Christ's Olivet Discourse

on the Time of the End

How Near Is The Lord's Return?

John F. Walvoord

In the opening portion of Matthew 24, our Lord answered the

questions which had been raised by His disciples concerning the end
of the age and His own coming into His kingdom. In Matthew
24:4-14 He dealt first of all with general signs which would char-
acterize the age as a whole. Then in Matthew 24:15-28 revelation
was given of the particular signs of the great tribulation which would
begin three and one-half years before His second coming. The great
tribulation was to be climaxed by the second coming of Christ, the
glorious event when the heavens would break forth with the glory
of God and Jesus Christ would return in power and glory to the
earth.

PROBLEMS OF INTERPRETATION

Having completed the answers to the questions, and having

expounded the doctrine concerning the end of the age, Christ pro-
ceeds to illustration and application. It would seem at first glance
that illustration and application would not present too many prob-
lems of interpretation, and yet in this passage, rather strangely, com-
mentators who are quite similar in their points of view in prophecy,
have differed considerably in their exposition of this last portion of
Matthew 24. Some special problems of interpretation must be taken
into consideration in the study of this chapter.
In brief, the problem is whether these illustrations are interpre-
tations of the preceding prophecies or whether they are applications.
In a word, do they expound the subject of the second coming or is
20
 Christ's Olivet Discourse / 21
this application to us who live in the present age9 Students of the
Bible agree that any passage in addition to its primary interpretation
has other applications The Old Testament, for instance, has applica-
tion to our generation even though its primary revelation was to those
who first received it
This problem is illustrated in the parable of the ñg tree opening
the section "Now learn a parable of the fig tree, When his branch
is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is
near, even at the doors" (Matt 24 32-33) The most popular inter-
pretation of this passage considers the fig tree as a type or illustra-
tion of Israel With this in view, they point to the fact that Israel
is back in the land and that this constitutes the budding of the fig
tree Therefore, the presence of Israel in the land is taken as the
conclusive proof of the nearness of the Lord's return
William Kelly, for instance, writes, "The fig tree is the well-
known symbol of Jewish nationality We saw it, in chapter 21,
bearing nothing but leaves Here it is the tree, with renewed
signs of life—Jewish nationality revived 'M A C Gaebelein likewise
wntes "The ñg tree is the picture of Israel In Matthew xxi, we
see in the withered fig tree a type of Israel's spiritual and national
death But that withered tree is to be vitalized The fig tree will bud
again that now we behold Israel like a budding fig tree, siens
of new national life and in this sign of the times, is certainly not
wrong It tells us of the nearness of the end " 2
Other commentaries either omit any reference to this as G
Campbell Morgan and W C Allen, or attempt to apply it to the
destruction of Jerusalem as R V G Tasker 3
In interpreting the Bible one can accept the geneial theology
reflected in conclusions even though he does not accept the interpre-
tation which leads to it In reading a number of commentaries that
take the position that the ñg tree is Israel, a rather astounding fact
was demonstrated Most of them offered no proof They accepted
their interpretation as self-evident It may be questioned whether the
1 William Kelly, Lectwes on the Gospel of Matthew (New Yoik 1911),
ρ 451
2 A C Gaebelein, The Gospel of Matthew (New York, 1910) II 2 Π 14
3 G Campbell Morgan The Gospel accoidmq to Matthew (New York
1929), ρ 286, Willoughby C Allen A Cliticai and Exeçetical Commentai Λ
on the Gospel accoidinq to S Matthew The International Cliticai Com
mentaiy (3rd ed Edinburgh 1912), ρ 259 R V G Taskei The Gospel
accoiding to St Matthew Tyndale Bible Commentai íes (Grand Rapids
1961), ρ 227
22 / Bibliotheca Sacra — January 1972
Bible ever authorized the use of a fig tree as a type of Israel. In
Jeremiah 24:1-8 good and bad figs are used to illustrate the cap-
tivity. The good figs are those who were carried off in captivity, and
those who were left in the land at the time of the captivity were
the bad figs. This is also mentioned in Jeremiah 29:17. The fig
tree itself is not mentioned in this passage. In Judges 9:10-11 the
fig tree is obviously not Israel. Most passages speak of literal fig
trees, without typical meaning.
In the New Testament, one of the most common passages refer-
ring to a fig tree is found in Matthew 21:18-20, with the parallel
account in Mark 11:12-14, and the interpretation of it in Mark
