OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE Part 7

Matthew chapter 25 verses 1 - 13 records another parable that contrasts the end-of-the-age experiences of the servants of the kingdom of heaven who were wise and those who were foolish.

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

This parable is another warning that perpetual vigilance is required for all those who would be entrusted with the things of the kingdom of heaven.

The scene is described where ten virgins were tasked with going out to meet the bridegroom as he arrived into town so they could escort him and his entourage to the wedding venue. 

Five of the ten were wise and attentive. They kept their lamps ready and had reserves of oil in case the bridegroom was delayed.

On the other hand, the foolish virgins were not vigilant and fell asleep while they waited fo the bridgroom. When the call finally came that the bridegroom was enroute, they awoke and realized that the oil for their lamps was low and they did not have enough to go out to welcome the bridgegoom.

In a panic, they asked the five wise virgins to share their oil with them but the wise ones knew that they needed all the oil they had and if they split it out, they would all run out and everyone, including the out-of-towners, would be left standing in the dark trying to grope their way to the wedding venue.

The only solution for the foolish virgins was to go out to buy more oil for their lamps from the after-hours oil retailers and at mid-night, while they were gone, the bridegroom arrived and only the five wise virgins were available to meet the bridegroom as they.

The five virgins and the bridegroom and his escorts joined up and they went to the wedding venue and closed the door.

The five foolish virgins finally found an oil dealer willing to open shop for them in the night but by they time they returned, the wedding was already underway. They knocked on the door asking to be let in but the bridgroom did not recognize them and did not want wedding crashers to interupt the proceedings and they were turned away.

The lessons that we can derive from this parable are;

• Stay alert to listen and watch for the signs of the Lordˋs arrival
• Do not be asleep during the time when preparations are being made
• Each person is responsible for and must attend to their own preparedness
• Keep reserves of annointing so that we can endure through delays
• Acquire annointing oil while it is yet day for it is harder to acquire it in the night 
• Going out to meet the bridegroom to welcome him is how he recognizes us. If we sleep and get preoccupied with other things instead of finding him and personally walking with him to the wedding venue, we will not be known.

Have mercy on us O God.

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OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE Part 6

The Lord Jesus, in Matthew chapter 24 verses 45 - 51, advises His disciples to be faithful in carrying out their service so that when their master returned unexpectedly, they would be found going about their Fatherˋs business. Those who are consistent in their service of God would be blessed when they are found occupied by their work in the Lordˋs household when He returns. Such a servant would be entrusted with all that the master had.

On the other hand, a servant, having concluded that his master was not returning any time soon, reverts to a carnal way of living and works to gain dominance over the other servants as though he were their master. He indulges himself in very carnal appetite and sets a bad example for everyone in the household.

45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

When the master returns, the evil servant is caught by surprise and found to have been an untrustworthy steward of his masterˋs business and he is consigned to the outer darkness where there is weeping in deep regret over failing to take the things of his master seriously.

Have mercy on us O God.

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OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE Part 5

Matthew chapter 24 verses 36 - 44 records the Lord warning His followers that His return would be a complete surprise to everyone including the angels of heaven and some manuscripts record that even the Lord Jesus Himself did not know the day or hour of His return.

The Lord compared His return with the onset of the great flood of Noah where people were going about their daily lives eating and drinking and starting families when suddenly, the opportunity to enter the ark was no longer available and the door of the ark was closed and the destruction of the flood carried them away. 

In the same way, people, not believing that the end of the age of grace was soon to arrive, would continue living as they alway had until suddenly, the gift of the free salvation that Jesus acquired for mankind was no longer being offered.

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

The return of the Lord Jesus will be sudden and will have no overt precursors. Life will carry on as normal right until the last second. People working together on farms or in factories will discovery that some people in their midst have disappeared into thin air and realize that they have been left behind.

The Lord Jesus explains that the reason for the secrecy is so that the kingdom of darkness would not be able to anticipate the day of the Lord and make plans to patrol the perimeter with his angels in order to interfere with (or  thwart ) the Son of Manˋs invasion of the earth.

The secret is tightly kept in order to catch the kingdom of darkness off-guard but the Lord advises His followers to be perpetually vigilant so that when the trap is sprung, they would be found to be in good standing in the kingdom of God and be caught up with Him in the clouds.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE Part 4

Matthew chapter 24 verse 32 - 35;

32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When it branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Amen

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OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE part 3

In Matthew chapter 24 verses 29 - 31, Jesus reveals the events that would occur immediately after the great tribulation;

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

As the end approaches, the persecution on the people of God would intensify as economic pressure and subtle deceptions carried out by the world systems flush believers out of hiding where they are killed. If these days were not shortened, as Jesus said in verse 22, no Christian at that time would physically survive the trials.

