Be Alert and Prepared Because Christ Is Coming

Prairie Marmot Is Alert and Watching

After Christ had finished describing the signs that would precede His second coming (Matthew 24:4-28) to four of His disciples, He explained that He did not know the exact day or the hour of His coming (Matthew 24:36). Then He added that the generation that would see His coming is the one that will see all of the signs. He meant “this generation” will see all of the birth pangs, including those before and during the tribulation. He then added that He and the holy angels did not know the exact time He would come, only God the Father knows. When Jesus said “this generation” (verse 34) would not pass away until all of the signs were fulfilled, He could not have known if the people who were living at the time He was speaking would see His return. Therefore, the generation that He referred to could have been any future generation (Matthew 24:4-28). In this study, Jesus will emphasize the fact that “this generation” will not know the exact day and hour He will arrive. When we finish the study, you will discover that the year, month, day, and hour of the Second Coming has been and will continue to be a completely mystery until He comes. Therefore, Jesus warns us that He could come at any moment. In summary, some future generation will know He is coming quickly. They will see all of the signs. They will know the tribulation has started and Christ will arrive in seven years, but they will not know the exact day, hour and minute. Our study is from Matthew 24:42-51; Mark 13:33-37, and Luke 21:34-36. It has three sections.

Be Alert and Prepare

This study begins with Jesus saying,

Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 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. 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. Matthew 24:42-44 (NASB)

Note that Jesus begins with “Therefore.” The “therefore” points us back to what we learned from the previous study. Therefore, we must review briefly what we learned. In the last study (Matthew 24:37-41), Jesus explained that when He comes, two men will be in the field. One will be taken and one will be left. He added that two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. In both examples, Jesus revealed the wicked are the ones who will be taken or removed from the earth and sent to hell, but the righteous will be left to enter the kingdom. This means that the last study was not about the rapture, but about judgment of the righteous and the wicked after the battle of Armageddon. The judgment is called the Sheep and Goat Judgment and is explained in more detail in Matthew 25:31-46. In summary, at the Sheep and Goat Judgment, Jesus will determine who will be allowed to enter the millennial kingdom. The Old and New Testament believers will also be allowed to enter the kingdom. Jesus will send the wicked to hell. So, the wicked will be taken away. Therefore, Jesus has warned us in the last study that we do not know when He will return to remove the wicked from this earth and send them to hell. Jesus gave us a warning that no one should want to be a wicked person because the wicked will be thrown into hell.

At this point we should not be surprised that 1) Jesus commands us to be on the alert for His second coming in Matthew 24:42, and 2) then gives us the reason “for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.” That has been the message since Matthew 24:4. So, we should not think we should know. Therefore, Jesus commands us to be alert because of the approaching danger. The Greek word for “alert” is gregoreo. The root meaning of the word is “to watch.”

Then Jesus gave several illustrations to help us understand His message. His first illustration is of a home owner and a thief. We are told that if the head of a home had known the hour when a thief would be coming, he would not have allowed the thief to break in and steal. The Greek word that Jesus used for “time” in verse 43 is phylake. It does not mean day or hour, but “watch.” “Watch” is a technical word that referred to one of the four Jewish watches of the night. The Jews had divided the night (6:00 pm to 6:00 am) into four sections or watches. The first watch was from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The second watch was from 9:00 pm to 12:00 am. The third watch was 12:00 am to 3:00 am, and the last one was from 3:00 am to 6:00 am. Therefore, Jesus said that the head of the house would have been watching for the thief during one of the four correct watches of the night for the thief when he was expected, and stop him.

Consequently, Jesus said you “must be ready,” and then He connected that to “for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” The message is that we must first be alert and watching for the signs of His coming. Second, we must be ready when He finally comes. The Greek word for “ready,” is hetoimos. It has the idea of being prepared. That is, Jesus warned the disciples and us to be prepared for His coming. Now why did Jesus do that? The answer is that when He comes, you will be judged by Jesus at the Sheep and Goat Judgment and sent to hell if you are a wicked person, an unbeliever. If you are a righteous person, someone who is believing in Christ, you will enter the millennial kingdom. That is the meaning of being prepared.

