In today’s sermon, Pastor Babij teaches the purpose of the Seven Year Tribulation period (also known as the Seventieth Week of Daniel) and explains several important facts concerning the Lord Jesus’ return. Pastor Babij strongly encourages all of Christ’s disciples to work diligently for the kingdom of God now and to maintain a vigilant watchfulness at all times for the Lord Jesus’ return.
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okay let’s take our Bibles this morning and let’s turn to the gospel of Mark the gospel of Mark and we’re going to be looking at verses 24 to 37 this morning let me read it Mark 13: 24 but in those days after the tribulation the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the Stars will be falling from the heaven and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken then they will see the son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory and then he will send forth the angels and will gather together his elect from the Four Winds from the farthest end of the Earth to the farthest end of Heaven now learn the parable from the Fig Tree when its branch has already become tender and put forth its leaves you know the summer is near even so you too when you see these things happen happening recognize that he is near right at the door truly I say to you this generation will not pass away until all these things take place Heaven and Earth will pass away but my words will not pass away but on that day or hour no one knows not even the angels in Heaven nor the son but the father alone take heed keep on the alert for you do not know when the appointed time will come it is like a man away on a journey who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge assigning each to each one his task also commanded the door keeper to stay on the alert therefore be on the alert for you do not know when the master of the house is coming whether in the evening at midnight or when the co the rooster crows or in the morning in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep what I say to you I say to all be on the alert let’s pray Lord this morning as we look at your word Lord give us a sense of urgency about what will take place Lord allow us every day to be ready for your coming and take it very seriously I pray Lord Jesus is that these passages will encourage us and help us to know that there’s one thing that is definitely certain that you’re coming again and I pray that you would impress that upon us every day in Christ I ask it amen amen okay this passage of scripture of course is is an kind of an exciting one uh Matthew Chapter 13 is here’s this all of it discourse that Jesus is still talking to his disciples privately he’s talking about the end times uh he’s talking about now this morning the second coming and Jesus Remember was not trying to encourage his disciples to speculate about exactly when he would return but uh he was urging his disciples To Be watchful to be prepared for his second coming in other words Jesus was pressing his disciples to be faithful right now in their life and that goes for all of go the Lord’s disciples uh that if they do then they they will be ready for the Lord’s return that vigilance and sobriety will be part of their life they will be spiritually watchful and spiritually awake so the counsel from scripture would be that between this age and the age to come Christians must remain aware of the times serve diligently while we’re waiting for the Lord’s return and then to if need be endure patiently even in the midst of suffering or persecution that may come however there will be a particular generation of Believers as I’ve been saying that will experience a greater level of distress now as we have been looking at uh the flow of History we we saw that I was mentioning the 70th week of of Daniel’s prophecy uh that this 70th week the 69th week kind kind of ends at the cross where Jesus Christ enters into Jerusalem in the triumphal entry and then the Messiah is killed in uh 33 ad and then of course we have this time that the prophets didn’t see the church age it’s Timeless and it’s signless and of course during that church age the church is supposed to be praying and watching serving growing in faith Love and Hope and of course waiting uh until Jesus returns again and then of course the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy is that week where tribulation will fall upon the whole world and the focus is going to be the nation of Israel where where God begins to bring the nation of Israel to the place where they first receive a messiah that is false the Antichrist and then in the middle of the tribulation Great Tribulation falls upon them and of course because of the preaching of uh individuals that God raises up that they’re going to be able to see their Messiah and uh then become converted in the land of course ezekiel’s Prophecy of the Dry Bones they come alive in the land and that’s a picture of conversion and so here in our text we are looking at what is going to happen at the second coming that at the end of the tribulation that Jesus is going to come to this Earth again the second time now the purpose of the 70th week of Daniel is really fourfold first it’s it’s to save many people uh we know that that will take place and then also it’s also used to crush the kingdom of Satan that Satan is going to be crushed during the tribulation period and he’s going to finally be bound and then