When this period ends, distinct signs would occur in the heavens where the sun will go dark along with the moon and not in the form of an eclipse but rather as a general dimming of the sun that will plunge the whole earth into darkness at the same time.

In the spiritual realm, the stars will fall from heaven as their dominion in spiritual places collapses. The spiritual powers that rule over territories and nations will be  shaken by a severe quake in the spiritual realm.

It is then that the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky as a light show of glory and splendor and power. All the people on earth, when they see this sign circling the globe, will know that the King of Glory, whom they had abandoned or rejected, was now returning and they will see Him on the clouds of heaven, no longer as a preacher entering Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey but now as the One of exceedingly great  power and glory.

As the whole world watches the frightening spectacle, a blast of trumpets will reverberate and the Lord Jesus will send His angels to gather His chosen ones from every corner of the earth and all His elect from all the places in heaven that they are.

Have mercy on us O God.

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OUR FATHER  WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME OR THE DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE part 2

The Lord Jesus had just outlined for His disciples, in Matthew chapter 24 verses 3 - 14, a list of general events that would occur as an indicator of the time of His return. He then, in verses 15 - 28, zoomed in on a specific event whose occurence signalled a state of emergency. 

This is an event that was spoken of by the prophet Daniel ( in the book of Daniel 9 v. 27 and Daniel 11 v. 31) and Jesus tells his followers that when they see the abomination of desolation standing in the Holy place, then each person in the south of Israel (Judea) must flee to the mountains as fast as humanly possible because the great tribulation will have began and this event would be more severe than anything that have ever happened or will ever happen.

15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

This tribulation will be so terrible that if its duration were not constrained by God, no human beings would be saved but for the sake of the ones chosen, the time of the tribulation if shortened.

During these desperate times, with people under immense pressure, there will be words circulating that the Messiah has arrived and it will be very tempting to run out after these false messiahs and false prophets especially when they are displaying supernatural power.

The Lord describes what the deceptions will be like and how to respond. People will hear rumours that the Messiah has touched down in the desert but he warned us not to go out to the desert to see for ourselves.

Others will hear that the Messiah has made an appearance in some inner chambers and secret offices but the Lord warned us not to believe that either.

These are traps that are set to capture people who have even a modicum of hope in the appearance of a Messiah. When people arrive in the desert to see the ˋmessiahˋ, they are rounded up and when they enter buildings to seek the ˋmessiahˋ in secret rooms, they are captured.

23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.

26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

The Lord then tells His followers what the genuine indicator of His arrival would be; As lightning strikes in the east and flashes across the sky to the west, the Lordˋs arrival will be an unmistakable phenomenon of light in the sky that could not be imitated by false messiahs. People claiming to be the messiah who mysteriously appear in the desert and in hidden rooms are false messiahs because the appearance of the real messiah will be overt, public and visible to every person on earth.

Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles (Note, most translations render this word as ˋvulturesˋ instead of ˋeaglesˋ) will be gathered together. This phrase indicates the danger of being misled by the claims of the false messiahs and false prophets. If anyone falls for the deception and goes to the location given, they will be devoured by the vultures who will await them there.

Have mercy on us O God.

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OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE

In the book of Matthew chapter 24 verse 3 - 14, the Lord Jesus, while sitting on the Mount of Olives, was approached by His disciple for a private consultation. They had heard him speak of His return at the age and they were trying to understand how it would affect them.

They wanted to know;

• When the described events would occur
• What indicators would mark Jesusˋ return
• What indicators would mark the end of the age

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

The Lord answered the last question about the signs that would mark the end of the age first by giving them a list of conditions that would converge that would be the harbinger of the end of the dispensation that His ministry was about to innugurate;

These items were pertaining to the world at large;

• Many false christs will appear claiming to be Jesus
• Wars will proliferate wround the world
• Rumours of wars will be constantly circulating
• Major geopolitical upheavals will roil the earth
• Famines will scourge the earth
• Pestilences will sweep nations
• Major geological events like earthquakes will strike all over the world

These items were partaining to the Church;

• Persecution and murder of Christians will be widespread
• Christians will be hated for the sake of the name of Jesus
• Some Christians will betray one another and hate one another
• False prophets will arise in their midst with deceptions that will capture many
• Many in the church will become lawless
• Many will have their love for God grow cold
• The gospel of the kingdom would be preached in all the world

The Lord gave a guideline to His followers on how to respond if they are embroiled in those times. He said that they would participate in the global effort to  preach the gospel to the whole world as a witness and those who endured through these difficulties with their faith intact even at the end, would be saved.

Have mercy on us O God.

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