Do you remember playing a childhood game called “Hide and Seek”? Everyone would run to find a hiding place, while one player would close his eyes and count to 100, before opening his eyes and yelling: “Ready or not, here I come!”
Remarkable as it may seem, many today are playing a more serious version of the same game, but for much higher stakes! Could you be one of them?
The central event in the plan of God is the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. Many scriptures stress the urgency of preparing and being ready for this climactic event. However, other scriptures indicate that the majority of human beings will not recognize the signs of Christ’s imminent return. Many will not understand or heed the biblical warnings. Others may sense what is coming, but will choose to hide from reality, preferring not to think about the future. Only a few will recognize the significance of prophetic events, and will be prepared and ready. Just where do you fall along this spectrum of possibilities?
When Jesus’ disciples asked how we would know His return was near, He listed a series of events to watch for, but He also warned that “of that day and hour no one knows… but My Father only… watch therefore… be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him” (Matthew 24:36–44). In essence, Jesus said that He would return at the appropriate time determined by God—whether we were ready or not! The parable of the ten virgins indicates even those who are called will go to sleep and only a portion will wake up in time. Notice, too, that Jesus did not say He would delay His coming until everyone in the Church was ready! Jesus openly stated His return would take many by surprise—because they did not prepare and were not ready!
God has a plan, and He is preparing for Christ’s return. Prophecies concerning John the Baptist indicate part of his mission was “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17). Comparing this verse with Malachi 3–4, it becomes obvious that prophecies about John were dual—and that someone or some organization will also prepare a people for the second coming of Jesus Christ. This is one of the tasks in which God’s true Church will be involved at the end of the age. The Scriptures also reveal that when Christ returns to marry His bride, “His wife [the church] has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7). Those Church members who have not been “foolish virgins” (cf. Matthew 25) will have kept their lamps full of oil, and will be spiritually ready to meet Christ at His return.
Today, as we see world events moving towards a climax, we need to ask some very sobering questions. Are you ready or not for the return of Jesus Christ? What do individual members of the body of Christ need to do to prepare for the return of Jesus Christ? What should the Church of God be doing to prepare a people for Christ’s second coming? While many people have different ideas on this subject, the real question that needs to be asked is what instructions do we find in the Bible about preparing for the most important event in history?
Watch and Draw Close
Jesus repeatedly admonished His disciples to stay alert, to prayerfully watch for specific prophesied events, and to carry out our assigned work—that includes being a watchman (Mark 13:32–37). He warned His disciples about becoming lax in our mission and going to sleep on the job (v. 36)! Jesus also said we will not be prepared for His coming if we become distracted by temporary pleasures and concerns of our present world—“carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of this life” (Luke 21:34–35). We must each examine what our real focus is in life—is it doing God’s work, or doing our own thing? Is our time consumed watching entertainment or watching for significant world events and trends that indicate Christ’s return is near? Prayerfully watching for events that fulfill important Bible prophecies is not merely to satisfy personal curiosity of prophecy buffs nor is it a sign of “prediction addiction.” Jesus repeatedly advised His disciples to watch for specific developments on the world scene so they could function effectively as watchmen and not be taken by surprise. The fulfillment of prophecy should motivate us to take our calling and our mission seriously so we are ready when Christ returns!
Another biblical admonition to consider in the context of the end of the age is “seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6). The prophet Amos refers to a coming “famine… of the hearing of the word of the Lord” (Amos 8:11). Amos describes a time when the work of warning the world and preaching the gospel will be stopped, and Israelite nations will be subjected to a horrible tribulation at the hands of Gentile nations. At that time, people will “run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it” (Amos 8:12). If you have been watching and learning for years, and have avoided making a real commitment to God’s way of life, you will eventually run out of time! Hosea offers an additional warning to proud, pleasure-seeking Israelites who enjoy their paganized form of religion and justify their actions by misguided human reasoning (Hosea 5:1–12). He states that the time is coming when “they shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not find him; He has withdrawn Himself from them [because] they have dealt treacherously with the Lord” (v. 6). Isaiah warned that due to our sins a time will come when God states, “I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear” (Isaiah 1:15). Now is the time to draw near to God, to repent and to change those aspects of our lives that need to be brought into harmony with God’s instructions. We do not have forever to do this—if we hope to be ready for Christ’s return.
