We live in unprecedented times like no other. Never has there been a time of so much knowledge and technological advantage and yet at the same time there is so much uncertainty and insecurity in the world. The very bedrock of society seems to be on the verge of collapse as we see wars, rumors of wars, natural disasters, violence, rampant immorality, and dissolution of our freedoms and liberties taking place. We also witness increasing deception and misinformation arising from secular and religious sources alike. It is hard to know what and who we are to trust anymore.

As we approach the end of this age and as our world seems to be going into more and more spiritual darkness, it seems natural for those of us who know that Jesus is returning to this earth, to watch for the signs of his coming. How much longer can the earth withstand this "bondage of corruption" that blankets the earth? (Romans 8:19-23)

Daily we tend to look for clues in the news that indicate that we are getting closer and closer. What appears to be certain end-time prophecies beginning to materialize on the horizon and about to be fulfilled; validate our faith and hopes that the Kingdom of God is right around the corner. 

As we witness the pain and suffering that seems to be increasing daily around the world as a result of hatred, oppression, violence and war on this sin-saturated earth, we yearn for a world of righteousness and peace. We "sigh and cry" over the inhumane atrocities that are taking place all over the world. 

Everyday we watch events in the news as they continue to careen seemingly out of control, and we are able to see, "through a glass darkly", things that appear to be coming together. But we do not see many key prophecies being fulfilled yet...and we wonder...how much longer?

Many Scriptures in the Bible admonish us to take heed and to "watch" because the Day of the Lord (meaning Christ himself) will come as a thief in the night to those who are not awike alert and eagerly watching.

 Matthew 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman 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.

1st Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

2nd Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; 

When we are told to "watch," just what does it mean and how is it linked with the return of Christ?  What is so important about watching and what is Jesus, along with Paul and Peter trying to get across to their disciples, which includes all of those who desire to be followers of Jesus? What does watching have to do with Christ returning as "a thief in the night?"

Jesus tells us very succinctly to: "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:36)

This verse is sometimes quoted and interpreted to mean that Jesus is urging us to stay abreast of all the latest news events so we can calculate about how close we are to Christ's return and to be ready for it.

But is there more to this than just watching the news so we will be ready for that momentous event?

In 1st Thessalonians 5, Paul tells us that those who are called and faithful are the children of the light; and that  [those that are keeping the whole word of God and are staying close to Him] will be able to discern the signs of the times. They will be able to see when certain things are happening because first, they are keeping God's commandments; and they have diligently been studying the Scriptures. They will know what God's word says about certain signs/prophecies and will be able to recognize them when they begin to unfold.

1st Thessalonians 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

These verses tell us that if we are not of the darkness, and if we are walking in the light of God's word; that we will not be asleep and that we are not to sleep as others do; and then Paul warns us to watch and to be sober.

To WATCH and be SOBER...what exactly does that mean in the context?

To be sober means to abstain from being drunken or intoxicated, and also means being free from the spiritual drunkenness of pride.

The Greek word for sober is  nḗphō (Strong's #3525) and means: To be sober, calm and collected in spirit; to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect, vigilant, to be not intoxicated; (figuratively) free from illusion, i.e. from the intoxicating influences of sin (like the impact of selfish passion, greed, pride etc.). Refers to having presence of mind (clear judgment), enabling someone to be temperate  (self-controlled). ("uninfluenced by intoxicants") means to have "one's wits (faculties) about them,which is the opposite of being irrational. (HELPS Word-Studies and Strong's Concordance)

Paul explains further after exhorting us that we are to "stay awake spiritually", to be sober and put on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation: all of which are similar to his exhortations to the Ephesians. (Please see Ephesians 6:10-18)

1st Thessalonians 5:7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

And when it comes "to watch" just what is it that we are to be watching? Are we to assume that it means to watch for the end time events to begin to happen so that we can be ready for them; or is there something else that we are to be watching?

Back to Luke 21, when Jesus tells us to "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" Luke 21:36.

Does this mean that our watching the current world news and how it relates to prophecy, combined with prayer, is what will account us worthy to escape and to stand before Him when He returns? But does this assumption agree with what the Scriptures are actually saying?

