When the disciples of Jesus asked Him for the sign of His second coming and of the end of the age, the first and foremost warning given by Jesus is that we should not be deceived by anyone who claims himself to be the Christ. Presently, throughout the world, many religious leaders or god-men claim themselves to be the Christs. In India, there is a god-man, namely, Satya Sai Baba who claims himself to be also the Christ. When Prince Charles of England visited India, he paid a visit to this god-man.
A few months ago, a person
under the handle of “Illuminati Order” posted many anti-Christian materials in
the Message Board of the ChristianBBS.com questioning the omnipotence of God,
the creation work, the blood of Jesus Christ, etc. When I exposed him as an anti-Christ, many people argued with me
and did not believe me. Instead, they attributed his messages to puerile work
or handiwork of a mentally deranged individual. One of the moderators
admonished me for my calling the author of these messages “an emissary of the
Devil”. This is how we are being deceived.
Secondly, Jesus warns us
about wars and rumors of wars. The USA and its allies
waged a war against Iraq,
ignoring the world opinion and the counsel of the churches. Jesus says, “all
things must come to pass, but the end is not yet”. All these things have to come to pass because we are in the last
of last days. We, the people of God,
should be prepared to face the consequences of war by claiming His protection
in Psalm 91.
Jesus then says that nation
will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be
famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. Today, we find that
many nations have risen against their neighboring nations. Many kingdoms have risen against their enemy
kingdoms. During the Iraqi war, the USA,
the UK, Spain, etc. had risen
as one kingdom against Iraq who formed a kingdom of its supporters. There are famines throughout the world. Even the American economy is reported to be not
good with unemployment soaring high.
Pestilences for which the medical science has not yet invented any
remedy are stalking every nation.
Earthquakes take place in diverse places. According to Jesus, these are the beginning of our sorrows.
Many false prophets
performing great miracles and healings have appeared to deceive the multitudes
now! Lawlessness abounds everywhere.
The people take law into their own hands. Today, we come across serial killers, kidnappers, terrorists,
sexual-maniacs, child-abusers, etc. The love of husbands or wives toward their
spouses and the love of children toward their parents have grown cold. Divorce
figures have touched the highest record in the world history! Spouses hate each
other. Jesus finally exhorts us to
endure all these things to the end.
“The
abomination of desolation”
Jesus says that when you see
“the abomination of desolation” spoken of by Daniel, the prophet, standing in
the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand). What is “the abomination of desolation”? Certain prophecies
should be neither interpreted nor understood in their literal meaning. It should be interpreted in a spiritual
manner.
Daniel says in the 8th
and 11th chapter of his book that in the latter time of their
kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a mighty king
shall arise with sinister schemes. He will destroy the holy people and will
rise against the Prince of princes. He will be a vile person who will come in
peaceably and seize the kingdom by intrigue.
He will be against “the holy covenant” and his forces will defile the
sanctuary fortress and will take the daily sacrifice and place there the
abomination of desolation (Dan.11: 21-31).
The prophecies of Daniel
point to an individual king who will take over a kingdom – political and
religious. A powerful kingdom will arise in the latter time (Dan.8: 23). This kingdom will be ruled by the Devil in a
surreptitious manner through his two representatives i.e. Antichrist and False
Prophet (Dan.8: 24).
The characteristics and the
actions of this king are apparent from Dan.7: 23-27, 8:23-25 &11:36-39 as
below:
(i)
He
(the fourth beast) will speak great words against the most High
(ii)
He
will wear out the saints of the most High
(iii)
He
will think to change times and laws
(iv)
He
will be mighty but not by his own power,
(v)
He
will destroy wonderfully, and will prosper, and will destroy the mighty and the
holy people.
(vi)
He
will cause craft to prosper in his hand
(vii)
He
will magnify himself in his heart
(viii)
He
will destroy many by peace
(ix)
He
will come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries
(x)
He
will become strong with a small people
(xi)
He
will do according to his will
(xii)
He
will exalt himself, and magnify himself above very god
(xiii)
He
will speak marvelous things against the God of gods
(xiv)
He
will prosper till the indignation is accomplished
(xv)
He
will not regard the God of his fathers, but will glorify and honor a god with
gold, and silver and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
(xvi)
He
will cause the strange god to rule over many, and will divide the land for gain
(xvii)
He
will set his heart against the holy covenant
(xviii)
He
will cause the daily sacrifice in the temple of God to cease.
