Jesus tells us no one knows exactly when He is coming. He will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night, which means we must always be ready and prepared to receive Him when He comes. The key question is: Are you ready? If He were to come tonight, would you be prepared? (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Whether you are a strong or weak Christian, you must be ready.
Some might think that Jesus’ return is a broken promise or far off because it has not happened yet. Maybe we don’t need to be prepared because His return is unlikely to be soon. The truth is, even if He is not coming soon, you are at least going to Him soon. Even if it does not seem like Jesus is coming, we know He will come unexpectedly. So we must prepare ourselves daily. There are many theological camps that differ on the order of the events in Revelation, all the major views at least agree that Jesus is coming.
No one knows when Jesus is coming. Everyone who has tried to predict the date has been wrong. While we don’t know the timing, we know the manner. He will come in the air before the seven years of great tribulation. The rapture will be when Jesus snatches up all the believers to Himself before He judges the earth (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
The whole universe is waiting for Jesus’ return (Romans 8:19). To help His disciples understand His return, Jesus continues to use the illustration of the master and servant. This illustration is used by Jesus multiple times and emphasizes the nature of His return.
A thief always comes when you least expect it, waiting for a moment of relaxation or distraction. If you knew the thief’s timing, you would be ready. Since no one knows, the only way to be prepared is to live in constant readiness. We should take Jesus’ warning seriously. In this parable, the thief is Jesus Christ. Human thieves sometimes fail to be secretive but Jesus never fails.
The Son of Man is coming. The title Son of Man highlights Jesus’ humanity. However, Jesus is no ordinary man but the Son of Man spoken of in Daniel 7:13-14. He is the man in whom the fullness of Deity dwells (Col 2:9). He is the Son of Man who the one who died and rose again, is full of might, dominion, and glory, will come in glory and terror to bring His wrath upon His enemies.
“The phrase “is coming” in the original language is in the progressive present tense. This means His coming began as soon as He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:11; 1 John 2:18). This means Jesus coming is guaranteed because it has already begun. He is coming but He is also patient. He is waiting for the repentance of sinners. So this is a warning to unbelievers to repent and be saved. Believe in Jesus before it is too late.
But this is also a message to the believers. “You too” is directed at the Christians. Christian be ready! Do not be distracted by the world. Too many Christians are not ready because they love the world (Luke 9:26). “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32) who looked back. Remember what happened in the days of Noah where they ignored Noah’s preaching and were caught eating and drinking when the floods came (Matthew 24:37-38). The problem is that many of us wish for a comfortable and enjoyable life. This friendliness and attraction to the world is poisonous sugar. Loving the world is hostility towards God (James 4:4). Not loving the world is our dutiful suffering as Christians. If you are worldly, then you are not ready.
Many Christians take Jesus’ warning too lightly. They do not expect Jesus’ coming just like Jesus said (Luke 12:19-20). Jesus will come suddenly and demand your very soul.
There are those who are wrongfully ready. They try to predict Jesus’ coming. They are not of the Holy Spirit but of another spirit, a lying spirit. That is why they always end up wrong and as heretics. Do not listen to those who claim to know when Jesus is coming. They have never been right and will never be right. Jesus’ coming is not a Biblical exam or a matter of knowledge. We are simply called to be ready. Like the boy who cried wolf, those who keep claiming to know actually end up hurting the reputation of the church. So trying to find out when Jesus is coming is not being ready.
The most important thing to being ready is being a Christian. Being a Christian means Jesus is central to your life. He is everything. Without Jesus, a Christian is nothing. Jesus is not merely someone special but Jesus is your Lord for whom you risk everything (Philippians 3:8). Ultimately for the Christian, God is living in you. They are made new by Christ, transformed, and given new life, all in Christ.
The Christian always lives by faith. They have been crucified with Christ and the life they live they live by faith in the Son of God. (Galatians 2:20). That is why they can suffer for Christ’s sake (Romans 8:18). They enjoy God and give Him all the glory in all circumstances (1 Corinthians 10:31) They are loyal to God and remain committed to Him (1 Corinthians 15:58). The Christian obeys God’s commandments and live according to God’s purpose (Colossians 3:18-21, Ephesians 6:3-9)
How to be ready? By being a Christian and living the Christian faith, being fully satisfied with Christ, and following Jesus Christ. And do this always. Then either when Jesus comes or at the end of your life, you can claim like Apostle Paul, you have run the race and you are ready to meet the Lord.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 