The End Days - What does it entails for us?
In Revelation 3:3, it says:
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
In Matthew 24:42-43, it further says:
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Jesus said it very clear either in the Gospels or in Revelation that He will be coming back. The Bible does record a series of signs on how He will be coming back. The Apostles did expect Him to return and asked the believers to live in a way worthy of the gospel so that they will be blameless before God when He returns.
What does it entail for us, knowing that Jesus will be coming back? Firstly, we need to be aware of the signs of Him coming back. I think it is important. Recently, I just watched a documentary talking about the 7 signs of Apocalypse, which were exposited straight from Revelation. Scientists and religious experts were interviewed for this documentary. A thought came to me when I was watching this documentary. Regardless whether the experts are interpreting the signs correctly, it is true that the world is seeing more of the signs described in the Gospels and Revelation. We are seeing more wars, we are seeing more natural disasters and we are seeing more diseases spreading around. Are these the signs? If so, it may well mean that Jesus is really coming back. Even if they are not, Jesus is still coming back, and it may well happen within our lifetime.
So the second thought comes in. How should we respond? Recently my church is teaching on the series on End Times Revival. It is important that we are aware that Jesus is coming back for us. If sufferings and tribulations are going to occur before He returns, these are the very tests that we should be preparing for, the ones before we reap our final rewards. I think with what Jesus has described, there will be time when Christians will be put through severe persecution. Are we able to hold on to our faith then, or will we buckle? Can we last? Are we able to stand in front of God at the end of the day and say, "we have held on for You"? More importantly, the way we lead our lives now, are we living as if Jesus is coming back tomorrow? We ought to start moving out of our complacency, as I think sometimes I need to as well.
You know, I believe that in the book of Acts, that's precisely how believers lived. They believed that Jesus will be coming back within their lifetime. And lived as though it was. The believers in Acts today serve as an example to us. I remembered once reading about Billy Graham. After a particular rally, he was criticised that he has set the church back for 50 years. He held his head in shame and admitted that he failed, that he had tried to set the church back by 2000 years. I was like 'woah'... Is our church today the kind Acts saw? Are we living in the Spirit, with the Spirit, as they lived 2000 years ago?
These few days I began to realise that it is fruitful to think about the End Days. Because we ought to think about it and reflect on how we live our lives...
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
In Matthew 24:42-43, it further says:
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Jesus said it very clear either in the Gospels or in Revelation that He will be coming back. The Bible does record a series of signs on how He will be coming back. The Apostles did expect Him to return and asked the believers to live in a way worthy of the gospel so that they will be blameless before God when He returns.
What does it entail for us, knowing that Jesus will be coming back? Firstly, we need to be aware of the signs of Him coming back. I think it is important. Recently, I just watched a documentary talking about the 7 signs of Apocalypse, which were exposited straight from Revelation. Scientists and religious experts were interviewed for this documentary. A thought came to me when I was watching this documentary. Regardless whether the experts are interpreting the signs correctly, it is true that the world is seeing more of the signs described in the Gospels and Revelation. We are seeing more wars, we are seeing more natural disasters and we are seeing more diseases spreading around. Are these the signs? If so, it may well mean that Jesus is really coming back. Even if they are not, Jesus is still coming back, and it may well happen within our lifetime.
So the second thought comes in. How should we respond? Recently my church is teaching on the series on End Times Revival. It is important that we are aware that Jesus is coming back for us. If sufferings and tribulations are going to occur before He returns, these are the very tests that we should be preparing for, the ones before we reap our final rewards. I think with what Jesus has described, there will be time when Christians will be put through severe persecution. Are we able to hold on to our faith then, or will we buckle? Can we last? Are we able to stand in front of God at the end of the day and say, "we have held on for You"? More importantly, the way we lead our lives now, are we living as if Jesus is coming back tomorrow? We ought to start moving out of our complacency, as I think sometimes I need to as well.
You know, I believe that in the book of Acts, that's precisely how believers lived. They believed that Jesus will be coming back within their lifetime. And lived as though it was. The believers in Acts today serve as an example to us. I remembered once reading about Billy Graham. After a particular rally, he was criticised that he has set the church back for 50 years. He held his head in shame and admitted that he failed, that he had tried to set the church back by 2000 years. I was like 'woah'... Is our church today the kind Acts saw? Are we living in the Spirit, with the Spirit, as they lived 2000 years ago?
These few days I began to realise that it is fruitful to think about the End Days. Because we ought to think about it and reflect on how we live our lives...
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