Let us now
read II Thes.2: 1-9. The coming of the Lord will be preceded by THE FALLING
AWAY, FIRSTLY, and the REVELATION OF THE MAN OF SIN, THE SON OF PERDITION,
SECONDLY. He will sit as God in the
temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
He is not yet revealed because the Holy Spirit is restraining him. The moment he is revealed, the Lord will
consume him with the breath of his Mouth and will destroy with the brightness
of His coming.
It is now very clear that the coming of the Lord will be preceded by the revelation of the son of perdition. The works of the Antichrist and the False Prophet as revealed in the book of Daniel and in the book of Revelation do take place in the spiritual realm, not visible to our eyes. We will come to know about him only at the time of his revelation when he will sit as God in the Temple of God. Here also, he will not sit bodily in the physical temple of God in Jerusalem. Sitting as God in the temple of God means the world’s acceptance of a god other than the true God. To the Muslims, he will reveal himself as Prophet Jesus Whom they are awaiting. To the Christians who are deceived, he will reveal himself as the Lord Jesus. To the Jews, he will reveal himself as the Messiah. To the Hindus, he will reveal himself as Lord Krishna (of the international Hare Krishna movement).
Paul in his epistle to
Thessalonians wrote, “The mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He
who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way”. This means that the power of the Devil as a
mystery is already at work. This is not
something new, which will happen at the close of the age. The work begun by the
spirit of Antichrist will reach its peak in the last of last days. The Devil and his representatives are
already at work.
John wrote in I John 4:3, “Ye have heard that it (the spirit of
Antichrist) should come; and even now already is it in the world”. When John
wrote this epistle in the first century, it is seen that the spirit of
Antichrist was already at work in the world.
This means that the spirit of Antichrist is already at work in the world
but is not yet revealed. The Antichrist is a spiritual being, and not a
king in flesh and blood. However, there are antichrists in the world
that are human beings in flesh and blood.
John wrote in his epistle I John 2:18-19, “Little children, it is the
last time: and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there
many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from
us, but they were not of us…” Even when John wrote this epistle, antichrists
were there and that period was known as “the last time”. As such, we can call this time as the last
of last days. It is apparent that those people who are with us today would go
away and would become antichrists as had happened during the New Testament
period. This is a very dangerous thing,
which should serve as a revelation to us.
The Antichrist is the king of an invisible kingdom, which will become powerful in the last of last days, both politically and spiritually. This invisible kingdom will be visible to us through its world rulers. He influences some political leaders or the rulers of some powerful Christian nations to do his own will. If he influences non-Christian nations, we can easily identify him and his hidden agenda against the Church. In some Christian nations, certain laws are being passed which will directly affect the Church. These rulers, in order to win the great multitudes of non-Christian population in their countries and other nations, will compromise the Word of God and the Christian faith.
The visible political leaders
will be puppets in the hands of the invisible king who is not yet revealed. A
hidden king will control these visible political leaders with a remote control
in his hand. It is an invisible and invincible kingdom, which will become
powerful politically and spiritually. It
will prosper through flatteries and deception. The puppet national leaders will
dance to the tune of this invisible king. THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF
THE BODY OF CHRIST, THE CHURCH. This kingdom will prosper through violence and
war. These leaders will declare war against other nations at will. They will take sword to annihilate their
enemies, which is quite contrary to the doctrines of Christ. The people of
those nations under the rule of these visible rulers will be greatly influenced
by the flatteries of these rulers.
If the Antichrist reveals himself through an earthly king today, we can easily identify him. However, he is a spiritual being, functioning directly under the power of the Devil. It is saddening to note from the prophecies that he has cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them (Dan.8: 9-10). Some of the host and of the stars could be anointed servants of God or some Christian rulers, who were shining in the kingdom of God.
We should thank God for the
book of Daniel and for the New Testament books of John’s and Paul’s Epistles
and the book of Revelation.
