Jesus commanded his people to be ready for his second coming. He said we don’t know when he is coming back, but he told us to be prepared (Matthew 24:44).
Jesus told his apostles to be prepared for his second coming, way back in the first century. When they got ready for his coming, they weren’t wasting their time, even though Jesus didn’t come within their lifetimes. They were obeying God. Throughout history, God’s people have been preparing for his coming. This was not wrong. How much more do we need to be prepared? Jesus’ coming is a lot closer now than it was 2,000 years ago.
In order to be prepared, we need to know what God wants us to do. The only way to know what we are supposed to do is by reading the Bible. When we understand the word of God, we will know how to prepare. Then by the Holy Spirit we need to act appropriately according to that knowledge.
Noah was a prepper. He built a massive boat to get ready for a flood. Everyone thought he was crazy, but he prepped anyway.
We need to be spiritual preppers, who are getting ready spiritually for the coming of our Lord. Sometimes natural preparation is helpful. But what we really need is spiritual preparation. If we have the best natural preparation but no spiritual preparation, we will not be ready. But if we are ready spiritually, then we can face anything.
John the Baptist was a preparer. He was preparing the way of the Lord and making his paths straight. He knew that Jesus was coming because he understood the word of God. So he called people to get ready and repent.
Many people did not recognize Jesus when he came the first time because they didn’t know the word of God. They were not ready when he came, so they killed him. When Jesus comes the second time, it will be impossible to kill him because he will appear in glory. Everyone who is not prepared when he comes the second time will fight against him, just like they did the first time. But they will not be able to kill him. Instead, they will be destroyed.
In the Old Testament, the Day of Preparation was the day before the Sabbath (Mark 15:42). On the Day of Preparation people got ready for the Sabbath, because they could do no work on the Sabbath. All work had to be done before the Sabbath. We are going to enter a time when it will be impossible to work (John 9:4). We will have to be hidden in God and do his works. This will be the Sabbath, in which we cease from our own works and do God’s works (Hebrews 4:10). When we do God’s works, his kingdom and glory will be revealed. During this glorious Day of God, all works of man and the flesh will be destroyed. The Sabbath symbolizes our rest in God, which we enter into by faith. We enter this Rest when we walk with God and stop just doing whatever we want to do. Today we don’t keep the one-day-a-week Sabbath (Colossians 2:16-17), but we seek to obey God all the time, entering into his Sabbath Rest 24/7. It’s time to prepare spiritually to enter into God’s Rest.
Jesus commands us to watch. He said if we don’t watch, we will be caught unawares. Then the thief will come in and destroy our life. To watch means to be alert. It means to be prepared to face enemies.
If we know we need to do things to get ready for the coming of Jesus but we refuse to do those things, Jesus says we will be beaten with many stripes (Luke 12:35-48). This will not be pleasant. We need to prepare according to the word of God so that we avoid such problems.
Jesus calls us to walk in holiness. All the things in the world that are not according to God and have come from the carnal mind of man are going to be destroyed. They will be destroyed by fire. Our God is a consuming fire. His word is like fire. When the word and presence of God comes in fullness to the world, everything not according to God will be burned up. Let us cleanse our lives from these carnal things now, before they are burned up from our lives later.
The wise virgins had oil in their lamps, so they were ready for the the coming of Jesus. We need to have oil. This symbolizes the Holy Spirit. We need to be full of the Holy Spirit. We must learn to walk in the Spirit, so we will not live in the flesh. We need to be led by the Spirit so we can be revealed to the world as the sons of God (Romans 8:14).
In order to prepare for the coming of Jesus, we need to keep our garments (Rev. 16:15). Our spiritual garments reveal our spiritual condition. As we keep our spiritual garments unspotted, we stay undefiled from sin. Then Satan will not have advantage over us, and evil spirits will not be able to hinder us. If we do not keep our garments clean, then we are naked. We are not under the covering and protection of God. Evil spirits are then able to harass us, and we are unprepared for the coming of Jesus.
We must get ready as individuals, and we must get ready as a church.
The Bible says that the church is going to get ready before Jesus comes back (Rev. 19:7). She is going to become a holy and spotless bride, ready for the wedding supper (Eph. 5:26-27). Jesus is waiting for his bride to get ready.
Our individual preparation depends on being part of a healthy, Biblical church that is seeking to obey the word of God and abandon the religious traditions of men. This is the environment where spiritual growth of the individual can best occur. As we grow together as a church, we will also grow as individuals. Both individual Christians and the church will prepare together.
God commands us to be ready for the coming of Jesus. We don’t know when he will come back. But he wants us to be ready anyway. The command to be ready for the second coming of Jesus has applied to all Christians throughout history, but it applies especially to us, who are living closer to the return of Christ than Christians ever have before.
Lincoln House Churches 