eventually thrown into the Lake of Fire um and then of course it’s also to gather the armies of the world against Israel because that’s what’s going to take place not only will Satan be involved in gathering the armies of the world together the Lord God will be gathering them for their judgment and ultimately for their destruction as it says in Zephaniah an Old Testament minor Prophet it says my decision is to gather the Nations to assemble the kingdoms to pour out on them my indignation all my Burning Anger for all the Earth will be devoured by the fire of my Zeal and then of course Zechariah also tells us that in chapter 14 for I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle and the city will be captured and the houses plundered and the women ravished and half the city exiled and the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city then the Lord will go forth and fight against those Nations that have gathered against Israel as he fights on the day of battle so that is going to be what takes place during that 70th week and then there’s going to be the repentance of Israel that the armies of the world are gathered against it and the nation is threatened with total Annihilation and of course again in Zechariah it tells us that all the nation ations of the earth will gather against Israel and there’s only one thing Israel can do at that particular point they have to call back the Messiah amen they have to call him to deliver them because there’s no one who’s going to deliver them they’re done all the nations of the world are now against them they’re gathered around them the armies of the world are gathered around them what are they going to do what are they going to do well they’re they’re going to have to call the him back now I want you to take take your Bibles for a minute and turn to a passage of scripture in Matthew chapter 23 because I want you to see that this old serpent is also angry because at some time at the conclusion of the Great Tribulation the woman or Israel holds to the key to calling the Messiah back to the earth now in Matthew CH 23:33 it says you serpents you brood of vipers how will you escape the sentence of Hell therefore behold I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes some of them you will kill and crucify some of them you will Scourge in your synagogues and persecute from City to city and then down to verse 37 of Matthew 23 Jerusalem Jerusalem who kills the prophets and Stones those who are sent to her how often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings and you were unwilling behold your house is being left to you desolate then verse number 39 says for I say to you from now on on you will not see me until you say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord so in other words that the Lord will not see him uh the people will not see the Lord again until the nation itself calls him back again until they say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord so the bottom line is that Satan is going to get the one who brought forth the Messiah and the one who is capable of calling her back again that is what he what they do they they actually do that and Jesus comes out of heaven and rescues them now again the Old Testament in Zephaniah says this and I will pour out on the House of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of Grace and supplication so that they will look on me whom they have pierced and they will mourn for him as One Mourns for an only son and they will weep bitterly over him like a bitter weeping over a firstborn in that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem the land will mourn every family by itself so in other words Israel will mourn when they see the wounds of his crucifixion in his resurrected body and they will repent and receive Jesus as their Messiah and savior and the Lord in response to their repentance cleanses the nation from sin and brings them back to him again so all that takes place all the refining and purifying takes place in the tribulation where the Lord prepares his people to actually see him and call upon Him finally as their lord and savior now back to the gospel of Mark again remember Jesus is letting his inner core of disciples in on some teaching about the complex of events that will be coming and he gives his disciples was a warning and a caution so that they know what to look for and how to respond during the latter days also they will know how to teach the next upcoming generations and future Generations about what’s going to take place and of course also so the apostles can write it in the scripture for us and it could be there forever so we can preach and teach it so he wants his disciples to be on guard we’ve read that several times take heed be on guard watch don’t fall asleep all those things are there in scripture for our admonition and for our encouragement but as we look at the second coming there’s three important facts concerning the certainty of Christ’s coming and the first one is this found in verse 24 to verse 27 of our passage in Mark chapter 13 that it’s this that Jesus is certainly coming again but this time he is coming in power and great glory to gather his people notice what it says again in verse 24 it says but in those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened the moon will not give its light and the Stars will be falling from the heavens and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken so in other words that the day of the Lord in the day of the Lord Cosmic signs will occur after the tribulation of those days Cosmic signs will Herald the consummation of the age so so we see here that some well actually some have General generalized this and regarded this uh these passages as figurative simply denoting it to be political change and international upheavals alone however neither linguistically nor contextually do it points do these things point in the direction of taking a figurative interpretation see the language of the passage speaks for itself when Jesus Christ comes there will be a cataclysmic effect on the whole of the universe in other words no one no one in the world in the universe actually everyone in the universe is going to know he’s coming everyone Angels demons people on the Earth will know he is coming you cannot make a mistake of who’s arriving it’s Jesus Christ see there will be an in other words an earthquake in heaven not only will the heavenly bodies be shapen and literally Stars be fall falling from the sky to the Earth but also remember within the Heavenly realm there’s also another kingdom that the kingdom of Satan will be shaken to its core his career is ruined by Jesus as it says in 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse number eight then the Lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of his mouth and bring an end by the appearance of his coming see the Rune of law that Lawless one his career will be overthrown this agent of Destruction will be overthrown and of course it will be decisive at the Lord’s coming he will bring an end by his appearance this the visible appearance of the Lord Jesus in the world will put an immediate stop to an accelerated diabolical program and of course the Glorious arrival of the very presence of Jesus bodily to the Earth will bring not only the heavens into a earthquake type of scenario IO but also the Demonic realm would be will be shaken to its core the Antichrist and the false prophet will then of course at the end be cast after the thousand years into the Lake of Fire and they will remain there forever the Kings and their Godless armies will be killed and the birds will feed on their flesh the political economic religious and military forces of Satan’s kingdom will be crushed completely and Satan then of course will be bound cast into a temporary holding place called The Abyss for the next thousand years in which he has no influence in the world during the Thousand-Year reign of Christ during that Theocratic Kingdom on the earth and so Jesus will come as he promised as found in the prophetic word and from The Humble son of man who at the end of his ministry sits right there on the Mount of Olives telling his disciples all these things well of course waiting of course remember he’s telling his disciples this before he’s crucified this is before he actually gets crucified and of course he’s also saying listen I’m going to come in a different manner not in a humble manner in a manner as a king in a manner as a God as God see you can see from our passage that when Jesus comes to this earth it will be with notice great power and glory and these will be on display for the whole world to see because it says in verse 26 then they will see the son of man coming in the clouds with great power and Glory see people will see Jesus as they never saw him before clouds in scripture most often refer to divine presence passages uh such as the following really support that clouds refer to the presence of God if you remember back in mark on the Mount of transfiguration uh in chapter nine it said then a cloud formed overshadowing them and a voice came out of the cloud this is my beloved son listen to him and then when Moses stood before God the Lord said to Moses behold I will come to you in a thick Cloud so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord and then of course way back in Daniel it says I kept looking in a night visions and behold with the Clouds Of Heaven one like the son of man coming and he came up to the Ancient of Days and was present before him see Jesus will come as he promised and have his angels then gather together his people it says in our our our passage of scripture of verse 27 and then he will send forth the angels and will gather together his elect from the four winds from the farthest end of the Earth to the farthest end of Heaven see the then does not necessarily mean instantaneous succession but it will not be a long interval of time the angels will go in all directions north south east and west and they will gather his chosen his elect people now of course the question we have to ask is who is who are the elect people well that depends that depends on how you view end time eschatology what position you hold all right it could be some may believe that it’s Believers of all ages but the only problem is there’s no Resurrection me mentioned here so there’s a problem with that it could be that people they believe that people are alive who have come out of the Great Tribulation it could be some believe that the church this is the church emerging from the Great Tribulation if you believe the church is going through the Great Tribulation some positions do believe that or you can believe this and this is my position it’s distinctly Jewish Believers of that period who have been one to Faith in Jesus Christ as their Messiah during the tribulation period in other