Sermon - February 28, 2016 - Matthew 25:1-13 - Be Prepared

As we move to Matthew 25 we find that Jesus is still talking about His Second Coming. He continues to emphasize some points mentioned in chapter 24. Jesus must see them as important and from what I read they speak to us today and they are a warning to those living through tribulation.

Before we read the Parable of the 10 Virgins, let me give a little context.

In Jesus’ time weddings did not take place like they do today. There was no wedding ceremony, no exchanging of vows all followed by a celebration. Instead an agreement was made between the bride’s father and the husband. Once that agreement was in place the bride and groom are married, but they are not allowed to be intimate yet.

At some point in the future, up to seven years, the groom is to build a home and get everything put in place in preparation of bringing his new wife home. When the bride’s father determines all is ready the groom and bride are finally intimate back in the bride’s home. Immediately following the consummation of the marriage the entire wedding party are to walk in a procession from the bride’s house to the groom’s house and then enjoy a wedding feast.

A lot different from what we do today, but is some needed context for understanding these verses.

Matthew 25:1-13

“25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. ² Five of them were foolish and five were sensible. ³ When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take olive oil with them. ⁴ But the sensible ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps. ⁵ Since the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶ “In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷ “Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ But the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ “The sensible ones answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell, and buy oil for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ “When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived. Then those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. ¹¹ “Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’ ¹² “But he replied, ‘I assure you: I do not know you!’ ¹³ “Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.

These 10 virgins were the bride’s witnesses and were to walk with the bride from her house to the wedding celebration at the groom’s home.

The bride and her witnesses did not know exactly when the groom was coming, but they hear the groom’s friends celebrating as they are on their way. They wake up and we see that some are prepared and some are not.

Those that are prepared have their oil and are ready to accompany the groom and his bride to the wedding feast. Those who were not ready we see that they miss out and are unable to join the celebration.

This is a parable about waiting, being prepared and the consequences of not being ready as expected.

All 10 of the virgins thought they were ready but with the groom being delayed some found out they were not as ready as they thought.

The groom is obviously Jesus Christ and His delay represents all of us not knowing when He will return or when we will be called to be with Him. What we see here is that some of the virgins were ready and able to survive the wait and some were not.

The 10 virgins are 10 believers on their way to join Jesus in the celebration found in eternity. How do we know this? Three things, they were waiting on the Groom, they had Light, and they had Oil.

Looking no further than this parable, we can see that these 10 virgins were waiting for Jesus to show up. They obviously knew enough to expect His coming. They believed that Jesus is King and since they were waiting with others for Him, they had publically proclaimed that Jesus was their Lord. Sadly, for some it was not enough.

Think of all the people you know who say they are Christians. To start with don’t think about how they are living their lives, just think about who they say they are. I can think of a lot of people who say they are a Christian, almost every person I know will tell you that they believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Pretty much every single one of them will tell you that He died on a cross for all of our sins. They believe, just like all 10 of the virgins in this parable.

Another thing that points to all 10 of them being believers is that they all had light.

Matthew 5:16

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

Throughout the Bible we find a lit lamp as symbolic for someone who believes in Jesus and sometimes as the big ‘C’ Church itself. All 10 of the virgins were expecting the coming of Jesus and all 10 had lamps that were burning, at least initially. Having the light tells us they were believers.

The fact that they all had oil also points to them being believers. In this parable, oil represents the Holy Spirit. Those who had very little oil, had very little if any of the Holy Spirit living in them. They had professed faith in Jesus Christ but did not let it change them. They had a superficial and hollow relationship with God. They said they were Christians, but you could not tell by the way they lived their lives.

I am sure we all know people like this. If you remember I said almost everyone I know will say they are a Christian. They will tell you that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for our sins. For many of them it stops there. They say the words, but do not let God work in their lives. They like the label, but do not let the Holy Spirit dwell in them.

On the other hand, the other 5 virgins had plenty of oil. They had cultivated a very personal and deep relationship with Jesus. A relationship that will withstand the test of time, one that is rich, profound, and life changing. A relationship that has filled them with the Holy Spirit and changed who they are.

These would be the people you know that are ‘sold out’ for Jesus. They are willing to serve others wherever they go. They are willing to sacrifice so that others can be ministered to. They are living out their faith every single day. Their lives look different than the others who say they are believers, because they are different.

If we were looking at all 10 of these virgins, we would probably give them the benefit of the doubt and say they were all believers. We would see that they all said the right things and wore the right clothes. They looked the part.

There are many in the world today that look the part. I am sure there will be many who look the part during the tribulation. The real question is, how ‘real’ is their relationship with Jesus?

All ten looked like believers, all ten initially acted like believers, but only five were ready like true believers.

The Groom was delayed. Five were waiting and ready and five fell away and were left behind. What was difference between the five that were ready and the five that were not?

The five that were ready not only knew about Jesus, they KNEW Jesus.

1 John 5:20

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true One. We are in the true One – that is, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”

This is so much more than knowing who Jesus is and even attending church. This is having a deep personal relationship with Jesus. Letting Him into every aspect of your life, letting Him be the King over everything you have, and letting His light shine even in the deepest and darkest corners of your life. Simply put, this is putting God first before all things. If you KNOW Jesus, there will be no doubt that the Holy Spirit dwells in you, there will be absolutely no doubt that He has changed your life, and there is no doubt that you will be ready when He comes.

We also see in this parable that the true believers had plenty of light. If we look back at Matthew 5.

Matthew 5:14-16

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

It is obvious that the five whose lights stay lit are being lights in the world. Their lights are shining for all to see. They do not hide their faith, they do not act like everyone else, they do not pretend they are something they are not.

We need to be just like them. Letting our lights shine in today’s world. Being true believers of Jesus Christ and being proud of it. Boldly standing for Biblical values. Looking for opportunities to serve others and to share God’s amazing message of grace.  

We also saw that the five that were prepared had oil, or the Holy Spirit living in them.

2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.”

If the Holy Spirit is living in us He has created something new. With the power of the Holy Spirit the old fleshly desires fall away, the addictions of our past, lust, greed, and everything else is replaced with love, peace, joy, patience, and more. The stronger our relationship with Christ is the more the old things drop away and replaced with the fruit of the Spirit.

Now if all ten are believers, why were only five ready?

The five who were not ready had faith that was only skin deep and was not strong enough to handle the delay.

1 Peter 1:6-7

“You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials ⁷ so that the genuineness of your faith—more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Delay’s, trials, persecution, etc.… are going to come for all believers. Since the days of Christ, those that followed Him have been persecuted and it will continue until His Second Coming.

If you do not have enough ‘oil’ you will not last through the trials. If your faith is only skin deep you will not withstand the persecution. Any delay will result in you being found wanting and not ready. You can spend your life calling yourself a Christian and find yourself unprepared and hearing the same things the unprepared virgins heard the King say.

Matthew 25:11-12

^“11 “Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’ ¹² “But he replied, ‘I assure you: I do not know you!’”

You do not want to end up like them and spend eternity without Jesus.

We do not know when we are going to stand before Jesus, so we need to be prepared. It is not enough to know about Him, we need to KNOW Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him. The only way we get to know Jesus is to spend time talking to Him and reading about Him. If we are doing that it should change our lives, change who we are, and we should be that light on the hill.

People should see that we are different, see that boldness in our faith, and see that our faith is more than just words. As we spend more time in God’s Word, as we talk to Him more, as we let our lives be changed by the Holy Spirit, our faith will be stronger. Trials will happen and the Holy Spirit will give us peace. Persecution will strike and we will love those who persecute us.

If you KNOW Jesus, let your light shine, and let the Holy Spirit change you. You will be prepared for whatever the world throws at you and you will be ready to enter the celebration with the Groom.

Are You prepared? If not, ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and plug into a Bible believing and teaching church so that you will be. We would love to see you at Clark Baptist Church!

Blessings,

Robert 

Sermon - February 21, 2016 - Matthew 24:45-51 - Be Alert - Be Faithful

Two weeks ago we finished off with Jesus talking about His second coming. We saw how no one would be surprised and that there was no way anyone would miss it. Many will not see the signs of what is happening, just like those who missed the very obvious sign of Noah building that huge ark. Some will be taken up to be with Jesus and others will be left behind for the coming judgement.

The main take away for those of us alive today, since we won’t be here for Jesus’ Second Coming is that we need to stay alert.

Matthew 24:42-44

“⁴² Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

We need to stay faithful to Jesus through everything. We don’t know when our days are up, we don’t know who is watching, we don’t know what will try to push Jesus off of the throne of our heart. We need to stay alert. The timing will catch us off guard, but we need to continue to make sure our hearts, minds, and our lives are exactly where God wants them.

One of my prayers is:

Psalm 25:4

“Make Your ways known to me, Lord; teach me Your paths.”

I pray that God makes His ways known to me and guides me down the path He wants me to follow.

We need to be living our lives fully for God and letting Him lead the way so that we are doing exactly what He created us to do. If we are living for God our desires are aligned with the purpose, He created us for. If we are doing what we were created to do, we will be following His path.

Living like that will ensure we will not be caught unaware by the thief. We will not fall away, we will not be lead astray, instead we will be ready when the time comes. Whether it is the rapture, our death, or the Second Coming of Jesus, none want to be caught unaware.

That is one of the reasons we are looking at the end times, through the teachings of Jesus. So that we understand the times we live in and so that we are not caught unaware.

After Jesus was telling everyone that they need to be ready, He went on to talk about service.

Matthew 24:45-51

⁴⁵ “Who then is a faithful and sensible slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ That slave whose master finds him working when he comes will be rewarded. ⁴⁷ I assure you: He will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that wicked slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ ⁴⁹ and starts to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards,⁵⁰ that slave’s master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. ⁵¹ He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

In these verses Jesus is telling us what it means to be ready. He does not expect believers alive today or living through the tribulation to just sit on their hands and watch for His return. There is so much more for us to do. Jesus has given us a job and we need to be doing it every day of our lives.

A tale of two servants, one who does what he is supposed to do and the other who does not. To start, what do they have in common?

Both of these servants have been given some level of responsibility. They have been put in charge of their master’s household. Sounds to me that they would be like a Butler, who is in charge of all of the other workers in the house. They don’t control everything that belongs to their master but they are responsible to keep everyone on task.

The question I have when reading this is Jesus talking about two people who say they are followers of His or just any two people. After all every person created was given the task to rule over the earth and all the creatures on it. At least that is what we were told in Genesis. For some reason that just feels hollow to me. The word ‘servant’ coming from Jesus mouth, seems to me, that He is to referring to people who are following in His footsteps. Or has at least claimed to be following Him.

Matthew 20:28

“just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life – a ransom for many.”

Jesus called every believer to be a servant. So the good and wicked servants could have very well both been believers. One stayed faithful and did what he was supposed to do. The other was either never a true servant of Jesus’ or was tempted by the things of the world and lost his way. Either way, he was not faithful in carrying out his duties.

Two servants a faithful one and a wicked one.

Let’s talk about the faithful servant.

Matthew 24:45-47

⁴⁵ “Who then is a faithful and sensible slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ That slave whose master finds him working when he comes will be rewarded. ⁴⁷ I assure you: He will put him in charge of all his possessions.”

In Jesus’ example we find the faithful servant who takes care of the people around him. He makes sure they have food and is right there with them working to get the job done. This is what we expect from the people we work with, it is what we expect from our children or grandchildren when they have chores to do when we are not around, and it is what God expects from all believers. Regardless if they are alive today or during the tribulation.

So what does it mean to be faithful?

Micah 6:8

“Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you; to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

Our desires should be to live like this every single day. But what does this look like?

Matthew 22:36-40

³⁶ “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” ³⁷ He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.³⁸ This is the greatest and most important command. ³⁹ The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

If we are being faithful, we are to Love God and Love Others.

What is one way we do that?

Matthew 28:18-20

“¹⁸ Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

If we are being like the faithful servant, we are going out of our way to make disciples.

James 1:27

“²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

Being faithful and showing love for others, would be to care for those who do not have enough or who cannot care for themselves.

Ephesians 2:8-10

“⁸ For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— ⁹ not from works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.”

Our salvation is the gift of grace we are given through faith, but we were ‘created in Christ Jesus for good works’.

