Matthew 24:36-41 36“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven nor the Son, except only the Father. 37For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38For 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, 39and they were did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.
Jesus next gives the other perspective that needs balanced with being aware of the signs of the times. Although we should be aware that the end is near because of the specific prophecies Jesus gave, we cannot know the day or the hour of his return. Some people have taken his words here quite literally and have made predictions about “weeks,” “months,” or “years” of his return. Day and hour are general terms that basically mean that we cannot know the time when Jesus will return, only the basic conditions that will come before hand, and these should give us enough warning to be prepared. Matthew uses an important word that has come to represent Jesus’ second coming. The Greek parousia basically means “appearance,” “presence,” or “return” of a person. The word encapsulates one of the core hopes of all believers in Jesus: that he will appear again and bring the present evil age to a close and begin the new age described in Revelation 21.
But we are curious people and want to know details. If we could know the exact time, we could live like we want and then ask for forgiveness just before he comes. We could have the best of both worlds: satisfy our sinful nature while having fun in this earthly life and be given eternal life because we repent of these sins. This naive formula does not work, although some people do receive eternal life on their death beds. The key point is that we do not know when Jesus will come, so we must be ready. We can only know that the end is approaching, which should be enough warning to live in obedience. The moment of Jesus’ coming again is so secrete that only the Father knows.
Jesus gives several illustrations about the surprise of his return and the need to be ready. During the days of Noah, the people were doing their normal activities living life. There is no mention here of the great sin that generation was doing, but their lifestyle would certainly be echoed in the last days when selfishness and sin will dominate. In the last days, people will be caught up in their own affairs, thinking that life is good and they can do whatever they want. Only those closest to Noah had any concept of warning, and even those people ignored and ridiculed him as he build the ark. Ignorance, ridicule, and rejection may satisfy some people’s pride but these will not stop Jesus from coming again. No matter what people may think, God’s plans will be carried out.
The surprise of Jesus’ coming is again emphasized with the images in verses 40-41. People will be doing their daily activities of farming and preparing food. Some will be found ready and so will be taken, and others will be too preoccupied with their selfish ambitions and ignorance and so will be left. Interpreters have used this verse in support of a secret rapture at Jesus’ coming again. However various verses are interpreted together, the point is clear that some people will not join Jesus. There will be a separation of believers and non-believers. The implied exhortation is that we will want to be part of the group that is taken to be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
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