Ready or Not—Here I Come!, Part 1 B

When the Lord comes the ungodly will be swept away in the godly will be left remaining safe to enter the kingdom that is the promise, but we don't know in the generation that's alive at that time. No exact moment, so needs to be like will very soon turn red.

Wouldn't it be great if the second coming of Christ had a similar obvious warning sign.

How would you live differently. If you knew exactly when Christ would gather his church and return to judge the world. Well, in God's wisdom, he has kept the timing secret so you need to be prepared at all times. John MacArthur will help you prepare today on grace to you. Follow along. Now, as he continues his study called Jesus is coming.

The text in Matthew 24 that will be looking at this morning really could be titled here I come ready or not, because that's exactly what it teaches is a text that deals with the suddenness and the unexpectedness of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ were going to be looking at verses 36 through 42 of Matthew 24. Look at verse 36 here's the key to the rest of that section, but on that day and hour know no one.

No, not the angels of heaven, nor the son, but my father only, and with that statement, he directs their thinking to the issue of when and tells them the win is an unknown. The signs that precede the second coming have been clearly given. They are unmistakably detailed here in Matthew 24 and also in Revelation chapters 6 through 18. You can't miss those in the generation that is alive during that period will see those signs. They will be observable signs. They will be worldwide signs. There will be unmistakable indications of the collapse of the world and its systems as well as the universe, but the specific moment that is notice in verse 36 the day and hour are not known and we must remind ourselves that he is speaking of a day and an hour know one really knows the exact day and out. We know the generation right we do, don't wait because it's the generation that sees the birthdates verse 32 to 35 that's the generation but the day in the our nobody knows. No one knows so what should be the attitude of every generation. What should be the attitude of every person. Since we don't know the exact moment, particularly what should be the attitude of the people who see the birthday what should be the attitude of this generation that's alive in that time, the generation that sees the abomination of desolation. The generation sees the rise of the Antichrist. The generation that sees the changing of the face of the earth sees all the disasters natural and spiritual and supernatural in whatever what should be their attitude. First of all, should be alertness. Secondly, readiness and thirdly faithfulness and were going to look only at the first one alertness verse 37 the unexpectedness of the second coming calls for alertness, but as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Now, here again we find what Peter does in his epistle and relating the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and its judgment, its cataclysmic Holocaust of judgment back to the flood is that the only illustration in human history that can even come close because it totally destroyed the face of the earth. And so we going to find that the attitude that prevailed during the time of Noah will be the attitude will prevail during the time of the second coming. That's what he means when he says, as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. It's going to be like it was in Noah's time just before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, not only do people not know the day and the hour of the Lord is coming, but most of them aren't even going to care even with all the signs and all the wonders and all things going on in the care they're trying to think about it, they will even be considering that as an alternative. It's hard to imagine that.

I mean it's really hard to imagine they'll be scoffing and mocking like in second Peter chapter 3 and they'll be getting out there little slide rules and they'll be getting out there little charts and they'll be fussing around with their computers and they'll be analyzing the universe to try to explain scientifically why raise going haywire.

Why there are earthquakes and why there are all kinds of movements in the heavens and why the tides are all messed up and why the moon goes out why the sun is in working properly why daylight has been shortened and why there's blood in the in the season. The and there's bitterness and the fresh water in and why people are slaughtering each other why there are terrible massacres all around the world going to be trying to figure all this out sociologically, scientifically, rationally, but they're not going to look to the truth of the word of God say it's almost impossible to believe that's exactly right.

I mean, why would we expect them to be any different than when the Lord Jesus Christ through the first time right when they could see him. They could hear him. They watched him remove disease from the land of Palestine. They watched him raise the dead, and they still couldn't conclude the right things. In fact, the religious leaders decided that he was of the devil.

So the mind of man is blinded, you see in the world of our Lord's time was so selfish, so self-centered, so pious, so hypocritical, so materialistic, so simple, so godless, so devoid of spiritual life and perception that it couldn't even see the Savior when he walked in its midst.

Why should we expect the world of the future to be any different.

