He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. – Revelation 22:20
Never having learned to drive, someone has always been kind enough to pick me up in their car to go to appointments or gatherings. I always get ready early so I will not keep the person waiting. So I notice when our pastor announces special events, meetings, or choir practices and then adds, “If you can’t be on time, be early!” It sounds like good advice.
The Bible says many times that the coming of the Lord will come “in a time we least expect,” or “in a time we think not,” or “as a thief in the night.” It seems prudent to get ready early and to stay ready.
In the Book of Matthew, the writer tells what signs we should expect to see just before the Lord comes to take His Church to be forever with Him. We see those signs happening now all around us. There are earthquakes in places where there have never been earthquakes. There are famines in Africa and China and many other countries. False religions are springing up like weeds in a neglected garden. We read reports of “wickedness in high places.” Bibles are available in many different interpretations and languages, but there is a famine “of hearing the words of the Lord.”
Jesus is coming back! If you are not ready on time, it will be too late—forever too late! It will pay to “be early”—always ready and looking for the soon appearing of Our Redeemer. We have started in our Christian life, and perhaps have even walked with the Lord for years, but our journey is not complete until we are safely with the Lord. “So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors” (Matthew 24:33).
The Lord says He will come quickly. Be ready—now!