Matthew 24-36-51
Sermon introduction“A second and third century Roman Clergyman calculated that Jesus would return in AD 500. His
predictions were based on the dimensions of Noah’s ark. Christ did not return at that time…. In the middle
ages, Pope Innocent III took the number 618 (the year Islam was founded) and added the number 666 (the
number of the beast) to get 1284 as the year of Christ’s final judgment… ” Christ did not return in 1284. I
mentioned this one two weeks ago, “in 1988 Whisenant Edgar wrote the book 88 reasons why the Rapture will
happen in 1988, and Colin Deal wrote Christ returns by 1988. Those book sold over four million copies.
Christ did not return in 1988.” (Odonnell, 717-718)
“To give one final example, Harold Camping predicted the end of the world. He advertised on his fiftyfive radio stations and on 6000 billboards, “Judgment Day is coming/May 21, 2011. The Bible Guarantees it.”
Christ did not return… Camping then, without apology for his earlier false prediction, named October 21, 2011
as the right date for Christ’s return. Again Christ did not return.” (Odonnell, 718).
Some of these predictions are silly. We laugh… but we should not laugh because when these
predictions don’t come true they discredit Christianity in the eyes of the public.
Furthermore, they are a direct contradiction to scripture. This brings us to Matthew 24: 36 this morning.
Jesus clearly says in Matthew 24:36 that no one knows the day or hour of his return.
Since no one knows the day or hour of Christ’s return we must always be ready!!!
To help us understand this we will look at one truth and make five applications.
One truth!
What is the one truth? No one knows when Christ will return!!!
Matthew 24:36 (ESV) — 36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of
heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
Verse 36 represents a very important transition in Matthew 24 also known as the Olivet Discourse. Way
back in verse 3 the disciples ask Jesus two important questions…
Matthew 24:3 (ESV) — 3 As he sat 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?”
The first question is, “when will you destroy the temple?” he answers this question in verses 3-35. I
argued last week that all of the things described in 3-35 transpired before 70 AD. This was new to some of you.
If you would like to learn more about this position, please pick up a complimentary copy of two excellent
chapters from Sam Storms book, Kingdom Come at the welcome center. We obtained permission this week to
make 15 photo copies of these chapters available to you. These chapters represent theological writing at its
very best.
Back to our text… in verses 3-35 Jesus answers the disciples first question. Verses 36-51 Jesus answers
the disciples second question, “When will you return?”
Let’s look at verse 36 again….
“Concerning that day and hour…” the day and hour of my return that you asked about in verse 3, “no
one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the father only.”
Some argue… “We may not know the day or hour but we can know the month or the year.”
One scholar writes, “This betrays a failure to hear the voice of Jesus, who loves to use overstatement,
understatement, and similar devices. If we cannot know the day or the hour, we cannot know the month, year,
or decade either.” (Doriani, 380)
Now… it makes sense that the angels would not know when Christ will return… they are finite beings.
Therefore, they are not supposed to know all things. But is Jesus really saying that even he did not know when
he would return? Isn’t Jesus God and isn’t God supposed to know all things. Yes…
The fact that Jesus says he does not know certain things bothers many Christians. But it should not.
The church has always affirmed this.
At the counsel of Chalcedon in 451 the church acknowledged the mystery that Christ possesses two
natures in one person. Jesus is fully God… and Jesus is fully man. In Jesus true humanity is united with true
divinity. The counsel of Chalcedon qualified this union with four key words- his two natures are without
mixture, without confusion, without separation, or without division. In other words, each nature retains its own
attributes. His human nature is fully human and his divine nature is fully divine.
When he was hungry it was his human nature that was hungry, not his divine nature. When Jesus
walked from place to place it was his human nature that walked from place to place. His divine nature was
already where he wanted to go since it is omnipresent.
In other words, there were certain things that are only true of one of his natures. In his human nature he
did not know all things. In his divine nature he knew all things. He voluntarily adopted these human
limitations in order to redeem us.
In his divine nature he did not know when he would return. Therefore, it is incredibly arrogant to think
that we know when Christ will return when Christ did not know when Christ would return. Do we know more
than Jesus?
We should stop wasting time trying to figure out when Christ will return since Jesus said no one would
know the day or the hour. The bottom line is this… since no one knows the day or the hour Christ could return
at any time, which means that his return is imminent.
One truth- No one knows when Christ will return. What does this mean for us?
Jesus gives us five things to think about (five illustrations) in light of this one truth.
First, Christ’s imminent return will happen when people least expect it!
Matthew 24:37–39 (ESV) — 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of
Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all
away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
In verse 38 we read that the people of Noah’s day, “were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage until the day when Noah entered the ark.” Then all of a sudden the flood came and swept them all
away.
The flood came when they were living their ordinary lives. It happened when they least expected it to
happen.
They were at a wedding, probably feasting, laughing, dancing with their friends and family and then it
started to rain. Maybe just a trickle at first. Then it rained harder and harder. They had never seen rain like this
before. Then it rose up to their ankles, then their knees, then their wastes. They started to panic. What is going
on? “Maybe that old lunatic Noah was right.” They run to his boat but the door is closed and it is too late.
In a similar sense God will come again when we least expect it. Some of you will be at work, others
will be playing badminton, mowing the grass, washing the car, others will be reading the newspaper, some will
be giving birth, others will be at a funeral, others will be working on their car, others will be sleeping. The
point is none of us will be expecting it to happen but it will happen.
Where will you be when Christ comes without warning? Will you be ready???
First, Christ’s imminent return will happen when people least expect it.
Second, Christ’s imminent return separates.