words the Angels go get all of the Nations Israel that have have been scattered all over the world especially because of the tribulation they’re are they’re on the they’re in the the remotest parts of the world they’re hiding out they’re they’re they’ve run from the trouble and so the Angels go and gather them so because of the terrible and horrific tribulation the Lord’s people really will scatter into the remotest part of the world for he even tells us in zechar it says flee from the land of the north declares the Lord for I have dispersed you as the Four Winds of Heaven declares the Lord Zechariah 2:6 but all will be gathered to a central location uh the location will be where Jesus is all right he’s going to gathers people where he’s at he’s going to bring them to himself he’s coming to the Earth and he’s coming to to a certain place on the earth not just anywhere according to scripture Jesus is coming to the Earth and his feet will touch down at the same place Jesus ascended into heaven all right and what place is that well it’s the very place is teaching his disciples from right here it’s going to me a man of Olives now take your Bibles for a minute and turn to Zechariah and then I want you to turn over to the book of Acts and just just look at a couple passages that kind of gives us a foundation of why I’m saying these things and why I believe this is what the scripture teaches in Zechariah Chapter 14 remember Zachariah Malachi Zechariah Malachi are the last two Old Testament books Zechariah telling about the future of what’s going to take place Malachi telling the people you’re in sin you’re Hypocrites and then 400 years God doesn’t speak through a prophet until John the Baptist and John the Baptist remember his message is repent right you Hypocrites right for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand all right so the message is really consistent with the flow of the Old Testament look at Zechariah 14:3 and 4 it says then the Lord will go forth and fight against those Nations and when he fights on that day of battle in in that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which is in front of Jerusalem on the East and the amount of Olives will olives will split in its middle from east to west by a very large Valley so that half of the mountain will move toward the North and the other half toward the South and then of course he comes and he touches down on the Mount of Olives now if you turn to the book of Acts you’ll find that When Jesus ascended into heaven in front of his disciples where did he ascend from he ascended from the man of Olives now in other words Jesus left bodily into heaven and he’s going to come back bodily to Earth as the resurrected Son of God in Acts 1:9 remember what this is what Jesus is doing here in Acts one he’s teaching his disciples about the kingdom of God 50 days he teach he teaches his disciples about the kingdom of God in Acts 1:9 it says and after he had said these things he was lifted up while they were looking on and a cloud received him out of their sight and as they were gazing intently into the sky while he was going behold two men men with white clothing Stood Beside them they also said men of Galilee why do you stand looking into the sky this Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven and verse 12 says then they return to Jerusalem from the Mount of olivit which is near Jerusalem a Sabbath’s day Journey away so in other words Jesus ascended before his disciples into heaven bodily and he’s going to come back in the same way to the same place so where is he going to gather his people he’s going to gather his people around him on the Mount of Olives that’s what he’s going to do now those are very specific things the Bible is telling us but all right there are some problems all right and I want to look at some of those things and so let’s go back to the gospel of Mark and let’s consider this yes first of all Jesus is coming with power and great glory to uh to gather all those one to Faith in the tribulation period specifically the N the nation of Israel all right a second thing we consider about the fact of the certainty of Jesus is that Jesus is certainly coming again and the time is close at hand verse 28-31 now the Lord points to a very usual and visual occurrence which he uses as a lesson for his disciples to remember and notice in verse number 28 it says this now learn the parable from the Fig Tree when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves you know that summer is near all right so the Fig Tree remember signals The Nearness of Summer but not its immediacy that is summer is coming exactly when we don’t know but it’s coming and the Fig Tree is is that picture it’s that illustration it’s that visual thing the Lord gives disciples okay you’re going to go past this Victory all the time and notice that listen when summer comes something happens that right before summer comes something happens to that thig tree when you see that happening you know summer’s on its way all right uh the other season’s out and summer is on its way so this is like an advertisement to them it’s like a billboard on the side of a road used to Aid or to recognize What’s Happening Now what is happening well in verse number 29 it says even so you too when you see these things happening recognize that he is near right at the door now I said there was a couple problems this is one of them and here’s the problem if you