No One Knows That Day and Hour so BE READY!
/October 16- 20, 2014
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 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, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 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. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24:36-51
Breaking & entering is the familiar term used in burglarizing homes & stores; for robbing & stealing. These are ancient crimes. Jesus Himself said, “If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.” (Luke 12:39) Through the centuries, human nature hasn’t changed!
The lack of alertness is another old human failing. Here, too, people have not changed. Jesus Himself stresses the need for readiness. And well He might! Many people today (as always) are more interested in the moment –in the here & now; preoccupied with buying & selling, “eating & drinking, marrying & giving in marriage” (as the text from Matthew says). They give little thought to being ready for Christ’s impending glorified return to judgment at an unannounced date.
The reminder is in place: “Be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” Having “today” in mind, the hour is now late –later than when we first believed; the sun is setting on our world & on “life’s little day.” Alfred Lord Tennyson said it well as the ending of each day reminded him that tomorrow may not come: “Sunset & evening star, and one last call for me.”
Christians are ready to receive their Lord when they continue in His Word & are in fellowship with Him, confident that He who suffered & died & rose again for their salvation is always with us even to the end of the age. And we in readiness for His coming are ever thankful that He called us to be His own, live under Him in His kingdom, looking forward to much, much more than when we first believed. Christ Jesus is our constant hope as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever.