In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul writes,
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
What is a mystery? A mystery is something that has not yet been revealed. This mystery not yet been revealed at the time when Jesus spoke the people in Matthew Matt 24/25, Mark 13, Luke 21.
In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul writes,
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. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 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. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him."
Paul is talking about two separate groups of people: those who are watching and those ignore.
Matthew 24-25 passage is about His Second Coming, and gives us instructions on how to avoid the Great Tribulation.
But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.Two groups: Those who watch and those who ignore.
But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye now not what hour your Lord doth come.
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. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh....
Blessed [is] that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
But as the days of Noe [were] pertains to His Second Coming because it is making the point that just as in Noah's day, people will deliberately ignore God's Word (and back in that time, it came to them via Noah) "... And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away." Their minds (deliberately) set on "the things of this world"... anything but God and His eternal Truth.
There are some who feel that Jesus was not speaking to the Church here in the discourse, but there would be no way to resolve His comments about the days of Noah and Lot being within the Tribulation because nothing will be normal then, especially not when He sets His foot down on the Mount of Olives.
I think he was talking about two groups. Those who watch and those who ignore.
We are held responsible for knowing the season of His return for us and to be looking for Him as His Bride. Jesus, in the Olivet Discourse (Matt 24/25, Mark 13, Luke 21) tells us that we should be watching for Him and expecting Him. He is not a thief to us; we know He is coming and are waiting for Him with great expectation and desire to see Him.
I highly encourage you to read all three of those accounts of the Olivet Discourse to get every detail.
Are you ready?
//rb
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