have a new American Standard it’s translated he is near right at the door if you have a King James Bible or a new King James it says it is near at the door all right so either it’s an it an impersonal pronoun uh if it is then of course the bottom line would be it refers to the end time it it actually it would refer to the End Time Crisis that he’s been talking about that every sign is an advertises the end as being near it’s a possibility that could be the translation right but in The New American Standard which I’m reading right here uh which most of you have uh it says here that he is near now it is if it is translated with a disp personal pronoun then it would refer to a person every sign advertises a person is coming a person is near to us now I believe it refers to a person but you know what both of them can be taken as legit legate because they do not whatsoever change the flow of the text or the point of the text because both things are in view here these crisises are coming but it’s all pointing to the one who is coming so I would I would probably say that the numeric standard has done a better job in translating that so so the next passage also gives us uh observant readers of scripture some things to wrestle with now if you notice what it says it says here in verse number 30 notice what it says it says truly I say to you this generation will not pass away until all these things take place now that’s a problem all right and why is it a problem because we have to ask what does that mean we have to ask what does generation refer to uh there’s three potential interpretations the first one would be this that it’s referring to the generation is referring to only the generation of those living at the time when Jesus spoke who would see the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD all right some hold that position very prominent theologians hold that position all right however all that is mentioned in this chapter did not take place during the lifetime of the 12 disciples so you would have to reconcile that I’m not going to do that this morning but you have to reconcile that second interpretation would be the generation refers to who live at the end of History the generation who lives at the end of his history when these things will take place when the the succession of signs will occur before the end time generation passes away all right so it’s going to be the generation at the end of history when all these events take place and before that generation ends all these things will take place I take that position but there’s another position too which does have some validity to it that the word generation can be translated of course in the Greek it’s GNA and it means race or contemporaries in other words that the race of people that character characterize that Generation The Generation Jesus is speaking to right now what kind of character do they have well if it means that then it is referring to a generation of Jews Like These Pharisees and scribes and Sadducees that Jesus has been contending with on this long Tuesday that this group or this race is a type of Jewish race that will continue right up into the day of the second coming has some valid validity to it but I think that the one that I would land on would be the one that it would be talking about a generation that will live at the end of history and they will they will experience the signs mentioned in the text and that generation will not pass away until everything is done that’s where I would land all right so saying all that there are many things that we can say are not certain in the world but there are many things that are certain and there’s one thing specifically that is certain and that’s Jesus is coming and that’s what the text is moving us to now human life is short everyone passes away Jesus just predicted that the temple shall fall into ruin and pass off the scene the center of worship will pass off the scene history as we know it will come to an end and then notice in verse 31 it says Heaven and Earth will pass away could you imagine that despite their seeming durability Heaven and Earth Earth will pass away and will be changed completely Revelation tells us about that and furthermore despite the Jews rejection of jesus’ words they will never pass away for it says in the text and my words will not pass away and we could also say that they will never undergo even the slightest change in meaning or form Jesus said about all these happenings it will C culminate in his coming again it was uh professor and Pastor colen Smith who’s now with the Lord who um was a professor for many years who writes a really an excellent set of books about the storyline of the Bible in other words a a Biblical theology he writes and when he mentioned the second coming of Christ in the Gospel of John chapter 14 where it sayso not let your heart be troubled remember Jesus is ready to go back to Heaven he’s telling his disciples listen don’t let your heart be troubled believe believe in God believe also in me in my father’s house are many Dwelling Places if it were not so I would have told you for I go and prepare a place for you now the Lord told that to his disciples he said listen I’m I’m going away I’m going to be not I’m not going to be around you bodily anymore I’m going to send the father’s going to send the promise of the Holy Spirit and he’s going to be with you but you’re not going to see me anymore but I’m going