Seriously, Are You Ready?
“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come … Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” -Matt 24:42;44 (KJV)
Are you excited about the times we are living in? For those looking only through the lens of the world’s point of view, then maybe not. For there is chaos, confusion, dangerous and perilous times all about us, wickedness and lawlessness are rising but Biblical truth is nevertheless unchanging in spite of all of these difficult days. On the flip side, we are living in an exciting time because I fully believe we will see the rapture of the church very soon. Did you ever consider that you are here for a reason and purpose? You were born to experience the last days and to testify of your faith in Christ to others. What a glorious but yes frightening time to be alive yet the Lord put you and I here for such a time as this. What are you doing for the Lord right now? Are you ready for His return? No really … ready in the real sense of the word?
Amidst the very hostile, volatile and uncertain world we live in today served up with a heavy dose of political corruption, deceit and deception, geopolitical maneuvering, crime, wickedness, hate, a tearing down of the sanctity of marriage between only a man and a woman, sexual immorality gone crazy, wars and rumors of war, Christian persecution, extreme weather, hurricanes, volcanoes erupting it seems all over, earthquakes on the rise, it can be hard to focus on your faith and what that means in your life. But the bottom line is: we must be prepared and ready for the Lord to return unannounced at an hour that is unknown. This is not an option, we must be ready to stand before Him and be welcomed into His Kingdom.
So how do you get ready? In Matt 24 and 25 we read about 4 parables that shed some light on what this can mean. First, the Goodman of the House, then the parable of the wise and evil servants, next the parable of the ten virgins and finally, the parable of the talents (which IMHO, does not have anything to do with money).
The Goodman of the House: now realize that Jesus is talking about His coming as a thief in the night so we today are to understand this as we are to be always watching and alert for Jesus to come. For He will come like a thief at an hour not expected. Are you ready to eyeball the thief if one were to break into your house? Are you constantly aware of your house, security and borders? Are you awake enough to even care about these things or do you take for granted that nothing will or can happen-all is well and good? A very wrong and unprepared mindset to take in this sin-infected, evil and wicked world.
The Ten Virgins: which one of these 2 groups do you align with? The foolish or wise? Have you enough oil (preparedness) in your lamps and flasks to be ready at any time the Bridegroom could arrive? Have you longed for Him to snatch you away to His house to live evermore in His Kingdom. Being ready involves being excited. You know, like to first time you bought a new car, or fell in love or something else that in anticipation kept you up all night waiting for the next day’s happiness. Or are you one of the lethargic Christian virgins? Could care less about His arrival, slow in your faith, not excited about leaving this world and this carefree, lackadaisical list goes on. Time to think about this … seriously.
The Wise and Evil servants. Are you one of the wise servants who spreads the Gospel without restraint or fear? Or are you evil and think – ah, he’s taking His time returning, so I can just live like I want abusing friends and taking advantage of others for my personal gain?
The guys with the Talents. No money involved per say but readiness to share the Gospel without fear or embarrassment or even persecution. Invest heavily in other’s lives through the witness and testimony of what the Lord did for you. How much time do you take first in reading and studying God’s word vs. watching TV, playing video games, or your face glued to your smart phone with fingers numb from plucking out text messages or surfing the Internet? Are you full on with winning lost souls or too scared to say anything for fear of retaliation from this evil and wicked world?
In conclusion, these are just four ways we can be ready. There are many more itemized in God’s word. Please I encourage you with all urgency to be alert, and ready watching for the return of the Lord. There are many signs He gave us in the Bible that indicate we are very near this time. Read and believe. Be prepared and ready for…
“You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”:” -Luke 12:40 (ESV)
Readiness: He is coming again for His saints – those who have confessed Him as their Lord and Savior. Those who are watching and waiting for Him with anticipation – Heb 9:28. Those that have kept themselves free from the stain of the [recurring] sin that infects this world. Our Lord is coming for His Bride – the born again saved men and women of His church. He is coming to catch them away (rapture) to spend eternity with Him in His home – heaven. This is our hope that will see us though the very difficult days ahead. It’s a life-giving hope but it does require something from us … and that is faith and trust that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savor and will be there always with you despite what you are going through.
-BPWatcher, Internet Preacher and Bible Prophecy Watchman
“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” -2 Peter 3:11-12
GLORY TO GOD!
