Although we have always been cautioned to be humble in our presumed understanding of the events associated with the Second Coming of Jesus, our Lord himself did admonish us to be alert, faithful and wise so that we are not caught off guard and in effect embarrassed when he comes (Matthew 24:37-51). In fact it gets real messy for those who live carelessly without regard to the imminent return of the Lord. In verses 48-51, we read about certain unfaithful servants who are not only embarrassed by their master’s sudden return, but they are “cut off” and share the lot of the “hypocrites” who will be “weeping and gnashing their teeth” presumably in hell itself. While this is a very severe case that probably alludes to the lot of the most inveterate of backsliders , there will be a less catastrophic judgment for those who while not forfeiting their salvation, nevertheless, will find out that they made it by the skin of their teeth: “...for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ...so then each of us shall give an account of himself to God (Romans 14:10c,12.).” Paul takes up this theme again in I Corinthians 3:11f(NKJV), where he says: “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day (referring to Christ’s Second Comong, parenthesis my own) will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it (Christ’s saving foundation parenthesis my own) endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned,he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved so as through fire.” This is a sobering thought.
Your salvation may not be in doubt, but the question remains whether you and I wish to be embarrassed before the Lord not to mention our peers if our dedication is found wanting. It won’t be fun and games, “that’s fer sure.” The fire that is spoken of here may be those distractions or disconcerting events in our life which may cause us to neglect our walk with Christ and render us unproductive.
Christ himself warns us about being adequately prepared for his Second Coming in the richly symbolic parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins. In this parable found in the beginning of Matthew 25 all ten virgins were awaiting the coming of the bridegroom who would be marching in procession with his entourage to his bride’s home as was the fashion of Jewish wedding festivities in Biblical times. Jesus says that the bridegroom was delayed, so much so that all the virgins fell asleep as night had fallen. Suddenly at midnight, the cry rang out that the groom was “around the corner.” Since it was pitch dark everyone needed to keep their oil lamps glowing in order to see the bridegroom and march with him. The “dumb” ones had insufficient oil because they were negligent. So, while they frantically went groping in the dark to buy “batteries” for their “flashlights” they missed the procession and the other festivities. (No doubt, they had no all night “Walmarts” in that town). For sure they had begged their wise counterparts to give them oil but were denied because there would not have been enough to go around for everyone. Their imprudence had caused them to run out of “gas.”
We do not wish to be like the foolish virgins in this parable who forfeited their invitation to the wedding celebration because they were ill prepared to stay the course. Today we might say that we better not run out of gas or we might miss the finish line.
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