Jesus gave a crucial end-time prophecy shortly before His crucifixion, recorded in Matt. 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. It’s valuable to study his prophecy often. Jesus’ disciples wanted to know what to watch for, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3). Significantly, the very first thing that Jesus responded with was a somber warning of what to watch out for: “Take heed that no one deceive you” (verse 4). Sadly, many are deceived. Many who call themselves Christians are deceived into thinking that Christ will not literally return to the earth, even though He repeatedly promised He would, or that He He will return in some manner different from what He told us. In the rest of the chapter, Jesus answers their questions by revealing the future key trends and conditions for which it would be critically important to watch. Jesus than urged His disciples to “watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if if the master of the house had known hat hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into” (verses 42-43). After Jesus’ resurrection, He again said, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:7). However, in spite of Jesus’ statements, countless people have foolishly tried to predict the time of His second coming. It is because we don’t know the timing that we must keep watching. Continuing in Matt. 24, Jesus said, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (verse 44) Watching reminds us and motivates us to remain ready. That’s the main idea! Shortly after, Jesus warns of the temptation to think, “My master is staying away a long time “ (verse 48) . When a person thinks he has more than enough time to get ready, he is seriously tempted to let down spiritually ( verse 49-51). The parable of the 10 virgins ( Matt. 25:1-13) emphasizes staying spiritually prepared and ready. Keeping one’s lamp filled with oil represents staying close to God and staying filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus concluded the parable by saying, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Verse 13).
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 23:14:35 +0000
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