READY FOR HIS COMING

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‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6

“BE READY FOR HIS COMING”

Matthew 24:1-2 says, “Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. And He (Jesus) said to them (His disciples),“Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

Verse 3. “As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Verse 4. “And Jesus answered and said to them (His disciples), “See to it that no one misleads you.”

These foregoing words of Jesus were spoken to, and are meant for, His disciples.

(See Matthew chapter 24 verses 1-4. (This may seem like a ‘long read’ or podcast, depending on how you choose to follow along,, but, these are the very Words of Jesus and He answers all the key questions of being ready for His return, and, it’s worth your time.),

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “BE READY”?

Matthew 24:32-51 and Matthew 25:1-46

Parable of the Fig Tree

Verse 32. “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; verse 33. so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Verse 34. “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Verse 35. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

Verse 36. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Verse 37. “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.”

What Those Days Will Be Like?

Verse 38. “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
Verse 39. and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away;
so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Verse 40. “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Verse 41. “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.”

I. What Should You Do to be Ready for His Coming – The reason for Readiness

(Compare these 4 parables for the answer)

Matthew 24, Verse 42. “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
Verse 43. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
Verse 44. “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

Benefits of Readiness

Matthew 24, Verse 45. “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Verse 46. “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Verse 47. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”

Consequences for Carelessness regarding His Coming

Verse 48. “But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ Verse 49. and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards;
Verse 50. the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect himand at an hour which he does not know,
Verse 51. and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

II. What Should You Do to be Ready for His Coming – The reason for Readiness

Parable of Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1-46 says, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Verse 2. “Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. Verse 3. “For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, verse 4. but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.
Verse 5. “Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and beganto sleep. Verse 6. “But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet ’ Verse 7. “Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
Verse 8. “The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ Verse 9. “But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too;go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’

Benefits of Readiness

Verse 10. “And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast;and the door was shut.

Consequences for Carelessness regarding His Coming

Verse 11. “Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ Verse 12. “But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’
Verse 13. “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

III. What Should You Do to be Ready for His Coming – The reason for Readiness

Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25:14. “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. Verse 15. “To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.
Verse 16. “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. Verse 17. “In the same manner the one who had receivedthe two talents gained two more. Verse 18. “But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

Benefits of Readiness

Verse 19. “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Verse 20. “The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’
Verse 21. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
Verse 22. “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ Verse 23. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

Consequences for Carelessness regarding His Coming

Verse 24. “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no Verse 25. ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
Verse 26. “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no Verse 27. ‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Verse 28. ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
Verse 29. “For to everyone who has, moreshall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.
Verse 30. “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

IV. What Should You Do to be Ready for His Coming – The reason for Readiness

The Judgment

Matthew 25:31, “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32“All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

Verse 34. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Verse 35. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me somethingto eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; Verse 36. naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
Verse 37. “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You somethingto drink? Verse 38. ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? Verse 39. ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

Benefits of Readiness

Verse 40. “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, eventhe least of them, you did it to Me.’

Consequences for Carelessness regarding His Coming

Verse 41. “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
Verse 42. for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothingto eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; Verse 43. I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’
Verse 44. “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’
Verse 45. “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ Verse 46. “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Please take note of the consistency of these parables. Each scenario tells of a coming judgment and either a reward for the faithful servant or the punishment of perishing for the unfaithful and unprepared servants.

(PLEASE NOTE: This is not a matter to be argued, such as “once saved, always saved” or “they were never saved in the first place”. This is a matter of being a prepared and of being a faithful servant or, of being a person who is unprepared and just “going through the motions” of Christianity.)

The foregoing Words of Jesus, from Matthew, chapters 24 and 25, are written to His disciples (Christians). So, if you are not a Christian, a disciple of Jesus, you probably don’t understand what He is saying, and most likely, consider all this as foolishness, as, God has told us that spiritual matters are Spiritually discerned and you must have the Spirit of God within you to understand.

If you have any sense of the gravity of this message, you can turn to God now, and, confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Where Are We Now?

The date, at the time of this writing, is August 22, 2021. There is a convergence and concurrence of global events, as never been seen before, in alignment with Bible prophecy. The branch of the olive tree has become tender and is putting forth its leaves, so, you know that summer is near; so, too, when you see all these things, recognize that Jesus is near, right at the door!

Where Do We Go From Here?

The Bible shows us the Spiritual War that has been raging for millennia, first in the spiritual realm and then on earth. That war is intensifying and the final Judgments of God are soon to follow. After these judgments, Jesus and His armies of heaven will appear to defeat the Beast and the False Prophet. Until that final day, we, who are on earth, are commanded to join the battle. This is critical.

We are told that our first line of defense and our most effective offense is to trust in the Lord our God.

Next in order of priority is to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might and to put on the full armor of God, so that we will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-17)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10-17)

FULL ARMOR OF GOD: Therefore, we are to take up the full armor of God,

RESIST IN THE EVIL DAY: So that we will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything,

STAND FIRM: Stand firm. Stand firm therefore,

PUT ON TRUTH: HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and

PUT ON RIGHTEOUSNESS: HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and

PREPARE WITH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE: having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;

FAITH: In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

PRAY: With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

How Shall We Do It?

Readiness and your response becomes a matter of faith, obedience to His Word, walking in His Spirit and speaking His Word.

Understand the meaning of: “Jeremiah 12:5, “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, How will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?”

DO THESE THINGS

Luke 15:10-18 says, “Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

(Note: Luke 15 contains the description of the first five Tribulation Seals which began around AD 1, and those who are alive on earth during these times, must endure.)

“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake.

“It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;

“for, I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.

“But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name.

“Yet not a hair of your head will perish.

“By your endurance you will gain your lives.“

So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;
I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.
Yet not a hair of your head will perish.
By your endurance you will gain your lives.

Isaiah 54:17 says, “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.

No weapon that is formed against you will prosper;
And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn

Matthew 21:21 says, ”And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen.”

have faith and do not doubt
if you … it will happen

John 15:7-8 says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so [d]prove to be My disciples.”

If you abide in Me, and
My words abide in you,
ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Revelation 12:10-11 says, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come
And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and
they did not love their life even when faced with death.

Thus says the Lord.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Although, the things I have listed below will not ‘save you’, they are some things we should consider doing while we expectantly await His Return to take us to our Eternal Home: