THIEVES, SLEEP, AND THE GOOD GETTING 'LEFT BEHIND'
But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. [1]
From Jesus’ own lips, no one knows the ‘day’ or ‘hour’ of His return. Therefore, you have God’s permission to ignore any end-times date predicting tomfoolery (until the abomination of desolation happens detailed in the book of Daniel). Until then, Jesus spent the rest of His discourse telling parables requiring His disciples to understand and discern the season and generation that will experience these things.
From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that He is near, at the very gates.[2]
In this passage, Jesus offers a timing indicator: when you see all these things you know that He is near. What are these things He’s referring to?
As we explored in part one of this series, the geopolitical landscape of the final generation will be marked by wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, persecution, martyrdom, apostasy, the completion of the Great Commission, and the abomination of desolation. Jesus said that these things happening together with increasing intensity and severity will let us know that His return is near.
Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”[3]
The generation that witnesses “these things” will not pass away until “all these things” take place.[4] In other words, these events will happen in a very short time frame; within a single generation.
Jesus continues by likening the final generation to the generation of Noah’s day. He makes a point to tell what will happen to those who are unaware of the season they’re living in.[5]
For 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 Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away... [6]
In those days, people were carrying on with business as usual until the day the flood came and destroyed them. Being ‘unaware’ in those days was a choice. You would have had to intentionally disregard the prophetic word of the hour for that day to surprise you. Remember, Noah was a “herald of righteousness” as “God’s patience waited” in the days of Noah.[7] It was voluntary ignorance. And it came at the ultimate price.
Being unaware in Noah’s day resulted in being taken by flood waters in judgment. So too with the generation of the Lord’s return. Those who are unaware in that Day will likewise be taken away in judgment.
Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.[8]
Being “taken” in these examples is, put plainly, bad. We don’t want to be taken like people were taken by the flood in Noah’s day. It’s not good to be taken.
The Good Shepherd is living up to His name. Jesus is warning us to know Him in the context of His second coming so that we may respond rightly and prepare others adequately. He is helping us to not be caught unaware in the most consequential hour of history.
Jesus provided particulars about the season of His return so that we would lean in more closely and know Him more fully as He prepares us for what’s ahead. Knowing the season is about knowing Jesus.
So what do we do to prepare ourselves? How do we make sure we’re not “unaware” until that day comes?
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake 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.[9]
Stay awake! You must be ready. But how do we do that if He’s coming at an hour we don’t expect?
But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober... For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.[10]
He comes like a thief for those who are asleep. That’s not us. We are not in darkness, brothers. We are not asleep. We expect Him. We are learning to discern the season and look for the signs Jesus gave to us so that we’re not caught off-guard for that day to surprise us like a thief. Look what happens to those who Jesus comes to on a day they do not expect:
But if that wicked servant says to himself, “My master is delayed,’” and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.[10]
What a brutal warning! If a wicked servant, failing to understand the timing of his master’s return, begins to beat the people he’s been given charge over, Jesus will come to that servant on a day he does not expect at an hour he does not know and will cut him to pieces.
The Lord is urging us not to be voluntarily ignorant about His return. Not simply because He wants us to ace an eschatological pop quiz, but because our Father wants us to walk in light of His decrees. The nature of His return reveals to us more fully the nature of His character. This is about knowing Jesus better. Those who know Jesus don’t get cut to pieces when He comes back.
Believers are not in the dark about the season of the Lord’s return. He has made sure of that. We belong to the day![11] While it’s true that only the Father knows the “day” and “hour,” Jesus requires that His disciples discern the “season” and “generation” of His return. We are to be faithful servants of God’s Word and obedient to the directives He’s given us.
So how do we ensure that we are like those faithful servants who God finds doing good when He returns?
To be continued…
Jordan Scott lives in the Muslim world with his wife and children. He is the host of THE WAY podcast and author of A Call to Compel: The Simplicity, Urgency, and Joy of Making Disciples, available now from FAI Publishing. Jordan can be reached by email at jordan@faimission.org.
[1] MATTHEW 24:36
[2] MATTHEW 24:32-33
[3] MATTHEW 24:34
[4] LUKE 21:32
[5] LUKE 19:43-44
[6] MATTHEW 24:36-39a
[7] 1 PETER 3:20; 2 PETER 2:5
[8] MATTHEW 24:39-41
[9] MATTHEW 24:42-44
[10] 1 THESSALONIANS 5:4-9
[11] MATTHEW 24:48-51
[12] 1 THESSALONIANS 5:8
