Hebrew Scroll Saying Jesus Is Coming SoonBible World
24:44Matthew 24:44
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Christ commands constant readiness because He will return literally in power and glory at a day and hour known only to the Father and hidden to keep everyone expectant today. His arrival will be sudden and surprising to the secure, like a thief breaking into a house at night, overtaking pleasure-lovers and careless sinners unaware. To be ready is to watch and pray, discern the nearness from fulfilled signs, and faithfully do the entrusted work of caring for others and giving timely truth. The unready are those who say in heart that He delays, neglect duty, mistreat others and live self-indulgently, and they will be cut off and lost when He comes at an hour they do not expect. Readiness decides eternal destiny and must be secured now without delay, without fixing dates and without expecting later opportunity, by forming a Christlike character purified from sin and selfish indulgence.
Setting and Wording
This saying stands in the great discourse on the destruction of Jerusalem and the coming of the Son of man at the end of the world, with the two events set forth together. The destruction of the city is a type of the final destruction of the world by fire, and the prophecy briefly spans the whole Christian dispensation from the first advent to the second, reaching to its closing scenes. It was spoken for the disciples and also for those living in the final history of the earth, and for all who would afterward believe, that they might discern the foretold signs of the times and be prepared for the great conflict. In that sequence the close presents two classes of servants looking for His appearing, further illustrated by the ten virgins as the experience of the last-day church. The discourse was given shortly before entrance into Gethsemane, after a day of labor when He was weary, while the Pharisees pressed Him on various subjects hoping to find grounds to condemn Him.
The coming of the Son of man is a literal future second advent, not the destruction of Jerusalem. It will be in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, with the angels gathering the elect. Then He appears to save those who wait for Him in hope and faith, while punishment falls upon the impenitent and ungodly. Although its exact day and hour are unknown, signs in the heavens and on earth, in the church and in the wicked world, show that it is near, and as in the days of Noah the world is to be warned of its approaching doom, to which the prophecies of Daniel and John point especially. Therefore sinners must turn from sin and seek Christ, and His followers must remain ready and not be spiritually asleep in friendship with the world.
In such an hour as ye think not means no definite time has been given and no one can know the day or hour. The day, month, and year are hidden in secrecy, concealed by God and known only to the Father, left in uncertainty and placed as in a thick cloud so that people will remain expectant and prepared today. All attempts to map out the future and set a date rest on forbidden ground and are false reasoning. The warning is addressed to every soul in the world and in the church, and no one is to assume safety in popular churches nor allow any interpretation of prophecy to weaken the conviction drawn from present events that the end is near.
The coming will be sudden, stealthy, and surprising, like a thief breaking into a house at night. As a householder who had known in what watch the thief would come would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken up, so believers must watch and be ready at all times, in the evening, morning, and at every hour. It overtakes pleasure-lovers and sinful men as a prowling midnight thief steals upon his prey when all seems secure and men have retired to contented rest, only to discover too late that some door or window was left unsecured for the enemy to enter. Its footsteps are muffled and do not arouse the world from deathlike slumber, and in this same sudden manner like a thief in the night the time of trouble comes. Against this stands the teaching held by many ministers that the coming as a thief means an invisible coming to take the saints without anyone knowing, followed by a later return with them to Jerusalem where the Jews will gather and all will have another opportunity to repent and be saved.
Call to Be Ready
Therefore be also ready is a command to constant readiness because the Son of man will come in an hour not thought of, so no one is to wait until the hour is known but to remain ready at all times. Readiness is required in the evening and in the morning and at noon, and not even for a moment is anyone to be off guard, since the day and hour are unknown and the coming will be unexpected. Indifference and the belief that the coming is delayed leave people unprepared, while readiness means being found faithfully doing the entrusted work when He is revealed, with the warning given so the world can prepare for His coming and its judgments.
Readiness requires untiring watchfulness and earnest prayer in seeking moral fitness for the kingdom, for without the blessing of God no one can prosper and be safe. Not knowing the day or hour does not excuse failure to recognize when the coming is near from the signs given, and neglecting that warning is as fatal as failing to know the Flood was coming in Noah's day. Readiness is a continuing duty of looking for, watching for, expecting, and being ready, not dependent on knowing the precise time, but paying attention to the fast-fulfilling prophecies rather than engaging in idle contemplation. Faithful watchers who heed those heralding events will recognize them and will not be surprised or unprepared, and those found watching and teaching His coming will be regarded and rewarded.
Readiness must be secured beforehand in this life without delay, on the assumption of no plenty of time and no second probation afterward, by putting on Christ's righteousness and forming a character fit for eternity. Every servant is to serve faithfully as if each day might be the last, guarding against worldly pleasures, excess, drunkenness, and the cares of life, and watching and praying so as not to be caught unprepared. The crisis comes gradually while ordinary life and the pursuit of pleasure and status continue, with many distracted or deceived, yet the signs are being fulfilled, probation is closing, and each case is nearing its final decision. Therefore preparation cannot be postponed until the crisis is plainly upon the world, for the decisive hour may arrive unnoticed and each person's decision may be fixed before the Lord appears, and the sudden end of life's work leaves no later opportunity to prepare for immortal life.
The passing of an expected date does not remove the need for readiness, for the coming may still occur when not expected and believers must keep watch at all times. After disappointment they are to continue waiting with hope and trust rather than giving up or becoming discouraged, holding fast to faith and meeting together for instruction, encouragement, and comfort while awaiting the Master. The future is concealed in order to bring people to decision, calling them to seek present preparation rather than putting the great events of the judgment and the end of probation far off.
Readiness decides eternal destiny and is an urgent message to every soul, for the predictions are now being fulfilled and are to be studied, brought to the attention of all, and presented as truth above matters of lesser consequence, calling the church to arouse as it sees unmistakable fulfilment. Ministers and teachers are to explain these prophecies together with Daniel and Revelation and with Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, leaving out matters of minor consequence. Being found in a present unprepared condition when He comes can mean being lost, whether by Christ's coming or by being called to account at any time such as by death, so each person must be ready to answer to God. The call summons Christians to consecration and sinners to seek Christ before it is too late, that they may form a character that can abide the day of His coming, meet Him in peace, and meet the Saviour with joy when He appears in glory. True readiness is genuine faith that works by love and purifies the soul, transforming and purifying the whole person with evidence in a pure and upright life and holy character, while mere claimants to belief without such faith and life are not ready.
Faithful and Unfaithful Servants
Readiness for the coming at an unthought hour is pictured as the faithful and wise servant set over the household to give meat in due season, feeding others the timely truth they need. The servant found so doing when his Lord comes is blessed and is made ruler over all His goods. That faithfulness means guarding against feeding the flock with food unsuited to the time, watching without ceasing like a householder against a thief in the night, caring for the household, and holding light and truth with moral courage to war against appetite and passion and to keep working to rescue the depraved and outcast lest opportunity end in darkness and a shut door. The parable thus portrays the condition of the church at the second coming and is meant to arouse earnest zeal in every true believer.
The opposite is the evil servant who says in his heart that his lord delays his coming and then begins to smite fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken. His lord will come in a day he looks not for and in an hour he is not aware of, will cut him asunder, and will appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. That unreadiness is shown in those employed in sacred work who are disloyal in appointed duty, have no relish for truth and are not made better by connection with the work, whose irreligion and unbelief leaven others, through whom evil angels work to mislead apprentices and endanger promising youth who love God, so that after sufficient trial they must be separated. By contrast loyalty means being true in appointed work, a light amid moral darkness, advancing in knowledge of God and truth and loving the truth.
Readiness means being found faithfully doing the work entrusted to each person when He comes, rather than growing indifferent or absorbed in worldly pursuits. Waiting is not inactivity but faithful service, watching while working, caring for the household and for those around them, sharing received truth with others, giving the present truth people need, and thereby representing the attributes of the Father and the Son. The warning applies even to those with great light and opportunity, for those who do not overcome appetite and passion may be shut out while others with fewer advantages accept the gospel and enter the kingdom.
Assuming that the Lord delays His coming, whether declared by words or shown by actions, leaves people unprepared and vulnerable to sudden judgment and loss. It leads to neglect of duty and of God's service, mistreatment of others, self-indulgent living, worldly preoccupation, and spiritual sleep, as illustrated by carrying on ordinary life like those before the Flood without recognizing judgment near. Receiving teaching that encourages the thought of delay draws into error and unpreparedness.
The parable of the two servants presents two classes looking for His appearing. The ten virgins of Matthew 25 illustrate the experience of the last-day church in connection with that expectation, showing that carelessness and neglecting the grace of Christ leave a person unprepared and outside the wedding. Vigilance alone is not enough without preparation to meet the King, for one found without the wedding garment is left outside.
Signs of Nearness
The predictions of the chapter are now being fulfilled and must be studied and brought to the attention of all. They are to be presented, with Daniel and Revelation and with Jesus as the Lamb of God, leaving out matters of minor consequence, as truth that decides the eternal destiny of souls. This is God's message for the inhabitants of earth today, commanding readiness because the Son of man comes in an hour not expected, warning those living amid the perils of the last days. Present conditions in society, especially in the great cities of the nations, proclaim that the hour of God's judgment has come and the end of all earthly things is at hand. The world stands on the threshold of the crisis of the ages, and the church must arouse as it sees unmistakable fulfilment.
Great and decisive events at this time should not bring surprise, for the angel of mercy cannot remain much longer to shelter the impenitent. The judgments of God are to follow one another in quick succession in fire and flood and earthquake, with war and bloodshed. His coming will be as in the days of Noah before the Flood, when people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, planting and building amid widespread iniquity until the Flood came and took them all away unaware. The very same state exists now, when ordinary lawful pursuits are carried to excess and from pulpit and press the law of God is declared done away. Those who know the truth must therefore remain ready rather than become careless, watching and, like Noah, lifting the voice in warning that the end of all things is at hand.
Not knowing the day or hour does not excuse failure to recognize when the coming is near from the signs given. The exact day and hour are unknown, but signs in the heavens, on earth, in the church, and in the wicked world show that His coming is near, with the prophecies of Daniel and John pointing especially to this time. Neglecting the warning and failing to prepare is as fatal as failing to recognize the Flood's approach in Noah's day. Assuming that the Lord delays, neglecting service, or mistreating others leads to judgment, while faithful watchers who heed the fast-fulfilling prophecies will not be surprised. Readiness includes watching and faithfully carrying out one's responsibilities, in contrast to the unfaithful servant who says his lord delays.
