Expect, or not to Expect? That is the question.

[Acts29]

Luke 12:45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

First, Jesus said rather plainly that we are to watch. I don't think He said that in vain.

Second, the scriptures above seem to pose a contradiction. In Luke, Jesus equates only those who a fooling around would not be expecting Him that day and hour. Further, Jesus says those who were not looking for Him would be cast out with the unbelievers. Stiff penalty. In Matthew, Jesus appears to be saying that knowing the day or hour isn't possible. This seems to create a problem. Unless, Jesus is talking about two different appointed times, one expected and one unexpected.

How do you understand these things?

 

[Halbhh]

Luke 12:45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

First, Jesus said rather plainly that we are to watch. I don't think He said that in vain.

Second, the scriptures above seem to pose a contradiction. In Luke, Jesus equates only those who a fooling around would not be expecting Him that day and hour. Further, Jesus says those who were not looking for Him would be cast out with the unbelievers. Stiff penalty. In Matthew, Jesus appears to be saying that knowing the day or hour isn't possible. This seems to create a problem. Unless, Jesus is talking about two different appointed times, one expected and one unexpected.

How do you understand these things?

"watch"

That's a verb, and your question just highlighted that for me. It's a great reminder.

Matthew 25:13 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Of course the key way (required of us) to watch is to do precisely what Christ directly instructed us to do in order to be ready, such as:

The Parable of the Ten Virgins, and really, this entire chapter is about this same readiness for His return, or our own individual passing on (both leading to the same accounting).

The Parable of the Ten Virgins:
Matthew 25 NIV

(notice how the wording to those not ready, not taking the narrow road -- "I do not know you" -- is the precisely same wording as in the crucially important Matthew 7 NIV)

 

[Halbhh]

These 2 chapters are about whether believers will face Life or Death in the age to come.

 

[eleos1954]

Luke 12:45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

First, Jesus said rather plainly that we are to watch. I don't think He said that in vain.

Second, the scriptures above seem to pose a contradiction. In Luke, Jesus equates only those who a fooling around would not be expecting Him that day and hour. Further, Jesus says those who were not looking for Him would be cast out with the unbelievers. Stiff penalty. In Matthew, Jesus appears to be saying that knowing the day or hour isn't possible. This seems to create a problem. Unless, Jesus is talking about two different appointed times, one expected and one unexpected.

How do you understand these things?

We watch for signs and events .... we don't know the day or the hour .... but from the signs and events we know His return is near.

Joel 3:14

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision

We are to be in a state of readiness.

Jesus says it will be like in the days of Noah .... go review the story ;o)

Matthew 24:37-39
King James Version

Jesus speaking ...

37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Pretty much "business as usual".

But we are not to fret about it.

John 16:33

Berean Study Bible
I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”

 

[Trusting in Him]

I believe that He is coming soon for His Bride, No one knows when He is coming, but there are things to look for. Russia, Iran and Turkey are in Syria which is where they need to be in the run up to the war of Exekiel 38 / 39. Also Damascus it well on the way to getting turned into a ruinous heap as described in Isaiah 17:1. Is this the war which heralds the coming of the antichrist and the 7 year tribbulation? Well it's looking more than likely so far. Well those who love his appearing are waiting for the bridegroom to be raptured and taken away to the marriage supper of the Lamb. When's the bridegroom coming? At a time we think not! We need to be ready although we don't know the time! Those who are not ready won't be able to meet Him in the air! God's word assures us that we are not appointed to wrath. The time of God's wrath is not appointed for us.

There are pictures of this in Song of solomon and Abraham's servant being sent to fetch a bride for Issac. Solomon was the Son of David, the is a messianic title. Solomon was not the Messiah, he was only a prophetic picture of Jesus, Solomon appears here as both a shepherd and a king (this also has messianic connections). He comes for his bride at an unexpected time.

Abraham's servant is called Eliezer, which (which means God of help and is a picture of the Holy Spirit), Abraham (means Exalted Father and this is a picture of God the Father) and of course Issac is a picture of God the Son. Abraham sends His servant to find a bride for His Son, when she is not expecting it and Rebbakah is brought to meet Him. She is willing to be His bride, even though she has never met Him face to face and we are willing to go to be with our Bridegroom, even though we have never met Him face to face.

The bridegroom and the bride are in the bridal chamber seven days, which takes them to the end of the seven year tribulation and the Groom brings out his bride for all to see when He returns at the second coming. This has a lot to do with the original form of an ancient Jewish wedding. This is not necessrily quite what everyone's else's eschatological position might agree with, but I am quite old fashioned in my understanding of these things.

