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All the things going on in today’s world has many talking about the return of Jesus.  My question is why have and are we concentrating on when He is coming back verses being prepared in all times for His return.  Jesus plainly said in:
Mark 13:32-33
32 ‘But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 
33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. '
Yes, he is coming back, and it will be to get His bride the church.  

Revelation 19:6-7
6 'And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” '

The Bible is full of prophetic warnings, calls to readiness and promises of hope.  

How do we heed these warnings?  How do stay in a state of readiness.   And how do we find hope in His promised return?  These are the questions that we can only find answers to in the comfort and divine word of God.

Let’s look at Mathew 24:23-31
'“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 
24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 
25 See, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.
27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 
28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. 
29 “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. 
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.'

Scripture is full of warnings in those verses Jesus himself warned us to be aware of false christs and false prophets who will perform great signs and wonders.  We can’t take these warnings lightly.  They are serious warnings from Jesus himself.
The nature of these false christs and prophets are deceivers, intended to lead Christians astray.  They will perform great things, signs and wonders.  They will look like signs from of God.  Their entire purpose is to lend credibility to their lies.  We can’t be fooled.

Jesus did not tell us these things to scare us but to help us be prepared for what they will throw at us.  He wants us to be able to tell the truth from the lies.  He wants us to be able to stand firm in our faith, even in the face of the great deceivers.

This is the reason discernment is so important.  It is not a gift given to just a few.  It is a skill we have to work with and build.  To do that we have to be intimately familiar with the truth, so we can spot lies.  We must be in constant contact with God so we can recognize his voice over the lies.

We have to remember the consequences of the not heeding these warnings.  These lies are going to be meant to drive you from the truth and complete rejection of it.

These warnings again are not meant to scare us but to get us ready and inspire us to be vigilant.  We don’t need to be suspicious of everyone and everything but to make us discerning.  I think this is one of the reasons Jesus said to be ready in all times and not to be worried about when.

We are called to be ready in these prophetic warnings.  This readiness is not a passive one it is choosing to live in a certain way, to have a certain mindset and cultivate Godly habits.

Our heart must be concentrating on Him and be ready like the parable of the ten virgins

Matthew 25:1-4
1“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 
2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 
3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 
4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. '
The ones with lamps filled with oil represent those hearts filled with the Holy Spirit.  Like I have said before, filling your heart with the Holy Spirit not just a small closet in our hearts.  

The only way to do this is by constant surrender to God and filling of His Spirit.  By daily being obedient to His commands.

We need to have readiness of mind, action and speech.
1 Peter 1:13 says 'Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; '

Luke 12:35-37 and 40 says 
35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and 
36 you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. 
37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. 
40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”'

Colossians 4:6 says, 'Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.'

The readiness of the spirit is constantly being ready to respond to the Spirit of God.
Revelations 22:17
'And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.'

The spirit of readiness is to be willing to come to Him in faith and obedience.  This is not something that can be accomplished by religious rituals.  

It can only be accomplished by walking in the Spirit, listening to the Spirit and yielding to the Spirit!

Instead of concentrating on the date of His return let’s concentrate on the fact that we know He is coming back, and He is coming back for us!

Jesus Himself told us in John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”  These are the inspired, infallible and inerrant word of God.

C. S. Lewis said, “The fact that our heart yearns for something Earth can’t supply is proof that Heaven must be our home.”

We have to live everyday with concentration on being ready for His return.

In Revelation 22:12-13 it tells us how urgent it is to be ready: “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give everyone according to his work.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and Last.”

When we leave here today do it with hearts filled with and overflowing with hope and anticipation.  Let’s live every day in readiness, not because we have to but out of love for our God who loved us first.  Let’s show that hope and love to everyone around us!
AMEN