The Evil Servants

The Evil Servants

48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 24:48-50

Matthew 24 ends in a very negative way. It focusses on those who refuse to listen or see the signs of the times. It shows us a vision of judgement, darkness and death.

You’ll notice that both groups, good and bad, are called servants here. This is an important thing to remember as we have a bad habit of uplifting ourselves more than we should. Compared to God, we are just servants but what is amazing is that he treats us much better than we deserve.

The evil servants say that God is delaying. “This second coming idea is way into the future and things happening now are just normal things of the earth.” I have heard this sentiment from many people in the church. Nothing is really out of the ordinary. We’ve always had wars, disease, famines and natural disasters. They reject the idea that God is getting ready to return soon and continue living the exact same way. Many speak this way to avoid making any real life altering decisions in their life.

You could claim, rightfully so, that people have been saying these things for generations and Jesus still has not returned. That is true, but you also have to realize that those people are no longer here and for them, the second coming is but a blink away. God wants us to be ready now and every day.

That is what the other verses are really about. There will always be people in the church who don’t follow God’s advice and law. They will beat fellow servants usually by their words and actions. They eat and drink with the drunkards meaning they will focus more on their own appetites and desires than on God.

These will have their part with the hypocrites. All those years of sitting in the pews, praying and reading their Bibles will come to nothing. Their hearts were not in it. They didn’t want to be servants but masters themselves. They trades an eternity of perfection for a few years of pleasure.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

One Will Be Taken

Unprepared

43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Matthew 24:40-42

It’s a horrible feeling having your home broken into. You feel violated and unsafe for a very long time. One thought goes over and over in your head- if I had known that that night someone would be breaking in, I’d be ready and not let it happen.

It is that very thought that Jesus uses to speak about the end of the world. How many people will see Jesus up in the sky and realize that they were caught by surprise? How many will regret so many decisions and choices in their lives? How many will be shocked, terrified or feel like complete fools for not believing?

But in verse 44 it says that we can be ready. We don’t have to be caught unaware. How? By looking for the signs that are mentioned in this chapter and other prophetic books. By reading our bibles and making sure we are spiritually and mentally prepared for His coming. Just because you may belong to a church is not enough. If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus yourself, you will not be ready for that glorious day.

This day will be both the greatest and worst day in history. It will be great for all who will be saved but it will be devastating for all who rejected, unbelieved or simply took it for granted. Today is the day that you have to make sure that it will be a great day for you.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

One Will Be Taken

One Will Be Taken

40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.

Matthew 24:40-42

Many different ideas have been born from these verses in Matthew but what exactly was Jesus trying to say with this. When you look at the context both of the passage and also of the people he was speaking with, you realize that he’s talking about the difference inside people and not outside.

The Jews in those days very easily divided the saved and lost by blood and location. If you were a blood Jew, a pure and undefiled descendant of Abraham, you were saved. If you were from Israel, and even more Jerusalem, you were saved. That is how they thought and you could imagine how these verses would have troubled them.

Jesus doesn’t mention blood, descendant lines or birthplaces in his division. In fact, the way the people are so close suggests that many could be family. What a thought for a Jew that a brother could be saved and another lost.

We make the same distinctions sometimes.  We divide Adventists from others. We divide our church with others. We divide our day of worship from others. We look more on the outside than the inside for salvation.

What Jesus does however is different. From the outside, the people look the same but it’s the inside hearts of the people that determine salvation or loss.

The other thing of course, brought up especially in verse 42 is that it can happen at any time. We may be at work, or asleep, or on a journey when the Day of the Lord comes. We can’t just believe or think, well I’m going on vacation so obviously Jesus won’t come during this time. No. We must be ready at every moment.

 

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

Left Behind

Left Behind

40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

Matthew 24:38-39

Many false ideas have been created from these two verses in Matthew 24. There are those who, now seeing the error, try and argue that it was never these verses that were used in their ideas, except that the two key words ‘Left Behind’ are found right here.

I am of course talking about the idea of the Rapture. For those who don’t know, the rapture is a belief that when Jesus returns, that it will be a secret, silent, invisible coming. Jesus will take his faithful, leaving their nicely folded clothes behind, while the lost are ‘left behind’ on the earth to face the great time of trouble.

It is a popular idea because it teaches that there is a second chance after the Second Coming to be saved. This of course doesn’t work for the simple reality that Jesus saved through faith, but the second chance would be more saved by fear.