When they see the signs of his coming in Matthew chapter 16. Remember the first three verses of that tremendous indictment. The Pharisees and the Sadducees came and tested Jesus and they desire that he would show them a sign from heaven. I mean it's ludicrous to ask such a thing, give us a sign from heaven. They'd seen thousands upon thousands of such signs from him and he answered and said that when it's evening you say Fairweather. The sky is red in the morning you say foul weather today, for the sky is red and overcast all you hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times you're supposed to be religious leaders regretted telling the weather, but Jim got a clue about what God's doing. You see, they shut their minds to the truth of God, just as the history of Israel is been a history of ignoring the word of God. They ignored the prophets of God, they ignored the miracles of those profits. They ignored the words of those profits. They monitored the profits they murdered the son of God. And when it comes to the sign of the signs of his coming in the great tribulation. The world will be just as dark and just as in perceiving just as blind as they have ever been to what's going on and they will do what they've always done.

They will explain away some rational means fact is there to be more wicked in that time than any time in history the world.

The Bible tells us in second Thessalonians chapter 2, the during the time of the tribulation, the restrainer is taken away, the Holy Spirit is in the world today restraining evil, holding back evil. It seems as though is letting a little more out all the time but finally when the tribulation comes, he takes his hands off and evil runs its full course.

And then Revelation 9 says hell belches out all the temporarily bound demons and they overrun the earth, so the population of demons immediately increases dramatically and then it tells us that Michael and and Satan have a fight and Satan is cast out of heaven to earth. Revelation 12. So now you got Satan on the earth and all the demons have been up and out of hell like filthy, unclean frogs, as it were coming out of hell and all the demons are already here and no restraints and the world just goes amok in sin and that kind of debauched world gross beyond what we can imagine that's what's called the mystery of iniquity. It is iniquity at a level that's not even yet revealed or known or experience sickness on his two that were will be so vile and so wretched so preoccupied with sin and sex and drugs and alcohol so engulfed in its materialistic preservation of political, economic, babbling, so evil, so filled with hate for each other for God for the truth that when all this happens, there will be all kinds of explanations except the willingness to understand the truth not to be willing to understand the truth and he says it'll be like it was in the days of Noah. You see, in the days of Noah.

People ignored the truth didn't I do know how long Noah preached second Peter 25 calls know a preacher of righteousness you think he just built a big wooden chest. That's a word Arctic. The word is the word for wooden chest.

He built a big wooden chest in the middle of the desert told people it was gonna be a flood and a laugh because it never rained there was no such thing as rain and there was no water there.

You know how long he built up 120 years and they laughed and they ridiculed and they mocked and they derided him but second Peter 25 says he was a preacher of righteousness. He wasn't just a boat builder. He was a preacher before he was a boat builder. He was a preacher and 420 years while he built the boat. He must've been asked a million times. Why write why you the boat and I was the trigger for the sermon because God is going to judge the wickedness of this world and only those who put their faith in him are going to escape and I'm billing the boat is a way of escape. Would you like to come on the left and the left and they mocked for 120 years.

They went on with life as usual. While he preached judgment, preached judgment, preached judgment and demonstrated to them by building a great big wooden chest right in the middle of everywhere so everyone could see it in by it and I'm sure the first time a raindrop hit somebody's nose. He thought a dinosaur sneezed behind a hill or something. Still wouldn't believe it. Didn't want to believe that they could come up with all kinds of excuses not to believe that will how was it in the days of Noah.

Verse 38 resin.

The days of Noah that were before the flood they that is, the people were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered in to the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away. Social also the coming of the Son of Man be unbelievable hundred and 20 years. This man preached and preached and preached and preached and preached and they didn't believe it until we were washed away in the flood and there to be signs and signs and signs for 3 1/2 years 42 months, 1260 days there will be worldwide clear signs that the whole thing is, park, and there will be preachers of righteousness, the hundred and 44,000. The two witnesses of Revelation 11, the redeemed host of gentiles from all over the world of Revelation 7 and they will be enhanced by the gospel preached by the angel that preaches the everlasting gospel all over the globe. They will hear the message but they will not believe it.

They will not believe it until they are literally washed away in the ultimate Holocaust of judgment in the second coming. They'll come up with all kinds of reasons to mock and scoff and laugh and ridicule, and if they were that wicked in the day of Noah. They will be more wicked in the day of the coming of the son of man, now look what it says they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, so those aren't sins eating and drinking are not sins and marrying and giving in marriage or not since Marion refers to the people get married. Giving in marriage, refers to the families who give their young people to be married. What it means as life went on as usual right and it just means they just went through the routine. They just lived as if nothing would ever change the totally disregarded what was going on. They didn't see its implications. They kept on eating in Noah's day in and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage, is that there would never be an end, so eating and drinking that's personal routine, marrying and giving in marriage, that's family routine. They tried to adjust a little bit to this character Noah and what he was saying, but life went on as usual.