Judgments in the land make the warning urgent, for the Lord is near, at the door. Judgments upon cities come because their inhabitants have greatly dishonored God, and God sends calamities such as that upon San Francisco to arouse the world from apathy. Sudden awful calamities that lay the most costly and highest buildings in ruins are meant to impress minds and arouse people to investigate Bible truth, picturing the desolation to be seen in the day of judgment. Recent disasters serve as solemn warnings that the time of probation is passing and that eternal concerns must command attention, picturing the Lord's coming unlooked for as a thief in the night. The present duty is therefore to walk carefully in His way with constant watchfulness like a householder against a thief whose hour is unknown, staying alert and not found sleeping on guard, and to use the opportunity to warn the world that the end of all things is at hand.
The Spirit of the Lord is being withdrawn, probation may soon close, and each case is nearing its final decision. The footsteps of the appointed day for the close of earth's history are muffled and do not arouse the world from deathlike slumber, while ordinary life and the pursuit of pleasure and status continue. The decisive hour may arrive unnoticed while people continue their ordinary activities, and the final decision of each person may be fixed before the Lord appears, while many remain unaware that mercy's offer has ended. The close of probation will come suddenly and unexpectedly at a time when it is least expected. Therefore readiness must be now: everything separating from God must be put away, hearts must beat in unison with heaven in harmony with God, and the King's highway must be cleared, including confessing sins such as telling others' faults before the Lord and before brethren, so that a clean record in heaven with assurance of God's acceptance can be had today.
As was done in 1844 when expecting to meet the Lord, readiness means being always ready, in the evening, in the morning, and at noon, by going to rest at night with every sin confessed. That great event is nearer now than when first believed. When the cry is heard announcing the Bridegroom, even those awakened out of sleep can then go forth to meet Him with lamps trimmed and burning. This gives urgency to the work of pointing people to Christ, because the time to serve and warn others is precious.
Errors About Timing
The verse forbids any fixing of the time of the coming, whether by setting a date for it or by declaring that He delays His coming five years, ten years, or twenty years, for no one has authority from God to say this. The day, month, and year are hidden in secrecy and known only to the Father, placed in a thick cloud as God's mystery which not even Christ was at liberty to make known, so that people will remain expectant and prepared. Hunting up a reckoning to bring the coming almost to certainty and to a definite time brings disappointment and shaking of faith when the time passes, and fixing the mind on a definite point leads to neglecting present work and omitting the little small duties of the day that appear small but are of great importance. The matter is therefore left in uncertainty to keep people ready today, for only today is yours and tomorrow is not yours at all, doing what is to be done today instead of thinking of next week or next month, with submission for the day and trust that grace will help bear evils when they come. Readiness means living and working and waiting in constant expectancy as though each day is the Lord's, cultivating fidelity, faith, and love, purifying the soul through the truth, watching every moment because no one knows when personal probation will close, and having daily religion with new zeal and the oil of grace and the righteousness of Christ every hour without fail.
All attempts to map out the future and set a time for that great event are false reasoning on forbidden ground, and no one has a true message fixing the time. The verse also forbids teaching by word or example that the Lord delays His coming, and rules out teachings that encourage that thought. Receiving such teaching leads people into error, spiritual sleep, and unpreparedness, leaving them unready for an unexpected hour. No one should live or act as though His coming is delayed, but be ready now to meet Him in peace, repenting at once and warning others while disasters and fulfilled signs show probation passing quickly. This requires rejecting the theory that the Lord delays His coming, discerning truth from error, and living pure and holy lives wholly consecrated to God in determined service, clothed in white garments and walking with God.
Mere profession of waiting, displaying words about the nearness of the end, or feeling secure under popular churches does not make anyone ready. Those who wear the message while living, dressing, talking, and acting like the world remain on the broad road, polluted by impure thoughts, and will be taken by surprise like pleasure-lovers and sinful men overtaken by a stealthy midnight thief when all seems secure. The danger threatens people settling to rest in imagined security under popular churches if a place is left open for the enemy to enter, discovering too late that some door or window was not secured, for no one in the world or in the churches is safe from being surprised. The day God has appointed for the close of earth's history hastens on apace and is at hand, when the destiny of every soul will be fixed forever, yet its footsteps are muffled and do not arouse the world from deathlike slumber.
No interpretation of prophecy must rob anyone of the conviction drawn from present events that the great event is near at hand, nor weaken the conviction that it is near. The solemn fact of a sudden, unexpected coming must be kept constantly before the world and before the churches, and the warning to be ready is addressed to every soul. The day and hour cannot be known, though prophecy shows the end is approaching, so no one must assume safety or let prophetic explanation erase nearness.
Ready Character and Life
Being ready means forming in this life a character fit for eternity, putting on the white garments of Christ's righteousness, building on the true foundation so as to abide the day of His coming and meet Him in peace. It requires genuine faith that works by love and purifies the soul, transforming the whole person and showing itself in a pure and upright life and holy character, while mere profession without such faith and life is not readiness. This calls for constant, persevering effort to keep the standard of righteousness exalted and principle unperverted, for laxity in principle spoils religious experience and forfeits approval, and the admonition is more urgent now than in any other period. Vigilance alone is not enough without preparation to meet the King, for one found without the wedding garment is unready, and readiness means climbing upward step by step with a life wholly pledged to God in determined service, in whole consecration as complete as the world is given to evil, walking and talking with God and discerning truth from error. There will be no second probation afterward, so the warning guards against being absorbed by worldly pleasures, excess, drunkenness, and the cares of life.