The bigger problem with the idea of Rapture is in these verses. They are connected to the previous three verses talking about Noah being saved while the sinners die in the flood. Those who teach Rapture say that God will take the faithful and the sinners will be left behind. The problem is that the Noah story teaches the exact opposite wording.

23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.

Genesis 7:23

You can see here that in the Noah story it states that the sinners were taken (destroyed) while Noah was left behind (remained). It is the exact opposite to the teaching of Rapture. At the Second coming, the sinners will be taken away in death while the saints will be left to live with God forever.

In other words, we should all want to be left behind. And for the false idea that the Second coming will be silent or secret, just read for yourselves 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and Revelation 1:7.

 

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

Took Them All Away

Took Them All Away

38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Matthew 24:38-39

The Second Coming is going to be an amazing event. You have to realize however that it is simultaneously going to be the greatest and also the worst day ever in the universe. Millions if not billions of people will be saved from a life of sin. Those who struggled, suffered, and persevered against sin to stay close to Christ will finally be transformed. They will become perfect as their father in heaven is perfect. They will never have to be tempted by the Devil or sin ever again.

On the other hand, billions if not more will also be lost forever. There will be weeping and crying. There will be shouting, pain and suffering. God in one day will lose scores of his children which he loves with all his heart. He will also lose countless angels and Lucifer as well. God loves all who will be lost. No heart will be more conflicted than God’s.

When we look at the story of Noah, which is used as a comparison here, you’ll find that soon after leaving the ark, Noah grows grapes and gets drunk. Now we don’t know if it was done on purpose or if he just let his drinking get away from him but you have to realize that his heart and mind must have been in anguish. Stepping out of the ark and realizing that every other human being on earth was now dead must have been a shock. There must have been a pain in knowing that so many refused to follow God.

How will you feel when you experience the Second Coming? Have you ever taken time to think about this? How will you feel looking around you for family and friends? How will it be seeing some or even many but not all those you love? It will be an amazing day, no doubt, but will there also be some pain and sorrow?

Those who rejected Noah’s messages from God lived life as if nothing would change. They were similar to us before Covid struck and changed the world forever. This should be a wakeup for us that God’s Second Coming can be a lot closer than it appears. Things can change in a heartbeat. Let’s make sure we’re not part of that group who ‘did not know until the flood came and took them all away’. Let’s make the Second Coming as great as it can be. Let us make sure we are saved and let us also help those we love to make that choice as well.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

Time Unknown

Time Unknown

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Matthew 24:36-37

One of the hardest things for humans is not knowing. Not knowing if you passed that school project. Not knowing the results of a medical test. Not knowing if he or she will say yes. All of these fill us with anxiety and nerves. For many, the same is true about the Second Coming. Some worry that God is coming too soon and they haven’t had time to do all that they dreamed. I wanted to get married first. I wanted to have kids. I’m so close to finally getting that promotion or job I’ve always dreamed of. There are things in this planet that for some are temporarily more important to them than God’s return. So they stress that the world will end before they can realize their dreams.

Others worry that it’s taking too long. Some have been Adventists from an early age and are now old and wonder how God still hasn’t returned. Y2K happened and the world didn’t end. The Twin Towers were destroyed by terrorists and the end didn’t come. We’ve had assassinations of presidents, world wars, plagues and pandemics and we’re still here. Why is God taking so long? And like the first group, these too also stress over not knowing the hour, day or year of Jesus’ return.

Jesus says that it will be like the days of Noah. God had promised that he was going to flood the whole world and yet it had never even rained on the planet before. Everyone that lived in the land at that time must have found the idea quite ridiculous. There isn’t even enough water to flood the world! Noah’s building a boat on dry land- what a fool! How many insults and blasphemies must have been uttered by the people in those days?

But the rains and water did come. There was enough to cover the earth. That useless boat saved Noah, his family and countless animals while the mockers died a watery grave. Had Noah listened to the nay-sayers he too would have been lost but instead he stayed faithful to God’s promise. We must do the same. We don’t have all the answers and we hear mocking around us often, but God is faithful. Trust in Him.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

At The Door

At The Door

33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

Matthew 24:33-34

One of the most famous images of Jesus is a painting where he’s knocking on a window of the United Nations building. It’s found on earlier prints of the Steps to Christ books and has touched many people.

In this week’s verses we read that it is at the door when you see these prophecies around us. How close is Jesus to coming back to the Earth to save us? I don’t believe we are very far as most of the events listed in Matthew 24 are happening now.

What would we do if we knew Jesus was coming this year? What would we change in our lives? What would we plan and make sure we did?

