Keep Watch

Matt 25:10“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11“Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’
12“But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’
13“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.


Luke 21:34“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

We are told to be watching. It is very clear, yet many today would argue with you till they are blue in the face that there's no reason to be watching today. To be fair, people are watching for all kinds of things aside from the one thing Jesus told them to be watching for...HIS RETURN for us. It is also very clear that there is an event coming that you can call whatever you want, but that event will see us PHYSICALLY SEPARATED from the masses of humanity in order to allow us to "escape from all" exactly the way that Noah escaped ALL of the flood and Lot escape ALL of the fire and brimstone of his day. Of particular importance in both the story of Noah and Lot is the physical separation from the places of judgement.

I have no idea how the Lord will do what is about to happen. Will it be by "rapture" or some other method? Frankly I don't care because I know for a FACT , with 100% certainty that the word of the Lord is true, flawless, perfect and this coming separation event will occur EXACTLY as it was written to do exactly what the Lord said he would do. There is a 0% chance that anyone to include all the "other tribbers" (mid-trib/pre0wrath/post-trib) will be able to look back and say there was not an escape from ALL. When it happens it will be clear, but it will also be too late for these people who a. are not watching, because they do not believe Jesus is coming back for us anytime soon, and b. Are not ready, their faith puts them in direct conflict with the Lord's own words, for example they refuse to pray for an escape from all because they do not believe there is an escape from all, nor do they believe there is any need to be watching for Jesus today.

The people who are watching for the tribulation, the anti-christ and everything else BUT Jesus are NOT ready to meet him today, how could they be when the refuse to believe his words? How many times must they be told to WATCH? Watch for what? For HIM.....of particular note here is verse 11 in Matt 25:11“Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

Notice the use of the word "later" here. This group that is found not ready comes knocking on the Lord's door AFTER he has come back to take us where he is and what does he tell them?
12“But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’
13“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

He tells these "virgins".....christians presumably ..I DON'T KNOW YOU. That will come as quite a shock for these people won't it? I don't know you? They end up coming to the Lord's door and knocking LATER...AFTER it has become obvious that the Lord should be taken at his word. The bible makes it very clear that those who show up knocking at the Lord's door AFTER it has been opened (see Rev 3-4 for "open door" in heaven) were not ready when it opened. Why? They were not watching when the Lord told them to watch? Why? Their pet doctrines trumped the clear reading of the words in the bible and they chose their doctrines over the plain meaning of scripture.

There's nothing complex about any of this. We are told to watch and be ready for the Lord's return TODAY. NOT at the mid-point of the tribulation, NOT 60-80% through the tribulation, NOT at the end of the tribulation, but right NOW. These people do not believe what God said. If Jesus said there will be an escape from ALL that's about to happen then you can bet life and limb it will there IS an escape from all, its a fact. These people are victims of their own disbelief, which suppresses them and does not allow them to "see." Belief is half of being and ALL of "seeing."

There is no way that those who take God's word at face value will be disappointed. Go re-read Hebrews 11 about all those who believed God and were credited with righteousness for it. The kingdom of heaven has not been given to Ph. Ds and "christian scholars" and the "learned" and "experts" of this world. The kingdom has been given to little children, to those who believe with a childlike faith. The bible clearly teaches us that our Lord actively frustrates the wisdom of the "wise" in this age. I suspect that many "christians" today will be terribly vexed to hear from Jesus' own mouth "I don't know you."

Don't attack the messenger because I am not the one who says Jesus will say "I don't know you" to the virgins who came late. Jesus said that. I am not the one who said that only a FEW will make it through the narrow gate that leads to life, JESUS said that (Matt 7:13-28).

I do not know how, or when the "escape from all" luke 21:34-36 and being "kept from the hour of trial" is going to happen, but I know they will be fulfilled LITERALLY and I know for a FACT that many "virgins" will show up AFTER it happens knocking on the Lord's door asking to be let in and they will be turned away. The Lord is not pleased with disbelief and faithlessness that should be evident.

Could you imagine what you would feel like if your children were about to be faced with the greatest crisis of their life, and you sent a means for them to escape it and most of them snubbed their nose at it? Think you would get upset at them?

According to what you believe, things will be done to you. According to your faith or lack of it, things will happen in your life:
Matthew 9:29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to ... Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; ...


grace and peace