Prepared & Ready

            The Scriptures end with a factual statement that most would rather not think about.  But then God never does tell us just what we want to hear does He?  No, He makes sure to tell us what we NEED to hear.  And Revelation 22:20 expresses the reality of our situation here: “He who testifies to these things [that’s Jesus Himself] says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’  Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.”  Now is this good, comforting news or terrifying, bad news?  Does the phrase, “Prepare to meet your God” frighten or relieve you?  The answer will depend on the kind of relationship you’ve been building (or neglecting to build) with God. 

            To be perfect before God (functioning the way you were created to) it is imperative to know this information from Revelation 22 and prepare for Jesus’ return.  He has promised to come back for His faithful ones (Matt. 24:30; Jn 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11) and He has never failed on a promise – nor will He ever fail on a promise.  The frightening thing about this promise for too many is that God has never told us when He will return (Matt. 24:36, 42; 1 Thess. 5:1-6); Jesus goes so far to tell His disciples to not even try to figure it out (Acts 1:7).  All He says is to prepare for the event as soon as possible (notice the word “soon” in Rev. 22) and ensure that we are ready should it happen in our life time.

            There’s a perfectly good reason why God isn’t revealing the timing of Jesus’ return.  It’s obvious that He wants us to be busy growing our faith and helping Him to bring others into His kingdom when He finally arrives to take us Home (Matt. 24:13, 45-46).  He knows that if we have a definite date, we’re likely to take our time getting ready until the last minute and we’ll end up wasting time, and not growing or giving attention to those in need (see the parable of the 10 Virgins – Matt. 25:1-13).

            Jesus doesn’t need an escort when He comes back.  He already knows precisely what needs to be done and how to do it.  He won’t need any human assistance in the matter.  No one needs to be worried about anything – unless of course their souls are not prepared and ready.

            Why is He taking so long?  There are others He knows who desire to come along.  He’s waiting for them to get on board (2 Pet. 3:8-9; Rev. 6:9-11).  That could be your parent, sibling, spouse, child, friend, co-worker; aren’t you glad that He’s giving them time to respond?

            So, then, how does one prepare for Jesus’ return?  Peter says the first step is to repent of your sins (turn from them and commit to not return to them) and be baptized (immersed) into the full God-head (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) (Acts 3:38).  Paul says the same (in Romans 6:1-5; Galatians 3:26-27) as does a host of other writers.  Then Peter urges us to strive for holiness in all that we do (2 Pet. 3:10-14) so that we can maintain our readiness because Jesus could come back at any moment.

            Let’s all work together to make Revelation 22:20 the primary aspiration of our lives.  Let’s get into Jesus and grow to the point that we look forward to His return and our arrival in our new Home in God’s presence.  His return is a divine promise – it’s sure to happen.  So, let’s prepare to meet our God with joy and delight.

Doug