God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Numbers 23: 19 (NLT)
Jesus continues His teaching:
"When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. Matthew 24: 37-39 (NLT)
Jesus is teaching that mankind will be relatively clueless when the Lord returns. Mankind will be preoccupied with the details of their lives and not even realize when it is time for the Son of Man to return. The parallel to Noah's day is interesting to consider. Realize that Noah warned his neighbors for 100 years as he built the ark. He warned them and they ignored him. They ignored him and he kept building the boat. By the time they realized their error the flood had come and they were unprepared and facing their day of judgment. That is how it will also be when the Lord returns. Let's face it, the world has been warned about the impending coming of the Lord for well over 100 years. It has actually been thousands of years. In this country alone it has been over 200 years. Warning after warning about the coming flood of judgment rising up against mankind. Many have taken heed and developed a relationship with Jesus Christ but many have simply ignored the warnings. On that day when the trumpet sounds it will be too late. Like the neighbors of Noah before them, they will realize their folly. They will realize that they ignored God for too long.
So then what should we be doing; those of us who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ? We need to be spending less time thinking about when He is coming back and more time doing His work until He does come back. We already have the blessed assurance of eternal life but there is a world of people on the outside looking in. We hold the key to their shackles yet do we offer it enough to them? What about our own lives and our own walk with the Lord? Jesus continues to teach us:
"So you, too, must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. Matthew 24: 42-44 (NLT)
Keeping watch does not mean making wild speculation about when the Lord returns. It does not mean to stand staring at the sky. It means we need to keep watch of our own lives because we never know when the day might come. Too many of us live lives day to day, always thinking we have tomorrow to repent or make things right. God does not want lukewarm Christianity. You are either all in or nothing. The rich fool thought he could always put off tomorrow. The parable tells us that God blessed him yet instead of turning to God, he thought he could just build bigger barns and then relax and take it easy. This was the answer from God:
But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' Luke 12: 20 (NKJV)
