Matthew 24: 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Jesus taught this shortly before he went to the cross. Many think it was the Tuesday before he would die on Friday. He wanted his disciples and the world to know about this. The Bible is not just for the church. It’s God’s book and it is for the entire world, for the North Pole to South Pole and around the equator. It’s for everyone! When Jesus comes in the rapture of the church no one will be able to say “I didn’t know.” In the most Bible-prohibiting nations there are Bibles. There are Christians in every country. Some meet secretly in basements. Some of us have participated in giving our old Bibles to be shipped to places where the people didn’t have one. What a blessing to know my old Bible is being read.
It tells us Jesus is coming back. The verses before these are about living in the days of Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah. Yes. We are living in those days. Then Jesus brings us to the point of the rapture. Jesus will move and, all of a sudden in a spectacular way, it will happen. It will be bright and astounding. Lightening will flash from the east to the west. It will happen fast, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Those who analyze it after the fact will realize they’ve been left behind. I’m glad to be ready!
Being the pastor doesn’t make me ready. Jesus Christ makes me ready. If you trust the Bible and its author he will forgive your sins and save your soul. He’s total Savior and needs no help from me or you. A hundred preachers could pray over you but it wouldn’t matter. The power to save is in the nail-scarred hands of Jesus. If you’re saved it’s because you trusted him. To experience the change when the trumpet sounds, to be taken, to get a glorified body—I CAN’T WAIT! I cannot say I made myself ready. Jesus did it. He helped me. We’re in a state of imperfection; we sin and fall short each day. We must turn to God and believe he’ll forgive us and allow him to be Lord in our life.
Guess who’ll be left behind? The devil. That’s wonderful! But also those who weren’t ready will be left. Maybe they went to church but weren’t saved. Maybe they tinkered with gods of other religions. They’ll be left behind because only Jesus saves. The salvation of mankind comes through God the Father, his son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. I don’t need another book when the Bible tells us the word plainly. I don’t need another Savior. Jesus is Alpha and Omega.
Take a good look at your life. We’re battered and bruised. We slip on the path. We must not linger on the sidelines. Get back in the path. John tells us that when we sin we have an advocate with God through Jesus Christ. Seek his forgiveness. This is a serious matter. We are to be sober minded about it. Jesus said one person will be taken and another left. Why? One was ready and one was not. We need to watch. We can watch the heavens. We can watch what’s going on in the world. The one place we need to watch is our heart: be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Ready or not, Jesus is coming. I can’t make the determination if you’re ready. That’s up to you and God.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 