Ultimate Preparation
Hebrews 9:27-28
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
You've probably heard that the only sure things in life are death and taxes.
Taxes are sure. Death is not.
I am looking forward to meeting God, but it does not have to be through death. I'm ok if it happens that way, but Jesus Christ, the Son of God promised to return and take His followers with Him to a place He has prepared for them. I'm looking for that.
I want to be ready for Jesus to return and take me home.
Unless Jesus Christ returns to take us home, we all have an appointment with death and we are sure to be right on time!
Death. Judgment.
The great news is that Jesus Christ sacrificed His own life to pay for our sins - so the first time He came, He "came for sin." When He comes again, He is NOT coming "for sin", or to die again, but to gather His people to Himself and to judge the world.
If He comes before I die, I will be "changed" without dying. See scripture below.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Be ready for Jesus Christ, the Son of God to return. To be ready, you need become one of His followers and you need to be living as much as you can like Him.
To be ready, we need to belong to God via a relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ and to be ready, we need to be trying to live a "righteous" life, which is simply "living rightly" as God has defined it in His Word.
Acts 1:6-11
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Jesus will come again in like manner as he left. He ascended from the sky and He will return from the sky. Be ready!
Matthew 25:1-13
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
