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When I asked Susie to write on the book of
Jude, it was to prepare us for this week’s topic from Revelation. The
purpose of Jude is to remind us of the need for constant vigilance – to keep
strong in our faith and to oppose heresy.
The purpose of Revelation is to reveal the
full identity of Christ and to give warning and hope to believers.
“Blessed is the one who reads the words
of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is
written in it, because the time is near.” Revelation 1:3
I pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit I
can burn just two words into your consciousness: Be ready.
Be ready for the return of the Lord. Be ready
for the catching away of the Church. Be ready for the Marriage Supper of the
Lamb because its appointed time is very near. My, what a day that will be!
It's coming. There's no doubt about that. The only question is, Will you be
ready?
If you're not ready, the thought of the Lord's return may not excite you like it
does me. It may even fill you with dread and anxiety. If so, you need to make
some changes. First, you need to get born again by making Jesus the Lord of your
life. Then you need to focus your attention and your affection on the things of
God instead of the things of this world (see Colossians 3:2).
After all, this world is not our home. It's not our final destination. We're
just sojourning here, looking forward to the time when we're in the glory and at
home with the Lord. We need to constantly remember that so we don't get
entangled in this world's affairs. We need to constantly look toward heaven so
when the time comes to depart, we'll be ready.
Jesus told a parable illustrating that point
in Luke 14. There, He said:
A certain man was preparing a great
banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant
to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' But
they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a
field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' Another said, 'I have
just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse
me.' Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.' "The
servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house
became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and
alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still
room.' Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes
and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of
those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "(verses
16-24).
Why didn't those who were invited to the
Lord’s Supper go when they were called? They had become too involved in the
business of daily life. They had allowed those things to become too important to
them. They weren't ready!
Listen, it's just about suppertime in the
kingdom of God! Jesus is preparing a banquet for us in heaven and it's almost
complete. So get ready. Don't be so caught up in the world's activities that you
can't hear what He is telling you to do.
Great things will happen between now and the
catching away of the Church. The greatest harvest of souls this earth has ever
seen will be gathered into the kingdom of God. You don't want to be out on the
fringes of that move. You don't want to be off somewhere wasting time when the
glory of God is being outpoured. You want to be right in the middle of it.
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