Verses 37-44

Matt 24:37-44
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
(KJV)

In the days of Noah, people went on living in their sin, without paying heed to Noah's preaching that judgment was coming, and the end of the age was fast approaching. Jesus likened this to the situation in the tribulation. Despite all the apparent signs, people will refuse to believe that the end of this present world system is imminent. They will carry on with their lives oblivious to the fulfilled signs. They will refuse to repent despite all the disasters of the tribulation.

Rev 9:20-21
20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
(KJV)

It seems hard to imagine that this earth can sustain the series of plagues Revelation describes, and yet the vast majority of people will refuse to acknowledge the judgment of God. No doubt, they will devise all kinds of scientific reasoning for these plagues, in order to justify their continued rebellion against God. But, Jesus assures us that He is coming, right on schedule.

Peter alluded to Jesus' teaching here in his second Epistle. Like Jesus, he used the attitude of the people of Noah's day to illustrate how it will be just before the Day of the Lord comes.

2 Pet 3:3-10
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
(KJV)

The destruction that will come on the Day of the Lord will overtake the wicked totally by surprise. But, notice that this is also the same coming of Jesus that is our hope of rescue. There is only one coming of Jesus mentioned here. It will be a day of sudden destruction for the wicked, and a day of hope for Christians. This comes from Jesus' teaching in the Olivet Discourse. This is the unanimous teaching of Scripture. It appears to me that Peter was simply reiterating what Jesus taught in the Olivet Discourse.

Next, Jesus referred again to the rapture.

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

This was a brief reminder of what Jesus had previously taught them in Luke 17. The righteous will be gathered by the angels [Matt. 24:31], and the wicked will be left behind. [Click here to go to a separate article on Luke 17.] Jesus instructed them to be watching for His coming in glory "immediately after the tribulation."

Finally, Jesus used the famous parable about the "thief in the night."

43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

The obvious point of this statement is that if one knows when a thief is coming, he can watch for him, and prevent a bad outcome. In the same manner, if we are keenly aware of the signs Jesus gave His disciples, we can prevent the surprise of Jesus' coming. In effect, if we are paying attention, we can know when His coming is imminent, and take proper action. In the mean while, we are to watch for the signs Jesus gave, because, until the signs are fulfilled, we cannot know when He is coming. It is clear then, that "watching" in this context means watching for the accompanying signs that Jesus gave His disciples. Paul carried this idea further in the following passage.

1Thess 5:1-6
1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
(KJV)

Notice that Paul was alluding to Jesus' comments. The "thief in the night" statement was coined by Jesus in reference to His post-trib coming. Yet, Paul applied Jesus' warning to the Thessalonian Christians. He wrote that Christians will NOT be surprised by Jesus' coming, while the wicked will be totally surprised. Why? Obviously, because Paul expected that Christians will heed the warnings Jesus gave, and be watching for the specific signs that occur during the tribulation.

Go to: Matt. 24:45-51
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