That's exactly will happen in the tribulation. We I think as Christians live under some idea that to win all of the starts there's going to be all over the world people are just all this is it this… There will be a redeemed remnant, there will be a massive redeemed remnant. Innumerable according to Revelation 7. There will be the root revival and the faith of the nation Israel, but there will be also a worldwide rejection of all of these things as having anything to do with anything related to God. Secularism the epiphany of it in the days of Noah before the flood they just went on with their routine until the day Noah entered into the triple toss the ark wooden chest and then you know it says in Genesis 711 16 that when they went in the ark. They what shut the door and probably it didn't take long. When the water started rising that some folks were knocking but was too they didn't realize verse 39 connotes go. They didn't realize until the cop talk close musts came cataclysm it means to wash down until the washing down just washed them all away into death into judgment, into a godless eternity, and so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.

It says the universe. 37 and so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.

It says at the end of verse 39. Twice it says that it will be just the life as usual, along with the routine until it's too late. Instant devastation and so that generation will be like Noah's generation warned and warned and warned and warned and worn.

That generation was worn for 120 years folks live longer than the future generation will be worn for 3 1/2 years and the fact is, there being worn right now they been warned ever since the New Testament was written whatever generation it is to be alive when that happens it could be just but they're not going to awake to until they're swept away in judgment and then he gets very specific in verse 40 and 41 potential to be in the field.

One should be taken near the left to grinding at the mill. The one shall be taken and the other left. The word one in verse 40 is in masculine gender.

The word one in verse 41 is feminine gender.

That means verse 40 speaks of a man in the field. Two men in the field. One taken one left verse 41 of women to women grinding at the mill. One taken the other left the man's task in that particular agricultural part of the world and that time was to be in the field and the women were there with the stone. The mill grinding that which was harvested by the men. And so it's just life as usual in the midst of the routine of life one shall be taken what we mean taken. I've heard people say this means the rapture. You can't bring the rapture and here this is the list is long after that. This is talking about, taken in judgment.

Go back to verse 39 till the cataclysm came and took them away.

It's based on that imagery.

It's based on that picture of the flood sweeping men away into death to go to be in the field when that final devastating flood of fire comes and what is taken in judgment to at the mill and what is taken in judgment and the other left. The other left where they left for their left to go into what into the kingdom and they become those who populate the millennial kingdom. There are the redeemed soil have people on the job and some will be believers of some of the unbelievers, the unbelievers will be swept away in the believers to be preserved, by the way that separation process is described in detail in the judgment of the sheep and goats. In Matthew 25, 31 to 46 where he takes the goats on the one hand and sends them into everlasting punishment is sheep on the other hand and gives them the kingdom. So they are left very important.

They are left for the kingdom so that it is this that we have to keep in mind when the millennial kingdom comes and begins the people who will be left to go into it will be believers who were not swept away in the judgment of all the ungodly, so the kingdom on earth. The millennial kingdom will be populated by those believers who have lived through the reign of terror of the antichrist and he is not destroy them there still alive when Christ comes. Christ sweeps away in a holocaust of judgment.

All the ungodly, but the godly that still remain in our live will go into his millennial kingdom.

The populate that kingdom so that kingdom is populated, then by physical beings.

Real people like we are, who lived through antichrist reign of terror who believed in the truth of the gospel and were not destroy. Maybe some of them even believe that the last moment your member what it says in acts chapter 2 that at the very time when the Lord comes a time describes all those events quoting from Joel to and it says at that great time. You know when the signs in the heavens take place in the kingdom was about to begin. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. I believe that in that final moment as the King comes to establish his kingdom there will be some who will call upon the name of the Lord in time to be saved in time they will be preserved along with those who believe.

Before that, during the tribulation time and they together will go into that kingdom.

The populate the earth to reproduce, to have children to live the kingdom of God's promise in the Old Testament so that we left so there will be a time of great separation when he comes know all of that to say this, verse 42 watch therefore, for you know not what hour your Lord doth come. When the Lord comes the ungodly will be swept away in the godly will be left remaining safe to enter the kingdom that is the promise, but we don't know in the generation that's alive at that time won't know the exact moment of that. So there needs to be preparedness that we just going on with life and there will come the judgment and then the door will be shut forever.

Just like in Matthew 2510 in the parable of the virgins it says they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut. When that time comes.

