Section 3C of Preface: The Second Coming of
Christ
In addition to preparing the followers about
where the souls of the dead go...they were also
prepared as to the timing of Jesus' return.
In Matthew 24:1-2, Jesus tells his disciples that
the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed (Note:
The temple and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed
about 40 years later by the Romans).
Later on in Matthew 24:3, Jesus' disciples asked
Jesus three questions:
- When will these things (the destruction of
the temple) be.
- What will be the sign of Jesus' coming.
- What will be the sign of the end of the age.
"And
as He (Jesus) was sitting on the Mount of Olives,
the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell
us, when will these things be, and what will be the
sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
Matthew 24:3 (NAS)
In the chapter, Jesus answers their question
about the sign of His second coming:
"But
of that day and hour no one knows, not even the
angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
37 "For the coming of the Son of Man will
be just like the days of Noah. 38 "For as
in those days which were before the flood they were
eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving
in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the
ark, 39 and they did not understand until
the flood came and took them all away; so shall the
coming of the Son of Man be. 40 "Then
there shall be two men 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 be on the alert, for you do not know
which day your Lord is coming. 43 "But be
sure of this, that if the head of the house had
known at what time of the night the thief was
coming, he would have been on the alert and would
not have allowed his house to be broken into.
44 "For this reason you be ready too; for the
Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not
think He will. 45 "Who then is the
faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in
charge of his household to give them their food at
the proper time? 46 "Blessed is that
slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
47 "Truly I say to you, that he will put
him in charge of all his possessions. 48
"But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My
master is not coming for a long time,' 49
and shall begin to beat his fellow slaves and eat
and drink with drunkards; 50 the master
of that slave will come on a day when he does not
expect and at an hour which he does not know,
51 and shall cut him in pieces and assign him
a place with the hypocrites; weeping shall be there
and the gnashing of teeth." Matthew 24:36-51 (NAS)
Question:
According to Matthew 24:36 who knows when that
day and hour will come? |