But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.1
[Ask the congregation who wants to be among those taken?]
What was it like living in the days of Noah?
For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. (Matthew 24:38-41)
The primary comparison to Noahs day: normalcy will suddenly be taken away.
Although you may have heard this passage associated with the rapture of the Church -- and so would like to find yourself among those taken, there are numerous indicators that this passage does not concern of the rescue of the Church at the Rapture.
Key differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming:
Rapture | Second Coming |
---|---|
godly taken | ungodly taken |
taken for preservation | taken for judgment |
taken to heaven | taken to hell |
those left on earth experience tribulation | those left on earth experience blessing |
But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:43-44)
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:9-10)
The arrival of the Day of the Lord is likened to being broken into by a thief.
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-10)
Again, the Day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. This is not a good thing!
Description | Implication |
---|---|
thief in the night | unexpected, while people sleep, negative consequences |
peace and safety | business as usual right up until judgment begins (not describing conditions at the end of the tribulation when Jesus returns) |
sudden destruction | no time to prepare, negative consequences |
sons of light, day, not of the night | believers will not be surprised, the thief coming of Jesus in judgment does not apply to believers (this is not the rapture) |
not appointed to wrath | believers escape the wrath of the arriving thief |
The Day of the Lord refers to Gods special interventions into the course of world events to judge His enemies, accomplish His purpose for history, and thereby demonstrate who He is--the sovereign God of the universe.10
Endnotes:
1. | NKJV, Mat. 24:37-44 |
2. | Estimates [of the pre-flood population] have ranged from a few hundred thousand to 17 billion people. http://www.answersingenesis.org/PublicStore/pdfs/SampleChapter/10-2-267.pdf [accessed 20120204]. |
3. | Ref-0187, Gen. 6:3 |
4. | Ref-0150, 310 |
5. | It is probable that the corruption of the world, which had now reached its height, had been long and gradually increasing, and this idea receives support from the long respite granted.3 The holy one blessed be He patiently warned evil mankind for one hundred and twenty years before he unleashed the flood.4 |
6. | http://atheism.wikia.com/wiki/Noah%27s_flood [accessed 20120204]. |
7. | http://www.asktheatheists.com/questions/1388-how-to-disprove-a-global-flood-2200-bc/ [accessed 20120204]. |
8. | http://www.skepdic.com/noahsark.html [accessed 20120204]. |
9. | NASB |
10. | Ref-0588, 38 |
11. | Ref-0588, 35-39 |
Sources: