NOTES for Mat 24:28-29

The Lord compares the final times in the history of the world to “how it was in the days of Noah.” This is an important, though very sad, observation: in Noah's day evil multiplied, but no one except Noah himself attached any importance to it. The fact is that human nature, corrupted by sin, is not merely capable but even inclined to ignore the circumstances of its age whenever they expose us in some way. A person can recognize causal connections and judge the deeper meaning of history by what they observe in the world, but we are not motivated to notice it, for then we would have to draw conclusions and change our lives. This is why the coming of the Son of Man proves so unexpected, and why His judgments seem strange to us.

From a practical point of view, what matters for us is that the Lord calls His disciples to be ready for the last day. This effort of the will is always inherent in faith, and where it is made, our life passes beyond the bounds of limited human perception. Christ's preaching about the last days thus gives His disciples the opportunity not only to await with bated breath the inevitable end that will arrive like a thief in the night, but already now, without waiting for the appointed times, to enter the life that will come after it.