Read First:
– The Destruction of the Temple Foretold & A Sign of Jesus’ Coming and the End Times — Matthew 24:1-14
– The Great Tribulations — Matthew 24:15-28
The Coming of the Son of Man – Matthew 24:29-31
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in Heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send out His angels with a trumpet blast, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the Heavens to the other.”
[Cont] The Lesson of the Fig Tree – Matthew 24:32-35
32 “Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, know that He is near, at the gates. 34 Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
[Cont] The Unknown Day and Hour – Matthew 24:36-44
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 In [those] days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. 39 They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be [also] at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. 42 Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
43 Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. 44 So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
For Reflection:
(v. 29 fulfills the prophecy from the Old Testament. See Isaiah 13:10, 13)
One thing is certain, Jesus is coming back. And He makes clear that when He does, all the people on earth will mourn (v. 30). They will see Him in all His glory and realize how unworthy they’ve been to now receive His mercy.
He also makes clear that while we may not know for sure the date and time of His Second Coming, it could very well take place in an instant. Therefore, we are warned to stay vigilant and ready to meet Him [give an account for our lives] at any time.
We are left an example in v. 40, 41 of how two people will be out living their lives as normal and suddenly, without warning, one will be taken, and one will be left behind. The passage ends with an unsettling statement: “and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth” (*final condemnation – see also: Matthew 8:11-12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28).
Now is the time to draw near to Him. Today is a gift.
[Read and meditate on this passage again. Pay close attention to what speaks to you. As Jesus said, ‘everything else may pass away but His Words will not’ (v.35). His Words and promises, whether packaged in encouragement or forewarnings, are just as much alive and real today as they were then.]
