Scripture
- Matthew 24:36-42 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”
- Matthew 24:43-51 “But 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. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for those servants whose master finds them doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put them in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Today, may the Lord have mercy on us and grant us revelation, that we may meditate on “Watchfulness and Preparation” through His own words.
After the Lord said in Matthew 24 that “no one knows that day or hour,” He mentioned the situation in the days of Noah, describing the scene of people being swept away by the flood. Then, the Lord used a parable to tell us: one person is taken by the Lord, and another is left behind (Matthew 24:36-42).
Immediately after, the Lord reminded us: “Therefore, keep watch.”
Why must we keep watch? Because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
Reading these words again today is truly profound, for there seems to be a superficial contradiction—the reason to watch is that we do not know when the Lord is coming, yet the premise for being able to watch is: “If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch.”
It has been nearly two thousand years since the early church, and even the people of that era were not exempt from the need to be watchful. Christians living in any age must keep watch, for we do not know which day the Lord will come; we must be prepared at all times. Christians living in the end of the end times are no different—they too must be watchful!
However, Christians living in the end of the end times have an advantage: we are closer to the Lord than any Christians before us. Just like John the Baptist, who was called the greatest man of the Old Testament era, primarily because his era made him the one who prepared the way for the Lord, allowing him to point to our Lord and say, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”
Today, if we knew at which watch of the night the Lord was coming, we would surely keep watch!
Thanks and praise be to the Lord!
However, being watchful is not enough, for the Lord also said: “So you also must be ready.” When the Lord expanded on the issue of “preparation,” He used the parable of the servant (Matthew 24:43-51).
This parable is often understood as having two servants: one faithful and wise servant, and one wicked servant. In fact, it can be seen from the scriptures that this is not about two different people, but the same servant: if he watches and prepares well, he is the faithful and wise servant; if he does not watch and is not prepared, he becomes the wicked servant.
Finally, I would like to mention a scripture that may seem unrelated to this topic but is actually closely connected: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” (1 John 2:15)
“Don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God?” (James 4:4). The “world” is a system established by Satan; he is the prince of this world, and the entire world is at enmity with God. Christians are born of God and belong to heaven; we are in this world, but we do not belong to this world. No one who loves the world can be one who waits for the Lord’s coming.
May the Lord have mercy on us, so that we can truly love Him, be watchful, be prepared, and become faithful and wise servants waiting for His return.