The Gospel of Matthew Study Help (Matthew 24:36-41)

Jesus’ Private ministry

Questions on this study

1. How did Peter describe the last days before the second coming of Christ?
2. What did Jesus compare the end of time with?
3. How long did it take Noah to build the ark?
4. What should be our primary objective and mission in life Today as we wait on the second coming of Jesus?
5. What specifically is our mission as believers?
6. Notice that Noah and his family entered the ark to safety seven days before the flood. How does that relate to the church when it is raptured?
7. What is the primary impression that we should get from the Olivet Discourse?
8. There are five things that we have learned from the Olivet Discourse that should motivate us in these last days; what are they?

Introduction

Today, we come back to the Olivet Discourse in Chapter 24. At this point, Jesus has answered the questions His disciples asked Him concerning the end of the age, His Second Coming, and His future Kingdom on earth. After this, Jesus now begins to talk about a particular event not directly related to the disciples’ questions of that which they had never heard. It was separate from the end-time events but also associated with it.

Jesus explains this special event in three stages: First, He speaks about it at the end of chapter 24 before crossing over into chapter 25 as He continues the Olivet Discourse. Then secondly, He elaborates more on it a few hours later during the Last Supper. Thirdly, and finally, the Apostle Paul, Fills us in on its entirety in two of his letters to the church.

Jesus gives us three things concerning this special event, the circumstances, the details, and the purpose, as we will see as we continue: 

Matthew 24:36-39, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

Jesus refers to “that” day in the passage above. He wanted this event to stand out from the events He spoke about beforehand. He points out that this day will have no signs leading up to it, meaning that it is imminent and could take place at any time. In verses 37-39, Jesus hints at something to give us a little better understanding concerning the circumstances of that day. He relates this special day to the events of Noah’s day.

Jesus said that in Noah’s day, people were going about their lives as normal as if nothing out of the ordinary was about to happen. As usual, they were eating, drinking, and giving in marriage, believing their future was secure. To them, there was no thought that a devastating flood was on the horizon, which would sweep them away. So will be the coming of our Lord with judgment on a wicked world, which the world today is unable to comprehend or accept;  Peter describes the condition of the world during the end time in the following verses:

            “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men,” 2 Peter 3:3-7.

           Peter description of the world before the second coming sounds very much like the time in which we live. America has turned away from God. The word of God is not allowed in public schools and the public square. Many college professors deny there is a God and teach evolution. The progressive left in government, by their actions, deny God; therefore, this nation is in one big mess and in danger of the judgment that Peter speaks of in verse 7 above: “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

           There is gross ignorance of the Bible in America, as the following quote reveals: “We would not expect secularized Americans to be knowledgeable about the Bible. A Barna poll once indicated that at least 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc might be Noah’s wife. Another survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife. A considerable number of respondents to one poll indicated that Billy Graham preached the Sermon on the Mount. The larger scandal is biblical ignorance among Christians. Choose whichever statistic or survey you like, and the general pattern is the same among professing Christians. America’s Christians know less and less about the Bible,” – answersingenesis.org.

           Peter said that in the last days’ people would mock the idea of the second coming of Christ and a day of judgment on the earth. He also reminds the world to remember the days of Noah of how God then destroyed the world. If God brought judgment on the world because of its wickedness in those days, what will stop Him from doing it again in a world that is extremely wicked.

           There are some today, like in the days of Noah, whose family knew judgment was coming, who are prepared as were they. Believers today are put on notice by the word of God that judgment is forthcoming on the world. Like Noah and his family, we don’t know the hour, but we know judgment is coming because the signs are everywhere. Today, the church needs to get ready; there are things we need to do to prepare, which we will see when we get into chapter 25.

           In the book of Genesis, there is a description of the world-leading up to the flood: “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,” Genesis 6:5. Today’s world may not have reached the point of degradation as it was in Noah’s day, but it is well on its way.

Below is the Apostle Paul’s description of what life on earth will be leading up to judgment: “Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;” 2 Timothy 3:3-4. That is a comprehensive assessment of today’s world.

Paul describes Israel as becoming increasingly sinful, inviting God’s judgment on themselves. Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet, foretold God’s coming judgment on Israel hundreds of years in advance: “I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them,” Jeremiah 8:13. Today, there is evidence that our world is heading in that same direction. You may be concerned about your future and ask what will I do? This is unnecessary; it should not cause stress or worry for believers because the question we should be asking is how can I make the most of this opportunity to reach the lost with the gospel.

