“42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43But 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. 44Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matt. 24:42-44)
COMING AT AN UNEXPECTED HOUR:
- Jesus said that His Disciples should watch for although they would have many signs to know the very season had arrived they would not know the specific day or hour their Lord was coming. This is just like the homeowner would have prevented the thief from breaking into his house, if he had been watching. They were to be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour they would not expect.
- Jesus told his 1st century disciples to be on watch and be ready for His coming (Parousia). Israel’s house was ready to be broken up. Christians would be watching and ready. They were prepared and were not victims of the terrible physical judgment that was to come upon Jerusalem. It came suddenly and the wicked were not prepared nor were they watching for that time. (Dan. 12:10; Isa. 26:9-10; 1 Thess. 5:2-9; 1 Pet. 4:12, 17, 1:1, 1:6-7)
1 Thessalonians 5:2-5 “For you yourselves know perfectly that the DAY OF THE LORD so come as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.”
The DAY OF THE LORD: (See “DAY OF THE LORD” and eschatology Study Series 15 Lessons 2 and Study Series 16 Lesson 5 for a more in-depth study on this topic). As for now, it is important to understand the following:
In the same way God the Father spoke of the Day of the Lord in the Old Testament, is the same “Like Manner” (John 5:19) God the Son spoke of the Day of the Lord in the New Testament. Jesus warned and described this repeatedly throughout His entire ministry as a coming in judgment against Old Covenant (OC) Israel for the violation of their OC Torah, and He repeatedly said it was to occur in the first century, in the same generation of His disciples, to whom He was talking (i.e. Matt. 16:27-28, 21:33-24:9, 23:31-36, 24:34). Jesus was speaking of the removal of the obsolete OC temple and unfaithful OC Hebrew people, and the time of consummation of the New Covenant – the fulfilling of Heb. 8:13. Where the temporary OC earthly kingdom would be fully removed from the “physical children of Israel” and fully consummated through the eternal New Covenant Kingdom, which would be manifested on earth though the church with the “true [spiritual] children of Israel” (Children of Abraham by faith [believing Jews/Gentiles]: Gal. 3:7, 29; Rom. 2:28-29, 9:6-8).
Related full “Study Series” (available upon request if not hyperlinked):
[For a more in-depth study see eschatology “Study Series 7 Lesson 5 Matt. 24:32-44”]
[For a more in-depth study see eschatology “Study Series 15 Lesson 2 Revelation Last Days and The Judgment”]
[For a more in-depth study see eschatology “Study Series 10 Study on 2 Peter 3 vs. 1-13”]