When Is Christ Returning and What Are the Indicators of His Coming? - Part 1
Matthew 24
As I have previously noted in this Blog,
the Gospel written by the disciple of Jesus, Matthew, emphasizes the
presentation of Jesus as Israel’s Messiah. It can easily be divided into
three main sections:
I.
Matt 1:1–4:16 include Christ’s
preliminary and preparatory events leading up to his public ministry
II.
Matt 4:17–16:12 include his
public ministry
III.
Matt 16:13–28:20 are events
leading up to his ultimate rejection culminating in his crucifixion, burial,
resurrection and the commissioning of his disciples.
From Matthew 21 up to and including Matthew
24 the undeniable pattern is the rejection of Jesus by his people, Israel,
that led to the rejection by Jesus and His condemnation. In Matthew
24, specifically verses 1 through to 35, Jesus gives all the indicators that
will signal the end of the Mosaic period, the judgment of Israel, the
destruction of the Temple, the end of the Levitical sacrificial system, and the
end of the Old Covenant.
Many import ideas of a future and final
coming of the Lord into these texts contrary to the very clear teaching of
Jesus that “. . . this generation will not pass away until all these things
take place.” (Matthew 24:34, ESV). I
have argued that the coming of the Son of Man referred to in verses 29-31 are
precisely His coming to the Father to reign and the gathering of His Elect
through the preaching of the Gospel.
But the question still remains, "When
we the coming of Christ in final judgment and victory be; and what will be the
signs of His coming?" He answers
those questions in Matthew 24:36–39
(ESV),
36 “But
concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor
the Son, but the Father only. 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.
When Will Christ Return?
I think you can readily see that when you
view Matthew 24 in contextual precision and refuse to import futuristic notions
into verses 1-35, this is affirmed by the opening statement of Jesus is verse
36. Those who view the previous portion
as pertaining to future events not only fail to deal with verse 34 – they fail
to deal with verse 36. So when will the
Second Coming of Christ occur?
Answer? No one knows except the
Father.
What
Will Be the Signs Pointing to His Coming?
The short answer summarizing verses 37-42
is this: There are none. Life will be
normal. Day to day activities continue
as ordinary. Even Dispensational scholars affirm this. For example: "The last generation, like
the one of Noah’s day, is pleasure-oriented and self-gratifying by eating and drinking. The reference to marrying and giving in marriage may
refer to carrying on the normal course of life without heeding the impending
judgment."[1] Or well stated by this
commentator: "Noah’s day was characterized by preoccupation with trivial
matters and neglect of spiritual concerns. Oblivious to the judgment of God,
the inhabitants of the earth were caught unprepared by the Flood. Such a state
of unpreparedness will exist when Jesus returns."[2]
Notice, Jesus gives no indication of cosmic
disasters, unequaled international conflict, natural catastrophes, in-gathering
of Jews, re-building of the Temple, global governance, etc. No, as Sam Storms states so well:
"The world will be caught completely
off-guard by the coming of Christ. People will be engaged in normal, routine
occupations of life: farming, fellowship, marriage, etc. (Cf. Luke 17: 28-30; 1
Thess. 5: 3.). Jesus will come at a time of widespread indifference, normalcy,
materialistic endeavors, when everyone is thoroughly involved in the pursuit of
their earthly affairs and ambitions (cf. 2 Pet. 3: 3-4, 10). His coming will
occur at a time so unexpected, so unannounced, that it will catch people in the
middle of their everyday routines (see vv. 40-41)."[3]
The fact that "no one knows the
hour" and that "life will be normal" contains an important
message for us that I will attempt to deal with in the next Blog. The
reader will see that this is the point: “Therefore you also must be ready, for the
Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44, ESV).
Are you ready?
It is believed that Martin Luther said, there are but two days on the calendar: Today and That Day. Grant the grace of the Holy Spirit to live today in light of that Day.
[1] Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (p. 1949).
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2] Criswell, W. A., Patterson, P., Clendenen, E. R., Akin, D. L.,
Chamberlin, M., Patterson, D. K., & Pogue, J. (Eds.). (1991). Believer’s Study Bible (electronic ed.,
Mt 24:36). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[3] Storms, Sam (2013-04-30). Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative
(Kindle Locations 4653-4658). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.
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