Are You Ready for Christ’s Coming?

Matthew 24:36-44

Are you ready for Christ’s coming? In Matthew 24:36, Jesus begins a new section of His Olivet Discourse. Remember that as Jesus left the temple in Jerusalem for the last time, He predicted it would be destroyed (Matt. 24:2). So, the disciples asked Him, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3). They asked a “when” question and a “what” question: “when will these things be?” and “what will be the sign of your coming.”

As we have seen, Jesus answered the “what” question about the signs of His coming and the end of the age in Matthew 24:4-35. He warned them not to be deceived by false teachers, prophets, and messiahs. He predicted religious persecution, military conflicts, and natural disasters. It would culminate with the abomination of desolation and the great tribulation. After that, they would see the sign of the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Now, Jesus deals with the “when” question. This seems to be the question that people always want the answer to, “When it Christ coming?” People will ask it in different ways, ‘Do you think we are close to the Second Coming?’; ‘Do you think these are the last days?’; ‘Could the Rapture happen soon?’

The disciples had the same question about the timing. In fact, they asked it again when Jesus appeared to them after His resurrection. It’s the last recorded question they ever asked Jesus. In Acts 1:6 they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” You can hardly blame them for asking the question. After all they had been through with Jesus, it was perfectly reasonable that they should wonder when He would establish His kingdom and rule over Israel from David’s throne in Jerusalem in fulfillment of scripture. But we must also pay attention to Jesus’ answer, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:7).

Jesus teaches them that the Father has ordained the events of the future by His divine authority. But it is not for them to know the timing. No matter how many times we may ask the question, God’s answer is always the same: “It is not for you to know.” That perspective comes through clearly in Matthew 24. In Matthew 24:36 Jesus says, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” In Matthew 24:42, He says, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” In Matthew 24:44 He says, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Jesus does not tell us when He is coming. He tells us we cannot know the exact time of His coming. We must not spend our precious time on this earth guessing about when Christ will come. Biblical prophecy is not given to us for speculation but for preparation and transformation. What Jesus teaches us in this passage is that we must use our days here making sure that we are ready for His return at all times. The question we should be asking is not, “When will Christ come?”, but “Am I ready for Christ to come?”

So, here is the one point from our text today: Only God knows the time when Christ will come, therefore, be ready at all times. Let’s consider what Jesus teaches. First, He teaches that …

1. The Son of Man Will Come …

The Biblical writers leave no question mark about whether or not Jesus Christ will return as the triumphant King. In our very text here in Matthew 24 notice how Jesus emphasizes it through repetition: Matthew 24:37, “… so also will the coming of the Son of Man be”; Matthew 24:39, “… so also will the coming of the Son of Man be”; Matthew 24:42, “… your Lord is coming”; and Matthew 24:44, “… the Son of Man is coming.”

Therefore, when Jesus says in Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour no one knows…”, the day and hour He is talking about is the day and hour of His coming. The word “coming” (Greek παρουσία, parousia) means “arrival, presence, or advent”[1]. When used of Jesus in the New Testament, this word becomes a technical term for the second coming or future, visible return of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:23; 1 Thess. 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 2 Thess. 2:1; 2:8; James 5:7; 2 Peter 3:4; 1 John 2:28).

Jesus has just described what that day will be like in 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; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.“

That is the day Jesus is teaching about here, the day of His future, visible, personal coming in power and glory as the king and judge.

And Jesus says in Matthew 24:36 that His coming will be …

A. At a Time Known Only to the Father (Matt. 24:36)

Jesus says, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” (Matt. 24:36). Mark’s version says, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32).

This teaching tells us we need to be careful not to over-interpret the signs. The signs are meant to point us to Christ’s return and prepare us for Christ’s return. However, they are not meant to pinpoint the exact time of Christ’s return. Jesus says no one knows the day or the hour, not even the angels, nor the Son, but the Father only.

This verse gives us insight into Christ’s incarnation. We know that Matthew has clearly presented Jesus Christ as the Son of God. And we know that by that title, he means that He is literally “Immanuel,” “God with us” (Matt. 1:23). In Christ, the eternal Son of God, the second person of the triune God, the One who was with God and was God, became flesh and lived as a man on earth (John 1:1-3; 14). Jesus is the God-man. Fully God and fully human. At times, Jesus exercised His divine knowledge and powers, such as when He healed sicknesses, drove out demons, walked on water, multiplied bread and fish, forgave sin, and knew what people were thinking. And at other times, Jesus limited Himself to His human capacities. Jesus was obviously not bodily omnipresent while He walked on earth. In His humanity, Jesus got tired and hungry. In His incarnation, Christ humbled Himself, not losing any of His divine attributes, but willingly limiting Himself in obedience to His Father. This is the mystery of the incarnation.

Regarding what Jesus knew as a man, MacArthur says,

Jesus obediently restricted His knowledge to those things that the Father wanted Him to know during His earthly days of humanity. The Father revealed certain things to the Son as he reaveals them to all men—through the Scripture, through the Father working in and through His life, and through the physical manifestations of God’s power and glory. … Jesus’s human knowledge was limited to what His heavenly Father provided.[2]

If the Son did not know the time of His coming, who are we to presume that we could know the day or hour? Broadus comments, “how cheerfully should we his followers rest in ignorance that cannot be removed, trusting in all things to our heavenly Father’s wisdom and goodness, striving to obey his clearly revealed will, and leaning on his goodness for support”[3]

So, if Jesus Christ, in His humanity, did not need to know when He would return, then neither do we need that kind of precise knowledge. Christ will come again but the time is known only to God and not to men or angels.

