Mission Venture Ministries

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. . . So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” (Matthew 24:42, 44) 

When Jesus said, “Keep watch,” He used a very significant word that deserves a deeper examination. The Greek word for “watch,” means, “To give strict attention, to be cautious, active, to pay attention, so that the calamity does not suddenly overtake us.” The word appears 23 times in the New Testament and in every case we get the sense of the urgency and importance of paying attention. 

Jesus repeatedly made it plain that no one can determine the date of His coming; and that even He, while in His human limitations, did not know when the Father would send Him again in the future. Therefore, He advised us to be watchful: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come” (Mark 13:32-33). 

Many times throughout His ministry Jesus counseled to watch and be ready for His return. He did not tell us to watch for the Antichrist or the Roman Empire’s revival or a great apostasy or anything else, but just for Him! Therefore, we need to “abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:28). 

Of course, it is very difficult to keep our eyes on the sky while doing our daily work. Watching however is to be prepared, to know God’s Word and therefore, not be deceived! 

Today as throughout history, if we believe the lies that are part of the great brainwashing campaign behind the philosophy of the world, we will become blinded and tragically self-deceived. The only defense is a continuous, reliance on the truth of God, revealed to us by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). That is why we desperately need the Word of God, and the Spirit of God to apply what the Word says to our daily life. 

Consequently, the only defense against deceit is a willing mind that follows the promptings of the Holy Spirit to hear God’s truth.   

A true born again Christian looks to Him while enjoying His presence and experiencing His power. Yes, He is coming again, and yet He is with us now. 

The longing we may feel to see His face and to be with our Savior is directly proportionate to the joy we have of His presence on a daily basis, and our yearning for His coming comes from wanting to be with Him one day for all eternity. 

Now, if the idea of Jesus’ return is a frightening thing to you, then unfortunately you know very little or nothing of His presence and need to give the matter great consideration. 

We are living in a time that is described in the Bible as the “days of evil” or perilous times. These are times in which man is living according to what is right in his own eyes like they did whey Israel had no king (Judges 17:6, Judges 21:25). It is a time when God has been forgotten and the world and all of its ungodly pleasures have taken front row seat in the lives of many, including some of those who once confessed Christ. 

The day will come when the world and all its pleasures will be no more (Revelation 18:22-23). What will you have then, if your soul is lost and you die apart from God?

Understanding the brevity of life is very important, since we should live each day of our life to it’s fullest for God, as we do not know when the Lord will return. 

Sadly, many throughout history live their life as if they planed to be on earth forever like the rich fool in the parable in Luke 12:13-21. These think only of themselves and make no preparation for the day they leave earth and stand before Christ to be judged. 

Since our days on earth are numbered and none of us know when we will take our last breath, it is imperative that we prepare daily for the day when we face Christ. 

When we stand before Christ all that will matter is what we did for Him while we lived. Did we have a personal relationship with the Father through Him? Did we do our best in obeying what He commanded of us in loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind and our neighbor as ourselves? (Matthew 22:37-39). 

At the end of our journey called life, what will we hear Christ say concerning us? Good and faithful servant? (Matthew 25:23). We hope so! 

Are you living for today only, with no regard for the Master’s return and the accounting that He will demand? Are you foolishly putting it out of your mind by thinking, “I’ve got time”? Jesus says that we should be “like men who are waiting for their master when he returns” (Luke 12:36-40). We should live each day with an eye on that future day when “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16), and we will be blessed if the Master finds us ready when He comes. 

So, to be ready for Christ’s return, make sure that He is your Master; be involved in serving Him every day and live as if you expect Him to come back at any moment! 

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