“And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man” (Luke 17:26).
TEXT — Luke 17:20-37
Message
The lyrics of the song, “I Wish We’d All Been Ready”, written by US songwriter and musician, Larry Norman in 1970, comes to mind. It has been a great influence on believers for decades. The first stanza reads: “Life was filled with guns and war, and everyone got trampled on the flour. I wish we’d all been ready. Children died, the days grew cold, and A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold, I wish we’d all been ready”.
And the chorus: “There’s no time to change your mind, the Son has come, and you’ve been left behind…” Christ laid out the condition of things when He will return to the earth. The days that precede His coming are referred to in the Scriptures as the last days or the end times. He predicted that self-love will prevail over the love of God. There will be feasting, eating, and drinking, as man lives and acts in utter disrespect and disregard for God and His word.
And when He comes to take His people away during the rapture, a lot of people would be left behind. And seven years after, He returns again for the second phase of His advent. But before then, the Antichrist would have deceived many during the time of the great tribulation, which is described in the Scriptures as the time of Jacob’s trouble. Christ will then destroy the Antichrist and his cohorts, put Satan in the bottomless pit, and commence His thousand years reign of peace.
The days in which we live right now are the last days. These are the days Jesus prophesied about in our text. Sinners are careless about their souls and believers are distracted by celebrations and festivities. This carelessness will go on until the rapture takes place, and only a few believers who are alive in Christ and remain in fellowship and active service shall be raptured. The remaining careless saints will partake of the sufferings of the great tribulation. How ready are you?
Thought for the day
The greatest gamblers today are Christians who are unmindful of the rapture.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
4 comments
What shall I render unto the Lord for His goodnesses towards me. Lord remember me always.
What shall I render unto the Lord for His goodnesses towards me. Lord remember me always.
Lord keep me and preserve in your righteousness all through my days on earth in Jesus name Amen
In Jesus name,Lord keep me ready and watching at all times in places.
O LORD, make me ready