Sunday of the Flood (Fri: GA)

Matthew 24:36-51

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. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. ⁴² Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁷ Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ ⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know ⁵¹ and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

How quickly will judgment come? What will people be doing on the day of Judgment? Here what Jesus says, "For as in those days before the flood." The key phrase that needs to be used to understand the rest of this section. Yes everything comes in its proper time, when Noah was 600 years old. The Master commands Noah to enter the ark with his family and animals, and he is not delayed any longer. Yet, people are still going about their daily activities when the great deep burst forth and heavens are opened.

"For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." If you want to know about judgment day, re-read Genesis 6-9. Jesus gives us a simple picture of people being caught off guard. Just as many other times when he describes the Kingdom of Heaven coming, it is a shock to people and they need to be prepared.

The one glimmer of hope for us who are easily distracted and who easily do not take note of the overall story, "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one remain." When the judgment day comes, you will remain in Jesus Christ. Christ will keep his people, and rescue them from being swept away in a flood or the condemnation of the World. Christ has provide you with salvation through faith alone by grace alone.