"Oh, you mean death?”
No. I cannot say that I do, because you expect to die some time; perhaps not this year, but some time. And doubtless you intend to make timely preparation for that certain event.
"Then what do you mean?”
Well, "the unexpected happens" is a common phrase. It simply means that in spite of every possible attention being given to an undertaking, or every contingency being met so far as the clever mind of man can anticipate, something entirely unforeseen may occur that utterly upsets all his plans.
"The unexpected happened" when the Spanish Armada, instead of landing its troops on English soil, was swept by a hurricane into the inky waves of the North Sea and was broken to pieces on unknown shores. The proud Spaniard was foiled of his prey. That tempest was unexpected by him.
"What else do you think will happen unexpectedly?”
Ah, there was a time when the busy world bought and sold, planted and builded, married and gave in marriage, rising morning by morning to carry on its labors. The world was young; and though life was long, its hours flew apace. Bargains were struck; articles were bought and sold; seller and purchaser were in keen competition then as now. Hillsides and wastelands were planted; houses and cities were built. And all flourished. They feared nothing, saying: "Today shall be as yesterday, and tomorrow as today.”
True, one man was busy building, not a house nor a city, but an ark. What of that? He, but he only, said something about a flood of waters which, having come, would put an end to all the busy enterprises of the day. This prophecy seemed so ridiculous that business went on—"Until the flood came and destroyed them all." The unexpected happened! Unexpected, but not unforetold. Why unexpected? Because disbelieved and discredited.
"Yes, but we are told that the flood shall never cover the earth again, so we need not live in dread of a watery overthrow.”
Quite true; but what of another catastrophe—that of fire?
"Oh, that is at the end of the world. It's a long time off. We can go on with our planting and building, buying and selling; nor need we fear in our day any such terrible event as that. For 'where is the promise of His coming?'”
Now, granted that the destruction by fire is necessarily at the end of all things, we are most profoundly anxious that you should hear and lay hold of the fact that, long before the end comes, a period called "the day of the Lord," a long period that is introduced by and continued in the unsparing judgment of evil, shall first run its course. It is ushered in by the coming of the Son of man; and notice particularly that "as it was in the days of Noah [we have considered these], so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man." Mark the word so, and compare the days. The unexpected happened in Noah's time. It may happen in ours.
"The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night." The world will be taken unawares. They will be saying "peace and safety" and lulling each other to slumber in the cradles of business, of trade, and of pleasure. Then the Son of man shall come, and the unexpected shall have happened.
Oh, that the thoughtless world might take warning! When once the Master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, all hope will be gone for the unbeliever.
The Lord Jesus Christ is coming as Son of man to judge the world. But first He will come as Savior for His own. The dead who sleep in Jesus shall be raised, the living believers changed and caught up to meet Him in the air. Together they shall be forever "with the Lord.”