I can still remember the excitement and confusion in the 1980’s which surrounded the publication of a booklet by Edgar Whisenant, a former NASA engineer, entitled 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988. He sent his book out free to people all over the United States. There must have been hundreds of thousands of copies distributed. People were all stirred up thinking this could be true. After all, how could someone as smart as a NASA engineer be wrong? And he did present his case very logically. Given certain presuppositions, he even made a lot of sense. But he placed as much value on some of his hypotheses as he did biblical truth, and, obviously, ended up being very wrong.
A while back, evangelist Jack van Impe predicted that 2001 was the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Which I find very interesting since he believes in a pre-tribulational rapture of the church. In other words, Christ is supposed to return before the Tribulation to remove his followers from the world. Evidently, Dr. van Impe was overlooked. I wish I had kept all the pamphlets and articles which predicted the return of Christ during my lifetime. Too bad they did not pay attention to the words of Jesus: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13).
It is just as unfortunate, however, that people summarily dismiss the second coming of Christ because of these hasty prognosticators. The second coming of Jesus Christ into the world is just as much of a reality whether people wrongly predict the time of his coming, or whether or not people believe in his second coming at all. The second coming of Christ is mentioned 318 times in the 260 chapters of the New Testament. It occupies one in every 25 verses from Matthew to Revelation. And therefore we are called to take it seriously and do at least three things. These are the same things the bridesmaids were called to do as they awaited the bridegroom in Jesus’ parable.
The first thing we must do is: Be alert. We must be looking for the signs of his coming. We understand that we cannot know the day or the hour, or even the year, but we can know the season. We are to watch for those signs so that we are not caught off guard. In the parable we read together today, in the same verse that Jesus said, “you do not know the day or the hour,” he also said, “Keep watch ” We are not to dismiss or ignore the signs of his coming simply because we do not know the time, in fact, it is precisely because the time is unknown that we should be watching for it. “Therefore keep watch,” he said, “because you do not know the day or the hour.” It is because we do not know the day or the hour that we should keep watch, because he does not want us to be caught unaware.
The purpose of Christ’s first coming to earth was to introduce us to himself. He wanted us to see what God was like and have a clearer picture of him. He wanted us to have a look into his heart, his character and his will. He came to enhance our understanding of the Scriptures and fulfill them. But when he comes the second time, he will be coming to claim the world as his own. He will judge the sin of the world and punish those who continue in their sin. He will ban evil, and evil persons, from his kingdom, ushering in his kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy. It will be safe from every fear and every tear. It will be an everlasting kingdom where he will reign forever and ever.
Here is the biblical promise: “According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18).
But what if you are not alert and miss the signs of his coming? The foolish bridesmaids were not taking the bridegroom’s coming seriously. They were there to have fun. They were not watching for the signs of the bridegroom’s arrival, and because of that, they missed it. They fell asleep instead of staying alert. It is important that you are not falling asleep spiritually in these important days. You don’t want to be living in a state of spiritual stupor and apathy when alertness is called for.
What are the signs of his coming? Jesus said, in Matthew 24, that there would be a proliferation of cults and people claiming to be the Christ. He said there would be wars, famines and earthquakes. All of these things are happening in great numbers today. A recent study shows dramatic increases in earthquakes above 6.0 on the Richter scale. In the 1940’s there were 51. The 1950’s saw 475. By the 1980’s the number had risen to 1,085, and the 1990’s had over 1,500.
But the persecution of Christ’s followers is another sign of the nearness of Jesus’ return. Jesus said, “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:9-13). Are we seeing increasing hostility toward Christians around the world and persecution of the church globally? Yes. In fact, there are more people losing their lives because of their faith in Christ today than in all the years that preceded us.
Less than two weeks ago, on November 21, the Thursday before Thanksgiving, Bonnie Penner opened the door to the clinic where she worked in Lebanon as a missionary nurse. When she did, a Muslim man shot her three times in the head. The Moody Bible Institute grad was only 31-years-old, and she and her husband Gary served the people of Lebanon and Palestinian refugees whom she loved. Earlier in the week she wrote a friend an email and said, “I felt this overwhelming joy in being here in this place. I have such a heart for the women in this camp and I can touch their lives through the clinic.” What a terrible waste of life, but it is happening throughout the world on an unprecedented scale.
Not only is the increase in war a sign of the Lord’s coming, but the place of the most serious military conflicts is significant. The Bible teaches that the final war of the world will take place in the plane of Megiddo in Israel — the battle of Armageddon. The conflicts of the world today center around Israel and the Arab nations which surround her, and the other nations of the world are poised to take up sides in the conflict. Just the existence of the nation of Israel, which is a relatively new phenomenon in world history, is a dramatic fulfillment of prophecy — let alone the conflicts surrounding her existence.
We need to stay alert. But, secondly, we also need to: Be Prepared. The foolish bridesmaids did not take the bridegroom’s coming seriously. They were thinking about the party, instead of concentrating on their responsibility. They were doing their nails and chatting about other people. Maybe they were even making fun of the other bridesmaids because they thought they were too serious.
But if the world is coming to a conclusion, and the signs of his coming are already present, how should we be living? The Bible answers that when it says, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:11-13).