11:20-26. A careful reading of these verses, however, reveals no
reference to Israel whatever. As a matter of fact, the fig tree does
not represent Israel there any more than the mountain does. The
cursing of the fig tree was used as an illustration of the sovereign
power of God, and this power is available through prevailing prayer.
The interpretation that the fig tree represents Israel even though
held by many reputable scholars is not authorized in any scriptural
text.
If the fig tree does not represent Israel, what does it represent?
Here the context becomes the determining factor. The context in
Matthew 24 does not mention the restoration of Israel. Many other
Scriptures predict the restoration of Israel, but Christ was not illus-
trating this doctrine here. It seems instead that He was using a
natural illustration. Fig trees bring out their leaves rather late in
the spring, and when a fig tree begins to bring out its new leaves
it is an evidence that summer is near. In other words, Christ was
using an illustration from nature. He goes on to say, "So likewise
ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near [that is,
the coming of the Lord was near], even at the doors" (Matt. 24:33).
Now what are "these things"? He is referring to the prediction of
the great tribulation. This, Christ says, is just as definitely a sign that
Christ's coming is near as when a fig tree puts out its leaves it is a
sign that summer is near. In other words, it is an illustration from
nature.
Lenski, although hampered in his interpretation by his amil-
lennial view, is correct that "all these things" (Matt. 24:33) refers
to the preceding context beginning in Matthew 24:3. 4 More specific-
ally, it refers to the great tribulation which is the specific sign of
4 R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel (Minneapolis,
1943), p. 951.
 Christ's Olivet Discourse / 23
the end. Students of prophecy may be encouraged to believe that
the present restoration of Israel to the land in the twentieth century
is a preparation for the end, but this is not what Christ is presenting
in this passage. The illustration should relate to the express teaching.
In the absence of any specific Scripture making the fig tree a type
of Israel, it is better to interpret the fig tree as a natural illustration
which is quite common in Christ's teachings.
TIME OF FULFILLMENT: THIS GENERATION
The following verses also have caused some problems: "Verily
I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things
be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall
not pass away" (Matt. 24:34-35). Liberal critics who do not accept
the deity of Christ or the accuracy of the Word of God believe that
this is an illustration of where Jesus Christ was wrong. They point
out that a generation is usually considered from 30 to 100 years.
This prediction, they say, was that the fulfillment would come
within the span of a generation; therefore, when Christ did not
come it showed that He had an ill-founded hope and was actually
in error concerning the fulfillment of His Messianic mission.
Conservative amillennial scholars like Lenski relate "this genera-
tion" to unbelieving Jews, stating "this type of Jew will continue to
the very Parousia . . . Here, therefore, is Jesus' own answer to
those who expect a final national conversion of the Jews either with
or without a millennium."5 Lenski here violates the context, as the
context is not concerned with Jewish rejection but Gentile rejection
at the second coming in the preceding period of the great tribulation.
Strangely, the premillenarian Kelly also takes generation as referring
to unbelieving Israel.6
Tasker relates the passage to the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70,
and hence takes "this generation" as referring to those alive at that
time.7 However, "all these things" goes far beyond the destruction of
Jerusalem as it includes the future second coming of Christ. The
liberal point of view that Christ was in error as well as the inter-
pretation of Lenski and Tasker do not fulfill the demands of the
context.
Scholars who accept the Bible as the Word of God and who
believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior reject the idea that Jesus
Christ could be wrong. This would contradict His omniscience as
5 Lenski, p. 953.
6 Kelly, pp. 451-52.
7 Tasker, p. 227.
24 / Bibliotheca Sacra — January 1972
God. While Christ did not pronounce on every subject, and some-
times spoke from the standpoint of His humanity, nevertheless He
would never teach an error. So another explanation is necessary.
Three very good and plausible explanations of what this pro-
phecy means have been offered. First of all, according to Arndt and
Gingrich, the word translated "generation" (genea) can under
certain circumstances be considered equivalent to the word nation,
