INTRODUCTION

Jesus tells His disciples what events will precede the end of Jerusalem , and He tells them that these events will take place within the generation of the apostles (v. 34). He does not, however, tell them the year or even the decade when they will occur (v. 36, 42, 44). He doesn’t allow the disciples to relax until the mid-60s; instead, He tells them to be constantly on the alert (v. 42).

THE TEXT

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be . . . .” (Matthew 24:36-51).

DAYS OF NOAH

The “coming” of the Son of Man in verse 30 is His coming up to heaven to receive authority and dominion (cf. Daniel 7:13), but after verse 37 the word “coming” refers to Jesus coming in judgment against Jerusalem. It will be like the coming of the flood (cf. 2 Peter 3:1-7). Prior to the flood, people were going about their lives – eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage – ignoring Noah’s warnings (cf. 2 Peter 2:5). Like the flood, the destruction of Jerusalem will wipe out one world and bring in another.

ONE TAKEN, ONE LEFT

Many Christians believe that verses 40-41 are about the “rapture,” but Jesus draws this from the Old Testament descriptions of exile. When Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah , he took many Jews to Babylon , but left some of the poorest in the land to keep the vineyards and fields (2 Kings 24:14; 25:12; Jeremiah 40:7; 52:16). In the first century, Jesus says, some men will be taken from their fields to serve as slaves to others; some women will be taken from their mills to “grind” for their captors (for “grinding” as a sexual metaphor, see Job 31:10).

THIEF IN THE NIGHT

The New Testament frequently says that the Son of Man is coming like a thief (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 4; 2 Peter 3:10 ; Revelation 3:3; 16:15 ). Thieves don’t announce themselves beforehand, and only an alert home owner will be ready when they come. In Joel, invading armies come like thieves (Joel 2:6), and Zechariah sees a vision of a curse that slips into the houses of the wicked like a thief (Zechariah 5:4). As the angel of death slipped into Egyptian houses to slaughter firstborn sons, so the Son of Man will slip in to take one and leave another.

DELAY OF THE PAROUSIA

Over the decades between the ascension of Jesus and the destruction of Jerusalem , Christians became impatient. “Where is the promise of His coming?” is the question Peter addresses in his second letter (2 Peter 3:4). The “delay” tempted Christians to shrink back, and some reverted to Judaizing (cf. Hebrews). Jesus had warned them ahead of time. Jesus is the master of the parable, who leaves His disciples in charge of His house during His absence (vv. 45-51). He warns them not to mistreat their fellow servants, or to indulge themselves (v. 49). If they do, they will be among those who are taken by surprise when the thief comes.