“The sky and the earth (the universe, the world) will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
“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; “For it will come upon all who live upon the face of the entire earth.
“Keep awake then and watch at all times [be discreet, attentive, and ready], praying that you may have the full strength and ability and be accounted worthy to escape all these things [taken together] that will take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man.”
(Luke 21:33-36)
I have been pondering these verses these past weeks since Kids Fest. Jesus said a day is coming where an unforeseen net will fall and capture everyone living on the globe when the Lord’s Kingdom comes. He commands His disciples to be alert and to be prepared. In hope that the Holy Spirit might stir our hearts toward evangelism and prompt the spiritual prepper in us, I offer this one quote and this one story from two pastors I respect:
“The day is coming when Christ will return, and the Bible makes that great day of the Lord a pretty scary event for most of humanity. Most of humanity will want mountains to fall on them to hide them, and there will be no place to hide. Every act of treason, every act of rebellion, every errant word, every bit of wickedness, every bit of self-exaltation, every bit of narcissism, every act that communicates, ‘Forget You, God. I’m smarter than You,’ will be laid bare before you and God …
“The day is coming when God’s patience will be all used up. He will pour out His abounding love on the elect, and it will be over. And when that happens, He’s going to crack the sky, He’s going to come back to judge, and all that we have done will be revealed. There will be no place to hide. There will be no lies that work. Every motivation will be exposed.
“Basically, the file drawer opens up, and every wicked thought and every wicked action will be held up for examination. And on that day, we’re going to want a substitute, a champion. On that day, we are going to want someone to declare, ‘I took care of that. I paid for that. It is paid in full’ …
“So, we don’t stop at conversion; we press on. Because we want to make it evident that we believe Someone is going to step in at that final moment and say, ‘I paid for that. I absorbed that. What was due for that, I paid for it all, not according to their riches but according to Mine’ …
“I wonder how many of us will be serious about the fact that there will be a day in which the glory of Christ will shine in its fullness, and we will be held to account. And on that Day we want to be raised with Him.”
-Pastor Matt Chandler
“I worked in a machine shop for four-and-a-half years alongside a fellow named George. His job was to sweep and clean out the shavings underneath the huge lathes and machines that were running. George was born again, and he loved the teaching of Scripture on prophecy. I remember hearing him sing hymns as he worked. Many of them had to do with the coming of Christ, such as ‘In the Sweet By and By’ and ‘When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder.’
“Late one Friday afternoon about ten minutes to quitting time when we were all weary, I looked at George and said, ‘George, are you ready?’ He said, ‘Uh-huh.’ But he was all dirty. He was just obviously not ready. In fact, he looked like he was ready to keep on working. I said, ‘Aren’t you ready to go home?’ He said, ‘Yeah, I’m ready.’ I said, ‘Look at you! Man, you’re not ready. You’ve gotta go clean up.’ ‘No,’ he said, ‘let me show you something.’ So he unzipped his coveralls and underneath were the neatest, cleanest clothes you can imagine. He had them all ready. All he did when the whistle blew was just unzip and step out of that coverall, walk up, and punch his clock and he was gone. He said, ‘You see, I stay ready to keep from getting’ ready – just like I’m ready for Jesus!’”
-Pastor Charles Swindoll