or race. Arndt and Gingrich have as the first meaning, ". . . those
descended fr. a common ancestor, a clan (Jos., Ant. 17,220), then
race, kind . . . The meaning nation is advocated by some in Mt 24:34;
Mk 13:30; Lk 21:32; . . ."8 Hence, some have concluded that the
meaning is that Israel will continue to exist until all these things are
fulfilled. A. C. Gaebelein concurs with this interpretation.9
This is a good explanation and is based on sound scholarship.
Arndt and Gingrich prefer, however, another explanation, that it
means "age" or a "period of time" without specifying how long.
Hence, the meaning would be, "This age shall not pass . . ."10
There is a third explanation which is simple and appeals a great
deal to some interpreters. The term generation is understood to mean
just what it normally means, namely, 30 to 100 years, or a genera-
tion, a life span. But the generation referred to in the expression
"this generation" is not the generation to whom Christ is speaking,
but the generation to whom the signs will become evident. In effect
He is saying that the generation which sees the specific signs, that is,
the great tribulation, will also see the fulfillment of the second coming
of Christ. On the basis of other Scriptures, teaching that this period
is only three and one-half years, this prophecy becomes a very
plausible explanation.
Then He concludes, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but
my words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:35). Here the specific
statement is made by Christ that His prophecies are certain of ful-
fillment. Prophecies outside the Bible by false prophets have not been
fulfilled, but Christ as a true prophet will have His prophecies ful-
filled. Therefore, what Christ has revealed here will be certain of
fulfillment.
Through verses 32-35, the passage is dealing with what the
reader can know with certainty. Note should be taken of the expres-
8 William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of
the New Testament (Cambridge, 1957), p. 153.
9 Gaebelein, pp. 214-15.
10 Arndt and Gingrich, p. 153.
 Christ's Olivet Discourse / 25
sion, "ye know that summer is nigh," and "ye know that it is near,
even at the doors." This is what one can know. Beginning at verse 36,
He reveals what cannot be known on the basis of prophecy. "But of
that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven,
but my Father only." This passage has caused some problem be-
cause it seems to imply that Christ Himself does not know the hour
of His coming, "but my Father only." In Mark 13:32 it definitely
states that the Son does not know the day or the hour of His com-
ing. The explanation, of course, is first of all that students of
prophecy can only tell the approximate time of His coming as it
is going to be about three and one-half years after the beginning of
the great tribulation. Even with that information provided in the
Bible it is not clear as to the day or the hour. The approximate
time is given, but the Scriptures do not reveal the day or the hour.
How can we explain that Christ did not know this? There are
a number of instances in the Bible when it seems that Christ speaks
from His human consciousness. While this may be difficult to under-
stand because our experience is limited to the human consciousness,
Christ was both human and divine. He had a full human nature as
well as a full divine nature. He was all that man is apart from
sin, and He was all that God is. He was the God-man. He was the
Immanuel. But how can it be explained that there are some things
that Christ did not know?
The answer is that Christ did not know this in His human
consciousness. For instance, in Luke 2:52 it records of Christ as a
child that He increased in wisdom and stature. There is no problem
with His increase in stature because He was born as a babe and
grew. But how can an omniscient God increase in wisdom? Ob-
viously, He cannot, so the reference must be in relation to His
human consciousness. He increased in wisdom as a man. Accord-
ing to Hebrews 5:8 He learned obedience by the things which He
suffered. Here again, God does not learn, but Christ in His human
nature can learn. While such things puzzle theologians, the best
explanation is that such references refer to His human nature and
not to His divine nature. As Lenski comments, "In their essential
oneness the three persons know all things, but in his state of
humiliation the Second Person did not use his divine attributes
save as he needed them in his mediatorial work. So his divine
omniscience was used by Jesus in only this restricted way. That is
why here on Mt. Olivet he does not know the date of the end. How
the incarnate Son could thus restrict the use of his divine attributes
26 / Bibliotheca Sacra — January 1972
is one of the mysteries of his person; the fact is beyond dispute."11
As IN THE DAYS OF NOAH

