the thief was coming, he would have been awake, andhe would not
have allowedhim to break into his house. That is why you, too, must show
yourselves ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Who, then, is the dependable and wise servant whom his master put in charge
over his household staff, to give them their food at the right time? Happy is
the servantwhom his master, when he has come, will find acting thus. This is
the truth I tell you--he will put him in charge of all his belongings. But if that
bad servant says to himself, 'My master will not be back for a long time yet,'
and if he begins to beat his fellow-servants, and if he eats and drinks with
drunkards, then the master of that servantwill come on a day when he is not
expecting him, and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in
pieces, and assignhim a place with the hypocrites. There will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth there."

Here is the practicaloutcome of all that has gone before. If the day and the
hour of the coming of Christ are known to none save God, then all life must be
a constantpreparation for that coming. And, if that is so, there are certain
basic sins.
(i) To live without watchfulness invites disaster. A thief does not send a letter
saying when he is going to burgle a house; his principal weaponin his
nefarious undertakings is surprise; therefore a householderwho has valuables
in his house must maintain a constant guard. But to getthis picture right, we
must remember that the watching of the Christian for the coming of Christ is
not that of terror-strickenfearand shivering apprehension;it is the watching
of eagerexpectationfor the coming of glory and joy.
(ii) The spirit which leads to disasteris the spirit which says there is plenty of
time. It is the comfortable delusion of the servant that he will have plenty of
time to put things to rights before his masterreturns.
There is a fable which tells of three apprentice devils who were coming to this
earth to finish their apprenticeship. They were talking to Satan, the chief of
the devils, about their plans to tempt and ruin men. The first said, "I will tell
them there is no God." Satansaid, "Thatwill not delude many, for they know
that there is a God." The secondsaid, "I will tell men there is no hell." Satan
answered, "Youwill deceive no one that way; men know even now that there
is q hell for sin." The third said, "I will tell men there is no hurry." "Go," said
Satan, "and you will ruin them by the thousand." The most dangerous of all
delusions is that there is plenty of time. The most dangerous day in a man's
life is when he learns that there is such a word as tomorrow. There are things
which must not be put off, for no man knows if for him tomorrow will ever
come.
(iii) Rejectionis based on failure in duty, and reward is basedon fidelity. The
servant who fulfilled his duty faithfully was given a still greaterplace;and the
servant who failed was dealt with in severity. The inevitable conclusionis that,
when he comes, JesusChristcan find us employed in no better and greater
task than in doing our duty.
A negro poet writes:

"There's a king and a captain high,
And he's coming by and by,
And he'll find me hoeing cottonwhen he comes.
You can hear his legions charging in the regions of the sky,
There's a man they thrust aside,
Who was tortured till he died,
And he'll find me hosing cotton when he comes.
He was hated and rejected,
He was scornedand crucified,
When he comes!When he comes!
He'll be crowned by saints and angels when he comes.
They'll be shouting out Hosanna!to the man that men denied,
And I'll kneel among my cottonwhen he comes."
If a man is doing his duty, howeversimple that duty may be, on the day Christ
comes there will be joy for him.
-Barclay's Daily Study Bible (NT)
JIM BOMKAMP

VS 24:42-44 -“42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which
day your Lord is coming. 43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house
had knownat what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been
on the alert and would not have allowedhis house to be broken into. 44 “For
this reasonyou be ready too;for the Sonof Man is coming at an hour when
you do not think He will.”” - Jesus tells His disciples that they need to always
be alert and ready in heart for Him to return for the Lord’s return will occur
when people leastexpectit to occur
5.1. Jesus tells His disciples that in the same waythat a thief comes into a
home to stealwhen the people are away and leastexpect him to come, that in
the same way His coming will be at a time when the people in the world least
expectHim to come.
5.2. The point that Jesus is trying to make here is that people need to
always be ready for the Lord to return, for if they are always ready in heart
for Him, then they will never be taken off guard, but because they are ready
for Him, they will therefore spend eternity with God in heaven.
5.2.1. In Luke 12:40, Jesus told His disciples to always be ready for His
return, “40 “You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that
you do not expect.””
5.2.2. We will never know what the day nor the hour is that the Lord is going
to return, but we also never know when this life that we live can also be taken
from us for death often comes to people when they are not expecting it.
5.2.3. Not only the SecondComing, but the rapture of the church cancome at
any time as well, for Christ’s return for His church is always taught in
scripture to be ‘imminent’. There is nothing that prophetically needs to be
completed before Christ returns to remove His church from the earth (as
taught in scripture).
5.2.3.1.Ifyou miss the rapture of the church, then that means that if you
eventually do believe in Christ for salvationduring the 7 Year Tribulation,

you will probably also experience a horrible martyrdom at the hands of the
Beastand the kingdom that he establishes overall of the earth.
JOHN BROADUS
VS 24:42-44 -“42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which
day your Lord is coming. 43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house
had knownat what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been
on the alert and would not have allowedhis house to be broken into. 44 “For
this reasonyou be ready too;for the Sonof Man is coming at an hour when
you do not think He will.”” - Jesus tells His disciples that they need to always
be alert and ready in heart for Him to return for the Lord’s return will occur
when people leastexpectit to occur
5.1. Jesus tells His disciples that in the same waythat a thief comes into a
home to stealwhen the people are away and leastexpect him to come, that in
the same way His coming will be at a time when the people in the world least
expectHim to come.
5.2. The point that Jesus is trying to make here is that people need to
always be ready for the Lord to return, for if they are always ready in heart
for Him, then they will never be taken off guard, but because they are ready
for Him, they will therefore spend eternity with God in heaven.
5.2.1. In Luke 12:40, Jesus told His disciples to always be ready for His
return, “40 “You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that
you do not expect.””
5.2.2. We will never know what the day nor the hour is that the Lord is going
to return, but we also never know when this life that we live can also be taken
from us for death often comes to people when they are not expecting it.

5.2.3. Notonly the SecondComing, but the rapture of the church cancome at
any time as well, for Christ’s return for His church is always taught in
scripture to be ‘imminent’. There is nothing that prophetically needs to be
completed before Christ returns to remove His church from the earth (as
taught in scripture).
5.2.3.1.Ifyou miss the rapture of the church, then that means that if you
eventually do believe in Christ for salvationduring the 7 Year Tribulation,
you will probably also experience a horrible martyrdom at the hands of the
Beastand the kingdom that he establishes overall of the earth.
CALVIN
Matthew 24:43. If the householderhad known. Luke relates this discourse of
Christ at a different place from Matthew; and we need not wonder at this, for
in the twelfth chapter, where (as we have formerly explained) he collects out
of various discourses a summary of doctrine, he inserts also this parable.
Besides, he introduces a generalpreface that the disciples should wait for their
master, with their loins girt, and carrying burning lamps in their hands. To
this statementcorresponds the parable, which we shall soonafterwards find
in Matthew 25:1-12 about the wise and foolishvirgins.
In a few words Christ glances rapidly at the manner in which believers ought
to conduct their pilgrimage in the world; for first he contrasts the girding of
the loins with sloth, and burning lamps with the darkness of ignorance. First,
then, Christ enjoins the disciples to be ready and equipped for the journey,
that they may pass rapidly through the world, and may seek no fixed abode or
resting-place but in heaven. The warning is highly useful; for though ungodly
men have likewise in their mouth this form of expression, “the course of life,”
yet we see how they lay themselves down in the world, and remain unmoved in

their attachment to it. But God does not bestow the honorable title of his
children on any but those who acknowledge thatthey are strangers onthe
earth, and who not only are at all times prepared to leave it, but likewise move
forward, in an uninterrupted “course,”towards the heavenly life. Again, as
they are surrounded on all sides by darkness, so long as they remain in the
world, he furnishes them with lamps, as persons who are to perform a journey
during the night. The first recommendationis, to run vigorously; and the next
is, to have clearinformation as to the road, that believers may not weary
themselves to no purpose by going astray; for otherwise it would be better to
stumble in the way, than to perform a journey in uncertainty and mistake. As
to the expression, girding the loins, it is borrowed from the ordinary customof
Easternnations in wearing long garments.
Luke 12:36. And you yourselves like men that wait for their master. He uses
another parable not mentioned by Matthew, who writes more briefly on this
subject; for he compares himself to a householderwho, while he is joining in
the festivities of the marriage feast, or in other respects indulging in pleasure,
out of his own house, wishes his servants to conduct themselves with modesty
and sobriety at home, attending to their lawful occupations, and diligently
waiting for his return. Now though the Son of God has departed to the blessed
rest of heaven, and is absent from us, yet as he has assignedto every one his
duty, it would be improper for us to give way to indolent repose. Besides, as he
has promised that he will return to us, we ought to hold ourselves prepared, at
every moment, to receive him, that he may not find us sleeping. Forif a
mortal man looks upon it as a duty which his servants owe him, that, at
whateverhour he returns home, they shall be prepared to receive him, how
much more has he a right to demand from his followers that they shall be
soberand vigilant, and always wait for his coming? To excite them to greater
alacrity, he mentions that earthly masters are so delighted with such
promptitude on the part of their servants, that they even serve them; not that
all masters are accustomedto act in this manner, but because it does
sometimes happen that a master, who is kind and gentle, admits his servants
to his own table, as if they were his companions.

Yet it may be asked, Since Scripture calls us in many passageschildren of
light, (Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians5:5,) and since the Lord also shines
upon us by his word, so that we walk as at noon, how does the Lord compare
our life to the watches oftire night? But we ought to seek the solution of this
difficulty from the words of Peter, who tells us, that the word of God shines
like a burning lamp, to enable us distinctly to see our road in a dark place. We
ought therefore to attend. to both statements, that our journey must be
performed amidst the thick darkness of the world, and yet we are protected
from the risk of going astray, while the torch of heavenly doctrine goes before
us, more especiallywhen we have Christ himself for a sun.
Matthew 24:44. But know this. Another similitude is now employed by Christ,
in exhorting his disciples to keepdiligent watch; for if any person shall hear
that robbers are prowling in the night, fear and suspicionwill not allow him to
sleep. Since, therefore, we are informed that Christ’s coming will be sudden
and unexpected, like that of a robber, and since we are expressly forewarned
that we must always watch, lest he come upon us when asleep, and we be
swallowedup with the ungodly, there is no excuse for our indolence;more
especiallysince there is reasonto dread not only a breach of the wall, and a
loss of our property, but a deadly wound to ruin our soul, unless we are on
our guard. The tendency of these words therefore is, that the warning of
Christ should arouse us; for, though the lastjudgment be delayed for a long
time, yet it hangs overus every hour; and, therefore, when there is ground for
alarm, and when danger is near, it is unreasonable that we should be sluggish.
ALAN CARR
Matthew 24:44 GET RIGHT FOR THE FLIGHT

Intro: The Disciples askedthe Lord when they could expectthe end of the
world to come, v. 3. Jesus tells them of the many things which will transpire in
the lastdays, v. 4-35. Then, in verses 36-51, Jesus makes a plea for men to be
ready to meet Him when He does come. Now, the secondcoming of Jesus is
not one but two parts. Partone is an event that has come to be calledthe
"Rapture". At this time, Jesus will call all those who have receivedHim as the
Savior to come home to Heaven. At this time, He will raise those believers who
have already died, and He will take those who are living on to Heaven to be
with him forever. Part two will take place around seven years after part one.
This event will see the return of Jesus in glory and power. He will descend
upon the world an will defeat all of His enemies and will establish His
Kingdom upon the earth. He will personally rule in peace and harmony for
1,000 years.
Of these two events, neither can said to be more important than the other, in
the eternalscope of things. However, to those of us who are alive this evening,
the Rapture is of the utmost of importance. Why? Because it is the next event
on the prophetic calender of God and it will happen. In fact, it could happen
tonight, tomorrow, or at any time! Therefore, it is imperative that men
understand the greatneed of being ready to meet the Lord when He comes.
My desire this evening is to tell you what the Bible teaches us about this event
known as the Rapture. And, in doing so, I hope to show you the importance of
being ready to meet the Lord Jesus. Because,just as sure as we are witting
here, He will return! Now, let's take a few minutes to look into this matter of
the Rapture and talk for a while about the need to Get Right For The Flight.
I. IT WILL BE SUDDEN
A. 1 Cor. 15:51-52 - The Rapture will take place in the twinkling of an eye. A
blink of the eye has been times at 1/50thof a second. A twinkling is even faster
than that!
B. There will be absolutely no time to prepare. Either a personwill be ready
at that instant, or he will not be ready.

C. Bible is clearin its teaching that we not count on there be another day in
which to getready, Pro. 27:1, but that we should be savedtoday, 2 Cor. 6:2.
D. There will be no announcements made, no advertisements posted, the Lord
will come and go for His church in a split secondof time. (Ill. In the computer
world, there is a division of time called the "nano-second".This is a span of
time equivalent to 1/1,000,000,000 ofa second. If mankind and his technology
can achieve this, what can the Lord with His infinite powerdo?
E. May I remind you that right now is the only time you have. The only time
you are guaranteed. Yesterdayis a canceledcheck, tomorrow is a promissary
note, today is the only spendable cashyou have!
I. It Will Be Sudden
II. IT WILL BE SOLEMN
A. Solemn because allthose who do not know the Lord Jesus will be left
behind, Luke 17:34-36. (Ill. After the rapture, there will be many who will
look for their missing loved ones, but they will never find them and they will
never see them again!)
B. Mother's will be separatedfrom their children, husbands from wives, etc.
(Ill. Luke 12:42-48 - These verses teachus that today is the time of
preparation. If you know to do something and refuse, you are guilty of sin -
James 4:17)
C. It will be a solemn time because the rapture will signalthe beginning of the
GreatTribulation. (Ill. Some of the events of this horrible time.)
II. It Will Be Solemn
III. IT WILL BE SHOCKING
A. Many will expectto go with the redeemed, but will instead be left behind,
Ill. Matt. 7:21-22.

B. Many have false hopes for Heaven, but do not be deceived, Godknows the
heart - Psa. 44:21.
C. There is only one way of salvationthis evening, John 3:3, 7. This new birth
can only come about through one Person, Acts 4:12. And, when it is obtained,
it carries with it a priceless guarantee,John3:16; John 14:1-3.
D. Don't be shockedafterthe Rapture, be sure tonight - 2 Peter1:10; 2 Cor.
13:5.
III. It Will Be Shocking
IV. IT WILL BE SATISFYING
A. There will be a glad reunion at that time, 1 Thes. 4:13-18. Lovedones,
saints of old, Jesus, the Heavenly Fatherwill all be there.
B. There will be eternal blessing, 1 Thes. 4:17;Rev. 21:4. There will be only
goodthings there!
C. There will be a new body, 1 Cor. 15:51-53. No more death, disease,aging,
pain, etc.
D. There will be a new home. (Ill. We are pilgrims this evening - Heb. 11:30.)
One day, we will go home to live in Heaven. (Ill. Streets of gold, no night, no
sin, no curse, nothing but glory forever!)
E. It is satisfying to know that I have been made ready through faith in Jesus -
Acts 16:31;Eph. 2:8-9.
III. It Will Be Shocking
IV. It Will Be Satisfying

V. IT WILL BE SAD
A. Why sad? Becausesome who are sitting here this very evening may to be
ready to meet Jesus. If He were to come right no, you would never have
another opportunity to be saved.
B. Why sad? Becauseif the Rapture takes place tonight, I will never see you
that are lost ever again. No matter how you look at it, that is a sad thing.
C. However, you can be made ready right now, all you have to do is come to
Jesus by faith and He will save your soul, John 6:37, and keepyou, 1 Pet. 1:5
and take you to Heavenwhen He returns for His people.
Conc. I look forward to the Rapture. It will be a time of freedom for me, I will
simply leave this old world with its problems, sin and death behind and will
ascendto Heaven where I will enjoy the presence ofthe Lord and His saints
forever. The question is, what will happen to you? If Jesus came right now,
would you go to be with Him, or would you be left behind to endure the
Tribulation? Would your be a future in Heaven, or in Hell? If there is the
slightesthint of doubt about your relationship to the Lord Jesus, I beg you
plaese give Him your heart tonight and getright for the flight.
RICH CATHERS
:42 Watch therefore
Here we come down to the whole application of tonight's study, and to Jesus'
discourse on the end times.
Lesson:
Prophecyhas a purpose
It's important to me that we understand that there is a reasonfor Bible
prophecy.

The reasonis not so we can argue, or so we canplay knowledge trivia games.
The reasonis to motivate us and orient our lives differently.
If your own understanding of Bible prophecy doesn'taffect the way you're
living, then you have an incorrectunderstanding of Bible prophecy.
:43 if the goodmanof the house
Can you imagine someone knowing that their house was going to be broken
into, and not doing something about it?
The point is:
You know Jesus is coming. Do something about it!
:44 be ye also ready
Here's the point!
Lesson:
Be ready for Jesus'return
What do you do when you know you're having guests over to your house?
Do you do a little extra cleaning?
Do you take the time to pick up the kids' toys?
What if that person were someone reallyspecialto you?
What if that person were really, really, important, like the President?
Should we do any less for Jesus?
:44 in such an hour as ye think not
There's going to be a sudden surprise.
We have to have the house ready all the time.
Illustration:

Kind of like when you're selling your house, and you know that a realtor
could come by at any time with a potential seller. If you're lucky, they'll give
you ten minutes' warning.
AM I READY FOR THE RAPTURE?
Dr. W. A. Criswell
Matthew 24:44
6-26-83 7:30 p.m.
Welcome the greatmultitudes of you who are sharing this hour with us on
radio, on KCBI, the Sonshine Station of our Centerof Biblical Studies, and on
the greatvoice of the Southwest, KRLD. This is the pastorbringing the
messageconcerning the rapture.
The reasonthat I have chosenthe two messages todayis because ofthe things
that I read and listen to and hear repeatedthat I think are not biblical. They
are not scriptural. So the messagethis morning concerns the baptism of the
Holy Spirit. There is one baptism: we are baptized into the body of Christ [1
Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:4-5]. The Holy Spirit changedHis residence
from heaven to earth, and He lives in His people [1 Corinthians 16:19-20]. He
lives in the church. The baptism of the Holy Spirit: one baptism and many
fillings. We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit continuously,
continually [Ephesians 5:18].
The sermon tonight concerning the rapture: there are those who strenuously
defend the position that the church will go through the awesomejudgment of
the tribulation. They are post-tribulationalist rapture. They are those who

believe that we are looking for not the Lord, but the tribulation. Then there
are those who believe that in the midst of the tribulation, the church will be
caught up to heaven. Theyare mid-tribulationalists; that we are going to go
through half of the [tribulation], then we’ll be caughtup to heaven. And then
there are those, of course, who believe in no rapture. There’s not going to be
any rapture; there is not going to be any tribulation; there is not going to be
any millennium. There is just going to be an end to all life and existence in the
world; so many conflicting, confusing attitudes, and receptions, and
interpretations, and explanations of God’s purpose in the human race.
Now tonight you are going to heara biblical message concerning the truth of
the rapture. It is going to be takenout of the Bible. Now I want you to turn to
two passagesthat we are going to read out loud tonight. The first one will be
three verses in the fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians, and the secondone will
be the closing verses ofthe fourth chapter of 1 Thessalonians.
So let’s turn first to 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, and then we’ll turn to 1
Thessalonians, chapter4, and in that passage, we’llread13 to the end of the
chapter, [verses]13 through 18. Now the first is 1 Corinthians, chapter 15.
We’re going to read verses 50, 51, and 52.
As you’ve heard me say, there are many, many, greattremendously gifted
biblical scholars who saythe high watermark of all revelation, of all the things
that God has shown to us, the high watermark is this fifteenth chapterof 1
Corinthians. In any event, let’s read these three verses, so significant and
meaningful. First Corinthians 15, verses 50, 51, and 52. Now together:
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannotinherit the kingdom of
God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raisedincorruptible, and we shall be
changed.

Now let’s turn to 1 Thessalonians, chapter4, beginning at verse 13 and
reading to the end of the chapter. FirstThessalonians,chapter4, togetherat
verse 13:
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, evenso them also which sleep
in Jesus will God bring with Him.
For this we sayunto 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 descendfrom 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 caughtup togetherwith 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.
[1 Thessalonians4:13-18]
In reading the Bible, the Holy Scriptures of God, there are two cogent,
impressive, potent, dynamic reasons whyI believe in the rapture before the
tribulation; why I believe the first thing in the order of God when we come to
the denouement of history and to the end of the world, the first thing is the
rapture: the taking out, the catching awayof God’s people in the earth.
All right, the first reason:I believe that because ofthe divinely inspired
outline that God has given us of the Revelation, the Apocalypse, the lastbook
in the Bible. The sainted apostle John is commanded in Revelation1:19 to
write – "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and
the things which shall be hereafter."
That is God’s outline of the Revelation;the Apocalypse. Number one: "Write
the things which thou hast seen." And he had seenthe glorified, risen Lord.

And he wrote that in chapter 1, [verse 10-18]. That’s the thing he has seen.
That’s the first part of the Revelation.
Second:"Write the things which are." And the things which are, are the
churches. The churches are – you’re in one tonight. So in chapters 2 and 3,
the apostle Johnwrites the things which are; and he writes of the seven
churches of Asia, and the word "seven" refers to the completednumber of all
of the churches. It represents everycongregationofthe body of Christ
through all of this age of grace. The sevenchurches of Asia representing all of
the churches of all time, and that’s the secondgreatoutline of the Revelation,
the secondpart: "Write the things which are."
Now, the third part: "W rite the things which shall be meta tauta, the things
which shall be after these things, meta tauta." So John writes first the things
that he has seen:the vision of the glorified Lord. Second, the things that are:
he writes concerning the churches, and using sevenof them in Asia as
representative of all the churches of all time. And then third, the things after
the things of the churches:after the churches have been taken away, after
they have been caught up, after they have been raptured, write that. And
beginning at chapter 4 in the Revelation, the churches disappear. There
aren’t any more, and they are not seenuntil in the nineteenth chapter of the
Revelation, in the eleventh verse, they are seen, the churches are seen. The
saints of Godare seencoming with our Lord in glory [Revelation19:14].
Now, look at that. First, "Write the things which thou hast seen, write the
things which are, and the things which shall be," meta tauta. So I’m looking
for that meta tauta, and when I turn to the fourth chapter of the Revelation,
that’s the first thing that I see. The fourth chapter of the Revelationbegins
with that: meta tauta. That’s the third greatsectionof the Revelation. And
John says, meta tauta, "After the things of the churches, I looked, and,
behold, a door was opened in heaven: and I heard a greatvoice saying unto
me: Come up hither" [Revelation4:1]. And the sainted apostle Johnwas
raptured up to heaven, and when he gotthere, when he arrived there, he was
not alone. He saw the four and twenty elders seated, clothedwith white
raiment, and on their heads crowns of gold [Revelation4:4]. The four and
twenty elders representthe saints of God. And when John, meta tauta, after

the things of the churches, is raptured up through a door into heaven, he sees
there the people of the Lord under the image of the four and twenty elders;
then follows the terrible judgments of God in the Revelationuntil the
nineteenth chapter when he sees the church coming in glory, which we’re
going to speak of in a moment.
Now that’s the first reasonthat I believe in the rapture: because ofthe divine
outline of the Revelation. At the end of the church age, the first thing, it is
takenup into heaven, and there it is seenin the presence ofthe greatGod and
our Savior, Jesus the Lord.
Now the secondreasonthat I believe in the rapture, the first thing that awaits
us: it’s because ofthe imminency, the imminency, i-m-m – the imminency of
Christ. The Lord says:"I am coming back. I am returning to this earth.
Watch therefore;for you know not the day nor the hour that your Lord
comes. Watch" [Matthew 24:42].
We are waiting for what? Now this is my response to the reading of the Bible.
We are waiting for the Lord. We are looking for the Lord. We are not
waiting for the judgment. We’re not waiting for the tribulation. We’re not
waiting for all of the disastrous floods, and torments, and violence, and
murder that characterizesthe world apart from God. We’re not looking
forward to the days of the awesome visitationof the blowing of the trumpets
and the pouring out of the vials.
What we’re looking for is the Lord Jesus. We’re waiting for Him. We’re
looking forward to His coming; the imminency of the Lord. He said He could
come any time. Our Lord said that, speaking to us in the fourteenth chapter
of the Gospelof John: "If I go away, I will come again and receive you unto
Myself" [John 14:3]. And in Acts 1:11, "when the disciples were looking up
into heaveninto which the Lord had ascended, there came an angelwho said
to them: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same
Jesus, this same Lord Jesus that you see going from you up into heaven, shall
so come in like manner as ye have seenHim go."
And that’s what we’re looking for. Our eyes are raised, and our hearts are
raisedto heavenfrom whence we look for the Savior. That’s what Paul writes

in Philippians 3:20: "Our citizenship is in heaven; from whence we look for
the Savior,Who shallchange our vile body, that [it] might be" conformed,
"fashionedafter His glorious body, according to the ableness ofthe power of
the working of God." That’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking for
Jesus. We’re waiting for Jesus, and He can come any minute, any hour, any
day; before I’m done, before I can pronounce this next word. We’re looking
for Jesus.
Now may I take a moment to follow the chronologicaloutline of what the
Scripture teaches us regarding the end of the age and the secondcoming of
Christ? First of all, the first thing of all is the things connectedwith the
rapture of God’s people, which is, first, the resurrectionof the sainted dead.
"Forif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which
sleepin Jesus" – isn’t that a wonderful way to describe death? – "They that
sleepin Jesus, Godwill bring with Him. For we sayunto you by the word of
the Lord …" It isn’t something that I say, says Paul, it is something that Jesus
says. "… that we who are alive and remain in the coming of the Lord shall
not" – the old English here, "prevent," used to mean going unto front – "shall
not precede them which are asleep. Forthe Lord Himself shall descendfrom
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and" – those that sleepin Christ – "the dead in Christ shall rise first";
that’s the first thing. "Then we [which] are alive and remain shall be caught
up togetherwith them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, where we
shall ever be in heavenwith our Lord [1 Thessalonians4:14-17].
The first thing of all will be the resurrectionof God’s sainted dead, suddenly:
not a process,not an extended thing overtime, but just like that. We’re going
to speak of that in a moment. The first thing is the resurrectionof the dead,
the raising of the sainted dead from their graves.
Now once in a while somebody will sayto me, "How in this earth can a
reasonable mind believe in the resurrection of the dead? Here is a man who’s
been buried at sea, and the fish eat him up. Here is a man that a cannibal has
eaten. Here is a man buried in the ground, and the roots of a greattree
absorb the chemicals of his body, and it turns into bark and into leafand
maybe into fruit. How canyou believe in the resurrectionof the dead?"

The resurrectionof the dead in the powerof God is no more miraculous than
all of the other wonderful creative acts of God that we see around us every
day. I remember a little fellow that came back from Sunday schoolto his
daddy and said, "Daddy, I just don’t believe in the Sunday schoollessonI
heard today."
And the daddy said to the boy, "Well, what did you hear today?"
And the little fella said, "Well, I heard today about the story about Jonah
being swallowedby a big fish."
"Well, what’s the matter with that?" said the dad.
And the lad said, "Well, I just don’t believe that, Dad. Things like that just
couldn’t happen. I just don’t believe it," said the little boy.
"Well," the daddy said, "come here, son, and sit down on my knee." He says,
"You know, I have trouble with that story also. So you sit down here. Now,
you tell me what your trouble is with it."
And the little fellow said, "Well, Daddy, I just don’t believe in any such thing
as that. I just don’t believe that a fish could swallow a man and he stay in his
stomachthree days and three nights and he come out alive. And I just don’t
believe that. That’s my problem with it."
Well, the daddy said, "Son, I have a problem with that story also. But my
problem is not like yours. My problem is I don’t understand how God could
make a man, and I don’t understand how God could make a big fish, and if I
could understand how God could make a man and how God could make a
fish, it would be easyfor me to understand how God put the two together."
Now, that’s the Lord’s truth. It is the creative actof God that made us
[Genesis 1:27], and it will be the same marvelous creative act of God that
remakes us, that resurrects us. It’s something God does. It is a miracle! But
you are a miracle! The world is a miracle! The signature of God is miracle!
And the first thing that’s going to happen will be the resurrectionof God’s
sainted dead. And if I die, that’s the first thing that I will be aware of in my
resurrectedbody, I will be alive in Christ [1 Corinthians 15:22], in a body

fashionedafter His own glorious, immortalized, transfigured, resurrected
body [Philippians 3:21]. Jesus was raisedfrom the dead, and the great,
foundational, cardinal doctrine of the Christian faith is that we too will be
raisedfrom the dead.
Now the secondthing in that chronologicaldenouementof time, the end of the
age, is that suddenly all of us who are left will be transfigured. We will be
immortalized. There is one generationthat will never taste of death, just like
Enoch; he was suddenly with the Lord [Genesis 5:24]. Justlike Elijah: a great
whirlwind carriedhim up into heaven, and he was immortalized – just like
that [2 Kings 2:11]. There is a generationthat will never die – when the
rapture comes, whenJesus comes forHis own suddenly, immediately, "In a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the lasttrump – for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raisedincorruptible and we, we shall all be
changed" [1 Corinthians 15:51-52]. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the shout of the archangeland the coming of God for His own, we’ll be
transformed, we’ll be transfigured, we’ll be immortalized, we’ll be changed.
The next thing in the chronologyof the coming of our Lord is when we are
takenup to be with our Lord in heaven, we shall all stand at the bema, 2
Corinthians 5:10: "Forwe must all stand at the bema." The bema is the
judgment seatof Christ. "We must all stand at the judgment seatof Christ;
that we may receive the rewards of the deeds in the days of our flesh." Now
that judgment is not concerning whether we are savedor lost, because that
judgment is down here and right now. I’m either savedor I’m lost, right now.
John 3:18 says:"He that believeth is not" – you have it translated
"condemned," "judged." "He that believeth [on Him] is not judged; but he
that believeth not is judged already, because he hath not believed in the name
of the only begottenSon of God." That judgment is here. It’s right now.
You’re either savedor you’re lost. That judgment is here. But the judgment
at the bema, when we’re caught up to be with our Lord in heaven, we shall all
appear before the judgment seatof Christ, there to receive the rewards of the
deeds done in the flesh. And some of us shall receive greatrewards. As the
apostle Paul writes in the third chapter of 1 Corinthians, some build upon
Christ – some build gold and silver and precious stones;then there are those

who build upon the foundation of our salvationin Christ woodand hay and
stubble [1 Corinthians 3:12]. And Paul says it will be burned away.
Our works are going to be tried by fire. And when a man builds beautifully
and marvelously, he’ll receive a reward. But if his works are worthless, they
will be burned up, and the man will be saved naked – not have a thing in the
world, savedby the skin of his teeth, savedas though he ran out of the
building with just his body, the thing’s on fire, burns up everything that he
has. Man, what a tragedy to come to the end of the life and the eternity and
nothing to show what we’ve done for Jesus![1 Corinthians 3:13-15].
May I point out one other thing, why that judgment is at the end of the age?
Why don’t we receive our reward when we die and go up to heaven? Some of
these people have been dead two thousand years or more, and they haven’t
receivedtheir rewards yet. Why at the end of the age? The reasonis very
apparent. A man doesn’t die when he dies. His life lives on. His influence
lives on.
And when he receives his reward, he can’t receive it when he dies. He receives
it at the end of the age. And it is only God that is able to unravel that skein
and to give a man all the rewardof his life.
For example, you look at the apostle Paul. Look at the apostle Paul. The good
that Paul did is still going on, still going on. You can take that in any man’s
life.
I think of Charles Haddon Spurgeon I read all the time. Spurgeon, Spurgeon
is still reaping a rewardfor the wonderful ministry and the preaching that he
did and the writings that he wrote. He’s still reaping it. He’s reaping it in my
life. I’m blessedtoday by reading Spurgeon.
George W. Truett: in how many ways is my greatpredecessorstill doing good
in the lives of people that he won to Jesus and pointed to the cross. Good
Lord in heaven, help me to realize that there is a shadow, there’s an influence,
there’s an afterglow of every man’s life – your children and the people who
know you, and the circle of those that you work with. All of those things bear

an influence, and you getyour reward for what you did at the end of the age.
That’s the bema of Christ.
The next thing in the nineteenth chapter of the Revelationis the marriage
supper of the Lamb [verses 6-9]. When we have received our rewards in
heaven, we’re going to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Dear
me, a lot of things about that that I like. One is eating. God invented eating.
I love to eat. Dearme, I don’t think God ever invented anything any better
than eating. We’re going to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
We’re going to eatand to drink in the kingdom of our Savior. And do you see
what it is? The marriage supper of the Lamb, oh, dear, dear, dear!
The bride, the sainted apostle John says she has adorned herself for her
husband [Revelation21:2]. Think of that. You know, we have weddings here
every Saturday, and every time I go to one, I think, these are the strangest
things. These are absolutelyridiculous things. I come in from that door over
there. See that door over there? And I bring with me the groom, and he
stands right down there. I don’t exaggerate itwhen I tell you there’s nobody
in the congregation, whetherhe’s little or not, who pays attention to that
groom there. They just don’t even look at him. They don’t even pay any
attention to him. And here I am standing by his side. Theydon’t even look at
him. Everybody is all eyes when the organiststarts playing "Here Comes The
Bride." And just look at her. Oh dear, and that poor groomthere, he’s just
standing there like a stump, like a stick. He makes no difference at all. I
believe I could marry a pole and do just as well as to have that groomthere.
Just as well. But that bride, oh, my, dear me! Beautifully arrayed, beautifully
decked, the most gorgeous creature you could imagine coming down that aisle.
The bride has made herself ready, and she is presentedto her husband. Now
that’s what’s going to happen when all of the rewards are given and all the
things that God has bestowedupon us is complete.
Then we’re going to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb, and the
bride is His church. There will be friends with the bridegroom. John the
Baptist lived in the old dispensation – he’s going to be there. Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, they’re going to be there. David and Solomonand Isaiahand
Jeremiah, they’re going to be there. They’re going to be the friends of the

bridegroom, but the bride is the church. We have the place of honor, and
beauty, and dignity, and love, and grace. O Lord, what it’s going to be like!
How the Lord is goodto us! The marriage supper of the Lamb.
Then the next verse beginning at verse 11, of the nineteenth chapter of
Revelation, then the Lord is coming openly and visibly. That’s the second
coming of Christ, the revelation. Jude 14 says, "Behold, the Lord cometh with
ten thousands of His saints," and the text of the Revelationin Revelation1:7:
"Behold, the Lord cometh with clouds" – the shekinahglory of heaven, "and
every eye shall see Him." That is the coming of our Lord, openly, visibly,
personally, coming to be the King and Lord over all creation.
Oh, what a day, what a day! Now, I have some things here that I want us to
look at. Do you mind staying here about another hour or two? You don’t
mind, do you, at all? You don’t have anything to do but to go home and go to
bed, so stay here and listen just for a little bit.
I want to talk about the signs of the coming of our Lord, the rapture; I want
to talk about the sounds of the coming of our Lord, the rapture; I want to talk
about the separationof the rapture, and I want to talk about the Saviorof the
rapture.
First of all, the signs of the coming of our Lord. I see them everywhere, and
you do too. In the twenty-fourth chapterof the Book of Matthew, the Lord
gave many signs. In verse 5, Matthew 24:5: "Many shall come in My name,
saying, I am the Christ" – You listen to me and I’ll show you the truth of God
– "and deceive many." All right, another sign, the next verse, 6: wars and
rumors of wars. The coming of the rapture is naught but that. The eleventh,
verse 11: "Manyfalse prophets shall arise, and deceive many. Iniquity shall
abound, and the love of many shall wax cold." Look at verse 14, and you see
if that isn’t a sign: "And this gospelof the kingdom shall be preachedunto all
the world for a witness in all nations." Canyou believe radio and television
and what it’s doing to the world today? The whole world canlisten to the
gospel.
Do you remember my telling you when I came back from the South Pacific
one time that I was meandering around in the Fiji Islands? These hadbeen

cannibals not – in the last generation. And I saw a fellow with his head to the
ground, his ear to the ground. I thought, "What in the earth is that guy
doing?" I thought of the American Indian – you know, over here listening to
the beating of the hooves. Well, this fellow – I thought, "Well, what in the
world?" Well, I went over there, and he had a little bitty radio just about that
big. A little bitty radio, and he was there with his ear glued to that radio,
listening. Well, I was so curious, I just wanted to know what that guy was
listening to. So I got down there on the ground by his side, and I put my ear
down there where I could hear. And you know what that fellow was listening
to? He was listening to a gospelsermon. Canyou believe that? In the Fiji
Islands. All over the world; and that’s one of the signs, he says here, of the
coming of our Lord. "This gospelshall be preached in all of the world for a
witness unto all the nations."
I want to show you another sign, and the one that you are most aware of. In
the thirty-seventh chapter of the prophecy of Ezekielis the prophecy of the
resurrectionof Israel, the raising of Israelas a nation and as a people. And
we’ve seenthat come to pass in our lifetime: the return of the Jew to Palestine
and the resurrection of the Jewishnation. There hadn’t been any Jewish
nation for almost two thousand years, but it’s come to pass, and that’s one of
the signs of the end time.
Then in chapters 38 and 39 in the Book ofEzekiel, there is the prophecy of the
rise of Russia. If you’ll get a man who knows the etymologicalmeaning of
these words, "Gog and Magog and Rosh," translatedhere chief Meshechand
Tubal, they’re names of the cities in Russia. Now I want to point out
something to you that is amazing to me. It says here in this thirty-eighth
chapter of the prophecy of Ezekielthat there will be confederate with Russia
and the enemy of Israel – Persia and Ethiopia and Libya.
I have been in all three of those nations. And when I was in Persia, Persia was
our best friend in the Middle East. All of our oil practicallyused to come
from Persia, and the Shah of Iran was our best friend. Persia was with us!
But the Bible says here that Persia is againstus! And when I used to read
that, I used, well, I want to tell you I don’t think Godknows what He is
talking about. I just don’t think He is aware of what’s going on. I just think

God is over there in a corner somewhere and He is not sensitive to the
development of history. But God wrote here that Persia would be againstus.
My brother, there’s not a nation that more bitterly despises andhates the
gospelof Christ and the nation of America than Iran! I’ve seenthat in these
last few years.
All right, now you look at the other one. I have preached all over Ethiopia.
Ethiopia was one of the great friends of America. And Ethiopia was open to
the gospel, andI preached to them and have seenpeople [respond] – just
marvelous. I have visited with the leaders of Ethiopia, the governmental
leaders, and they were marvelously sympathetic with what I was saying.
Ethiopia today is an enemy of the gospelof Christ and an enemy of America!
Ethiopia; I’ve seenthat change in my day, in the lastfew years, about two or
three years. Ethiopia is with Russia! Ethiopia is a satellite of communist
Russia.
Now you look at the other one: Libya. I have preachedin Libya. When I was
in Libya, it was a friend of America and a friend to the gospel, eventhough
nominally It was Muslim. Today, there’s not a more bitter enemy of America
than Khaddafi! And an enemy of everything that you and I love. That was in
the Bible here. And I used to read that and I’d think, "I tell you, Lord, I
don’t believe You know what’s going on, because these people, Iran, and
Ethiopia, and Lybia, they’re on our side." But God saidthey’d be on the
other side! And it’s happened just as God has said. It’s a sign of the
denouement of the age, of the end of history, of the coming of our Lord.
Well, we must hasten. I want you to look againat this: sounds, the sounds of
the coming of our Lord for His people. It says that it will be with the trumpet,
and it will be with a greatshout, and it will be with the voice of the archangel
[1 Thessalonians4:16]. Now, whenyou look at that – when you look at that,
you’d immediately think, "Well, how is this rapture going to be secret? And
how is it going to be just for us, when the Bible says that when the Lord comes
for us, it’s going to be with a shout, and with a voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God? How is that going to be secret, and clandestine, and
furtive, and quiet, when all of that noise" – well, did you know the answeris
very apparent in our own life and in our own day, and in this congregation

here tonight? There are those who hear the gospelwhen they hear it, and
there are those that never hear it even though they are listening to it. Now,
isn’t that a strange thing? Isn’t that strange? Yousee that in the life of Paul.
Paul was surrounded by men when he was struck down on the road to
Damascus, but who heard the voice of the Lord speaking to him? And who
replied and responded and answeredwith his life? Pauldid; the others
didn’t. The others didn’t [Acts 22:6-9].
Let me illustrate that in a thing that just did it for me: how people hear, but
they don’t hear; they see and see and see, but they don’t see;they hear and
hear and hear, but they don’t hear. There are just some who see and some
who hear. Now I want to show that to you.
Do you remember one time I told you about a farmer in South Louisiana that
captured a greatbig mallard duck? When they were flying down there at the
close ofthe starting of the winter, why, this farmer captured that big wild
mallard duck out of Canada, coming down out of Canada, and he stakedthat
big mallard with his domestic ducks in his pond down there in Louisiana.
And at the end of the winter, those greatmallards that had been wintering in
South Louisiana, they beganto rise and to head north back home to Canada.
And when those greatmallards rose up there in the sky to make their home
back to Canada, they saw that mallard duck down there on that pond, and
from the skythose great mallards calledto that duck down there in the pond.
And that mallard on the pond lifted up his head and heard the call, and he
spread his greatwings to rise and to join them, and the tie, the string pulled
him back down. And the next day, another greatflock of those mallards
rising to go back home to Canada, lookeddown there at that pond and saw
that mallard, and they calledto him from the sky. And he raised his head and
listened and spreadhis greatwings to join them up in the sky, and that tie
pulled him back down to the water.
And the next day when those flocks came overand calledto that great
mallard out of the sky, he spread his wings one more time and broke the tie
and arose and joined them in the sky and back towardhome in Canada. And
those domestic ducks never heard the call – just that greatmallard. And they
swamaround in that little pond in South Louisiana; they never heard it.

That’s going to be the exactway. When the call is heard, and the trumpet is
sounded, and the archangellifts up his voice, God’s people will hear it. The
rest of them don’t even know, not even aware. Isn’t that a strange thing?
And that’s true in every congregation. That’s true in this congregationand
all the rest. There are those who hear when they hear, they see whenthey see,
and there are others [to whom] it’s just a sound; has no meaning whatsoever.
I must close. Iwanted to speak of the separation. Oh, dear! To be left
behind. I wanted to speak of the Savior, when we see our Lord. You know, I
think of these things as you do: could it be that these eyes – these eyes, see
these eyes – will see Jesus coming in glory? Could it be? Could it be that this
body growing older every day, weakereveryday – if he delays His coming –
would fall into corruption? Could it be that this body would feel, this body
would feel the quickening of the transforming powerof the God? O Lord,
could it be? Could it be?
It’s just too goodto be true, that God has in store for us such marvelous
things, such wonderful things, and take us home into a heaven where even the
streets are paved with gold and the gates are solidpearl, where the river of life
flows through the midst of the city, and where the leaves of the tree are for the
healing of the people [Revelation21:8; Revelation22:1-2]. O God, could such
a thing be? Could it be?
It’s just too wonderful, too wonderful, what God hath purposed for us who
have found our refuge in love, and faith, and promise, and hope in Him. No
wonder we try to sing the song, and bow in reverence and devotion, and say
words of expressedlove and adorationfor the wonderful Savior! Now may we
stand together?
Our Lord this is all too much for me. I cannot encompass it. I don’t have
words Lord to sayit; the wonder of the glory of the goodnessofGod toward
us, we who are fallen sinners, a dying people, what Lord, what God has
prepared for us, O Lord. A resurrection, a change, a home in heaven to be
with God, to be with our Savior, to be with one another, O Lord what a day,
what a victory, what a triumph. Our hope and our destiny is not to fall into

the grave, our destiny is to rise, to meet our Lord in the sky, to be with Him in
glory. O bless His name!
In this moment that our people pray and wait just for you, "Pastor, tonight
we have decided for God and here we are." In the balcony round, down a
stairway, in the throng on this floor, down one of these aisles, "Pastor, the
Lord has spokento us. We are coming." "Iwant to confess Him as my
Savior. I open my heart heavenwardand Christ-ward and I am coming." Or,
"We want to put our lives in the circle and circumference of this dear church.
We are coming." Or, "I want to be baptized as God has said in His Word;
buried with Him and raised with Him." Or, "I want to answera callfrom
heaven." Make the decisionin your heart now. And when we sing this appeal
that first step will be the most precious you have ever made in your life, come.
And our Lord thank Thee for the sweetharvestYou give us this beautiful,
precious and glorious evening. O God in heaven, how wonderful the grace of
Jesus that reaches downto us, praise His name forever. And we praise Thee
Lord for the sweetharvestYou give us tonight, in Thy saving grace, amen.
Welcome as you come, while we sing.
Matthew:Therefore:Be Ready!
Sermon by J. Ligon Duncan on August 31, 1999
Matthew 24:42-44
DownloadAudio
If you have your Bibles, I would invite you to turn with me to Matthew
chapter 24. We are continuing our study in Jesus’teaching on the end time.
Especiallyas He gives practical exhortations to us, not only to His disciples
but to us, but how we are to prepare for those end times. Especiallyin this

sectionbeginning here in Matthew 24:42 and following all the way into
Matthew 25, Jesus explained in detail what it means to be ready, to be
prepared for His coming. So, let’s attend to God’s holy word here in Matthew
24, verse 42. This is the word of God.
"Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is
coming. "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what
time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and
would not have allowedhis house to be broken into. "Forthis reasonyou be
ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He
will.”
Thus ends this reading of God’s holy and inspired word. May He add His
blessing to it. Let’s pray.
Our Lord and our God, we ask this day that by Your Spirit, you would apply
Your truth to eachof our heart in our ownsituation. Help us not to think, O
Lord, how this truth applies someone else, but to see whatYou have for us in
Your Word. That we might humble ourselves before it. We pray, O Lord, that
You would cause this truth to accrue to our saving benefits. We ask it in
Jesus’name. Amen.
Have you ever been caughtunprepared? Utterly unprepared? Maybe some of
you students can relate to a situation like that in your own academic career,
high school, college, somewhere.Have you ever walkedinto a class and you
discoverright as you walk into that class and you are sitting down in your
desk, the teacheris handing out a testthat you had forgottenabout? The first
day of class he had given a schedule of the tests for the term. This was the first
major exam of the term and your friends had all been studying about it for
two weeksand this was the first time that it enteredinto your mind, that this
day was going to be the day of the test. And you have that sinking feeling in
your stomachthat it is going to take you the rest of the term to overcome the
'F' that you are going to make in that test that day. Something like that
happened to me when I was on the other side of the table giving a test my first
semesteratRTS. In the first final exam that I gave, my exam came at the end
of exam week and all the other exams mostly had been given and so all of the

guys were completely exhaustedby that time. And of course they had spent a
lot of hours preparing for my exam, and as I handed it out, there was this
fellow about three rows back in the middle of the row, and as he turned it over
after we had prayed and beganto read over his exam, I heard gradually
growing louder, audible weeping. It started with a sniffle and it gotlouder and
louder and louder until he had his head in his hands on the desk weeping, and
I made my way back to the middle of the classroom, and calledhim over to
the side and said, "hat happened?" He said, I just didn’t think you were going
to ask all those things on the exam. Now I am not really that mean of a guy,
but it really impacted this fellow. He was utterly unprepared and this was the
major test for the term and he saw his whole term’s tuition going down the
drain in a flash. He was utterly unprepared.
Of course, there are other ways that we can be unprepared and far more
important ways. Perhaps you have been involved in a situation where you
needed insurance and you thought you had insurance for a certain thing, and
then when the crisis happened, you went back to check your policy and you
weren’t coveredfor that. Maybe you have been caught in the transition
betweeninsurance and that has happened before and you are in a real fix
because a disasterhas struck and you are not prepared.
Jesus is speaking to us in this passageaboutspiritual preparedness. And He is
telling us that to be spiritually unprepared for the day of His coming, would
be the worstdisasterthat could ever befall a human being. No
unpreparedness which we have ever experiencedin life can possibly be
compared to the kind of spiritual unpreparedness about which Jesus is
warning today. And I would like you to look with me at this passage very
briefly. Jesus gives some very practicalchallenges to us about spiritual
preparation. In verse 42, He tells us that we ought to be prepared because of
what we don’t know. In verse 43, He gives us an illustration which we will all
be able to relate to about someone not being prepared in this life. And then in
verse 44, he tells us that we ought to be prepared because ofwhat we do know.
Let’s look at this passagetogethertodayvery briefly.
I. Christians should be prepared for His coming because we don't know when
to expect Him.

First in verse 42, we see this exhortation that Jesus gives to be prepared
because ofwhat we don’t know. That is kind of strange. Be prepared because
of what you don’t know. Jesus it telling us about the uncertainty of His
coming. And He is telling us that because ofthe uncertainty of His coming, we
need to be prepared. In other words, we are to be prepared because ofwhat
we don’t know. We don’t know when He is coming, and therefore, we should
be prepared. That is the lessonthat Jesus is teaching us that Christians ought
to be alert because we don’t know the timing of His return. His argument is
we ought to be ready because we don’t know the time of His coming. When
Jesus says here, to be alert or be on the alert, againHe is not telling us to look
for signs. He has already made it clearthat that is not the prime part of being
prepared for His coming. No, to be alert is to live a sanctifiedlife in
consciousnessofthe coming judgment day. To be spiritually awake. And so
often in these passages, Jesus willuse the image of being awake orbeing
asleepto reflect, or to refer to being prepared or to be unprepared. Matthew
Henry says it is the greatduty and interest of all disciples of the Lord Jesus
Christ to be awake andkeepawake that they may mind their business. And it
is so easyfor our minds to slip awayfrom our business. And Jesus is saying
here, don’t fail to attend to the most important spiritual business in the midst
of all your other responsibilities. Don’t allow the thing which is most
important to be lost in the shuffle.
When I was high school, we has an assistantcoach, who was a former fullback
who had been hit a few too many times. And he had slurred speech. And he
didn’t have much intelligent advice to give, actually. And as he would walk
through the various groups of men who were practicing, the linemen here, the
line backerthere, the receivers there, he would repeateveryday, every
practice, every year, the same phrase over and over again. Keep your mind on
your business, he would say. That was goodadvice from this rather limited
fellow. Keep your mind on your business. It was easyin that setting, in that
heat, in the tiredness of it all, to forget what you are there for. And to fail to
focus on the thing which you had been called to do. And Jesus is saying to His
disciples, keepyour mind on your business. Don’t forgetthe most important
thing, don’t forgetpreparations, for my coming. To watch, you see, implies
not only that we believe that our Lord will come, but that we will desire that

He will come. That we would be often thinking about His coming and always
looking for His coming as sure and near even though the time of it is
uncertain. Jesus is calling on us to keepthat one thing before our eyes.
Notice, by the way, in verse 42, that Matthew gets in a testimony to the deity
of Christ even in this phrase. He says, be on the alert for you do not know
which day your Lord is coming. This is not just anyone coming, this is the
Lord, this is your Lord. And so he testifies to the deity and to the sovereignty
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is referencing the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
And so, Jesus, in this passage, teachesus that we must be ready because we
don’t know when He is coming. And being ready, among other things,
guarding our hearts againstthe world. Not allowing the concerns of the world
to take us away from the most important thing. And so, Jesus gives a very
practicalpastoraluse or explanation for our ignorance of His coming. Why in
the world would the Lord leave us ignorant of some things? Well, in this case,
Jesus tells us why the Lord leaves us ignorant of the timing of His coming. It is
so that we will be vigilant. Here is what Calvin says:"Anyone who lives
intemporantly and has his sense swampedwith food and wine, will never lift
his mind to think of the life of heaven. As there is no desire of the flesh that
does not intoxicate a man, men must attend to all of these and not sink into the
world, if they want to make haste to the kingdom of Christ." In other words,
there are all sorts of things, that are conspiring to draw our hearts awayfrom
the Lord, in our everyday experience. And by saying to us to 'be alert,' Jesus
is saying, 'keep the one thing before you at all times and you be prepared for
the day of My coming.'
By the way, this very passagewhere Jesus exhorts us to behave because of
what we don’t know reminds us that the Bibles teaches us many things that
we don’t fully understand which at the same time are perfectly practical. You
may run acrosspassages,orsubjects in the Bible that you don’t fully
comprehend and you wonder, why did you put that in the Bible Lord? I don’t
understand it, and even when I ask ministers and professors, they don’t seem
to understand it fully. Why would you put something like that in the Bible?

Well, there are many things in the Bible that we don’t fully understand that
are intensely practical. The doctrine of the trinity is a very practicaldoctrine,
but it is very hard to understand. I remember when Doug Kelly was writing
one of his books, and he had a passage onthe doctrine of the trinity and his
publisher wrote him and he said, now Dr. Kelly, you really need to give us a
practicalillustration of the trinity. Now that really irritated Dr. Kelly.
Christians for twenty centuries have been trying to come up with a practical
illustration of the trinity, and they haven’t come up with one. And so he was
be huffed about this, and so he came up with this historical illustration. He
told the story of Augustine, who had a young man who was his apprentice.
And while Augustine was writing his greatmasterpiece onthe trinity, he
stopped one day to go out to beachon the seashore to walk and to reflectand
to clearhis mind, so he could go back to work again. And his apprentice was
out on the beachand he was doing something very strange. He was going over
with a bucket to the sea and he was dipping the bucket in and taking water
out and walking over to a hole that he had dug in the sand on the beachand
he was pouring the waterinto the hole. And Augustine walkedover to him
and he said, "Whatare you doing?" And he said, "I am pouring the ocean
into this hole." And Augustine said, "Why that is ridiculous. You can’t pour
the oceaninto that hole." And his young man said, "Wellyou are writing a
book on the trinity aren’t you? Is it anymore believable that you canexplain
the trinity than I can pour the oceaninto this hole?" And Augustine had to
grant, point taken. And there are many things in the Bible that we don’t
understand and yet they are practicaland this is one of them.
Jesus says, none of you will everknow the time of my coming, but it can
spiritually practicalthat you know that I am coming and you don’t know
when. Becauseit teaches youto be vigilant. This is just yet another one of
those things that the Bible teaches that we don’t fully understand and it still is
very, very practicalfor our day to day living. And so Jesus tells us that we
need to be alert because ofwhat we don’t know. We don’t know the timing of
His coming and so we must be alert. And he goes on to illustrate that in verse
43.
II. The result of not being alert.

In verse 43, he gives us a warning illustration. He tells us a story about what
happens when you are not alert. The result of not being alert. He is alluding
here to the disaster, the spiritual disasterof unpreparedness. And he teaches
us that though Christians don’t know the timing of His return, we do know
the temporal results of unpreparedness. We see it around us all the time. The
illustration is takenfrom common life in Palestine. The illustration of a
robber, or a thief breaking into a house at night. And I am told that thieves
would often dig through the brick in homes at night and break in and steal.
And you know, Jesus is saying, you know if the head of the householdhad
known that a thief was coming that night, he would have been on guard to
make sure that his family was not harmed, or that his possessions were stolen.
And so Jesus is showing an illustration of how a homeownerby not being
diligent, lostsomething. Now, he is not blaming the man for being robbed. But
he is raising the issue of culpable unpreparedness. Jesus is saying, you know
there is a difference if we are not prepared for Him. BecauseHe has told us
that He is coming. He hasn’t told us when. But He has told us that He is
coming. And He has commanded us to be prepared. And so if we are not
prepared, unlike a homeowner, who experiences a surprise break-in from a
thief, we are responsible. We are culpable, if we are not prepared for that day.
And it is amazing how often this theme is repeatedin the New Testament.
Let me ask you to take your Bibles out and turn with me to three passages
where this same metaphor is used about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
First of all, in I Thessalonians,chapter5, I Thessalonians chapter5, verses 2-
4. Here, Paul, the apostle, refers to the coming of our Lord, using this
metaphor of the thief. I Thessalonians 5, verse 2. “Foryou yourselves know
full wellthat the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3
While they are saying, "Peaceand safety!" then destruction will come upon
them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not
escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, thatthe day should overtake
you like a thief” Paul is reminding Christians that they know that Jesus is
coming and they should not be overtakenby the day of the Lord as someone is
overtakenby a thief in darkness when they’re unprepared. And he is
reminding them of the disastrous results of those who say 'peace and safety.

Everything is all right, we don’t need to be prepared.' They will be overtaken
like a thief in the night. He uses the same metaphor.
Peterdoes to, if you will turn forward to II Peterchapter 3, verse 10:“But the
day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away
with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth
and its works will be burned up.” Again, he warns of the suddenness and the
unexpectedness ofthe coming day of the Lord to the natural man, those who
don’t love Christ, those who don’t trust in Christ, those who don’t have saving
faith in Christ. They will be unprepared. They don’t think the day of the Lord
is coming. But to the disciples, Jesus is saying, you be prepared. Because
though you don’t know when I am coming, you do know that I am coming. So
you be prepared.
There is anotherplace, Jesus Himself, in Revelationchapter 3, verse 3,
reminds us of this again. Jesus in His earthly ministry uses this metaphor,
Jesus now in heaven, speaking to the seven churches, speaking to us says in
Revelationchapter 3, verse 3: “'Remembertherefore what you have received
and heard; and keepit, and repent. If therefore you will not wake up, I will
come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you.”
Now we wouldn’t blame someone for being robbed. But Jesus is speaking here
of culpable unpreparedness. You know, if we knew that a thief was coming to
a friend’s house, and we warned them, by the way, I know that a thief is
coming to your house tonight, and they made no preparations, we would be
rightly upset at their lack of preparation.
If we knew. because ofthe miracles of modern technologythat a hurricane
was about to hit the beach where we were staying. If we knew that it was
going to happen somewhere in the next twenty-four hours and we knew that it
was going to be fairly a direct hit, and that it was a very dangerous hurricane,
and we made no preparation to protect our possessions orour family, and we
experiencedtremendous and disastrous loss, our friends would be very upset
with us, because our unpreparedness would be culpable. In the face of
knowledge, we have not prepared. And Jesus is saying, He is saying to His
disciples, you know that I am coming. Don’t be unprepared. Be ready,
because unpreparedness, spiritual unpreparedness, is not an option. Its

consequencesare dire. A friend of mine was involved in a long distance
courtship with a young man who had a very impressive job and he hob-
knobbed with higher ups in Washington, DC. And this friend, as she would go
to visit him on courtship, often found herselfwaiting in the airport. Not for
ten or fifteen or twenty minutes, but for forty-five minutes or an hour or two.
And this young man would always come and say, "Oh, you know I gotthis last
minute callfrom SenatorSo and So and I just had to do this work before, I
am so sorry that I am late." And this happened over and over and over again.
As you can imagine, that courtship went nowhere. She is married to someone
else and he is not married at all. He knew that she was coming, but he wasn’t
prepared. Other things gotin the way. Now we can all understand that
happening once or twice, but over and over. The chronic upreparedness
finally took its toll on the relationship. You thought of other things too.
Are we unprepared for the coming of the Lord? Are there other things which
are more important in our experience than our relationship with the Lord and
His coming. Are there other things that we care more about than His coming
and eternalfellowship with Him? See, the humble Christian, is the vigilant
Christian, the watchful Christian, the wary Christian. The humble Christian
has his eye, has her eye on the coming of the Lord. And the Lord Jesus is
saying, be prepared, because youknow the results of being unprepared.
III. An exhortation to be prepared because we know He is coming.
And finally in verse 44, he gives another exhortation. In verse 42, he gives us
an exhortation based on what we don’t know. In verse 44, he gives an
exhortation basedon what we do know. His coming will be unexpected, but it
is certain. We may not be certain about the time of His coming, but we are
certain that He is coming. And so Jesus tells us that as Christians, we ought to
be ready because we do know that His coming is going to be unexpected.
Jesus’argument changes now. First, He has said, we ought to be ready,
because we don’t know. Now, He says, we ought to be ready because ofwhat
we do know. We do know that He is coming;when, we don’t know. That we
know. We don’t know the timing, but we do know that He is coming and He is
coming unexpectedly. And in light of this, Jesus is arguing, that we need to

live like watchmen. That is, we need to be prepared in mind and heart for His
coming.
Now, how do you do that? Jesus is going to spend much of the time in the next
verses and in the next chapter explaining specificallyyou do that. But let me
make this suggestiontoday. To be prepared for His coming, is to be prepared
by trusting Christ, and by loving Christ. You are prepared for the coming of
Christ, by trusting Christ and by loving Christ. Now, look, mostof us have
grown up in the Bible belt and we have heard that kind of language all our
lives. And we have heard it so much that we are inoculated to it. We don’t
even realize what it means. Let me tell you what Jesus is not saying. Jesus is
not saying, you are prepared for My coming, because once upon a time you
signed a card, or you prayed a prayer or you made a decision. You are
prepared for His coming, if you are trusting Christ. Listen to the tense. I want
to know what you are doing now. Are you trusting Christ? Not a long time
ago, you made a professionof faith, but you have lived like a child of hell since
then. I want to know, are you trusting in Christ? That is how you are
prepared for His coming. Are you trusting in Him alone? Is your hope for
your salvation, where you are going to spend eternity entirely placed on Jesus
Christ and His finished work? Are you trusting not in your works, but in His
works for your eternal fellowshipwith God? If you are, you are ready for His
coming. If you are not, you are not. Do you love Christ? Sometimes we can
trick ourselves into thinking we are trusting in Christ, but it harder to trick
ourselves into thinking that we really love Christ when we think about it
much. Do you analyze yourself form time to time, examine yourself to see if
you love Christ?
See, being prepared for His coming, means cultivating your love to Christ.
BecauseofHis fathomless love for you. Think of this. If we love a person, we
like to think about it. We don’t need to have people to force us to be reminded
of Him, we don’t forget His name. He comes before our minds many times in a
day. He may be far away, but He is present in our thoughts. And so for the
true Christian, Christ dwells in our hearts and in our thoughts every day.
The true Christian doesn’t have to be forced to think about His crucified
master, he loves to think about His crucified master. The true Christian has

thoughts about Christ everyday for the simple reasonthat he loves Him. Do
you think about Christ? That is one way to ask yourself and to give a good
honest answerto the question, do I love Christ, am I loving Christ? Do I think
about Him? If we love a person, we like to please him. We are glad to consult
his tastes orher tastes and opinions, to actupon their advice and to do things
which they approve. We even deny ourselves to meet their wishes, and we
abstain from things that they dislike.
You see ,the true Christian, will study to please Christ. Show something to the
Christian in his life or her life that displeases Christ, the Christian will get rid
of it. Show something in life that Christ loves and approves of, and the
Christian will do it. Do we want to please Christ? Is that something that is
part of our conscious living? If we love a person, we like to be with them. It is
wonderful to think about them and read about them and talk to them. But,
above all, we want to be with them. Do you long for the day of the coming of
the Lord so that you will be united with Christ foreverin fellowshipwith
Him? You know, some people, view worship as a torturous hour from which
they can only too soonbe released. You know what you are going to be doing
forever in heaven? Do we long for that kind of fellowship with the Lord? In
worship, in His presence?Do we love Christ?
You see, a person is vigilant, a person is watchful, a person is prepared, a
person is alert, a person is ready. Not be passivelywaiting for Christ, or by
trying to decipher secretsigns, but by actively trusting and loving Christ and
longing for the day of His coming. True conversion, C.H. Spurgeonsaid, true
conversiongives a man security, but it doesn’t allow him to leave off being
watchful.
Now the most secure Christianin his salvation is the most watchful and
hopeful Christian, longing for the day of Christ’s coming. If you are trusting
and loving Christ today, then you are going to be singing “Joyto the World”
with Isaac Watts on the day of His coming. If you are not trusting and resting
in Him, then you are going to cry for the mountains to fall upon you and hide
you from the one who is coming as the judge of the world. And it will not
spare you in that day. Pray God, that you will embrace Christ, even now.
Let’s pray.

