There are things you have been given concerning the end

Matthew 24:36-46

³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. ³⁷ For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. ³⁸ For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

⁴² “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.

The Torah portion for this week was Noach or the story of Noah and the corresponding Brit Chadashah (New Testament) portion is the one above.  It is amazing how this passage in Matthew has been used so universally in the church to go to the opposite end of the spectrum in understanding the Day of the Lord or His second coming in judgment.  Most either proclaim to know all the events and times down to a date or claim you cannot any times or days and it is just a big mystery.  Either of these misses the mark of Scripture.  This passage was not meant to get you off the hook when it comes to understanding what God has planned for the future and what your role is in it.

We do not know the hour or even the specific day, but we do know events that lead to other events that get us pretty close to the times and seasons that things are going to happen in.  What is interesting is that the Jews actually have two days set aside for Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets/ The Day of the Shofar Blast) because they are not sure of the exact day that the Messiah will return.  There is also a Hebrew idiom/story for the saying "He will come like a thief in the night" which pertains to the Temple high priest finding the priest on offering-fire duty asleep in the middle of the night and setting fire to his garments rendering him naked and ashamed.  The point?  Stay alert.  Be ready.  Do not slumber.  God's plan is simple; when you see this happen, then the chain of events has started and you follow the events as told in the Scripture.

The point of the Torah portion on Noah and this passage in Matthew is to teach us to be ready for His coming.  Just as God told Noah the flood was coming and what to do, He has told us the end is coming and what to do.  The tragic thing today is that many believe that His second coming and rapture will happen before the tribulation and thus will not be prepared for the tribulation events themselves. They feel like they need not prepare because God is going to remove them before the events unfold.  He never removed the Israelites before their testing in the wilderness and eventual journey into the Promised Land.  He will separate the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the chaff.  And what better way than some wilderness time where you have to rely on Him to survive. 

Those who believe in pre-tribulation rapture, well, their lamps will not have oil and they will be in the dark and confused as the events unfold.  And since they have absolved themselves of knowing anything about end time events, the second coming of the Messiah at the end of the tribulation and five months of darkness will really add to the confusion of the whole thing.  Will you be the one look for a rock to hide under or praying for the hills to cover you?  Or will you be the one who sees the light of the Messiah pierce the sky, knocking stars aside, with face held aloft, welcome our coming King back to rule?

YHVH has given us things to look for so that we will know what to expect and what to do.

Isaiah 46:9-11

⁹ “Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
¹¹ Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man of My purpose from a far country.
Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, surely I will do it.

The Messiah says He will return after the Tribulation:

Matthew 24:15-31

Perilous Times

¹⁵ “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. ¹⁸ Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. ¹⁹ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. ²² Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³ Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. ²⁴ For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ Behold, I have told you in advance. ²⁶ So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. ²⁷ For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. ²⁸ Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Glorious Return

²⁹ “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. ³¹ And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.