"But of that day and hour no one knows,
not even the angels in heaven,
nor the Son,
nor the Son,
but only the Father.
Take heed, watch and pray;
for you do not know when the time is."
--Jesus, Mark 13:32-33, NKJV
Jesus had answered their questions, but he wasn't finished talking. As Peter, Andrew, James and John sat with him on the Mount of Olives, looking across the Kidron Valley to their beloved temple and pondering the implications of its prophesied destruction, Jesus' teaching takes on a new theme. They wanted to know about the Kingdom, and his return to put it in their hands so that they could nail Pilate and Herod to the wall and run the Romans out of town. But Jesus had other things in mind.
He gave them the signs that heralded the end of the age before the Kingdom, told them of the holocaust that was coming upon Jerusalem and the horrific defilement of the temple, warned them of the time of great trouble that was coming upon the earth. And when things look their bleakest, when it seems that all humanity will perish in the onslaught, Jesus promised that at that moment he would cut those awful days short, returning in power and great glory to set up his kingdom, gathering all of his people from wherever they are in heaven or on earth to Jerusalem for that awesome day.
That event is the long awaited and much anticipated Second Coming of Christ, the return of the King of kings and Lord of lords to put an end to evil and establish his righteous rule over the whole earth. It will be dynamic and definitive, something every eye on earth shall see. Jesus will split the horizon in brilliant light, a crown on his head, a sceptre in his hand, fire in his eyes, the sword of the Word in his mouth, riding a white horse and clothed with a royal robe dipped in blood. He will smite his enemies, rescue Jerusalem, and touch down on the Mount of Olives for his next triumphal entry. From that moment on, he shall reign forever and ever, and we shall reign with him!
But with the parable of the fig tree, Jesus shifts their attention to a view of his coming that is quite different in context from the one they were expecting. With a series of parables, Jesus begins to flesh out the nature of something the Old Testament barely hinted at, ideas he had only recently introduced to his disciples. They were looking for his coming to them, but now Jesus tells them about their coming to him--a secret and unexpected coming which would gather his followers to himself. He started telling them about the rapture.
The Days of Noah
When I come, he tells them, it will be like when Noah and his whole family entered the ark. Everyone else was doing their thing, eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, and they didn't even know that Noah was gone until it started raining. By then it was too late. A worldwide cataclysmic flood had been predicted 1600 years earlier by Adam, recorded by Seth on two great monuments, anticipated by Enoch when he gave his son the prophetic name Methuselah (meaning when he dies, it shall be sent). For more than a century, the world had been exposed to Noah's preaching and boat-building, both of which warned them of the coming judgment. And now old Methuselah was older than anyone had ever been in the history of the world, Noah's boat was nearing completion, and still no one listened. Then one day Methuselah died. God told Noah to get his family and the animals on board the ark. God closed the door, and Noah was shut inside for seven day before the rain began to fall.
The Days of Lot
In the same way, it will be like when Lot and his family escaped the blazing judgment on Sodom. The angels took Lot, his wife, and two daughters by the hand and led them out, sending them to a place of guaranteed safety before fire and brimstone fell from heaven and consumed everyone in the four cities of the plain for their sins. With this parable Jesus warns his listeners not be be too attached to their possessions or even their lives. Holding on and looking back will only result in your own destruction along with the world to which those things belong. Remember Lot's wife--who looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt! Our focus must be on our deliverance, not on our loss.
It will be like a bridegroom coming for his bride. No one knows when the groom will go get his bride. So both the servants of the groom and the attendants of the bride must make preparations and be ready for the groom to gather his bride up in his arms and take her to their new home. Those that aren't ready in either party will surely regret it!
The Thief in the Night
It will be like the thief in the night, who breaks up whole households. If you had known when he was coming, you would have stayed awake and been ready for him. But he comes suddenly, unexpectedly.
The Master Returns
It will be like the master of the house returning from a long journey. He left his servants with duties and responsibilities and resources to work with, but when he comes home, will he find them watching and waiting for his return? Will he find them ready to welcome him in? Will he find them faithfully doing what they were assigned?
This sudden and unexpected coming of Christ is a mystery that was still unfolding, even as Christ taught his followers about it. Alone among the apostles, Paul will write more about it in his letters to the churches he instructed. Even the Revelation will not spell out many specifics of this "secret" coming of Christ. It is a coming that is exclusively meant for his followers, a surprise that will ensnare the whole world and initiate judgment upon the earth. And of that coming, Jesus said:
"Watch therefore, and pray always
that you may be counted worthy to escape
all these things that will come to pass,
and to stand before the Son of Man."
--Jesus, Luke 21:36, NKJV
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