We are holding a readiness exercise in this year of our Lord 2022 to watch for His unexpected return. Every year its serious to be watching and ready for His return, but every 7 years its even more serious. This is an exercise that prepares us for the real event whenever that happens, could be any day. The military runs drills and exercises on a routine basis in order to be ready for that time when what they are training for "goes live." We can and should do the same thing. The Lord established his appointed times/festivals/seasons to be observed so we would remember what He told us He was/is going to do.
He also told us to be praying, watching and ready always for His unexpected return.
Mark 13
Be Ready at Any Hour
(Genesis 6:1-7; Matthew 24:36-51; Luke 12:35-48)
32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. 34For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. 35Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: 36Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. 37And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
The Lord God told us to watch, man tells us don't bother. Who are we going to listen to? We should take this time and season seriously as the stage is set so at any moment the entire world could be turned on its head. We have been given the Word and we have been given signs in the heavens as well as signs on earth that we should be paying attention, watching and ready. 7 or so years ago during the blood moon tetrad and solar eclipse cycle the mockers were out in full force dismissing it all. Fast forward 7 years later and look at what has happened to this world. Look at what the enemy tried to do (kill us all). Anyone who is laughing now is either ignorant or a fool.
A Word on Readiness
The Lord impressed upon this servant some details relating to the unexpected coming we should pay attention to.
Luke 21
34“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
When this event happens, whenever that might be our hearts need to be ready. A clue for us was included in this passage above in verse 34 lest your hearts be weighed down. Think of it as a balloon that is trying to rise but it cant because it has too many sandbags in the basket holding it firm to the earth. We need to ask ourselves right now today is my heart unencumbered, cutoff enough from the things of this world that I am ready to turn my back on it and walk away without looking back? Its an important question illustrated for us in the Word here:
Gen 19
14So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry a his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
15With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”
16When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. 17As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”
18But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, b please! 19Your c servant has found favor in your d eyes, and you e have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. 20Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.”
21He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 22But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar. f )
23By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. 25Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. 26But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
27Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 28He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.
29So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.
When it is time to go, it is time to go and not look back. The time to get our hearts in a place with cords cut from this world is today. We live in this world but we are not of this world.
John 15:19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
We need to prepare our hearts for the possible unexpected arrival of the Lord. This world is completely clueless, He is not on their radar in any way. Most of the church is completely clueless as well, half of them mock the unexpected return of the Lord as if it were an idea made up by men instead of the Word of the Lord. The rest have their hearts weighed down with the numerous trials and tribulations in this world. Some are looking to politics and "Mr. T" to save them. Good luck with that he already abandoned the country once during the 2020 coup d'etat, he kept Fauci in his place of power to administratively punish the country and the list goes on.
Let us be those few who remember what the Lord has said and respect it for what it is: the Word of the Lord. "Watch and pray always" we were told. To what end? For what purpose are we watching and praying always? Answered in Luke 21 as well: "to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
What happens if by the end of the exercise the Lord has not unexpectedly return? We continue to watch and pray for His return each and every day just like we were told to.
John 14
18I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 19Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. 20At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 21He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
Those who love Him will keep His Words. In other words 1. remember what He said and 2. do what He said.
The Lord has impressed it on this servants heart over the past weeks to write this one so here it is.
Glory to God
Grace and Peace