Oh Lord and Godthat day is going to be an awesome dayof joy for those who
love and trust You. And it is going to be the most fearful day of all time for
those who have not embracedthe Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that no one will go
from this place today, without having done business in his or her heart with
the Lord Jesus Christ. We ask it in Jesus’name. Amen.
Is it possible to know when Jesus is coming back?
Question:"Is it possible to know when Jesus is coming back?"
Answer: Matthew 24:36-44 declares,“No one knows about that day or hour,
not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father…Therefore
keepwatch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come…So
you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when
you do not expectHim.” At first glance, these verses would seemto provide a
clearand explicit answerto the question. No, no one can know when Jesus is
coming back. However, those verses do not say that no one will ever be able to
know when Jesus will return. MostBible scholars wouldsay that Jesus, now
glorified in heaven, knows the timing of His return, indicating that the phrase
“nor the Son” does not mean Jesus willnever know when He will return.
Similarly, it is possible that, while Matthew 24:36-44 indicates that no one at
that time could know the timing of Jesus’return, God could reveal the timing
of Jesus’return to someone in the future.

In addition, there is Acts 1:7, which states, "Itis not for you to know the times
or dates the Father has set by His own authority." This was said by Jesus
after the disciples askedHim if He was at that time going to restore the
kingdom to Israel. This would seemto confirm the messageofMatthew 24. It
is not for us to know the timing of Jesus coming back. But there is also the
question of which return these passagesare referring to. Are they speaking of
the Rapture or the SecondComing? Which return is unknowable—the
Rapture, the SecondComing, or both? While the Rapture is presented as
being imminent and mysterious, the timing of the SecondComing could
potentially be known basedon end-times prophecy.
With that said, let us be abundantly clear:we do not believe that God has
revealedto anyone when Jesus is coming back, and we see nothing in
Scripture which indicates that God will ever reveal to anyone when Jesus is
coming back. Matthew 24:36-44, while spokendirectly to the people in Jesus’
time, also contains a generalprinciple. The timing of Jesus’return and the
end of the age is not for us to know. Scripture nowhere encourages us to try to
determine the date. Rather, we are to “keepwatch, because we do not know
on which day our Lord will come” (v. 42). We are to “be ready, because the
Son of Man will come at an hour when we do not expect Him” (v. 44). The
force of Jesus’words diminishes if at some point in the future someone will be
able to determine when He is coming back. If the date is discovered, we no
longerneed to “keepwatch” or“be ready.” So, with the principle of Matthew
24:36-44 in mind, no, it is not possible for anyone to know the date that Jesus
is coming back.
Despite this clearbiblical principle, many throughout Christian history have
attempted to prophesy the date that Jesus is coming back. Many such dates
have been proposed, and all of them have been wrong. Most, if not all, of those

who have predicted specific dates for Jesus’return have had questionable, if
not heretical, doctrinal positions on other issues. As it was said above, based
on Matthew 24:36 and Acts 1:7, it is not God’s desire for us to calculate the
day that Jesus is coming back. Anyone who undertakes such a task is, if
nothing else, misguided.
The keypoints are (1) the Bible nowhere encouragesus to attempt to discover
the timing of Jesus’return and (2) the Bible gives no explicit data by which
the timing of Jesus’return can be determined. Rather than developing wild
and speculative calculations to determine when Jesus is coming back, the
Bible encouragesus to “keepwatch” and“be ready” (Matthew 24:42-44). The
fact that the day of Jesus’return is unknown should motivate us to live every
day in light of the imminence of Christ’s return.
https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-coming-back.html
atthew 24_42-51 Ready and Waiting
Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church
WestLafayette, Ohio
August 17, 1986
Ready and Waiting
Matthew 24:42-51, NIV

This week I visited a localman who is in jail. He is chargedwith theft because
he stole some tools and a can of gas. It seems awfully foolish to spend two
years in jail for junk. Apparently he knew a man who spent six months each
year in Florida. Unfortunately, all the thief's friends also knew the man spent
half a year in Florida and they got to the house first and cleanedit out. If the
ownerhad known this, he would have vacationedin Fresno, Ohio, [a nearby
town] and been home every night.
It must be very unnerving to be robbed. You take your security for granted,
then in a flash you realize how vulnerable you really are. We never seemto be
prepared for the unexpected. It something you should getused to.
Unexpectedness is one of the keys of the Christian life because someday,
maybe in our day, Jesus Christ is going to return. The SecondComing is one
of the greatestthemes in the Bible. When Jesus was ascending into heaven
after being with his disciples, angels told them;
"This same Jesus ... will come back in the same way you have seenhim go into
heaven." (Acts 1:11)
Somedaya thief may catchyou off guard - it happens to millions of people
even in small towns like ours. But this is nothing compared to being caught
off guard by Jesus. There is no way to predict when it will happen, even if you
study prophecy 24 hours a day. You cannot predict it but you can be
prepared for it. In verses 45 to 51 of Matthew 24, Jesus gives another
illustration, or parable, to emphasize the importance of being prepared.

The masterof the house is going on a journey. We are not told the details.
The masterleaves his household in charge of a servant. As the head servant,
he would take care of the other workers andsee that everything runs
smoothly. There are two possibilities: the servant may do a goodjob. He acts
responsibly and sees thathis duties are fulfilled. His masterwill reward him
when he gets back and give him greaterresponsibilities. Or, the servantcan
be a jerk. When the catis away, the mice will play. He takes advantage ofthe
situation, abuses his temporary authority and generallygoofs off. He will not
be rewarded - but more on this later.
Everyone knows that Jesus is not talking about employer-employee relations.
Here he is talking about Christians. Jesus is the masterwho has gone away
and we are the servants who have been left in charge of his kingdom. What
kind of servant are you?
Practicallyeveryone here thinks they have a relationship with God. It may
not be very deep but it's there. You believe in Jesus but how are you serving
him? Too many Christians are like the wickedservant. He made two fatal
mistakes. First, he lived under a false assumption. In verse 48 he says:
"My master is staying awaya long time"
I know what it is to live under this assumption. When I was a kid my parents
had to go to lots of parties so my dad, who was in the Army, would get
promoted. At first they stuck us in the base nursery or with a babysitter. As
we got older we were allowedto police ourselves. Theywould tell us where
they were going, how to contactthem and about when they would gethome.
We were under strict instructions not to mess up the house (we would stand
there like little angels - Yes, mommy, Yes Daddy). We watchedthem drive off
down the streettill they disappeared. Then the fun began. Our friends came

over, we ransackedthe kitchen and played Olympic gymnastics on the
furniture. Then suddenly we'd hear a car come up the driveway and that
chilling knowledge thatour folks had come home early.
Jesus hasn't come back for a very long time now. Many considerthe Second
Coming to be nothing more than a myth. Think of the generations who have
come and gone. Justremember the warning in 2 Peter3:9:
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.
He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance."
It's a fatal mistake to think that Christ won't return in your lifetime. Back in
the 60's and 70's the SecondComing was fashionable. Hal Lindsey's "The
Late GreatPlanet Earth" soldtens of millions of copies. Ithink it resonated
because societywas in such turmoil - race riots, Vietnam, Watergate. The
foundations seemedto be shaken and the SecondComing was a plausible
hope. But now things are calmer, more prosperous. Our nation has much less
turmoil (not everyone is OK but most are). At times like this the Second
Coming seems passé. Butdon't count on it - it will be a time just like this
when the SecondComing will be setin motion. Matthew 24:38 mentions
average activities, nothing dramatic. Thenit will be too late.
The secondfatalmistake of the wickedservant was to live as if God wasn't
looking. He was abusive of other servants. According to verse 49, he hung
around drunks and low-lifes. It's interesting that Jesus mentions
drunkenness. Severalother passages, like 1 Thessalonians5, make the same
association. Ithink it is because alcoholdulls the senses. It helps you to forget
your troubles though it won't do a thing to solve them. It's not a responsible
way to approachlife. By now most of you have heard of the two recent

accidents in our area. One young man fell out of a truck and lost his life.
Another fell off a motorcycle and losthis leg. What you may not know is that
both had apparently been to the same party on CR 6, up past Jack Randall's
bridge. There was a wild party, lots of booze, severalwere hurt in fights till
the police broke it up.
You can live for the goodtimes or you canlive for Jesus Christ. Such a
person would be the goodservant. He was prepared for the return of his
master. What can a Christian do to be prepared? Part of it is knowing the
signs of the times, as Jesus put it. Be aware ofthe prophetic events the Bible
talks about like events in the Mideastand so on.
Knowing the signs is important but it's not enoughbecause the final details
are hidden and no key or timetable canunlock them. The Bible promises it.
Jesus tells us what is more important than knowing prophecy. It's how you
live. That's the best way to be prepared. Jesus says the goodservant is given
his instructions. Verse 46 says plainly;
"It will be goodfor that servant whose masterfinds him doing so when he
returns."
Nothing spectacular - he just does what he's supposedto do. Duties of
Christians at home, work, Sunday school...Being faithful to your spouse [etc.]
In 1 Thessalonians5:4 says godly Christians will not be caught unawares. A
responsible God-honoring lifestyle is your best preparation for the Second
Coming.

Today's passagehas a very sobering element. Both men are called servants;
one is good, one is wicked, yet they both have the same status. A servantis a
common term for a Christian in the Bible. So Jesus is not talking about
Christians as opposedto godless pagans. He is aiming it at consistent
Christians and backsliding Christians. Non-believers are not in the picture.
Becauseofthis, some people teachthat this passagemeans faithful Christians
will be Raptured and backsliddenones will not. The backsliddenones may
make it into God's kingdom in the end but they'll have to suffer terribly.
If that is true, it gives you something to think about. Imagine being left
behind. All your friends are being takenup and you're screaming, "Hey,
what about me??" It would be pretty scarybut I don't think is going to be
like this. Jesus neversays backsliddenChristians are not raptured. What
does he say? According to verse 51, they are cut in pieces, thrown in with the
hypocrites and they weepand gnash their teeth. This is the image of eternal
Hell, nothing else. There's no secondchance.
Does the unfaithful servant lose his salvation? This passage is one of the
strongeston this issue. I believe the key term is "hypocrites." Jesus applied it
to religious people who lived like Godwasn't important to them. They were
phonies. Theydo a goodjob of fooling other people - they are fooling
themselves as well. You might say they are not really backslidden Christians,
but religious-appearing pagans. Jesus neverreally knew them. Only genuine
believers will go with God. Will you be one of them?
JOHN MACARTHUR
Ready or Not—Here I Come!, Part 2

Sermons Matthew 24:43–51 2374 Jul22, 1984
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I invite you againthis morning to open your Bible, if you will, to the 24th
chapter of Matthew. We are againthis week going back to what is becoming
for us a familiar text, this greatsermon of our Lord Jesus Christ on His own
secondcoming that occupies chapters 24 and 25 of Matthew’s gospel. We
have come now to the section in verse 36 through 51. We beganin our last
time togetherto look at these verses, and we’ll conclude that look this
morning.
We sang this morning a hymn that indicated that we were looking for the
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And all of us as Christians so live in
anticipation of His coming. One theologian – I believe it was OscarCullmann
– said, “The Christian exists in a tensionbetweenwhat is alreadyand what is
not yet.” We have already experiencedsalvation; we have not yet experienced
the fullness of salvation, that is, the redemption of our bodies. We have
already receivedthe power of the Holy Spirit; we have not yet seenthe
fullness of that powerin bringing us to full glory. We have already received
life eternal;we have not yet participated in the resurrection.
And so we are in a sense caughtbetweenthe already and the not yet, and we
live in that tension. Looking back to the cross, looking forwardto the second
coming, living already in the last days and not yet in the lastof the last days.
Every believer, then, lives with a sense of what is already true and what is not
yet come to pass. We live with that excitement, that thrill, that joy of looking
for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so the writer of the Hebrews
puts it in these words: “So Christ was once offeredto bear the sins of many,

and unto them that look for Him shall He appearthe secondtime without sin
unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28).
Yes, already He has borne our sins, but we look for Him because not yet has
He come the secondtime unto full and glorious salvation. Peterputs it this
way: “Blessedbe the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according
to the abundant mercy hath already begottenus againunto a living hope by
the resurrectionof Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible
and undefiled that fadeth not away, reservedin heaven for us.” Yes, already
have we been begotten again, but not yet have we entered fully into our
inheritance. And 1 John 3 says, “Beloved, 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.” Yes, we have receivedJesus Christ, yet we are not yet
like Christ in all ways.
And so we live betweenthe already and the not yet. And our hearts are filled
with anticipation for the secondcoming. It is not so, frankly, with those who
do not know Christ. Those who would look and hear the messageofthe
secondcoming of Jesus Christand who are not ready for that event should
live in fear. Paul says, “Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.”
The writer of Hebrews says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an
angry God. He says our God is a consuming fire. To think of the coming of
Jesus Christ is either to think in hope and anticipation of glory or to think in
fear and dread of eternal doom. And so we look to the coming of Christ. For
those of us who know the Savior, we love His appearing. Forthose who do
not, they fear His appearing.
In all of us, there is that question: When is it going to happen? When is Jesus
going to come? That isn’t a new question. If you’ll remember, as we began
the study of chapter 24, we noted verse 3: “The disciples gatheredaround
Jesus on the Mount of Olives and they said, ‘When shall these things be and
what shall be the signs of the end of the age and of thy coming?’” They
wanted to know when also. When is it going to happen? When are You going
to come in glory and rewardthe righteous and judge the wicked? Whenare
You going to come and establishYour kingdom? When is it going to happen?
And what are the signs?

Well, in verses 4 through 35, our Lord gave the signs, didn’t He? He told
them the signs. Now, beginning in verse 36, He answers the when question.
The what question, He already answered, gave them the signs. Now, it’s the
when question. “Whenshall these things be?” they said. His answercomes in
verse 36 – look at it. “But of that day and hour knowethno man, no, not the
angels of heaven, nor the Son, but my Father only.”
His answerabout the when is, Nobody knows but God alone, nobody knows.
“You mean, nobody knows when Jesus is going to come?” Yes, that’s what
He says, but would you notice that He says the day and the hour? In verse 42,
He says it again, “You know not what hour.” In verse 44, He says it again,
“Forin such an hour as you think not.” In verse 50, at the end, “In an hour
that he is not aware of.” Yes, it is possible to know the era or the age or the
period of time in general. It is possible to know that. We alreadyknow that.
The time period when our Lord’s coming will occur has already been revealed
to us in greatdetail.
We are living in the church age. It comes to an end with the rapture of the
church. And that is the beginning of the end. That is the beginning of the day
of the Lord, if you will. The church is takenout. The restrainer, the Holy
Spirit, lets loose ofthe restraint of evil. There’s the rise of antichrist. He
looks like the savior of Israel, but halfway through a period of sevenyears,
immediately after the rapture, he desecrates the Holy of Holies, he sets up an
idol, calls the whole world to worship himself, and that triggers the Great
Tribulation.
The Scripture’s clearabout this. The rapture of the church, the rise of
antichrist, the abomination of desolation, the GreatTribulation – it’s calledso
in verse 21 of this chapter – and in that Great Tribulation, all kinds of
terrorizing events take place. They are called, in this chapter, the birth pains
of the kingdom. They are the rapid-fire, successive pains that come upon the
earth that issue in the birth of the kingdom of Christ. They come at the very
end, as birth pains come at the end of a pregnancy.
And so there is coming a time when the church is raptured, the rise of
antichrist takes place, halfwaythrough the seven-yearperiod in which he rises

to prominence, he sets himself up for the whole world to worship. He then
begins to persecute Israeland worldwide slaughtertakes place, the judgment
of God falls as described in Revelation6 through 18. At the end of that time,
there is the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. We see in verses 29 to 31. The
sky falls, the heavenly bodies fall, everything in orbit loses its orbit, the
powers of the heavens are shaken, and in the blackness thatoccurs in space,
Christ appears, and that’s the sign of His coming.
So He has saidin this marvelous message, these are the signs. But now He
says, “Ofthe exactday and exacthour, no one knows.” The time period, we
know. It is immediately after – it says in verse 29 – the Tribulation. The
Tribulation is that period of time in which there’s a rise of antichrist, in which
there are events described in Revelation6 to 18 as well as here. That time can
be seenclearly. It is a time beginning with the rapture of the church.
Then appears at the end of the Tribulation, immediately after, the signof the
Son of Man in heaven. But how long from that sign of the Son of Man in
heaven to the actual establishing of the kingdom and judgment, we don’t
know. No one knows. And there is an interval there. In the book of Daniel,
it’s at leasta 75-dayinterval we see, but it might even be more than that. We
don’t really know because we don’t know specificallyto what Danielrefers.
But there’s a time period in there that is undefined. And somewhere in that
time period after the Tribulation, Christ is going to come in full, final glory
and judgment. But the exactmoment, the exactday is not known. And so the
Lord says no one knows, not men or angels. At that point in His incarnation
and humiliation, He Himself did not know because the Fatherhad not
revealedthat to Him, and He in His incarnation humility restrictedHis
omniscience to that which the Father revealedto Him. And so it is an
unknown time.
Now, that’s very important, people. Jesus Christ’s secondcoming will occur
at an unknown time. We do not know when it will happen. It could happen in
any generation. Before ithappens, there will be the rapture of the church,
there will be the time of Tribulation, there will be the rise of antichrist, there
will be all the signs, the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then some time
following that, Jesus Christ will come.

But remember this: All of those things, from the rapture of the church to the
secondcoming, will happen very rapidly, won’t they? The Tribulation itself is
sevenyears and the secondcoming comes immediately after that. So in about
a seven-yearperiod, the end of human history will occur. And in the 32nd to
the 35th verse of this chapter, we read that the generationthat is alive when
the signs begin will be there when Jesus comes. In other words, it’s going to
happen so fast that it’ll happen all in one generation – in fact, in one very brief
period of time. Once it starts, it will be over very rapidly. It could come on
this generation, for if the rapture of the church were to occurimmediately –
and it could – there’s nothing that has to precede the rapture. If it were to
occurright now, then this generationwould live through all of these signs to
the secondcoming of Christ – provided they survived. A third of them will be
massacred, a fourth of them will be massacredin another holocaust. Wars
and so forth will slaughterothers. The antichrist will massacre allthat he
can. If a person lives to see the end, it will happen that fast that if they saw
the start and survived the events, they’ll be around to see the end. So it could
come at any time on any generation.
Now, what is to be our response to this sudden coming of Christ? What is to
be our response to the end of the age? Firstofall, we saw in our laststudy,
alertness. Look atverse 37: “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the
coming of the Sonof 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 Noahentered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took
them all away, so shall also the coming of the Sonof Man be.”
It’s almostunbelievable that they knew not, that the people in the time of
Noahdidn’t know it was going to rain because they had had somebodytelling
them that for 120 years. Noahwas a preacherof righteousness. And he
preachedrighteousness and judgment. And he gave them a very large sign of
coming judgment by building a massive boat, an ark. Literally the word
means “woodenchest.” This was the symbol and the sign, 120 years in
building, that God was going to bring a devastationto drown the world. And
it says until the Floodcame and engulfed them, they didn’t realize it. They
just went on eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage. In other
words, they went on with the routines of life, literally ignoring the preaching

of judgment, literally ignoring the sign and the symbol of the coming Flood.
And so it will be in the day of the secondcoming of Christ.
Hard to imagine. The world in greatmeasure will ignore the rapture; they
will ignore the abomination of desolation;they will ignore the holocaustof
events that occur during the Tribulation time. They will ignore even the sign
of the Son of Man in heaven; they will explain it away; they will rationalize it
away. They will do something with it other than acceptwhat it intends to
purvey, what it intends to communicate, what it intends to say. And when
Jesus comes, they’ll be shocked. Hard to imagine, but such is the blindness of
the human heart. Such is the darkness ofthe human mind. Listen, they
couldn’t even tell when God Himself walkedin their midst. Why should they
be better able in that period to understand than they were when Jesus was
here? When the truth is, all hell having brokenloose on the earth in that age,
sin will be worse than it’s ever been.
So they’ll not see the truth. Oh, there will be a greatsalvation. The Jews will
be redeemed and there will be a greatredemption among the Gentiles, as
Revelation7 says. But there will still be a massive, worldwide populace of
people who, having lived through all of the unbelievable events which we’ve
chronicled in chapter 24, will still find the secondcoming of Jesus Christ
occurring to them in an unexpected way. It’s unbelievable. In spite of all the
signs.
“And then shall two be in the field and one takenand the other left. Two
grinding at the mill, and one takenand the other left.” The judgment will
come and it will divide humanity. Those takenare taken in judgment. Those
left are left to go into the kingdom. The righteous will be left to go into the
kingdom. The wickedwill be takenaway into outer darkness and eternal
judgment.
So there’s coming an event that the world is going to be warned about and
warned about and – I mean the warnings are unbelievable. Firstthe rapture,
the rise of antichrist, the abomination of desolationclearlydefined in verse 15.
All those events clearly chronicledfor us here and in Revelation, every detail
laid out for us, and in spite of all of that and the sign of the Sonof Man in

heaven – in verses 29, 30 and 31 – even in spite of that and the collecting
togetherof the electfrom all the earth, they still don’t see what’s happening.
They still don’t understand. They still don’t realize until – like the time of
Noah- finally, when the waterwas up to their chin and the door was shut,
they beganto be believers, but it was too late. There was no getting in.
So what is the first response to the sudden and unexpectedness ofthe second
coming? Verse 42: “Watchtherefore.” That’s present imperative. Be
constantly alert, “for you know not what hour your Lord does come.” And
He says to the generationthat is alive at any time, “You don’t know when all
these things are going to happen, you don’t know when the Lord’s coming is
going to appear. You had better be watching. You better be analyzing the
sign.” As we noted lasttime in Matthew 16, He said to the Jews, “You’re
greatat telling the weatherbut you haven’t gotany idea about the spiritual
signs.” Well, you better getsome idea about the spiritual signs;you better be
alert.
The first requirement is alertness. The secondis readiness. Look atverse 43,
and now we’ll go on to what we didn’t cover. “Butknow this” – or “I think
this” – it could be an imperative, it could be an indicative. I like to think it’s
an indicative. That is, it states a fact. Comparing with verse 42, “You do not
know what hour your Lord does come, but you do know this.” I mean this is
obvious. You do know this. “Thatif” – and it’s “if” with a condition in the
Greek that is contrary to fact – if and he doesn’t, but if he did, if the
householderhad known in what watch, that is, in what three-hour period
during the night. The Jews divided the night into four three-hour periods
from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. 6:00 to 9:00, 9:00 to 12:00, 12:00 to 3:00, 3:00 to
6:00. He says, “If a householderknew what hours in the middle of the night
the thief would come, he would have watchedand allowedhis house – not
allowedhis house to be broken into.” Literally the Greek word for breaking
in is “digging through.” Theywould dig through the mud walls or dig
through the tile roof to get in and stealeverything.
So He says you don’t know when the Lord’s coming, but you do know this, if a
man knew when a thief was coming, if he knew in general, not the minute or
even the hour, but if he just knew the generalwatch, if he knew the general

timeframe, he sure would be ready for him when he gotthere, right? He sure
would. And that’s what He’s saying. That you do know. Any foolknows that
if a robber’s coming and you know he’s coming, you’re going to be ready for
him when he gets there.
And the Lord’s coming is often likened to the coming of a thief. And it would
be goodat this point to saythat it is not because it is a criminal coming. The
likening of the Lord’s coming to a thief, which occurs here, 2 Peter3:10,
Revelation3:3, Revelation16:5, Luke 12:35-40, which I’ll show you in a
moment. It also occurs in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 and following. And those places
where the Lord’s coming is likened to a thief, it is not that Christ is like a
thief, it is that Christ will come suddenly and unexpectedly like a thief comes
suddenly and unexpectedly. That’s the only analogy. That’s the only analogy.
There’s one other footnote that I might add to it. When a thief comes, he
takes everything you have, and so will Christ when He comes and finds a man
who’s not ready for His coming. Everything that man has, He’ll take, won’t
He? And it’ll all be burned up. So in that sense, too, we might see Christ like
the thief who comes and takes everything that a man has – which he puts his
faith in, which cannot stand the testof judgment.
So the Lord is coming unexpectedly. He is coming suddenly, in a moment
when no one is aware and no one realizes. Now, it’s hard to imagine this
because whenyou think about the rapture and all these other events,
everybody’s going to be saying, “Boy, when is He going to get here? When’s
He going to gethere? We can see it, it’s all very clear, it’s going to happen,
and it’s going to happen.” But sin, being what it is, and so overwhelmingly
blinding, and the mystery of iniquity having reachedits apex, and people
explaining everything away the best they can, and hostility toward God
reaching a fever pitch, people are literally going to explain it away other ways.
And even those people who may say, “Well, He might come;boy, this might be
it,” are going to find themselves sort of settling into the fact that He’s not
coming. I don’t know what happens – maybe after the sign in heaven, things
go back to some modicum of normality and everybody says, “Well, whatever
it was it must have been over,” and they sortof settle back down just long
enough to be unexpecting Him and that’s exactlywhen He comes, I don’t

know. But I know they’re not going to be ready when it happens – unless
they’ve prepared their hearts before the moment.
There are those people, you know, who would just like to watchthe signs until
the lastone appears and then come in under the wire. No. Verse 44 says:
“Therefore be ye also ready.” Notonly alert – verse 42 – but ready. “Forin
such an hour as you think not, the Sonof Man comes.” And He says sort of
the other side of the issue, “You don’t know when He’s coming and He’s not
coming when you think He is.” So I don’t know what happens after the
Tribulation and after the sign of the Son of Man. I don’t know what’s going
on in that time period, that little bit of a gap that we don’t have much
Scripture about. I don’t know what happens, but I know that somehow the
world loses the sense that He’s coming immediately. And when they least
expectit, He will come in final fury, in final glory.
So His point in the analogyis simple. If a man knew a thief was coming, he’d
be ready. And if you know Jesus is coming, you better be ready. You better
be ready. You know He’s coming. If a man knew a thief was coming, he’d get
ready for the thief. Jesus is telling you, “I’m coming, I’m coming.”
I remember a preacherwas preaching on the secondcoming. And he was one
of those guys who believed that you shouldn’t have any notes, you ought to
preach strictly off your head. And he forgot his point. All he could remember
was, “Behold, I come quickly; behold, I come quickly.” And it should have
joggedhis mind, so he saidit about five times and nothing happened. The
final time he thought, “If I hit the pulpit real hard and say, ‘Behold, I come
quickly,’ maybe something will jar lose and I’ll remember.” Insteadhe
knockedthe pulpit over and fell in the lap of a lady in the first row. And he
apologized. She said, “Why are you apologizing? You warned me eight times
you were coming.” She gotthe point.
And if He says He’s coming and says He’s coming and says He’s coming, then
you canbelieve He’s coming. And only a fool who has all that information
isn’t ready, that’s His point. If you knew what period of time He was coming,
if you knew what the signs were, you could see that; then you would be ready
for that if you weren’t a fool.

Look at Luke 12 for just a moment and find the other passagewhere the Lord
gives basicallythe same warning in a few different terms. And again, the
Lord very often taught the same lessons using the same illustrations or very
closelyrelatedones. As any goodteacherknows, yourepeat goodthings and
you repeatgoodillustrations in different settings because they’re helpful to
people. And the Lord here in Luke chapter 12 is also concernedin warning
people about His secondcoming. He says, “Letyour loins be girded about
and your lamps burning, and you yourselves like men that waitfor their lord
when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks you
may open unto him immediately.” I mean, be ready so that when he comes
back, everything is as it ought to be. “Blessedare those servants whom the
lord when he comes shall find watching. Verily I sayunto you that he shall
gird himself and make them to sit down to eat, and will come forth and serve
them.”
Amazing. When the Lord comes back, if you’ve been faithful, He’ll sit you
down to eat and He’ll serve you. That’s the kingdom. If you’re prepared
when He comes, you’ll sit down with Him in His kingdom and He will serve
you. And if He should come in the secondwatchor come in the third watch
and find them so, then blessedare those servants because they’re ready
wheneverHe comes. Theyknow He’s coming. They don’t know when it is,
but they’re ready. “And this know, that if the owner of the house had known
what hour the thief would come, he would have watchedand not permitted his
house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also for the Son of Man
comes at an hour when you think not.”
Now you cango back to Matthew 24. It’s the same idea. It’s the same basic
lesson. It’s the same idea that He has given here, that when He comes is a
devastating judgment. When He comes is an immediate glory for the
redeemed. So be ready. And since we don’t know when it is, and no one
knows when it is, and no one can know when it is, we need to be ready at all
times – at all times. So alertness and readiness.
It’s one thing to be alert and say, “Boy, I’ll recognize the signs.” It’s
something else to be ready, and readiness speaksofsalvation, of a prepared
heart. There’s a third thing that’s calledfor. Not only alertness and

readiness but faithfulness. Notice verse 45 through 51, faithfulness. And here
againis a beautiful analogy, a story, a parable, if you will, which our Lord
also uses in Luke 12 in another setting because it illustrates so very, very
clearly the point that He wants to make. It is a powerful, powerful
illustration.
Verse 45: “Who then is a faithful and phronimos” – sensible, wise – “servant
whom his lord has made ruler over his household to give them food in due
season.” Now,whatis He talking about? Well, it’s a very, very interesting
parable. The lord is like God, the servant is like every man and woman in the
world. And every one of us has been given a stewardship, every one of us has
been given a responsibility. It’s as if the Lord had said, “All right, here, you
manage life and breath and intellect and will and emotion and talent and
truth and spiritual sensitivity and opportunity and privilege, all that I give
you in creating you in My image, all that I give you in endowing your world
with all the goodthings that I could possibly create, all that I give you in terms
of opportunity to serve Me, you’re responsible for.”
Like a servant who is told to rule over the house; that is, to manage all the
goods and to make sure that he properly gives food to everybody in the right
time and the right place. In other words, every personin the world - not just
Christians - every single person in the world has been given a management
test by God – life, breath, privilege, all those things are granted to us by God
and they are a stewardshipfor which we are accountable. And hell will be
populated not only by the devil and his angels, but by people who wastedthat
privilege, who embezzled God’s substance, like the man did in Matthew 18
and was calledin to give an accountfor how it is that he could have embezzled
the king’s money and stood there bankrupt. And he fell on his face and
pleaded for mercy. Every man, woman in the world has been given a
stewardshipby God, and if you embezzle God’s goods and privileges and
resources andopportunities, then you will be accountable to God for the
wastefulness ofyour stewardship. And as I said, hell is going to be filled with
people who used up God’s opportunities for themselves, who abusedtheir
God-given privilege and who failed and refusedto serve God in the way that
He commands.

