Just Be Ready

By Pastor William R. Cunningham
June 18, 2006

Introduction

On objective that Christians have is to make it to heaven.  We find comfort in the fact that we will finally find peace in heaven for all eternity.  All of the troubles that we face now in this life will be forgotten once we are at peace in heaven.

One of the events that many contemplate is the return of Jesus Christ to the earth.  When will Jesus come back to get his church and take the church to heaven?  There are many theories as many try to read the events that take place in the world today.  People will analyze a particular situation in the Middle East and conjecture that Jesus is returning or that it is a sign of the end. 

Much time and effort goes into the theories about the end of the age and many people subscribe to their corresponding beliefs.  I’m sure you have heard many of the “end of the earth is coming” sermons or teachings at one point or another even recently.  However, what does the Bible tell us of the end of the age?

What can we learn from the Bible in regards to the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age?  Sure we can look in Revelation and attempt to decipher its visions, but I think we could gain much by simply reviewing some of the simple statements that Jesus Christ made.  By simple I mean that His statements appear to be rather straight forward and unambiguous.  That is what we are going to discuss in this lesson.

This lesson will deal with some of the statements that Jesus made in regards to the end of this age.  In particular we are going to examine the following verses of scripture.

• Matthew 24:4-8, 26-27 (The signs)
• Matthew 24:36 (No one knows the time)
• Matthew 24:37-41 (The illustration of Noah)
• Matthew 24:42-44 (The illustration of a thief coming to a house)
• Matthew 24:45-51 (The illustration of the servant)
• Matthew 25:1-13 (The illustration of the ten virgins)

The Signs of the End

Matthew 24:4-8 (NKJV) -- {4} And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. {5} For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. {6} And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. {7} For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. {8} All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Matthew 24:26-27 (NKJV) -- {26} “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. {27} For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Jesus tells us here that there will be wars and rumors of wars.  There will be various disasters and the like, but the end of the age is not yet come.  Of course we know historically that there were always wars and rumors of wars.  Natural disasters have always occurred.  Even the hurricane Katrina was thought to be God’s judgment on us.  People are always trying to relate a natural event with a Biblical idea.

People will always look for a sign.  I suppose that it would make things easier to take, but the fact is that there are no signs for the end of this age.  It will occur suddenly and without warning.  I suppose a good question would be, “Why does it matter when the end of this age comes?”  Think about it for a moment.  What difference would it make if the end of this age comes tomorrow or the next day?  Well you could argue that you would do things differently.  Perhaps you would be nicer to people and help more people.  Perhaps you would be more sensitive to do what the Bible teaches.

Regardless of the end time it is important to realize that the Christian lifestyle is not time sensitive.  Christians are to live a life that is consistent with the Way of God, namely obey God.  The Christian lifestyle is one of love, trust, and obedience to the Lord.  We are to do and be all that God wants us to do and be.  We are to fulfill our purpose to God for what else is there.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 (NKJV) -- {13} Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.

So in regards to the end of the age the Christian should simply be found doing what he or she should be doing at all times, namely serving and pleasing the Lord.  We may prepare for various events on the earth, but we can never prepare for the coming of the Lord based on those events.  We can only be prepared by living the life of Christ.  We can only be prepared by being found ready regardless of when the time of the end comes.

No One Knows The Time of the End

Let’s look at Matthew 24:36 and 13:35.

Matthew 24:36 (NKJV) -- {36} “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

Mark 13:35 (NKJV) -- {35} Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—

You might also read Luke 12:35-40.

The plain message here is that no one knows when the end will come.  Not even the angels in heaven know when the end will come.  The only one who knows the end is the Father.  This is interesting because it raises the questions as to the validity of the end times ministries and teachings.

We know that the world we get worse as time goes on.  It will not get better no matter how hard we try to change things.  That is just the direction history is going.  Therefore, there will always be tragedies in the news about wars and natural disasters.  None of these have anything to do with the end of the age.  No one knows when the end will come.

People have tried to calculate the end time and some have even predicted the year or date that the end will come.  Some of these days have come and gone and yet people still try to predict when the end will come.  Jesus plainly told us that no one knows when the end will come.  No one knows when Jesus will return.

The Illustration from Noah

We have established thus far that there will always be wars and rumors of wars and that there will always be natural disasters that occur on the earth.  We have found that no one knows when the end of this age will come and that only the Father knows that day.  Jesus gives us some illustration of the latter point.  Here we are going to examine the illustration of Noah.

