Are You Ready?
A mother was explaining to her little girl about the death of her father. The mother said, "God has sent for your father and will send for us, but I do not know just when." Finally the little girl said, "If we do not know just when God is going to send for us, do you not think we had better pack up and get ready? God might send for us when we are not ready to go." Great truths are often spoken by children, and in this story is the truth that we should be prepared at all times, for we do not know when we will be called upon to leave this world. It may be much sooner than we think. Are you ready?
The Bible clearly points out that life is brief. In James 4:14, the Scriptures declare, "Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." The Bible also states, "For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; We finish our years like a sigh. The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalms 90:9-12).
In Job 9:25-26, the Scriptures say, "Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good. They pass by like swift ships, Like an eagle swooping on its prey."
Yes, not only does the Bible reveal that life is short, but it also points out that death might occur at any time. In Genesis 27:2, Isaac said, "I do not know the day of my death." No one of us is any different than Isaac. We do not know when we are going to die. It may happen many years from now; it might occur even today. Isaac was an old man when he made that statement. He did not know the day of his death, but he felt it would be soon. But did you know that more than twenty years passed before God called him home? You may be an older person and feel that death is imminent. In all likelihood you are right, but who knows? Perhaps you will be one of those who reaches and surpasses the century mark. On the other hand, you may be a young person and feel you have many more years. In all likelihood you are right, but death may occur shortly.
In Luke 12 is recorded the story of a man who thought he had many years in which to get richer and to live a life of ease. [Read Luke 12:16-21.] Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, `What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' So he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
The man who counts on tomorrow is a fool. This rich farmer made great plans, but he did not include God in those plans. There is nothing wrong with planning for the future, but there is something wrong when we plan for the future and do not include God in those plans. Yes, something is desperately wrong! We talk about what we are going to do tomorrow, and yet tomorrow is something of which we cannot be certain. Solomon said, "Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth" (Proverbs 27:1).We do not know when death will come, but neither do we know when the Lord will return. He may return in our lifetime. We know not the day nor the hour. In Mark 13:32, the Bible says, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." And in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, Paul said the Lord's return will be like a thief in the night. You know, one thing that makes a thief successful is that he strikes at a time when one least expects him. The Lord's return will be somewhat like that. He will return at the time when we least expect him. The tragic thing about all of this is that most of the world will not be prepared for either death or the Lord's return.
In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." These verses indicate that a majority will be lost. Therefore, the majority will be unprepared for death or for the Lord's coming. The story is told of a slave during pre-Civil War days. His master died, and someone said to the old slave, "Well, I guess your master has gone home to heaven." "No, sir," the slave replied. "Whenever my master was going to go somewhere, he spent a long time talking about it and a long time getting ready, and he never did say anything about going to Heaven." How well this story illustrates this truth that preparation must be made!
Are you prepared? Are you ready to go to heaven? Is it possible you are so attached to this world you would not be suitable for Heaven?
In Genesis 19, we read of Lot, his wife, and two of their daughters, who were escaping the burning city of Sodom. They were strictly instructed not to look back, and yet Lot's wife looked back and immediately turned into a pillar of salt. Jesus, in Luke 17:32, simply said, "Remember Lot's wife." It seems Lot's wife was just too attached to her worldly possessions. It seems she did not really want to leave them. She was not prepared to leave.
So many of us are so busily engaged in the game of acquiring this world's goods that we do not serve the Lord as we should. We lay up treasure here on the earth but neglect laying up treasure where it really counts--heaven. We become so attached to this world we really are not prepared to leave it. We are so unprepared for eternity, and what a tragedy it is!
In John 14:1-3, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." From these verses, we may see that Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.
In Matthew 25, Jesus illustrated the tragedy of being unprepared. In Matthew 25:1-13, we read the parable of the ten virgins. The ten virgins were to attend a wedding. They were to accompany the bridegroom. Five of these were wise because they took extra oil for their lamps, and five were foolish because they took no extra oil. At midnight they were told the bridegroom was coming. The five foolish virgins then tried to borrow oil from the five wise virgins, but the five wise virgins would not loan the oil because they had just enough for their own lamps. The five foolish virgins went out to buy oil, but while they were gone the bridegroom came. Those who were ready accompanied him to the marriage. Later the five who had gone out to get oil arrived but the door was shut. They were too late. They were unable to gain entrance.
Jesus Christ is coming. Most are unprepared. Oh, some will try to make last minute preparations to no avail. Now is the time to get ready. In 2 Corinthians 6:2, Paul said,"...now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." In John 9:4, our Lord said, "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work."
Listen to the words that were spoken to God's people by the prophet of old in Amos 4:12: "Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!." Let me ask again, Are you ready? Are you ready for your appointment with death? Are you ready for the Lord's return. Are you ready to confront Jesus at judgment?
We present these programs to help you better understand the Bible and to help you get ready for eternity. We appeal only to the Bible for our answers. We believe this is what you really want, Bible answers, because no man has the right to supply answers that do not come from the Bible.
Now, how can you get ready for the end? The Bible says one must hear the word of God: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). One must believe in Christ: "... if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John 8:24). Jesus said we must repent of our sins: "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). And we must confess Christ to be the Son of God, the good confession: "... if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:9-10. And we must be baptized for the remission of sins, buried in baptism, for that is all baptism is, or ever has been-- a burial, where the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sins. In Acts 2:38, when the first Gospel sermon was preached and those there who heard, many of them, cried out, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"--that is, What shall we do to be saved? Peter said, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). Those who have not done these things are not prepared for eternity.
Have you obeyed these commandments? If not, our prayer is that you will do so. You may not have as much time as you think. You only have one life to live. Why not live it in service to your LORD.
