Matthew 24:36-51 NIV
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
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What is the appropriate response to the promise of the coming reign of God? If we will all be judged for our behavior and choices in this life, how ought we live? If a time of tribulation will be followed by the second coming of Christ and the full arrival of the kingdom of God, what sort of lives ought we live?
Peter asked the same kind of question.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
2 Peter 3:10-12a NIV
Jesus taught that the day of God, traditionally Judgement Day, will take many by surprise. As a result they will be unprepared. The disciples are urged to keep watch, to live each day as if it will be The Day of the Lord's return. How would you live your life if you lived expecting the Lord to return and end this current era and bring the fullness of the Kingdom of Love?
Jesus has already mentioned the separation of the righteous and the wicked at the end. There's no grey areas. You are either in or out. Therefore God either judges you righteous or wicked and places you where you belong. When that day comes some will be working and one will be taken, but the other left behind.
I use the phrase "left behind" on purpose. The popular fictional series by Timothy LaHaye, entitled by the same, interprets the taking away as the rapture. This doctrine is popular, but not universally believed. If you read closely Jesus mentions the unaware are the ones who are taken, the ones who are eating, drinking and marrying. The unaware are taken by surprise by the flood and swept away. In the same way the ones who are not watching faithfully will also be taken by surprise at the second coming of Christ. They will be removed from the kingdom of heaven.
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear."
Matthew 13:40-43 NIV
Jesus tells His disciples to keep watch and be ready. How are we to be ready? Jesus answers that we are to be about our Master's business. He tells of a servant whose master gave them charge of his household with the responsibility to care for the needs of all the other servants, feeding them on time, etc. When the master finds them doing what they were entrusted to do, it will mean reward. But if the servant is lazy and self centered, and gets drunk and abuses the others, it will mean harsh punishment.
He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 24:51 NIV
Notice Jesus says hypocrites, not the wicked or evildoers, like other references to the damned. In the previous chapter Jesus called the religious leaders hypocrites, the Pharisees and teachers of the law at the temple. A hypocrite says one thing but does another. Two faced, they wear a righteous facade, but inside are actually filled with greed, hatred, lust, coveting, prejudice, arrogance and the like. I'm afraid there will be a great many who fit into the category of hypocrite, for our hearts are captive to sin until redeemed by the love of Christ. Until we are transformed inwardly through redemptive grace, we will always live as hypocrites. Fortunately, the Spirit of Christ gives us self control so that we fight sin in our hearts and minds and find grace to resist temptation. We are free to be about our master's business, rather than fulfilling the desires of the flesh.
As you think about how you are keeping watch and preparing yourself for the arrival of the Son of Man and His kingdom, what sort of work are you doing to serve the Master's other servants? How are you using that which has been entrusted to you? Will the Lord be pleased to find you doing what is expected of a good servant, or will He find you self-indulgent and abusive? Will He find your witness to be lacking integrity because you say you will be God's servant, but you don't behave like it?
Be alert. The world needs you watching and working toward the day of Christ's arrival.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is the appropriate response to the promise of the coming reign of God? If we will all be judged for our behavior and choices in this life, how ought we live? If a time of tribulation will be followed by the second coming of Christ and the full arrival of the kingdom of God, what sort of lives ought we live?
Peter asked the same kind of question.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
2 Peter 3:10-12a NIV
Jesus taught that the day of God, traditionally Judgement Day, will take many by surprise. As a result they will be unprepared. The disciples are urged to keep watch, to live each day as if it will be The Day of the Lord's return. How would you live your life if you lived expecting the Lord to return and end this current era and bring the fullness of the Kingdom of Love?
Jesus has already mentioned the separation of the righteous and the wicked at the end. There's no grey areas. You are either in or out. Therefore God either judges you righteous or wicked and places you where you belong. When that day comes some will be working and one will be taken, but the other left behind.
I use the phrase "left behind" on purpose. The popular fictional series by Timothy LaHaye, entitled by the same, interprets the taking away as the rapture. This doctrine is popular, but not universally believed. If you read closely Jesus mentions the unaware are the ones who are taken, the ones who are eating, drinking and marrying. The unaware are taken by surprise by the flood and swept away. In the same way the ones who are not watching faithfully will also be taken by surprise at the second coming of Christ. They will be removed from the kingdom of heaven.
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear."
Matthew 13:40-43 NIV
Jesus tells His disciples to keep watch and be ready. How are we to be ready? Jesus answers that we are to be about our Master's business. He tells of a servant whose master gave them charge of his household with the responsibility to care for the needs of all the other servants, feeding them on time, etc. When the master finds them doing what they were entrusted to do, it will mean reward. But if the servant is lazy and self centered, and gets drunk and abuses the others, it will mean harsh punishment.
He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 24:51 NIV
Notice Jesus says hypocrites, not the wicked or evildoers, like other references to the damned. In the previous chapter Jesus called the religious leaders hypocrites, the Pharisees and teachers of the law at the temple. A hypocrite says one thing but does another. Two faced, they wear a righteous facade, but inside are actually filled with greed, hatred, lust, coveting, prejudice, arrogance and the like. I'm afraid there will be a great many who fit into the category of hypocrite, for our hearts are captive to sin until redeemed by the love of Christ. Until we are transformed inwardly through redemptive grace, we will always live as hypocrites. Fortunately, the Spirit of Christ gives us self control so that we fight sin in our hearts and minds and find grace to resist temptation. We are free to be about our master's business, rather than fulfilling the desires of the flesh.
As you think about how you are keeping watch and preparing yourself for the arrival of the Son of Man and His kingdom, what sort of work are you doing to serve the Master's other servants? How are you using that which has been entrusted to you? Will the Lord be pleased to find you doing what is expected of a good servant, or will He find you self-indulgent and abusive? Will He find your witness to be lacking integrity because you say you will be God's servant, but you don't behave like it?
Be alert. The world needs you watching and working toward the day of Christ's arrival.
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