The “holy covenant” means the covenant of God with His people through the blood of Jesus and not the Old Covenant. The Antichrist will wage war against the Church, the body of Christ. With the power of the Devil, He and his forces including the False Prophet will defile the sanctuary. The sanctuary does not mean the physical sanctuary in the Jerusalem Temple. The Antichrist will have nothing against the physical Israel who have not accepted Christ. They are not the holy people under the New Covenant.
Today we find that the defilement of the sanctuary has already
begun with the sin entering the holy place in the body of Christ. The “daily
sacrifice” means the sacrifice of the people of God in the body of Christ. This
does not mean the “daily sacrifice” of the physical Jews in the synagogue. The
Devil is not afraid of the traditional sacrifice of the physical Jews in the
synagogue who have not yet accepted Christ.
The Devil with the help of the Antichrist and the False Prophet will influence the Church to such an extent that the people of God may not daily sacrifice to God through prayers and ministry in His vineyard. They will set the abomination of desolation in the holy place of the spiritual Jerusalem. When we will such a sign of falling away of many saints and of spiritual wickedness in high places of the Church, we should be careful and await the second advent of our Lord.
The Antichrist will wear out
and even destroy the mighty and the holy people. He will also rise against the Prince of princes. This will be the
height of their battle against the Church. Those who do wickedly against the
covenant he shall corrupt with flattery.
This means the Antichrist (Beast) and the False Prophet will influence
through flatteries those who are already against Christ and His body. But the
people of God who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits
(Dan.11: 32).
The horn (Antichrist) made war with the saints, and prevailed against them. Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom (Dan.7: 21-22).
“And I saw the beast, the
kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him
Who sat on the horse and against His army.
Then the beast was captured and with him the False Prophet who worked signs
in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast
and those who worshiped his image. Both
of them were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Rev.19:
19-20).
Let us note that certain
prophecies spoken of in the Bible should not been seen in their literal meaning
but should be interpreted. There are certain other prophesies which can be
understood in a plain manner without any interpretation.
Jesus said that as soon as
we see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, “Then let them
which be in Judea flee into the mountains” (Matt.24:16). This prophecy needs to be interpreted.
Judea means all the land of
the Jews (Acts 10:37) The Bethlehem of Judea was the birth place of Jesus.
Today, the land of the spiritual Jews is the Church, the Body of Christ. The Church gives birth to its spiritual
children through the gospel. Those who are of the spiritual Judea should flee
to the high places in their spiritual life. This means that they should grow
more and more in their spiritual life and should conform to the image of
Christ. They should leave behind the defiling things of the world.
In Luke 21:20-21, the same
prophecies are mentioned with some additional facts. “And when ye shall see
Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Then let them which in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in
the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter
thereinto..”
When Luke wrote the above
prophesies, it also referred to the destruction of the physical Jerusalem,
which took place in A.D.70. However, these prophecies also point to the
end-time events, which precede the second advent of Jesus. Those who are in the
midst of Judea should also depart out
and flee to the mountains. Those new believers, who are in the middle of the
Body of Christ duly protected by the elders in the outer circle, should also be
prepared to flee to the mountains. Then those who are in the countries i.e.
outside the Body of Christ, need not enter the spiritual Judea because the door
for entry into the spiritual Judea will be shut with the Judge coming for
judgment.
Today, our spiritual growth
is retarded because of our vile affections towards the world and towards the
flesh. Dearly beloved, as you read this message, the Holy Ghost exhorts you to
flee from your vile passions and lusts of the flesh. Do not waste your time in
worldly entertainments. Engage yourself
in evangelism or help evangelism. Attend intercessory prayer meetings in your
town and pray for revival. The moment “the abomination of desolation” is set in
the Temple of God, you will not find time for preaching the gospel. It will be very late.
Jesus said in Matt.24:17,
“Let him which is on the house-top not come down to take any thing out of his
house”. This prophecy also needs to be interpreted.
He/she who has attained higher spiritual experiences by way of prayer and ministry to God should not backslide so as to be enticed towards the comforts and luxuries of a settled life. He/she should not come down to take any material thing, which had been earlier abandoned in his/her spiritual life. After reaching the upper room in their spiritual house, they should not slacken in their prayer life. He/she might have spent more time in prayer earlier. Now he/she may be spending less time in prayer.
