Watch and Wait—A Commentary on Matthew 24:42

Watch therefore: for you know not what hour your Lord does come.

- Matthew 24:42 

Thought on Today’s Verse:

Many Christians are longing for the second coming of Jesus to rapture us into the kingdom of heaven. In matters of the second coming of Jesus, how should we watch and prepare so that we won’t miss out?

The Lord Jesus said, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mat 4:17). He wanted people to repent and confess before the Lord so that their sins could be forgiven. However, those chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees only believed that the One that would come could only be called the Messiah and born of a virgin. But Mary had a husband and the Lord’s name was Jesus, so they denied that the Lord Jesus was the coming Messiah. Not only did they resist and condemn the Lord, but they spread the rumors to deceive the Jewish people into resisting Him. Finally, they were cursed by the Lord.

Though the Pharisees were familiar with the Old Testament, they defined the work of the Lord with their conceptions and imaginations and lost His salvation. In short, one will easily lose the Lord’s salvation if he relies on his conception and imagination, has no discernment and blindly follows others.

Meanwhile, the disciples and some Jewish people could follow the Lord Jesus. Do you know how they recognized the Lord?

Recall the story of the Samaritan woman in the Bible: When she heard the Lord Jesus said: “For you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband: in that said you truly” (John 4:18), she said to the crowd: “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” (Jhn 4:29). From these verses, we can see that the Samaritan woman realized from the Lord Jesus’ words that He is Christ, for she knew only God can watch over everything, know man’s innermost secrets, and can speak out her all things that she ever did. So, when the Lord Jesus said to her about her husbands, she once recognized He is Christ.

The Samaritan woman was smart and she could recognize the voice of God, so she gained the salvation of the Lord.

Likewise, in the last days, it is even more necessary to learn to listen to His voice. It is recorded in the Bible, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:7). “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (Jhn 10:27). “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Mat 25:6). When someone preaches the gospel of the second coming of Jesus, we should seek and investigate lest we miss the chance to welcome the Lord’s coming and be raptured into the kingdom of heaven, and repeat the mistakes of the Pharisees.

Source: Walk in the Light 

• Extended Reading:

• How Will the Second Coming of Jesus Happen?
• Preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus

God has come secretly and made a group of overcomers before the great tribulation. Feel to contact us online to learn more.

 

The Way of the Second Coming of Jesus – Luke 12:40

 

Be you therefore ready also: for the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not.

- Luke 12:40

Thought on Today’s Verse:

This verse refers to the prophecy of the second coming of Jesus. The day of Jesus coming is unimaginable to us. Since we cannot imagine that, then how should we welcome the second coming of Jesus? How should we prepare ourselves? This prophecy mentions the Son of man, and it refers to being born of man and a person with normal humanity. Just as Jesus, He spoke and worked in normal humanity of the flesh. In outward appearance He looks like a normal and ordinary human, doing His work and speaking His word practically and realistically among men. That is to say, only God incarnate can be called the Son of man. Obviously, how to know the incarnate Son of man is crucial to being able to receive the return of the Lord and be raptured into the kingdom of heaven. Then how can we recognize the incarnate Son of man?

God says, “He who is God’s incarnation shall hold the substance of God, and He who is God’s incarnation shall hold the expression of God. Since God becomes flesh, He shall bring forth the work He must do, and since God becomes flesh, He shall express what He is, and shall be able to bring the truth to man, bestow life upon man, and show man the way. Flesh that does not contain the substance of God is surely not the incarnate God; of this there is no doubt. To investigate whether it is God’s incarnate flesh, man must determine this from the disposition He expresses and the words He speaks. Which is to say, whether or not it is God’s incarnate flesh, and whether or not it is the true way, must be judged from His substance. And so, in determining whether it is the flesh of God incarnate, the key is to pay attention to His substance (His work, His words, His disposition, and many more), rather than external appearance.”

Source: Walk in the Light 

Recommended for you:

• Will the Lord Jesus Come as a Thief or Come Upon a Cloud?

• Hot Debate on the Mystery of Descending of the Son of Man

The Lord has come back. Want to know how to welcome Him and be raptured before the disasters? Chat with us online to get the answer.

Behold I Stand at the Door and Knock – Revelation 3:20

 

Behold I Stand at the Door and Knock – Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

- Revelation 3:20

Thoughts on Today’s Bible Verse:

This verse tells us how to welcome the second coming of Jesus Christ in the last days. Jesus Christ’s words have made it clear to us that Jesus Christ returns to speak His words and knock at man’s door. For two thousand years, believers in the Lord have been watching and waiting for Jesus Christ to knock. Then how will Jesus Christ knock at our door when He comes again? Jesus Christ said, “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come” (John 16:12-13). There Revelation prophesied many times, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches” (Revelation 2:7). From these verses, we can see that Jesus Christ will express all the truths when He comes again. These truths are words from the Spirit to the churches, as well as the voice of the Bridegroom. Jesus Christ returns in the last days to speak His words and knock at our door. The wise virgins are able to hear God’s voice and behold the appearance and work of God, and thus they follow God’s footprints, welcome Jesus Christ, be taken before God’s throne and attend the wedding banquet with Him. If we want to welcome the second coming of Jesus Christ and sit at the table with Him and enjoy the blessings of the kingdom of heaven, we should proactively seek and investigate when we hear someone bearing witness to the second coming of Jesus Christ and preaching that His expression is the words from the Spirit to the churches. And we should measure whether His words are the truth, the voice of God. This is the practical way that the wise virgins welcome the bridegroom.

Source: Walk in the Light

Read more on our Preparation for the Second Coming Jesus page.

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