The Greek word translated watch is  agrypnéō (Strong's #69)  to be sleepless, wakeful properly, no sleeping; (figuratively) staying vigilant (alert, attentive), i.e. without any unnecessary "time off." (HELPS Word Study)

The Bible implies that "to watch" really does not exclusively mean to be looking at events or closely observing what is going on in the world; there is something much more important that we should be watching or staying alert to.

We can see what Jesus is referring to just from the text and if we go back to the previous verse and by attaching the "therefore", we see that it is a concluding admonishment as to what it is that we are to be watching; and that it is ourselves and our Christian walk [life] . The previous verse provides the context for what Jesus is telling us to watch.

Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting , and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare [To catch unawares all the ungodly] shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Therefore we are to: "watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."

Another way of putting it in modern terms is:

Luke 12:34 But take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed (weighed down)with the giddiness and headache  and nausea of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly worries and cares pertaining to [the business of] this life, and [lest] that day come upon you suddenly like a trap or a noose; (Amplified Bible)

From the context of this verse we see that the message is not a command to watch world events so that we will know when Jesus will return and we will know when we are to be ready. Rather, His instruction is to watch, be alert, be continually on guard as to how we are living; which is what "take heed to yourselves" is implying.

Jesus' message is instructing us to be vigilant about our own spiritual state, as well as being circumspect and spiritually awake as we live our lives, making sure that we are staying on the strait and narrow; and not allowing ourselves to become weighed down with the things and sins of this world.

He is warning us to the danger that, if we do not "watch" ourselves and keep "alert" to our spiritual condition, we could start to allow ourselves to become lackadaisical or (lukewarm) or lose God's Spirit altogether. If we are not diligently seeking God; then self-indulgence, selfishness, and material concerns (cares of this world) will creep up on us to distract us; and possibly divert us from our spiritual responsibilities and even our calling. And we would find ourselves spiritually unprepared when the end comes.

But Brethren, we know that the "end" for any one of us is just a heart beat or a breath away. We just do not know when "our end" as an individual will come. Therefore, Jesus is admonishing us to not only be ready when the end of this age comes upon us, but to always be ready no matter when that will be; for the end for us personally could be today.

And therefore, that is why we call this post: "Our Time is Now!" Meaning, that as long as we are breathing and alive it behooves us to make the most of this time while we can to get prepared and readied for the resurrection; and to be continually training so we are able/qualified to take on whatever role God has planned for us in His kingdom. 

He admonishes us to take advantage of our time on earth now to make sure that we are perfected in this lifetime so that we can be accounted worthy to stand before the Son of man...whenever He should appear for us personally. By this I mean as we all know, that as soon as we die, even though we may sleep for a while, our next conscious moment will be rising up into the air with our new spiritual body in the resurrection meeting our Lord and Savior in the clouds and finally being with Him into all eternity.

1st Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The danger of not watching and staying alert to our own spiritual condition could lull us back into becoming sleepy and letting the things of the world entrap us regardless of what generation we live and die in, and we would miss out on all the things that the Father and Son had planned for us, forfeiting our opportunity to reign as a king and priest under them in the Kingdom.

Paul teaches us in Titus that we are to look for, and hope for His appearing, but at the same time, are to use our lifetime to seek His righteousness and in becoming a godly person so that we are fitted for good works.

Titus 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

If we were to die tonight, or five thousand years ago, all the end time events with all the specific details would mean nothing to us! What really matters for every person is that we had stayed watchful over our own spiritual condition, had a walk [life] that was worthy of our high calling, and lived a life that was pleasing to God; so that He could say "well done, thou good and faithful servant" when He does return. (Matthew 25:21)

Luke 21:36 is not about becoming so obsessed with the current events, to the detriment of our spiritual duties to grow in grace and knowledge of spiritual truth and character. 

As Christians we do need to be balanced and keep abreast of the current trends and conditions, but it is much more important to prepare spiritually, to keep growing, keep proving the things that we believe and are being taught. We are to spend our time in protecting the precious truth that we have been given through our calling to partake of God's grace and the privilege of being one of His people at this time. We are to be ready for when Christ returns, but if our end (the end of our life) should come for us before that time comes; we are to be prepared and ready regardless.