Matthew 24:40–41 (ESV) — 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41
Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.
Two men are working in the field. One is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding grain. One
is taken and one is left.
Contrary to popular belief this is probably not a reference to what is often called “the secret rapture of
the church.” Why do I say this? In verse 39 the people that are taken away (swept away) are taken away to
judgment not to bliss. Scholars disagree on whether or not this is proof for a secret rapture and even it is not it
does not change the meaning of this passage. (Doriani, 383)
At the time of his appearing there will be a great separation. The righteous will be separated from the
wicked. Some will go to heaven and others will go to hell. Matthew 25 goes into much more detail on this
point. Here is the application for now… are you ready for this great separation???
First, Christ’s imminent return will happen when people least expect it.
Second, Christ’s imminent return separates.
Third, Christ’s imminent return encourages readiness.
Matthew 24:42–43 (ESV) — 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is
coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was
coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.
Illustration- kids egging our house… if I had known the time I would have stopped those kids. I
would have been ready. I could have slacked off until 1:30am an then set my traps.
Since I did not know when these punks would show up again I had to find a way to always be ready. I
even researched getting a motion sensor camera so that I would always be ready…
Application…
Here is the point… If you knew the burglar was going to come at 4 am you would not be waiting at
2am. You could sit back and relax at 2am, maybe get some sleep. Since we don’t know when Christ is coming
we must be ready all times. Constant readiness is our only safeguard.
Matthew 24:42 (ESV) — 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is
coming.
Matthew 24:44 (ESV) — 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour
you do not expect.
One translator translates verse 42 like this… “So be constantly vigilant” this is a present tense
imperative meaning be constantly watchful or vigilant… keep watching…
How do we get ready? We get right with God. Parents how do you get your children ready? You
evangelize them and pray for them…
First, Christ’s imminent return will happen when people least expect it.
Second, Christ’s imminent return separates.
Third, Christ’s imminent return encourages readiness.
Fourth, Christ’s imminent return encourages faithfulness.
Matthew 24:44–47 (ESV) — 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an
hour you do not expect. 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his
household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so
doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
Servants/slaves were often well educated- doctors, teachers, accountants, and other types of skilled
laborers. They were often put in charge of everything while the master was away.
This wealthy master leaves on a long journey and places his wisest slave in charge of the rest of the
slaves and the other household affairs. When the master returns he will be greatly pleased if his servant has
proven himself faithful to do what he was asked to do.
In a similar sense Jesus has called us to be faithful while he is away.
ApplicationFaithful in what? Jesus calls us to be faithful in the little things…
Saying please and thank you, giving generously, showing up on time, doing what you said you would
do, praying for those we said we would pray for, managing our time, loving our wife and children, submitting to
our boss, walking in purity, praying for friends, spanking our children, etc… all of these little things matter to
God.
We should always ask this question, “would I do this activity if I knew Christ was going to return in 2
minutes.”
Martin Luther said, “Christians should live as if Jesus had died this morning, risen this afternoon, and
was coming this evening.”
Edwards wrote, “Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour
of my life…”
I can guarantee you that there are certain things you would not do if you knew that Christ was going to
return in five minutes. Screaming at our kids, watching that sex scene in the game of thrones, wasting time at
work, reading that trashy novel, etc…
First, Christ’s imminent return will happen when people least expect it.
Second, Christ’s imminent return separates.
Third, Christ’s imminent return encourages readiness.
Fourth, Christ’s imminent return encourages faithfulness.
Fifth, Christ’s imminent return is serious business.
Matthew 24:48–51 (ESV) — 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49
and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will
come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and
put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This servant thinks, “my master is delayed” so now I can do whatever I want. But the master returns
when the wicked servant is not expecting him to return and cuts him in pieces and puts him with the hypocrites.
In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Whoever thinks he can do whatever he wants since Christ has not returned yet is in deep trouble.
Jesus says that the master will return and literally cut him in half. And send him to hell. Wow… such
strong language. What is going on here? Jesus uses hyperbole to illustrate the severity of his judgment when
he returns. He often used hyperbole (5:22, 29-30; 7:3-5; 10:9-10; 18:8-9, 22,23, with 28).
What is the point? Not being ready for Christ’s return, which could happen at any moment, has severe
consequences. If you are not ready you will go to hell where there will be such pain that it will cause weeping
and gnashing of teeth.
Application:
The imminent return of Christ is super serious business. We spend so much time preparing for so many
other things- graduation, marriage, retirement, yet some of you have failed to prepare for the most important
thing, the return of the great king. Nothing else matters.
Sadly, some people think, I don’t need to be ready because God is love, it is his job to forgive, I will get
a free pass because I’m a decent person, etc…
Jesus makes it clear that he is coming to judge the world in perfect righteousness and anyone who is not
found in him will be cut to pieces. It is not God’s job to forgive. God’s job is to be God which means he is just
and merciful.
Here is the important thing to see here. Because God loves us he warns us of judgment… just like a
parent warning a child about a hot pot on the stove.
And because God loves us he has provided a specific way to escape his coming judgment.
Conclusion: We looked at one truth and five applications of that one truth.
“For decades everyone knew that New Orleans, with so much of its land below sea level, was vulnerable
to a direct hit from a big hurricane. Residents had decades to prepare, but when Hurricane Karina struck, the
city was not ready. As a result, over a thousand citizens died, hundreds of thousands lost their homes, and the
city lost most of its population. More importantly, we have a general warning that Christ will return. No onenot even Jesus himself- knows when. But we can be ready, if we trust him, seek his mercy, and live with him
day by day.” (Doriani, 381) lets pray…