 

[Blade]

I like the classic song "We gotta watch, we gotta pray We gotta keep on looking For that very special day
We gotta work for it won't be long 'Til we join our friends and loved ones All around the throne. The day that Jesus left here He said that He'd return again And to everyone who looked for Him He said that He'd return for them
And if it happened any moment now Are you watching and prepared For the day that Jesus calls us home And we'll meet Him in the air".

Luke 12:45... is like the start of the tragic side of the parable. Always read above and below..well because when it was written there was no chapter and verses. The servant moved himself to master and was not obeying what his lord told him to do. He just eat and drank. Its not about '"watch for Jesus or else". See Christ picked preachers, Apostles so forth so on and they are to be doing what He told them. We also are to share the gospel of salvation. Be like having a construction site and .. I am going away I have to take care of something else. I leave Pet in Charge. You need to stick the plans and so forth so on. Yet Pet just forgets everything I told him. He takes over the job builds his way and is paying the works less. The job looks nothing at all like the plans.

I think you know what the owner does when he comes back. Again its not "watch for Jesus or else". We all goof up we all miss it.. that can be days weeks years even. But in our heart we are always pressing forward. Always repenting. In Luke.. they know what they are doing. Some like this look forward for the day of the lord and they SHOULD NOT BE! For them it will not be good... I didn't really do a good job here I think. Well I went back and looked studied. I read allot..some dive deep into these verses.

I can't speak for anyone else but for me when I read the word of God.. I always come away with.. I need to be always watching always ready. Some that are saved will be left... Its what I take away from His word. He comes in the air and only we see Him the other the world sees Him. I am free so IF I am not watching do not believe and He comes.. will He force me ..well He just take me anyway? Some believe ALL GO. I wont play with that. I don't know when nor was I promised tomorrow..so I watch and am ready NOW! I pray I didnt ad more confusion haha

 

[Halbhh]

But we are not to fret about it.

So long as we do the action of going and filling our lamps with oil again (and again, as needed), yes....
Matthew 25 NIV

 

[eleos1954]

So long as we do the action of going and filling our lamps with oil again (and again, as needed), yes....
Matthew 25 NIV

We don't know when this world will end .... but thank God it will .... get's more and more diabolical every day. Even so .... come Lord Jesus!

 

[Trusting in Him]

The greek word used in the new testament is harpatzo which means snatched away. I am thinking that it will happen in an instant. We won't have time to register what's happening and we will instantly be clothed in white rainment and be made righteous in Him. I have no idea what it's going to be like at all, but Jesus has promised to prepare a place for us, so it's going to be so amazing!

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

We don't know "yet" but I believe we will know, as Noah knew seven days before the rains began.
Gen.7:4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

 

[Trusting in Him]

Noah and the ark are well worth studying. As a picture it has similarities with the rapture, with certain identifable parallels to the rature, but also Noah and his family were locked in the a long time and there are things to understand, while being locked down for covid.

 

[PesachPup]

Luke 12:45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

First, Jesus said rather plainly that we are to watch. I don't think He said that in vain.

Second, the scriptures above seem to pose a contradiction. In Luke, Jesus equates only those who a fooling around would not be expecting Him that day and hour. Further, Jesus says those who were not looking for Him would be cast out with the unbelievers. Stiff penalty. In Matthew, Jesus appears to be saying that knowing the day or hour isn't possible. This seems to create a problem. Unless, Jesus is talking about two different appointed times, one expected and one unexpected.

How do you understand these things?

First, let us compare scripture with scripture. A larger section of Luke 12 is comparable to Matt 24.

Luk 12:35-46 KJV 35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; 36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. 40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. 41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? 42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. 45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

And Matt 24,

Mat 24:42-51 KJV 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The application of these scriptures is just before our Lord returns. Two things can be said about this period of time.

1. Our "watching" is at or near its end, &
2. The Lord's coming is thence imminent.

In both scriptures We see the parable of the goodman and Jesus' exhortation to watch AND Be ye ready ALSO. What we are to garner in a more collective fashion from Matt 24,25 is the things that we are to watch for BEFORE the Lord comes again for those who are alive and remain unto the Lord's coming.
Many, many people will die, Christians included, before the lord shall come. Not knowing [when the lord shall come] is a big reason why many will die in those days. Notice that I put brackets around "when the Lord shall come". This is where people miss it. It's not about "knowing WHEN" , but rather its about "knowing WHAT" the time of the Lord's coming will entail. Let me rearrange the words so that it's easier to grasp.