How can a person escape hell? Jesus tells us that a person must believe in Him. John 3:16 says,

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NASB)

To believe in Jesus means that we must believe the truth about Him. He existed in heaven from eternity past. About 3/2 B.C. He took on human flesh and blood and became a man. He became both man and God. He healed a massive number of people and did wonders while He was living on earth. He walked on water, controlled the wind and sea, created wine from water, and multiplied food from a few fish and bread to feed at least nine thousand people. He gave us prophecies that were accurately fulfilled. The demons recognized Him and revealed that He was God. The four gospels of the New Testament document what He did. The Jewish religious leaders tried to convince others that Jesus did not do miracles by trying to explain away how He did the miracles, wonders, and casting out of demons. But Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judah, reported to Rome that Jesus did do those things. Historical evidence exists that reveals Tiberius Caesar asked the Roman Senate to recognize Jesus Christ as God. Jesus repeated message was that He was and is God (John 5:18; 8:58-59; 10:36).

So, to believe in Jesus means that a person believes the truth about Him, and that He died on a cross in order to forgive our sins. Those who truly believe in Him will be repentant of their sins and seek forgiveness for their sins. They will understand that Jesus was our holy God (Mark 1:23-24; Hebrews 4:15), and admit that they, themselves, are sinners headed for hell unless they repent of their sins and believe in Jesus.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 (NASB)

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NASB)

Jesus said that He did not come to call the righteous to repent. By that comment, He meant that He did not come to call those who thought they were good people to repent.

I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:32 (NASB)

In summary, to be ready for Christ’s coming means that a person must believe in Jesus. Those who truly believe in Him will repent of their sins and seek God’s forgiveness. When the wicked see the signs of the Second Coming increasing, it is a warning to be prepared! In this illustration, Jesus urged us to believe in Christ before He returns the second time.

Be Faithful and Not Evil

Then Jesus gave us a second illustration (v. 45-51) which reveals the character of the people at the time of Christ’s coming by describing two types of individuals. The first type of individual is given in the first three verses. Jesus said,

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? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. Matthew 24:45-47 (NASB)

Christ describes the first type of individual as “the faithful and sensible slave.” The Greek word for “sensible” is phronimos. It more accurately means to be prudent or wise. So, Jesus is referring to a faithful and wise person.

Jesus describes the faithful and wise person as one who obeys his master. He pronounces a blessing upon the faithful person. “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.” His responsibility is to give food to the members of the master’s household.

This person is wise because he (or she) is prepared for the Second Coming because he believes in Jesus. He is a Christian. He is also alert because he is watching for Christ’s return. Sadly, some persons are Christians, but they are not faithful or wise. Since the master’s household appears to symbolize the body of Christ, this would also mean that these believers care for other believers. That was the master’s will for every believer. Some believers are using their spiritual gifts in ministry, and others are not. James 4:13-17 reminds us that God has a will for every believer which extends beyond ministry. Therefore, the faithful believer is one who performs God’s will for their life and is deeply committed to the ministry He has given them to do. This illustration applies to every believer today. It teaches us that the characteristic of every believer is to be prepared, wise, and faithful.

Then Jesus described the evil slave in verses 48-51.

“But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24:48-51 (NASB)

Now Jesus describes the evil slave or person as one who is indifferent to his master and is not interested in pleasing his master. Simply put, this slave characterizes everyone who ignore the master’s will. That is the first characteristic of a wicked slave. He ignores the will of God. The second characteristic of the evil slave is that he is unloving toward others, and eats and drinks as he desires. He is a glutton or at least self-indulgent. Then Jesus states that when the master comes, the wicked slave will be cut into pieces and thrown into a place described as a place where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” That is a description of hell. The hypocrites are evil people who pretend to be righteous, but they only do evil.

So, Jesus contrasts the faithful and wise slave to the evil slave. The faithful slave obeys God but the evil slave lives for himself and abuses people. By providing this contrast, Jesus reveals that the faithful and wise are those who truly believe in Christ. The evil slaves do not believe in Christ. The faithful and wise care for fellow believers, but the evil slaves abuse others and are self-indulgent. Therefore, it is easy to understand that the evil individuals will be sent to hell, but the faithful and wise will enter the millennial kingdom and the eternal heaven.

