Are You Ready?

December 16

From the Holy City of Jerusalem, Jesus described our day.

In Matthew 24:2-44 He says, “See ye not all these things? Truly, I say to you, that there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.”

The passage goes on to tell us: “3 As he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when shall these things be? What shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?’

4 And Jesus answered them saying, “Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ and they shall deceive many. 6 And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see that you be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in many different places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall evil men deliver you to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake. 10 Then many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall become cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations; and then shall the end come.

“15 When you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains! 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath. 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

“22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say to you, ‘Here is Christ,’ believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have warned you. 26 So if they say unto you, ‘Behold, He is in the desert, do not go, or ‘He is in the secret chambers,’ believe it not. 27 For as the lightening comes out of the east and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

“29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in Heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to the other.

“32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When its branch is yet tender, and it puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near: 33 So likewise ye, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Truly I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour no man knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39 and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

“40 There shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for you know not what hour your Lord will come. 43 But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

44 Therefore, you be ready: for in such an hour as you think not, the Son of man shall come.

Jesus went to great lengths to expound upon the condition of the world at the time of His return. Many in our day mock the idea of the Second Coming of Christ, but the evidence described here points to the imminence of His return. Are you ready?