ONLY GOD KNOWS WHEN JESUS WILL RETURN–ARE YOU READY? (Part 3) Second Coming Chapel #502 (Keeping Real Hope Alive) with Daniel Whyte III in Conjunction with Second Coming Watch Update #1006 Matthew 24:36-44
ONLY GOD KNOWS WHEN JESUS WILL RETURN–ARE YOU READY? (Part 3) Second Coming Chapel #502 (Keeping Real Hope Alive) with Daniel Whyte III in Conjunction with Second Coming Watch Update #1006 Matthew 24:36-44. Daniel Whyte III is President of Gospel Light Society International, Pastor of Gospel Light House of Prayer International “Crying in the Wilderness,” “Exiled on the Isle of Patmos,” and “Preaching the Gospel by any Means Necessary” with a special tribute to Daniel Whyte III’s 7 children–Daniella (Danni), Daniel, Danita, Danae, Daniqua Grace, Danyel Ezekiel, and Danyelle Elizabeth who all helped produce the podcasts.
Dr. Billy Graham said: We see the storm clouds gathering and events taking place that herald the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 24:36-44
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah 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.
Dr. David Guzik says:
3. (40-44) Jesus cautions His disciples to be ready for an unexpected coming.
“Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
a. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left: Jesus here pointed to curious disappearances; to a catching away of some at the coming of the Son of Man (as also described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
i. “Taken is the same verb used, e.g., in 1:20; 17:1; 18:16; 20:17; it implies to take someone to be with you, and therefore here points to the salvation rather than the destruction of the one ‘taken’.” (France)
b. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming: Since the day and hour of this coming are unknowable, Jesus’ followers must be on constant guard for His coming.
i. Here again is the Second Coming dilemma.
· Is it at an unexpected hour or is it positively predicted?
· Is it business as usual or worldwide cataclysm?
· Is it meeting Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) or is He coming with the saints (Zechariah 14:5)?
ii. William Barclay describes one aspect of the difficulty here: “It is in two sections and they seem to contradict each other. The first (verses 32-35) seem to indicate that, as a man can tell by the signs of nature when summer is on the way, so he can tell by the signs of the world when the Second Coming is on the way… The second section (verses 36-41) says quite definitely that no one knows the time of the Second Coming, not the angels, not even Jesus himself, but only God; and that it will come upon men with the suddenness of a rainstorm out of a blue sky.”
iii. The dilemma is resolved by seeing that there are actually two second comings. One is in the air, for the church – commonly known as the rapture. The other is to the world, coming with the church, commonly known as the Second Coming of Jesus. The “contradictions” in Matthew 24 (and much of the rest of prophecy) are often solved by seeing there are really references to “two” returns of Jesus.
c. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect: We must not escape the emphasis. We must be ready, because His coming for us is without warning. Jesus follows with a few parables to drive home this point.
i. “Suetonius tells us that it was a piece of Julius Caesar’s policy never to fore-acquaint his soldiers of any set time of removal or onset, that he might ever have them in readiness to draw forth whithersoever he would.” (Trapp)
Let’s take a quick look at today’s prophecy-related headline which point towards the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the end of the world as we know it:
BREAKING WORLD WAR III NEWS: From THE HILL –According to Reuters . . .
Iran threatened Saturday that the Mediterranean Sea could be “closed” if the U.S. and Israel continued “crimes” in Gaza.
The Iranian government has showed support for militant group Hamas in its war against Israel, while the U.S. has strongly backed Israel — despite growing criticism of the Israeli military’s war effort.
Someone Said: “We need not to worry ourselves with the ending of the world tomorrow. We need to check the condition of our soul in case Jesus comes back tonight.”