Rather, Jesus teaches that His coming will be …

B. At an Unexpected Time for the Unprepared (Matt. 24:37-41)

Jesus compares the time of His coming to the days of Noah.

³⁷ “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matt. 24:37-39)

What was it like in Noah’s day? It was “business as usual.” While Noah patiently built the ark and warned men of coming judgment, people just went on living life as if nothing would ever change. They could see the signs—Noah building an ark, gathering the animals and food, and preaching about the judgment to come. They must have known that at least Noah believed something was coming. But they ignored the warnings. Everyone just kept living normally with no thought of divine judgment. Even the terminology in the verse describes the casual munching of food and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage—just normal everyday life. Nothing Noah did not said phased them.

Then suddenly, but not without warning, “the flood came and took them all away.” I think it interesting that we get our English word ‘cataclysmic’ from the word for “flood.” They did not know that they were in a flood until they were in the flood! But that is how cataclysmic events happen. Jesus says, that’s what it will be like at His coming. The signs of Christ’s return will be all around them, but people will keep living their lives as though nothing will ever change. And so, when Christ comes, it will be too late for them. Just like people were not ready for the flood, many will not be ready for Christ’s return.

Our Lord makes the dreadful picture even more personal in Matthew 24:40-41,

⁴⁰ “Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.” (Matt. 24:40-41)

When Christ returns, God will make a distinction between those who are ready and those who are not. And Jesus shows us how personal this will be. Two men, maybe brothers, maybe a father and a son, or maybe lifelong friends go to work in their field. One is a believer; the other is not. Two women grinding at a mill, maybe they were sisters or mother and daughter or servants of the same master or best friends. One is a believer; the other is not. When Christ returns, “a complete and permanent division” takes place.[4]

Each of us will stand alone before God in that day. It won’t matter who your parents were, who you were married to or what church you attended. The only question that will matter is do you know Jesus? Are you ready for His coming?

The return of Jesus Christ is a time unknown to us, a time when the world seems to be operating on normalcy, and a time that is unexpected. So in light of this, how do you prepare for His return?

2. We Should Respond with …

Three conditions ought to characterize us who expect Christ to return: watchfulness, readiness, and faithfulness. Two are in our passage today and the third we will look at next week. First, we should respond to the fact of Christ’s coming with …

A. Watchfulness (Matt. 24:42)

Notice Matthew 24:42 begins with “therefore”, a hinge word that indicates a conclusion. Jesus is drawing an application, telling us what to do in light of His coming. “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” (Matt. 24:42).

First, Jesus issues a command, “Watch”, and then He gives a rationale for it “for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” “Watch” means to be alert, stay awake, be vigilant, and pay attention. Then Jesus gives an illustration of what He means. “But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.” (Matt. 24:43).

How does a thief come to your house? Suddenly and unannounced. After all, if you knew a thief was coming at 3:15 a.m. on Thursday morning, you would be ready for him, but thieves rarely call and make appointments in advance. “I’ll try to be there by 3:15 but it might be closer to 4:00 because we’ve got two other houses to rob, but it would help if you would just pile the stuff in the middle of the floor so we don’t have to search through all your drawers. And if you wouldn’t mind leaving the door unlocked, it would save us some time.” It never happens that way, does it?

Jesus is coming like a thief in the night. When people are not expecting Him, He’ll return to the earth. Therefore, do not be like the unsuspecting homeowner. You know He is coming, just not when He is coming. Therefore, watch!

How often do you think about Christ’s return? Are you keeping watch? When you see the clouds in the sky, do you long for His return? When you see wars, persecutions, false prophets, and the gospel being proclaimed in all the world, do you long for His coming? Do you wake up each morning hoping for the return of Christ? That’s the first thing Jesus tells us in this section. Keep watch, because you do not know when He will come.

Second we should respond with …

B. Readiness (Matt. 24:43-44)

Jesus again concludes, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matt. 24:44).

Jesus is telling us to prepare for something that is certain. He will return. We do not know the time or day. We cannot pinpoint a spot on a prophetic calendar to give us ease of mind about when He comes. He calls for us to be ready to meet Him at any time. “Be ready,” because we do not know when Christ comes, and we do not want Him to return and find us unprepared.

Next time, we will look at how to be ready by being faithful. But to conclude today, let me just ask you, Are you ready to meet Jesus Christ? He is either coming in your lifetime, or you will go to meet Him when you die. Are you ready? You do not know the day or hour when you will meet the Lord face to face. Are you ready?

Have you repented and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ? Only those who in Christ will be able to stand in the judgment because they stand on the finished work of Christ. You need to know Jesus and trust him as your Savior. Now is the time of grace and opportunity when the gospel call goes forth and all who put their faith in Jesus are saved. When Jesus returns, that window will close. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Put your trust in Jesus today.

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[2] Joh MacArthur, MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 24-28, Moody Publishers, Chicago, p. 72.

[3] John Broadus, quoted by Paul Apple from D.A. Carson’s Matthew Commentary on https://www.bibleoutlines.com/matthew-24236-44-be-discerning-be-alert-be-prepared-for-the-return-of-christ-in-judgment/.

[4] Leon Morris, The Gospel of Matthew, 615