So every human being on the face of the earth is being testedby God as to the
stewardshipof what they possess. And so this householder does that with a
servant. Verse 46 says, “Thenblessedis the servant whom his lord when he
comes shallfind so doing.” Now, whenthe Lord comes and finds servants
doing what He wanted them to do, they’re going to be blessed, aren’tthey?
That indicates that they’re believers. Thatindicates that they are the
redeemed, they are obedient. Obedience is always the mark. Doing the will of
God is always the mark of true salvation. So when the Lord comes, He’ll find
the true servant doing what He told them to do – fulfilling His will. Living out
their stewardshipto the fullest.
Verse 47: “Verily I say unto you that he shall make him” – that is, that
servant obeying – “ruler over all his goods.” That’s marvelous. Whatthat
says is when the Lord comes back and finds His faithful servants, His
trustworthy servants, His obedient servants, He is going to put them over
everything He possesses. It’s a marvelous thing. You know what we’re going
to do in the millennial kingdom and in eternity? We’re going to sit with
Christ on His throne – Revelation3:21 says – as He is sitting with the Father
on His throne, and we’re going to rule over everything He possesses. That’s
verse 47. Life is a stewardship. What you do with this little slice of time will
determine whether or not you will rule in eternity in the throne of Christ, or
whether or not you will be dominated in hell by the demons and the devils for
whom it was prepared. So when the Lord comes, He’ll check the stewardship,
and the one who is proven faithful will be rewardedwith eternal ruling.
Verse 48: “But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delays his
coming; and shall begin to smite his fellowservants and eatand drink with the
drunkards, the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for
him and in an hour that he is not aware of and shall cut him in half and
appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.” On the other hand, when the Lord comes, He’s going to
find some who weren’t faithful. Some who, not being faithful over little, can’t
be made lord over much. Some whose lamps were not trimmed, in the terms
that we’ll see in chapter25. Some who didn’t take their talent and use it but
buried it and hoarded it. And they’ll be castinto a place of weeping and
gnashing of teeth. The evil one, it says there, doesn’tit? “The evil servant” –

kakos,evil in quality, evil in nature – “says in his own heart, My lord delays
his coming” – “he won’t be here for a while, I’m watching the signs.”
And you know there are going to be people like that. They say, “Well, look,
okay, I’ve gotall this prophetic stuff laid out. As I see the signs going along,
I’ll just wait till the last moment. And in the meantime I’m not going to use
what I’ve gotfor others, I’m going to feed myself, and if the others get in the
way and try to take any of what I’ve got, I’ll hit them, I’ll smite them. And
I’m going to have my fun and I’m going to eat and drink with the drunks.
I’m going to be a good-time Charlie, I’m going to party it up. I’m going to
grab all the gusto I can get. I’m going to live the worldly lifestyle.”
It’s not that everybody who’s unregenerate lives like that. Not everybody
who’s unregenerate beats other people up or abuses other people to the degree
that this servantdid. Not everybody that’s unregenerate parties with
drunkards. But he’s an illustration of an unregenerate person. And that’s
why it says he will be given a portion with the hypocrites, verse 51. It doesn’t
seemto indicate here that he’s much of a hypocrite. I mean a hypocrite is
somebody who pretends to be religious. This guy isn’t pretending to be
religious, not beating up people and living around – running around with
drunks. But he’ll go to the same place that religious phonies go, which is to
say that the categoryis broader than just this single illustration. It’s for all
the unregenerate.
By the way, Luke, in paralleling this, says he will be cut in half and appointed
a portion with the unbelievers. So he’s only one illustration of a whole lot of
kinds of unbelievers, including not only those who live a drunken, dissolute
lifestyle, but those who are religious hypocrites as well. So he thinks he’s got
all kinds of time.
And there’ll be people who say – maybe some listening to me right now, going
to say - “Well, okay, I see. I want what I want. Okay, I’ll watch for the
rapture. If I miss the rapture, I’m in goodshape. I know what’s coming. I’ll
watchfor the abomination of desolations, whenI see that happen, all right,
I’m checking through my thing, and then I’m going to watch the unfolding of
Revelation6 to 18. Then when I see the sign of the Sonof Man in heaven,

since I don’t know just exactly what’s going to happen after that, I’ll try to
stay sensitive. And just before I think it’s going to happen, I’ll just getin there
and I’ll just take Christ and I’ll just make it. And in the meantime I’ll have a
greattime.”
Well, the lord of that servant is going to come in a day, verse 50 says, when
you’re not looking for him and an hour you’re not even aware of. Don’t try it.
What makes you think if you won’t give your heart to Jesus Christ now,
you’re going to want to do it in the future? Christ isn’t going to change. He
will be no more wonderful, no more glorious, He’ll have no more powerto
save, no more power to change your life then than He does now. If you don’t
want it now, why would you want it then? If you don’t want Jesus Christ now
when sin is to some extent restrained – and it’s hard to imagine, but it is – you
think you’ll want Him more in a period when sin is unrestrained and your evil
can run amuck to the degree that it’s never in the history of man run amuck?
The world will be worse than it’s ever been. You think you’re gratified by
your lusts now; there will be such lustful gratificationin the Tribulation that
it’s indescribable. Why will you want Christ in the midst of that more than
you want Him now?
And don’t you fool yourself in thinking that you’re able to read the signs. The
Bible says nobody is able to do that. And Jesus is going to come when you
don’t think He’s going to come, in an hour you’re not even aware of. And
there may have been a lot of folks in Noah’s day who said, “Well, if the water
gets up to my knees, I’ll bang on the door.” Too late, too late, too late.
And verse 51 says – this is a terrible thing – “When the master comes back
and finds his unfaithful servant, he cuts him in half.” The Greek verb is
dichotomeo, “dichotomized.” It is used in Exodus 29:17 in the Septuagint,
which is a Greek translationof the Old Testament, of the sawing in half of an
animal when an animal was offeredin sacrifice andcut into two pieces. It’s to
illustrate the serious, devastating deadliness ofthe judgment of the Lord.
When He comes back and finds this person who thought he could sow his wild
oats and live it up and do whateverhe wantedand slide in under the wire, it’s
going to be too late. He’s going to come when he doesn’t expectit, and he’s
going to pay with a very severe price. The man’s going to be cut in half, given

a portion with all the restof the unbelievers and hypocrites, and spend the
rest of eternity weeping and gnashing his teeth. And by the way, weeping and
gnashing of teeth is mentioned five times at leastin the book of Matthew, and
eachtime is a way to describe the terrible, unrelieved, unconsolable pain of
eternal hell.
So what is to be the right kind of preparation for an unexpected and sudden
coming of Christ? Alertness, readiness, andfaithfulness. We need to be
watching for the signs. We need to getready for His coming. And to do that,
we need to be faithful to His command and His Word and the stewardship
He’s given us. We’re going to see more about this as we go into chapter 25, as
we look at the virgins, some of whom were ready and some of whom were not,
and as we look at the talents, some of which were wastedand some of which
were used. And they will illustrate for us the same issue of being faithful,
being ready, being alert in view of the coming of Christ.
Now, listen carefully as we conclude. FirstThessalonians5, verse 2; I want to
read this to you. “Foryourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so
comes as a thief in the night.” That is to say, suddenly and unexpectedly. It’s
emphasized again. “Forwhen,” verse 3, “they shall say, Peace andsafety” –
just when men think everything is okay, just when they think they’re going to
make it and they’re going to survive – “then sudden destruction comes on
them like travail on a woman with child.” And there are those birth pains
again. “And they shall not escape.”
So there are going to be those people who say, “Oh, peace and safety, it’s all
going to work out, everything is going to be fine.” And suddenly the
devastationand destruction is going to fall upon them. And some of those
people who think they cansurvive the GreatTribulation are going to find
themselves facing God, before Christ comes, through death and devastation
and disasterthat occurs in that time period. And so Paul says, “You,
brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief, you
are sons of light.”
That day is not going to overtake us. That day is not going to take us captive.
We’re not people in the darkness. I don’t believe we’ll ever go into that

Tribulation. I believe we’ll be taken out. We’re not children of the darkness.
We’re not sons of the darkness. We’re sons ofthe day. We’re children of
light. And I believe the Lord takes us before that darkness breaks loose.
I don’t have any desire to go through that period. It’s infinitely worse than
any description in the Bible could conjure up in our imaginations. There’s no
sense in having a silly preoccupationwith wanting to see the Tribulation. We
want to see Jesus Christ. Why would I want to be in an antichrist rule when I
could be in the presence of Christ at the marriage supper of the Lamb? And I
believe that we’re not the children of the darkness. The Lord will take us out
because our hearts are ready. But for the rest of the world, they’re going to
say, “Oh, it will all work out, peace and safety.” And then sudden destruction
when they leastexpect it. I hope you’re ready.
William Barclayrecords the interesting story of three apprentice demons who
came before Satan. And he sentthem to the earth to do their apprenticeship.
And the first apprentice demon said, “I will tell people there is no God.” And
Satansaid, “It won’t work;they know better.” And the secondapprentice
demon said, “I will tell people there is no hell.” And Satan said, “It won’t
work;they know better.” And the third demon said, “I will tell people there is
no hurry – there is no hurry.” And Satan said, “You will gain many souls.”
There is a hurry. There is a hurry. Listen to what Paul said: “Knowing the
time, that now it is high time to awakeout of sleep, for now is our salvation
nearer than when we believed.” Todaywe’re closerto the secondcoming
than we have ever been in human history. “The night is far spent, the day is
at hand, let us therefore castoff the works ofdarkness and let us put on the
armor of light.”
ALEXANDER MACLAREN
WATCHING FOR THE KING

‘Watch therefore:for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43. But
know this, that if the goodmanof the house had known in what watch the thief
would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to
be broken up. 44. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think
not the Son of Man cometh. 45. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom
his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season!
46. Blessedis that servant, whom his lord when he comethshall find so doing.
47. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48.
But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49. And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eatand drink with the
drunken; 50. The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he lookethnot
for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51. And shall out him asunder,
and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.’—MATT. xxiv. 42-51.
The long day’s work was nearly done. Christ had left the temple, never to
return. He took His way across the Mount of Olives to Bethany, and was
stayed by the disciples’ question as to the date of the destruction of the temple,
which He had foretold, and of the ‘end of the world,’ which they attachedto
it. They could not fancy the world lasting without the temple! We often make
a like mistake. So there, on the hillside, looking across to the city lying in the
sad, fading evening light, He spoke the prophecies of this chapter, which begin
with the destructionof Jerusalem, and insensibly merge into the final coming
of the Son of Man, of which that was a prelude and a type. The difficulty of
accuratelyapportioning the details of this prophecy to the future events which
fulfil them is common to it with all prophecy, of which it is a characteristic to
blend events which, in the fulfilment, are far apart. From the mountain top,
the eye travels over greatstretches ofcountry, but does not see the gorges,
separating points which seemclose together, foreshortenedby distance.
There are many comings of the Son of Man before His final coming for final
judgment, and the nearer and smaller ones are themselves prophecies. So, we
do not need to settle the chronologyof unfulfilled prophecy in order to getthe
full benefit of Christ’s teachings here. In its moral and spiritual effect on us,
the uncertainty of the time of our going to Christ is nearly identical with the
uncertainty of the time of His coming to us.

I. The command of watchfulness enforcedby our ignorance of the time of His
coming (vs. 42-44). The two commands at the beginning and end of the
paragraph are not quite the same. ‘Be ye ready’ is the consequenceof
watchfulness. Norare the two appended reasons the same;for the first
command is grounded on His coming at a day when ‘ye know not,’ and the
secondon His coming ‘in an hour that ye think not,’ that is to say, it not only
is uncertain, but unexpected and surprising. There may also be a difference
worth noting in the different designations ofChrist as ‘your Lord,’ standing
in a specialrelation to you, and as ‘the Son of Man,’ of kindred with all men,
and their Judge. What is this ‘watchfulness’? It is literally wakefulness. We
are besetby perpetual temptations to sleep, to spiritual drowsiness and
torpor. ‘An opium sky rains down soporifics.’And without continual effort,
our perceptionof the unseen realities and our alertness for service will be
lulled to sleep. The religion of multitudes is a sleepy religion. Further, it is a
vivid and ever-presentconviction of His certaincoming, and consequentlya
habitual realising of the transience of the existing order of things, and of the
fast-approaching realities of the future. Further, it is the keeping of our minds
in an attitude of expectationand desire, our eyes ever travelling to the dim
distance to mark the far-off shining of His coming. What a miserable contrast
to this is the temper of professing Christendom as a whole! It is swallowedup
in the present, wide awake to interests and hopes belonging to this ‘bank and
shoalof time,’ but sunk in slumber as to that greatfuture, or, if ever the
thought of it intrudes, shrinking, rather than desire, accompaniesit, and it is
soonhustled out of mind.
Christ bases His command on our ignorance of the time of His coming. It was
no part of His purpose in this prophecy to remove that ignorance, and no
calculations ofthe chronologyof unfulfilled predictions have piercedthe
darkness. It was His purpose that from generationto generationHis servants
should be kept in the attitude of expectation, as of an event that may come at
any time and must come at some time. The parallel uncertainty of the time of
death, though not what is meant here, serves the same moral end if rightly
used, and the fact of death is exposedto the same danger of being neglected
because ofthe very uncertainty, which ought to be one chief reasonfor
keeping it ever in view. Any future event, which combines these two things,

absolute certainty that it will happen, and utter uncertainty when it will
happen, ought to have power to insist on being remembered, at least, till it was
prepared for, and would have it, if men were not such fools. Christ’s coming
would be oftenercontemplated if it were more welcome. But what sort of a
servant is he, who has no glow of gladness atthe thought of meeting his lord?
True Christians are ‘all them that have loved His appearing.’
The illustrative example which separates these two commands is remarkable.
The householder’s ignorance ofthe time when the thief would come is the
reasonwhy he does not watch. He cannot keepawakeallnight, and every
night, to be ready for him; so he has to go to sleep, and is robbed. But our
ignorance is a reasonfor wakefulness, becausewe cankeepawakeall the
night of life. The householder watches to prevent, but we to share in, that for
which the watchis kept. The figure of the thief is chosento illustrate the one
point of the unexpected stealthy approach. But is there not deep truth in it, to
the effectthat Christ’s coming is like that of a robber to those who are asleep,
depriving them of earthly treasures?The word rendered ‘broken up’ means
literally ‘dug through,’ and points to a clay or mud house, common in the
East, which is entered, not by bursting open doors or windows, but by digging
through the wall. Death comes to men sunk in spiritual slumber, to strip them
of goodwhich they would fain keep, and makes his entrance by a breach in
the earthly house of this tabernacle. So St. Paul, in his earliestEpistle, refers
to this saying (a proof of the early diffusion of the gospelnarrative), and says,
‘Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, thatthat day should overtake you as a
thief.’
II. The picture and reward of watchfulness. The generalexhortation to watch
is followedby a pair of contrastedparable portraits, primarily applicable to
the apostles andto those ‘setover His household.’But if we remember what
Christ taught as the condition of pre-eminence in His kingdom, we shall not
confine their application to an order.
‘The leastflowerwith a brimming cup may stand,
And share its dew-drop with another near,’

and the most slenderly endowedChristian has some crumb of the bread of life
intrusted to him to dispense. It is to be observedthat watchfulness is not
mentioned in this portraiture of the faithful servant. It is presupposedas the
basis and motive of his service. So we learn the double lessonthat the attitude
of continual outlook for the Lord is needed, if we are to discharge the tasks
which He has setus, and that the true effectof watchfulness is to harness us to
the carof duty. Many other motives actuate Christian faithfulness, but all are
reinforced by this, and where it is feeble they are more or less inoperative. We
cannot afford to lose its influence. A Church or a soul which has ceasedto be
looking for Him will have let all its tasks drop from its drowsy hands, and will
feel the power of other constraining motives of Christian service but faintly, as
in a half-dream.
On the other hand, true waiting for Him is best expressedin the quiet
discharge of accustomedandappointed tasks. The right place for the servant
to be found, when the Lord comes, is ‘so doing’ as He commands, however
secularthe task may be. That was a wise judge who, when sudden darkness
came on, and people thought the end of the world was at hand, said, ‘Bring
lights, and let us go on with the case. We cannotbe better employed, if the end
has come, than in doing our duty.’ Flighty impatience of common tasks is not
watching for the King, as Paul had to teach the Thessalonians, who were
‘shaken’in mind by the thought of the day of the Lord; but the proper
attitude of the watchers is ‘that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own
business.’
Observe, further, the interrogative form of the parable. The question is the
sharp point which gives penetrating power, and suggestsChrist’s high
estimate of the worth and difficulty of such conduct, and sets us to ask for
ourselves, ‘Lord, is it I?’ The servantis ‘faithful’ inasmuch as he does his
Lord’s will, and rightly uses the goods intrusted to him, and ‘wise’inasmuch
as he is ‘faithful.’ Fora single-hearteddevotion to Christ is the parent of
insight into duty, and the best guide to conduct; and whoeverseeksonly to be
true to his Lord in the use of his gifts and possessions, willnot lack prudence
to guide him in giving to eachhis food, and that in due season. The two
characteristicsare connectedin another way also;for, if the outcome of
faithfulness be taken into account, its wisdom is plain, and he who has been

faithful even unto death will be seento have been wise though he gave up all,
when the crownof eternal life sparkles onhis forehead. Such faithfulness and
wisdom (which are at bottom but two names for one course of conduct) find
their motive in that watchfulness, whichworks as ever in the great
Taskmaster’s eye, and as ever keeping in view His coming, and the rendering
of accountto Him.
The reward of the faithful servant is statedin language similar to that of the
parable of the talents. Faithfulness in a narrower sphere leads to a wider. The
reward for true work is more work, of nobler sort and on a grander scale.
That is true for earth and for heaven. If we do His will here, we shall one day
exchange the subordinate place of the stewardfor the authority of the ruler,
and the toil of the servant for the ‘joy of the Lord.’ The soul that is joined to
Christ and is one in will with Him has all things for its servants; and he who
uses all things for his own and his brethren’s highestgoodis lord of them all,
while he walks amid the shadows oftime, and will be lifted to loftier dominion
over a grander world when he passes hence.
III. The picture and doom of the unwatchful servant. This portrait
presupposes that a long period will elapse before Christ comes. The secret
thought of the evil servant is the thought of a time far down the ages from the
moment of our Lord’s speaking. It would take centuries for such a temper to
be developed in the Church. What is the temper? A secretdismissalof the
anticipation of the Lord’s return, and that not merely because He has been
long in coming, but as thinking that He has brokenHis word, and has not
come when He said that He would. This unspoken dimming over of the
expectationand unconfesseddoubt of the firmness of the promise, is the
natural product of the long time of apparent delay which the Church has had
to encounter. It will cloud and depress the religion of later ages, unless there
be constanteffort to resistthe tendency and to keepawake.The first
generations were allaflame with the gladhope ‘Maranatha’—‘The Lord is at
hand.’ Their successorsgraduallylost that keennessofexpectation, and at
most cried, ‘Will not He come soon?’Their successors saw the starry hope
through thickening mists of years; and now it scarcelyshines for many, or at
leastis but a dim point, when it should blaze as a sun.

He was an ‘evil’ servant who said so in his heart. He was evil because he said
it, and he said it because he was evil; for the yielding to sin and the
withdrawal of love from Jesus dim the desire for His coming, and make the
whisper that He delays, a hope; while, on the other hand, the hope that He
delays helps to open the sluices, and let sin flood the life. So an outburst of
cruel masterfulness and of riotous sensuality is the consequenceofthe
dimmed expectation. There would have been no usurpation of authority over
Christ’s heritage by priest or pope, or any other, if that hope had not become
faint. If professing Christians lived with the greatwhite throne and the
heavens and earth fleeing awaybefore Him that sits on it, ever burning before
their inward eye, how could they wallow amid the mire of animal indulgence?
The corruptions of the Church, especiallyof its official members, are traced
with sad and prescient hand in these foreboding words, which are none the
less a prophecy because castby His forbearing gentlenessinto the milder form
of a supposition.
The dreadful doom of the unwatchful servant is couchedin terms of awful
severity. The cruel punishment of sawing asunder, which, tradition says, was
suffered by Isaiah and was not unfamiliar in old times, is his. What concealed
terror of retribution it signifies we do not know. Perhaps it points to a fate in
which a man shall be, as it were, parted into two, eachat enmity with the
other. Perhaps it implies a retribution in kind for his sin, which consisted, as
the next clause implies, in hypocrisy, which is the sundering in twain of
inward convictionand practice, and is to be avengedby a like but worse
rending apart of conscienceand will. At all events, it shadows a fearful
retribution, which is not extinction, inasmuch as, in the next clause, we read
that his portion—his lot, or that condition which belongs to him by virtue of
his character—iswith ‘the hypocrites.’He was one of them, because, while he
said ‘my lord,’ he had ceasedto love and obey, having ceasedto desire and
expect; and therefore whateveris their fate shall be his, even to the ‘dividing
asunder of soul and spirit,’ and setting eternal discord among the thoughts
and intents of the heart. That is not the punishment of unwatchfulness, but of
what unwatchfulness leads to, if unawakened. Let these words of the King
ring an alarum for us all, and rouse our sleepysouls to watch, as becomes the
children of the day.

SERIES: The Good News, as Reportedby Matthew SERMON:No One
Knows the Day or the Hour SCRIPTURE: Matthew 24:36-51 SPEAKER:
PastorDick High
Introduction:
During my preparation for today’s messageone of the website articles I found
has this initial caption: “Might Jesus ChristReturn On: Saturday, May 14,
2011 at9:32 AM EST?” Thatcaptionwas followedby a pastelpainting
entitled “The SecondComing of Christ,” an interesting visualization of what
that event might look like.
Right below this painting was the following note or disclaimer: “We are
reminded in scripture that no one can know for sure the exactdate of the
Lord's return, so I do not put this out as a prediction or a certainty, but only
as a possibility or hypotheses.” Thatstatement is followedimmediately by a
quote from Matthew 24:36.
That is the beginning verse in the passageofScripture that is the text for
today’s sermon. Please openyour Bible to that chapter. Forthe purpose of
context I will initially read the first three verses ofMatthew 24 and then we’ll
read from verse 36 through the end of the chapter. When we come to verse 36
you will see why, with such a specific suggestionofthe timing of Christ’s
return it was appropriate to include the disclaimer.
Matthew 24 1 Jesus leftthe temple and was walking awaywhen his disciples
came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these
things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on

another; every one will be thrown down.” 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount
of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tellus,” they said, “when will
this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the
age?” 36 "No one knows aboutthat day or hour, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so
it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 Forin the days before the flood,
people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the
day Noahentered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing (about what would
happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at
the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be
takenand the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one
will be takenand the other left. 42 "Therefore keepwatch, because youdo not
know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner
of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would
have kept watchand would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you
also must be ready, because the Sonof Man will come at an hour when you do
not expecthim. 45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the
master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their
food at the proper time? 46 It will be goodfor that servantwhose masterfinds
him doing so when he returns. 47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge
of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servantis wickedand says to
himself, 'My master is staying awaya long time,' 49 and he then begins to beat
his fellow servants and to eatand drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that
servant will come on a day when he does not expecthim and at an hour he is
not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assignhim a place with the
hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
In this passagewe return to our study of the Gospelof Matthew. Our focus
here is, in part, an answerto the first of the disciples’two questions statedin
verse 3: When is Christ’s SecondComing going to take place? It is both our
privilege and challenge today to seek understanding of Christ’s answerto that
question. But beyond understanding it is also important that we pursue a
meaningful personalapplication of the subject matters addressed.
2 Two Primary Subjects

The two primary subjects that are in focus today are 1), the secondcoming of
Christ; and 2), the appropriate watchfulness for that event which a believer is
to nurture and demonstrate in their life.
In regards to the first subject, the secondcoming of Christ, Scripture records
various straightforwardstatements of this promise beyond this discussionin
Matthew 24. Some are from the lips of Christ Himself, one is given by angels.
The response to this promise that is voicedin the next to last verse in all of
Scripture is; “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” Ifind those words compelling and
suggestthem as an appropriate response throughout today’s sermon, whether
verbally or silently affirmed.
So when is Christ coming? That question, voiced by the disciples in verse 3,
has alreadybeen answered, in part, by PastorMike in previous sermons. The
context of his answerdealt with the “when” of Christ’s secondcoming in
relation to the sevenyear period of tribulation – that future time in history
also knownas Daniel’s 70th week. There are four different answers to that
aspectof “when” which are offeredwithin evangelicalcircles. Theyare pre-
trib (that Christ will come againbefore the tribulation begins), mid-trib
(approximately 3 ½ years into the tribulation period), pre-wrath (sometime
after the mid-point of the tribulation), and post-trib (at or near the conclusion
of the tribulation). It is not my intent to revisit that discussionthis morning.
Regardlessofyour understanding or belief about these scenarios as the
answerto the question of “when,” there is a broader question and a different,
although not conflicting, answerthat is our focus today. We’ll look at that
shortly.
The secondprimary subject of our focus today is the command which Christ
gives to us as believers to be expectantof and watchful for His secondcoming.
As we move through the passagewe’llnote two such commands in verses 42

and 44. These commands are echoedelsewhere in Scripture from the Gospels
to Revelation.
Let’s begin now to actually walk through the text.
Walking Through the Text
No One Knows – Verse 36
It is helpful to me to draw a mental line from verse 3 to verse 36. In answerto
the question askedin verse 3 regarding when Christ will return Jesus states in
verse 36 that “no one knows about that day or hour...” If we envision a circle
and ask who would be within the circle of knowing about the day and hour of
Christ’s return, the answeris “no one!” That is true of us, that is true of
people throughout the world, that is true of the angels in heaven, and it is true
of Christ Himself. The only one that is within this circle of knowledge is God
the Father!
I realize the statementin verse 36 is troubling to some, as it raises questions
about Christ’s omniscience. Manyunderstand that statement as limited to His
time on earth when Scripture tell us He “emptied Himself.” The statementis
so clearand emphatic I’m not convincedof that explanation. My perspective
is that this statementindicates an acceptedabsenceofknowing and the
demonstration of an implicit faith/trust in and dependence upon the Father
about that day or hour. I considerthat as an example for us to emulate.
The subject of “knowing,” ormore specifically“not knowing” is continued in
verses 37ff. There we are introduced to a comparison; betweenthe days of

Noahand the time at the coming of the Son of Man. The phrase that I want to
focus on specificallyis in verse 39, and they knew nothing about what would
happen…
3 Many Knew Nothing – Verses 37-41
The passagein Scripture that forms the backgroundto these words is Genesis
6. In examining that passage youare led to determine that the reference to
“knowing nothing” is certainly not true about Noah. God speaks to Noah
about the corruption and violence that He sees throughoutthe earth. He tells
Noahthat He (God) will bring about destruction of both people and the earth.
Further, Noahis given instruction to build an ark and that God will bring a
greatflood upon the earth. There are additional instructions that you can note
as you read through the passage.The question that I wish to ask is how long
did it take Noahto build the ark? The answeris that we are never specifically
told. Some suggestthatthe project could have takenup to 90 years! Even at a
much shorter time period, the physical presence ofthis sizeable building
project begs the question of what Christ means in Matthew 24:39 when He
states that they knew nothing about what would happen…
II Peter2:5 refers to Noah as a preacherof righteousness. So in addition to
the visible constructionof the ark Noahspoke at some time, in some fashion
about the righteousness ofGod, and likely of His coming judgment. So again,
what is meant by the phrase they knew nothing about what would happen…?
Early in Genesis 6 (verse 3) God states, MySpirit will not contend with man
forever… Taking into accountother Scriptures that state that the natural
man, that is anyone who has not received Christ as personalsavior, does not
understand the things of the God, and that as people perpetually resistthe
work of God and His Spirit in their lives God releasesthem (the repeated

phrase is Romans 1 is that God gave them over) to further degradationis it
possible that the ignorance of which Christ speaks in Matthew 24:39 is what I
would call a chosenignorance? There was no interest in, belief in, or concern
about the things of God in the slightestdegree. People wentabout their life of
entrenched sinfulness oblivious to both the ark’s constructionand Noah’s
preaching; a very realspiritual blindness!
One final comment from Genesis 6:It does appearthat there is one thing that
Noahdid not know; when he was to enter the ark. (In that sense he did not
know the day or hour.) In communication with NoahGod ultimately tells him
when to do that, along with giving a sevenday advance notice of when the
flood will begin.
From this backgroundwhat I read in Matthew 24 speaks ofwhat I would call
an “apparent suddenness.” It is the chosenobliviousness towardand
disinterest and disbelief in the things of God that leads to the apparent
suddenness of the flood taking people away. I believe that is the appropriate
understanding of the phrase and they knew nothing about what would
happen… So too with Christ’s secondcoming; it will occurwith the same
apparent suddenness. That appears to be the primary point of the two
illustrations in verses 40 and 41.
Although I have not read, I am familiar with the book series Left Behind.
While I personally believe in the rapture of the church before the tribulation,
I think these two verses which speak ofindividuals being left behind is not the
strongestsupport for that position. The immediately preceding verse speaks of
people being takenwith suddenness in judgment! The “them” referred to in
verse 39 who were all takenawaywere all those alive at the time of the flood
(excluding Noahand his family). It is thus a complete reversalof perspective
to in the very next verse considerthose who are spokenof as being taken away
as believers. One of the foundations upon which that complete reversalin

perspective is said to be viable is the factthat the verb “take” inverses 40 and
41 is different from the verb “take” in verse 39. Granting that reality, while
the verb from verses 40 and 41 is used in John 14:3 when Jesus says, And if I
go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me…
and thus is viewedas supportive of that difference, it is to be noted that this
same verb is also used to describe the arrestof Christ, when he was taken
awayto judgment (Matthew 27:27).
4 Let’s pause for just a brief time here to put togethera summary of
thoughts. - There are clearand definitive statements in Scripture promising
the return of Christ. - When will that occur? A part of the answeris that only
God knows the precise time about that day or hour. Another aspectofthe
answeris that it His return will occurin relationship to a very tumultuous
time, such as describedin the earlier verses ofMatthew 24. - While only God
knows about that day or hour, the believer is in a position through the
revelation of Scripture to know of the fact of Christ’s return, of implications
of His return, and at leastsome indicators of the overalltiming of that return.
Thus we need to keepin balance both aspects of“not knowing” and
“knowing.” Thatbalance is conveyedin such passages as I Thessalonians 5:4
which states;But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should
surprise you like a thief. - When Christ’s secondcoming does occurit will be
for many a completely unanticipated or sudden event. For the unbeliever that
will be due to a (chosen)blindness of heart: As it was in the days of Noah…
In light of these truths, what is the applicationfor the believer? That begins to
unfold in verse 42.
The Necessityto “Keep Watch” – Verses 42-44

Scatteredthroughout the New Testamentare various verses where we are
encouragedand exhorted to be watchful. (Matthew 26:41)Watch and pray so
that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is
weak. (I Peter5:8) Be self-controlledand alert. Your enemy the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (Acts 20:31) So be
on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each
of you night and day with tears. (Ephesians 6:18)And pray in the Spirit on all
occasions withall kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert
and always keepon praying for all the saints. (Mark 14:34)“My soul is
overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stayhere
and keepwatch.”
The context for this command in Matthew 24 is the necessityofbeing watchful
in the knowledge andanticipation of Christ’s return. That command is
specificallytied to the fact that we do not know on what day our Lord will
come. There are ultimately some unknown aspects aboutthe timing of His
return that not only should cautionus againstdogmatism, but should also be
the foundation for a continual watchfulness. Thatis the flow of thought that I
obverse in verses 42-44.
We are to keepwatch, a term which conveys aspects ofdiligence and
vigilance. We are to keepwatch because we do not know on what day your
Lord will come. That is the point that is clearlyemphasized in the remaining
verses of Matthew 24. If we did know when something of significance was to
occur(the example Christ cites here - having our house broken into) we would
be able to target our watchfulness to a specific time-frame. But even though
we are not in darkness, eventhough we have the Spirit of God alive and active
in our life, and even though we have significant teaching in Scripture about
the return of Christ, we must be ready (verse 44) because the Son of Man will
come at one hour when you do not expect him. The term ready speaks of
preparation, being resolute in one’s thinking and actions.

