These years many things have happened, the pandemic, the war and other disasters become worse and worse. Many bible prophecies about God’s return have been fulfilled. Do you think it is the time for God to return to save us from the hard life?
It’s a great question and not an easy one for me to give a short answer to (sorry)… I have a few thoughts that I try to live by, I think we should always be ready for His return even though we don’t know when it will be or if He will return in our lifetimes.
Today could be my last – am I ready to meet Jesus?
Jesus said the day and hour are unknown in Matthew 24:36
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
And Jesus also warns us that a sign of His return would be similar to birth pains which increase in intensity nearer to the birth. Jesus said we should notice an increase in wars, famines, earthquakes and persecution nearer to the time of His return (Matthew 24:4-14). We are able to witness an increase in the like right now so we should be prepared. But I wonder how Christians have felt throughout history? During the first and second world wars for example.
I believe we should take heed of the fact that Christians have been persecuted for their faith since the time of Jesus Christ Himself. Consider all the mockery, pain and suffering He endured and then of His apostles who were martyred in terrible, inhumane ways for their Faith in Christ.
A message we receive over and over again in the New Testament is that we should be prepared and over everything I am convinced that this is the bottom line: Today could be my last – am I ready to meet Jesus?
We should be pursuing Christlikeness (1 John 3:2–3) in our daily lives. And we should be continually readying ourselves for suffering, Paul said that “we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).
Consider the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Matthew 25:1-13
The conclusion of the parable answers the question: How do you get ready? “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”
So what does this mean? Both the wise and the foolish virgins were asleep, and there was no criticism. To watch, therefore, doesn’t mean getting up at night, looking out the window, checking the news or paying a lot of attention to end-time conspiracies.
The virgins were given an assignment: To have their lamps and their oil ready for when the bridegroom arrived and to light the way for the bridegroom. The virgins who did their job just the way the master wanted them to do it went in with the bridegroom to the marriage feast. These were the virgins who were morally, spiritually, and professionally awake. They did their job the way their master meant for them to do it.
God has given all of us work for while He is not with us – gifts, resources, abilities, money, opportunities, relationships, spiritual disciplines. All of these are areas where we should do our job to the best of our ability with faithfulness and diligence so that we can be ready for the day of His return. That glorious day when He will save us from this corrupted life and take us in with Him to the marriage feast.