Lord’s Day, Vol. 8 No. 37

In Such An Hour 

Our Lord Jesus Christ exhorts His disciples in Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. He further said in Matthew 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. The church of Jesus Christ is exhorted to watch and be ready for the Lord’s return. The church is commanded to be continually watchful, vigilant, alert as opposed to being asleep. The church is also commanded to be prepared.

Jesus’ disciples asked Him in Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall bethe sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? This was Jesus’ reply in Matthew 24:4-8 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

The part of watching involves understanding the specific happenings of world events as highlighted here.

Jesus further exhorted His disciples in Matthew 24:9-14 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. There shall be severe persecution for the faith and the perseverance of the church in continued vigilance to preach the gospel will be the proof of true discipleship.

Jesus further enlightened in Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: The “fig tree” described the nation of Israel resurrected 72 years ago on 14 May 1948 to help us see the nearness of His return. 

Matthew 24:33-34 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.Verily I say unto you

This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Indeed, the church today must know that our Lord’s return is near, even at the doors. In other words, as a visitor to your home, He is now just outside your door, ringing the doorbell. 

Jesus reiterated the certain fulfilment of His predictionsMatthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

The church is exhorted to be ready as He warned in Matthew 24:36But of that day and hour knoweth noman, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

He warned the days leading to His return will be like the days of Noah – Matthew 24:37-39 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. In the days of Noah, the ark was being built for 120 years (Genesis 6:3). And the incessant preaching of the coming judgment by Noah – 2 Peter 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

Jesus exhorts the church to faithfulness in Matthew 24:45-46 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.The word “doing” means exercising faith, enduring persecution and preaching the gospel. 

Jesus warned the church in Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting (the giddiness and headache caused by drinking wine to excess), and drunkenness, and cares of

this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Jesus likened the days leading to His return to be as days of Lot in Luke 17:28-30 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In the past few years, many nations have legislated same-sex marriage. This is a clearly seen in the days of Lot recorded in Genesis 19:4-5 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

The taking away of the church to heaven at the Lord’s return is given clearly in Matthew 24:40-41 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. The Apostle Paul captured that moment in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Also, in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 21:20b)

Yours lovingly,

Pastor Lek Aik Wee