Jesus is coming soon – Larus Press

Matthew 25:1-13

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

We all are saved, but are we all wise?

We must be ready, our spirit lives full of the Holy Spirit’s anointing, brim for Him so that when He comes, we may enter into the marriage feast: enter into the presence of our Lord; enter into the fullness of salvation’s grace, favour, rest, love and everlasting joy.

Oh to be in the presence of Jesus is something at which I tremble, and yet something I long for. Don’t we all?

What are we prepared to do to ensure we are prepared?

What cost to us to ensure our entrance into the Bridal chamber?

Submission, obedience, reverence, thanksgiving and faith.

Submission

To the will of the Father, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment, there is holiness — as we yield, so we grow.

Obedience

To the prompting of the Holy Spirit as He leads and guides us into all truth.

Reverence

For Yeshua – Messiah, Jesus our Saviour, for all He has done for us and for who He is. Love and fear intermingled: reverential fear of the everlasting, and love for the person of Jesus.

Thanksgiving

For our lives and all Yehovah GOD has done so that we might truly live in His abundant blessings of love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gentleness, patience, faithfulness and self control. Let us rejoice and be glad!

Faith

We know that all things do work together for good for those who love GOD and are called according to His purpose, that He is working out that very purpose in us, moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day and life by life.

Isaiah 40:3 says, “Prepare the way of the LORD…” We must prepare ourselves to be ready for His arrival. Let us meditate on the Word of GOD, which is Jesus, and let us rest in His presence, waiting upon Him, as His bride.

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus, Come.

“Nevertheless they flattered Him with their tongue;

And they lied to Him with their mouth;

For their heart was not steadfast with Him,

Nor were they faithful in His convenient.

But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity,

And did not destroy them.” (Psalm 78:36-38a)

God has a temper and sometimes we provoke Him to anger, just as the Hebrews did in the times of Moses and the Judges.

I am a parent. I love my child immeasurably. Sometimes he is affectionate and obedient. Sometimes just affectionate. As I read the passage above, I think of my son: sometimes flattering but full of deceit — the deceit of human pride and wilfulness. Sometimes I have to be very firm with my son and when he complies that’s the end of the matter. But when he does not, eventually, he can provoke me to anger.

I think this is the way God was with the Hebrews sometimes. I think we need to realise that sometimes He must be this way with us. Sometimes we provoke Him to anger.

As a follow-up from the first Are you Following Jesus post, I need do say to us all,

We need to be ready for Jesus’ return and that includes that we need to be faithful, respectful and reverent to the Father. We must not take Him for granted, not cause Him to grit His teeth, or mourn, for us. We must love Him in deed, not only in word, and behave toward Him as a child adoring his Father, in awe of His power and presence, and grateful that He is our Father.

I have a burden, that the body is not in awe and in love with the Father. We need to be.

“Let us rejoice and be glad, for the marriage of the lamb has come and the bride has made herself ready.”

May the words of the above song ring true in your life, and in mine.

Let us rejoice because the Creator God has adopted us, and be grateful because He is our Father. Let us remember that He is the all-powerful One, who has taken us in, holds us in the palm of His hand, not because we are worthy but because He put in us the Faith to believe in His sacrificial son, so that we could be close to Him.