Mount Olivet Discourse -
Part 11
by Paul George
Matthew 24:40- 42
The illustration used in this parable is a separation where
one individual will be taken and the other left behind. The
question related to this passage is who is taken and who is
left behind, the believer or the unbeliever. It is true that
when the rapture occurs there will be a separation of
believers from unbelievers. The believers taken away and the
unbelievers left to pass into the Great Tribulation.
Matthew 24:40-42 points back to Matthew 24:37-39. Two
classes were living in Noah’s day. The one who were
unbelieving and these were swept away by the divine
judgment. The other class was Noah and his house, and he and
his own were left and not destroyed by the judgment. It will
be so again in the coming of the Son of Man. The unbelievers
will be taken away in the Day of Judgment and wrath; the
believers will be left on the earth to receive and enjoy the
blessings of the coming age and enter into the kingdom,
which will then be established.
Another reason to see verses 40- 41 as illustrating ones who
are taken in judgment is the parallel passage found in Luke
17:24- 37, Jesus speaks of the coming of the Son of Man
being just like the days of Noah and Lot, in both
illustrations, the wicked are taken in judgment. Luke 17:27
says, "the flood came and destroyed them all." Luke 17:29
says “fire and brimstone from heaven destroyed them all.”
The disciples asked Jesus "Where Lord?" This question means
where are the unbelievers taken. Jesus answers: "Where the
body is, there also the vultures will be gathered" This
refers to vultures hovering over a dead corpse. Therefore,
anyone would be able to see where a dead body is because of
the vultures hovering above (Revelation 19:17-21). Such
language clearly supports the notion that the ones taken are
removed to judgment.
"Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day
your Lord is coming. 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. For this reason
you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour
when you do not think He will" (Matthew 24:42- 44).
This parable tells us about an owner of a house that has
received a warning that a thief was coming to break into his
house. Since he knows the time in which the thief was to
arrive, the responsible owner prepares for this impending
event by setting a watch to guard the house and protect it
from a possible break-in. The point of the lesson is that if
one knows the time and place of when something will occur,
then the responsible thing to do would be to take
conscientious action in light of the impending event.
The meaning of this parable is clear and understandable.
Believers will be watching because they know that a thief is
coming during this time. Therefore, they are prepared and
alert. Israel was not prepared and ready when Christ came
the first time, but the remnant will be prepared and ready
when He arrives the second time. In this context, being
“ready” refers to being saved, of being spiritually prepared
to meet Christ as Lord and King rather than Judge. Jesus is
letting Israel know that they need to be prepared for His
return, whenever that is. Preparation is made when one
trusts Jesus as their Messiah.
The entire passage from Matthew 24:36 teaches that (1) in
Jesus' day, no one knew the date of the advent except the
Father, (2) that Noah' s days were analogous to the last
days; (3) that the unsaved in Noah' s day did not know when
the flood would come; (4) but that the saved , Noah and his
family, did know at least seven days in advance; (5) when
the Lord comes, He will divide between the saints and
sinners, (6) we ought to be watching the signs of the times
for hints that will tell us when He will come, inasmuch as
(7) we do not now have such information.
Three major themes are emphasized in the parables that
conclude the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew. Watchfulness
was the emphasis concerning the parable of the fig tree
(24:32- 34). The comparison of Christ’s return to the days
of Noah focuses on preparedness (24:36- 41) and faithfulness
in service to our Lord (24:42- 44).
The parables in this section, prepares the way for the
parables lessons in Matthew 25.
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