Being faithful means we are doing what we were created to do. First and foremost is loving God, which is followed by loving others. That takes so many forms and for each of us it will look differently but at the core of it, we will be sharing God’s gift of grace, we will be reaching out to those in need, and we will be actively serving others.

The faithful servant of Jesus day, did what he was supposed to. Faithful servants of today and during the tribulation need to be doers of the Word.

James 1:22-25

“²² But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works—this person will be blessed in what he does.”

The faithful servant will be blessed, but that is not the case for the wicked one.

Matthew 24:48-51

^“48 But if that wicked slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ ⁴⁹ and starts to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards,⁵⁰ that slave’s master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. ⁵¹ He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The wicked servant is the one who loves the things of the world, more than the things of God. He does not put God above all things, he does not love his fellow man, he does not care for those in need, and he obviously is not one whose faith drives him to do the good words that Jesus created for him to do.

We also see here that the wicked servant does not see the signs of his masters return. He is so caught up in his life and the pursuit of pleasure that he does not know that judgement is coming. A judgement that will be eternal, a judgement that there will be no turning back from, a judgement that means he will never be in the presence of Jesus.

The message is clear for us today and for those living during the tribulation.

First be alert and pay attention to signs around you. Do not be caught like those in Noah’s day or like the wicked servant. Know the signs to watch for, pay attention to the isolation of Israel, pay attention for when the Third Temple of God is desolated.

The second is to be faithful. Live out your faith. Do the works that God has created for you to do. Love God. Love Others. Tell everyone you meet about the amazing gift of grace you have received and so much more.

Every believer, regardless of when in history they are living needs to be Alert and be Faithful. 

Thank you for reading and God Bless!

Robert

Sermon - February 7, 2016 - Matthew 24:27-44 - What does the Second Coming mean to us?

Before we start this morning I want to encourage everyone to read you Bible every day. Pick a reading plan and do your best to stick with it. There are many different options and even some you can have sent to your email on a daily basis. If you are not sure where to start, you can go to Bible Gateway and select one of their plans or search on Google and you can find more than a few options.

Last week we ended talking about how when the Lord comes back it will not be in secret, it will not be to a select group of people, and it will not be disguised as someone else.

Matthew 24:27

“²⁷ For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

When our Lord and Savior returns to this Earth it will be a surprise, it will be sudden, it will be scary to many, but it will be visible to everyone. There will be no missing it, and with that flash of light the tribulation will be over.

Matthew 24:29

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the celestial powers will be shaken.”

Just as spring follows winter the Son of Man will return as the tribulation draws to a close. Roughly 3 ½ years after the desecration of the Third Jewish Temple, Jesus will return. The rule of the antichrist will come to an end of the rule of Jesus Christ will begin.

Isaiah 13:10

“Indeed, the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shine.”

The sun, the moon, and even all of the stars will no longer bring light to the Earth. In chapter 34 Isaiah says that the ‘heavenly bodies will dissolve’. People alive at the end of the tribulation will be in for a major shock. The great ball of fire that we depend on will no longer be giving heat. The ball of cheese will no longer be reflecting light back at us, and all of the other stars, planets, moons, etc… will no longer be visible.

Matthew 24:30-31

³⁰ “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

The Bible does not tell us what the sign looks like, but picture this for a moment. The sign of the Lord is presented to all which is followed by a loud trumpet. Reminds me of a triumphant return of a King. If a king comes home after being triumphant in the battle field, he would want everyone to know. His banner would be carried in front of him and the trumpet would be played to call everyone to celebrate his success.

Here we find the return of the One True King and His true triumphant return. The sign lets everyone know that He has come back and the trumpets call all of His loyal believers to Him. After hell on earth it is time for the remnant and those who have been serving Jesus to celebrate for their King has returned.

Daniel 7:13-14

“¹³ I continued watching in the night visions, and I saw One like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before Him. ¹⁴ He was given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away,
and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.”

The antichrist and his minions ruled during the tribulation and now the One True King has returned and is in charge. His kingdom is coming and it is time for all to submit.