to prepare a place for you now that does not mean that Jesus is going to go build kingdoms and or build a dwelling place for us to live in and get the bedroom or the rooms ready it’s not that’s not what it’s talking about what it’s talking about specifically is Jesus was about to endure Indescribable suffering on the cross and it was in this way that reservations would be made in the father’s house for all his people and since he would pay such a great price for the reservations the disciples could be absolutely certain that Jesus would bring them into the father’s home see the logic of jesus’ words is really powerfully be persuasive because in John 14 he says this also if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to myself and where I am there you may be also so Jesus was saying listen if I go through the agony of death and then rise on the third day and Ascend into heaven all for the single purpose of prep preparing a place for you then it is inconceivable that I would not do that then it is I I can say it this way is it conceivable that I would not bring you there if I did those things if I went through this it was Cole and ped at uh excuse me it was col Smith that um gave this antidote he says if I were to spend my life savings on a Priceless ring it is inconceivable that having written out the check and made the purchase I would leave the ring on the counter having paid the price the ring would become my treasured possession and I would bring it home I would not leave it there see Jesus is going and prepare a place for all those those who believe in him and we can be absolutely confident that he will bring all those who believed in him as Lord and Savior to be with him there are two ways in which Christ’s people may enter the father’s house one is to die before Christ comes the other is to live until Christ comes Christ will bring every believer into the presence of the father either one way or the other he’s going to definitely do that now saying all that there’s a third fact back in the gospel of Mark that I want you to notice all right so until Jesus comes again Jesus actually alerts his disciples to a constant Readiness that of vigilance and sobriety where a third fact is this Jesus is certainly coming again but only God knows when the Master of the House will show up now that means he’s telling his disciples this is what you’re to do while you’re waiting for Jesus to return and what are they to do well the first thing they’re to do in verse 32 and 33 in the Lord’s absence they are to remain watchful and confident in the father’s will notice what it says in verse 32 Jesus is near but only the father knows the hour and the day of his arrival verse 32 but of that day or hour no one knows not even the angels in heaven not nor the son but the father alone now it may be a surprise that it reads there that the son does not know the day of the hour now how do we deal with that well I believe the son of man in his humility used the divine omniscience in a restricted way in other words Jesus does not claim the Divine prerogatives of divine sub sunship apart from complete obedience to the father’s will and a humble confidence in the father’s will that what the father said will take place is is fine for him to restrict his use of his deity that he would not know that time that that’s that’s simply it in other words we we’re to take the Lord’s example because in verse number 33 it says take heed keep on the alert for you do not not know when the appointed time will come stressing again that in the in the present Christ’s disciples are are to keep their eyes open constantly in order to observe what is happening in the world and how it agrees with what Jesus foretold watching will keep you true to faith it will keep you ready for the return of Christ as Jesus trusts the father we are to trust the father also a second thing that the disciples should do found in verse 34 is that as the Lord is absent they are to remain again alert and active see Jesus gives a picture about how it is going to be like notice in verse 34 it is like a man away on a journey who upon leaving his house putting his slave slaves in charge assigning to each one his task also commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert verse 34 there see the man on the journey is Jesus and it pictures Jesus as having left the Earth and having ascended into heaven and that’s what he does see Jesus then arranges his house and left his servants in charge so that he could leave for an indefinite period of time so the master of the house then gives strict orders to to the doorkeeper to stay alert so what actually is happening here recorded in Luke chapter 19 Jesus actually went back to heaven to receive a kingdom see When Jesus ascended into heaven it surprise his disciples because they really hoped after Jesus rose from the dead in Victory that he would restore the kingdom to Israel immediately he didn’t at least it was not at that time instead he told them to wait for the holy spirit in Jerusalem and he will give you power to be Witnesses and to preach the gospel of the Kingdom to all tribes and Nations and peoples of the world and then the end would come so in the Gospel of Luke chapter 19 Jesus told his disciples by way of a parable again that he would be going away and then coming back for it says in Luke chapter 19 while they were listening to these things Jesus went on to tell a parable because because