As we live our day to day life abiding in Christ, taking in His Holy Spirit, seeking to become perfect as He is perfect, allowing Him to fashion and mold us, and cooperating with His building His character and attributes into us; that is what will make us worthy to escape these things, not exclusively watching and trying to speculate as to how prophecy will unfold. Indeed if we are spiritually unprepared, we will not understand the signs of the times and so be taken unawares.

We are to be, foremost, constantly examining our walk and seeking to internalize the divine nature of God with constant vigilance; the same kind of vigilance that a mother has watching over her children or a shepherd watching over his sheep. Along with watching we are to pray always; which is inferring that we stay awake, but are always praying that God will give us the strength to stay awake, to be alert to deception and to deceivers, and to the things that may entice us away from following Him completely and devotedly.

We think of the time when Jesus found his disciples sleeping and told them that they needed to watch and pray that they not enter into temptation.

Matthew 26:40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Yes, not only are we to watch but we must realize that our flesh (as a human) is weak and we need to pray always for the strength and help to overcome and stay close to Him, not only for ourselves but for each other as well. So watching and praying go hand in hand with each other.

We Still Need to be Prudent

This in no way means that we are to avoid following the world news; and as good stewards we are to be observant and keep abreast of what is happening. Proverbs tells us that and Paul tells us we are to provide for our own.

Proverbs 27:12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Proverbs 6:6  Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

1st Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

To take good care of our lives, to keep our bodies healthy and as safe as  possible, and to provide for the well being and safety of our families, necessitates that we stay on top of current events and what is happening in our world; and as we are called to use wisdom to escape the dangers that are coming, then we must do so.

But again we need to have balance and to put first things first, and that is to stay close to God and to be obeying Him always and then He will provide us with what we need to know, when we need to know it.

In Luke 12 Jesus gives another vivid analogy of how we should be watching:

Luke 12:35 Let our loins be girded about, and your lights burning; 36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he comet and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. 40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

Regardless of when Christ returns; in the second watch, or in third watch, what is important is that the servants are ready and therefore they will be blessed. He will bless those who are fulfilling their responsibilities regardless of how late it is when He comes, and those who are not allowing themselves to become lax and sleepy; but are vigilant and conscientious about their duty to not let the thief (or thieves) break in and cause harm to the Master's house. 

God's servants cannot allow themselves to be distracted by just waiting and wishing for Christ's return, and allowing that to interfere with their work and neglecting their duties that they have been charged with.

Continuing along the same theme; Jesus gives us another parable about the faithful and wise steward in contrast to the unfaithful steward who neglects his duties as a steward over God's household and begins to take advantage of the position that God has entrusted him with.

Luke 12: 42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. 45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

A servant's, or a steward's job is not all that exciting sometimes, and the work may seem boring, mundane, tiring and we may begin to think that, what we need to do doesn't matter that much; or that if the master is delaying His coming that maybe we can goof off a little bit, take our time and then hurry and get ready when we do see that He is on way and will be here shortly. In fact, sometimes that may be the motive behind being obsessed so much with the news and prophecy. Because if we see that things are not moving along as quickly as we had first thought, then maybe there will be time to get caught up with things that the world has to offer, thinking that when we do see things begin to happen we can cram for the test, so to speak, reasoning that we can make up for slacking off in our prayer, study, paying attention to our spiritual state, and somehow be ready in spite of our lack of preparation over the long haul.

But this is not what Jesus desires of His servants. Their responsibility is to get themselves prepared, taking advantage of every minute that they still have and to work at making sure the household, the Ekklesia, is being prepared. The Master wants them to be diligent in performing all of their assigned tasks that the He has given them to do. If we are focused too much on the timing of the Master's return, it will tend to distract us from our duties. If we don't know when He is coming but we anticipate that He could come at any time we, will be attentive to what He has given us to do no matter what, and will be faithfully carrying out the work of managing the household.

If the servants have not been fulfilling their responsibilities, and instead begin to excessively eat and drink and seek for themselves, at the same time neglecting the proper feeding and nourishment (proper teaching of God's Word) of the members of the household, and then to beat or take advantage of the the ones that have been placed into their care, they will face God's judgment. And they will not be allowed to be in God's Kingdom, for they have disqualified themselves.

