40 “Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:40–44 (ESV)
God the Father alone knows exactly when He has decreed God the Son, Jesus Christ, to return to earth in power, might and glory (Matt. 24:29-31, 36), With this in mind, believers in Christ are to still live in anticipation of the Son’s return. The Lord Jesus could return any day. Therefore, using illustrations and parables, the Lord began explaining how to be prepared for His coming (24:37–25:30).
Even in the first century there were those who scoffed at the Lord’s delay in coming again. They doubted God’s truthfulness and trustworthiness much like those who lived during Noah’s day (2 Peter 3:1-7).
Stay awake! Two words. Important words. Inspired words by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16017; 2 Peter 1:20-21). Jesus’ words to His disciples; then and now. To stay awake (γρηγορέω; gregoreo) is a present, active imperative verb. It is a command. It means to be on the alert and to be watchful. Believers in Christ are to be on the alert and watchful for the Lord’s return.
Be ready! Two words. Important words. Inspired words by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16017; 2 Peter 1:20-21). Jesus’ words to His disciples; then and now. To be ready (γίνομαι ἕτοιμος; ginomai hetoimas) is a present, middle imperative verb. It is a personal command. It means to be prepared and to be in a state of readiness.
Jesus used both phrases commanding His disciples to be on the alert and to be prepared for His second coming. Why was this truth so important for Jesus to emphatically communicate? It is because once He returns, salvation by grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone will be complete. All those who God the Father has elected unto salvation He will have saved (2 Peter 3:8-10).
“It is clear that once this final day arrives, every opportunity still to be saved is gone forever. The door is shut. See on 25:10. The Lord arrives. Of two men engaged in the same kind of work, probably even toiling next to each other in the field, one is taken. By the angels he is gathered to be forever with the Lord. The other is left behind, assigned to everlasting perdition. The same thing happens in the case of two women who at that very moment are grinding with a hand-mill (cf. Exod. 11:5), made of two round, flat stones, with a handle near the edge of the upper stone. This mill must not be confused with the much larger one worked by donkey-power (see on 18:6). The lesson is the same: one of the two is taken, the other left behind. The One who takes is the Son of man himself through the agency of angels,” states Dr. William Hendriksen.
“Verses 40–44 stress the suddenness of Christ’s return. The taking of men and women from their tasks (vv. 40–42) is not a picture of a pretribulational rapture. Instead, Jesus is saying that the separation of the wicked and the righteous will be immediate. It is as if we will look up from our labor one seemingly ordinary day and find ourselves at the consummation of all things,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“Just as a thief might suddenly break in without warning, so too will our Lord return at a moment when we are not expecting Him (vv. 43–44). These illustrations encourage us not only to be ready for the Savior’s final advent, but also to be prepared to meet Him at any point should we die before He comes.”
Puritan Matthew Henry comments, “We cannot know that we have a long time to live; nor can we know how little a time we have to live, for it may prove less than we expect.” Putting off repentance and faith can lead to eternal damnation.”
Be awake and be ready. Jesus’ return may be today.
Soli deo Gloria!
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