Matthew 24:40–44 (ESV) — 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. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
NOTE: It is not clear if the "taking away" is the rapture or judgment. In one sense it does not matter. There are two primary points. One, while we may know the general season of Christ's return by the signs, we will not know the exact time of his coming. The people of Noah's time had one-hundred years to watch Noah build a boat, but no one knew when the flood would come until it started raining and even then did not know until the flood waters started to rise. The second point is that we are to be ready. How is one to be ready? For the unbeliever, they need to repent, return to God, and believe in his death, burial, and resurrection because of their sin. For the believer, it is to act according to our new birthright by taking the gospel to our friends, neighbors, and co-workers.
PONDER:
- Do I know Jesus? Believe before it is too late.
- Do I know Jesus and truly live for Jesus? Live in obedience now lest we miss out on the rewards of faithful service.
PRAYER: Father, I may not understand the future or the meaning of the prophecies, but I do know that I must trust you for the time and I need to be about your business during the time I have left. Give me wisdom and grace to use my life wisely for your kingdom's sake.
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