In explaining the conceptof “readiness”I find the following from the Kittel
TheologicalDictionaryof the New Testamentvery instructive. “In the New
Testamentreadiness is demanded in three respects:readiness for goodworks;
readiness to bear witness to the Gospel;and readiness for the return of the
Lord. This lastrequirement Jesus put to His disciples with particular urgency.
In virtue of it the life of Christians becomes a life of conscious andvigilant
expectation… This readiness gives the Christian life a distinctive dynamic
character.” (Kittel, Vol II, pg. 706)
5 Look againat that last sentence. This readiness (for the return of the Lord)
gives the Christian life a distinctive dynamic character. I read it again because
that statementchallenges me to considerif there is a distinctive dynamic
characterto my life as a believer rootedin my response to Christ’s urging and
command to keepwatchand be ready for His return?
One’s response to this command of Christ will either demonstrate faithfulness
and wisdom, or wickednessandfoolish thinking.
The Importance of Faithfulness and Wisdom – Verses 45-51
If we live eachday honoring God through being people of integrity in our
relationships with others, in using our abilities, finances, and spiritual gifts to
serve the Lord, in making choices ofobedience to God and His Word
throughout the day, in humbly serving others, in demonstrating compassion
and care to those within our sphere of influence and in situations of needs, and
in sharing our faith, we demonstrate an anticipation of and a readiness for the
Lord’s return. Daily faithfulness in one’s relationship with Christ is a
significant testimony of one’s readiness forChrist’s return. I believe that is
the personspokenabout in verses 45-47, the one that Christ states if faithful
and wise.

The flip side of that is when someone responds to the delay in Christ’s return
with both an attitude toward and actions of neglectto the life choices that
demonstrated a life-changing relationship with Christ. When that occurs the
consequencesare severe. In fact, I believe what is addressedin the final four
verses of Matthew 24 indicates that there are individuals within the church,
who ultimately are not believers in Christ. They may look like they are, they
man even actlike they are. They may even at this point in time think that they
are (recallHeather Fredrickson’s testimonyfrom two weeks ago). But in
reality, there is an absence ofa personalrelationship with Christ. Thus,
because there is no indwelling of the Holy Spirit, there is no basis for that
“distinctive dynamic character” to develop. By not demonstrating a perpetual
watchfulness they ultimately give evidence of being like those in the days of
Noahwho went about life (eating and drinking – verse 49;cf. verse 39) with
no expectationor awareness ofcoming judgment.
With those sobering words the chapter concludes!
Certainly we could legitimately spend a greatdeal more time in examination
of this passage. Butit is time that we conclude. I want to do so by briefly
offering some personalapplication.
PracticalImplementation
First, I want to encourage us to praise Godthat He keeps everypromise He
makes!
Such praise is appropriate regarding every promise in Scripture, but of
course, our specific focus here is an attitude of praise and thankfulness that

Jesus Christ will come again. And when He comes it will be with powerand
greatglory. The veiling of the incarnation will not be repeated. In all His
fullness and splendor He will come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords! The
repeatedprayer of Matthew 6 that God’s Kingdom come will be reality. The
trials and temptations of our life as believers will be over. What is now seen
through a glass darkly will then be crystalclear; face to face.
For all of those reasons and many more we should regularly echo those words
near the conclusionof Revelation22, Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Pleaseturn to
those words in your Bible.
Second, I want to encourage us to establishmeans by which to maintain
appropriate vigilance.
6 I think that will involve choosing to purposely return to this passageand
others in the Scriptures that speak to us about the return of Christ so that we
keepit as a prominent thought in our mind (Matthew 25:1ff – our passagefor
next Sunday’s sermon). I think it will also involve a mutual encouragement
when we are togetherwith other believers, because the reality is we can all
become ensnaredin the flow of life and lose our focus on the certain promise
of Christ’s return (I Thessalonians 5:11). And certainly prayer is a means of
maintaining vigilance, a time when we canask God’s help in being watchful
and ready (Ephesians 6:18), as well as praying for one anther in this regard.
Finally, the importance of just making a renewedcommitment to daily obey
our Lord Jesus Christ as a viable means of being His faithful servant.
I want to read two portions of Scripture as we close, becauseI think they give
goodsummaries of what it means to daily be watchful and ready, committed
to a continual obedience to Christ.

II Corinthians 5:9 – So we make it our goalto please him, whether we are at
home in the body or away from it.
Titus 2:11-14 – For the grace of God that brings salvationhas appearedto all
men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, andto live
self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for
the blessedhope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus
Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness andto
purify for himself a people that are his very own, eagerto do what is good.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
DON ROBINSON
The Lord Is Coming
Matthew 24:42-44
How many here today believe that Jesus Christ is coming soon? How many
believe that He is coming before the end of this year? How many believe He is
coming before midnight tonight?
Readtext: v42-44
The secondcoming of the Lord is as realas anything around us today. The
Lord is coming, and our text is making the assumption that everyone knows
He is coming. There is no effort or attempt made to prove His coming. That
truth is a given fact. This passageofscripture is telling us what our reaction
should be once we see the truth of His coming.

I. Be Watching
(Mat 24:42) "Watchtherefore:for ye know not what hour your Lord doth
come."
A. What Should We Be Watching For?
1. Some would lead us to believe that we should be watching for the Anti-
Christ.
a. Why should we give any attention to the Anti-Christ?
b. Certainly there will be such a person, and he will be the leader of the world
for a three and one-half year period.
c. He will be this world's answerto world peace.
d. But he will be defeatedwhen Jesus comes again.
e. We are not told to be watching for the Anti-Christ.
2. Some would try to tell us that we should be looking for a new Bible.
a. Why would we need a new Bible?
b. My contention is that we don't need a new Bible, we just need to read and
obey the one we have.
c. Some people say that they can't understand it…I did a check onmy
computer of John 3…it gave me a 7th grade readability rating.
d. The Bible isn't difficult to understand, if a personwill just read it!
3. Some would say we should look for a new way of salvation.
a. The problem with that is there is no new way of salvation!
b. Jesus is the only way!
c. Note:recentcommunity gathering of faiths…to promote prayer???
(Acts 4:12) "Neitheris there salvationin any other: for there is none other
name under heavengiven among men, whereby we must be saved."

d. There is but one plan. God's plan.
e. Trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, and His shed blood on the Cross. His
resurrectionfrom the grave on that third morning is our guarantee that His
promise of salvationis true and trustworthy.
f. Don't waste your time by looking for an alternate plan, there is none.
B. We are to be watching for the Lord to come back.
1. The angel told His disciples on the mount of ascension…
Acts 1:11 "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into
heaven? this same Jesus, whichis taken up from you into heaven, shall so
come in like manner as ye have seenhim go into heaven."
2. Jesus tells us that same thing.
Mat 25:13 "Watchtherefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour
wherein the Sonof man cometh."
3. Jesus is coming! Are we looking for Him?
a. When we are having someone come…
b. We make sure the house is clean…
c. We do all we can to prepare for their arrival…
d. Are we looking for Jesus to come?
e. What are we doing to prepare?
C. Note v37-38
1. How was it in the days of Noah?
2. People ignoredthe messageofwarning concerning the coming judgment of
God.
3. Sounds a lot like what is happening today doesn't it?
II. Be Ready

Mat 24:44 "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the
Son of man cometh."
A. How can we be ready?
1. When a thief comes…he comes quietly and unannounced.
2. A thief comes with a plan and for a purpose…
3. That is the way Jesus will come in the rapture…the Bible tells us it will be
in a moment.
4. Jesus is coming to take out all the believers…allthe Christians.
(1 Th 4:16-17)"Forthe Lord himself shall descendfrom heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first: {17} Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up togetherwith them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord."
5. The only way to be prepared for His coming is to be saved!
B. What if we aren't ready?
1. We will be left behind.
a. Don't believe some novel you read no matter how popular it may be.
b. To be left behind means to be lost!
c. To be left behind means to spend eternity without Christ in a place called
Hell!
d. To be left behind means to be without hope.
2. We will be subject to the wrath of God!
3. There will be no secondchances!
(John 3:36) "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."

(2 Th 2:11-12)"And for this cause Godshall send them strong delusion, that
they should believe a lie: {12} That they all might be damned who believed not
the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
III. BE FAITHFUL
Mat 24:45 "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made
ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?"
A. Faithful means - "trustworthy"
1. A faithful and wise servant is one who is obedient to his Master's
commands.
2. Notseeking his own, but doing the will of the Lord.
(Mat 24:46) "Blessedis that servant, whom his lord when he comethshall find
so doing."
B. Faithful service will bring reward.
1. Happiness at the Lord's return.
2. A commendation from the Master
(Rev 22:12)"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give
every man according as his work shall be."
We know for sure that the Lord is coming soon. Will the Lord find us faithful
servants? Are we looking for Him to come today? Are we ready? If He comes
today, will we go to be with Him, or will we be left behind?
DON ROBINSON
Jesus is Coming

Matthew 24:44
(MAT 24:44) "THEREFORE BE YE ALSO READY: FOR IN SUCH AN
HOUR AS YE THINK NOT THE SON OF MAN COMETH."
Scriptures teachus that Jesus Christ is coming again. Many Christians say
that they are looking for His coming, howeverthe majority of them are not
really ready for His coming. It is our prayer that this message willcause those
who read it, to seek to be ready for His coming.
I. The Promises Of His Coming.
A. Jesus promisedthat He would come again.
(JOHN 14:2-3)"IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE ARE MANY MANSIONS:IF
IT WERE NOT SO, I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU. I GO TO PREPARE A
PLACE FOR YOU. {3} AND IF I GO AND PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU,
I WILL COME AGAIN, AND RECEIVE YOU UNTO MYSELF;THAT
WHERE I AM, THERE YE MAY BE ALSO."
1. How cananyone deny the SecondComing of Christ, without calling Jesus a
liar?
2. He plainly said, "I will come again."
3. Now, either He will do what He said, or He is a liar and cannotbe trusted.
4. He has proven to be trustworthy...He will do what He says....Hewill come
again!
B. The angelic messengers promisedthat He would come again.
1. When our Lord went back to the Heavenly Father, after His death and
resurrection, two men stood by in white apparel.
2. They had a wonderful message forthe disciples.
3. Note:Acts 1:8-11
4. In like manner...this same Jesus.
C. Paul promised that Jesus would come again.

1. The Apostle had much to sayabout the SecondComing of Christ.
2. He mentions this event in every chapter of 1stand 2nd Thessalonians.
3. Note:1 Thess. 4:16-18
4. This passagedeals with the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture.
5. Pleasenote that no mention of the lost is made in this passage.
6. It is the dead in Christ, and the living Christians, who will be changedand
go up to meet the Lord in the air.
7. The unsaved dead will remain in their graves for more than 1,000 years,
before they will be resurrected.
8. The unsaved living will enter the 7-year tribulation, and be under the reign
of Antichrist.
II. The Signs Of His Coming.
When we speak ofthe signs of His Coming, we do not mean that we canset a
date for this event.
We simply mean that certain events that are prophesied to take place in the
last days are beginning to come to pass.
A. A falling away will happen before His coming.
(2 TH 2:3) "LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU BY ANY MEANS:FOR THAT
DAY SHALL NOT COME, EXCEPT THERE COME A FALLING AWAY
FIRST, AND THAT MAN OF SIN BE REVEALED, THE SON OF
PERDITION;"
1. Surely no one can deny that we are in the midst of a greatapostasytoday.
2. Multitudes are falling awayfrom the truth of God's Word.
3. Religious leaders are denying the fundamental truths of the Bible.

(1 TIM 4:1) "NOW THE SPIRIT SPEAKETHEXPRESSLY, THAT IN THE
LATTER TIMES SOME SHALL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, GIVING
HEED TO SEDUCING SPIRITS, AND DOCTRINES OF DEVILS;"
B. A time when they will not endure sound doctrine, before His coming.
(2 TIM 4:3-4) "FOR THE TIME WILL COME WHEN THEY WILL NOT
ENDURE SOUND DOCTRINE;BUT AFTER THEIR OWN LUSTS SHALL
THEY HEAP TO THEMSELVES TEACHERS, HAVING ITCHING EARS;
{4} AND THEY SHALL TURN AWAY THEIR EARS FROM THE TRUTH,
AND SHALL BE TURNED UNTO FABLES."
1. Cults, Charismatics and other promoters of false doctrine are growing by
leaps and bounds.
2. Cults offer error, and very little truth, but multitudes are flocking to them.
3. The Charismatic movement is one of the religious phenomenons of our
generation.
4. It has nothing to offer but a mixture of psychologyand emotionalism, but
they are drawing large crowds acrossAmerica.
5. They dominate the religious televisionbroadcasting industry.
6. They have excitement and emotionalism, but they have distorted the Truth.
7. Many people will not endure sound doctrine...theyliterally turn awaytheir
ears from the truth, and turn to fables.
C. Perilous times will come before His coming.
Note:II Tim. 3:1-7
1. Does that sound like what is happening today?
2. Lovers of their ownselves, covetous, boasters,proud, and blasphemers are
everywhere to be found.
3. Children who are disobedient to parents are increasing in number every
day.

4. Many are without natural affection.
a. Mothers that murder their babies through abortion are without natural
affection.
b. Parents that go off seeking pleasure, while their children are left alone, are
without natural affection.
c. The homosexual lifestyle is without natural affection.
5. We do not have to look far to find those who are lovers of pleasures more
than lovers of God.
D. The Return of Israelto their homeland is prophesied in the lastdays.
1. They will be hated, and invaded. See this in Ezek. 38-39.
2. There are many places in the Bible that give us prophesies of the restoration
of Israel to their homeland.
3. Since 1948, we have seenthe unfolding of the saga ofthis restoration.
III. The NeededPreparationFor His Coming.
A. Salvationfor the lost.
1. To be saved one must acceptby faith what God's Word says concerning our
need.
(ROM 3:10) "AS IT IS WRITTEN, THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO,
NOT ONE:"
(ROM 3:23) "FOR ALL HAVE SINNED, AND COME SHORT OF THE
GLORY OF GOD;"
2. To be saved one must acceptby faith what God's Word says concerning the
provision for our salvation.
(ROM 5:8) "BUT GOD COMMENDETHHIS LOVE TOWARD US, IN
THAT, WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US."

(ROM 6:23) "FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH; BUT THE GIFT OF
GOD IS ETERNALLIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD."
3. To be saved one must acceptby faith what God's Word says concerning the
receiving of salvation.
(ROM 10:9) "THAT IF THOU SHALT CONFESS WITHTHY MOUTH
THE LORD JESUS, AND SHALT BELIEVE IN THINE HEART THAT
GOD HATH RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, THOU SHALT BE
SAVED."
(ROM 10:13)"FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF
THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED."
4. What a sad day it will be for many, when they face the Lord unprepared.
5. There will be those who thought that religion was enough.
(MAT 7:21-23)"NOT EVERY ONE THAT SAITH UNTO ME, LORD,
LORD, SHALL ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN; BUT HE
THAT DOETHTHE WILL OF MY FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN. {22}
MANY WILL SAY TO ME IN THAT DAY, LORD, LORD, HAVE WE NOT
PROPHESIEDIN THY NAME? AND IN THY NAME HAVE CAST OUT
DEVILS? AND IN THY NAME DONE MANY WONDERFULWORKS?
{23} AND THEN WILL I PROFESSUNTO THEM, I NEVER KNEW YOU:
DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY."
6. Jesus gave anexample of the importance of being prepared. cf Mt. 24:37-39
B. Obedience for the saved.
1. Every Christian has assignedwork.
a. Note:Mark 13:34-37
b. His house is the localchurch, and every Christian ought to be a member of
one.
c. This is where we ought to be serving and working for Him.

(1 TIM 3:15) "BUT IF I TARRY LONG, THAT THOU MAYEST KNOW
HOW THOU OUGHTEST TO BEHAVE THYSELF IN THE HOUSE OF
GOD, WHICH IS THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD, THE PILLAR
AND GROUND OF THE TRUTH."
2. Jesus gave His work assignmentto the localchurch and its people.
a. The great commissionwas given to the localchurch.
b. If we are not a part of a localNew TestamentBaptistChurch, and helping
to carry out this command of our Lord, then we are not ready for His coming.
The story is told of a young soldierwho was condemned to die. The sentence
was to be carried out the next day at the time of the ringing of the bell in the
greatcathedral.
When the man beganto pull the bell rope, he could only hear a dull thud, and
the bell did not ring. Eachtime he pulled there was no sound. Finally he
climbed up in the bell tower, only to find a young woman with her arms, legs
and body wrapped around the great clapperof the bell so that it could not
ring. He pulled her bruised and bleeding body awayfrom the bell, and
discoveredthat she was the sweetheartofthe young soldier who had been
condemned to die when the bell sounded. When the ruler learned of her great
sacrifice, he pardoned the young soldier.
Christians, people need the Lord. We need to give our lives that they might be
saved. God has given us a job to be done. We must reachothers with the
Gospel. Are we ready for the SecondComing of Christ? We have His
promises, we see the signs, do we understand the need for preparation? If you
are without Christ...come today and by faith acceptHim. Christian, are we
obedient to our Lord? He is coming again!
Robert Morgan
FREEDOMFROM FEAR

Matthew 24:32-25:30
My friend, Denis Lyle of Belfast, Northern Ireland, tells of a tourist visiting
Switzerland who observeda beautiful mansion on the lonely shore of a
picturesque lake. The house was surrounded by well kept gardens, tidy
paths, and gorgeousflowerbeds. Nota weedwas to be seenanywhere. The
mansion’s beautiful setting and neat surroundings revealedthat much toil had
been expended on developing the grounds. Complimenting the gardener on
the beauty and order of the garden the tourist asked, “How long have you
been caretakerhere?” The gardenerreplied, “I have been here for twenty
years.”
The tourist further asked, “And during all that time how often has the owner
of the property been in residence?” The gardenersmiled and said, “He has
been here only four times.”
“And to think,” exclaimedthe visitor, “Thatfor all these years you have kept
this house and garden in such superb condition. Why, you look after them
just as if you expectedthe ownerto come tomorrow.”
“Oh, no,” said the gardener. “I look after these grounds as if I expectedhim
to come today.”
In our study of the Olivet Discourse, we’re coming to Matthew 24:32, and
what I want you to notice is that there is a rather obvious shift that occurs in
His messageatthis point. Until now, He has been teaching us the sequence of
events that will occurbetweenthe First Century and the SecondComing. The
first 31 verses of His message are devotedto didactic teaching about the end
times. Forthe lastseveralweeks, we have been looking at these 31 verses.
But now, having given us the broad sweepof predictive prophecy, Jesus
paused, changedHis approach, and begantelling a series ofstories and
illustrations to help His listeners realize the implications of what He has been
saying. He wants us to begin living as though we were expecting Him to
come—nottomorrow—but today.
The Fig Tree

He used six different stories or illustrations to drive home the importance of
His SecondComing, and I’d like for us to briefly touch on eachof those six
stories. So let’s break in at this point and resume our study of the Olivet
Discourse in Matthew 24, verse 32. Here He employed the illustration of the
fig tree to tell us that, in regard to His coming, we should be watching:
Now learn this lessonfrom the fig tree: As soonas its twigs get tender and its
leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all
these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth,
this generationwill certainly not pass awayuntil all these things have
happened.
The fig tree was in ancient Palestine whatthe crocuses, tulips, and daffodils
are to Tennessee. The fig tree was the first tree to bud out and blossom, so it
was a sign that springtime was near. Evenso, Jesus said, when you see all
these things, you know that it the SecondComing is near.
Now, we have an interpretive challenge here. Whatdid Jesus mean when He
said, “This generationwill certainly not pass awayuntil all these things have
happened”? There are three possibilities.
First, He might have been speaking very literally to the disciples, telling them
that all the events He was describing would come to pass within the next thirty
or forty years, within their generation. That’s a difficult interpretation to
sustain, because while these things began to take place within their generation
with the destructionof the JewishTemple by the Romans in AD 70, much of
what Jesus has said here is still in the future.
Second, He could have been addressing these words to the generationof the
Tribulation period. When the church is raptured, our Bibles will be left
behind. Jesus goeson in the next verse—verse 35—tosay, “Heavenand earth
will pass awaybut my words will never pass away.” Notice the two-fold
repetition of the phrase, “allthese things.” Even so, when you see allthese
things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this
generationwill certainly not pass awayuntil all these things have happened.
So He might have been projecting Himself into the future, letting the final

generationof humanity know that all these things were now coming to sudden
and total fulfillment.
The third possibility (and the one that seems mostsensible to me) is to
understand the word “generation”in its broad sense as a period or age. That
is a standard and allowable definition in the lexicons. I think Jesus was telling
us here that all these things are coming to pass, and to keepour eyes on the
signs of the times so that we’ll stay alert and be ready. When all these things
are fulfilled, the age will be at an end—and not before.
The Days of Noah
The reasonI prefer this interpretation is because it fits the context and
corresponds with the point that He is making. Notice how He proceeds in
verse 36 to give us the secondillustration. He reaches back into time and
gives us a historical illustration—the days of Noah:
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the
Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the
coming of the Sonof Man. For in those days before the flood, people were
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah
entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the
flood came and it took them all away. Thatis how it will be at the coming of
the Sonof Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be takenand the other
left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be takenand the
other left.
The interesting thing about this illustration is that in using it Jesus doesn’t
emphasize the sensuality or sinfulness or evil of the people of Noah’s day. He
doesn’t talk about their living in sin, their disregardfor holiness, or the
corruption of their society. His point here is that they lived unprepared for
judgment and in seeming total ambivalence to the warnings of Noah.
People today are living their lives in total disregardof the imminence of the
coming Rapture and the reality of the coming judgment. Jesus’point is that
we should live in constantreadiness for the Lord to come. See how He puts it

in verse 42: Therefore keepwatch, becauseyou do not know on what day
your Lord will come.
The Thief in the Night
And then, in Matthew 24:43, He uses another illustration to make the same
point:
But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time the
thief was coming, he would have kept watchand would not have let his house
be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come
at an hour when you do not expectHim.
The Wise Servant
And now, a fourth illustration to drive home the same point. The parable of
the wise servantsays that we should not only be watching for the Lord, but
working for the Lord:
Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom the master has put in charge
of the servants in his householdto give them their food at the proper time? It
will be goodfor that servant whose masterfinds him doing so when he
returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge ofall his possessions.
But suppose that servantis wickedand says to himself, “My master is staying
awaya long time,” and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat
and drink with drunkards. The master of that servantwill come on a day
when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut
him to pieces and assignhim a place with hypocrites, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.
In other words, Jesus has left to return to heaven, but He’s coming back. In
the meantime, we are His servants and He has given us a work to do, a
kingdom to build, a task to complete. We’ll be judged for whether we were
faithful to the task or whether we became distracted by the world. What gifts
and resourcesand talents has God given you? What opportunities do you
have to serve Him, to hasten His coming?
The Ten Virgins

Now as we continue on into Matthew 25, let me remind you that when
Matthew originally wrote his Gospel, he didn’t have any chapter divisions at
all. The chapters were added later. So Matthew 24 and 25 is one unbroken
sermon. As we pass over into chapter 25, Jesus didn’t break His delivery at
all; He just continued with another illustration or story.
I’ll not take time to read this, but let me give you the essenceofthis parable.
There was a wedding planned, and there were ten young ladies in the bridal
party. Their job was to wait at a certainspot for the bridegroom and to
accompanyhim on to the wedding. But he delayed his coming, and when he
finally showedup, only half of the maids were ready for him. The others had
fallen asleepand had let their lamps go out. They were ashamedand unable
to proceedon with Him. Jesus said, “Therefore,keepwatch, becauseyou do
not know the day or the hour.”
The Talents
And then, in Matthew 25:14-30, Jesususedyet anotherstory—a rather long
illustration—to drive home the same point. He told about a Master, a wealthy
employer, who, before leaving on a long trip, entrusted three servants with
various amounts of money to invest until He returned.
Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who calledhis servants and
entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to
another two talents, and to another one talent, eachaccording to his ability.
Then he went on his journey.
The first and secondservants were diligent and faithful, but the third buried
the money and was lazy and slothful. When the owner returned, he
commended the first two, saying, “Welldone, thou goodand faithful servant.
You have been faithful over a little, I will make you a ruler over much.” But
the third servantreceived a bitter reprimand from the master.
So we have six different stories, all of them touching on the same general
theme. Jesus is telling us that the information about His return should have a
profound impact on our thinking and behavior. The Bible doesn’tgive us
prophetic information just to satisfyour curiosity or to distract us with all

sorts of endless, fruitless discussions abouteschatologicalissues. Ithink we
can sum it up by saying that the person who really processesthe Olivet
Discourse as Jesusintends will be knownby three attributes.
First, we should be happy. If we study diligently the subject matter of the last
days, it should make us happier people. I can’t help thinking here of my
Uncle Walter Morgan, my father’s oldestbrother. When he was in his
eighties, he was very active;and I would often go over to his house with my
dad. I’d sit and watchtelevision in the den while my dad and uncle were in
the kitchen, sitting at the kitchen table and discussing prophecy. Uncle
Walter read a greatdeal from the preachers back in the 40s and 50s who
wrote and preachedon prophetic themes, such as Hyman Appleman, who was
a RussianJewishevangelist;and William Steuart McBirnie, and M. R.
DeHaan. He subscribed to the JerusalemPost, and kept up with the latest
news from Israel. And he was full of life and full of happiness. Every Sunday
until he had a depilating stroke he stoodon the steps of the church, giving out
the Sunday programs, then he went inside and taught the “Old Women’s
Sunday SchoolClass,”as it was called.
He wasn’t worried about dying; he wasn’t worried about the future. He knew
what was coming, and he knew who was coming, and he lived with a sense of
happiness because he knew he was living in the last days, and he was waiting
for his Lord. I think that’s the waywe should live, and that’s the way we
should die.
Second, the teachings about the return of Christ should make us holy. First
John 3:3 says, “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as He
is pure.”
Think of it this way. On rare occasions, whenour children were nearly
grown, Katrina and I would leave home for overnight or for brief trip, telling
our girls to take care of things, that we would be back on a particular day.
I’m almostcertain that very little housework took place until the hours before
our expectedreturn home; and then I think there was feverish activity.
That’s when the dishes would be washed, the beds made, and the house put

into ship-shape. They wanted to make sure everything was cleanand neat for
our return.
If we have a sense ofthe Lord’s return, it will affectthe way we live, the places
we go, the words we say, the way we invest our money and our time and our
talents. Everyone who has this hope within him purifies himself. We’ll want
to cleanup our lives and live as He expects us to live.
Third, a gripping awarenessofthe soonreturn of Christ makes us, not only
happy and holy, but hard-working. We want to be about our Master’s
business. We want to be found occupiedwhen He returns so that we’ll hear
Him say, “Well done, thou goodand faithful servant.”
I recently read a gripping story about a terrible fire that took the lives of
many people in Chicago. This happened exactly 100 years ago, in 1903, atthe
brand new, supposedly fireproof Iroquois Theateron Randolph Streetin
Chicago. Onthe stage ofthe theater were many backdrops, painted in highly
flammable oil paints. During an afternoon matinee performance on
December30th, the theaterwas packedwith 1900 people. It was standing
room only. At exactly3:15, during the performance, a hot light somehow
ignited one of the curtains, sending a flame racing up the velvet curtains and
igniting the flammable backdrops. The people inside panicked, and in the
stampede the followedpeople trampled on top of others until bodies were
stackedtenhigh. Six hundred people died.
I read recently that there was one man who managedto getout, but in order
to escape he had to climb over the trampled bodies of women and children.
He did nothing to help others; he was only intent on saving himself.
Later, he was struck with the callousnessofwhat he had done, and he became
deranged. He wandered around, muttering the same thing to himself over
and over—the words: “I have savednobody but myself. I have savednobody
but myself.”
What a terrible thing if we have to stand before the judgment seatof Christ
and say, “Oh, I have savednobody but myself.”

Jesus told us that the lastdays were going to be characterizedby wars and
rumors of war, false prophets, pestilences and diseases, earthquakes, famines,
worldwide persecution, and the globalizationof the Gospel. And then, He
said, the end would come—the end of the age ofthe church. Then the
Antichrist will appear and establishan abominable image of himself in the
JerusalemTemple, which would trigger a time of greattribulation which the
world has never before seenand will never see again. But just when it
appears that all hope is gone, the Sonof Man will appear in the sky, splitting
open the heavens. The sun will be darkenedand the moon will not give its
light. The stars of the heavens will fall like figs in the wintertime, and the
heavenly bodies will be shaken.
Now, Jesus said, learn the lessonof the fig tree, of the days of Noah, of the
thief in the night, of the faithful and wise servant, of the ten virgins, of the
wise and foolishstewards. Since allthese things must come to pass, what sort
of people ought we to be? We ought to be happy people. We ought to be holy
people. We ought to be hard-working people, so that when our Lord appears
He will look at us appreciativelyand say,
“Welldone, thou goodand faithful servants. You have been faithful over
little; I will make you rulers over much. Enter thou into the joys of your
Lord.”
PHIL NEWTON
When Will Christ Return?
Matthew 24:36-44
March 20, 2005

When I write the year, 2005, ifI pause long enoughto think about it, it seems
to be so far into time. As a teenagerreading Hal Lindsey, SalemKirban, and
Tim LaHaye's prophetic novels in the early 70's, I must admit that I never
thought the Lord would tarry as long as He has! The talk and speculations of
when Christ would return, attaching specialsignificance to this sign and that
event, all seemedto anticipate these curiosity-satisfying predictions. Surely,
we would not see pastthe year 2000 before Christ returned! Or so I thought,
back in the days when all the talk was of Bible prophecy.
One of my closestfriends with whom I spent lots of time talking about end-
time issues as a teenager, wrote me a note this week. He is a pastor in the
Chicago area. We regularly read eachother's sermons, and banter back and
forth about the issues of the Christian life and ministry. I was especially
helped and encouragedby his note to me on Thursday night.
One point came to mind from your lastnote. I hold the dispensational, pre-
trib, pre-mil position. No surprise there, right? [He added a "smiley-face"
since his undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate work was all done at
strongly dispensationalschools thatwould advocate pre-tribulational and pre-
millennial positions concerning Christ's return]. But I have profited from
your expositions of Matthew 24, especiallyyour callto perseveranceand
endurance. Others read the passage andget post-mil, amil, post-trib, preterist,
etc etc etc. And really, the goalfor all of us is to understand what Jesus said
and how we need to live in response to what he says. It occurredto me that
what you said is entirely true, and it is just as true from my point of view or
anyone else's. We must persevere and we must endure until Jesus comes back,
wheneverthat is, and howeverhe comes. The only person who really couldn't
follow your teaching is a personwho said, "He's not coming back at all."
Regardlessofone's position, the same callis put to all of us to endure, to
watch, to watch, to live in hope, to "occupy till he comes," to be faithful, to
invest our talents for the Kingdom, and so on. And that's all been true for the
last 2000 years. And (this is my point) that remains true no matter which

eschatologicalviewpointyour prefer. After all, you can be pre-this and pre-
that, but Jesus didn't come in 783 or 1502 or1899 or 2002. So while we wait
and pray (and while we debate!), the callto perseveranceremains upon all of
us [Ray Pritchard, Oak Park, IL, March 17, 2005].
I think that helps us to frame the perspective of this end-times discourse by
Jesus Christ. Yet, in spite of the teaching of Christ, some have made
predictive work almosta game, and certainly a business. Endless speculations,
maneuvering of world events, collating Scripture, squeezing out
interpretations, and all done in a most compelling manner, have sidetracked
some from more important concerns in the Christian life. Do not
misunderstand. I think that the return of Jesus Christ is of utmost
importance. Yet the point of our Lord's teaching on His return was to curb
the speculations and reorderthe focus on enduring, through the best and
worstof times, as faithful disciples. We have no call to venture into the arena
of speculationon when Christ will return. So from that standpoint, the title of
this sermon may be misleading. When will Christ return? None of us knows-
and we must be satisfiednot knowing. If Jesus Christ in His human nature
was satisfiednot knowing the day of His return, so must we share that
satisfactionand simply trust in the Father, as did Christ. So, what do we know
about when He returns? Let us considerJesus'instructions.
I. He will come...
The Biblical writers leave no question mark about whether or not Jesus
Christ will return as the triumphant King. That will happen. Three times in
the lastchapter of the Bible, Jesus Christtells us, "I am coming quickly"
(Rev. 22:7, 12, 20). I realize for the children and young people among us, time
seems to move at a snail's pace. You anticipate finally leaving the "tweener"
stage and becoming a teenager. Thentime seems to stand still until finally
creeping along to the liberating age of sixteen. Then, another two years seems

like two millennia before you are eighteen. Then you think about leaving
behind the teen years and breaking into the twenties. Somewhere aroundthe
mid to late twenties, or at leastthe early thirties, you discoverthat time is
moving much quicker than you thought! It's going at a rapid pace!Before you
know it, those babies you strolled through the mall are now grown with their
own families. Time appears to be an avalanche racing down the mountainside
with you running to keeppace. "I am coming quickly," Jesus told us. Time
races on but it will not outrun the certainty of Jesus Christ's return.
In this prophetic discourse, Jesus had just told His disciples that their
generationwould witness the shaking events that would leave nothing
hindering His return. "Truly I say to you, this generationwill not pass away
until all these things take place." The stage wouldbe setbefore that
generationof believers died out, for the Son of God to return in great power
and glory. Maybe the disciples were quite akin to our present generation,
filled with speculations about signs and times, in order to predict the date of
Christ's return. So our Lord clarifies for them, and for us, that such
speculationis not to be the arena in which we spend our time and energy.
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor
the Son, but the Father alone." Yet, some way, 'Well, we cannot know the
exactday and hour but we can surely predict the year and the month!' The
expression, "dayand hour," was not intended to exclude only the preciseness
of predictability but to go on with broader predictions. As John Broadus
wiselycomments, "It is mere quibbling to say that still we may ascertainthe
year and month" [SelectedWorks ofJohn Broadus, vol. 3, 492]. And that was
written in the late 1800's. I'm not sure if Dr. Broadus could have imagined the
"quibbling" the next century has endured!
So, what does Jesus tell us about when He will return? He will come...
1. At a time unknown to all but the Father (v. 36)

Not only does verse 36 stand as warning against speculationon Christ's
return, but it also gives us a remarkable picture of the Incarnation. "But of
that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,
but the Father alone." Noteven Michaelor Gabriel around the throne knows
the day that has been establishedby the Fatherbefore the creationof the
world for the culmination of redemption. Do not think that these angels would
have enough impertinence to dare ask the Fatherto disclose to them that
greatday. They simply trust the Father's timing, knowing that it is perfectly
establishedin order for His greatwill to come to pass.
But the staggering phrase in this verse centers on "nor the Son." We can
imagine that such delicate information belongs to the Godhead and not to
angels. Yet Jesus tells us that at that point, He did not know the day of His
return. He, who is 'very God of very God,'co-equalwith the Father, co-
eternal with the Godhead, co-existentwith the Father from all eternity, even
He did not know. Now that is puzzling. Yet here we learn something more of
the wonderof what took place in the Incarnation.
Jesus Christ exists in two distinct natures. He is fully divine. In His deity there
is nothing that He does not know-He is omniscient. Every detail of every
molecule in the universe is known by Him. Not a speck ofdust floats in the
atmosphere apart from His knowledge. All of the infinite knowledge ofGod
resides in Him as God. But we struggle, because here Jesus refers to
something that He does not know. How can that be so, since He is God?
Jesus Christ has always been God. He did not become God at some stage in
the process ofeternity. Before time existed, He is God. Yet, He did not exist as
man with a human nature of the same stuff that constitutes us as humans until
the Incarnation. So, while He has never, not been God, He was not always
man. That came about in the wondrous story of the angel announcing the
supernatural conceptionin Mary's womb by the Holy Spirit of the Son of

God. The one person of Jesus Christ took on the distinct nature of humanity.
All of the limitations of the human race, He knew and understood from
experience. He was sleepy, hungry, tired, thirsty, angry, grieved; He laughed,
cried, talked, prayed, and entered into the depth of human relationships. But,
He did not stop being God. At one and the same time, He sustainedthe
universe by His power while in His humanity grew tired from a day of
ministering to needy people. He kept the infinite solarsystems in their
revolutions while crying to the Father as a human being with needs.
And now, the One that saw Nathanielunder the fig tree and who discerned
the thoughts of scheming religious leaders, declares, thatin His humanity, He
did not know the time of His return. He does not complain about not knowing.
Our Lord held complete confidence in the Father. The Omniscient One as
God, in His human nature admitted things that He did not know. That gives
further evidence of the genuineness ofHis humanity as well as His trust in the
Father. Jesus knew everything necessaryto be our Redeemerand to do the
work of the Father on our behalf, but His human mind did not contain the
infinite knowledge He possessedin His deity. "As man he knew only what God
was pleasedto make known to him," wrote GeoffThomas ["The Knowledge
of the Son of God," Mark 13:32,
http://users.aber.ac.uk/emk/ap/sermons/mark78.htm]. He adds severalhelpful
statements about what Jesus did not know. "JesusChrist our Mediator was
never ignorant of anything he ought to have known." The date of the second
coming fell within this range since;"the date of the secondcoming was not
revealedto him for this reason - you and I have no need to know it. It would
not help our earthly pilgrimage, and so Jesus our Lord was not told the time."
This further demonstrates that "Jesus Christour Mediatorhad to save us
within the limitations of his human body." He trusted the Father for all that
He needed to know to complete the redemptive work. And so we hear His
agonyin the Garden and His cries of derelictionon the cross as a human
suffering for humans. "Jesus Christ was limited in knowledge but not fallible
in his knowledge."He held "no mistakennotions" or fallible understanding.
What He knew, understood, and spoke was absolute truth.

So, if Jesus Christ, in His humanity, did not need to know when He would
return, then neither do we need that kind of precise knowledge.He will come
againbut the time is knownonly to God and not to man.
2. At a time when everything seems normal (vv. 37-39)
What do you see that appears ominous in verses 37-38?"Forthe coming of
the Sonof Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before
the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day that Noahentered the ark." So far, nothing ominous has crossed
the scene-justnormal living. That is just the point that Christ makes. At a
time when everything seems to be normal for most of humanity, Jesus Christ
will return. You remember that the people around Noahcontinued living life
the waythey had always lived, in spite of the strange man building a huge ship
nowhere near water. Noahpreached, warning of God's judgment and calling
for righteousness, but everyone just kept living normally-no anxiety, no
concernfor how the old man's ship would float, no thought of divine
judgment. Even the terminology in the verse describes the casualmunching of
food and drinking, men marrying and womenbeing given in marriage-just
normal life.
"And they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away;so
will the coming of the Son of Man be." I think it interesting that we getour
English word 'cataclysmic'from the word for "flood." Theydid not know that
they were in a flood until they were in the flood! But that is how cataclysmic
events happen. They just take place, most often without warning, and strike
with sudden destruction. The tsunami of December26th in the Indian Ocean
regionfound people going about life as normal: eating, drinking, marrying
and giving in marriage, talking and sleeping, laughing and crying, walking
and running. The point Jesus makes is His return will come in a time when

people are focusedon temporal issues. Theythink of the mundane things of
life while ignoring the warnings of God as well as His promises through the
gospel. While there may be persecutionof Christians and opposition to the
gospel, mostof humanity will be going about business as usual when Christ
comes on the clouds with powerand greatglory.
3. At a time unexpected (vv. 40-41)
Therefore, it is an unexpected time when Christ returns. Our Lord explains it
with two simple pictures of life. "Thenthere will be two men in the field; one
will be takenand one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one
will be takenand one will be left." Two men, maybe brothers, maybe a father
and a son, or maybe lifelong friends go to work in their field. One is a
believer; the other is not. Two women grinding at a mill, pulling and pushing
the mill stone in its trough; maybe they were sisters or mother and daughter
or slaves of the same masteror best friends. One is a believer; the other is not.
When Christ returns, "a complete and permanent division" takes place [Leon
Morris, The Gospelof Matthew, 615]. Those Christians and unbelievers
bound togetherby family or marriage or friendship or work will be forever
separatedwhen Christ returns.
The return of Jesus Christis a time unknown to us, a time when the world
seems to be operating on normalcy, and a time that is unexpected. So in light
of this, how do you prepare for His return? That is really what Christ aimed
for in His sermon.
II. We are to respond with...

Three conditions ought to characterize us if we believe that Jesus Christ will
one day return. While they are conditions, attitudes of mind and heart, they
also callfor actionon our part. Let us consider them as we apply the teaching
of Christ to our lives.
1. Watchfulness (v. 42)
The first statementbegins with "therefore." Thatis a very important word
that we find often in the Scripture. It signals that a conclusionor application
is being drawn from what has just been stated. It means that Jesus is driving
home the point of what He meant by the unexpectedness of His return.
"Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is
coming." First, He issues a command, and then He gives a rationale for it. "Be
on the alert"-watchout, pay attention, stay awake, be vigilant, keepyour eyes
open. The presentimperative calls for constantvigilance on the part of the
believer. The word is used twice in this discourse, here and in 25:13, and also
in 26:41 when Jesus warned, "Keepwatching and praying that you may not
enter into temptation." Mark, Luke, Paul, Peter, and John also use the term
in their writings. The Ephesianelders were told to be on the alert because of
the spiritual dangers lurking in their midst (Acts 20:31). Paul warned in 1
Thessalonians 5:1-6 concerning the day of the Lord coming "just like a thief
in the night," or happening "suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with
child." So, what is the Christian's response? "Sothen let us not sleep as others
do, but let us be alert and sober." We're not to be lulled to sleepby the world
or dulled by lack of discipline or softenedin our spiritual sensitivities by
disobedience or distractedby divided loyalties or weakenedby neglectand
presumption in our spiritual lives. All of us have the propensity for becoming
sluggishand dulled spiritually. So what can we do to guard againstthis and
maintain watchfulness?

(1) We must give regular attention to our spiritual lives and to the spiritual
disciplines. If you have not read Don Whitney's excellentbook, Spiritual
Disciplines for the Christian Life, then please take the time to do so. He
outlines and instructs us in the broad range of spiritual disciplines, e.g., Bible
intake, prayer, meditation, fellowship, etc. He helps us to think through on
how to regularly apply the Word of God to our lives and to make the most of
the preaching and teaching of the Word. I have found quite often, as I have
been approachedby some who tell me that they are cold spiritually, that 99%
of the time they have neglectedthe spiritual disciplines. If you neglectedeating
healthy food, getting satisfactoryrest, doing a little exercise, andlived on soft
drinks, and then you told me that your energylevel was low and that you just
did not feel well. It would be no surprise in what causedit! Even more so, stop
and think about the provisions that Christ has given to us for our growthand
maturity-the kinds of things that keepus spiritually watchful. That's why we
must be part of a localchurch, attentive during the preaching and teaching of
the Word, and teachable, seeking to apply the Word to every area of life.
(2) Give regular thought to Jesus Christ as Lord and Judge and King. Read
and meditate upon Christ's teaching concerning His Kingdom in Matthew's
Gospel, the descriptions of Him as Sonof Godin Luke and John, and the
portraits of Him in Colossians,Hebrews, and Revelation. Readand ponder
the greathymns that have been given to the church that help us to think about
the character, attributes, power, and wonder of Jesus Christ. Consider
regularly your love for Him and obedience to Him.
(3) Recognize your own weaknessesand the dangers of sin and temptation in
your own life. Neverget to the point where you think that you have
progressedbeyond dangerof falling prey to greattemptation. It is often those
that have been Christians for many years that get sloppy and negligent with
their Christian lives, falling prey to patterns of sin. Realize how easilyyou can
be lured into sin. Focus upon the grace ofGod that sustains you, the promises

of Christ to sanctify you, and the certainty that the Holy Spirit enables you to
live as a Christian in spite of your weaknesses.
(4) Keep up your guard; be alert to those things that especiallydraw you into
spiritual dullness. Maintain sensitivity to the deceptivenessofsin. Turn from
sin; confess it; ask the Lord for grace to deal with sin; trust in the
righteousness ofChrist as your righteousness before God;seek to model your
life after Him by the grace of God.
2. Contentedness (v. 42)
The reasonfor the command to be alert is found in the explanatory clause:
"for you do not know which day your Lord is coming." He's already
maintained that in His humanity, even Jesus Christ did not know the day of
His coming. His teaching dissuades us from engaging in speculation, and
instead, concentrating on living spiritually alert. So, what about the 'curiosity-
that-killed-the-cat' concerning Christ's return? Be contented, just as Jesus
demonstrated contentment with dependence upon the Father.
It is amazing how much time, energy, and money is invested in trying to
ascertainwhatChrist told us that no man knows. It seems as though people
would believe Him! Regulartelevision and radio programs, along with
monthly magazines devote their programming almost exclusivelyto this
theme in spite of Christ's clearinstruction. Endless researchtakes place,
theories explored, speculations and predictions made, and anticipation built
upon false premises. Some muse that since the Bible has given us so much
prophetic material, surely it is for us to at leastpinpoint a timeframe for the
return of Christ. But that is not the case.

Some things are reservedfor the Lord's glory, and evidently, this is one of
them. If we knew the date of Christ' return, you can count on the human
tendency to coastin spiritual discipline to kick in gear. Procrastinationwould
rule people's lives if they knew the date of Christ's return. So Christ does not
pass along that data, just clues that help us to see the way that the world views
believers through the centuries until He comes.
Discovering the date of Christ's return is not our business. Our responsibility
is to be personallyprepared through perseveranceand to help others prepare
for Christ's return by faithfully proclaiming the gospel. The warnings Christ
gives serve to arouse us from slumbering. In the same way that the blare of an
emergencysiren in the middle of the night startles us into alertness, the
warnings that Christ and the other biblical writers give serve to sharpen our
senses foractioninstead of spiritual slumber.
3. Readiness (vv. 43-44)
Thieves are not accustomedto announcing the place, date, and time of their
next heist! They operate by stealth, catching homeowners off guard, breaking
in when leastexpected. It is rather curious that Jesus usedsuch an illustration
to help us think about His return. Severalof the New Testamentwriters
follow His lead and do the same. "But be sure of this, that if the head of the
house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would
have been on the alert and would not have allowedhis house to be broken
into. For this reasonyou also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming in
an hour when you do not think He will."
If you knew that a thief had plans to rob your home at 1:00 AM on Tuesday,
you would be ready: phone in hand, lights on, wide-eyed, pacing quietly from
window to door, peaking through the blinds, listening to the sound of

crunching leaves orbreaking twigs near your house. But since you do not
know if or when a thief might break in, you still make preparations. You keep
your windows and doors locked. You add security measures to the perimeter
of your home. You quickly check out any noisy disturbances during the night.
You and I do this even though we may never been broken into by thieves. We
prepare, just in case ofa break-in.
Jesus is telling us to prepare for something that is certain. He will return. We
do not know the time or day. We cannot pinpoint a spot on a prophetic
calendarto give us ease ofmind about when He comes. He calls for us to be
ready to meet Him at any time. "Be ready," because we do not know when
Christ comes, andwe do not want Him to return and find us unprepared.
Conclusion
Are you prepared to meet Jesus Christ? Do you regularly cultivate your
spiritual life so that you are sensitive to anything that might dull you or
weakenyour passionfor Christ? Since we do not know the day of Christ's
return, then we must treat everyday as if this might be the day. What changes
do you need to make in your spiritual life to live with that kind of mind? Let
us take action, for behold, He comes!
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Forgetting the SecondComing
This entry was postedin Matthew (Rayburn) on September 11, 2005 by Rev.
Dr. Robert S. Rayburn.
Matthew 24:36-51
The Lord is in the midst of a discourse about the future, about the
circumstances that his disciples will face until he returns to the earth and
brings to end human history as we know it. The “that day” in v. 36 connects
what he has been saying to this next paragraph. The day he is talking about
in vv. 36-51 is that day or time he has been describing in vv. 27ff., the day of
the coming of the Son of Man. One of the greatdifficulties facing the
interpretation of vv. 29-31 as referring not to the SecondComing but to the
spread of the gospelafter Pentecostis precisely the link betweenthose verses
and what follows after v. 36 by the phrase “that day,” because hardly anyone
disputes that vv. 36-51 concernthe SecondComing of Christ and the end of
the age. Butv. 36 indicates that these verses are talking about the same event
as the previous verses have described.
v.36 It is the consistenttheme of the following verses that time of the Lord’s
return to earth has not been revealedand will not be knownahead of time.
There will be no prior warning. Mostwill be caughtunawares but his
disciples must keepthemselves ready. That is the theme of these verses.
The fact that even Jesus does not know the time of his return is a striking
demonstration of the genuineness ofhis human nature with all the limitations
of that nature still very much in place.

v.39 While Noah and his family were prepared, the rest of mankind was
oblivious to the coming judgment.
v.41 As an illustration of the point made so far, two cameos ofordinary life
are given: two men working in the field; two women at the mill. The verb
takenin its use in Matthew suggeststhat the reference is to “take along with
someone…”and so it suggests the salvationnot the judgment of the one taken.
That is, the one takenis saved;the one left is judged. Again the difference is
not in what people are doing or where they are when Jesus comes,but
whether they are ready for him to return.
v.42 v. 42 sums up and applies the argument so far. Keep watch; be ready
because you don’t know when Jesus will return.
v.43 Burglars don’t advertise their arrival. We had severalthefts this past
week in the church parking lot, but no note left beforehand telling us at what
hour of the night they would arrive to siphon gas from the bus or stealthe
battery from the van. But, absentsuch information, we must take care and do
what we canto be ready for the burglars whenever they come. Thatis the
point.
v.44 In view of statements like these it is astonishing that some Christians
still attempt to work out the precise date of the Second Coming!
v.45 Another little parable seals the point already made.
v.51 The punishment meted out to the wickedservantin the parable
reminds us that the Lord wasn’treally talking about a farmer and his servant
but about all men and their fate to be determined at the end of the age. The
parables that follow in chapter 25 will elaborate and emphasize this point.
“Weeping and gnashing of teeth” as a descriptionof the eventual punishment
of the wickedstands not only for the misery of the fate of those who die in
unbelief but the nature of it: “the fruitless dwelling upon wasted
opportunities.” [Hendrikus Berkhof, Christian Faith, 531]
Since the Lord’s ascensionto heaven, forty days after his resurrection, many
Christians have supposedthat he would return soon, even in their own

lifetime. There is some New Testamentevidence to suggestthatearlier in his
ministry even the Apostle Paul thought that he would be alive in the world
when Christ returned. By the end of his life it is clearhe knew he would die
before the SecondComing. And, if that were the case, generations of
Christians since have had the same experience: being sure that the end was
near only eventually to realize that they would not see the SecondComing in
their lifetime.
This phenomenon stems not only from wishful thinking being overtakenby
realism. The Bible itself speaks sometimes in such a waythat Christians can
be forgiven if they believe that Christ will return very soon. Considerthese
statements of Paul:
“…do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to
wake up from your slumber, because our salvationis nearer now than when
we first believed.” [Rom. 13:11]
“The God of peace will sooncrush Satanunder your feet.” [16:20]
Or this of James:
“You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”
[5:8]
Or this from Hebrews:
“Forin just a very little while ‘He who is coming will come and will not
delay…’” [10:37]
Or this from Jesus himself in the last chapter of the Bible, a statement he
makes twice in a few verses:
“Behold, I am coming soon!” [Rev. 22:12, 20]
No wonder it has seemedto generationafter generationof devout Christians
that it must be time for the Lord to return.
But it is now some 2000 years since Christ said that he would come again to
the world to gather his electfrom the four winds and to punish the wicked. If

“coming soon” means longer, perhaps much longer than 2000 years, how are
we to understand such a statement?
Well the answerto that question begins to emerge when we notice that side by
side these statements that seem to suggestthatthe SecondComing is
imminent, could come very soon, are statements that very clearly suggestthat
there will be a delay, that Christ will not return to earth as quickly as people
might have thought.
You have these statements here in our text about a mastergoing on a long
journey and whose slowness in returning proves a temptation to his servant.
And, before this in this same Matthew 24, we have a description of the long
reachof years that must follow before the end of the age: wars and rumors of
wars, famines, and the preaching of the gospelto the whole world. And in
Matthew 25:5 and againin v. 19 we will hear that the bridegroom or the
master was a long time in coming…”
In fact, on another occasion, recordedin Luke 19:11ff. the Lord told a similar
parable of a man of noble birth who went to a distant country…” And we are
told that that parable was told preciselyto contradict the impressionthat
many people had that the kingdom of God was going to appearat once.
Peteractually addresses the issue head on in his secondletter and, in speaking
of the SecondComing and the skepticismthat some had expressedprecisely
because it hadn’t occurredyet, he reminds his readers:
“…do not forgetthis one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a
thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in
keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not
wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
In any case, we have a very typical biblical dialectic. There is a sense in which
he is coming quickly, a sense in which he is not. We have, in regardto the
SecondComing, imminence in some passagesanddelay in others, often in the
same authors, even the same books. And the applicationis preciselythe one
we have before us at the end of Matthew 24. We must live in the tension of
not knowing when Christ will return; of being certain that he shall but not

knowing when. Here in Matthew 24 and elsewhere inthe New Testamentwe
are told that we will have to remain alert, on guard, watchful, precisely
because we do not know, no one knows, when Christ will return to earth,
bring final salvation to his people, and judgment to the earth.
In fact, our text explains why it is right that we should not know the time of
his coming again. If Christians were to have known centuries, even millennia
ago, that the Lord Jesus would not return for thousands of years, it could not
have helped but foster a spirit of carelessnessand indifference. Notknowing
leaves every generationof believers under an obligationto watch, to remain
awake, whichis the best possible state or condition for a heart to be in. The
Lord was interestedin our being awake! Paul will be as well. He will tell the
ThessalonianChristians the same thing: “So then, let us not be like others
who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.” And what will make
us so? It is the same here as in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians:the prospect
of Christ’s coming again. The fact of it, the prospectof it, no matter when it
will happen, concentrates the mind and keeps it alert.
As it was with Noahand his contemporaries, there was a time of waiting, in
that case quite a long time, and then a sudden catastrophe. The point is
preciselythat it was too late to seek salvation, too late to serve the Lord once
the rain began to fall. It will be too late to seek the Lord when the sign of the
Son of Man appears in the sky.
In a particularly noble passagein one of his sermons, in fact a sermon entitled
“Christ Coming Quickly,” the 19th century ScottishPresbyterianRobert
Candlish said,
“To a believer, the mere possibility, or even absolute certainty, of ages being
yet to elapse before the Lord comes again, ought no more to diminish the
influence of that event upon his mind, and heart, and conscience,than the fact
of ages having elapsedsince the Lord came at first lessens the moral weight of
his constantvivid sight of Christ and him crucified…. I know no chronology
and no chronologicalcomputationof long eras, in dealing with that Savior,
who eighteenhundred years ago trod with his blessed feet the soil of Judea,
and expired on the cross ofCalvary. Thenwhy should there be any real

difficulty in applying this principle in the prospect, more than in the
retrospect? Doesfaith mounting up in the ascending series ofyears to the
opening up of the fountain, long centuries ago, lose all sense ofdistance and
remoteness, in the bright and vivid apprehensionof the cross? And will not
the same faith in its keenglance downwards and onwards along the streamof
time, seize the one greatand only objectof its hope, and bring it near, even to
the very door, ay, though ages may seemto come in between? … These are the
two events, the death of shame, the coming in glory, which faith, when rightly
exercised, grasps;which I, believing, grasp. I grasp them as equally real,
equally near. Christ dying, near and present, Christ coming, near and
present. What though ages have run since that death and ages more are
perhaps to run before that coming! It is nothing to me. The world’s history,
past and future; the church’s history, past and future; all is to me for the
present as if it never had been and never were to be…. Wherever I am,
whateverI am about, ought I not to be alive to my position betweenthese two
manifestations of Christ and these alone? Behindme Christ dying; before me
Christ coming. Is it not thus, and only thus, that I live by the faith of him who
loved me and gave himself for me; that I live also by the powerof the world to
come;enduring as seeing him who is invisible?” [Cited in I. Murray, The
Puritan Hope, 215-216]
That is the idea of our text beautifully put in another way. And so it has been
for endless generations ofChrist’s followers. Theyhave lived with a view to
the Lord’s coming againand the end of the world as we know it; with a view
to the eternallife and eternalwoe that begins when Christ returns. Here is St.
Patrick in the long ago 5th century:
“Godheard my prayers so that I, foolishthough I am, might dare to
undertake such a holy and wonderful mission in these last days – that I, in my
own way, might be like those God said would come to preachand be witness
to the goodnews to all nonbelievers before the end of the world.” [Cited in
Freeman, St. Patrick of Ireland, 125]
Patrick was not some strange fellow who walkedthe streets ofIreland
carrying a sign proclaiming the end of the world. He didn’t necessarily
believe that the world would end in his lifetime. In fact, he made elaborate

preparations for the work of the gospelto continue in Ireland after he had
died. But he thought of his work in terms of the greatday of the Lord. He
knew the day of salvationwas drawing to a close. He knew that the Second
Coming was a fixed date that was drawing nearer every day. It was the great
fact that kept him thinking about his life and work in terms of its eternal
significance.
Or come down closerto our time. Henry Thornton was a banker and a
member of what was called“the Clapham Sect,” the group of ardent
Christian men, a number of them members of parliament, the most famous of
whom was William Wilberforce, whose Christian commitment motivated
them to move heavenand earth to end slavery in the British empire and to
work toward other forms of socialjustice as well as to spread the gospel
through the world. The young Prime Minister, William Pitt, once asked
Henry Thornton why he had voted againsthim on one occasionin parliament.
Thornton replied,
“I voted today so that if my Masterhad come againat that moment I might
have been able to give an accountof my stewardship.” [In Stott, The
Incomparable Christ, 173]
The English journalist and historian, the socialistR.C.K. Ensor, no
evangelicalChristianhimself, writing about evangelicalreligionin Victorian
England, said,
“…its certainty about the existence of an after-life of rewards and
punishments [was an essentialfeature]. If one asks how nineteenth-century
English merchants earnedthe reputation of being the most honestin the
world…the answeris: because hell and heaven seemedas certain to them as
tomorrow’s sunrise, and the Last Judgment as realas the week’s balance-
sheet.” [173]
This is the Lord’s point. The conviction of the Lord’s coming again, the
certainty that his return will bring an end to this age, and that following hard
upon his SecondComing will be the beginning of eternalbliss or eternalwoe
for all men, that conviction ought to keep us not only awake, alert, mindful,

but carefulto live our lives as we are going to want to have lived them when
that day dawns, whether in our lifetime or many lifetimes from now.
How much would change if only people could see far in the distance the Lord
Christ descending from heaven with the heavenly hosts in his train. But men
are all unaware of the one thing that must absolutelydefine their lives. The
Lord has not returned these many generations and they have lostall thought
of his coming. As the Lutheran theologianJohn Gerhard once put it, “Oblivio
huius iudicii estmater securitatis.” [LociTheologici, xix, 300.} It is a mark of
human life generally in our day that men live with no sense ofa coming day of
reckoning. My daughter and son-in-law are to begin an evangelistic study in
their home this Tuesday. One of Bryonie’s colleaguesatwork had agreedto
come, but the other day she changedher mind. She explained to Bryonie that
she didn’t feel any need for God in her life right now.
How differently people live when they don’t know or don’t take care to know
what catastrophe is coming. We know very well how so many things would
now be different, so much better, for so many, many people, if only they had
known that Katrina would hit the Gulf Coastas she did and would wreck the
destruction that she did. But, as in the days of Noah, it was too late to take the
proper steps once the winds and waves were crashing into the cities and towns
along the coastand once the dykes had been breached in New Orleans. There
was, of course, neveranything to be done to prevent the catastrophe. Butso
much could have been done by so many people to escape it themselves. But
they didn’t heed the warnings. They didn’t take seriouslythe prospectof
coming disaster.
But if this principle holds in the case ofa hurricane, how much more does it
apply to the SecondComing and the end of the age! If one lives his life
ignorant of the way in which human life will end, forgetful of the issue of
human life, of the eternity that stretches beyond the return of Jesus Christ, if
he pays no attention to the warning that many will be, must be consignedto
the place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, then how differently
one must live his life.