Readiness manifests Christ's self-denying and self-sacrificing life by dying to self and bringing appetites and passions into strict conformity to God's Word, since selfish indulgence weakens physical, mental, and moral power and blurs the sacred and the common. It requires moral courage to war against appetite and passion, to hold light and truth, to root out hidden sin and cherished depravity by obeying the truth, and to keep working to rescue the depraved and outcast lest opportunity end in darkness and a shut door. Those who have received great light and yet do not overcome appetite and passion may be shut out, while those with fewer advantages may accept the gospel and enter the kingdom. To be ready is to take heed to self, study Christ's words and see His predictions fulfilling, watch and pray always, avoid a deceived soul overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this life, and make diligent work of repentance now while probation lingers and mercy still speaks, laying hold of gospel hope, repenting and being converted and forsaking sins that they may be blotted out, so as to escape the snare upon the whole earth and stand before the Son of man.
Readiness is daily and immediate, for only today is yours and tomorrow is not yours at all, so what must be done must be done today rather than put off to next week or next month. It means being ready always, in the evening, morning, and at noon, going to rest at night with every sin confessed, as was done in 1844 when expecting to meet the Lord, because that great event is nearer now than when first believed, so that even those awakened out of sleep by the cry announcing the Bridegroom can go forth with lamps trimmed and burning. It is living and acting wholly with reference to His coming, keeping the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus continually in mind, meditating on them when lying down and rising up, letting them crowd out worldly thoughts and cares about eating, drinking, dress, and exciting books. Looking far off and supposing time will continue longer because it has already continued longer than expected draws the mind away from present truth out after the world and leaves no place for the seal of the living God, whereas the sealing time is very short and soon over. In childlike simplicity hanging upon the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour, the ready ask nightly whether any word, thought, or action was wrong and seek forgiveness, rise with praise and work with prayer, living and working and waiting in constant expectancy as though each day is the Lord's, and those thus ready are fortified with angels around them as a wall of fire, Christ's claimed righteousness before them and God's glory as their rearward, with sanctified tongues and minds dwelling on heavenly themes.
Ready living is shown at home and in practical duties by keeping God in view, lovingly training children from infancy to love and honor God and keep the Sabbath, and keeping a well-disciplined household. It requires real distinction from the world in dress, conversation, and actions, traveling the narrow way dead to the world rather than merely carrying the words of readiness while looking, dressing, talking, and acting like the vain, gay, and thoughtless on the broad road rushing to destruction. No one who would be ready will be in any place of amusement or diversion upon which God's blessing cannot be asked and where Christ is banished from the mind, such as the theater, billiard hall, bowling saloon, dance, or bewitching pleasure with gay waltzers, for no Christian would wish to meet death there or be found there when Christ comes. Entrusted means are to be used as His helping hand to advance the work and supply new fields, laying up treasure in heaven where the heart will be rather than laying up earthly treasure that moth and rust corrupt and thieves steal, investing in the last message of mercy and sustaining gospel workers instead of spending in self-gratification to gain worldly riches that crumble to dust. God's people show readiness by self-denial and sacrifice of earthly riches to obtain eternal riches, enduring tribulation and warring the good warfare without laying down weapons, and by not returning to rebuild homes in a city destroyed by judgment as by fire and brimstone rained upon cities proportionate to their sins, but locating apart from polluted city atmosphere.
Looking for His soon appearing leads true believers to regard earthly honor, possessions, and distinction as emptiness and nothingness beside heavenly things. They live above the world as pilgrims and strangers whose citizenship is above, with steps advancing heavenward, gathering the sunbeams of Christ's righteousness into the soul to be burning and shining lights to the moral darkness enshrouding the world. This hope with its solemn realities produces vigorous faith, lively hope, fervent love, holy consecrated zeal, and decided distinction from the world. Filled with the advent spirit, they will be found ready whenever He comes, whether working in the field, building a house, or preaching the Word, ready to welcome Him as the God waited for who now saves.
Warning and Mission Work
The coming at an unthought hour is part of the predictions of Matthew 24 now being fulfilled, and is to be studied and brought to the attention of all as truth that decides eternal destiny. Ministers and teachers are to present it to those they instruct as the sure word of prophecy that is the foundation of faith, above matters of lesser consequence, calling the church to arouse as it sees unmistakable fulfilment. They are to explain the prophecies of this chapter together with the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation and with Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, leaving out matters of minor consequence. The warning is a message ministers must faithfully give wherever people are, while urging them to prepare to meet death with Christ's armor if death comes.
The warning message is to be given so the world can prepare for His coming and its judgments, for readiness means being found faithfully doing entrusted work and indifference and belief that His coming is delayed leave people unprepared. The command belongs to those living amid the perils of the last days and requires watching, warning those perishing in sin, and proclaiming the message of warning, with little time and the end of all things at hand. Believers must proclaim the message everywhere, from person to person and home to home, warn friends and neighbors, tell those who do not know the truth about His coming, and let their light shine forth to those in darkness and guide seekers. Disasters and the fulfillment of the signs of the times warn that the end is near and probation is passing quickly, so warnings about judgment should awaken people from apathy and prompt faithful service, immediate preparation, repentance, and earnest warning to others. God is allowing time for His ministers to finish their work, so believers must not delay or let worldly pursuits keep them from proclaiming the truth and preparing people for His soon return, and no one should live or act as though His coming is delayed.
