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Matthew 24:37-44

When You Do Not Expect Him

37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and 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. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: 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. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

When you hear an expression like back in my day or in the old days, you usually know what will follow. Some old geezer with a faulty memory will tell a story about the way things were when he was young. And somehow, when he was young, things were very different. Almost always the difficulties of life then were more difficult than they are now.

And yet, because the people then especially him were wiser and stronger and tougher, every challenge was met and passed with flying colors! People and things in that day, in the old days were just that much better than they are today. The implication is that this generation has it easy, that we arent as resilient now as people were then.

Thats almost what Jesus seems to be doing in our sermon text for this morning. He begins with the words as it was in the days and clearly he intends to take us back in time, perhaps back to a time when things were better. We may wonder if hes going to take us back to his youth in Nazareth. But he doesnt! Instead he takes us way back, thousands of years.

As it was in the days of Noah, he says. Even in Jesus day, Noah and his story were ancient history something that happened many centuries before anyone living then was born. Nor does Jesus compare the days of Noah to his own age. Rather he says that the way it was in Noahs day is the way it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

By the phrase coming of the Son of Man we understand that Jesus is speaking of his second coming from heaven to this earth. This is the time when he will come in judgment of all the living and the dead, what we properly consider to be the last day. He is saying that the time right before Judgment Day will be just like the time before the Flood. Whenever this unknown Judgment Day comes, we will be able to see signs of it before it arrives.

It will be like the time right before the waters of the Flood destroyed all human life, except that of Noah and the members of his family. And what were those days like? Jesus gives quite a vivid description of them. You will recall that the times between Adam and Noah were ones of steady decline. Day by day, year by year, generation after generation, people embraced sin more fervently and rejected the Lord more and more completely.

Gods perfect world degenerated into a world so corrupt you would scarcely recognize it. It was a world in which no one worshipped the true God. It was a world in which each individual lived to satisfy only their selfish lusts and desires. It was a world in which no one lived according to Gods commands. No one, that is, except for Noah and his wife, his 3 sons and their wives.

Finally, the Lord concluded that the existence of such rampant sin and almost universal unbelief was a threat to the saving faith and godly lives of those 8 individuals in Noahs household. Since the promise of mans Savior from sin and hell rested in them, they simply could not be allowed to reject the Lord. They had to be protected, they had to be rescued from the wicked world around them.

So, the Lord came to Noah with the news that in 120 years, a great Flood would come upon the entire world destroying all human and animal life. Noah was to use those 120 years to do 2 things. First of all, he was to build an ark, a huge boat, in which he and his family and animal life would be preserved. Secondly, he was to preach to the people so that they could repent and not be destroyed.

The 2 things worked together well. One can hardly ignore someone who is building a 450 long boat on dry land. Noah must have been questioned about it constantly. And that would have been a good time to share Gods judgment and offer of salvation with them. The Bible tells us that Noah was very diligent on both counts for that entire 120 years.

And what effect did it have on the people of that day? Was there a rush of individuals repenting? Were there other boats being constructed? Were people wrapping up their earthly affairs and preparing themselves for the worst? No! Jesus tells us that in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. In other words, nothing changed!

Jesus tells us that they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. Even though the message of the Flood and imminent death was right there in front of them, they denied it, they forgot about it, they acted as if it would never come. They would not acknowledge what was about to happen.

That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. We can expect exactly the same set of circumstances at that time as were present right before the rains of the Flood started falling! People living then can expect the world around them to be thoroughly wicked and opposed to the true God. You will see fewer and fewer Christians as the evils of the world reclaim them one by one.

Even though the Lord will see to it that every human ear hears about Christ Jesus and their deliverance from sin, so very few will come to faith. The absence of love for one another will become more coimmon until it even infiltrates the church on earth. Overall, things will go on as theyve always gone on. No heed will be paid to the coming Judgment Day.

Even though the presence of Christian churches and the cross of Christ will be in everyones backyard, very few will take advantage of the salvation offered there. As a result, people of that age wont be any more prepared for Christs return than people were for the Flood. Despite all signs, the Lords second coming will arrive unexpectedly.

Jesus tells us That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. We are told that when Jesus returns, he will come with all his angels. One angel, in particular, will sound a trumpet to announce his arrival and to wake the dead.

At that moment, all believers will be drawn to him so that they will arrive with him as his throne of judgment is set up. This rapture of the saints will be brief because all mankind will shortly stand before him, awaiting divine justice. This will all take place so suddenly that people will still be involved in their everyday routine, heedless of the times.

Jesus further compares it to theft. A robbery is always unexpected and unannounced. Thats why thieves like to come at night. No one is expecting them! And no thief sends out postcards telling his victims when hes coming. He wants to come at a time when you are least ready for him. Otherwise you might take steps to thwart his plan and keep your goods! Like the Flood, Judgment Day will be a complete surprise to unbelievers and believers alike.

So, where does that leave us? What should we be doing? How should we react to the news that the end will come in such a way? It all depends, doesnt it, on when we are living. If were living in the last times, wed better be ready. If we arent, we can relax and ignore the warning. So, what does Jesus tell us? What is his advice, his assessment of the times in which we live?

His counsel is direct and unambiguous. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. If he tells us we must be ready at any moment, Jesus clearly believes we are living in the last days. Is there any evidence of that? Do we see the signs of the end in our age?

Well, has the Gospel invitation been issued to all? In our age of communication, its hard to imagine that it hasnt taken place or wont take place before long. Is the Gospel widely accepted by one and all, or is it believed by fewer and fewer, even in the earthly church? You can look around yourself and see how many of our members chose not to worship and the same holds true for most churches and church bodies.

What about an abundance of sin in this world? Like so many nations of the world, we slaughter unborn babies and we distort Gods picture of human sexuality until it cant be recognized. And those are only 2 examples of mans growing depravity. Surely a look at our world today shows all the signs of living in the last days. We may conclude that the coming of the Son of Man could take place at any moment.

So, we must be ready now and live in a way that reflects that conviction. We must daily repent of our sin and turn from it, looking to Jesus for forgiveness and the strength to fight temptation. We must embrace Jesus as our Savior and do whatever we can to remain close to him by daily prayer, regular worship and constant study of his Word.

Beyond that, a sense of urgency must fill us about the souls of others. If they do