he was near Jerusalem and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately so he said a nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself and then return so Jesus in another place says I’m going away for a while I’m not going to tell you exactly when I’m coming back but I am coming back but in the intome you make sure you do everything to be ready that I’m coming back so he’s telling his disciples that he was a king and that the kingdom was in heaven with the father and that he was not going to establish it at that time he was going back to heaven where he would receive the kingdom and then he would come back as a king and rule the Earth in strict righteousness and judgment and that would be the thousand year reign of Christ there’s a third thing in our text that he tells his disciples they ought to practice and it’s this staying awake and he means specifically staying awake spiritually staying aware of what’s going on see in other words in thirdly in the Lord’s absence in the world’s night do not yield to spiritual sleep now while Jesus is away his disciples will remain in the world’s night and right now we are in the world’s night and I say this because the question of jesus’ arrival is not one of a date or a time of day but it’s actually a time of night notice what it says in verse 35 it says therefore be on the alert for you do do not know when the master of the house is coming and then it says whether in the evening at midnight or when the rooster crows or in the morning see four designations of the watches of the night are given all watches of the night are night all right 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. 9 to 12 p.m. 12: to 3:00 a.m. and 3: to 6:00 a.m. are all in the night time hours see the place the places Jesus actually places the arrival at sometime during the night in order to illustrate that the son of man will come at an hour we think not we cannot calculate when he’s going to come actually also it is a night and of course people are more prone to be careless and fall asleep at what at night I remember when I was in the Marine Corps and we had Night Watch Duty and one thing that would happen is that in the in the military code of uh rules that if you fell asleep on duty you can actually get the death penalty and the reason for it is because you have to stay awake in the battle situation to make sure the guys can sleep for the battle that’s coming and you have to alarm them if something happens and if you’re asleep everyone’s going to get killed all right so in other words the Lord is is really saying to his disciples listen don’t be careless don’t fall asleep spiritually for it says in our text in case he should come suddenly in verse number 36 and find you asleep see as Jesus carries his disciples are warned to watch continuously so that they do not grow dull spiritually so they do they do not get to the place where they Grumble and complain spiritually they do not get to the place where they sit on the bench and they think they don’t have to do anything spiritually and they become spiritually unresponsive to the word of God and to the spirit of God that’s the warning given to every generation that warning is given to us that the disciples in fact if you look just bruise go over to chapter 14 for a minute remember Jesus in is in the garden of gths remember there notice what it says in verse 37 in mark 14:37 it says and he came and found them sleeping and said to Peter Simon are you asleep could you not keep watch for one hour verse 38 keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak and then to verse 40 of chapter 14 and again he came and found them sleeping for their eyes were very heavy and they did not know what to answer him and verse 41 says and he came the third time and said to them are you still sleeping and resting it is enough the hour has come behold the son of man is being betrayed into the hands of Sinners so we see that even his own disciples succumbed at a moment they should have been praying to the weakness of the flesh all right and did not watch or and of course part of watching and being alert is praying that all they they they always go together you can’t be watching and not praying you have to be watching and praying together one strengthens the other so in this particular case that Jesus is saying to all of us listen we cannot grow dull we have no uh right to grow dull we really don’t have no space to grow dull we we cannot grow spiritually unresponsive to the Lord we must be alive we must have fresh oil you know we need our oil changed once in a while spiritually speaking right all that Gunk and stuff gets in your oil when you when you do an oil chain it’s all black into some fresh oil in your spirit so you can continue on and serve the Lord with Zeal and with uh just diligence and so there’s one last thing in verse number 37 in other words he says listen in the Lord’s absent these instructions are for all of Christ’s disciples not one disciple is exempt verse 37 says verse 36 says in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep what I say to you I say to all beond the alert so see these teachings are for all followers of Jesus Christ of all times and this command is for all jesus’ disciples because the Disciples of Jesus Christ are the doorkeepers what I say to you I say to all be on the alert so in other words while we wait for the Lord we can’t presume on setting dates that’s