"When the Lord shall come, no man knows the day or hour". There are two different words translated as the word "know" in these passages. One is ginosko and one is eido. Ginosko means to "know with the understanding of the mind".
Eido means to know with the experience of the senses (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting). When you apply these meanings to where they are used, a much deeper understanding will result... you will "know" the difference. Do you sort of get what I'm saying?

To know (eido) means a sensual, personal experience. I.e. it happened to me. To know(ginosko) involves an understanding with the mind, without necessarily experiencing it with the senses. It may involve both it is more related to an understanding with one's mind. It is akin to wisdom and knowledge of something. Historically speaking, we know a lot about the events that happened, but we didn't experience them.... because we weren't there. With that said let us examine their usage in the text of Matthew.

When Jesus said that no man "knows" the day or hour, he used the word eido. Experientially, no man has or will have ever experienced what the times leading up to Jesus's coming will be like. He didn't say that no man will "know" when he is coming, otherwise we would have seen the word ginosko used there.

In the parable of the goodman, Jesus said, [understand] know this.... IF the goodman had known (experientially) when the thief was coming, he would have watched and not suffered his house to be broken up. We don't know when a thief will try to break thru and steal our possessions, but we can only make preparations for when he comes to steal. What we "know" about a thief is his purpose... to steal. We can only make preparations to try and prevent his thievery, but we can't know when he is going to come. We make preparations because we know WHAT a thief does... steal! We are told to watch because the thief is coming to steal what we have. What is it that we are to guard? Our souls! For Jesus to come like a thief upon us means that we were not ready for his coming. Thus we see the exhortations (in Matt and Luke and Paul) to watch AND BE READY! Understanding, knowing that it's going to be far worse than any man has ever known experientially, is the key to being ready for when he comes. Jesus tells how to know with our understanding WHEN he is going to come. It's found in the word "see", which means to know by personal experience, in the following verse:

Mat 24:33 KJV So likewise ye, when ye shall see[eido] all these things, know[understand] that it is near, even at the doors.

He said then you will know/understand that my coming is near. His coming won't be near, or imminent, until those who live through them, experience ALL THESE THINGS. Luke said it this way,

Luk 21:31 KJV So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

It is the arrival of the kingdom that determines when the mortal (living) saints of God put on immortality and the corruptible (dead) saints of God put on incorruption. I hope this helps in your understanding.

Be Blessed
The PuP

 

[Spiritual Jew]

Luke 12:45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

First, Jesus said rather plainly that we are to watch. I don't think He said that in vain.

Second, the scriptures above seem to pose a contradiction. In Luke, Jesus equates only those who a fooling around would not be expecting Him that day and hour. Further, Jesus says those who were not looking for Him would be cast out with the unbelievers. Stiff penalty. In Matthew, Jesus appears to be saying that knowing the day or hour isn't possible. This seems to create a problem. Unless, Jesus is talking about two different appointed times, one expected and one unexpected.

How do you understand these things?

It is true that no one knows the day or hour except for the Father (Matthew 24:36). But, even though believers don't know the day or hour, we are still watching and we are expecting Him to come. Unbelievers are not expecting Him to ever come at all, so when He comes it will catch them completely off guard. Not so for us. We might be surprised at first, but we don't be taken completely off guard since we are expecting Him to come. So, that is the difference.

So, even though we don't know the exact day or hour He will come, when He does come it won't be unexpected for us in the sense that we had no idea He was coming. No, we are expecting Him to come some day. But, unbelievers are not expecting Him to come at all. So, it's only to them that He will come like a thief in the night (completely unexpectedly), not to believers (1 Thess 5:1-6).

 

[Jamdoc]

Luke 12:45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

First, Jesus said rather plainly that we are to watch. I don't think He said that in vain.

Second, the scriptures above seem to pose a contradiction. In Luke, Jesus equates only those who a fooling around would not be expecting Him that day and hour. Further, Jesus says those who were not looking for Him would be cast out with the unbelievers. Stiff penalty. In Matthew, Jesus appears to be saying that knowing the day or hour isn't possible. This seems to create a problem. Unless, Jesus is talking about two different appointed times, one expected and one unexpected.

How do you understand these things?

Jesus gave us signs to watch for, but we won't know the date or hour.
When the signs happen, then it becomes an imminent event. This is not as pretribulationists see imminence that there are no signs to watch for, but rather there are prerequisite events, namely the fig tree bringing forth new leaves (which most interpret as Israel, I tend to emphasize Jerusalem rather than "Israel" that happened in 1948, Jerusalem was only retaken in 1967) saying that within a lifetime that all prophecy would be fulfilled from that point, followed by the Abomination of Desolation which says within 3.5 years, and finally the Darkening of the Sun and Moon which tells us it's imminent.