In verse 34 it says that the generation that sees these things around them will not pass away before the end takes place. I know many people will argue that wars, famines and strife have always been around. That is true, but the magnitude, speed and rate of these events have never been seen like this before.

Also, the message of Christ and salvation has never been broadcast so widely around the world. Is it possible that we are the generation mentioned in verse 34?

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Matthew 24:35

Most of the world is busy trying to amass and save wealth here on earth. The problem with such a plan is that nothing will be left when Jesus comes back. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t save and plan for our futures. Both of those things are wise and follow the teaching of stewardship. The problem is when this becomes your all in all in life. If Money and possessions are your only focus, you will find out that you are the poorest of all. You will be left with nothing in the end.

May we keep our eyes open to the signs around us. May we organize and live a life worthy of Christ and his salvation. May we store treasures in heaven and not just here on Earth.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

My Word

My Word

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Matthew 24:32

There are a few verses in the Matthew 24 that you could argue isn’t connected to prophecy. This verse is one of them and yet it is has an extremely important message which indirectly is vital for prophecy. ‘My words will by no means pass away’ means that you can trust in Jesus words. What is use or power of prophecy to a person who doesn’t trust the person speaking? What use is hearing about the future if you’re not going to believe it?

By Jesus stating that we can trust his words means that we can trust in his prophecy. We can trust that everything spoken will happen just as he said it. When you look at other so called prophets like Nostradamus who get it right 50% of the time or less, can you really put any trust in that? Some people do but you might as well flip a coin in life and you’ll get the same results.

With Jesus it is 100% accurate. Heaven and Earth will pass away before Jesus tells a lie or gets something wrong. How amazing is it to know that? We can have complete trust in Jesus and his word. In a world where it’s hard to trust in anything, that can be a real relief and inspiration.

This is the same Jesus who says in John 14:6,

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

He is not only trustworthy but he is also the way, the truth and life. Jesus must be everything for us if we are to truly have peace in this troubling world. It is the only foundation that will not crumble under our feet.

May we all trust in Jesus.

 

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

The Fig Tree

The Fig Tree

32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.

Matthew 24:32

I have a feeling Jesus really liked figs because he speaks about them a lot. Several times fig trees appear in his parables or actions. In my case it probably would have been a lot of parables about mango trees.

It’s amazing how Jesus can take such a common idea or truth and turn it into a great lesson. Anyone that knew about planting or crops would understand Jesus’ words here. When you see that the tree is ready to bear fruit, the fruit comes. Farmers aren’t surprised every year when their crops come in just as you’re not surprised when the lights turn on every time you flip the light switch. These should be obvious things to us. The Second Coming should be just as obvious.

We have spent several weeks now in Matthew 24. Ask yourself this question: is there anything that Matthew 24 mentions that hasn’t happened yet? Is there a long list of things that still need to come true? No. Most are all around us right now. Just as we shouldn’t be surprised by the light turning on, we shouldn’t be surprised that Jesus is just around the corner.

33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that [e]it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

Matthew 24:33-34

We can be this generation. We can see all that is happening around us and so we have to be prepared that truly we can be this generation.

Is Jesus knocking on the door? Is he holding his bags to move on in? Based on his own words that seems to be the case. Are you ready for it?

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

Angels in the Sky

Angels in the Sky

31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Matthew 24:31

Do you remember what you were doing on September 11? I do. I was still at CUC, Burman University now, and I walked into the cantina and saw the repeating images of one of the twin towers coming down. I’ll be honest. After so many years of watching films and TV, at first I didn’t believe it. I thought it was just special effects or a new film. When it finally hit me that it was the real building coming down, my heart sunk.

I get the same feeling when I read v.31. It’s hard for me as a human being to truly imagine seeing angels flying in the sky. I can’t help but think that I would first think that it was some sort of light show or hologram. After a whole lifetime without seeing supernatural things, how would we react? And then add the idea that Satan will be impersonating and making his own miracles, and you can understand why so many might be confused or skeptical.

But it will happen! One day, there will be true to life angels in the sky and right in the middle will be God himself. One day it won’t be a film, trick or lie but the real Second Coming.

This is why we are Christian. This is why we read our bibles, pray, sing hymns and go to church. Life is more than what is here on this earth. Life is more than what we can see, hear, smell, or touch. There is a whole spiritual world out there that we have, for now, been blind to.

But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9

Let this image and idea fill your days. Know that all we go through is worth it in Christ. Things might be dark and dim now but there is a place where there is no night and it’s been promised to you.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto