THE SECOND PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
The Gospel according to Matthew
Message Four—Being Watchful in Preparing for His Coming
Scripture Reading: Matt. 24:32-44
I. “But learn the parable from the fig tree: As soon as its branch has become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near”—Matt. 24:32:
A. The fig tree signifies the nation of Israel as a sign to us concerning the Lord’s coming—Jer. 24:2, 5, 8.
B. When the branch of the fig tree becomes tender and it puts forth its leaves, we know that summer, the full restoration of the Messianic kingdom, is near.
II. “For just as the days of Noah were, so will the coming of the Son of Man be”—v. 37:
A. The Greek word for coming (parousia) means “presence”—v. 3:
1. In ancient times this word was applied to the coming of a dignified person; in the New Testament this word refers to the coming of Christ, the most dignified One.
2. Christ’s coming will be His presence with His people; His parousia will begin with the rapture of the man-child (Rev. 12:5) and of the firstfruits (14:1-4) and will end with His appearing on the earth with the saints—v. 27; 2 Thes. 2:8; Jude 14.
B. The situation before the Lord’s coming will be like that in the days of Noah:
1. Noah lived in a crooked and perverse age—Gen. 6:1-21:
a. As a result of man’s first fall, the evil nature of Satan had been injected into man—3:1-6; John 8:44.
b. In the second fall, the evil nature of Satan in man devised and developed a godless human culture—Gen. 4:16-24; 1 John 5:19b.
c. At the time of the third fall, this godless culture produced an evil, crooked, corrupted, and perverse generation, and the evil power of darkness corrupted the earth and filled it with violence—Gen. 6:1-13.
2. In Matthew 24:37-38 and Luke 17:26-27 the Lord Jesus likened our age to the days of Noah:
a. The conditions of evil living that stupefied the generation of Noah before the flood portray the perilous condition of man’s living before the great tribulation and the Lord’s parousia—Matt. 24:21, 3, 27, 37, 39.
b. If we would participate in the overcomers’ rapture to enjoy the Lord’s parousia and escape the great tribulation, we must overcome the stupefying effect of man’s living today—Luke 21:34-36.
III. “At that time two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left”—Matt. 40-41:
A. The two men and the two women represent the living believers at the time of the Lord’s second coming.
B. To be taken is to be raptured before the great tribulation—v. 21; Rev. 3:10:
1. The rapture is the consummating step of God’s full salvation in life—the transfiguration, the redemption, of our body—Rom. 5:10; 8:23; Phil. 3:21.
2. After we have believed in the Lord and are saved, because of the demand of the divine life which we have received and because of the intensity of our love toward the Lord, we desire to pursue a life that awaits the Lord’s coming—1 Thes. 1:10; 2:19; 3:13.
C. Matthew 24:40-41 refers to the secret rapture, the rapture of the ready ones, the mature ones:
1. The difference between the one who is taken and the one who is left is in the maturity of life; one is mature in life, and the other is not—Heb. 6:1.
2. To become matured is not an overnight matter; for the Lord’s coming we need to prepare ourselves, love Him, and grow in Him, that at His appearing we may be mature to be raptured.
D. The Lord’s word in Matthew 24:40-41 shows us that as we wait for His coming and expect to be raptured, we must be faithful in our daily duties, living a properly balanced human life—cf. 2 Thes. 3:6-15.
IV. “Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord comes”—Matt. 24:42:
A. The overcomers will be the watchful saints, who will be raptured before the coming of the great tribulation—v. 21.
B. Whether or not we will be raptured before the great tribulation and taken away to meet Christ on the throne depends on our watchfulness and on our beseeching in a particular way—Luke 21:36.
V. “But know this, that if the householder had known in which watch the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be broken into”—Matt. 24:43:
A. Householder refers to the believer, and house to the conduct and work that a believer has built up in his Christian life.
B. A thief comes only to steal what is precious; we need to be precious by being mature so that the Lord will come secretly and take us away as His treasure—Rev. 3:3; 16:15.
VI. “For this reason you also be ready, because at an hour when you do not expect it, the Son of Man is coming”—Matt. 24:44:
A. In the light of the truth concerning the rapture, we need to make ourselves ready for the Lord’s coming by praying that we may grow and mature in life.