How could it not be so? If there is looming before and above us this greatday
of doom, and if we saw that prospectclearly, and took to heart the certainty of
its coming, then, of course, our lives must change, our decisions must be made
differently, our view of this world and our life in this world must be
revolutionized, our priorities must be radically readjusted. How could it be
otherwise? It is only when one does not believe that the flood is coming that
he remains unconcerned and unknowing in the field or she at the mill. There
they go about their business, their utterly futile and ultimately worthless
activities, all unaware that field and mill will, in a few moments, exist no
more.
The issue is one’s readiness to welcome the coming Lord Jesus. Thatis the
defining issue of every human life. And it is so because Jesus is coming again
to take his people to himself in glory and to judge the unbelieving world and
assignits punishment. That such a day is coming is a certainty; we have the
Lord Christ’s word for it. When it will come we do not know and that means
that we must be ready at any and every moment.
In his God (A Play), Woody Allen writes, “The trick is to start at the ending
when you write a play. Get a goodstrong ending and then write backwards.”
Well, exactly. And what is true of a play is true of every human life. It is the
ending that determines, that makes interesting and important the story from
its beginning. It is the ending that determines what significance there is to the
story. It is the ending that determines what we are going to think of the story
when it is done. Albert Camus was saying something of the same thing when
he wrote that “death is philosophy’s only problem.’ You can’t know the
meaning, the significance of anything if you don’t know how things end, how
the story turns out, what ultimately happens to everyone and everything.
Well death is one end, but it is not the ultimate end. The ultimate end, the end
that determines the meaning of all that leads up to it is the SecondComing of
Jesus Christ and the end of the age that occurs when Jesus returns to earth.
Well, we have been told the ending. Christ Jesus is coming again. He will
bring salvation and judgment with him. Eternal wealor woe awaits every
human being on that day. That is the ending. It is now ours to write the play.
But our play must rise to the significance ofsuch an ending as that. It can’t

be a dull, uninteresting, insignificant pointless story that all unknowing leads
up to such a catastrophe. Ifit would be a play worthy of that ending, it must
be a story that has that ending in view and is leading up to it with eyes open.
That is the Lord’s point.
How tragic to live one’s life without regardto the end of the world and the
issue of human existence. To live as if somehow everything will continue as it
always has, or, to live with no serious thought of the future. When the world
will end as it will, no human life can be rightly lived, authentically lived,
happily lived, usefully lived that is not lived in light of and for that ending.
Matthew 24:42f
by Grant | Mar 22, 2009 |Matthew | 2 comments
ReadIntroduction to Matthew
42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43
But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief
would come, he would have watchedand not allowedhis house to be broken
into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour
you do not expect.
Jesus, speakingfrom the Mount of Olives, continued his sermon with a
warning to watch for His coming (24:42-44). He gave an illustration of a thief
coming unexpectedly.
24:42
Watch [be alert] therefore,

Jesus made a call for urgency to those at the end of the Great Tribulation.
Believers atthat time will need to keepawake like guards on duty. Torpor or
spiritual drowsiness presents problems.
for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
People at the end of the Tribulation will not know the exacttime of the Second
Coming of Christ. They could watchfor the signs Jesus presentedearlier in
the chapter, but those signs do not give an exacttime of His coming.
24:43
But know this, that if [Greek = but he didn’t know)the masterof the house
had knownwhat hour the thief would come, he would have watchedand not
allowedhis house to be broken into [literally, dug through as through a clay
house].
No thief announces his plan to rob a house. No head of the household would
fail to make plans if he knew a robber was going to break into his house. A
thief comes unexpectedly. The ignorance of the head of house regarding the
time that the thief would come is no excuse. Ignorance is no excuse. Paulsaid,
“You are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief.”
Jesus will come unexpectedly. He is like a thief in that one respect. Most
people in the Tribulation will not expectHis coming even with the
unimaginable disasters unfolding before them. Believers atthat time should
expectHis coming because ofthe signs preceding His coming in the
Tribulation.
24:44
Therefore you also be ready,
Readiness is the consequence ofwatchfulness. The word “be” is literally
become. The idea is to become prepared; those who are not ready should
become ready. Spiritual preparation does not come automatically.
for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Readiness allowsbelievers to greet the Lord with joy.

PRINCIPLE:
Spiritual lethargy is deadly to a dynamic walk with the Lord.
APPLICATION:
The attitude of expectationof the Lord’s coming, whether at the Rapture or
the SecondComing, is a vital perspective spiritually. Many people today are
asleepspiritually because they are uncertain about the Lord’s coming. Some,
but not many, are wide awake to spiritual realities.
Christ’s coming and the reality of the eternal state are so far off that we give
little heed to its reality. Uncertainty can blind us to truth. Oh, that we might
welcome the Lord’s coming. Vigilance toward the Lord’s coming is vital to
spiritual health.
1 Th 5:3 Forwhen they say, “Peaceandsafety!” then sudden destruction
comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not
escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should
overtake you as a thief.
Matthew 24:33-51 Gil Rugh
Turn to Matthew chapter 24 in your Bibles. In Matthew chapter 24 through
the first portion of this chapter, Christ has
surveyed events leading up to His SecondComing. He has made clearthat
that period of time which we know from the rest of
Scripture is a 7-yearperiod follows the Rapture of the Church, the time when
all believers are bodily removed from the earth to
meet Christ in the air. Then for a period of approximately 7 years there will
be tribulation and turmoil and judgment on the earth

as God pours out His wrath on an unbelieving world. That will be climaxed by
the spectacularreturn of Jesus Christ to the earth to
setup His kingdom. That return will be visible and open in the heavens for
the entire world to see. We're told that every eye shall
behold Him, and He'll return to destroy His enemies and setup His kingdom.
Now any time we're studying prophecy, particularly an intense sectionlike
Matthew chapters 24 and 25, which is
extensive, it is goodto remind ourselves why we're doing it. Some people have
the idea, Well, God has control of the future and
whateverHe does with it is fine with me. I want to study about today, not
tomorrow. 'We can see the flaw in that-- #1, God hasn't
revealedanything in His Word He doesn't intend for us to know, and He has
revealedmuch about His plans for the future. So it's
important for us to know it. Two basic reasons atleastfor studying prophecy:
1) the Book ofRevelation, chapter19 and verse 10
tells us, "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." What prophecy
does is witness or testify concerning Jesus Christ.
That's at the heart of prophecy. That's what prophecy is all about. So we
study prophecy so we can know more about Jesus Christ
so that we canknow Him better and understand His work more. And we've
seenin chapter 24 we're studying about Jesus Christ,
about judgment coming on the world that has rejectedHim, about God's plan
for unveiling Him in the future as His holy,
righteous Son who will rule and reign in glory. To the extent that you do not
understand biblical prophecy, your knowledge of
Jesus Christ is deficient. You do not have a proper perspective or appreciation
of Him. A secondreasongivenin Scripture for

studying prophecy is the knowledge and understanding of God's future plan
as they revolve around the coming of Christ ought to
have a dramatic impact on the way that we live our lives today. Our lives are
to be controlledand dominated by an understanding
of the return of Jesus Christ, and that's the purpose Christ is going to focus on
now in the lastpart of Matthew chapter 24--How we
are to live in light of the facts relatedto His coming. We find that those who
believe in Jesus Christ understand something of the
fact that Jesus Christis coming againare to be living lives that are different
and setapart from the lives and lifestyle from the
people of the world who do not believe in the SecondComing of Jesus Christ.
The whole goal, direction and conduct of our lives
are different. We live Godly lives because we believe and know that Christ is
coming.
Look at two passages ofScripture with me before we look into Matthew 24.
The first is in 2 Peter, a passagethat we'll
look at againin our study of chapter 24. We come to 2 Peterchapter 3, a great
prophetic chapter in the Word of God. Now let me
refresh your mind, and please keepthis straightin our study today. In
Matthew 24 the Rapture of the Church has alreadyoccurred.
The events of Matthew 24 and of 25 happen after the Rapture of the Church
when all true believers are caught up to meet Jesus
Christ in the air. So what we'll be talking about in Matthew chapter 24 has to
do with the Jews particularly in the 7-year
Tribulation as they anticipate the SecondComing of Christ to earth. However,
there are principles there that are applicable to us
today. We living today are not anticipating the coming of Christ to earth as
the next prophetic event. We are anticipating His

coming in the air to take us to be with Him. But we are living in anticipation
of the Coming of Christ, even as the Jews living in
the Tribulation will be living in anticipation of the Coming of Christ. So there
are certainthings that should characterize us as
those who live expecting Christ.
In 2 Peter3, Petertalks about the coming of Christ, those who don't believe in
the coming of Christ. Then he talks about
the destructionof this world and this world system; the earth and the heavens
around the earth are going to be destroyedby God
with fire, and there will be new heavens and a new earth created. Recognizing
those truths is to affectour lives and the way we
live. Note verse 14, "Therefore,beloved, since you look for these things"--
these things he's been talking about climaxing with the
destruction of this earth and heavens around the earth. "Be diligent to be
found by Him in peace, spotlessand blameless. Up in
verse 11 he has said, "Since all these things are to be destroyedin this way,
what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct
and godliness."You see something of understanding God's plan for the
future, events connectedwith the SecondComing of
Christ, His reign and the ultimate destruction of this earth ought to have a
marked impact on the waywe live our lives. I don't
want to be one whose life is invested in this world and the things of this world.
You know why? Everything in this world is going
to be destroyedand wiped out by God! You think I want the investment of my
life to be such that he will destroy it in an instant of
time? We are called to invest in eternity, live godly lives, and thus have that
which will endure for eternity.

Look over in 1 John chapter 3, verse 3. Verse 2, "Beloved, now we are
children of God, and it has not appearedas yet
what we shall be. We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him,
because we shallsee Him just as He is. And every one
who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself just as He is pure." The
recognitionthat I am going to see Jesus Christface to
face;I am going to be transformed, be glorified, to be like Him controls, then,
what I do with my life here and now. It calls me to
godliness and purity of life. So I study prophecy because the recognitionof
God's plan for the future, God's plans for the coning of
His Sonand how I am involved in that is to control the way I live my life every
moment of every day. That's different than the
way the person who does not believe in the coming of Christ lives his life. He'll
invest his life in the here and now as all he can get
right now. His concernwill be with what he has or doesn'thave; how he can
have more and have more security in this system. But
for me as a believer, I recognize that's futile and that's empty because this is
all going to be wiped out. I'm concernedthat when I
stand before Christ transformed into His image that my life on this earth
would have been pleasing to Him.
Now come back to Matthew chapter 24. That's where Christ is going to focus
attention right now--on how we are to live
in light of the fact Jesus Christis coming again. For believers, the Church, at
the Rapture; then the 7-year Tribulation; then He is
coming to setup His kingdom on the earth.
He's going to start out with an illustration from nature, talking about the trees
in the springtime. Now I want you to follow

closely, becausethere is much misunderstanding about present-day events
because ofsome incorrect interpretation of what is said
in this sectionin Matthew 24. Verse 32, "Now learn the parable from the fig
tree: when its branch has already become tender, and
puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; . . ." Now when the
branches get tender and the leaves come out, you know
it's springtime and summer's just around the corner. We saythis--Isn't it nice
to see the warm weathercoming. The branches get
tender as the sap returns to the trees. Thenyou can go out and prick a branch
with your fingernail; it softens. The buds come out
and the leaves come out. That's telling you summer is coming. Now some have
takenthe fig tree here and sayit's a reference to
Israel. The Old Testament, the figs at leastif not the fig tree do refer to the
nation Israelon occasion--inMatthew 21 the fig tree
seems to be a representationof the nation Israel. However, that does not seem
to be the case here in Matthew, and that's clarified
because ofthe parallel accountin the Gospelof Luke. Turn over to Luke
chapter 21.
Luke chapter 21, and in verse 29 in Luke's accountof what Matthew
recorded, "And He told them a parable: 'Behold the
fig tree, and all the trees;as soonas they put forth leaves, you see it and know
for yourselves that the summer is now near.'" So it's
not just the fig tree but all the trees testify of the same thing. Now I saythis
because those who are going to identify the fig tree as
Israelsay the blossoming of the fig tree was the establishing of the nation in
1948 as a nation. So you'll read in many writings on
Matthew 24 or books on prophecy that Israelblossomedas a nation in 1948
when it was reestablishedin the Land of Palestine and

that's a fulfillment of Matthew chapter 24 which will lead to some other errors
in interpretation, as we'll see in a moment. But the
point from Luke 21 is that it's just an illustration from nature. It's not only
true of the fig trees;it's true of all the trees. You can't
say this is true of all the nations, then it wouldn't make any sense. So the point
is, this is just an illustration from nature, not
particularly identifying the tree with any nation or Israelparticularly.
Alright. Come back to Matthew 24. When you see the blossoming of the
leaves, then you know summer is near. Verse 33,
"Even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near,
right at the door." "All these things" refers to what?
What has He just been talking about through Matthew 24, beginning back
with verse 4 all the way down through verse 28? Events
leading up to His SecondComing. 'As you see these things that will be taking
place during the 70th week of Daniel, recognize that
His coming to earth is very near. That's the point. The "these things" is a
reference to the many things that will be going on in the
7-year's Tribulation, and you see that when you see "all these things"--we
have various things happening today that would vie,
kingdom rises againstnation or we have earthquakes or famine. But in the 7
Year Tribulation, there will be a gathering up of all
these things going on at one time--the judgments of Revelationchapter 6 to 19
dealing with that. "When you see these things," you
know "He is near, right at the door." So the Jews living in the 7-year
Tribulation after the Rapture, as they see allof these things
happening, they'll know the coming of Christ is very near and will be very
soon.

Verse 34. "Truly I say to you, this generationwill not pass awayuntil all these
things take place." Now those who have
takenthe fig tree as Israel in verse 32, the blossoming of the fig tree a
reference to the establishing of the nation in Palestine in
1948, saytherefore verse 34, "I say to you, this generation,"--what
generation? This generationthat sees Israelestablishedas a
nation in Palestine "willnot pass awayuntil all these things take place." So,
the conclusionis that the generationthat sees Israel
become a nation will see the SecondComing of Christ to earth, a generation
being about 40 years. So we cansay that somewhere
around or within 40 years of the establishing of the nation Israel in Palestine
in 1948, JesusChrist will come to earth.
Now that's dramatic! That makes goodpreaching, and that gets people on the
edge of their seats, but I'm not sure it’s a
very goodBible interpretation. #1 I've sharedwith you what I think the flaw
of the fig tree is in verse 32, and you would have a
hard time in the context of chapter 24 of Matthew even if the fig tree were
Israelidentifying it with 1948 since all of the events of
chapter 24 are happening within the 7-yearTribulation. I think the point is,
verse 34, "this generation"--whichgeneration? The
generationthat sees allthese things in verse 33 will be the generationthat sees
the coming of the Lord. In other words, that
generationliving in the 7-yearTribulation will be the generationthat sees the
coming of Christ. That's the point. Those Jews living
in the Tribulation can be assuredas they see all these things happening that
they are the generationthat is going to witness the
SecondComing. Many of them will die but nonetheless it will be that
generationwitnessing the events of the 7-year Tribulation

that are guaranteedseeing the coming of Christ to earth. We need to be very
careful about misinterpreting and misapplying this
biblical prophecy. So we have people today who are living expecting Christ is
going to come in the 80's. Why? Well, a generation
awayfrom the 40's!Got to be within our lifetime! It may well be, but it may
well not be; and if it is, it won't be because of the
interpretation of Matthew 24! Which is referring to something totally
different. So if you keepthe contextof chapter24 in view,
that helps correcta lot of things.
Then He goes to verse 35. "Heavenand earth will pass away, but My words
shall not pass away." Important as He has
talkedabout what is going to transpire and events leading up to His coming,
they can be sure it is going to happen just as He said.
In fact, the Word of God is more durable than earth and the heavens around
the earth, because this earth and all the heavens
around this earth are going to be destroyed by God! But you know what? The
Word of God is eternal. The Word of God is
permanent. It will be fulfilled exactlyas Godsaid. There is not one little
minute detail in the Word of God that when we getto
eternity we're going to find out God decided just to wipe that out and forget
about that, it wasn'timportant anyway. Every little
single minute detail! Christ has already alluded to this back in Matthew 5:18.
We're going to see in a moment how important it is for us as believers to be
firmly rooted and grounded on and in the
Word of God, unshakeable that the Word of God is true! And I can depend
upon it in this life and in eternity! And in Matthew

5:18 Jesus said, "Fortruly I sayto you, 'until heaven and earth pass away, not
the smallestletter or stroke shall pass awayfrom the
Law, until all is accomplished." Notthe smalleststroke or letter, not a jot or a
tittle, not even a little wee squiggle or dot is going
to go by unfulfilled in God's Word!
One other passageonthis particular idea. Isaiah chapter 40, verse 6, "A voice
says, 'Call out.' Then he answered, 'What
shall I call out?' All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flowerof the
field. The grass withers, the flowerfades, when the
breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass
withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands
forever." All of man, all mankind and all the glory of mankind are passing.
We were looking at some pictures from a trip we took, and we were where
was the center of the RomanEmpire in Rome,
and we were reminded as we lookedat the ruins of that area--Couldyou
believe that was once the heart of the greatestempire the
world has ever known? Now we walk over the rubble and take pictures of the
ruins. A reminder that all the glory and all the
splendor of that greatestofempires, God blows on it and it's gone!Now
people tour there to see the ruins and the remains of the
glory and the splendor, but the Word of God? It goes on!An empire that set
itself againstthe Word of God; it's long history. The
Word of God goes on.
Peterwrites, quoting this sectionin Isaiah, in his first epistle, chapter 1, and
says, "We have been born againby the living
and abiding word of God," and he goes onto quote Isaiah, "for all flesh is like
grass." Areminder, the Word of Godis permanent

and eternal, so you can base life and eternity on your faith in the Word of
God.
Come over to 1 Peter 3 again. Now this unshakeable confidence--that's 2 Peter
3, not I Peter3--in the Word of Godis
necessarybecause withthe passing of time, people become more and more
skepticalabout what God has prophesied in His Word.
So Peter writes in verse 3, of 2 Peter3, "Know this first of all, that in the last
days mockers will come with their mocking,
following after their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His
coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all
continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.'" You know what it
says? 'It's been like this for millenniums. People have
been talking about a coming judgment, about a coming Savior. Hogwash!This
has been this way for centuries. In fact, if you
believe evolution they'll tell you it's been like this going back millions of years!
We've just had a uniform, rather regular
development with no intervention from God that's brought us down 'til today.
All this talk about intervention of God and judgment
and the coming of His Son. Look, how long are you going to believe that?
There have been religious fanatics running around
prophesying the coming of a Saviorfor millenniums. People have been
proclaiming the end of the world; the world is near, for as
long as we have writing. Let's face it, the world just goes on.' Godsays, 'you
know wheat? They're willfully ignorant.' It escapes
their notice that God did intervene on one other occasionin a worldwide
catastrophe--the flood of Noah, and He wiped out the
human race with 8 exceptions. And how they fail to recognize that God is
simply patiently giving men and women and young

people an opportunity to come to His salvation before He comes in judgment.
So down to verse 10, "But the day of the Lord will
come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the
elements will be destroyed with intense heat," and then
we are to be looking for a new heavenand the new earth.
So back in Matthew 24 when Christ says, "Heavenand earth shall pass away,
but My words shall not pass away,"--heaven
and earth will pass away. Petertalks about that, Revelation21 talks about a
new heaven and a new earth. We're also reminded that
people will deny the credibility of the Word of God, but you and I was
believers had better be unshakably planted on the Word as
the foundation for our life.
Verse 36 of Matthew 24. Now this is a reminder, since there are going to be
indicators in the 7-year Tribulation that the
coming of Christ is near, you can stake eternity on that truth, there is the
danger therefore that the next step will be that some
people will try to identify specificallywhat will be the exact time. You know,
you swing from one extreme to the other. On one
side there will be those denying that He's coming back;on the other side,
there will be those giving you the minute and the hour of
the day. So Jesus sets that straight in verse 36 when He says, "But of that day
and hour no one knows." No one knows the day and
the hour. So within the framework of the 7-year Tribulation there will be
indicators that the coming is soon, but the precise time of
His coming, no one knows. Now when He says no one, He means no one! That
includes, He says, "not even the angels of

heaven!" The angels that serve in the presence of God--Michaelthe
Archangel! Gabriel, the messengerfrom the presence of God!
They don't know the time of the return of the Lord! Now when Satanis cast
out of heaven in the middle of the tribulation, in
Revelation12 we're told he knows he has a short time but he doesn't know the
exacttime. He knows of these events that will lead
up to the climax of the coming of Christ, but he doesn't know the time! And
you know what? Christ Himself doesn't know. That's
the statementat the end of verse 36, "Northe Son, but the Father alone." The
Father alone. Even Jesus Christcould not tell you
the day and the hour. The Father alone. Now that ought to put to rest any
speculationabout someone who wanted to prophesy
when Christ was going to return. This happens down through the centuries.
People have an idea when the coming of Christ will
be. Both His coming at the Rapture, and then the SecondComing to earth,
which is in view here. People want to get absorbedand
try to figure out when He's going to come. Now some people getupset when
He says, "The Son doesn't even know." Now the
King James Versionleaves out not the Sonhere but Mark chapter 10, verse 32
in his account, it does include it so whether it was
included by Matthew or not, it is biblically true that Christ said He didn't
know. How could He be God in the flesh and not know
something? Very simple explanation in Philippians chapter 2, remember,
verse 7? "But He emptied Himself, taking the form of a
bondservant. When He emptied Himself, the greatkenosis, whatHe did was
setaside the independent use of the attributes that
were His as Deity to become a man. Now He didn't do awaywith His
attributes as Deity because He would have ceasedto be

God. But that use of those attributes independently as God was setaside. So
He did not use His Omniscience. He did not use His
Omnipresence, etc. So what He is saying here is that, as the Sonof Man He
did not know. Now there's only one person, the God
Man Christ Jesus;so I take it you don't say, 'Well, He knew in His Deity but
He didn't know in His humanity. They are not two
different persons there. There is only one person who is the God-Man, and
that one personhas setaside the use of these attributes
so that that person, Jesus Christ, the God-Man, did not know the time. That's
consistentwith His Deity in light of His incarnation.
Now how we understand that all and how the incarnation works, whatis
calledTheanthropic Union--the God-Manunion-- goes
beyond complete understanding with our minds, I recognize. Butnonetheless,
the truth is clearhere, isn't it? Christ is saying He
didn't know the time.
I want to stress that because there's been much speculationon the return of
Christ, and if you can't setthe time in the
Tribulation of the SecondComing of Christ to earth, there is no hope of
setting the time of the Rapture of the Church. Because at
leastin the Tribulation they'll have some days and dates set for them, they'll
have some specific events that are going to transpire
leading up to the SecondComing. But with even with all that they won't be
able to pinpoint when Christ is coming. We don't have
any thing as an indicator before the Rapture of the Church yet we have people
who want to set the date of the Rapture of the
Church. Let me read you an example from the newspaper. "IfWillie Day
Smith's calculations are correct, thousands of people will

instantly vanish from the face of the earth on April 1st." Write it down, April
1st! "I'm going to cancelmy radio program, said the
49-yearold preacher. If I leave April 1stI can't make radio programs." And
he goes on to sayit's interesting that April 1stis April
Fool's Dayand the Bible talks about being fools for Christ. Smith calls himself
a prophetic watchman. He said he figured an April
1stdeadline for the Rapture through a combination of intense Scripture study
and assigning numbers to every letter of Hebrew and
Greek. Thenthe answercame to him one night in his Bible study. "As I was
studying, I beganto see all the 40's in Scripture." And
he goes on to tell you all the 40's in Scripture. Then note here: "In Matthew 24
and 25 it says when Israel is reborn you have only
40 years left before Jesus comes again. Israelwas reborn in 1948, eventhe
encyclopedia says that." Now see what he's done with
Matthew 24 with what we talked about with the fig tree, etc., and pickeda
generation--40 years. Well, the encyclopedia may say
Israelwas reborn as a nation in 1948 but it doesn'tsay that was the fulfillment
of Matthew 24, and it would be wrong if it did! He
goes onwith some more numbers. He said 'People all over the country, many
of them believers in his predictions, are contacting
him about his calculations.'And you want some further evidence? A young
man calledme and saidhe was praying for God to
revealto him whether this April 1st is really real or not. While he was praying
there in Pennsylvania a 20 secondearthquake
occurred. Now that's pretty dramatic. God, show me if April 1st is the true
day, and all of a sudden everything starts shaking for
20 seconds. You think, all right that's proof enoughfor me. Another man
wrote and said I heard you on the radio this week and

said 'Lord what kind of nut is this coming up with a date for the Rapture.' He
should have stopped there! The Lord had me pray
about it and He spoke to me and saidyou were right. Now note that--the Lord
spoke to him and told him April 1stwas the right
date! Now I believe and I'm trying to convince my wife. Why is it so often it's
the wife who has all the brains in the family and
spiritual perception? Well, if you wrote down April 1st, you can erase it
because this paper is from March 28, 1980, andit was
April 1st, 1980 the Lord was supposedto come. Now I don't know where
Willie Day Smith is . . .. But you know why I think
these things happen? I really believe there could have been a 20-second
earthquake in Pennsylvania when that man prayed. Know
why? It's Satan's wayof discrediting Bible believing Christians, because this
kind of stuff makes the front page of the paper. And
April 1st has come and gone, and years of April 1st have come and gone and
the Lord still hasn't come, and what does that make
Bible believing Christians look like before the world? Sure, you study the
Bible, you come to the conclusionChrist is coming now
but He doesn't come, that shows you how reliable your Bible is, doesn't it?
They don't pick up the idea this is just some kind of nut
off the wall. No, that's what happens when you trust the Bible. It's just not a
reliable book. Now if Christians would study the
Word and see what God says, they'd find out you can't know the date because
there's no indication of the Rapture, and even when
you're in the Tribulation with all that's going on there you won't be able to
pinpoint the SecondComing! It doesn't matter whether
someone says it and there's earthquakes validating it and voices from heaven,
etc. I come to the Word and it says, "Nope, nobody

knows." ButI heard a voice from heaven. I don't doubt that but it wasn't
God's voice. I heard an earthquake. I don't doubt it but it
wasn't God's confirmation to you. You see whathappens when you move
awayfrom the Word and ask for a sign, you can get
signs from the supernatural but you don't getthem from God. He needs to be
careful to stay close to the Word. We discredit the
Word of God and the ministry of the Word of God by such foolishness.
Come back then to Matthew 24. Christ is now going on to show how
unexpected His return will be, and so you see, there's
a balance. ExpectHis return as believers, and when you Jews are in the
Tribulation seeing all of these things happening, know that
His return is very near, right at the door, even though you won't be able to
pinpoint the time. 'Be expecting Me and live
expectantly.' But from the other side, 'Recognize I'm going to come
unexpectedly, and for the mass of the world they'll be caught
off guard when Christ comes.
Verse 37, "Forthe coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of
Noah." So you go back to that greatworldwide
cataclysmic judgment, the Days of Noah. "In those days before the flood, they
were eating, drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, until the day that Noahentered the Ark, they did not understand
until the flood came and took them all away, so shall
the coming of the Son of Man be." The days of Noahare an example of what it
will be like when Jesus Christ returns to earth. The
world was living unconcerned and uninterested about a coming judgment--
that's the point. In those days, eating and drinking,

marrying and giving in marriage. Nothing wrong with eating and drinking.
Paul writes to the Corinthians and says you caneat and
drink to the glory of God. Marrying and giving in marriage. Fine, nothing
wrong with that. You can honor the Lord in marriage,
etc. The point being illustrated here is the indifference to the messageofNoah
in those days. Petertells us in 2 Peter2:5 that Noah
was a preacherof righteousness. So in those 120 years he was building the
ark, he was preaching righteousness onthe coming
judgment of God and the world was not interested. It was caughtup in its
daily activity. More concernedabout food and pleasure,
arranging weddings, etc. Uninterested in a message ofjudgment and
condemnation. Result was verse 39:"They did not
understand until the flood came and took them all away" in judgment. 'Wiped
them out! And this perhaps gives you some glimpse
into the Tribulation. If you study Revelationchapter 6 and 19, you get the
idea there will be nothing normal going on, on the face
of the earth, don't you? I mean, with judgments raining down from Godand
persecutiongoing out where millions and millions
and millions of people are dying, can you imagine anybody being concerned
about their next meal? About getting their sonor
daughter married? Perhaps the indication from this is that there will be parts
of the world that are Much less affectedby these
judgments that Godis pouring out. And so it would be similar to what we
have today. We canread in the newspaperor watch on
the news about thousands of people dying of famine in one part of the world. I
say that's terrible; or even be moved to send some
money. But it doesn't keepme from overeating. Or, the fact that thousands of
people die in a volcano or an earthquake or a

hurricane. We say, that's terrible; but life goes onpretty much the same. I
don't say, Look, I'm going to cancelmy daughter's
wedding this weekendbecausethey had an earthquake in South America.
Can't get married here because they had an earthquake.
It's terrible, it's tragic;but life goes on relatively unaffected, doesn't it. I take
it will be probably be going on that way in the
Tribulation. There will be parts of the world that are less affectedby these
awful judgments, and are recovering from certain
judgments and life gets back to normal on a normal keel. And just like the
messageofChrist is being preachedtoday in light of
His coming at the Rapture, the world's too busy. They've gotthings to worry
about--I'm climbing the ladder in my job. I'm worried
about buying a new house, furnishing a house, buying a car, getting a good
retirement packageput together. I have more to do
than be worried about someone telling me the end of the world is coming. This
is that same kind of indifference going on in the
world in those 7 years leading up to the coming of Christ. Sinful people are
still uninterested in what God has to say about coming
judgment and salvation in His Son Jesus Christ. And they'll be caught
unexpectedly. They won't be expecting the coming of Jesus
Christ.
So an example in verses 40 and 41, and an example, which has often been
misunderstood. "Thenthere shall be two men in
the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding
at the mill, one will be taken, and one will be left."
These verses are oftentaken to refer to the Rapture of the Church. And
doesn't it sound like the Rapture? One will be bodily

caught up to meet Jesus Christ in the air, and here you have two men and two
women togetherand "ZAP!" One of them is gone,
just like the Rapture. Well, not just like the Rapture--what's the context of
Matthew 24? Everything in Matthew 24 happens after
the Rapture. What has been the immediate analogy? The days of Noah. What
happened in the days of Noah? The flood came;the
judgment came, and sweptaway the unbelievers. Who was left behind after
the judgment? The family of Noah, 8 believers. So
what's the point here of verses 40 and 41? The one takenis the one taken
awayin judgment. The one left is like Noah and his
family. Noahand his family were left to repopulate the earth now after the
judgment. The one takenhere will be left to populate
the earth during the kingdom of Jesus Christ. So the one taken is takenin
judgment. We've seenthis already in Matthew. Go back
to Matthew 13.
Matthew chapter 13, verse 41, interpreting some parables that Christ gave.
Matthew 13:41: "The Son of Man will send
forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom . . ." and note those
that are gathered out of His kingdom. "All stumbling
blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, andwill castthem into the furnace
of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father." Downto verse 49. "So it will be
at the end of the age;the angels shallcome forth, and take out the wicked
from among the righteous, and will castthem into the
furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." So the wicked
will be removed on this occasionto be destroyedin

judgment, and the righteous will be left to go on into the kingdom that Christ
will establish. So verses 40 and 41 have nothing to
do with the Rapture. They are about 7 years after the Rapture, and those
being taken are takenin judgment. Those who are left are
those privileged to go into the Millennia] Kingdom that Christ will establish.
So again, the context both the overall context of Matthew 24 and the
immediate contextof the judgment of Noah, and
those being taken awayin the flood. Now I should note in case you do some
detailed study on this, in verse 39 the flood came and
took them all away, then in verse 40 one will be taken, those are two different
words for 'take,'or 'taken.' Different words. But to
me, the point is still the same and in spite of what some commentators say, the
word 'taken' in verses 40 and 41 is sometimes used
of judgment. In factit will be used of Christ Himself when He is takenawayto
judgment leading up to the crucifixion. So
sometimes we get on word plays here that really don't have as much to do
with the interpretation as they sound like when you read
about them.
Alright. The application of this, verse 42, and I just want to highlight the
closing verses ofthis chapter because details of
judgment will be dealt with more specificallyin chapter 25. Look at some of
the highlights here. Verse 42, "Therefore," -- here's
the applicationof what I've been saying -- "be ready for My coming." Christ
says, "That's the application." "Therefore be on the
alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming." That's the point.
He started out this sectionwith there'll be signs, and

believers will recognize those signs and know the coming of the Lord is near.
But be on the alert, you don't know when it will be.
And then the example of the thief.
"But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of
the night the thief was coming, he would have
been on the alert and would not have allowedhis house to be broken into."
He'd have been on the alert. That makes sense!You
don't get a letter from the thief saying "I'm going to break into your house at
12:15 tonight! You'd be ready for him. A thief comes
unexpectedly. That's the point of the analogyof the thief. It's used a number
of times of Christ's coming--l Thessalonians 5, Christ
will come as a thief; Gal. 3, Behold I come as a thief; Revelation16, 1 come as
a thief. Reminder, His coming will be
unexpectedly.
Now these are within the framework of the SecondComing to earth, but you
ought to note, Revelationchapter 3 and verse
3 Christ speaksto the Church regarding His coming at the Rapture and says
He'll come as a thief, unexpectedly So when you talk
about the coming of Christ, both at the Rapture and at His SecondComing, a
characteristic ofthat coming is it will be
unexpectedly. Now believers are not to be caught off guard. We are to be the
ones who are on the alert, expecting His return even
though I don't know the exacttime.
Verse 44, "Forthis reasonyou too be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at
an hour when you do not think He will." So
for the Jews in the Tribulation, you won't know exactly when He's coming
although you will know it's gotto be soon, be ready at