Being ready includes watching for His coming and faithfully doing the work entrusted to each person, continuing in God's service rather than neglecting it or becoming absorbed in worldly pursuits, especially in the last days when iniquity abounds and many grow cold in love. It means being the faithful and wise servant made ruler over the household to give meat in due season, giving others the timely present truth they need, and being guarded not to feed the flock with food inappropriate for the time, so that the Lord when He comes will find him so doing and make him ruler over all His goods. This involves diffusing light, eating His flesh and drinking His blood by feeding on His words which are spirit and life, practicing the truth given instead of holding merely assenting faith, sinking the shaft deeper for precious gold of truth, and dispensing every ray of light to others instead of burying the talent and doing nothing. It means living as servants entrusted with the bodies and souls of others, doing the very best in influence, speech, actions, and association, diligently searching God's Word, speaking its truths, caring for souls, exerting every influence as faithful watchmen to win souls and win the tempted, and as workers always ready to speak a word in season lest coming suddenly He find them sleeping. Readiness includes watching for souls without readily giving up brethren, diligently using talents great or small, caring for bodies and souls, using health journals to fit people for the coming, and making right use of every light given from God's Word; the last message of mercy is the message of the three angels, and the unexpected coming brings judgment on the unfaithful servant who assumes delay and mistreats others or joins in wrongdoing.
Faithful watchmen on the walls of Zion must stand at their post feeling responsibility as sentinels, lift up the voice and cry aloud, and give the trumpet a certain sound with earnest solemn warning and not whispered sleepy tones. They must agitate, stir and arouse the people to inquire for themselves and get ready, because men and women sleep in peace and safety while false prophets soothe consciences crying peace and safety, and sudden destruction comes upon every soul who is not watching. That arousing warning is the third angel's message going forth in power until the earth is lightened with his glory, calling for preparation of a people to stand in the great day when the Lord approaches to judge the world for its iniquity. The expectation that the advent was near makes the salvation of souls urgent and leads to efforts to share truth that would enlighten and arouse people rather than live in false security. This readiness includes active work to warn others, waiting believers keeping on doing their work and serving actively, with prayer, temperance, humility, simplicity, sobriety and watching in prayer, wholehearted consecration to Christ and His service, living in purity and holiness, discerning truth from error rather than trusting claims of delay, and pressing the battle to the gates.
The call to be ready requires a soul-purifying work that turns affections away from worldly things to consecration, proclaimed by united ministers who have laid aside sectarian views and feelings. It moves sinners to repent, weep and pray for forgiveness, moves the dishonest to make restitution, moves parents to deepest solicitude for their children, and moves those who receive the message to labor with unconverted friends and relatives with souls bowed by its weight to warn and entreat them to prepare. Readiness means keeping the mind fixed on God, living earnestly so actions match faith, using influence for God and His truth, making peace with God, repenting and being converted so sins are blotted out, heeding the messages sent, and seeking to perfect Christian character so that a sudden death does not find a person unprepared. The salvation of oneself and others must take priority over everything else, with personal salvation attended to and then earnest labor for others, for carelessness, indifference, and despair do not honor God. Believers are to show through choices and works that they are not secure in this world and are ready for His coming, having Jesus precious with His divine image perfectly reflected as instruments of righteousness, reflecting His character and dying more fully to the world since there is much work to do and little time, with refusal to yield to such evidence set home by heartfelt warnings marking the most hardened cases.
Christ commands constant readiness because He will return literally in power and glory at a day and hour known only to the Father and hidden to keep everyone expectant today. His arrival will be sudden and surprising to the secure, like a thief breaking into a house at night, overtaking pleasure-lovers and careless sinners unaware. To be ready is to watch and pray, discern the nearness from fulfilled signs, and faithfully do the entrusted work of caring for others and giving timely truth. The unready are those who say in heart that He delays, neglect duty, mistreat others and live self-indulgently, and they will be cut off and lost when He comes at an hour they do not expect. Readiness decides eternal destiny and must be secured now without delay, without fixing dates and without expecting later opportunity, by forming a Christlike character purified from sin and selfish indulgence.
Setting and Wording
This saying stands in the great discourse on the destruction of Jerusalem and the coming of the Son of man at the end of the world, with the two events set forth together. The destruction of the city is a type of the final destruction of the world by fire, and the prophecy briefly spans the whole Christian dispensation from the first advent to the second, reaching to its closing scenes. It was spoken for the disciples and also for those living in the final history of the earth, and for all who would afterward believe, that they might discern the foretold signs of the times and be prepared for the great conflict. In that sequence the close presents two classes of servants looking for His appearing, further illustrated by the ten virgins as the experience of the last-day church. The discourse was given shortly before entrance into Gethsemane, after a day of labor when He was weary, while the Pharisees pressed Him on various subjects hoping to find grounds to condemn Him.
The coming of the Son of man is a literal future second advent, not the destruction of Jerusalem. It will be in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, with the angels gathering the elect. Then He appears to save those who wait for Him in hope and faith, while punishment falls upon the impenitent and ungodly. Although its exact day and hour are unknown, signs in the heavens and on earth, in the church and in the wicked world, show that it is near, and as in the days of Noah the world is to be warned of its approaching doom, to which the prophecies of Daniel and John point especially. Therefore sinners must turn from sin and seek Christ, and His followers must remain ready and not be spiritually asleep in friendship with the world.
In such an hour as ye think not means no definite time has been given and no one can know the day or hour. The day, month, and year are hidden in secrecy, concealed by God and known only to the Father, left in uncertainty and placed as in a thick cloud so that people will remain expectant and prepared today. All attempts to map out the future and set a date rest on forbidden ground and are false reasoning. The warning is addressed to every soul in the world and in the church, and no one is to assume safety in popular churches nor allow any interpretation of prophecy to weaken the conviction drawn from present events that the end is near.