Bearing Fruit
Jesus told His disciples that God is glorified when we “bear much fruit” (John 15:8). He explained that God wants us to learn to live by His commandments and truly love one another (John 15:9–17). The Godly love we must develop includes not only keeping the commandments (John 14:15), but also learning to forgive, to show mercy and compassion and to be patient, honest and generous with one another. However, these are not the only fruits that we need to bear in our lives if we are to be ready for Christ’s return. Paul says that if we clean up our own spiritual life (eliminating wrong thoughts, lustful desires and foolish actions) we “will be vessels of honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:19–23). We need to carefully study and prove what the Bible actually says, so that we will be prepared to teach the Truth of God to others (vv. 16, 24–25; 1 Thessalonians 5:21). We must also be able to recognize false doctrinal teachings and avoid becoming entangled in “foolish and ignorant disputes” that only “generate strife” (2 Timothy 2:23). God also wants us to “be ready to give an answer to everyone that asks you, a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). We may not convince others who have not been called to understand in this age, but we should be able to answer with conviction based on knowledge, experience and deep abiding faith. God has used fruits like these as a powerful witness down through the centuries.
Preparing the Way
God does not intervene in our lives and call us out of this world just so we can “be saved.” Notice again the prophecies concerning the mission of John the Baptist and one who would come in the same spirit and manner just before Christ’s return. God told Malachi: “I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me” (Malachi 3:1). Isaiah states that this messenger will be like “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” saying, “prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3). Jesus explained that the messenger who would prepare the way for His coming would “restore all things” (Matthew 17:11). The “restoration” of the laws of God (see Malachi 4; Luke 1:17) in the Church is merely a foretaste of the global restoration of truth that will occur in the Millennium (Acts 3:19–21). We have been called to prepare now for this awesome task. Will we be ready? Is the Church that you have chosen to attend holding fast to the doctrinal truths of Scripture—or has it begun to compromise, water-down, ignore or try to explain away the laws of God?
Doing the Work
Jesus came “preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God” (Mark 1:14–15). He commissioned His disciples to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Jesus said one of the signs of the end of the age will be “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). The Bible does not indicate that the preaching of the gospel would end with the death of Mr. Armstrong. In fact, it states just the opposite. Jesus said, “you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 10:23). Jesus also stated, “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find him so doing” (Matthew 24:46). The Work is not over, though some would like to assume so. If we give up on our mission, and withdraw into a comfortable social group, we will not be doing the work that Christ commissioned His Church to do—and we will not be prepared for His coming. We must also avoid being deceived by a “different spirit” into believing a “different gospel” about a “different Jesus” (see 2 Corinthians 11:1–4: Galatians 1:6–9). The real Jesus of Scripture did not come to abolish the laws of God, but to amplify those laws to include an even more thorough spiritual application (Matthew 5:17–30); Isaiah 42:21). If we accept the idea that Jesus kept the law so that we no longer need to, we will not be ready to teach the laws of God to the world when Jesus sets up His kingdom on this earth (Isaiah 2:2–4; 30:20–21).
In addition to preaching the true gospel, Jesus told His disciples to watch world events and to function as a watchman to warn mankind—and especially Israelite nations—about sobering events that will signal the end of the age and the imminent return of the Messiah (Mark 13:34). The prophet Ezekiel describes this mission more clearly. God told Ezekiel: “I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them a warning from Me” (Ezekiel 3:17). Yet Ezekiel was among the Jewish captives in Babylon about 100 years after Israel was carried into captivity in Assyria. This was a prophecy of a future mission to warn the Israelite peoples. When Jesus Christ returns, He will expect to find His Church actively engaged in this task. If we are not fulfilling this mission, we will not be ready to receive the reward that Christ will bring with Him (see Revelation 11:18).