We must take this admonition very seriously for this pertains to the end time church and this is exactly what has been happening. Those who have been put into leadership positions need to heed and be sure that they are feeding the flock and caring for them right up until the time of Christ's return and no matter when that may occur. And if they abuse those who look to them as their pastors and for leadership, Christ will come at a time when they think not and will hold them accountable.

 Filling our Lamps With Oil

What are we to be doing with our time that we still have left? What does Jesus tell us in the parable of the the wise and foolish virgins? This parable has profound implications for all of God's people no matter what time slot in history that they lived their lives. The ten virgins are admonished to go and buy oil for their lamps way before the bridegroom was to come for them. They did not know when He would come, but they needed to be sure that they would have the oil needed to have their lamps burning at the time of His arrival.

Oil is symbolic for the Holy Spirit and that is what we need to be filled with until the very end or our lives. In order for us to have oil we must "buy", and how do we buy it?

We buy oil with our time; it takes time to go to the source, to read, study, meditate, apply what we learn, to root out the things in our heart that should not be there, to be constantly measuring ourselves and making proper adjustments where we see we are in still in error. It takes time to imbibe of all the teaching that God makes available for us and to incorporate His divine nature into our very being. And as clay on the Potter's wheel, it takes a long time to be made into a vessel of honor fit for the Master's use, and into a vessel of mercy for God to use to make known the riches of His glory to the rest of the world.

2nd Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

Romans 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

The ten virgins are awakened by a cry in the night, at midnight; suddenly the bridegroom is just about to appear and they have just enough time to wake up, trim their lamps and go to meet Him. At that point there is no time to go get any more oil, and the shops that sell are all closed. It is imperative that we as God's vessels and as His spiritual Temple be filled with God's Holy Spirit and showing forth the fruit of that Spirit (and not the works of the flesh) with our lights shining and that we are ready, prepared and eager to meet our espoused Husband. We are to be ready no matter when He should come; either early or late; either now today if we should die (or sometime before His coming), or if we should be still alive at His return.

If we don't do it now, in the day called "today", we will not be ready at "the end" when we die or the trial comes. We will not be able to scramble around in a hurry at the last minute to be filled with the Spirit and have the character that we will need to be in His Kingdom.

At that time, the period of preparation has come to an end; the wedding is just about to take place and while the foolish virgins are desperately scrambling around to get the oil, the door shuts and they are not allowed to be part of the wedding ceremony. They missed their opportunity that God had given to them: to be called out from this world to participate in His great plan of redemption, the restoration of the earth and the building of the Kingdom. And all because they did not heed Jesus's warning to watch themselves, take stock of their spiritual condition on a day to day basis; and they did not make the necessary preparations to be readied when He returns, no matter when that day should be.

Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Even though we might be able to determine the general timetable as we see certain events start to take place, still God is keeping the exact time of His return a secret for now. Even if we were able to come to the knowledge of things unknown to others, if we are not spiritually prepared at our death or at Christ's return, all our time spent in seeking the details and speculating will be a waste of time.

How should we be spending our time then? By concentrating on the responsibilities that we have been given and the job that God has given each one of us to do; purifying and cleansing ourselves from sin and internalizing the very nature of God!
 

No Brethren, it is not wrong to keep on top of world news and to observe and discern what direction events are taking us, and in fact it is prudent to do so. But  "watching" is about much more than that; we are to also diligently watch our spiritual condition, and seek a full spiritual UNITY with God;  being awake and alert to things of the spirit as our priority, even more so than the physical dangers.

If we are seeking God and His righteousness first, God will provide the things that are needed to divert the physical dangers. And even if we do have to die or even to be martyred; the most important priority is that we remained faithful to the end of this physical life; and then God Almighty will keep His promise to us, to give us eternal life and to never have to face death again.

Clearly the Bible speaks of Christ coming at a time when most do not expect Him, but we are to be about His Father's business; discerning what He wants us to do with our lives NOW: growing in grace and in spiritual knowledge; and conforming to His likeness as we live each day for Him.

Our time is now to do just that, so that we are properly prepared when we die or whenever He should come; whether its at the second watch or the third watch or whatever watch He has appointed for it to happen!

Constance