When will the remaining prophecies of Matthew 24 be fulfilled? Only God knows the exact timing of t hese events. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (verse 36). They will take most of the world by surprise.

Jesus's prophecy shows that the Middle East is a vital area to watch, and this region is clearly a flash point for end-time events.

However, some of the things Jesus said would happen appear to be no different from what has transpired there for the past 19 centuries. It is easy to assume things will continue as they always have. But one day circumstances there will change the world forever.

The prophecies of Jesus Christ, however, are not limited to the Middle East. The conditions He described will affect virtually all of humanity. "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 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, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (verses 37-39). In Noah's day all except the patriarch's immediate family carried on with life as usual. As Noah labored away, those around him ate, drank, married and generally did as they pleased—until the rains came.

The apostle Peter, as he awaited his own execution for his part in proclaiming the good news of Christ's return, wrote about people who would lose sight of and ridicule the certainty of that coming event. "Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation' " (2 Peter 3:3-4). Peter warned Christians not to allow their hope and prayers for Christ's return to grow dim (compare Matthew 24:48-51).

Jesus admonished us to stay vigilant and spiritually ready. "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming," He warned (verse 42). He advises us to be busy doing His work. "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing" (verse 45-46). How important is it that we focus our attention on living as God wants us to live, doing the work God wants us to do? For those busy doing God's work, He promises that their efforts will be rewarded. "I say to you that [the Master] will make him ruler over all his goods" (verse 47). GN