Matthew 24:37-39
For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's easily missed is that Jesus isn't just highlighting the suddenness of the flood, but also the world's utter obliviousness. Just as people were absorbed in daily life, completely unaware of the coming judgment, so too will the world be caught up in its own affairs, blindsided by Christ's return.
Jesus is explaining the signs of the end times and the destruction of Jerusalem, comparing it to Noah's day. Just as people were caught up in daily life, unaware of the coming flood, so too will his return be unexpected for a world consumed by ordinary activities and pleasures. This comparison highlights the suddenness and the unsuspecting nature of the coming judgment for most people.
Jesus compares His coming to the days of Noah. What was so significant about that time that it serves as a permanent illustration for the end of the age?
In Noah's day, life went on as usual. People were eating, drinking, marrying, and conducting business, fully absorbed in the rhythm of daily life.
Daily Grind, Divine Blindness
Jesus uses this to highlight that His return will also catch many off guard, precisely because they will be engrossed in the familiar routines and pleasures of life, ignoring the spiritual realities.
The comparison to Noah's time isn't just about unpreparedness; it's also about a stark separation that will occur.
In the days of Noah, a critical distinction was made: Noah and his family were 'taken' into the ark, preserved from the flood, while the rest of humanity was 'left' to perish.
The Ultimate Separation
Understand the original words
huios tou anthrōpou · Greek Noun Phrase
The title most frequently used by Jesus for Himself, emphasizing His humanity, His messianic authority, and His role as the eschatological Judge as foretold in Daniel 7.
parousia · Greek Noun
The visible return of Jesus Christ in glory to judge the living and the dead and to consummate His kingdom.
kataklysmos · Greek Noun
A sudden, catastrophic judgment from God upon the earth due to human sin, serving as a historical type for the future final judgment.
ginōskō · Greek Verb
To be ignorant or without knowledge; in this context, the lack of spiritual discernment regarding the impending judgment of God.
Jesus uses the examples of Noah's Flood and the destruction of Sodom to illustrate that His return will be sudden and unexpected, catching most people engrossed in daily life, just as these past cataclysms did.
c. 2950 BC
Noah builds the Ark
Noah, warned by God of an impending flood, spends over a century building a massive ark to save his family and pairs of animals. This period included repeated warnings through his preaching.
c. 2950 BC
The Great Flood
God sends a catastrophic flood to cleanse the earth of wickedness, destroying all living things except those on the ark. The world was caught unaware, engaged in ordinary activities.
c. 2070 BC
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
God rains fire and sulfur upon the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying them completely. Lot and his family were warned and escaped, though Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus' Ministry and Teachings
During His ministry, Jesus teaches about the signs of the end times, the destruction of Jerusalem, and His ultimate return. He emphasizes the need for vigilance and preparedness.
This passage describes the pervasive wickedness and corruption of humanity in Noah's day, setting the stage for God's judgment by flood, paralleling the moral landscape Jesus describes before His return.
Luke 17:26-27This parallel account directly echoes Matthew 24:37, also comparing the coming of the Son of Man to the days of Noah and the suddenness of the flood that swept away an unsuspecting world.
1 Peter 3:20Peter explicitly links the 'long-suffering of God' during Noah's time, while the ark was being prepared, to the current age, highlighting the theme of divine patience contrasted with human indifference to impending judgment.
2 Peter 3:3-4Peter warns against scoffers in the last days who ignore the signs of Christ's return, likening their attitude to the people in Noah's time who were unaware until the flood came, emphasizing the theme of willful ignorance.
Genesis 19:24-25The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, often paired with the flood narrative in Jesus' discourse, shows a similar pattern of sudden, divine judgment on a society engrossed in its daily affairs, highlighting the unexpected nature of divine reckoning.
barnesMatthew 24:37: "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
Noe - The Greek way of writing "Noah." See Genesis 6-9 . The coming of the Son of man would be as it was in the days of Noah: 1. In its being sudden and unexpected, the "precise time" not being made known, though the "general" indications had been given. 2. The world would be found as it was then.
bensonMatthew 24:37: "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
Matthew 24:37-41 . But as the days of Noe were, &c. — As then they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, till they were surprised by the flood, notwithstanding the frequent warnings and admonitions of that preacher of righteousness: so now, they shall be engaged in the business and pleasures of the world, little expecting, little thinking of this universal ruin, till it come upon th…
What's easily missed is that Jesus isn't just highlighting the suddenness of the flood, but also the world's utter obliviousness. Just as people were absorbed in daily life, completely unaware of the coming judgment, so too will the world be caught up in its own affairs, blindsided by Christ's return.
Jesus is explaining the signs of the end times and the destruction of Jerusalem, comparing it to Noah's day. Just as people were caught up in daily life, unaware of the coming flood, so too will his return be unexpected for a world consumed by ordinary activities and pleasures. This comparison highlights the suddenness and the unsuspecting nature of the coming judgment for most people.
Jesus is explaining the signs of the end times and the destruction of Jerusalem, comparing it to Noah's day. Just as people were caught up in daily life, unaware of the coming flood, so too will his return be unexpected for a world consumed by ordinary activities and pleasures. This comparison highlights the suddenness and the unsuspecting nature of the coming judgment for most people.
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This concept underscores that while the world may appear unified in its activities, a radical separation awaits, defined by one's relationship with God.
AD 70
Destruction of Jerusalem
The Roman Empire under Titus brutally sacks Jerusalem and destroys the Second Temple, fulfilling Jesus' prophecies about the city's desolation. This event served as a precursor and type for future eschatological events.
"For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware unt…" — What's easily missed is that Jesus isn't just highlighting the suddenness of the flood, but also the world's utter obliviousness. Just as people were absorbed in daily life, completely unaware of the…