See and Be Alert

The gospel of Mark includes another illustration that Jesus gave on this occasion that is not included in Matthew. It is found in Mark 13:33-37.

Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore, be on the alert — for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning — in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’” Mark 13:33-37 (NASB)

Some believe that this is the same illustration that Jesus gave in Matthew 24:45-51, but there are two important differences between the illustrations. First notice that in the Matthew illustration, Jesus compares a faithful and wise slave to an evil slave who abuses people and is a glutton. But in the Mark 13:33-37, the illustration is about a group of slaves which is given a task, and a doorkeeper who is ordered to stay alert. In the Matthew illustration, Jesus urges us to be faithful and wise, but in the Mark passage He asks to be alert. They are not the same illustration.

Now notice that in Mark 13:33, Jesus began by saying, “Take heed, keep on the alert.” The literal Greek text reads “See, be alert!” The Greek word for “Take heed” is blepo. It means to visually see with the eye. It is also a command. The Greek word for “be alert” is not gregoreo but agrypneo. Aagrypneo has the sense of not sleeping. Therefore, Jesus literally commands us to not be sleeping and to be seeing with our eyes. Obviously, no one can never sleep. So, the idea is that we should be observing everything that is occurring around us in order to watch for the signs of His coming.

Then Jesus adds, “For you do not know when the appointed time will come.” That is, we do not know the date God the Father has planned for His return. Then Jesus gives the illustration. It is like a man who is on a long trip. He has left the house and assigned each slave to perform a task. The doorkeeper was told to be alert. The Greek word for this English word “alert” is gregoreo, which means “to watch.” This reveals that Jesus’ earlier command to be seeing and never sleep is a command comparable to the one given to the doorkeeper.

Then Jesus applied the illustration to all of us. He said, “Therefore, be on the alert —” Jesus uses agrypneo once again which is translated as “the alert.” So, Jesus is emphasizing that we are to not just watch for His coming; we are to not sleep and “be seeing.” Then Jesus inserts a brief reason why we should do this. “For you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning.” Here Jesus calls Himself the master. He says we do not know what time of the day He is coming. Maybe He will coming when the rooster crows. Then He closes His statement with “— in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep.” Notice once again that He emphasized that we are not to sleep.

Jesus then ended this third illustration with, “Be on the alert!” Once again we see the English word alert. That is the most significant word in these three illustrations. The Greek word for alert this time is agrypneo, which means that we are to not sleep but to “be seeing.” This is much stronger than just watching for Christ’s coming. For Jesus has repeatedly commanded us to not sleep but to visually see the signs that He said would occur before His coming. But some believers are not interested in Christ’s return. I know a believer who is not interested in the prophecies about Christ’s second coming. They are not important to him. But Christ gave us the signs of His coming in order to give us encouragement. He has commanded us to constantly look for the signs of His coming. We are to so eagerly be looking for His return that we are sleepless.

Summary

We have studied three illustrations that Christ has given to every person on the earth. In the first illustration, Jesus commanded us to watch for the signs of Christ’s second coming and to believe in Christ before He comes. Then in the second illustration, Jesus warned us to be wise and faithfully submit to the Father’s will until Christ comes. Those who do not submit reveal that they are unbelievers. They will be sent to hell when Christ comes. Then in the last illustration, Jesus repeatedly commanded us to not sleep but to be alert for His coming. Together, these illustrations teach that when the future generation sees more and more of the signs of Jesus’ coming, they will be wise if they believe in Christ in order to escape hell. They will then obey Him and seriously and constantly watch for His coming.

Jesus shared the gospel in a unique way. If you are an unbeliever, Christ has warned you to believe in Him so that you can have your sins forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life. If you are a Christian, Jesus has promised you that He is returning. We will be encouraged if we focus on the return of Christ. So, He has commanded us to watch and be alert. Are you watching for the signs of His coming? Are you waiting?