The Olivet Discourse: Part Six

Matthew 24:36-44 – “Concerning That Day and Hour” (part 1)

A sermon by Pastor Joe Haynes

Preached on September 29, 2024 at Beacon Church

The earth quaked nearby early Thursday morning. It reminded me that Jesus said heaven and earth will pass away. It wasn’t very strong, but it was enough to wake me up. I’ve felt very large earthquakes before, and I can tell you that really wakes you up! Sometimes things happen that startle you like that—that wake you up, that rouse you, that snap you out of drowsiness and makes you instantly alert. I suggest to you that if you compare what is happening in the world today, and where we are in history, with the things predicted by the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:4-29, it should wake you up.

The Lord Jesus Christ said, “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away,” (Mt 24:35). The reason I’m pointing this out to you again is that what Jesus said in verse 35 is to confirm the truth of what He promised in verses 30-31, and 33—that He is coming back and that His coming is near, at the very gates (33). So what He says next, in verses 36-44, is about staying awake while we wait for His return. Believers in 2024 need this exhortation now more than ever before. You and I live at a point in history closer to the second coming than ever. But it is also now harder to stay awake, I think, than ever before. Not only is the world very wicked, but the passage of 2000 years has taken a toll on the readiness of the Church. Isn’t it strange? If He is closer than ever, why does He feel so far away? Why do His words seem harder to believe than the things that tempt us? Sin promises you something. And you believe it. You fall for it. But God’s Word also makes promises. And you feel like those are hard to believe. But sin deceives you and God’s Word is true. You see our problem. And I think it’s a problem growing worse with time. Not only do I believe Jesus understood this, I believe these words are meant to help us. I believe what He says here about the time is more timely than ever before. I think our generation is more likely to be seduced into sin, to get drowsy, to fail to stay awake, and fail to be ready for the return of Christ than any generation before us. In these verses, the Lord predicts His return from three points of view that show you the cost of not being ready. I want you to think about the cost of not being ready. Why? To startle you into wakefulness.

First, though, I want to draw your attention to the way the Lord arranged His thoughts. He makes three similar statements about not knowing the time--in verses vv 36, 42, and 44. No one knows; you don’t know; you don’t expect it. And in each of those sections, the suddenness of the Lord’s return is shown from three different perspectives: the perspective of unbelievers in Noah’s time; of two believers with their “neighbours” at the second coming, and of a man responsible for a household. What is the cost of not being ready?

What is the cost of unreadiness for non-Christians? (36-39)

First, the Lord Jesus is talking about “that day and hour.” “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only,” (Matt. 24:36 ESV). Notice that. Underline it. It’s going to be important in what follows. In this first prediction of the His return, Jesus refers to the time of that event with the words, “concerning that day and hour.” And what does He say about it? Jesus says nobody knows when that day and hour will be. Nobody knows when. The knowledge does not exist on earth. There is no pastor, no Bible expert, no especially godly grandma who knows. None of God’s creatures on earth know. And none of God’s creatures in Heaven know either—not even one angel knows. But then, after ruling out all creatures on Earth, and all creatures in Heaven, Jesus says even He doesn’t know.

Let me pause here and ask you to think with me. And you need to see that Jesus puts all God’s creatures in two columns: those on earth, and those in heaven, and puts Himself in a different category altogether. Because He is not one of God’s creatures. He is the uncreated Son of God. At the beginning of this book, (Mat 1:23) Matthew introduces Jesus as God with us, Immanuel—the incarnation of the Son of God. But then you need to see that Jesus says He doesn’t know when that day and hour will be. But 1 John 3:20 says God knows everything. So does this mean Jesus is less than God? No. It means Jesus is really human. His own words in verse 36 show He is unique from all God’s creatures, affirming He is God. But His ignorance about that time affirms He is also human. The Son of God did not give up all-knowledge when He took on a human nature. But when He took on a human body, with a human nature, He took on the limits of that nature. God is everywhere; Jesus’ human body is not. God is all-powerful; Jesus’ human body got tired, grew weak, and even died. Likewise, God is all-knowing; Jesus’ human nature was not. As RC Sproul once said, “Jesus’ human knowledge was limited, just like anyone else’s knowledge. There were times when He demonstrated supernatural knowledge, but that did not then mean that His human nature had taken on divine omniscience…”[i] He goes on to compare the way Jesus knew things only God could know with the way God told His prophets many things they otherwise could never know. So when Jesus here says even He doesn’t know the day and hour of His second coming, it’s because God didn’t tell Him. Now that He has been raised from the dead, and ascended to the throne of God at His Father’s right hand, I am quite sure there is nothing the Father doesn’t tell His Son.

