“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.” Matthew 24:37
Before reading this, please read my previous post “Times and Epochs”. It will be very helpful in understanding this article.
There are many ideas on what the ‘Days of Noah’ actually means. I think everyone agrees that it is referring to the period of time which immediately precedes the return of Christ. The question becomes whether or not it is the period of time before the rapture, or Jesus’ actual return to earth.
As always, I believe the context will reveal the correct meaning. So, let’s first start with understanding who Jesus is speaking to in this chapter and what the subject matter is. Follow along in Matthew 24. It is one of the most incredible, jam-packed end times passages in all of Scripture.
Jesus is speaking to his Jewish disciples. Remember, Jesus said that His focus is the children of Abraham. These people are whom Jesus made a priority to preach to and disciple. “But he answered and said, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'” Matt. 15:24
He trained others to reach the rest of the world. His focus was Israel. It is critical that Christians resist inserting the Church into passages where it doesn’t belong. Matthew 24 is one of those passages.
The subject matter is the ‘70th Week of Daniel’, otherwise known as the 7 years of tribulation. This period occurs after the rapture. I’m not going to go into a pre-tribulation rapture defense in this article. I believe Scripture is perfectly clear that the Church will be evacuated prior to the beginning of the tribulation. Read my previous posts, “Michael the Restrainer?”, and “Who or What is the Restrainer?”. The Restrainer is key to understanding the rapture.
In Matt. 24:3 the disciples ask Jesus to tell them (1) when the Temple will be destroyed, and (2) what will be the sign of His coming and end of the age. There are 2 questions. Matthew only records Jesus’ answer to the 2nd question. Luke records answers to both questions in Luke 21.
In vs. 4, Jesus begins describing the ‘signs’ that will lead to His return to earth on Mt. Zion. Vss. 4-8 is the description of the birth pangs described in Revelation 6-8, otherwise known as the 7 seals. It’s important to realize that Jesus is prophesying in this context. He is speaking past the immediate audience to a future generation of Jewish believers in the tribulation. Why do I say that? Because his disciples will not be on the earth during the 7-year tribulation period. This prophesy is for a generation that turns to the Lord during the 70th Week of Daniel.
In vs. 13, Jesus tells this future generation that if they survive the 7 years they will be saved or rescued. They will go on to live forever beginning with the 1000 year Millennial Kingdom. This verse has nothing to do with the salvation of their soul. See my post “The One Who Endures to the End”.
Continuing on in vs. 15, Jesus tells this future generation that when they see the Abomination of Desolation standing in the holy place, they are to flee Jerusalem immediately. The Abomination of Desolation is the antichrist standing in the Holy of Holies in the Temple that has yet to be re-built (Daniel 9:27, 2 Thess. 2:3-4). This will occur in the middle of the 7 year tribulation.
Jesus tells this future generation that they are not to come out of hiding in the wilderness if they hear that Jesus has come to earth (vss. 23-26). He tells them that there will be no doubt when He comes because they will see the Shekinah Glory in the sky when Jesus comes on the clouds! (vss. 27-30)
Upon His return and the destruction of the armies of Satan (Rev. 19), He will gather all the righteous Jews on earth and bring them to the Promised Land to dwell during the Millennial Kingdom (vs. 31). He then promises that the generation that sees all of these events take place, from the opening of the seals to His coming in the clouds, will not pass away before everything takes place. That is what He is saying in vs. 34.
“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; even so you to, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” Matt. 24:32-34
Jesus’ reference to the parable of the fig tree pertains to Messiah returning to earth and ruling from Jerusalem. It is another Jewish idiom, it is not for the Church. In other words, it is not about Jesus’ coming for the Church, it is about Jesus coming to rule from Zion and fulfilling all of the prophecies regarding Messiah and Israel going back to Abraham.
Jesus is saying that when the believing Jews see all of the ‘signs’ of His return to earth – from the seal judgments, to the gospel of the kingdom preached to every corner of earth, the abomination of desolation to the false reports of Messiah when they are in the wilderness – they are to know and believe that they will NOT pass away before He sets foot on Mt. Zion. That is the importance of the “Truly I say to you”. He is saying that a remnant will survive. You must stay in context!
Then, in vs. 36, Jesus pivots and now speaks directly to His present company. The next part of the chapter is specifically directed at the disciples. Consequently, this part of the message is also for the Church. (Mark 13:37) Why? Because it is information relevant to all believers prior to the tribulation.
“But of the day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” 24:36
What day and hour? Here Jesus is referring to the “Day of the Lord” (1Thess. 5:2; 2Thess. 2:2; 2Peter 3:10). The expression ‘Day of the Lord’ is an idiom or theme which references the period of the judgment of the world and the return of the Messiah to earth. It is characterized as coming like a thief in the night. The rapture is that singular event that there is NO sign for, and that cannot be predicted.
The mistake that many in the Church make is trying to ascribe all the apocalyptic events in Matt. 24:6-8 as signs leading up to the rapture. They are not. They are signs that verify the tribulation is in full swing.
So, Jesus tells them that the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. What Jesus is referring to here in vs. 37 is the circumstances that will immediately precede and follow the rapture.
What He tells His disciples (and in turn, us) is that life will actually be very mundane compared to the tribulation. In the days of Noah, people were living their lives as if there was no judgment coming, all the while as Noah is building the Ark over a period of 120 years. When Noah went into the Ark, Jesus said they didn’t understand.
In other words, they undoubtedly looked upon Noah as a fool. It was not until the floodwaters were raging that they realized what was going on. So it will be when the Church is rescued and disappears. They – the unsaved earth dwellers – will be perplexed for a time, and will probably even forget about the disappearance of a billion people from the earth, until the seals are opened (1Thess. 5:3; 2Thess. 2:8-12). Then they will realize that destruction is upon them and it will be too late.
In vss. 40-41, Jesus describes that day and hour of the rapture – 2 men in the field and one will be taken, 2 women at the mill and one will be taken.
The point that Jesus is making is that the ‘Days of Noah’ is a reference to people being hard-hearted and surprised when the Day of the Lord finally does come. It is not about apocalyptic events leading up to His return. It is about people not believing that Jesus is coming and living watchfully and alert. This is what Jesus tells his disciples and it is the exact same thing that Paul told the Thessalonians – “But you brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober” 1Thess. 5:4-6.
“And what I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!'” Mark 13:37
We are not to be overtaken.
Dan Baker