Beginning in Matthew 24:37 an illustration why no one can

know the day or the hour is given. Christ uses the illustration of
Noah and the ark. "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 know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Matt. 24:37-42).
The emphasis here is on what we do not know. We know that
the Lord is coming, and those living in that time can know that the
coming of the Lord is near, but they cannot know the day or the
hour.
This is illustrated in the days of Noah. According to the scrip-
tural record, Noah was instructed to build an ark because a flood was
coming. Noah shared this information with those who were about
him. As they watched Noah building the ark, they knew the flood
would not come that day because the ark was not finished. Grad-
ually as the ark became more and more complete, they could sense
that the possibility of a flood was coming nearer. The day came
when the ark was finished. Then as they watched, they could have
seen Noah put the animals into the ark. Observers could have sensed
that the flood was drawing near, although they could not know the
day or the hour. As they continued to watch, they would have seen
Noah and his family enter the ark. Then the Scriptures state that
God shut the door. Now when all this happened, the flood could
begin. But even then, they could not predict the day or the hour.
All they knew was that it could come any day.
This illustration is used in relation to the signs of the second
coming of Jesus Christ to the earth. Some hymns speak of Jesus
Christ coming to the earth today. This is accurate in reference to
the rapture of the church, for which there are no warning signs.
Actually Christ does not come to the earth at the rapture. Believers
meet Him in the air and return to heaven (1 Thess. 4:17). Christ
never touches the earth at the rapture, but at His second coming,
11 Lenski, p. 955.
 Christ's Olivet Discourse / 27
after the predicted great tribulation, according to Zechariah 14, His
feet will touch the Mount of Olives from which He ascended. Then
He will actually come to the earth. According to Matthew 24, Jesus
Christ cannot come to the earth today because in a sense the ark
is not finished. The signs have not yet taken place that must precede
it, and the many prophecies that relate to the period preceding the
second coming of Christ must be fulfilled first.
People who are living in that period after the church has been
raptured can watch prophecy being graphically fulfilled, including
the great tribulation and the final world war. They can know defi-
nitely that Christ's second coming is near, but they still cannot know
the day nor the hour. That is the point of His illustration.
The illustration of Noah and the ark also implies the necessity
of being ready ahead of time. In other words, it is too late to pre-
pare when the event takes place. The warning here was to hear
and to heed the prophecies that predict the future events and to be
ready for Christ when He comes.
Verses 40 and 41 have also puzzled expositors. They state,
"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." Because of the similarity of this event
to the rapture of the church, even though up to this point there has
been no revelation of the rapture, there have been some who have
taken this as proof that the rapture will take place at the time of
the second coming of Christ, that is, after the tribulation. Alexander
Reese who wrote probably the most learned posttribulational book,
The Approaching Advent of Christ, seizes upon this as one of the
proofs for a posttribulation rapture. In other words, he holds that
the church will be caught up after the tribulation but not before the
great tribulation.
The context of these verses makes very plain that this is not
the rapture. According to Matthew 24:39, those who lived in Noah's
generation knew not until the flood came and took them all away.
Now who are taken away? The point is that Noah and his family
stayed on earth, and the people who were taken away were taken
away in judgment. It is just the reverse at the rapture. At the rap-
ture, the person taken is taken in grace and mercy. The person who
is left is left to judgment. But at the second coming it is reversed.
The person who is left is the righteous one who qualifies to enter
the kingdom. The person who is taken is taken in judgment, and
the illustration brings this out. Those taken away are taken away
28 / Bibliotheca Sacra — January 1972
by the flood.
In Alexander Reese's discussion of this he admits that the
illustration teaches that the one taken is taken in judgment. He
defends his posttribulational interpretation by referring to the fact
that the different verb is used of "taken" in verse 40 than in "they
took them all away" in verse 39. He states that the Greek word
paralambano translated "taken" in verse 40 is always used in the
sense of "take home" and hence refers to the rapture or the removal
of believers.12
The Greek verb paralambano is a common one, occurring 50
times in the New Testament. In making his interpretation, Reese
neglected to check out these references. The verb has no technical
or theological meaning and must be interpreted by the context. That
it is always used in a friendly sense is, however, in error. In John
19:16 this same word is used in reference to Christ being taken
to the cross, that is, taken in judgment. It is therefore an error
to define it in Matthew 24:40-41 as Reese does. Just as Christ was
taken to Calvary to be executed or judged, so these described here,
like Noah's ungodly generation, will be taken in judgment when
Christ returns. Such worthy expositors as Kelly, Gaebelein, and
Ironside reject Reese's interpretation.13
Because those living in that day will not know the day or the
hour, the exhortation is given in verse 42 to watch. In this whole
section the emphasis is upon watching and preparedness. Readers
are exhorted to watch for those events before the second coming
of Christ. Christ concludes, "Watch therefore: for ye know not
what hour your Lord doth come" (Matt. 24:42). They should be
watching for His coming because they do not know the specific time.
THE FAITHFUL HOUSEHOLDER