The coming will be sudden, stealthy, and surprising, like a thief breaking into a house at night. As a householder who had known in what watch the thief would come would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken up, so believers must watch and be ready at all times, in the evening, morning, and at every hour. It overtakes pleasure-lovers and sinful men as a prowling midnight thief steals upon his prey when all seems secure and men have retired to contented rest, only to discover too late that some door or window was left unsecured for the enemy to enter. Its footsteps are muffled and do not arouse the world from deathlike slumber, and in this same sudden manner like a thief in the night the time of trouble comes. Against this stands the teaching held by many ministers that the coming as a thief means an invisible coming to take the saints without anyone knowing, followed by a later return with them to Jerusalem where the Jews will gather and all will have another opportunity to repent and be saved.
Call to Be Ready
Therefore be also ready is a command to constant readiness because the Son of man will come in an hour not thought of, so no one is to wait until the hour is known but to remain ready at all times. Readiness is required in the evening and in the morning and at noon, and not even for a moment is anyone to be off guard, since the day and hour are unknown and the coming will be unexpected. Indifference and the belief that the coming is delayed leave people unprepared, while readiness means being found faithfully doing the entrusted work when He is revealed, with the warning given so the world can prepare for His coming and its judgments.
Readiness requires untiring watchfulness and earnest prayer in seeking moral fitness for the kingdom, for without the blessing of God no one can prosper and be safe. Not knowing the day or hour does not excuse failure to recognize when the coming is near from the signs given, and neglecting that warning is as fatal as failing to know the Flood was coming in Noah's day. Readiness is a continuing duty of looking for, watching for, expecting, and being ready, not dependent on knowing the precise time, but paying attention to the fast-fulfilling prophecies rather than engaging in idle contemplation. Faithful watchers who heed those heralding events will recognize them and will not be surprised or unprepared, and those found watching and teaching His coming will be regarded and rewarded.
Readiness must be secured beforehand in this life without delay, on the assumption of no plenty of time and no second probation afterward, by putting on Christ's righteousness and forming a character fit for eternity. Every servant is to serve faithfully as if each day might be the last, guarding against worldly pleasures, excess, drunkenness, and the cares of life, and watching and praying so as not to be caught unprepared. The crisis comes gradually while ordinary life and the pursuit of pleasure and status continue, with many distracted or deceived, yet the signs are being fulfilled, probation is closing, and each case is nearing its final decision. Therefore preparation cannot be postponed until the crisis is plainly upon the world, for the decisive hour may arrive unnoticed and each person's decision may be fixed before the Lord appears, and the sudden end of life's work leaves no later opportunity to prepare for immortal life.
The passing of an expected date does not remove the need for readiness, for the coming may still occur when not expected and believers must keep watch at all times. After disappointment they are to continue waiting with hope and trust rather than giving up or becoming discouraged, holding fast to faith and meeting together for instruction, encouragement, and comfort while awaiting the Master. The future is concealed in order to bring people to decision, calling them to seek present preparation rather than putting the great events of the judgment and the end of probation far off.
Readiness decides eternal destiny and is an urgent message to every soul, for the predictions are now being fulfilled and are to be studied, brought to the attention of all, and presented as truth above matters of lesser consequence, calling the church to arouse as it sees unmistakable fulfilment. Ministers and teachers are to explain these prophecies together with Daniel and Revelation and with Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, leaving out matters of minor consequence. Being found in a present unprepared condition when He comes can mean being lost, whether by Christ's coming or by being called to account at any time such as by death, so each person must be ready to answer to God. The call summons Christians to consecration and sinners to seek Christ before it is too late, that they may form a character that can abide the day of His coming, meet Him in peace, and meet the Saviour with joy when He appears in glory. True readiness is genuine faith that works by love and purifies the soul, transforming and purifying the whole person with evidence in a pure and upright life and holy character, while mere claimants to belief without such faith and life are not ready.
Faithful and Unfaithful Servants
Readiness for the coming at an unthought hour is pictured as the faithful and wise servant set over the household to give meat in due season, feeding others the timely truth they need. The servant found so doing when his Lord comes is blessed and is made ruler over all His goods. That faithfulness means guarding against feeding the flock with food unsuited to the time, watching without ceasing like a householder against a thief in the night, caring for the household, and holding light and truth with moral courage to war against appetite and passion and to keep working to rescue the depraved and outcast lest opportunity end in darkness and a shut door. The parable thus portrays the condition of the church at the second coming and is meant to arouse earnest zeal in every true believer.
The opposite is the evil servant who says in his heart that his lord delays his coming and then begins to smite fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken. His lord will come in a day he looks not for and in an hour he is not aware of, will cut him asunder, and will appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. That unreadiness is shown in those employed in sacred work who are disloyal in appointed duty, have no relish for truth and are not made better by connection with the work, whose irreligion and unbelief leaven others, through whom evil angels work to mislead apprentices and endanger promising youth who love God, so that after sufficient trial they must be separated. By contrast loyalty means being true in appointed work, a light amid moral darkness, advancing in knowledge of God and truth and loving the truth.
Readiness means being found faithfully doing the work entrusted to each person when He comes, rather than growing indifferent or absorbed in worldly pursuits. Waiting is not inactivity but faithful service, watching while working, caring for the household and for those around them, sharing received truth with others, giving the present truth people need, and thereby representing the attributes of the Father and the Son. The warning applies even to those with great light and opportunity, for those who do not overcome appetite and passion may be shut out while others with fewer advantages accept the gospel and enter the kingdom.