that’s a given also we we can’t take leave and sit on our hands we have to be working also we should never get to the place where we scoff and mock because it warns us about that in second Peter we remember the scoffers said well Jesus actually Peter warned for first of all in the last days mockers will come with their mocking following after their own lust and saying where is the promise of his coming he says he’s coming well everything since the fathers fell asleep all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation that’s what mockers do mockers say that’s not true don’t believe all that stuff that’s not going to happen everything’s all the same everything goes along the same all the seasons come and go nothing’s going to change at all whatsoever can’t ever get to that that place see the end is wrapped up in many unknowns and will come in an hour and a day we think not we cannot calculate so therefore live in a constant state of servanthood that is a state of watchfulness faithfulness and diligent Readiness so when Jesus comes you won’t be ashamed when Jesus comes you will be ready if you just consider how the Bible ends it ends with this free free statements of Last Words of Christ it says yes I am coming quickly the church’s response amen come Lord Jesus and of course the apostles John response the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all amen that’s how the Bible ends so it ends with us looking for the Lord being ready for the Lord being doorkeepers to make sure we’re we’re teaching the word of God and we’re doing everything that we should be doing so we remain faithful one last thing in closing for the first John 228 says abide in him that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed now it was Donald gray barous who told the story that he had read in the London newspaper about a divorce case heard in the courts of that City a wealthy young man had gone away to war after he just got married his new bride wrote him of the demanding schedule that she had being a nurse in a certain Hospital apologizing for her infrequent writing and she explained that she was spending a great deal of time with the wounded some months later when the man was scheduled to leave a friend suggested listen don’t announce you’re coming slip in quietly surprise her arriving in London the young man went directly to the hospital but his wife was not there he then went to their house where he was told by the servants oh she will probably be at the tea dance at the ribs oh well going there you found her in the company of another man how shocked and ashamed she was at her husband’s appearing she was not faithful she was not ready and she was completely ashamed see when our Lord returns we won’t want to be found flirting and preoccupied with the world expecting Christ to return at any moment to receive us to himself can be a tremendously purifying force in our lives our hearts should be focused on Jesus the one that we ought to love and then our lives will be purified by the desire to be like him and someday see him face to face so see there you have to look at your life and say am I ready for that what are you living for are you living for money for possessions for your job for someone else or you’re living for Christ all of it’s going to pass away it’s all going to be gone don’t live for something that’s temporal live for something that’s Eternal all right and live live a life that’s holy and being purified by the word and the spirit and repentance and faith in Christ because Christ is coming you want to have your be caught with your hand in the cookie JY when he comes you don’t want that but see we’re weak in the flesh and um we we don’t remain diligent and that’s partly what the church is for that’s partly what the body is for to stay close to the body so we can provoke each other to be diligent to remain fresh right and that if we start getting bad attitudes that we would start telling each other about it if we start slipping away and drifting off somewhere that we would pull somebody back in that we would be diligent to live in a way that belong that we that people know that we belong to Christ and if you don’t know Jesus Christ if you’ve never trusted him as your lord and savior today should be the day you come because tomorrow he may come are you ready are you ready by having a profession of faith that has evidence that you’re truly a Believer see Jesus is coming again that’s certain let’s pray Am Lord from reading these texts even with some of the issues in them I know one thing that those who belong to Christ will long to see him and as the gold of the world grows dim Lord in the light of your wonderful face I pray Lord that our desire to want to serve you and worship you and make ourselves ready for your return will become intense Lord don’t allow us to fall asleep Lord keep us awake keep us spiritually growing and advancing in maturity in Christ Lord use us to bring the gospel to those who don’t know you yet let us be holy lies for the Next Generation for the children that are look at our lives let us be an example ex Le of what a Believer ought to be and I pray Lord let us always be connected to the people that you love and that you die for so Lord when you come to get us that we won’t be ashamed that you’ll find us faithful to the end Lord use us in that way and I Pray by it Lord you would bring glory to your great and awesome name and I pray this in Christ amen