Matthew 24:37-51

Matthew 24:37: “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

This is really rather remarkable! Now, keep in mind that this is talking about the Second Coming, NOT the Rapture. This means that after all the horrible things that happened during the 7-year Tribulation, the masses of the Earth will have no realization that 7 years have passed since the signing of Israel’s “covenant with death” and that the return of Christ is imminent. Now, the world should see this coming – in fact, after the 7-year treaty is signed they could practically mark the date of the Second Coming on their calendar – but they won’t. Even though Christ clearly said that He would return immediately after the Tribulation, people still won’t see it coming.

This isn’t the first time in history that something like this happened. Noah told his world that the Flood was coming, but they didn’t listen either. So, as the Bible says, the Flood came and killed them all. (That’s what happens when you don’t listen to God.)

Matthew 24:42: “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”

It may be significant that this says “what hour” and not “what day” or “month” or “year”. Since Jesus comes immediately after the Tribulation, those who are alive at the time should be able to pinpoint the date pretty closely. They won’t know the hour or minute, but they should definitely know that the time is very soon. After all, the book of Daniel actually gives the number of days it will be from the start of the Tribulation to the beginning of Christ’s millennial kingdom (Daniel 12:12). They may not know the hour, but they should have a the general timeframe nailed down pretty closely.

Matthew 24:44: “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

Once again, this is a reference to the Second Coming, NOT the Rapture. Apparently those who are alive at the time will be expecting Jesus to return at a certain moment, but they will be surprised. Whether this is because He arrives sooner or later than expected is not clear. What is clear is that Jesus wants them to be watching so that they are not surprised. There is a reason for this:

Matthew 24:48: “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 eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The people of that time must watch. They aren’t going to get a second chance at this; if they are caught in sin and evil when Jesus suddenly returns then they will be in a world of trouble. So they should watch carefully, lest the Lord come and catch them by surprise.