Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
Running off the bulletin at the xerox today, I was asked by one of the employees about the Mayan Calendar which ends of course on December 21. "Is that the end of the world?" My response: "I hope so." His reply: "Oh, don't say that." I have witnessed to him several times, and yet his concern is that he is not ready for the end. He is curious, but wanted me to reassure him that everything was going to be OK. Stay as you are, nothing to fear but fear itself. What I told him was that his fear should not be that the Mayan Calendar is accurate as far as the end of the world, but that the world will indeed end for him at the moment that he breathes his last.
Once we leave this world we do not go into some room with a giant clock, and wait out the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is NO TIME once we leave this world. I still have not adjusted to the November time change. My body is so bound by time that I awaken at 4:45 AM each day with the same thought--it really is almost 6 AM. The sun has adjusted, but I have not. Time is a part of our conscious and unconscious thoughts. When we leave this world, there is no need for time since we do not have an earthly body. Waiting for the Rapture, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and the Return of Christ will not find us frustrated by the wait. There is no wait because there is no time.
Jesus thus advises his disciples and us that in regard to the Second Coming, the most profitable thing we can do is to WATCH. What is meant by that? Jesus says that we do not know the day nor the hour of His return. That alone should prompt us to watch to make sure that we are living as if Jesus might return at any moment. How do we allocate our resources? Would people looking at us find us self-absorbed? Or are we thinking of doing all we can to further the Gospel. Bethany's treasurer sent me an article on "Radicalizing Christmas." Just let people know that you are celebrating the real meaning of Christmas--Christ's birth--and you are not going to go out and buy lots of expensive presents for everyone. Imagine the impact we could make as a church! My wife returned a useful gift for me to J.C. Penney, and I told the sales clerk the reason--it is not my birthday, it is Jesus birthday. Then, I asked if he knew that James Cash Penney was a Christian who never allowed his store to be open on Sunday, and now they have specials to entice you into the store on Sunday morning.. Another good reason to return the item.
We WATCH also the things that are in our hearts and minds. Dwelling on negative gossip or fearing things that are from this world is not the concept of watching. If your attitudes, actions, and deepest thoughts are displeasing to the Lord then now is the time to WATCH. Change those areas, return to the Lord and let Him lead in your life. The strength and blessing of the Lord will be upon your life, and you will never be fearful that the Lord might return.
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