AN HOUR WHEN YOU DO NOT EXPECT HIM

4/10/2022

0 Comments

April 10- Start Your Day Right Devotion

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.

AN HOUR WHEN YOU DON NOT EXPECT HIM

Once again, Christ refers to His return for the faithful people in His churches at an unexpected and unknow time.

This warning is not for those who go through the tribulation. The only way to reconcile Christ’s teaching about His unexpected coming (Matthew 24:42, 44) with His statement about His expected coming (Matthew 24:33) is to assume that there will be two phases, or stages, to His “second coming.” (a) The first stage involves Christ’s return at an unexpected time to take His true church from earth (1 Thessalonians 4:17; John 14:3; Revelation 3:10). This happens prior to the antichrist’s rise to power and God’s end-time judgments on the earth (Revelation 6-19). (b) The second stage is Christ’s coming at the end of the tribulation, which will be at an expected time (after certain cosmic signs, (Matthew 24:29-30, and a certain time period Daniel 9:25-27; Revelation 11:1-2; 12:6; 13:5-7). At that time, He will destroy the wicked and begin His reign on earth (Matthew 24:42; Revelation 19:11-21; 20:4).
This second coming of Christ – described as one event consisting of two phases- is similar to how the Old Testament predicted Christ’s first coming to earth as a human. The Old Testament prophets often spoke as if the Messiah’s (Christ’s) coming were a single event, but the fulfillment of those prophecies is seen in two phases: (a) His coming by birth to eventually die for sin (b) His coming to reign on earth at the end of time as we know it (Isaiah 9:2-7; 40:3-5; compare Isaiah 61:1-3 with Luke 4:18-19: Isaiah 9:7).
Christ’s urgent warning to be always spiritually ready for His coming at the unknown time (the rapture) applies to all generations of Christians before the tribulation (Matthew 24:15-24). It should provide strong motivation for remaining true to our faith in Christ and our commitment to the standards of His Word.

BIBLE STUDY TOOLS I USE

Some links may be affiliated. By purchasing an item from an affiliate link, I receive a small commission—but you are not charged more or less by clicking or purchasing through the link. Thank you for supporting me!