An illustration of preparedness is given in verse 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. Therefore be ye also ready:
for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matt.
24:43-44). These words, of course, are addressed to those who
will be living in that time. One understands that when a thief
comes, he does not come on schedule. One may suspect that he
12 Alexander Reese, The Approaching Advent of Christ (London, n.d.),
p. 215.
13 Kelly, pp. 453-55; Gaebelein, pp. 216-17; H. A. Ironside, Expository
Notes on the Gospel of Matthew (New York, 1948), p. 325.
 Christ's Olivet Discourse / 29
will come at night, or in the early hours of the morning. In the
ancient world normally thieves came at night when it was dark
and recognition was less likely and when those in the household
would be sleeping. But He says if the householder, the one responsi-
ble for the house, would have known exactly when the thief would
have come, he would have been there to nab him. But because he
does not know when he comes, he will have to be constantly on
the alert. That should be the attitude of those who are waiting for
the second coming of Christ.
In verse 44 and following, He puts the emphasis here not
simply on watching, but on readiness. Christ told His disciples,
"Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not
the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant,
whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them
meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when
he cometh shall find so doing" (Matt. 24:44-46). Many expositors
beginning at verse 45 have said that the exhortation changes from
exhortation to those who will be on earth just before the second
coming to those who are in the church who will be waiting for the
rapture of the church.14 This is a very popular idea, but again no
proof for change of subject is suggested.
There is practically no difference between this illustration and
what has gone on before. Christ, having taught the truth of the
second coming to the earth at a time when He had not even an-
nounced the rapture of the church, which was first mentioned in
John 14 the night before His crucifixion, would hardly apply a
truth like this to the rapture of the church at a time when the disci-
ples knew absolutely nothing about it. Preferable is the interpreta-
tion that the subject of the second coming to the earth is continued
in verse 45 in the same strain as in the previous verses. In other
words, He is still illustrating and still implying the truth of Christ's
second coming to the earth.
Christ declared that a wise servant is one who is ready when
his lord returns. The illustration is a very apt one because wealthy
people in the ancient world often would put their household and
their goods in the charge of a capable slave who would be a good
business man. He would leave his household in his charge, but of
course with the instructions to be ready when he returned. The wise
servant who believes his lord is coming back, but knows not when
he is coming, will see to it that his house is always in readiness.
14 So, Kelly, pp. 456-57.
30 / Bibliotheca Sacra — January 1972
So He says, "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh
shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him
ruler over all his goods" (Matt. 24:46-47). But then by contrast,
suppose the servant argues that since he does not know when the
lord is coming he does not need to be ready. Christ continues:
"But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth
his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to
eat and drink with the drunken; 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, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion
with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth"
(Matt. 24:48-51).
Punishment was often severe for slaves. A slave had no rights,
and the owner of a slave could put him to death even by torture if
he wanted to do so without violating Roman law. Sometimes they
would do just that in order to bring fear into the hearts of others
and make them faithful. So these are not just words here when it
speaks in verse 51 of cutting him asunder and appointing him his
portion with the hypocrites. The servant who was unfaithful and
who was not ready for his lord's return would experience the judg-
ment of his lord when he came. Of course, that is exactly what the
Bible teaches about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Those that
are not ready will be punished. A righteous judgment will be
applied on a world that for the most part is not looking for the
Lord's return and is not ready for His coming kingdom on earth.