Those are the signs given in Matthew 24.
So, we're instructed to know the Abomination of Desolation, what that means.
and yes, it is too believers not "that's to the Jews". The 4 Disciples were Church fathers and were believers first and foremost, not unbelieving Pharisees. To the Pharisees He told them:

Matthew 23

39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

But to those who believed? He told them

Matthew 24

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

That is, believers will see it happen.

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

The audience is again, believers in Christ, and they will see ALL THOSE THINGS, including the Abomination of Desolation, and the Sun and Moon Darkening

If Jesus gave us a date, we could just lollygag around until the date came and then get right.
But because we were given signs, NOT dates, we have to actively watch, pay attention to things happening, be in the Word of God so we can anticipate what's happening and know what to watch for.

Not to mention, when men try to set dates, and honestly, it's always pretribulationists that do this, they pull the 1948+70-7 (because "the seven year tribulation" they have to subtract) game and then look like fools when it doesn't happen. Now they're doing the same thing with 1948+80-7 to come up with 2021 dates.
and they will again
look like fools.

Then they say their master is delaying, and stop watching, and in the parable you were quoting.. eating and drinking with sinners.. which normally is not a sin (Christ ate and drank with sinners and reached out to them)

But it will be during the great tribulation, because the only way they'd be eating and drinking with sinners then? Is to take the mark, and the text also gives us that they'll deliver up other Christians and join in the persecution.

 

[RandyPNW]

Luke 12:45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

First, Jesus said rather plainly that we are to watch. I don't think He said that in vain.

Second, the scriptures above seem to pose a contradiction. In Luke, Jesus equates only those who a fooling around would not be expecting Him that day and hour. Further, Jesus says those who were not looking for Him would be cast out with the unbelievers. Stiff penalty. In Matthew, Jesus appears to be saying that knowing the day or hour isn't possible. This seems to create a problem. Unless, Jesus is talking about two different appointed times, one expected and one unexpected.

How do you understand these things?

This is rather easy to understand if one does not first assume "imminent expectation," or "imminency doctrine." The idea that we are to watch for Christ's Coming as if he can come any day, as if there are no more prophecies to fulfill, is not to be found anywhere in the Scriptures.

On the contrary, a major prophecy that simply had to be fulfilled before expecting that Christ could return was the mandate to preach the Gospel to all nations. When Christ gave the Great Commission, he could not ascend into heaven and the next day return. Obviously, he had to allow the Great Commission to be fulfilled.

A 2nd important prophecy that had to precede Christ's return is the rise of Antichrist, and his reign for 3.5 years. We certainly do not know how many days *past* the 3.5 years will elapse before Christ will return because we don't know how long it will take for nations to be gathered to Armageddon and for all of the involved armies to be mobilized. But according to the Scriptures, Christ can only return in the context of Antichrist's defeat.

The reign of Antichrist, though lasting only 3.5 years, will obviously not relate to how long Antichrist will live past the 3.5 years, but only to how long he will maintain his world empire. My assumption here is that following the 3.5 years of his unchallenged authority on earth, he will receive opposition to and rebellion against his power from Eastern nations. Armageddon will decide his fate, though we don't know how many days it will take to muster the opposition to Antichrist's reign.

This endtime period will thus be 3.5 years + an unknown extension of time. To the unbelieving world, this will simply look like another failed world empire. And it will likely end with a nuclear war, encompassing many nations.

So the idea that all prophecies have already been fulfilled so that Christ can return on any day is to be rejected. It is unbiblical. Pretribulationism has a relative recent history, and cannot be dignified with any historical depth of argument. Darby should be credited with this modern eschatology, and he had by no means the full support of all orthodox communions.

"Watching" for Christ's Coming Kingdom has the meaning of keeping one's eyes on the goal. To keep our eyes on the goal of Christ's Kingdom is to remain in training for it, to continue to pursue the ends of the Kingdom throughout our lives.

Those who are disinterested in Christ's Kingdom, and in living holy lives, will not focus on the judgments of that Kingdom, and will live unprepared for its verdicts. Simple.

 

[com7fy8]

How do you understand these things?

Jesus says,

"Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Luke 12:40)

So, what matters is not knowing when, but being "ready".

Jesus said rather plainly that we are to watch.

I would say watching can mean being "ready".

But - - if you are in a castle and expecting an attack, it is not enough to just watch for the attackers. You need to be prepared . . . already ready . . . not only preparing!! . . . if the attack could come at any time.

But what if I die before Jesus comes? Well, if I die while I am "ready" for Jesus, then I will be "ready" for Rapture of the "dead" who are in Jesus > "the dead in Christ will rise first", our Apostle Paul says, in 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

 

[Acts29]

We watch for signs and events .... we don't know the day or the hour .... but from the signs and events we know His return is near.

