AN HOUR WHEN YOU DO NOT EXPECT HIM / MATTHEW 24:44

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(KJV) Matthew 24:44

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

An Hour When You Do Not Expect Him: The Urgency of Being Ready

We live in a world that thrives on schedules, notifications, and predictable timelines. We like to know exactly when a flight lands, when a package arrives, and when a storm will hit. But in Matthew 24:44, Jesus gives a command that disrupts our need for predictability:

“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Once again, Christ refers to His return for the faithful people in His churches at an unexpected and unknown time. This warning is a call to a lifestyle of continuous spiritual readiness. But how do we reconcile this “unexpected” arrival with other biblical prophecies that detail specific signs and timelines?

The answer lies in understanding the dual nature of Christ’s return.

The Two Phases of the Second Coming

To reconcile Christ’s teaching about His unexpected coming (Matthew 24:42, 44) with His statements about His expected coming (Matthew 24:33), we must recognize that His “Second Coming” unfolds in two distinct phases or stages.

Phase	Timing	Character	Key Scriptures
The First Stage (The Rapture)	Unexpected Prior to the Antichrist and the end-time judgments.	Christ returns in the clouds to take His true church away from the earth.	1 Thessalonians 4:17 John 14:3 Revelation 3:10
The Second Stage (The Glorious Return)	Expected At the very end of the seven-year tribulation.	Christ returns physically to earth to destroy the wicked and begin His millennial reign.	Matthew 24:29-30 Revelation 19:11-21 Daniel 9:25-27

The warning to be ready in Matthew 24:44 is not for those who go through the tribulation. For those left on earth during that time, Christ’s final return will be highly expected, calculable by cosmic signs and precise prophetic timelines (Revelation 11:1-2; 12:6). Instead, the urgent command to watch applies to us today—the generations waiting for the sudden, unexpected first stage.

Patterned After the First Advent

If a single event consisting of two distinct phases sounds complex, we only need to look back at history. This is exactly how the Old Testament predicted Christ’s first coming to earth as a human.

The Old Testament prophets often spoke as if the Messiah’s coming were a single event. However, history reveals the fulfillment of those prophecies in two distinct phases separated by thousands of years:

His coming by birth to suffer, serve, and eventually die for our sins.
His coming to reign on earth as King at the end of time as we know it.

We see this clearly when comparing Isaiah 61:1-3 with Luke 4:18-19. Jesus read the prophecy of His first coming in the synagogue but stopped mid-passage, leaving the “day of vengeance” (His second coming) for the future.

Our Motivation for Today

Christ’s urgent warning to always be spiritually ready for His coming at an unknown time applies to all generations of Christians. It should not cause us fear; rather, it should provide a strong motivation for remaining true to our faith in Christ and our commitment to the standard of His Word.

Living with the expectation that Jesus could return at any moment changes how we live today. It purifies our motives, sharpens our focus on evangelism, and anchors our hearts in eternal hope rather than worldly anxieties.

Are you watching? Are you ready? Let us live in a state of holy expectancy, so that whenever the shout comes, we are found faithful.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, Almighty God,

We thank You for the blessed hope of Your Son’s return. Lord Jesus, Your Word reminds us that You are coming at an hour we do not expect. Forgive us for the times we have grown spiritually drowsy, distracted by the cares and pleasures of this world. Wake our hearts to the urgency of the hour.

We pray that You would grant us the grace, strength, and perseverance to remain true to our faith. Help us hold fast to the unchanging standard of Your Word, living holy and blameless lives before You. May our lamps be filled with oil and our hearts be filled with expectancy. Use us to share Your love and truth with a world that desperately needs You, so that many more may be ready on that glorious day.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

In Your holy and powerful name we pray, Amen.

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