Prepare To Rule
The Bible reveals that Christians are called to become “kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on this earth” (Revelation 5:10; cf. Daniel 7:27). Those God is calling now are to function as civil and religious leaders in the coming kingdom of God. They will teach the laws of God and God’s way of life to the world (Isaiah 2:2–4; 30:20–21). However, this incredible opportunity will only be given to those who are prepared and make themselves ready! Notice again the instructions and examples that God provides about leadership. Moses records that leaders must be humble, morally upright, selfless and faithful—and they should make a personal copy of the book of the law, and study it daily, so that they will have the mind of God and be able to rule righteously (Deuteronomy 17:14–20). Are you following these instructions? Are you learning to recognize how the laws of God can be applied to solve today’s problems?
When Ezra returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity, to teach the laws of God to the Jews, he did not come unprepared. Before leaving Babylon, “Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). This obviously required time, study, determination and dedication on Ezra’s part. When he arrived in Jerusalem, “Ezra the priest brought the Law before the congregation, of men and women and all who could hear with understanding… then he read from it in the open square… and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law… so Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose… and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law… so they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading” (Nehemiah 8:1–12). Ezra and the Levites did not simply read a few verses as a formality and then close the book. They read and explained the meaning and application of the Scriptures—and as people began to understand they rejoiced! Are you preparing to function in a similar capacity? Some have wondered why our Church services are structured as they are—as teaching services—rather than appealing more to the emotions or having people engage in “open discussions” so that everyone can express their personal opinions about what a particular passage means. The answer is found in the verses we have just read. Are you preparing to function as a teacher? Are you ready to explain how to apply and live by every word of God? Is the church that you have chosen to attend preparing you to function in this manner?
Jesus Christ’s return to establish the kingdom of God on this earth will be a dramatic turning point in the course of human civilization. It will take most of the world by surprise. Many will be totally unprepared. Regrettably, some who knew what was about to happen will not be ready—because they went to sleep, chose to ignore the warnings or became distracted by the pulls and cares of this world. Others who sincerely looked forward to Christ’s return will be surprised to find themselves excluded, because they were deceived and did not prepare properly (see Matthew 7:21–23). The Bible outlines definite signs that will precede the return of Jesus Christ. God also provides definite instructions to help us prepare for this event. The question is: will we heed those instructions—will we be ready, or not?
Developing Courage
Jesus said that only those “who endure to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13). Enduring trials, persecution and tribulation requires courage. Standing up for your beliefs when everyone else is changing, compromising or berating you calls for strength and conviction. We are born with a particular set of qualities, but they can be developed and enhanced. Learning to act bravely—to take certain risks, especially in the face of danger—does not mean that courageous people are without fears. General George Patton once said that “courage is fear holding on another moment.” Mark Twain wrote that “courage is the mastery of fear, not the absence of it.” Courage is important to God, because it is a vital quality of leadership. Anyone who hopes to be ready for the return of Jesus Christ will need to develop courage and conviction.
Moses advised Joshua and the Israelites to “be strong and of good courage” (Deuteronomy 31:1–8). God repeated similar words to Joshua: “Be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law… do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go” (Joshua 1:1–9). Paul encouraged the early Church to “watch, stand fast in the faith, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). We can develop this kind of strength and courage when we learn what is right, and when we determine to obey God (Deuteronomy 30:15–20). Solomon records that “the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). Righteous people obey the commandments of God (Psalm 119:172). We can develop courage by trusting and believing God’s promises (see Psalm 27:1–3). David’s courage came from His trust in God (read 1 Samuel 17:37, 45–57). God’s promises can give us courage in times of trial (Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 10:13). Jesus instructed His disciples to ask for courage and strength in times of need (Matthew 7:7–11), which they received (Acts 4:29–33). Courage and strength of conviction are fruits of God’s Spirit that will grow in our lives if we do our part (2 Timothy 1:6–7). Conviction also comes from taking time to carefully prove what you believe from the Word of God, and not compromising those beliefs (1 Thessalonians 5:21). People who develop courage do not quit! They persevere—they endure to the end! Courage is one of the defining qualities of leadership that we must develop to be ready for Christ’s return.