Key Thought

Jesus makes clear that the exact moment of the Son of Man's coming is not certain. Whether he is referring to the destruction of Jerusalem or to his ultimate coming to bring time to an end is not so clear. To me, it seems fairly clear that while there will be very obvious signs of Jerusalem's imminent destruction, Jesus' return is incalculable. In fact, he tells his disciples three different stories to help them understand that they cannot know the exact time of his coming. He, himself, does not know the time of his own coming. Neither do the angels. The bigger issue is the surprise and unexpectedness of his arrival. It will seem like any ordinary day with eating and drinking and marrying going on just like in ordinary times. No one will be expecting it. But his disciples will be ready for it. It may be a surprise but they won't be unprepared!

Today's Prayer

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O Mighty God, Ruler of the Ages, please give me patience and attentiveness while I wait for the coming of Jesus. May I be found faithful and righteous when Jesus comes and please help me as I seek to influence those in my family to not only love Jesus, but anticipate his coming. In the name of Jesus, my Coming King, I pray. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context

"No person knows when that day or time will be. The Son and the angels in heaven don't know when that day or time will be. Only the Father knows. When the Son of Man comes, it will be the same as the thing that happened during Noah's time. In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking. People were marrying and giving their children to be married. The people were still doing those things until the day Noah entered the boat. Those people knew nothing about what was happening. But then the flood came and all those people were destroyed. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes. Two men will be working together in the field. One man will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain with a mill. One woman will be taken and the other woman will be left. "So always be ready. You don't know the day your Lord will come. Remember this: If the owner of the house knew what time the thief was coming, then the owner would be ready for him. The owner would watch and not let the thief enter his house. So you also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at a time when you don't expect him. "Who is the wise and trusted servant? The master trusts one servant to give the other servants their food at the right time. Who is the servant that the master trusts to do that work? When the master comes and finds that servant doing the work he gave him, the servant will be very happy. I tell you the truth. The master will choose that servant to take care of everything the master owns. But what will happen if the servant is evil and thinks his master will not come back soon? Then that servant will begin to beat the other servants. That servant will eat the food and get drunk with other people like him. Then the master of that servant will come when the servant is not ready. It will be a time when the servant is not expecting the master. Then the master will punish that servant. The master will send him away to be with the hypocrites. And in that placepeople will cry and grind their teeth {with pain}.

— Matthew 24:36-51 (ERV)

Easy-to-Read Version copyright © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center. All rights reserved.