Revelations 19:11-16

“¹¹ Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and He judges and makes war in righteousness. ¹² His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on His head. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself. ¹³ He wore a robe stained with blood, and His name is the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. ¹⁵ A sharp sword came from His mouth, so that He might strike the nations with it. He will shepherd them with an iron scepter. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. ¹⁶ And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

These verses tell us that when Jesus comes back all will know that He is the King of Kings and the Lords of Lords and that returns with His army to declare judgement on the world.

Matthew 24:32-35

³² “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near—at the door! ³⁴ I assure you: This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.”

Jesus is trying to tie things up here a little and get people to realize that when you see all the things we have talked about over the last couple of weeks, Jesus is near. He is almost here. These signs, the great tribulation, lead the way to the second coming of Jesus.

Some will say, but we have had great wars. But we have not seen the famines, martyrdom, and the rest of the seals being opened. The great tribulation has not started, so we are not there yet.

Verse 34 has been one that has been misunderstood throughout history.

^“34 I assure you: This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.”

Some have taught that this meant that those who walked the earth with Jesus would not die before the 2^nd coming. Some believed that those who lived through the World Wars would see the tribulation and the return of Jesus. But that is not what this is saying. It is telling us that those who see the start of the tribulation, witness the seals being opened, and the desecration of the Jewish Temple. Those that witnessed these events will be the generation that will see the return of Jesus.

Jesus ended this section by stating that it will be easier for the heaven and earth to be wiped away, than for these words He spoke to be false. In other words, trust what He is teaching as nothing will stand in the way of these things happening.

Matthew 24:36-41

³⁶ “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son —except the Father only. ³⁷ As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. ³⁸ For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. ³⁹ They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. So this is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be: ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one left.”

Every couple of years we hear of ‘supposed’ Bible teachers telling us that they know when Christ is returning. Some of the statements I have heard have been pretty far out there, saying it is tied to a passing comet, or some other crazy idea. Jesus is telling us that even He does not know when the day or the hour will be. This is the only time you will find in scripture that Jesus does not know something. If Jesus does not know, not a single man, woman, or child will know before it happens. Every last one of us, no matter how hard we look, no matter what we do, we will not figure it out. The day and hour will come and we will be surprised by it. The key is to be prepared so that we are not scared when it happens.

In the days of Noah the people were lost, they were corrupt, and they were only interested in pleasing themselves. Eating, drinking, marrying, and so much more. A sinful life style was the norm.

Genesis 6:3

“And the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever, because they are corrupt. Their days will be 120 years.””

Genesis 6:5-6

“⁵ When the Lord saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time, ⁶ the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”

Mankind was wicked and even with the sign of Noah building the ark they had no clue what was going to happen or desire to change. So will it be with the return of Jesus. You will have two groups of people. Those who are watching for the signs, not that they will know the exact timing, but they will see the tribulation for what it is. The second group will be the wicked who have no clue, just like those who did not see the building of the ark as a sign.

As with many aspects of the End Times, the commentaries do not agree what the meaning behind verses 40-41.

Matthew 24:40-41

^“40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one left.”

First remember that we are talking about the 2^nd coming of Jesus not the rapture or anything else here. One group will tell you that those who are taken, are taken away to be judged and those that are left behind are those who are saved. I am not sure I agree with this, as we were told just a few verses back that the with the blowing of the trumpet that Jesus “will gather His elect from the four winds.”

That being the case, those that are taken are the ones that have been true to Jesus and are being gathered from the four winds. Those that are left will be caught unaware and will be judged in the very near future.

Matthew 24:42-44

“⁴² Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Speaking to those who are living through the tribulation, Jesus is reminding them to be alert. He does not want them to let the false teachers lead them astray, He does not want them to be distracted by the things of the world, or the trials they are facing to sway them from staying true to Jesus. They need to stay alert and keep watching and always be prepared for Jesus Second Coming. They will see signs, but that will only let them know they are getting closer not the exact time of His coming.

This lesson is very important to each of us sitting here this morning. We do not know when the rapture is going to hit and we do not know when we will take our last breath. We need to stay alert, so that we do not get dragged away by the world. We need to keep watch so that we do not fall away in sin. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus at all times. Read your Bibles and talk to God.

God Bless,

Robert