B. The rapture in which we will participate is Christ Himself—Col. 1:27; 3:3-4:
1. The rapture is a matter of being filled with Christ; thus, in order to be raptured, we need to be filled with Christ—Eph. 3:17a, 19b.
2. When we have Christ wrought into us to a sufficient degree, we will be raptured—Gal. 4:19; 2 Thes. 1:10.
Ministry Excerpts:
THE COMING OF CHRIST BEING AS THE DAYS OF NOAH
Verse 37 says, “For as the days of Noah were, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.” Many Christians have misunderstood this verse. The Lord’s coming (parousia) will be as the days of Noah. This indicates that the Lord’s parousia will be a period of time. This period will be as the days of Noah; that is, the situation of the Lord’s parousia will be like that in the days of Noah.
Verses 38 and 39 say, “For as they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, until the day in which Noah entered into the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and took all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of Man be.” “For” indicates that this verse is the explanation of why and how the Lord’s parousia will be as the days of Noah. It is because in the days of Noah the following conditions existed: people were befuddled by eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage; and they did not know until the flood came and took them away. During the Lord’s parousia, people will be the same; befuddled by the necessities of this life and not knowing that God’s judgment (signified by the flood) will come upon them by the Lord’s coming. The believers, however, should be de-drugged and soberly know that Christ is coming to execute God’s judgment upon this corrupted world. Eating, drinking, and marriage were originally ordained by God for man’s existence. But due to man’s lust, Satan utilizes these necessities of human life to occupy man and keep him from God’s interests. Toward the end of this age, this situation will be intensified and will reach its climax during the Lord’s parousia.
The most striking features of the days before the flood were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage. This indicates that the people of those days were drugged by their fleshly, worldly enjoyment. The same thing is happening in society today. The enemy of God, Satan, utilizes the necessities of life to poison the people created by God. The entire human race has been poisoned. However, this does not mean that there is no need for us to eat, drink, or get married. All this is necessary for our existence. But we must not allow these things to drug us and to dull our senses. In human society today the senses of every person, high or low, old or young, are numb, indicating that the people have been poisoned by the way of this age in eating, drinking, and giving in marriage. This was the situation in the days of Noah, and it will be the situation at the time of the Lord’s parousia.
People today are studying and working for the purpose of enjoying good eating, good drinking, and a good marriage. They have no thought concerning the things of God. How prevailing is this lack of sense concerning God today! It is prevailing especially in the educational sphere and the commercial sphere. So many in the universities have been drugged by their pursuit of an education. Their education is merely for eating, drinking, and marriage. Those in the commercial field have also been drugged by the desire to make money, also for the purpose of having better eating, drinking, and marriage. This has caused many divorces. When a young man is poor, he may marry a certain woman. But when he makes more money, he may divorce his wife and marry another in his desire for a better wife. This situation will continue until it reaches the climax during the Lord’s parousia. During the days of Noah, this climax was reached a little before the flood which came in with the judgment of God. In a sense, the parousia of Christ will be like the flood coming with God’s judgment. The flood brought judgment upon the drugged people of Noah’s day. The parousia will bring God’s judgment upon this drugged world. Christ will descend to earth and execute God’s righteous judgment upon this drugged and rebellious world.
BEFORE THE COMING OF CHRIST,
ONE BEING TAKEN AND THE OTHER LEFT
Verses 40 and 41 say, “Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left.” According to the context, “Then” here means “by that time.” It indicates that while the worldly people are befuddled by the material things, with no sense of the coming judgment, some of the sober and watchful believers will be taken away. To the befuddled people, this should be a sign of Christ’s coming.
The two men in verse 40 must be brothers in Christ, and the two women in verse 41 must be sisters in the Lord. This is indicated by verse 42, which tells us to watch because we do not know on what day our Lord comes. Both “watch therefore” and “your Lord” prove that the two men and the two women in verses 40 and 41 are believers. The Lord would not charge unsaved people to watch, nor is He the Lord of the unsaved.
