Daily devotion – a warning
Be Watchful: A Warning from Matthew 24
Matthew 24:36-39 reminds us of a solemn truth: “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.”
The Bible teaches that the return of Jesus for His Church can happen at any moment. There are no further prophetic events required to precede the rapture as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, and John 14:1-3.
However, in Matthew 24, Jesus speaks specifically of the judgment that will come upon a Christ-rejecting world. Just as the flood caught people unprepared in Noah’s time, so will the coming of the Son of Man.
The Days of Noah
During Noah’s time, people were engrossed in the routine pursuits of life—eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage. These activities, though good in themselves, distracted them from God’s message and call to repentance. They chose the temporal over the eternal.
Noah and his family in the ark symbolize God’s miraculous preservation of Israel during the Tribulation (Revelation 6–19). Enoch, who was taken before the flood (Genesis 5:21-24; Hebrews 11:5), serves as a picture of the Church being raptured before the Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:1-10).
A Call to Readiness
Jesus warns us not to become so absorbed in the pursuits of life that we forget His imminent return. The Apostle Paul also speaks of a falling away from the faith and a desire for false teachings in the Last Days (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Many will attend church yet remain untransformed because their hearts are set on this world rather than on God.
As a pastor in these Last Days, it is heartbreaking to witness people living just as Jesus foretold—distracted and unprepared, much like the days of Noah.
What Can We Do?
Be diligent in your faith.
Stay rooted in God’s Word.
Keep your focus on the Lord and your hope in Heaven.
Jesus has warned us to be ready and watching, for the time of His return is drawing near. Let us not lose sight of the eternal by clinging too tightly to the temporary.
Reflection:
Are you living with the awareness that Christ’s return could happen at any moment?
What steps can you take today to ensure your heart is prepared and focused on Him?
“Be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44).