Joel 3:14

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision

We are to be in a state of readiness.

Yes. That is certainly one of the appointed times.

Jesus says it will be like in the days of Noah .... go review the story ;o)

Matthew 24:37-39
King James Version

Jesus speaking ...

37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Pretty much "business as usual".

But we are not to fret about it.

John 16:33

Berean Study Bible
I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”

In the days of Noah, the righteous knew well in advance. The ark wasn't built in a day and Noah knew what was coming a long time before. It was only the wicked that did not know when or what was coming. Do you believe the coming of Jesus will be similar, with the righteous knowing some time ahead?

1 Thess 5:1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 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. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

 

[Acts29]

We don't know "yet" but I believe we will know, as Noah knew seven days before the rains began.
Gen.7:4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

Good observation. I agree.

 

[Acts29]

Noah and the ark are well worth studying. As a picture it has similarities with the rapture, with certain identifable parallels to the rature, but also Noah and his family were locked in the a long time and there are things to understand, while being locked down for covid.

Interesting! You make a good point.

 

[Acts29]

First, let us compare scripture with scripture. A larger section of Luke 12 is comparable to Matt 24.

Luk 12:35-46 KJV 35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; 36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. 40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. 41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? 42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. 45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

And Matt 24,

Mat 24:42-51 KJV 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The application of these scriptures is just before our Lord returns. Two things can be said about this period of time.

1. Our "watching" is at or near its end, &
2. The Lord's coming is thence imminent.

In both scriptures We see the parable of the goodman and Jesus' exhortation to watch AND Be ye ready ALSO. What we are to garner in a more collective fashion from Matt 24,25 is the things that we are to watch for BEFORE the Lord comes again for those who are alive and remain unto the Lord's coming.
Many, many people will die, Christians included, before the lord shall come. Not knowing [when the lord shall come] is a big reason why many will die in those days. Notice that I put brackets around "when the Lord shall come". This is where people miss it. It's not about "knowing WHEN" , but rather its about "knowing WHAT" the time of the Lord's coming will entail. Let me rearrange the words so that it's easier to grasp.

"When the Lord shall come, no man knows the day or hour". There are two different words translated as the word "know" in these passages. One is ginosko and one is eido. Ginosko means to "know with the understanding of the mind".
Eido means to know with the experience of the senses (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting). When you apply these meanings to where they are used, a much deeper understanding will result... you will "know" the difference. Do you sort of get what I'm saying?

To know (eido) means a sensual, personal experience. I.e. it happened to me. To know(ginosko) involves an understanding with the mind, without necessarily experiencing it with the senses. It may involve both it is more related to an understanding with one's mind. It is akin to wisdom and knowledge of something. Historically speaking, we know a lot about the events that happened, but we didn't experience them.... because we weren't there. With that said let us examine their usage in the text of Matthew.

When Jesus said that no man "knows" the day or hour, he used the word eido. Experientially, no man has or will have ever experienced what the times leading up to Jesus's coming will be like. He didn't say that no man will "know" when he is coming, otherwise we would have seen the word ginosko used there.

In the parable of the goodman, Jesus said, [understand] know this.... IF the goodman had known (experientially) when the thief was coming, he would have watched and not suffered his house to be broken up. We don't know when a thief will try to break thru and steal our possessions, but we can only make preparations for when he comes to steal. What we "know" about a thief is his purpose... to steal. We can only make preparations to try and prevent his thievery, but we can't know when he is going to come. We make preparations because we know WHAT a thief does... steal! We are told to watch because the thief is coming to steal what we have. What is it that we are to guard? Our souls! For Jesus to come like a thief upon us means that we were not ready for his coming. Thus we see the exhortations (in Matt and Luke and Paul) to watch AND BE READY! Understanding, knowing that it's going to be far worse than any man has ever known experientially, is the key to being ready for when he comes. Jesus tells how to know with our understanding WHEN he is going to come. It's found in the word "see", which means to know by personal experience, in the following verse:

Mat 24:33 KJV So likewise ye, when ye shall see[eido] all these things, know[understand] that it is near, even at the doors.

He said then you will know/understand that my coming is near. His coming won't be near, or imminent, until those who live through them, experience ALL THESE THINGS. Luke said it this way,

Luk 21:31 KJV So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

It is the arrival of the kingdom that determines when the mortal (living) saints of God put on immortality and the corruptible (dead) saints of God put on incorruption. I hope this helps in your understanding.

Be Blessed
The PuP

Very interesting! Especially, the Greek word study. Thanks.