To be taken means to be raptured before the great tribulation. This rapture is a sign of the Lord’s coming and a sign to the Jews. It is very interesting to see that the two men are working in the field and that the two women are grinding at the mill. Both working in the field and grinding are for eating. There is a difference between our eating and the eating of the worldly people. The worldly people study and work, and we also study and work. The worldly people, however, have been drugged. But we have not been drugged. Rather, we are simply fulfilling our duty to make a living. We are not for eating, drinking, and marriage; on the contrary, we maintain our existence in order to take the way of the cross to fulfill God’s purpose. Our concern is not for our education, employment, or business.
WE MUST BE VERY FAITHFUL IN OUR DAILY DUTIES
When some of the young people hear this, they may say, “How glad we are to hear this word! Let’s not care any more for study or for work. Let us spend all our time praying and having fellowship with one another.” Such an attitude is wrong. Remember, according to verse 40 the brothers were farming, and according to verse 41 the sisters were grinding. Grinding grain is very hard work. This indicates that we Christians should not take easy jobs. We need to work hard in order to make a living. The eating and drinking in verse 38 is worldly, but the farming and grinding in verses 40 and 41 are holy. If the ones taken were not doing something holy, they could not have been raptured. Do you realize that farming can be holy, but working as a pastor can be very worldly? A Bible teacher may be worldly; yet a sister who grinds grain may be holy. Many of the sisters who work at cooking the meals are holy sisters. It is not those who talk about holiness who are necessarily holy. Sometimes the more certain sisters talk about being holy, the less holy they are. It is better for such sisters to spend more time cooking to serve excellent food to their husbands, their children, and those to whom they give hospitality. The sisters who do this will be holy. Some sisters know how to have fellowship about being holy, but they do not know how to do a good job in their cooking. They always cook plain meals for their families, excusing themselves by saying that there is no need for them to waste time in cooking. But after a period of time, their husbands and children are discontent with such cooking. The more these sisters talk about being holy, the less holy their husbands and children become. They talk about holiness, but they do not take proper care of their families. We need more holy sisters to grind at the mill to produce fine flour. We are not drugged, but we do need to be properly nourished.
The principle is the same with the brothers in their jobs. A brother should not talk about holiness and neglect his job. If he does this, he will be fired. Notice, the rapture does not take place when the two brothers and the two sisters are praying, but when they are working. When I was young, I was told how wonderful it would be to be raptured while we were praying or reading the Bible. But the Lord Jesus does not speak this way. Instead, He says that two men were farming and that two women were grinding. They were not fasting, praying, or reading the Bible; they were doing their ordinary work.
The Lord Jesus certainly spoke this word with a definite purpose. He wanted to show us that as we wait for His coming and expect to be raptured, we must be very faithful in our daily duties. We need to do the best farming and the best grinding. We need a properly balanced human life, not the life of monks who devote themselves to spiritual things and expect others to take care of them. It is the brothers working in the field and the sisters grinding in the mill who will be raptured.
There used to be a proverb that anyone who becomes a preacher becomes useless. The reason for this proverb is that preachers do not need to work to earn a living. Rather, the burden for their living is placed upon others. It is a shame for us to be like this. We need to work diligently and do our duty in a proper way. When we are in the field or at the mill, we may be raptured. The sisters who are wives and mothers must do the best grinding and learn how to prepare the most healthy meals for their families. Sisters, if your husband and children are not healthy, you will be held responsible for this before the Lord. If you take care of this matter before the Lord, you will be truly holy. Do not spend your time in talking about holiness, but spend it in cooking healthy, digestible, delicious meals. You need to prepare good meals to preserve the life of your husband and to build up the health of your children. This matter is included in the Lord’s reference to grinding at the mill.
The brothers who are fathers and husbands also need to work diligently at their jobs to earn the money needed to take care of their families. Those who work simply to have a great deal of money in the bank are drugged. But we need to labor in order to provide the best things for our children. Otherwise, we are faithful neither to God nor to our children. As parents, we must do the best to educate our children. We should not have the attitude that it is good enough for them to graduate from high school and work in a menial job. To be in the field means that we care that our children are fed well and educated in the best way. We should not be those who love the world and work to make money for ourselves. But we should be those who work diligently to earn money for our family. As those with a fallen human nature, it is easy for us to excuse ourselves for not spending so much time in the field or at the grinding. If you do this, you will not be raptured. I repeat, you will be raptured while you are working in the field or grinding out the grain.