The separation will be made in the Lord knows how to make that separation. He knows he knows who to leave and who to sweep away in Malachi, you know what he was breathing out judgment judgment judgment it says and those that were righteous. Those that love the Lord believed in the Lord had faith in Mitt and talked with each other and you know what they said was poorly might get swept away in this whole deal to and then the word of God says to them know you shall be mine in the day that I make up my jewels, as if to say, the Lord knows them that are his right. He knows second Peter two verse four. If God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them to chains of darkness, to be reserved of the judgment and spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly. In other words, if God knew who the sinful angels were and punish them and save the good ones.

If God knew who the sinful people were destroyed them and saved Noah and the righteous, and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes, condemn them with an overthrow, making them an example under those that after should live ungodly and delivered just a lot. In other words, of God knew how to get a lot out of Sodom and Gomorrah, and no out of the flood and the holy angels out of the devastation of heaven, then verse nine says the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of the temptation or the trial.

So when the judgment comes the Lord will know how to sort out and then reserve the unjust to the day of judgment to be punished.

Second Peter tonight so he knows how to separate what the word here's verse 42. Be alert. It's a present imperative be continually alert every generation, every person be alert for you know not what hour your Lord does come it's a cry for constant vigilance, constant alertness, he will come in men who recognize that he is coming will be alert to that company spiritually aware. Listen, this is not fiction. This is fact. This is how it will be just as the prophet said how it would be in his first coming and he fulfilled every prophecy. So will he and his second coming. Watch therefore, for you don't know what our your Lord's, and if he's not your Lord now he will be your Lord, then in his Lordship will be made manifest in his right to send you into eternity into hell.

The punishment he is Lord. At that moment every knee will bow some in loving adoration, some in terror but every knee will bow.

This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. John is Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary's current study is titled Jesus is coming John were commanded to set our affections on things above to set our affections on heaven, and that ought to be easy to do with all the blessings that await us there but it's not easy in and in fact we vote. A question from one of our listeners. Her name is Patricia there probably many others like her.

She tells us the anticipation of future joy is blunted by a particular worrier want to play her question and then you respond to it) like having an appetite appetite and I really appreciate your ministry great and my question at this and the book of Revelation, Jesus said he will I play every care at that point the believers with him for eternity and my question is as a test that may have left unsaid. Never knee Christ and all archers are wiped away delete have no recollection of fan at all and very eternal fate is and how or if our understanding completely different that it we no longer wait than ever that is left like that are lost forever. Thank you, thank goodness the very practical question. Patricia know you will have no memory of this life because any memory of this life would introduce sin, failure, brokenness, death, sorrow, so we we we will literally leave this life behind. When you understand that the final act of God in Scripture is to destroy this entire universe that it melts the elements melt with fervent heat, the whole universe goes out of existence. It's uncreated, you will understand that everything that was part of it goes with that.

Everything that was tainted by sin and corruption and the fall disappears with it, and heaven becomes total all-consuming preoccupation with its own glorious realities and the honor of God and the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The joy of heaven is never going to be mitigated at all. It is consummate perfect everlasting joy at an infinite level never intruded upon by any disappointment or any failure or any loss.

This is what the promise of heaven is we will be literally consumed with the glory of Christ and the joys of eternity there be no sense of the past. I think the only thing will know about the past is that past which was God's redemptive accomplishment in Jesus Christ and we will rejoice over him as our Savior and we will know people will know everybody but will know them in their perfect state and not remember their imperfect state very encouraging.

John, thank you. And don't friend if you have a Bible related question you'd like to ask you can record your question now. Just call 661-295-6288.

Get in touch today leave a message with your question and stay tuned, and John may answer it on our future broadcast that Q&A line number one more time. 661-295-6288 and as a reminder, you can find that number on our website@jidety.org.

Also, if you are looking to study a book of the New Testament in depth. Whether it's one of the Gospels or the pastoral epistles, or perhaps the book of Revelation. Let me encourage you to get the MacArthur New Testament commentary series, you can order a single volume on the passenger studying get all 34 volumes covering the entire New Testament. The commentaries are the product of more than four decades of John's teaching ministry there.

Excellent for pastors and lay leaders, or anyone who wants to know God's word in greater detail to order any individual commentary or the entire MacArthur New Testament commentary series, call us at 835 grace or visit our website TTY.org that address one more time. TTY.org now for John MacArthur on Phil Johnson encouraging you to be back here tomorrow as John looks at how Christ will reward his faithful followers when he comes back.

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