Jesus compared the end of time with the time of Noah’s day. Just as it was then, the world is terrible today but not nearly as bad as then. There was gross immorality and wickedness with demonic influence everywhere. It would have been dangerous to have been out alone day or night. Noah had to experience these terrible things for 120 years as he prepared the ark to escape God’s impending judgment. Noah must have grieved as he saw such wickedness and open defiance of God. We certainly feel some of the same as we read the news or see it on TV each day. It makes us wish there was a Shangri-La, an earthly paradise, a retreat from the pressures of the modern evil world, where we could escape. It is for sure that we can’t fix the world, and that was not Noah’s plan either. He was preparing the ark to save his family, which would be responsible for repopulating a new world. The ark would also carry the animals, without which the world could not survive.

The building of the ark gave purpose to Noah and his family. Today our primary objective and mission in life should be similar to Noah’s, to save our family and friends and all others we can before it is too late. That is what gives meaning to an otherwise meaningless life. As we look at the world all around us falling apart, it should motivate us to focus on the mission God has given us. I know what God’s mission is for me. Have you discovered God’s mission for your life? If not, pray that God will reveal it to you, and then make it life’s #1 Priority.

Time is running out, if not for the world, for every one of us. If we don’t have serving God as our priority, all that is left is focusing on the world’s deterioration and a feeling of isolation, fright, and hopelessness. During Covid-19, that has become a reality more than ever before. Feeling lost and sidelined with little hope for the future is a poor way to live; this is a critical time like we have never experienced before, but it is also a time of opportunity; it is no time to abandon our mission. We must not wait until things get back to normal to resume our life; that may never be a reality again in our lifetime. If we are indeed in the last days, there will never be a “normal” again. Our normal has never changed if our focus was on God initially.

Our need is like that of Noah; we need to take our eyes off a world bent on destruction and fixate on our mission to serve the Lord. It is vain to think the world is somehow going to fix itself or “the new green deal progressives” are insanely going to improve the climate and stop the end of the world from arriving when God intends to destroy it and replace it with something far better. 

Our mission as believers is to offer people an escape from this present world and to become a citizen of the new world to come where Jesus shall be king. Through His shed blood, we can be forgiven and are given eternal life. Our mission is to offer the world an ark of safety, the Lord. Only by trusting in Him can we find true purpose. Paul said in Ephesians 5:16, “making the best use of the time because the days are evil.” We can’t change the evil world, but we can use our time for the best when we warn the world of God’s judgment that lies ahead. Jesus compared God’s coming judgment with the days of Noah. So, let’s consider that time as we continue our study: 

            “In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;” Genesis 7:13.

 everyone was safely inside the ark, God sealed the door, as we see in Genesis 7:16. That also barred the opportunity for the rest of the world from entering the ark to safety. “And Noah went in, and his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark because of the waters of the flood.” 10And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth,” Genesis 7:7, 10.

Notice that Noah and his family entered the ark to safety seven days before the flood. God’s people, the church, will also be taken away before Daniel’s 70th week, a week of 7 years of God’s judgment on the earth. Noah’s seven days of waiting in the ark before the flood came is a picture of the church’s rescue seven years before God’s judgment. At the end of those seven years, Jesus will return to earth with the Old Testament saints and the church bringing the final judgment on a wicked, God-defying world. 

The next thing we see in this coming event on earth is the nature of the second coming, which will be the topic of our following several studies.

Matthew 24:40-41, “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”

Just as it was during the time of Noah, so will it be at the second coming. There were two kinds of people, those who were saved and those who were lost. There will be two men working in the field, and one will be taken and one left behind; two women will be grinding at the mill, and one will be taken, and one will be left behind. When Jesus returns, there will be a pilot of an airplane taken and one left or both taken, and the plane will crash to earth. There will be mass confusion over the entire world, leaving the world dumbfounded and in a dire situation.

In these verses, Jesus describes an ordinary scene where those prepared will enter a glorious future, and those unprepared and lost will be left behind for a terrible judgment. The day and the hour will come with complete surprise; some will be rescued, and some won’t. The impression we should get from the Olivet Discourse is a determination, in these last days, to live with an attitude of serving God and living our lives in a godly way that brings honor to the name of almighty God.

There are five things that we have learned from the Olivet Discourse that should motivate us in these last days:

First, judgment on this world is near at hand according to the signs Jesus gave the disciples. Second, the church’s rapture is the next major event, which rescues the church from the terrible judgment coming on the earth. Third, we see how wicked the world becomes as the end draws near. Fourth, this is when our God-given mission on earth should become our priority if it weren’t already. Fifth, these last days are the most incredible opportunity of a lifetime to share the gospel so that others are not left behind when Jesus returns. There is nothing more needed than sharing the gospel in a darkened world. I’m afraid there are too many Christians who are depressed, discouraged, and angry by these days in which we live rather than enjoying the love, peace, and joy that is for each believer to experience. 

Finally, we have the lifeline, so toss it out to as many as possible and save as many as possible before it is too late. In the next study, we will focus on the Last Supper.