Be Ready

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Be Ready

15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Matthew 24:14

It’s not just Adventists it seems who read the book of Daniel. Jesus seems to have known the book as well. He gives the disciples, and us in turn, a warning found in that book. When you see the ‘abomination of desolation’ standing in the holy place, it’s time to run.

Prophecy and looking ahead is something Jesus believed in. Several times in the gospels he predicts future events and compares them to natural events like the weather. That is because God made a promise to us:

7 Surely the Lord God does nothing,
Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

Amos 3:7

God loves us and doesn’t want us to be caught unawares. He has laid out the future of our world in his Bible so that we can prepare and be ready. Although details might be scarce sometimes and we’d like to know more, God gives us enough to be ready.

17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.

Matthew 24:17-18

Here we see a warning about being ready. It’s not that we can stop it or change it. That’s not why Jesus gives us glimpses of the future. He shows us things so that we can prepare.

If you know things are coming soon, you won’t have to go back and rush try and get things done. A person who prepares doesn’t need to go back but can confidently move forward.

19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

Matthew 24:19

Many people take this as a message to not have kids. That is not the point. What is being said here is, if you see the ‘abomination of desolation’ and know the end is very close and that it’s time to run, it’s not a good idea to ignore it and try and live as nothing is changing. That too is part or being prepared.

Are we preparing ourselves? Are we ready for the Second Coming of Jesus?

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto