08 January, 2023
Years ago, I was visiting a brother in his studio apartment. He showed me around and then took me to his small bedroom. As he closed the bedroom door, I noticed behind it were two words in big letters: “PERHAPS TODAY”. He told me that every time he looked at the door while lying on his bed, he will see these two words. “These”, he said, “remind that maybe today Christ will come. This reminder keeps me on my toes and I will live each day expecting Christ will come to take me to be with Him!” No wonder he was such a committed disciple!
I have never forgotten these words and what he said. Christ warns us that His Appearing will be when we least expect it: “So you must be ready, for in an hour you think not, the Son of Man will come” (Matt.24:44). Our Lord tells us that He has gone to prepare a place for us and then He will come back and take us to be where He is (John 14:2-3). Paul tells us that at the last trumpet Christ will come down from Heaven to meet His saints “in the clouds in the air and so we will be with Him forever” (1 Thess.4:16-17). What a glorious day that will be!
We must be ready at any time for the trumpet call; otherwise, we may be left behind. Christ tells us that some may not be ready: “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left behind. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left behind” (Matt.24:40-41). The Bible repeatedly reminds us that only a remnant will be saved. Christ Himself gives this warning: “Enter by the narrow gate…for small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to (eternal) life, and only a few find it” (Mtt.7:13-14). Bishop J C Ryle once said this, “According to the men of the world few are going to Hell. According to the Bible, few are going to Heaven”. May we be among the few that will be taken up to Heaven! Will you be ready and among the remnant that will be taken up?
How can we be ready? We can and will be ready when we live for Christ totally and be holy in all that we do. The Apostle John tells us that if we have this “blessed hope” of being taken up, then we must live a holy life. He said, “We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as He is pure” (1 John 3: 2-3). Friends, we are living in the last days and any time now we may see the Rapture taking place. Let us not be complacent and live or behave as if it will not
happen so soon. Do not be mistaken and be deceived by the world.
Our Lord tells us that to be ready for His Appearing we must “watch and pray”. He said this after referring to Noah and the Great Flood. In Noah’s time, people did not believe the Word of God preached by Noah. They continued to live carelessly in worldly enjoyment and then suddenly the Flood came and swept them all away. We are exhorted by Christ to watch the signs of the time and pray continually that we will be kept from temptation and worldliness. We need to pray that we will be faithful to God in all circumstances and live for Jesus.
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