The foolish bridesmaids brought their lamps and thought that because they had their lamps they were prepared. Lamps in biblical times were small clay jars. Oil was poured in the top, and then a wick was placed in it. It could be something as simple as a shallow bowl made of clay with one end pinched to hold the wick, or something more elaborate. Jesus adds an element of the absurd in this parable, as he so often does. The girls came with a lamp and no oil. It is ridiculous given their responsibility, but nevertheless they represent many people in the world today. A lamp with no oil is only form without substance. They wanted to appear as though they were a part of the wedding party and were just like everybody else, but they were, in fact, not like the others. They had not come prepared. They had no oil. They were not ready to meet the bridegroom.
If you are going to be prepared to meet the bridegroom, you must be prepared. How do we become prepared? First of all, you must become a friend of the bridegroom. No one is invited to a wedding unless they are friends or family. You have to have some kind of relationship with Jesus Christ. You need to be a part of his family. The only way this happens is when we become honest before God and confess our sin to him. We come to him on our face, asking his forgiveness and cleansing to come in our lives. We turn from our sin. We ask for a new power to live for him and be faithful to him. We ask him to live inside of us. That is when we become a part of the family of God.
This leads to the final point. In this parable, Jesus is telling us that we need to: Be Filled. Again, the bridesmaids had the form of a lamp, but there was no substance to it. They were not filled. It looked like a real lamp, but there was nothing inside, so it was useless. There was nothing to keep the wick burning. The element of the absurd again comes out in the parable when they light the wicks when there was obviously no oil in the lamps. They know in the beginning that there is nothing inside, but they light the lamps as though they were full of oil. Only when they can avoid the truth no longer do they say, “Our lamps are going out.” Now the wicks are burnt up as well as having no oil. The lamp is pointless, even as a symbol now.
But at the return of Christ it will be the same in the church. There will be those who have oil in their lamps — they will be full of the Holy Spirit. And there will be those who have only symbols and no substance — they will not be filled with the Holy Spirit. They went through the motions of being a Christian without ever knowing Christ. They had ritual without a relationship. As the Bible says, they are among those “having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:5). It is possible to be a church member, be a regular attender, serve on the committees of the church, contribute and all the rest, but if you don’t have a living relationship with Christ, you are still not ready for his coming. Jesus Christ is not going to weigh all the good things you have done against all the bad things you have done. There will only be one question which each of us have to face: “Do you know me?” In the parable, the bridegroom comes at a time when the foolish bridesmaids did not expect him. They were asleep and unprepared. Those who were prepared went into the banquet and there was a great celebration. The foolish bridesmaids later came to the home of the bridegroom, but the door was shut. They pounded on the door and asked that the door be opened so they could come in, but the groom said to them: “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers ’” (Matthew 7:21-23).
If you are only pretending and play-acting, then you are not prepared. The word for hypocrite in the Greek was the word for actor. An actor on the Greek stage would put on a mask pretending to be somebody else. There are people who put on the Christian mask, but it is not who they really are, because they are not filled with the Holy Spirit. There is no oil in their lamps. The oil was the fuel of the lamp. It was the source of light and power. Without the oil, the lamp was useless. It did not matter how beautiful or elaborate the lamp was if there was no oil inside. It was still empty. You need to be filled.
How do you become filled? Jesus said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). If you are going to be filled you have to want it. You have to be hungry and thirsty for God. You can’t be apathetic or noncommital. You have to go after God like a starving man goes after food. Seek him like you are dying of thirst for him. Don’t become tired of waiting. The Bible says, “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:8-9).
It was 1987, and LSU and Indiana were playing in the NCAA Regional Finals. With only a few minutes left in the game, LSU was leading Indiana by eight points. But as well as LSU had played the whole game, something seemed to be different, and they began to lose the lead they had worked so hard to gain. The television announcer pointed out that the LSU players were beginning to watch the clock rather than pay attention to playing the game. They forgot about playing good basketball and just wanted the clock to run out. And because LSU lost their focus, Indiana closed the gap and won the game by one point — eventually going on to become the NCAA champions.
Jesus has called us to be alert, but if we are only watching the clock of the end times without being prepared and filled, we may lose in the end. We are not so much to watch the clock as to be faithful servants during the time we have left until he comes. Be alert. Be prepared. Be filled.
Rodney J. Buchanan
December 1, 2002
Mulberry St. UMC
Mt. Vernon, OH
www.MulberryUMC.org
Rod.Buchanan@MulberryUMC.org
The Coming King
(Questions for December 1, 2002)
1. Can you remember a time when you or others were concerned about predictions that Christ would return on a particular date?
2. How do you feel about people dismissing the second coming because of these unwise predictions?
3. How should we reconcile Jesus’ statement that we cannot know the day or the hour with his admonition to “keep watch”?
4. What was the purpose of the first coming of Christ?
5. What will be the purpose of Christ’s second coming?
6. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. Discuss what you think the message of these verses is.
7. Read Matthew 24:9-13. What are the signs of Christ’s second coming?
8. What was the mistake of the foolish bridesmaids? How did they exchange symbol for substance?
9. What happened when the foolish bridesmaids knocked on the door and asked to be allowed in? How will this apply to people at the coming of Christ?
10. How can we help people to understand the reality of Christ’s return to earth?