Assuming that the Lord delays His coming, whether declared by words or shown by actions, leaves people unprepared and vulnerable to sudden judgment and loss. It leads to neglect of duty and of God's service, mistreatment of others, self-indulgent living, worldly preoccupation, and spiritual sleep, as illustrated by carrying on ordinary life like those before the Flood without recognizing judgment near. Receiving teaching that encourages the thought of delay draws into error and unpreparedness.
The parable of the two servants presents two classes looking for His appearing. The ten virgins of Matthew 25 illustrate the experience of the last-day church in connection with that expectation, showing that carelessness and neglecting the grace of Christ leave a person unprepared and outside the wedding. Vigilance alone is not enough without preparation to meet the King, for one found without the wedding garment is left outside.
Signs of Nearness
The predictions of the chapter are now being fulfilled and must be studied and brought to the attention of all. They are to be presented, with Daniel and Revelation and with Jesus as the Lamb of God, leaving out matters of minor consequence, as truth that decides the eternal destiny of souls. This is God's message for the inhabitants of earth today, commanding readiness because the Son of man comes in an hour not expected, warning those living amid the perils of the last days. Present conditions in society, especially in the great cities of the nations, proclaim that the hour of God's judgment has come and the end of all earthly things is at hand. The world stands on the threshold of the crisis of the ages, and the church must arouse as it sees unmistakable fulfilment.
Great and decisive events at this time should not bring surprise, for the angel of mercy cannot remain much longer to shelter the impenitent. The judgments of God are to follow one another in quick succession in fire and flood and earthquake, with war and bloodshed. His coming will be as in the days of Noah before the Flood, when people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, planting and building amid widespread iniquity until the Flood came and took them all away unaware. The very same state exists now, when ordinary lawful pursuits are carried to excess and from pulpit and press the law of God is declared done away. Those who know the truth must therefore remain ready rather than become careless, watching and, like Noah, lifting the voice in warning that the end of all things is at hand.
Not knowing the day or hour does not excuse failure to recognize when the coming is near from the signs given. The exact day and hour are unknown, but signs in the heavens, on earth, in the church, and in the wicked world show that His coming is near, with the prophecies of Daniel and John pointing especially to this time. Neglecting the warning and failing to prepare is as fatal as failing to recognize the Flood's approach in Noah's day. Assuming that the Lord delays, neglecting service, or mistreating others leads to judgment, while faithful watchers who heed the fast-fulfilling prophecies will not be surprised. Readiness includes watching and faithfully carrying out one's responsibilities, in contrast to the unfaithful servant who says his lord delays.
Judgments in the land make the warning urgent, for the Lord is near, at the door. Judgments upon cities come because their inhabitants have greatly dishonored God, and God sends calamities such as that upon San Francisco to arouse the world from apathy. Sudden awful calamities that lay the most costly and highest buildings in ruins are meant to impress minds and arouse people to investigate Bible truth, picturing the desolation to be seen in the day of judgment. Recent disasters serve as solemn warnings that the time of probation is passing and that eternal concerns must command attention, picturing the Lord's coming unlooked for as a thief in the night. The present duty is therefore to walk carefully in His way with constant watchfulness like a householder against a thief whose hour is unknown, staying alert and not found sleeping on guard, and to use the opportunity to warn the world that the end of all things is at hand.
The Spirit of the Lord is being withdrawn, probation may soon close, and each case is nearing its final decision. The footsteps of the appointed day for the close of earth's history are muffled and do not arouse the world from deathlike slumber, while ordinary life and the pursuit of pleasure and status continue. The decisive hour may arrive unnoticed while people continue their ordinary activities, and the final decision of each person may be fixed before the Lord appears, while many remain unaware that mercy's offer has ended. The close of probation will come suddenly and unexpectedly at a time when it is least expected. Therefore readiness must be now: everything separating from God must be put away, hearts must beat in unison with heaven in harmony with God, and the King's highway must be cleared, including confessing sins such as telling others' faults before the Lord and before brethren, so that a clean record in heaven with assurance of God's acceptance can be had today.
As was done in 1844 when expecting to meet the Lord, readiness means being always ready, in the evening, in the morning, and at noon, by going to rest at night with every sin confessed. That great event is nearer now than when first believed. When the cry is heard announcing the Bridegroom, even those awakened out of sleep can then go forth to meet Him with lamps trimmed and burning. This gives urgency to the work of pointing people to Christ, because the time to serve and warn others is precious.
Errors About Timing
The verse forbids any fixing of the time of the coming, whether by setting a date for it or by declaring that He delays His coming five years, ten years, or twenty years, for no one has authority from God to say this. The day, month, and year are hidden in secrecy and known only to the Father, placed in a thick cloud as God's mystery which not even Christ was at liberty to make known, so that people will remain expectant and prepared. Hunting up a reckoning to bring the coming almost to certainty and to a definite time brings disappointment and shaking of faith when the time passes, and fixing the mind on a definite point leads to neglecting present work and omitting the little small duties of the day that appear small but are of great importance. The matter is therefore left in uncertainty to keep people ready today, for only today is yours and tomorrow is not yours at all, doing what is to be done today instead of thinking of next week or next month, with submission for the day and trust that grace will help bear evils when they come. Readiness means living and working and waiting in constant expectancy as though each day is the Lord's, cultivating fidelity, faith, and love, purifying the soul through the truth, watching every moment because no one knows when personal probation will close, and having daily religion with new zeal and the oil of grace and the righteousness of Christ every hour without fail.