We find in Luke 2:36-38 that
one Anna, a prophetess who was of a great age (84 years), and who had lived
with her husband only for seven years, “departed not from the temple, but
served God with fastings and prayers night and day…”. An aged widow, and that too, under the Old Covenant, had spent
the major part of her life in the temple of God with fast and prayer. Because
of her relentless devotion to God and of her perseverance in meeting the Savior
in the temple, she had the privilege of
seeing the Savior in the temple.
Similarly, only those who are fully devoted to Christ as the prophetess
Anna and who await His coming can see Christ during His second advent. The
prophetess Anna is a sign to us.
Those who are casual in
their Christian life cannot see Christ during His second advent. They will be
deceived by the Antichrist.
Jesus said in Matt.24:18,
“Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.” This
prophecy also needs to be interpreted.
Those who work in the fields
by sowing or plowing normally leave their outer garments in their houses so
that the same may not get soiled while working in the fields. They should
continue to work in the fields without bothering to go back to their houses to
put on their dresses.
This means that who are
serving God in various mission fields or in the vineyard of God should not go
back to their original place of secular employment or self-employment, leaving
God’s work, just to cover themselves with the comforts of this life.
Jesus said in Matt. 24:19,
“And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those
days!”
Jesus said “Woe” to a
particular group of people who are pregnant and to a particular group of people
who are nursing babies.
In our midst, there are
great multitudes, who are laden with a heavy burden in their personal life.
They are carrying a heavy burden of worries.
They are unable to concentrate on God’s ministry because they are
weighed down. They are unable to run in
this race because their devotion to God is distracted towards the cares of this
life.
The other group of people is
those who are nursing their own spiritual children pertaining to their own
denominational churches. They are still
nursing them because their children have no growth. They do not want their
spiritual children to be taught by the other ministers. They feed their children with milk, and not
with solid food because they do not have solid food to give. Nor do they allow their children to be fed
by the other servants of God who have solid food. There are many pastors who have established their own churches
and then finally settled in their churches without going in for
evangelism. Now this group of people
who still nurse their children cannot attain higher spiritual experiences
because they do not have fellowship with the other members of the universal
body of Christ in other churches.
In Luke 21:23-24, it is
further added, “….for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon
this people”. The Lord will spew out those who are neither cold nor hot. These
people who are unable to flee to the mountains will fall by the edge of the
sword of the Antichrist and his forces. They will be led away captive into all
nations. This means that these people will have a great spiritual
downfall. Alas! They will be deceived
and will be carried as captives by the Antichrist from the spiritual Jerusalem.
Jesus said in Matt.24:20,
“But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath
day..”
To the above two groups of
people, Jesus told them as above.
Winter means spiritual
coldness. In their spiritual life, they
are not steady in growth. At times, they become hot. At times, they become cold.
These people should not be cold when Christ comes.
Sabbath mans our blind faith in observing Sabbath or some traditions. The Pharisees found fault with Jesus when He healed the sick on the Sabbath. When Christ comes, these people who follow their own church doctrines and traditions, which are at variance with the Word, should leave such things. By witnessing to the world, these people should serve God.
Neither the spiritual coldness nor the religious practices and traditions should deter us from serving God, and from leaving the filthiness of this world.
The destruction of the
physical temple in Jerusalem was predicted in Luke 21:24. “Jerusalem shall be
trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled”
Literally speaking, the physical temple in Jerusalem was trampled by the Romans during their invasion in A.D.70. The times of the Gentiles are only for this physical temple, which was destroyed. Those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior are not Gentiles at all. They are the real Jews. The physical temple in Jerusalem was put to the desolations, in a symbolical manner, much earlier when the curtain of the Temple was torn twain, as Jesus died on the Cross, though the Temple was actually put to the desolations at the time of the Roman invasion in A.D.70. Halleluiah! In place of the dilapidated temple in Jerusalem, God raised up His Temple i.e. the Church on the day of Pentecost. The gates of hell cannot prevail against this spiritual Temple. Nobody can trample this spiritual Jerusalem.
