When Christ returns, even those of us who are anticipating it will be caught off guard. The scriptures are clear that no man will know as we are about to read in the scripture below and some might think, “Well if we cannot know, then we should relax.” But I say to you, because you do not know, that is why you should be all the more vigilant!
The scriptures we will be reading are some that Jesus himself gave to us. This wasn’t a prophet from centuries past who spoke vaguely about the times of the end, but rather this was Christ telling you what you need to know in order to be prepared.
Would it help you if I told you that Christ came to me in a vision and said, “I will return in 30 days.”?
He didn’t, but if I could convince you that I had, wouldn’t you fill those 30 days differently than you would have otherwise?
Who among us has heard a sermon or read a story about someone who had foreknowledge that they only had 30 days left to live? All thoughts and priorities were different, the focus and purpose sharp and clear. Whatever their capacities, mental or physical, financial or spiritual they utilized them to the fullest.
As we read the scriptures for today, please imagine you have foreknowledge of His return by 30 days.
Matthew 24:42-44
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Matthew 24:45-51
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:1-13
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘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.’
10 “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.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
If you had 30 days notice because of some revelation from Christ how would you go back and read those same scriptures instead of the way you always have?
In the first passage in Matthew 24 you were told to keep watch. The example was of a thief of all things. If you knew someone was going to break into your home sometime this week and steal from you, I would bet you wouldn’t be accepting any dinner dates across town! No, instead you would stay home; you would test the doors, the outside lights, the locks. You would alert your neighbors all around you and the local law enforcement. You might even install an alarm or arm yourself. And most certainly you wouldn’t keep the information from your family you might even have them go to a place of safety.
So let’s see, your defenses are up, you are on high alert, you are armed and your loved ones are informed.
Our next example in Matthew 24 was of a servant in charge. One of the duties this servant was given was to feed the other servants but because the master was gone for quite a long time the servant grew lax in his duties and failed to take care of his fellow servants and denigrated himself by living in worldly ways.
Despite what many preachers spew today that consists of an easy believism type of faith, you have responsibilities for which Christ is holding you accountable.
You as a Christian have been appointed to a position of authority to feed your fellow servants. What do you think you are supposed to be feeding them?
Finally we looked at Matthew 25’s parable where we saw 10 virgins who were aware that the bridegroom would be coming back for them. Some were wise and some were foolish.
The foolish were not so “out of it” that they didn’t know that they were in a relationship with the bridegroom. They also weren’t so foolish that they didn’t know they were to be equipped in some fashion, which is why they all had lamps. The difference between the two groups was that the wise were fully prepared and the unwise were only superficially so.
Again, the church of today, the Christians of today, are aware of their relationship with Christ. They are not so foolish despite the weakness of today’s teaching that they don’t know they should be equipped in some fashion, so they go to church, maybe attend a life group, but they are only superficially equipped. There is no fuel in their lamps either and though there are some things we can do for each other there are some things we have to do for ourselves. Just as the wise could not provide fuel for the foolish so to are we responsible for our own fuel.
You are to be prepared.
You are to be alert.
You have a responsibility to others.
Some things only you can do for yourself.
If the easy time or the escape for Christians that is being taught today were true, than Christ would not have made it so abundantly clear with His own words that you have responsibilities, that yes, you have things He expects you to do.
I have not been given a vision of 30 days, 20 days or 10 days notice, but I have been given the scripture a notice that is much, much more generous. The scripture tells me that I am to be aware, that I am to keep watch, that I have a responsibility to you and a responsibility for myself and once you are aware of this, you to have this same responsibility.
30 days, live as if that’s all you have. Live as if that is all your brother has, for you both may not even have tomorrow.
Let there be no weeping and gnashing of teeth.
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