But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:36-44)

The Final Hour

One of the absolute certainties of life is the frequent uncertainties that happen. Man prides himself in setting schedules, establishing patterns, and preparing for the future. The frustration of human wisdom is that with all the schedules, routines and plans, there are always interruptions and delays that come unexpectantly. There are unforeseen events that disrupt traffic flow and a person is late to work. Sickness robs the body of health and life changes. Accidents happen with frequency changing the plans carefully set out. Death is the greatest inconvenience when it suddenly is thrust upon the lives of loved ones who can never be prepared for the reality. Life is full of change and the unexpected.

In the beginning when God created man, He formed man of the dust of the ground as a creature that would exist without end. The eternal spirit of man is housed in a body of flesh that will die, but the spirit will never die. All men die, whether rich or poor, young or old, without respect to gender or nationality. The greatest reality that few men prepare for is the destiny of the eternal spirit that will never cease to exist. Jesus did not need to warn men of the reality of death as it was evident, but the coming of the judgment of God is a truth seldom realized. There is coming an hour when everything man knows will cease to exist. This is a global and universal event that takes place when the time of man’s existence ends. The earth, moon, sun, planets, and stars will explode with an incredible force of divine power into obliteration – in an instant.

Death is real. Life insurance is a billion-dollar industry built upon the reality of death. Few men take into account the warning of Jesus of the day coming when the world will be destroyed in an instant. There will be no warning. The animals will not have their customary special sense of danger. A day will come upon humanity that will be a second of cataclysmic judgment where the earth will dissolve with intense heat. In the days of Noah, the judgment of the world was firm. All flesh would die except the eight souls in the ark. There was no warning for the world. The Lord closed the door of the ark and the rain began and the floods opened up. Life was going on its natural rhythms of life. Men were working in the field as they had done for generations. Women prepared meals, children scampered about and young people filled their lives with youthful pleasures. Noah and his family had been enclosed in the ark for seven days. Without warning, the heavens burst forth in torrents of rain and the fountains of the great deep were broken up. There was no place to run. The door of the ark was sealed by the hand of God. Everyone outside the ark died. All flesh died on the earth.

The flood is the model for the day the Lord will return. Jesus warns the final day of the earth will come without warning. The hour is coming when the world will end. If a man is not watching for the hour, he will be unprepared. No one knows when that day will be – not even the angels in heaven. The Father is the only one who will know that time. There is coming a day when the Son of Man is coming. That hour is known only to God, but when that hour comes, He will reveal Himself in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye. If you are not ready for that hour, you will perish in the face of divine judgment. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.