Historically speaking, the physical Temple in Jerusalem is being used by the Jews and the Muslims for worship because the worshippers do not know the living God who dwells amongst those who have accepted His Son as their Savior. In fact, those who are not saved by the Blood of Jesus Christ can be termed as the spiritual “heathens”. Till the second advent of Jesus Christ, the religious people belonging to Judaism and Islam would continue to worship in this physical Temple “until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled”. When Jesus comes, those who worship in this physical Temple will behold and recognize Him as the Messiah and the times of the Gentiles will come to an end.
Jesus prophesied on great
tribulation in Matt.24:21-22. This
prophecy need not be interpreted, as this is a plain revelation. According to this prophecy, there will be
great tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of the world until
this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no
flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
Let us note that for the sake of the elect, these days of great tribulation
will be shortened.
In Luke 21:9-19, it is mentioned that there will be persecutions
of the people of God, apart from the natural calamities like great earthquakes,
famines and pestilences. (I have
already touched upon natural calamities, etc.). Today, we find persecutions of the people of God throughout the
world. Before all these things, they will lay their hands on the people of God
and persecute them, delivering them up to the synagogues (now the established
churches who are not of the Body of Christ and who enjoy recognition of the
rulers) and prisons. The people of God
will be arraigned before the Pharisees and the Chief Priests of the present
days and with their consent, will be put behind the bars.
But it will turn out for
them as an occasion for testimony. They will boldly testify before the kings
and the rulers. The Holy Spirit will give a mouth and wisdom, which their
adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.
The people of God will be
betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and some of them
will be put to death.
They will be hated by all
for His Name’s sake.
In spite of all the severe
persecutions, “But there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your
souls”. This is a great assurance given
to us by Jesus. Not a hair of our head
will be lost because God will protect us supernaturally.
According to Jesus, there will be fearful sights and great signs from
heaven. In this regard, I quote an
incident, which happened in a mission-field in India. There is a village namely Maharaichend in the
District of Dangs, Gujarat State, India.
Samuel, a 15 year old boy, the son of a believer, namely, Dewram was
sick unto death. The villagers advised Devram to take his sick son to the witch
doctor for healing. But Devram refused to do so. Ultimately, Samuel died and was buried. The enraged villagers
decided to teach a lesson to Devram. They filed a case in a court of law
against Devram accusing him of causing
death to his son by negligence.
A miracle happened after the burial. At dusk, some people saw a reddish Cross coming down slowly upon the boy’s grave from heaven. The Cross stood upon his grave for a few minutes. Many villagers ran to see what was happening. After some time, some flower-shaped rays of light descended on the Cross. Oh, the glory of His Cross shined here. Upon seeing this miracle, a villager shouted, “Really, this boy has gone to the Heaven, and his God has come to tell us that he is in the Heaven”. Then the villagers withdrew the false case against Dewram. Through this miracle, the people in that village came to know about the true God.
Jesus said in Matt.24:
23-27, we should not believe any person who would say, “Lo, here is Christ, or
there”. In those days, we should not go
by the statement of any person who would say that Jesus would be in the desert
or in the secret chambers. Jesus will not appear to any particular person or
any group who may claim as such. He
will appear to all of us as the lightening coming from the east and flashing to
the west.
Immediately after the
tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give
its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will
be shaken. Luke adds in Luke 21:25-26, “And there shall be signs in the sun,
and in the moon, and in the stars: and upon the earth distress of nations, with
perplexity: the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear,
and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the
powers of heaven shall be shaken…” This is a plain prophecy, which needs no
interpretation. “And then shall appear
the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the
earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory. And He
shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather
together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other”
(Vs.30-31).
We may now turn to I Thes.4:
13-17. When the Lord descends from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of
God, the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
There will be a meeting the people of God in the air. They are those who will rise from the dead
and those who will be alive. The second category of people will put on
immorality “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump…” (I
Cor.15: 50-54). After putting on
immortality, we will meet the Lord and His saints and angels. “…So shall we ever be with the Lord”. Then
the Lord and His people will rule this earth.
Those who preach the theory
of Rapture (i.e. Secret Coming) always quote the Paul’s epistle to
Thessalonians. If we read all the gospels in conjunction with the Paul’s
epistles, we will know the plain truth. According to the theory of Rapture,
Christ will appear in the air and then disappear with His Church; then there
will be great tribulation. After the great tribulation, Christ will come again
but openly in the sight of all people on earth.