Matthew 24:37-41 (NKJV) -- {37} But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. {38} For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, {39} and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. {40} Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. {41} Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

The illustration of Noah is very interesting.  First we see that people were doing what they normally do on a typical day.  They were eating, drinking, marrying, etc.  They didn’t know the flood was coming until it came (though Paul indicates that Noah preached to them beforehand).  They were doing their normal thing when Noah went into the ark and the flood came.  Also remember from the story of Noah that the door was shut when he and all the animals entered the ark.  It could not be opened for those who lagged behind since they were given warning.

Jesus seems to make an elusion to the rapture.  He said that two would be in the field; one will be taken and the other left behind.  We see here the suddenness of the second coming of Christ and the end of the age.

The Illustration of the Thief

Matthew 24:42-44 (NKJV) -- {42} Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. {43} But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. {44} Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Again we don’t know when the Lord is returning for his church.  He will come like a thief in that it will be a time when we are not specifically waiting for him.  From the illustration of Noah we se also that He will come when we are doing our routine activities.  A thief could not enter your home if you are waiting for him.  You would know exactly what to do if you when the thief was coming to your house and you would break with the norm to be ready.  Here Jesus said just be ready as you would be ready for that thief.  Be watchful at all times and be ready at all times.

The illustration of the Bad Servant

Matthew 24:45-51 (NKJV) -- {45} “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? {46} Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. {47} Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. {48} But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ {49} and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, {50} the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, {51} and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This scripture seems to qualify the point of being ready.  Here the master leaves a servant to rule his household while he is gone.  The servant’s job was to provide food when it was due for the master’s household.  Jesus said that the servant is blessed when the master finds him doing what he was assigned to do when he returns.  However, he is punished if he is caught not meeting his responsibilities.

We are to be ready when Jesus comes and watchful for his return.  However, we are not to spend our days gazing at the sky in apathy thinking that our only concern is the return of Christ.  No.  We should simply be found doing what we are supposed to be doing when Jesus comes.  Just do what you are purposed to do.  Just do what God told you to do and you don’t need to be concerned about when Jesus comes.

Let me give you an illustration of my own.  You are driving on a highway and the speed limit is 55mph.  However, may people go well beyond that speed limit and only slow down to the speed limit if they see a police officer or state trooper.  However, we know that many people are caught speeding by law enforcement agents (police officers and the like).  The speeders obviously didn’t see the officer else they would have slowed down to the speed limit.  Now if we all drove at a speed within the speed limit then we would not be concerned about the appearance of an officer.  We would always be caught doing the speed limit.  The same principle applies here.  Just be found living a life in Christ and you don’t have to be concerned about being prepared when the Lord returns.  At any given time you will be doing the will of God.

Don’t try to figure out the time of the end so that you could be found living right.  Live right all of the time and you will not be concerned about the time of the end.  Just do what God wants you to do and live according to His way and the end will not be a time to get right, but merely a time perhaps to rejoice.

The illustration of the Ten Virgins

Read Matthew 25:1-13.  This is the parable of the ten virgins.  Five virgins came prepared with oil for their lamps whereas the other five did not.  When the bridegroom came the five wise virgins were prepared to enter the marriage feast whereas the later five were not.  The moral here is to be ready.

Matthew 25:13 (NKJV) -- {13} “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Jesus makes the point again about being watchful since we do not know when the end is coming.  The word watch here simply means to be ready.  Just be ready when the Lord comes.  Always be doing what you are supposed to be doing and the end time will not concern you.

Conclusion

The primary message here is to be ready at all times.  The end of the age may not come during your lifetime, but the end will definitely come during your lifetime.  What do I mean about that?  Well, the late Pastor Blumentoe asked the Bible class when the end would be.  We all stumbled around certain signs and the like.  However, the answer was simply that the end would come the day that you die.  That is when your end would be (end on this earth). 

We should not spend time trying to interpret current events to determine when the end of this age would be since Jesus plainly told us that no one knows.  Just be found ready.  Do what you are supposed to do and you won’t be concerned about the end.  Live your life for God each day and you don’t have to worry about the end. 

We therefore see the importance of living a life for Christ each and every day and not just when we think the end would come.  Some people try to get their life together when the receive news of a terminal illness or the like.  Though it is good that they do want to get things in order, however we don’t have to wait for calamity to try to get our lives right.  Why not do it now?  Why not reach out to Christ to help you be ready for his return.  Don’t delay.  Pray that God would help you to live according to his way so that you would be ready at all times.