12/06/2021
Are we prepared for the imminent return of Jesus Christ? Are we ready to rise from our homes, never to return, or have we been lulled to sleep by the spiritual complacency of the world, perhaps blinded by agents of darkness within the Christian Church itself? Maybe we have become like those who ignore the small problems until they finally break and and can’t be fixed, or will cost more to replace than they can afford to pay. It is imperative that we keep our faith at the ready, and watch second by second for the clouds to part, and for our savior to descend. Are our hearts, minds, and souls prepared, and waiting for Him in great anticipation? Do we earnestly pray “Come quickly Lord Jesus”, and honestly mean what we say?
“I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.”
Revelation 3:11 ESV
We often pray for the return of our Lord, and, as the Church, say that we are ready to become His bride, but are we wearing our wedding dress, or is it stored in the closet? Are we standing with our lamps lit, and filled with oil, or is our reservoir empty, dry, and polished, and our wick clean and new… never having been lit? Are we afraid to sleep for fear we might miss the moment of His arrival, or are we sleeping soundly in our beds hoping someone will wake us when He comes? How is our faith at this very moment?
““Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.”
Matthew 25:1-4 ESV
There will be no time left to prepare ourselves when Jesus comes; no time to search for oil, or light a match, and not a moment to fill gather oil, because judgement will be at hand, and the faith of others will do us no good… it is already spoken for. Are our lamps lit, full, and do we have enough oil in reserve to keep them lit?
“But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’”
Matthew 25:6-9 ESV
When I was a boy I remember the excitement, and anticipation, of Christmas Eve. I would think about the birth of baby Jesus, and knew what Christmas was all about, but as a child I would admire our tree, and insure the lights were all lit, I would arrange the stockings so that they were prepared to receive candy, I would pour a glass of milk, and place a plate of cookies on the table, and then… When my mother had tucked me into bed, I would slip out from beneath the covers, and sit by the window watching for any sign of Santa Clause’s arrival. I hoped that I would be the first to see Him when He landed on our rooftop. Are we this prepared, and excited about the second coming?
““But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
Matthew 24:36-39 ESV
Today I see children doing these same things at Christmas, and I think of how this also reminds me of the second coming of Christ. All of the preparation in advance, the decorations, the setting of the table, the excitement, the anticipation, and finally… the watching in full certainty that at any minute we might catch a glimpse of Him. I think too of my wedding day, and the weddings of my children, and how this all seems so familiar… a daughter’s excitement, a son’s anticipation, and the new life that awaited them. Are we waiting just as prepared for Jesus; with equal zeal, and hoping upon hope that this is the moment? Are we a bride who steps into the aisle to see her betrothed, or a groom whose eyes fill with tears at the first sight of his new wife as the music plays, and she walks to join him? This is how we should prepare ourselves, and await every moment of our lives for our Lord’s arrival. We don’t want to be a child that is disappointed when the sun rises on Christmas Day, or a betrothed who is left standing alone at the altar.
“And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’”
Matthew 25:10-12 ESV
How often we hear some pray “Come Quickly Lord Jesus”, and with the next breath say… “but not today!”, or, “wait just a minute?”
Who are we? Are we honestly ready? Are we actually prepared to depart right now at a moment’s notice, or is our prayer in which we say “Come quickly” just a rote prayer that we recite without thinking?
“To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.””
Luke 9:59, 61-62 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for sending your Son Jesus Christ to live, suffer, die, and be resurrected to cleanse us of our sin, and to defeat death, but thank you too for His promised return in which He will claim the Church as his bride, and each one of us as His heir and joint heir in your kingdom. Help us Holy Father in our preparation for His return, and strengthen our faith against the world so that nothing stands in our way when the shofar blows to announce His arrival. Let us step without reservation from this place, right now, when He says “Come.” Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who has laid the plans for our wedding, and prepared us for the moment when we will become one in spiritual flesh with Jesus. Praised be your name for the oil in our lamps, and for always keeping us at the ready for the return of Christ. Merciful are you Lord, for you have provided us with all we need for the journey, and await us at the wedding feast. Your grace is sufficient to sustain us, just as the blood of your Son is enough to cleanse all creation. Call us Jesus, feed us Father, and may our excitement and anticipation please you. Give us strength in our faith so that whether Jesus arrives now, in a minute, an hour, a day, year, or a thousand years… we will be ready to step at once into eternity with Him.
“He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.”
Revelation 22:20-21 ESV
Rich Forbes