The point is that nobody in all Creation knows when that day and hour will be. And Jesus illustrates this with ancient history. “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man,” (Matt. 24:37 ESV). The Flood is recorded in Genesis 6-9. If you do the math, it happened over 1600 years after God created Adam. It was a frightening act of divine judgment on the whole earth. It was global. It was massive. It was deadly. “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,” (Matt. 24:38-39 ESV). Think about the cost in human lives. It was the worst catastrophe the world has ever seen. Every single trace of human civilization was wiped off the face of the earth. Global seismic and volcanic eruptions reshaped everything so that when the waters subsided, the continents, the mountain ranges, and the oceans were all new. But here’s the point: no one saw it coming. Except Noah. God told Noah it was coming. God told Noah to build a giant barge—an ark. So Noah did. Then God told Noah that in 7 days it would start to rain, and after 7 days, it did (Gen 7:4, 10). Rain poured down and water came up from aquifers bursting open all over the globe (Gen 7:11). And what Jesus points out in verse 39 confirms what Genesis 7 implies: everybody who died, died violently. Jesus says “they were unaware” until they were “swept away.” But who’s “they?” For over 1600 years after God created human beings, people reproduced. Jesus says there were weddings and feasts right up to the day Noah entered the Ark. If you take the long lifespans recorded in Genesis 5, and normal birth rates like today, over 1600 years, the total number of human lives lost in the Flood could easily be in the billions.[ii] Consider the cost of being “unaware” of what is coming.

Maybe you remember the great Tsunami in the Indian Ocean, 20 years ago. 200,000 people were killed. That was just one part of the world. The Flood was like many tsunamis all over the planet. Gen 7:21 says every land-animal and human on earth perished. They were all “unaware” of the judgment. They were unaware even though Noah certainly became infamous as the crazy man building a giant boat on dry land. Noah wasn’t silent: 2 Pe 2:5 calls him a preacher. But they were unaware. They went on with their lives. Right to the end. Ignoring God in the world He made. Corrupt, immoral, and violent (Gen 6:1, 5; 7:11, 13). Ignoring their conscience; ignoring God; ignoring Noah’s preaching; ignoring the fact he was building an Ark. Think about the devastating cost of being willfully “unaware.” And see what the Lord Jesus predicts at the very end of verse 39: [read v39b].

I said the Lord predicts His return from three points of view that show you the cost of not being ready. The first prediction is illustrated by the point of view of those who were unaware until the Flood swept them away. The second prediction is from the point of view of those who know what’s coming.

What is the cost of unreadiness for Christians? (40-42)

Again, notice what Jesus says about not knowing the time in verse 42: It’s personal. He doesn’t say “no one knows…” but “you do not know what day your Lord is coming.” He’s talking to His disciples. But it’s relevant for every Christian.

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. (Matt. 24:40-42 ESV)

There are two very obvious truths you need to see here. First, notice how these two men in verse 40, and these two women in verse 41, are together right up to the day of Christ’s return. The picture is of Christians in close relationships with non-Christians; believers with unbelievers. Matthew gives us a picture of Christians with their neighbours. Luke’s Gospel adds that believers will be married to unbelievers—two people sharing the same bed (Luke 17:34). I like the focus Matthew brings though: on the day when the Lord Jesus Christ returns, Christians will be going to work. Doing their jobs. Just like every other day. I like the reminder here that Christians are working people. Not lunatics who quit their jobs and sell their houses because they think it’s the end of the world. No, Jesus told His disciples not to be led astray by anyone (4); not to be alarmed (6); not to believe any false prophet or false teacher (23, 26). Do your job. Make your living. When everyone else is fainting with fear and foreboding of what is coming on the world, as Luke 21:26 predicts, keep showing up for work.

But second, notice how these two men in verse 40, and these two women in verse 41, will then be separated from each other forever. The picture is of believers in close relationships with unbelievers right to the day the Lord Jesus comes back. So consider the cost of not being ready. Just like the people of Noah’s day were unaware until the Flood came and swept them all away, so it will be when Jesus comes. Believers will be working side by side with unbelievers, and the unbelievers will be taken. Only those who belong to Jesus Christ will remain. It’s the same deadly judgment Jesus predicted in the parables of the weeds and of the net in Mat 13:

The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.  40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.  41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,  42 and throw them into the fiery furnace.  (Matt. 13:39-42)

So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous  50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. (Matt. 13:49-50)