any time. That point would be the same for the Church in Revelation3:3. I
don't know when Christ is coming at the Rapture, but
I'm to be expecting it at any time. So that means I expectChrist to be coming
today but I've made plans. And that's similar--you
may have family coming to visit you, or guests. Theysay, "We'llbe there the
week of. . . but I can't tell you the exactdate
because we have some things to do on the way." What do you do? You go
around and getthe house all straightened up and get
everything ready, but then you go about your daily activities. You don't
usually just go sit in the living room on Monday morning
and wait until Saturday night. You've goteverything ready; whenever they
come you're expecting them. But you go about your
activity. That's the waywe are as believers. Everything in order, everything
prepared. My life arranged in submission to the Spirit
expecting Christ as if He were coming today. But I've got my activities laid
out. If He doesn't come today I've gotplans for
tomorrow. If He doesn't come tomorrow, I've gotplans for the next day. But if
He comes today I'm not going to say, 'Oh my, what
are You doing here?'If your company comes on Tuesday, you don't open the
door and say'Oh my, No! I wasn't expecting you!'
Didn't you get our letter? Yes, but I thought maybe you'd really come
Saturday. Sometimes we as believers live that way. Oh yes,
the Lord's coming; He's coming at any time, but I really don't think it'll be
today. Well, be careful, the time you don't expectHim
is the time He's coming. That's the warning for those Jews in the Tribulation,
and that's the reminder to us as believers.
Is your life arrangedthe wayyou'd want it to be if you knew for sure Christ
was coming this afternoon, this evening,

tomorrow morning? Is that the wayI'm going to live my life? Fine. I'm
expecting. If He comes today, that's just fine. I'm doing
today what I plan to do, whether He comes or He doesn't. Some people might
say, 'Boy if I knew He was coming today I'd do
some things differently.' You'd better do them differently, right now! Because
He says I'm to be living in light of that fact that He
may be coming today! So why should it be a surprise? Say, 'Oh, I'm glad you
came today. I had some plans for this week but I was
hoping you'd get here today. Beenexpecting you.' That's being on the alert.
Now verses 45 to 51 He wants to show, if you are alert, if you are ready for His
coming, the characteristic ofyour life will
be faithfulness. Now I want you to measure yourself by this. Measure yourself
by this. Christ says those who are ready, those who
are alert, will be living lives as faithfulness. Sometimes we profess to be ready,
we profess to be looking for His coming, but all
you have to do is look at the quality and characterofmy life. Does faithfulness
characterize me in my walk with God? That's the
true mark of alertness and readiness.
Verse 45. "Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in
charge of his household to give them their
food at the proper time?" It was a pattern in biblical times that when a master
was going to go on a long trip--and trips obviously
weren't as easyas today--so the master could be gone for days or weeks or
even months. He would put a trusted slave in charge of
the affairs of the household while he was gone. So this has happened. "Blessed
is that slave whom his master finds so doing when

he comes. Truly I sayto you, that he will put him in charge ofall his
possessions."WhenChrist returns, those who are found to be
faithful to Him, believers who have trusted Him and are living their lives
faithful to Him because they have trusted Him, they will
be rewarded. They'll be put in charge. I take it that's part of the blessing. Part
of the reward is ruling with Christ in His kingdom.
This will come out in chapter 25 as well.
But on the other side, verse 48: "But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My
master is not coming for a long time,' and shall
begin to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master
of that slave will come on a day when he does not
expecthim and at an hour which he does not know, and shall cut him in pieces
and assignhim, a place with the hypocrites,
weeping shall be there and the gnashing of teeth." Now the slave here does not
refer to a believer who loses his salvation. The
context of the framework here, all Israel is a slave of God. Even though not
every Israelite is a believer, the nation Israelis viewed
as the servant of God. That's the prime picture here, although you could
broaden it and say all mankind is under the sovereignrule
of God. But the focalpoint here would be for the nation Israel. They are all as
a nation viewedas the servants or slaves of God. So
what you have here are the believers within the nation and the unbelievers.
And the unbelievers live with disregard concerning the
coming of Christ, whereas the true believer lives his life expecting the coming
of Christ and doing those things he would do in
light of the fact he expects Christ to come and evaluate him at any time. The
unbeliever? He lives his life with disregard. He's got

more important things to do. He's caught up in the things of this life, the
enjoyments of this life, the pleasures ofthis life. When
Christ comes that wickedslave will be destroyed. He'll be caught unaware.
Paul wrote to the Thessaloniansin chapter 5, "We are not in darkness that we
should be overtakenas a thief," so the
coming of the Lord will be as a thief in the night. But believers are not to be
caught unaware or unexpectedly.
This expressionat the end of verse 51, "there shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth," is used consistently in Matthew's
Gospelto refer to judgment on the wickedatthe SecondCorning of Christ to
prevent them from going into His kingdom. We'll
see this as we getto chapter 25. It's used that way in chapters 8, 13, 22, and
againin chapter25. The wickedwill be destroyedand
there will be awful agony as they recognize and understand that they have
made an eternalerror, if you will. Their disregards to
the warnings of God have eternal consequences,and they are castinto eternal
destruction.
Some principles here that have been establishedby Christ. #1, He is coming
againbut that the Father only knows the time.
In the Tribulation there will be indicators, but only the Fatherknows the
time. Believers are to be alert and ready for the coming of
Christ at any time. For us in the Church, our alertness is in connectionwith
the coming at the Rapture, not the SecondComing to
earth. But the characteristicsofbelievers of all ages and all dispensations are
to be alertness, a readiness forthe coming of Christ.
The question, then, is relatively simple--Are you ready for His coming? That's
the first question. The way you getready is you

trust Him. I recognize I deserve judgment I deserve condemnation. I want to
stop in the hustle and bustle of my life and recognize
that I need Jesus Christ. He's the One who died for me. Have you trusted
Him? If you have trusted Him, is your life characterized
by faithfulness? You proclaim 'Yes, I believe in Him; I'm looking for Him,"
what's the testimony of your life? You look at your
life. Look at your family. What has been the impact of your testimony with
your family? I'm concernedaboutour children. Do our
children raised in our homes see that the priority of my life is Jesus Christ and
His coming? Is the wayI live, the major concernof
my life, is that Jesus Christis coming again and I want to be ready at any
time? I think perhaps sometimes our children grow up in
our Christian homes relatively indifferent to the message ofChrist because
they see a relatively indifferent lifestyle in the part of
us parents. That hasn't been what consumed us. They know I don't live today
expecting Jesus Christ. They don't see faithfulness to
the Word of God and submission to the Spirit of God being the characterof
my life. Is it any wonder they grow up rather
indifferent to the Word of God? They see that my life testifies to something
different than I say.
Do I really believe Christ is coming? Do you really believe He could come
today? Does that give you a sense ofurgency,
concernfor family whether they be your children or your parents, neighbors,
and friends? Sometimes we believers say we believe
the Lord could come at any time but we're rather indifferent, if we really
believe that, in our concernfor those around us who do
not know Him, who will be left for awful judgment and condemnation, should
Christ come today. There ought to be urgency. Is it

any wonder Christ says those who are really believing in Him and living
expecting Him will have a lifestyle that's different than
the world? A focalpoint of life, a drive in life that will mark us off as distinct
and different? Have you trusted Jesus Christ? If He
comes today will you go to be with Him or will you be left to face judgment? Is
faithfulness the characteristicofyour life that
indeed testifies that you are a personwho is ready and alert for His coming
J. C. RYLE
The lastthing that demands our attention in these verses, is the practicalduty
of watchfulness in the prospect of Christ's secondcoming. "WATCH," says
our Lord, "for you don't know in what hour your Lord comes." "BE READY,
for in an hour that you don't expect, the Sonof Man will come."
This is a point which our blessedMasterfrequently presses upon our notice.
We hardly ever find Him dwelling on the secondadvent without adding an
injunction to "watch." He knows the sleepiness ofour nature. He knows how
soonwe forget the most solemn subjects in religion. He knows how
unceasinglySatanlabors to obscure the glorious doctrine of His coming again.
He arms us with heart-searching exhortations to keepawake, if we would not
be ruined for evermore. May we all have an earto hear them.
True Christians ought to live like WATCHMEN. The day of the Lord so
comes as a thief in the night. They should strive to be always on their guard.
They should behave like the sentinel of an army in an enemy's land.
They should resolve by God's grace not to sleepat their post. That text of Paul
deserves many a thought--"let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us watchand
be sober." (1 Thessalonians 5:6.)

True Christians ought to live like GOOD SERVANTS, whosemasteris not at
home. They should strive to be always readyfor their master's return. They
should never give way to the feeling, "my Lord is delaying his coming." They
should seek to keeptheir hearts in such a frame, that whenever Christ
appears, they may at once give Him a warm and loving reception. There is a
vast depth in that saying, "Blessedis that servantwhom his master finds
doing so when he comes." We may well doubt whether we are true believers in
Jesus, if we are not ready at any time to have our faith changedinto sight.
Let us close the chapterwith solemn feelings. The things we have just been
reading call loudly for greatsearchings ofheart. Let us seek to make sure that
we are in Christ, and have an ark of safetywhen the day of wrath breaks on
the world. Let us strive to live that we may be pronounced "blessed" atthe
last, and not castoff for evermore. Notleast, let us dismiss from our minds the
common idea that unfulfilled prophecy is a speculative and not a practical
thing. If the things we have been considering are not practical, there is no
such thing as practical religion at all. Well might John say, "Everyone who
has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3:3.)
SPURGEON
MATTHEW 24:42-51 THE KING COMMANDS HIS SERVANTS TO
WATCH
42. Watch therefore:for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
This is the practicalconclusionof the whole matter. That our Lord is coming,
is certain; that his coming may be at any moment, is a matter of faith; and
that we are ignorant of the time of his coming, is a matter of fact: “Ye know
not what hour your Lord doth come. ” Christ’s words are in the presenttense.
He does not say, “Ye know not what hour your Lord will come,” but, “what

hour your Lord doth come”, as if to keepus always expecting him; and lest we
should not heed his words, he puts the command in plainest language:” Watch
therefore. ” The title that he uses gives additional force to the command to his
disciples to watch, for it is our Lord who is coming quickly.
43, 44. But know this, that if the goodmanof the house had known in what
watchthe thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have
suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an
hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
If the householderhas reliable information that a thief is coming, but does not
know at what hour he will arrive, he will keepawake allnight, waiting for his
appearance;but if “the goodmanof the house ” is told “in what watchthe
thief ” will come, he will be speciallyon the alert at that time.
Every little sound will attract his attention. He thinks he hears someone atthe
back door; no, the thief is trying to enter by a front window! Whereverhe
comes, he will find that the master’s earis listening, the master’s eye is
watching, the master’s hand is ready to arrest him; for he had receivedtimely
warning of the housebreaker’scoming. Menact thus wiselywith regard to
burglars; what a pity they are not equally wise in watching for the coming of
their Lord! We do not know, we cannot even guess, in what watch of earth’s
long nightHE will come:“In such an hour as ye think not the Son of man
cometh. ” There is the present tense again, “the Son of man cometh,” he is
coming; his own words are, “Behold, I am coming quickly.”
Christ’s coming to the world will be like that of the thief, when it is not
suspectedor expected, and therefore when due preparations for his reception
have not been made; but his true followers will not let “that day “overtake
them “as a thief “( 1 Thessalonians 5:4). ‘They ought ever to be looking for his
appearing. Our Lord’s injunction to his disciples ought to have even greater
weight with us who live so much nearer to the time of his SecondAdvent than
it had with those to whom he addressedhis warning words, “Therefore be ye
also ready. ” We ought to be as watchful as if we knew that Christ would come
tonight; because, althoughwe do not know when he will come, we do know
that he may come at any moment. Oh, to be ready for his appearing, watching

and waiting for him as servants whose Lord has been long away from them,
and who may return at any hour! This will not make us neglectour daily
calling; on the contrary, we shall be all the more diligent in attending to our
earthly duties because our hearts are at rest about our heavenly treasures.
45, 46. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made
ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?Blessedis that
servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
The apostles were “stewards ofthe mysteries of God” ( 1 Corinthians 4:1),
and “goodstewards ofthe manifold grace of God” ( 1 Peter4:10).
One greatqualification for a stewardwas that he should be found “faithful ”
both to “his lord” and to all in the “household” over whom he was “made
ruler. ” It was needful also that he should be “wise ” in his dealings with his
fellow-servants;for, notwithstanding the honor put upon him, he was still a
“servant”, who must give to his lord an accountof his stewardship. These
words describe the service of a minister, preaching the truth with all his heart,
and seeking “to give meat in due season” to all over whom the Holy Ghost
hath made him an overseer. Or they picture a teacher, endeavoring to feed the
minds of the young with sound doctrine; or they portray any servant of
Christ, whateverhis calling may be, doing the work that his Masterhas
appointed him, just as he would wish to do it if he knew that his Lord was
coming at that moment to examine it: “Blessedis that whom his lord when he
cometh shall find so doing. .” Such a servantof Christ is blessed;he is a happy
man to be found by his Lord “so doing.” May our Masterfind us thus
occupiedwhen he cometh!
47. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
His lord had formerly made him “ruler over his household”, the stewardwho
had charge of all the householdservants. His faithful and prudent conduct in
that office won for him promotion to a higher post, so that his lord resolvedto
“make him ruler over all his goods. ” Thus is it among the servants of King
Jesus, there are rewards for faithful service not of debt, but of grace;not
according to the rule of the Law, but according to the discipline of the house
of God, and the higher rule of Love.

It should be noted that faithfulness in one form of service is rewarded by
further service and increasedresponsibility. The servant, whose pound gained
ten pounds, receivedauthority over ten cities ( Luke 19:17). 48-51. But and if
that evil servantshall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall
begin to smite his fellowservants, andto eatand drink with the drunken; the
lord of that servant shall come in a day when he lookethnot for him, and in an
hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his
portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This man was a “servant“, so that we have here a warning, not to the outside
world, but to those who are inside the Church of Christ, and who profess to be
servants of God. This is also speciallya warning to ministers of the Word,
those who are made rulers over God’s household. This man, though a servant,
was an “evil servant”; a hypocrite, one who had intruded into an office which
he had no right to occupy. His thoughts and words were evil: “If that evil
servant shall sayin his heart, my lord delayeth his coming. ” His conduct
towards those put under him was evil: “and shall begin to smite his
fellowservant. ” His own life was evil: “and to eat and drink with the drunken.
” His evildoing would be suddenly cut short by his master’s appearance:“The
lord of that servant shall come in a day when he lookethnot for him, and in an
hour that he is not aware of. ” Immediate and terrible punishment would be
meted out to him: “And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion
with the hypocrites:” he was one of them, he pretended to be a servant of God
when all the while he was a slave of Satan, serving selfand sin; let him go to
his owncompany. He was really cut in two before, outwardly he was a
followerof Christ, inwardly he served his own lusts; to “cut him asunder” will
only be a righteous perpetuation of his own double-facedcharacter. Will that
be the end of him? No; “there shall be weeping and: gnashing of teeth. ” What
a “portion” for one who was numbered amongstGod’s servants! As we read
of it, let us, in deep humility, remember the solemninjunction of the apostle,
“Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

A Thief in the Night
Author: Ray C. Stedman
Readthe Scripture: Matthew 24:32-44
How can we be sure all this will happen? No doubt you have askedthat more
than once before now. If you have, you are not the first one to do so. In fact it
would be rather strange if you haven't. Even Jesus anticipates a certain
degree of honestdoubt, for at this point in his discourse (verse 32)he breaks
off his description of the lastdays to give three powerful guarantees thatall he
has said will actually come to pass.
"From the fig tree learn its lesson;as soonas its branch becomes tender and
puts forth its leaves, you know that sumer is near. So also, when you see all
these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates."
This is the first guarantee. It is another pattern from nature which illustrates
the point he wishes to make. Everyone knows that when the trees begin to put
forth their leaves it is an infallible indication that summer is near. Some have
misread this to mean that the fig tree is a symbol for the nation Israel and that
the Lord means to say that when Israelshows signs of life as a nation that
then the end is near. Of course that is perfectly true, but that is not what he is
saying here. Luke tells us that he saidthis is not only about the fig tree, but
also of "all the trees" (Luke 21:29).
What the Lord means is that as history unfolds and it becomes apparent that
the world is heading toward the conditions he describes, then men can be very
sure that his coming is near. The trend of world events is the guarantee that
he has been telling the truth about the future. History will confirm his
predictions as it unfolds. When the world reaches the stage he describes, and

the possibility of the coming of the Lawless One looms on the horizon of
current affairs, then "he is near, at the very gates." We are now nearing the
end of two thousand years of history and eachman can judge for himself
whether or not the world is approaching these events.
The Indestructible Generation
Then the Lord offers a secondguarantee, containedin an often misunderstood
statementin verse 34:
"Truly, I say to you, this generationwill not pass awaytill all these things take
place."
Many have wondered exactly what he meant by these words. Did he refer to
the generationto which he was speaking, i.e., the disciples and their
contemporaries? Ordid he perhaps mean the generationwhich would be alive
when the events he predicted will begin to be fulfilled? If that is what he
meant, he would have been saying that when these events begin they would be
completed before the generationwould pass. Eachof these meanings has been
suggestedas a possible explanation of his words.
But the truth is, he meant neither of these. Of course, if he meant the disciples'
generationthen his words have long ago beenproven false. And the second
explanation involves a very forced and unnatural meaning for the word
"this." The only other alternative is that the word "generation" means the
Jewishpeople. "This people will not pass awaytill all these things take place."
The Indestructible People
It is almost certain that this is what the Lord meant, for he used the word
"generation" in this very sense in the previous chapter, Matthew 23:33-36. He
was speaking in severe and sharp tones to the Pharisees, and he said: "You
serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escapebeing sentencedto hell?
Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some ofwhom you
will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagoguesand
persecute from town to town, that upon you may come all the righteous blood
shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the

son of Barachiah, whom you murdered betweenthe sanctuaryand the altar.
Truly, I say to you, all this will come upon this generation."
The Lord surely did not mean by this that the Pharisees and their
contemporaries would bear the blame for all the injustice of the ages. No, he
meant that Israel was the nation chosento be the instrument of God to teach
the whole world what he is like. When Israelfailed, it became culpable for all
the dire results that failure brings. It is the nation which was in view when he
uses the term, "this generation."
Throughout twenty centuries of dispersion and persecutiona most
remarkable demonstration of the truth of the Bible has been the Jewish
people and their uncanny ability to survive as an identifiable race. Despite the
long centuries of hardship and cruelty they have proved to be an
indestructible people. That fact constitutes proof that what Jesus predicts will
surely come to pass.
Surer Than Sunrise
The third assurance Jesus offers is his owninfallible promise: "Heavenand
earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (verse 35). How much
value do you give to what he says? This is the One who came to blind eyes-and
he did! He declaredhe would give his life as a ransom for many-and he did!
He said he would rise againfrom the dead-and he did! Now he says he will
come again-canyou believe him?
What is it we count on today as the most dependable thing we know? Is it not
the continuity of events? We count on tomorrow's sun to rise, on there being a
future. We lay our plans on that basis. But Jesus says that will stop, will pass
away, but his words will not. His coming, then, is more certain than the most
certain thing we know of. The word by which all things were calledinto being
is the foundation upon which he rests his statement, "my words will not pass
away."
Unpredictable Timing
At this point in the discourse there comes a definite break. The Lord has
completed his outline of the events during the end of the age. He has revealed

his parousia, his presence onearth, during the entire period of the last days
and also the spectacularoutshining of his presence onearth, during the entire
period of the last days and also the spectacularoutshining of his presence to
occurat the end. But he has said very little about its beginning. Now, in verses
36-41, he brings that remarkable event before the disciples as the dominant
point of emphasis:
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor
the Son, but the Father only. 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 Noahentered
the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and sweptthem all away,
so will be the coming of the Son of man. Then two men will be in the field; one
is takenand one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken
and one is left."
As we mentioned in an earlier chapter, some have confused this coming with
the glorious manifestationof his presence, describedin verse 30. But the first
sentence ofthis sectionmakes clearwhich aspectofhis presence the Lord is
describing. He states mostforcefully that this coming will be copletely
unpredictable. "But of the day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of
heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."
This unpredictable element is underscoredheavily in the additional warning
he gives the disciples in verses 42-44:
"Watchtherefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But
know this, that if the householderhad known in what part of the night the
thief was coming, he would have watchedand 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."
It would be impossible for Jesus to use these words if he were referring to the
coming in powerand greatglory. Before that event occurs "the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from
heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken." Who could miss that?
Who, knowing the Scriptures, would not expectthe return of Jesus aftersuch

dramatic events? But to his disciples he says, "The Son of man is coming at an
hour you do not expect."
This is clearly then his coming as a thief in the night. It is his coming for the
church, the unsuspectedtreasure of earth. He will come to take it to himself,
and the world will have no inkling that it is about to occur. As he has just said,
we can know that the time is drawing near as we observe the predicted
pattern taking shape in the affairs of men. We can see the attitudes that he
says will prevail in that day beginning to emerge as the dominant philosophy
of the day. But we can never know the day nor the hour. Even the angels do
not know, nor did the Son in the time of his earthly limitation, but only the
Father.
Men seemto display an urgent passionto set dates for the coming of Christ.
Severaltimes in history it has been announced that Jesus Christ would return
on such and such a date. Some fanatics who believed these reports sold their
property, donned white robes, and gone out on some hilltop to waitfor him to
appear. The whole subjectof the return of Christ has been castinto disrepute
by such foolish actions. Godhas maintained an inscrutable silence about
certain matters and this is one of them. The day nor the hour is clearly
marked "TopSecret," justas Jesus told the disciples after the resurrection,
"It is not for you to know times or seasons whichthe Father has fixed by his
own authority" (Acts 1:7). The activity Jesus wants to encourage is not date-
setting but readiness.
Business as Usual
Jesus makes evenmore forceful this totally unexpected characterof his initial
coming by comparing it to the days of Noahin verses verse 37-39:
"As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming [parousia] of the Sonof man.
For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying
and giving in marriage, until the day when Noahentered the ark, and they did
not know until the flood came and sweptthem all away, so will be the coming
of the Son of man."

There have been many attempts to make these words, "eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage," to indicate signs of evil things in the affairs
of men. "Eating" has been takento mean an increase in gluttony throughout
the earth. It is, of course, true that one of the signs of middle age is to grow
thick, and tired of it, but this is not a sign of the times! Also, "drinking" has
been takento mark an increase in alcoholismand drunkenness, while
"marrying and giving in marriage" has been made to refer to the rocketing
divorce rate.
But there is no thought of this in the mind of our Lord. What he is saying is,
life will be going on as usual. Men will eat, drink and marry just as they have
always done. It was like that in the days of Noah, before the flood. Life was
going on in ordinary fashion. Moralconditions were bad, there was violence
and corruption throughout the earth, but they were not worse than they had
been for quite some time.
The point our Lord makes is that "they did not know" until the flood came.
There was no sense ofany coming disaster. This went on, despite the
preaching of Noahfor one hundred and twenty years, during which he
faithfully warned his generationthat God would judge the world of that day.
And despite the familiar sight of the huge ark that was built a long way from
any oceanlarge enoughto float it. Men must have laughed and calledhim
"crazy Noah." But life went on as usual and the first sign of any coming
disasterwas the quiet, almost unnoticed removal of a select company from the
world of that day.
Noahand his family were told to take the animals and go into the ark. God
shut the door of the ark so that Noahand his family, eight people in all, were
separatedfrom the world. Then a full week wentby and nothing happened.
Noah, his family and all the animals were in the ark for a week andduring
that time the skies were blue, the sun shone, men went to work in the morning
and came home in the evening. Lovers strolled hand in hand as they had done
for centuries. Babies cried, men ate and drank and rose up to play; life went
on as usual. Then suddenly clouds beganto form, the skies darkened, the
earth began to heave, the bottom of the sea raisedand greattidal waves came
crashing across the earth, the skies poureddown untold tons of water for

forty days and forty nights. All those who lived in the world of that day,"Went
down with a bubbly groan, Unwept, unhonored and unknown."
So, the Lord says, will be the "parousia," the coming as a thief in the night.
Jesus Christ will come stealthily, without warning, and a selectcompanywill
be removed from the earth. That event he plainly describes in verses 40,41:
"Then two men will be in the field; one is takenand one is left. Two women
will be grinding at the mill; one is takenand the other is left."
A Selective Removal
The event will be highly selective, distinguishing even betweentwo people
working side by side. Further, it will be worldwide, for Luke tells us (17:34),
"There will be two men in one bed; one will be taken, and the other left."
While men work in their fields on one side of the earth, others will be asleepin
their beds on the other side. But simultaneously, both in the day and in the
night, the great removal will occur.
From human experience we feel there is only one wayto leave this life. We
enter it through the door marked "birth," and we will leave it through the
door marked "death." But on the Mount of Transfigurationthe Lord showed
Peter, James and John that there is another way by which men could go to
glory. He was suddenly transfigured before their astonishedeyes. His raiment
beganto glow and he was a different person, yet the same Jesus.
So Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:51,52:"We shall not all sleep[die], but we
shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." It is an event
simply unexplainable in natural terms, but there can be no questions about
the clearlanguage Scripture employs. As Paul told the Thessalonians:"The
dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be
caught up togetherwith them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (1
Thessalonians 4:16,17).
There are some Bible scholars who take the Lord's words, "one is takenand
the other left," in a somewhatdifferent light. They feel the ones taken are not
takento glory but taken in judgment during the tribulation, i.e., killed, while
the ones left are left alive to enter into the kingdom following. This, they say,

would be more in line with the illustration the Lord uses of Noah's flood
where men were swept awayby the judgment of the flood.
But severalsevere objections appearto this opinion. First, no one was left
behind in Noah's flood. They were all takenin judgment and there was
nothing selective aboutit. The only ones who survived were Noahand his
family who were taken out of the flood before it began. Second, the word the
Lord uses for "taken" is a different Greek wordfrom that which is used for
the effectof the flood. That is one word, translated, "sweptaway." Third, the
picture the Lord draws is one of sudden, unexpected removal and it is quite a
straining of that picture to imagine execution as always occurring in that
manner throughout the Tribulation. Fourth, if the Lord is not here describing
his coming for the church then we have no description from his lips of that
tremendous event. All we would have would be his promise, "I will come
againand will take you to myself" (John 14:3).
Becauseofthese objections it is much more plausible to view this passageas
our Lord's cleardescription of his coming "as a thief in the night,"
accomplishing a silent resurrectionand transfiguration which will take the
true church out of judgment of the tribulation, as Noah and his family were
takenout of the judgment of the flood. To this vivid description of the silent
departure of the church, the Lord immediately adds a word of admonition:
"Watchtherefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But
know this, that if the householderhad known in what part of the night the
thief was coming, he would have watched, 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."
Notice carefully his argument here. He says that if the householderhad known
when the thief was coming he would have watchedand prevented the robbery.
That is, if a man knows he is to be robbed at night, and knows the very hour
in which it will take place, he will be ready for the burglar when he comes. No
burglar sends a notice aheadof time of his arrival, but if he did he could count
on being met by a receptioncommittee. When the robber arrived, the
householderwould be ready.

So says Jesus, since you do not know when your Lord is coming, then keep
ready all the time. Be always ready. Surely that does not mean we are to gaze
skywardall the time, or fold our hands and sit down to waitfor him. Some
years ago a religious magazine published a cartoonthat showeda man
standing in a wheat field. The sheaves had been stackedin bundles waiting for
the harvest. He was standing there with a telescope gluedto his eyes looking
out to the horizon. Underneath was the caption, "Looking for the coming of
the Lord." It suggestedthat such looking was foolishwhile the fields were
white unto harvest all around, and nothing was being done.
It is very difficult, of course, to keepone eye peeledtoward the skywhile
doing your daily work. But our Lord does not mean this when he says,
"Watch!" What does he mean? Clearlyone thing he means by this, as
highlighted throughout this discourse, is, be not deceived! He has been
warning of the deceitfulness ofthe age. We shall be surrounded by the
spurious, the phony, which will nevertheless dazzle us and draw us. If we
believe the lies that are part of the greatbrainwashing campaignbehind the
philosophy of the world, we shall soonlose our perspective. Life will then get
out of focus and we shall become blinded and tragicallyself-deceived.
The only defense is a continuous, step-by-step, reliance on the truth of God,
illuminated to us by an indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "If you continue in
my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the
truth will make you free" (John 8:31,32). That is why we desperatelyneed the
Word of God, and the Spirit of God to apply that Word to our daily
experience. The only defense againstdeceitis an obedient earand a
willingness to follow the promptings of the Spirit into an unceasing ministry of
loving concernand service, in the name of Jesus Christ. In another place,
Jesus said"Occupytill I come" (Luke 19:13, KJV). That means, keepgoing,
keepbusy in the strength and the purpose of God.
A Strange Paradox
Many Christians seemto feel that waiting for Christ's coming means that we
must behave ourselves lestwe should suddenly be caught short by his
appearing and be ashamedof what we were doing. But Jesus is no policeman,

waiting to surprise us in an unguarded moment. The paradox of the Christian
life is that though we look for him to come, yet all the while we are enjoying
his presence andexperiencing his power. He is coming, and yet he is with us
now.
What Jesus wants us to grasp is that these two activities are related. The
intensity with which we love his coming is the revelationof the degree to
which we are experiencing his presence. The hunger you may feel to see his
face is directly proportionate to the present enjoyment you have of his
presence. If, to you, the thought of his coming is a frightening thing, then you
know little or nothing of his presence now. But if you do know what it means
to live by Christ, if moment by moment with your whole being you are taking
from him all that he makes available to you, you will find a longing, a
yearning in your heart for his personal coming.
A Christian poetess,Annie JohnsonFlint, has put that thought in a wonderful
fashion:
"It is not for a sign we are watching
For wonders above and below,
The pouring of vials of judgment,
The sounding of trumpets of woe;
It is not for a Day we are looking,
Not even the time yet to be
When the earth shall be filled with God's glory
As the waters coverthe sea;
It is not for a King we are longing
To make the world-kingdoms His own;
It is not for a Judge who shall summon
The nations of earth to His throne.

Not for these, though we know they are coming;
For they are but adjuncts of Him,
Before whom all glory is clouded,
Besides whomall splendor grows dim.
We wait for the Lord, our Beloved,
Our Comforter, Masterand Friend,
The substance of all that we hope for,
Beginning of faith, and its end;
We watchfor our Savior and Bridegroom,
Who loved us and made us His own;
For Him we are looking and longing:
For Jesus, andJesus alone."*
The greatScottishminister, Horatio Bonar, on one occasionsatwith a
number of fellow ministers. He said to them, "Do you really expectJesus
Christ to come today?" One by one he went around the circle and put that
question to each. And one by one they shook their heads and said, "No, not
today." Then without comment he wrote on a piece of paper these words and
passedit around:
"Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour
you do not expect."

Jesus was to be an unexpected arrival

Jesus was to be an unexpected arrival

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