30th Mar 26 | 13:54
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Luke 21 5-9 WATCH AND PRAY I 05 Luke 21 6-7 Alive in Christ
📖 Luke 21:5-9
05May2021 - *Alive in Christ* - _Luke 21:5-9_ - WATCH AND PRAY I (5) – Bible reading: _I Thessalonians 5:1-11_
God has called us to watch and pray, amidst the harrowing experiences that are happening around us. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus and reach out to people with the heart of Jesus, longing for people to repent and turn to Christ.
Our life is *alive in Jesus*, whether we remain in this world or whether we are taken up to be with the Lord, we *live in Christ*.
_Luke 21:6-7 “These things which you see—the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down." (7) So they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?"_
The whole remaining part of _Luke 21_ is the answer to the question that was asked by the disciples. He gives us various signs and indicators of the end of this age and the beginning of the age to come.
There are many who interpret these signs of the end times that the Lord has given here as well as the revelation given to Apostle John. Some go into precise detail of years and months of how events will unfold, while others refrain completely from doing so, saying that it is only God the Father who has the timetable in His hands. Then there are all of us who hold different positions in between these two extremes.
_Act 1:6-7 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"_
The question of the disciples, as we see here as well as the frame from which they asked the question in _Luke 21_, is all about Jesus the Messiah, setting up His kingdom here on earth, where the Jews, His chosen people, will reign over their enemies. They were basing their question on all the prophecies in the old testament of the reign of the Messiah, in the lineage of David.
Whereas, Jesus is speaking of the close of this age and the beginning of the age, where THE CHURCH WILL REIGN WITH CHRIST.
_(7) And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority._
Simultaneously, when we look at _Luke 21_ we see the details and specific indicators that Jesus Himself has given, of the end of this age and the inauguration of the age to come.
It seems as though the Lord is holding two opposite positions. On one side He is saying not to look for times and seasons, whereas He is giving us several specific signs and indicators of the end of this age and the beginning of the next.
Isn’t this a paradox? How do we get past this challenge? How do we hold both the thoughts of Jesus together?
In my understanding, the right way to hold both of these views together is to be aware and conscious of what is happening on a day-by-day basis and consider what the scripture says about these events.
Yet, at the same time, none of these things that are happening, should worry or trouble us. We must always see things from the fact of the age to come. We are a part of the eternal age.
We must rejoice and watch and pray and fulfil our task as the Church in the end times, knowing that we are *alive in Christ*. Whether we remain in this world or whether we are taken up to be with Jesus, we are always *ALIVE IN CHRIST*.
_I Thessalonians 5:1-11 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. (2) For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. (3) For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. (4) But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. (5) You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness._
Sudden destruction will come as a thief in the night. We need not be worried, sitting up and thinking and interpreting the day-to-day events and correlating them with Scripture.
We are sons of the light and sons of the day. Our task is to be lights in our dark world. We are here to lift up the name of Jesus, through our entire life and testimony.
_(6) Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober._
Our task is to watch and pray and bring people in our circles of influence to the place of repentance, return and submit to the lordship of Christ.
_(7) For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. (8) But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. (9)
For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,_
God did not appoint us to wrath. The second death, that lake of fire and torment is not for us. God has saved us from His wrath because of our faith in Jesus.
_(10) who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. (11) Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing._
Therefore, whether we continue in this world for some more time or if God chooses to take us away from this world to be with Him, we know that we are *ALIVE IN CHRIST*.
This is the basis for our comforting, counselling and our edification of one another in the body of Christ, in the end-times.
*Thought to ponder*
```We, therefore, rejoice and are full of hope, in a background of hopelessness.```