Bible Signals when the Master of the House Might Come

Bible Signals when the Master of the House Might Come

Jesus cared enough to answer all the heart bothering questions of his disciples. They asked in Mark 13:4, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?”

Because this is a very critical question for all true believers waiting for the Lord’s return, Jesus, who did not disclose the exact hour to them, gave them signals not just by his immediate response to their question, but across the entire New Testament through his stories and parables, and then commands the believer to WATCH.

Bible signals when the Master of the house might come.

Matthew 25:1-8

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.”

“…And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.”

In Jewish time, the end of each watch was signaled by a trumpet call and there are four watches in their night watch. From the story Christ told of the ten virgins, he pointed out the great importance of adequate preparedness by starting his lesson with the five foolish virgins who, though did not know when for certain the bridegroom would come yet carried their lamps with no extra oil but began to start looking for some when the bridegroom eventually came. There are solemn messages to draw out from this story. First, and foremost was that the call was made after men had slumbered and slept. But the five wise virgins heard the call, rose up immediately and trimmed their lamps because they had enough oil. On the other hand, the five foolish virgins also rose up but could not trim their lamps – their oil was out. They were not ready because they made no adequate preparation.

The purpose of the story as narrated by Christ is for the believer to WATCH, especially at these hours – the hours of sleeping and slumbering in the spiritual sense. We are in the last days, and 2 Thessalonians 2:3 tells us that that day (of the Lord) shall not come until there be a falling away first. We are in the days where many are becoming more and more insensitive to the voice and cry of the Spirit of the bridegroom.

Matthew 24:36-42

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Fo as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming for the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”

Today, Jesus is the arc of our Salvation. Those who are already in him must remain watchful and thoughtful, putting away all carelessness so as to be saved from the troubles that will overtake the world suddenly at his coming.

Related: The Believers’ Responsibility Under A Better Covenant

 

Believers As Watchmen In This World

As a believer, Christ has made you a watchman because of his spirit that indwells you. That is what gives you the mark of being a child of God. But beyond that, on your part, you must also strive to remain in that watchful state by making deliberate efforts to ensure that the cares for the things of the world is not sucking up your watchfulness. We are not of the world even as Christ is not of the world. The world is passing away and only those that do the will of the Father will abide forever. (Ref. 1 John 2:15-17)

How can we strive to maintain a watchful state?

By Watching unto Prayers

Prayer has a very important role to play in the believer’s life. As a matter of fact, when a believer is not praying, then he is not watching. Towards the moment of His crucifixion, Christ asked his disciples to watch (pray) with him. So, prayers equal watching. When the believer prays, he’s kept in the hour of temptation, trial, or persecution, and that was what Christ told his early disciples. He said, “…Watch that you enter not into temptation.”

Also, prayer releases more grace to keep on living life and to serve God acceptably.

 

How can we strive to maintain a watchful state?

By Watching unto Studying the Word

John 5:39 says, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life…”

It is through the study of the Word we discover. We know the mind of God and can reflect on eternal things. It also cleanses us as we use it to mirror our lives. The Psalmist says in Psalm 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”

Believers owe it a duty to search the scriptures. This is not a choice. We do ourselves no good by neglecting the only guide we have in this world concerning our eternal destination.

How can we strive to maintain a watchful state?

By Watching unto Thoughtfulness

The story of the ten virgins should give us much thought on the sober truth that the bridegroom came at midnight after men have slept and slumbered. In Jewish time, the midnight of the bridegroom from this story would be between the hours of 9:00 pm – 12:00 am. The point is, Christ is alarming believers to be very watchful. There shouldn’t be a time when the believer should lay down his guard for any moment of spiritual relaxation, no matter how temporal. Christ was buttressing this point when he said he may come in the evening, at midnight, at the cockcrowing, or at dawn. All at night hours. He doesn’t want spiritual sleeping and slumbering to overtake the believer.

The Watchful Life of Saints Waiting for their Lord’s Return

“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the things which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.” – Ephesians 4:28

The lifestyle of all who wait for the Lord shows the same characteristics of being watchful. They are mindful of not only who they are but also where they are going which defines their outlook on life, comportment, disposition towards the world, and desires. All the saints of Old, from Abel, lived this life. “…Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. For [they] had respect unto the recompense of the reward” vs. 26 of Heb.11

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

If Old Testament believers could see the glories of heaven and the rewards ‘afar off’ and could ‘embrace’ them, how much we who have been brought even closer to God and have the word of God in our hands.

As we live our lives in this world, may we remain watchful as we await the coming of the Lord.