Of the two men in the field, one is taken and the other is left; and of the two women grinding at the mill, one is taken and the other left. The reason for this is that there is a difference between them in the matter of life. I believe that the one taken is mature and that the one left is immature. The life makes the difference. The rapture of the overcomers, those who are mature in life, will be a sign to those who are left. Suppose you are working in the field with a brother and he is suddenly taken away to the heavens. That would certainly be a sign to you. Suppose two sisters are grinding at the mill, and one is taken away to the Lord. Surely that would be a sign to the sister who was left!
WATCHING AND BEING READY BECAUSE CHRIST WILL COME AS A THIEF
In verse 42 the Lord tells us to watch, for we do not know on what day the Lord will come. Then verse 43 says, “But know this, that if the householder knew in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.” The householder refers to the believer, and the house, to the believer’s conduct and work which he has built up in his Christian life. A thief comes to steal precious things at an unknown time. The Lord will come secretly as a thief to those who love Him and will take them away as His treasures. Hence, we should watch. “Therefore,” as the Lord says in verse 44, “you also, be ready, for the Son of Man comes in an hour that you think not.” This refers to the Lord’s secret coming to the watchful overcomers.
BEING FAITHFUL AND PRUDENT
The Faithful and Prudent Slave Giving Food to the Lord’s Household at the Appointed Time
Verses 45 through 51 are concerned with faithfulness and prudence. Verse 45 says, “Who then is the faithful and prudent slave, whom the master has set over his household to give them food at the appointed time?” Faithfulness is toward the Lord, whereas prudence is toward the believers. Watchfulness is for rapture into the Lord’s presence, but faithfulness is for reigning in the kingdom (v. 47).
The household spoken of in verse 45 refers to the believers (Eph. 2:19), who are the church (1 Tim. 3:15). To give them food is to minister the Word of God with Christ as the life supply to the believers in the church. We all must learn how to minister the life supply to the household of the Lord at the appointed time.
Verses 46 and 47 say, “Blessed is that slave whom his master when he comes shall find so doing. Truly I say to you, that he will set him over all his possessions.” To be blessed here is to be rewarded with ruling authority in the manifestation of the kingdom. The faithful slave of the Lord will be set over all His possessions as a reward in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.
The Evil Slave Beating His Fellow Slaves, Eating and Drinking with the Drunken, and Being Cut Off from the Lord in His Coming Glory
Verse 48 says, “But if that evil slave says in his heart, My master is delaying his coming.” The evil slave is a believer, because he is appointed by the Lord (v. 45), he calls the Lord “my master,” and he believes that the Lord is coming. Verse 49 says that the evil slave beats his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with the drunken. To beat the fellow slaves is to mistreat the fellow believers, and to eat and drink with the drunken is to keep company with worldly people, who are drunk with worldly things.
Verses 50 and 51 say, “The master of that slave shall come on a day when he does not expect him, and in an hour which he does not know, and shall cut him asunder and appoint his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” The problem with the evil slave is not that he does not know that the Lord is coming, but that he does not expect Him. He does not like to live the kind of life that is prepared for the Lord’s coming. Therefore, when the Lord comes back, He will cut him asunder and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. To cut him asunder means to cut him off. This signifies a separation from the Lord in His coming glory. This corresponds to being cast out into the outer darkness in the conclusion of the parable of the talents (25:14-30), which is a completion to this section. The Lord will not cut the evil slave in pieces; rather, He will cut him off from the glory in which He Himself will be. This is equal to being cast out into outer darkness.
Whoever is cast into outer darkness will be cut off from the Lord, from His presence, from His fellowship, and from the glorious sphere in which the Lord will be. This is not to perish eternally, but to be chastened dispensationally. Who can say that the evil slave is not a genuine believer? If he were not a brother, how could his work have been assigned by the Lord? The Lord would not assign duties to a false believer. Certainly the evil slave is a saved one. In Matthew, the book of the kingdom, the issue is not salvation. The issue is the kingdom: whether we shall receive a reward to enter into the kingdom, or whether we shall lose the reward, miss the enjoyment of the kingdom, and suffer punishment and discipline where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Life-Study of Matthew, msg. 63)