Matthew 24:32
Now learn from the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender,
and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Matthew25:13
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour
where-in the Son of man cometh.
Jesus speaks about his return – the second coming(THE RAPTURE). He says that there are certain things about this that you are supposed to know and certain things that you do not know.
Matthew 24:42–43, MSG
‘You have no idea what day your Master will show up. But you do know... ’,
What you don’t know.
Jesus makes it absolutely clear that no one knows when he will return. He says, ‘No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father’ (24:36). There were certain questions to which even Jesus (while he was on earth) had to say, ‘I don’t know'.
So much time and energy has been wasted speculating about the exact time that Jesus will return. You are not meant to know when Jesus will come back because you are supposed to ‘keep watch’ (Matthew 24:42) and be ready for him to return at any moment.
What you do know
Jesus tells us to learn from the fig tree. When the leaves come out ‘you know that summer is near’ (Matthew 24:32). Jesus says if you look at the signs then ‘you know’ that Jesus’ coming ‘is near’. Therefore, you are to ‘keep watch’ according to Matthew 24:42; 25:13) and ‘be ready’ Matthew 24:44.
You know too that although his coming is near, it may be a long time before he comes (Matthew 25:5). And you also know that he will come at an hour ‘when you do not expect him’ (Matthew 24:44). Whenever he comes it is going to be a surprise and the key is to be ready for him to come at any moment.
To enable you to see what it means to be ready for his return, our Lord Jesus paints a picture of the difference between a servant being wise or wicked. The wise servant remains ready for their master’s return by remaining faithful to their master’s instructions and honorable in the way they treat others. The wicked servant is faithless to their master’s instructions and destructive in how they treat others. The conclusion is markedly different (Matthew 24:47; 24:51). In other words, you are ready for Jesus’ return if you live a life where you love God and love others.
However, underneath this love for God and love for others is the key component of what it means to be ready for Jesus’ return. In the parable of the ten virgins, the bridegroom says to those virgins who have been asleep and are not ready, ‘I don’t know you’ (25:12). We see here that the key lies in a different type of ‘knowing’. It is not intellectual knowledge but personal knowledge.
Ultimately, it is not about what you know, but about whom you know. It is about having a personal relationship with the bridegroom- Jesus Christ. In the end, this is what matters more than anything else – knowing Jesus (John 17:3).
Matthew 24:44
‘So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man
will come at an hour when you do not expect him'.
Just occasionally, when I’ve not been expecting anyone and there are no meetings in the house, I have got distracted and not cleared away breakfast and the general mess. Then the doorbell has rung and some unexpected visitors have arrived. I’ve found myself throwing things in the dishwasher and food back in the fridge. I know the panic of being caught unprepared. How much more terrifying when Jesus returns. It is not the tidy house that he is looking for, but the prepared life. That needs constant work.
Be ready at all time, for we know not the day nor hour our LORD shall come.
STAY BLESSED