Let us now turn to Acts
1:10-11. The two men in white apparel told the disciples of Jesus immediately
after His ascension into heaven, “Ye men of Galilee…. this same Jesus, which is
taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him
go into heaven”. It is very clear that the Lord would come in like manner as He
had gone into heaven. In other words,
He had left earth and ascended into heaven, and now He will descend from
heaven, and land on earth. He will never disappear from the air. Hallelujah! The people of God will meet the
King of Kings in the air joyfully. They
will not only meet the Lord but also their loved ones who were dead in Christ
Jesus. They will then bring the Lord and their beloved ones, now resurrected,
to earth. Oh, there will be a happy reunion with the departed souls!
When our loved ones arrive
in our town at the airport or at the railway station, we go to the airport, or
the station and receive them. We then
bring them home. Will we ask them to go
back and will also we go with them?
Jesus said in Matt.25: 32-44
about His second advent. The parable of
the fig tree is cited by Jesus to tell us that we should watch the above
things, and know that His coming would be imminent. When the branch of the fig
tree has already become tender and puts forth leaves, we know that the summer
is near.
According to Jesus, “this
generation” will by no means pass away till all these things take place. The word “this generation” holds good for
all generations, present and future. This is like a game of musical chair. Many chairs are placed in the middle and all
the players have to walk around the row of chairs. When the music has stopped, those who could not occupy the chairs
would go out. As the number of chairs go on decreasing in every round, and more
players are to occupy less number of chairs, some people have to go out. In the
last round, the player who runs fast and occupies the single chair is declared
the winner. Many a “this generation”
have come and gone. Starting from the first century till this century, the
people of God have been awaiting the second advent of Jesus. “This generation” may be ours, or the next
generation. The last chair of the
musical chair game will be occupied only during the final round. One last
generation will witness all these terrible evenings. Are we in the last round, the chair in the middle pointing to us,
“this generation”?
Jesus said that the day and
hour of His coming is not known even to the angels, but to the Father
only. In Mark 13:32, it is mentioned
that even the Son does not know it. Why are the day and hour not known to the
Son? Why does the Father Who created
all the things through His Son and Who does everything through His Son, choose
not to inform the Son about this thing? When the triune God functions together
and the Father and the Son are one, how is that the Son does not know this?
Dearly beloved in Christ, this shows how much the Son loves you and me. Let Him
not know the day and hour of His coming.
But He has told us everything that would happen just before His coming.
I explain this in a parable.
A loving father goes out of his town on business, leaving his wife and
children. Due to his unpredictable
business schedule, he informs that he would return home just a few days before
Christmas. A few days could be four days, five days or six days. So when the Christmas draws near, the family
starts expecting the father, though they do not know the exact time and date of
his arrival. Now the father after landing in the airport chooses to inform his
family by his mobile phone, “I am reaching home very shortly”. Now also, he cannot inform the exact time of
his reaching home because the cab, which carries him, may be delayed. It is
quite certain that the father will return before Christmas as promised. Similarly, the Lord has given us all the
clues about His coming. It is not necessary for us to know the hour and day of
His coming. Whatever has been revealed
to us is enough. Let us be watchful by looking at the things, which unfold
before our very eyes.
Jesus earlier spoke about
the national and international events that would happen before His coming. He now speaks about the salvation of
individuals and families. As the days
of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. As in the days before the flood, they were
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah
entered the ark.
Jesus is not against eating
and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.
He is very much concerned about their salvation. There are millions of people in the globe who
have not entered the body of Christ, the ark of Noah. Until the flood came, those people had not realized their folly.
Today, the great multitudes do not want Christ. Once the door of the ark is shut, nobody can enter it. Nobody in the countries can enter Judea once
the way to Judea is closed forever. The people outside the ark can be your
sons, daughters or your blood relatives.
Jesus further said that out
of the two men in the field, one would be taken and the other left, and that
out of the two women who will be grinding at the mill, one would be taken and
the other left. There are two groups of
people in the same environment. But one
group is taken and the other left. Being taken with Jesus means putting on
immortality and then being with Jesus for ever just to rule with Him. There is a clear line of demarcation between
the saved and the unsaved in this world.
(Job Anbalagan)