So consider the cost of not being ready: “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming,” (Matt. 24:42 ESV). What does it mean for a Christian to “stay awake”? Well the first thing that strikes me is how in Noah’s day, everybody who perished was “unaware until the Flood came and swept them all away.” Consider the people you call your friends, the people you work with, who you even live with, who you care about. The day Jesus comes back will be the last time you ever see them if they stay “unaware” until they are “swept away”—until they are taken. You have a responsibility to do what you can to make them aware. The second thing that occurs to me is that not only was Noah a preacher (2 Pe 2:5), he did what God told him to do. When you live your life obeying God it will be noticed. Jesus said you are to “let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven,” (Mat 5:16). Peter instructs Christians to live honourable lives so that even when people malign you, “they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation,” (1 Pe 2:12). And let me be blunt: to live in a way that obeys God, you need to know what God’s Word says. The third thing that stands out to me about staying awake is what Peter says in 1 Pe 4:7, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers,” (1 Pet. 4:7). He goes right on to say above all, love one another (4:8), show hospitality to one another (4:9), serve one another (4:10). One of the best things you can do as a Christian to “stay awake” is to love your local church, to love your fellow Christians. And how can that help the unsaved, unbeliever you work with every day? “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another,” (Jn. 13:35).

You can’t make people see what’s coming, but you can show them who you are: disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. Believers who take His Word seriously; who pray, and love, and share your lives with each other, whose good deeds can be seen by those who know you. So stay awake, for you don’t know the day when your Lord is coming. But you know for sure He really is coming. So live like it. Now I said, the Lord predicts His return from three points of view that show you the cost of not being ready. First from the point of view of unbelievers like in Noah’s day; second from that of believers who work with unbelievers on the last day; and third, from the point of view of Christians responsible for other Christians.

What is the cost of unreadiness for Christian leaders? (43-44)

For the third time, notice what Jesus says about not knowing the time in verse 44: It’s personal again. He’s talking to His disciples, to His apostles.  But it’s especially relevant to any Christian leader: every pastor, every leader, every husband, every parent, every disciple maker.

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. (Matt. 24:43-44 ESV)

I said earlier that you would see the importance of noting that in verse 36, Jesus refers to the time of His return as “that day and hour.” So then notice how He refers to that time in verse 42: “that day.” And now notice how He refers to it in verse 44: “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” It’s like a count-down: day+hour; then day; then hour. It makes you feel the need to be ready more and more as He moves from prediction to prediction. With each of these three predictions that He is coming again, the Lord Jesus gives you an increasing sense of urgency. But He also gives an increasing picture of responsibility.

So look again at verse 43. Jesus said in verse 36 that nobody knows when He’s coming; then in verse 42 that you don’t know when He’s coming. Now it’s like He is saying, “you don’t know that, but you do know this.” If a thief notified you he would rob you at 3:15 a.m. on September 30, you know what you would do. Because you know it’s what anyone would do. But who exactly is Jesus describing? He doesn’t just describe a home-owner. He is talking about “a master of a house.” Not just someone who owns a house, but someone responsible for a household. He uses the very same word in Mt 10:25 about himself with his disciples as “members of his household.” It’s not about who owns the building but who is responsible for the people in the building. As the Lord ramps up the sense of urgency with each of these predictions, He also increases the pressure on His disciples in terms of their responsibility. Again, in the first prediction, unbelievers are responsible for themselves, what happens to them. But in the second prediction, there is a subtle reminder that Christians have a responsibility to our neighbours, even those we work with. And in the third prediction, the man in this story is defined by his responsibility to the members of his household. That’s all Jesus says about him: he’s a master of a household.

So consider the cost of not being ready. What husband would leave the front door unlocked and the windows open if he knew someone was going to attempt a home-invasion at 3 in the morning? What parents would put their children in such danger? And if that’s true about people responsible for their household, what Christian leader would put the people he leads at risk by not being ready for the hour when our Lord returns? Jesus has more to say about the responsibility on the shoulders of such Christian leaders in the very next verses. So I’ll stick to these verses for now and just ask you again to consider the cost of not being ready. If it doesn’t concern you that billions of people will one day soon face eternal punishment with no more chance to repent and no more chance to be forgiven, then does it concern you at all that many of the people you know, who you work with, who you call friends, and even family, that they will be taken away into eternal judgment? Is that not enough reason for you to stay awake? To live like a Christian? And if the fate of unbelievers in general, and of your close “neighbours” and friends isn’t enough to snap you out of your spiritual stupor, think about the people following your example. If you are a husband, think about your wife; if a mother or father, think about your children; if you are a mentor, to the ones you lead. Consider the price that they might pay if you are not ready when your Lord returns. Let the cost of not being ready, startle you from your sleep and wake you up.