APPLICATION TODAY

In consistency, all of these illustrations should be interpreted

as having a primary application to those who will be living in that
time just before the second coming of Christ. They will need exhorta-
tion to be faithful, especially under the pressures of the situation
in which they will find themselves.
Having interpreted this as concerning that particular time, it
may be understood that there is an application to Christians who
live today. There are many similarities between the expectation of
the rapture of the church and the experience of the second coming
of Christ. When the Lord comes for us, it also is unexpected and
to some extent more so than it will be when He comes to earth
to reign. The church has no dates, chronological structure, and
nobody on the basis of Scripture can predict with absolute certainty
the century of the rapture of the church. There may be reasons for
 Christ's Olivet Discourse / 31
leading us to believe that the Lord may be coming very soon, but
nobody on the basis of Scripture can predict with absolute certainty
the time of the rapture of the church.
God left the time of the rapture unrevealed purposely. Down
through the centuries those that have been walking with God, even
though they did not interpret prophecy from the premillennial view-
point, nevertheless were characterized as looking for the coming of
the Lord. The early church fathers bear witness to the fact that
devoted Christians in that day were anticipating the coming of the
Lord any day—morning, noon or night. The Constitutions of the
Holy Apostles states, for instance, "Observe all things that are com-
manded you by the Lord. Be watchful for your life. 'Let your loins
be girded about, and your lights burning, and ye like unto men who
wait for the Lord, when He will come, at even, or in the morning,
or at cock-crowing, or at midnight. For what hour they think not,
the Lord will come; and if they open to Him, blessed are those
servants because they were found watching. . . .' " 15
John Calvin, the great reformer, likewise looked for the immi-
nent return of Christ. In commenting on 1 John 2:18, Calvin writes,
"But the Apostle not only fortifies the faithful, lest they should falter,
but turns the whole to a contrary purpose; for he reminds them that
the last time had already come, . . . In the same way it behoves us
to comfort ourselves at this day, and to see by faith the near advent
of Christ, . . . nothing more now remained but that Christ should
appear for the redemption of the world."16 Even though Calvin did
not follow premillennial truth, he nevertheless did believe in the
imminency of the Lord's return.
The same is true of Martin Luther and other great Christians
of the past. Martin Luther wrote, "I think the last day is not far
away."17 He also wrote, "The world runs and hastens so diligently
to its end that it often occurs to me forcibly that the last day will
break before we can completely turn the Holy Scriptures into Ger-
man. For it is certain from the Holy Scriptures that we have no
more temporal things to expect. All is done and fulfilled."18 Again,
Luther states, ". . . Christ's coming is at the door, . . ,"19 It is
the normal position for people who read the Word of God with
appreciation and insight to be looking for the coming of the Lord.
15 Constitutions of the Holy Apostles 1.2. 31.
16 John Calvin, Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles, trans, and ed. by
John Owen (Edinburgh, 1855), p. 189.
17 Martin Luther, Table Talk, Luther's Works, ed. and trans, by Theodore
G. Tappert (Philadelphia, 1967), LIV, 427.
32 / Bibliotheca Sacra — January 1972
It is principally in the last few centuries that there have been those
who have said that Christ cannot come soon. The Bible tells us to
be watching and looking for His return, and we are exhorted to be
looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Just as those who live in that day described in Matthew can-
not know the day or the hour, those living today cannot know the
day or the hour. Just as they are exhorted, therefore, to be ready
before He comes, so we too are exhorted to be ready before He
comes. It makes a tremendous difference in the outlook of our
Christian faith if we really believe that Jesus Christ could come any
day. It puts an entirely different view on life, on our plans for the
future, on our accumulation of wealth, on our use of time, on our
faithfulness in prayer and in witnessing. If the possibility that today
is our last opportunity, it gives an urgency to every conceivable duty
or privileged service that Christians may have. That is why the
Bible speaks of the coming of Christ for us as a purifying hope,
and the statement is made in 1 John 3:3, "And every man that
hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." That
is why it is called a comforting hope in John 14, because believers
have the comfort of seeing their Savior and their loved ones in
Christ soon without any further separation. That is why it is a
blessed or a happy hope because it is going to be the realization
of our faith and creed as we have put our trust in Jesus Christ.
While this passage as far as interpretation is concerned relates
to other people and other situations, because of the similarity, those
living today, too, can gather by application these exhortations. Inso-
far as they are appropriate for our approach and our expectation
of the rapture of the church, we can apply them to our daily expe-
rience and challenge ourselves to serve the Lord faithfully until
He comes.
18 Hugh Thomson Kerr, Jr. (ed.), A Compend of Luther's Theology
(Philadelphia, 1943), p. 245 (citing Luther's Correspondence, Vol. II, No.
869, pp. 516 f.).
19 Ibid., p. 247 (citing "On War Against the Turk," Works of Martin Luther,
V, 118).
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