All attempts to map out the future and set a time for that great event are false reasoning on forbidden ground, and no one has a true message fixing the time. The verse also forbids teaching by word or example that the Lord delays His coming, and rules out teachings that encourage that thought. Receiving such teaching leads people into error, spiritual sleep, and unpreparedness, leaving them unready for an unexpected hour. No one should live or act as though His coming is delayed, but be ready now to meet Him in peace, repenting at once and warning others while disasters and fulfilled signs show probation passing quickly. This requires rejecting the theory that the Lord delays His coming, discerning truth from error, and living pure and holy lives wholly consecrated to God in determined service, clothed in white garments and walking with God.
Mere profession of waiting, displaying words about the nearness of the end, or feeling secure under popular churches does not make anyone ready. Those who wear the message while living, dressing, talking, and acting like the world remain on the broad road, polluted by impure thoughts, and will be taken by surprise like pleasure-lovers and sinful men overtaken by a stealthy midnight thief when all seems secure. The danger threatens people settling to rest in imagined security under popular churches if a place is left open for the enemy to enter, discovering too late that some door or window was not secured, for no one in the world or in the churches is safe from being surprised. The day God has appointed for the close of earth's history hastens on apace and is at hand, when the destiny of every soul will be fixed forever, yet its footsteps are muffled and do not arouse the world from deathlike slumber.
No interpretation of prophecy must rob anyone of the conviction drawn from present events that the great event is near at hand, nor weaken the conviction that it is near. The solemn fact of a sudden, unexpected coming must be kept constantly before the world and before the churches, and the warning to be ready is addressed to every soul. The day and hour cannot be known, though prophecy shows the end is approaching, so no one must assume safety or let prophetic explanation erase nearness.
Ready Character and Life
Being ready means forming in this life a character fit for eternity, putting on the white garments of Christ's righteousness, building on the true foundation so as to abide the day of His coming and meet Him in peace. It requires genuine faith that works by love and purifies the soul, transforming the whole person and showing itself in a pure and upright life and holy character, while mere profession without such faith and life is not readiness. This calls for constant, persevering effort to keep the standard of righteousness exalted and principle unperverted, for laxity in principle spoils religious experience and forfeits approval, and the admonition is more urgent now than in any other period. Vigilance alone is not enough without preparation to meet the King, for one found without the wedding garment is unready, and readiness means climbing upward step by step with a life wholly pledged to God in determined service, in whole consecration as complete as the world is given to evil, walking and talking with God and discerning truth from error. There will be no second probation afterward, so the warning guards against being absorbed by worldly pleasures, excess, drunkenness, and the cares of life.
Readiness manifests Christ's self-denying and self-sacrificing life by dying to self and bringing appetites and passions into strict conformity to God's Word, since selfish indulgence weakens physical, mental, and moral power and blurs the sacred and the common. It requires moral courage to war against appetite and passion, to hold light and truth, to root out hidden sin and cherished depravity by obeying the truth, and to keep working to rescue the depraved and outcast lest opportunity end in darkness and a shut door. Those who have received great light and yet do not overcome appetite and passion may be shut out, while those with fewer advantages may accept the gospel and enter the kingdom. To be ready is to take heed to self, study Christ's words and see His predictions fulfilling, watch and pray always, avoid a deceived soul overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this life, and make diligent work of repentance now while probation lingers and mercy still speaks, laying hold of gospel hope, repenting and being converted and forsaking sins that they may be blotted out, so as to escape the snare upon the whole earth and stand before the Son of man.
Readiness is daily and immediate, for only today is yours and tomorrow is not yours at all, so what must be done must be done today rather than put off to next week or next month. It means being ready always, in the evening, morning, and at noon, going to rest at night with every sin confessed, as was done in 1844 when expecting to meet the Lord, because that great event is nearer now than when first believed, so that even those awakened out of sleep by the cry announcing the Bridegroom can go forth with lamps trimmed and burning. It is living and acting wholly with reference to His coming, keeping the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus continually in mind, meditating on them when lying down and rising up, letting them crowd out worldly thoughts and cares about eating, drinking, dress, and exciting books. Looking far off and supposing time will continue longer because it has already continued longer than expected draws the mind away from present truth out after the world and leaves no place for the seal of the living God, whereas the sealing time is very short and soon over. In childlike simplicity hanging upon the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour, the ready ask nightly whether any word, thought, or action was wrong and seek forgiveness, rise with praise and work with prayer, living and working and waiting in constant expectancy as though each day is the Lord's, and those thus ready are fortified with angels around them as a wall of fire, Christ's claimed righteousness before them and God's glory as their rearward, with sanctified tongues and minds dwelling on heavenly themes.
Ready living is shown at home and in practical duties by keeping God in view, lovingly training children from infancy to love and honor God and keep the Sabbath, and keeping a well-disciplined household. It requires real distinction from the world in dress, conversation, and actions, traveling the narrow way dead to the world rather than merely carrying the words of readiness while looking, dressing, talking, and acting like the vain, gay, and thoughtless on the broad road rushing to destruction. No one who would be ready will be in any place of amusement or diversion upon which God's blessing cannot be asked and where Christ is banished from the mind, such as the theater, billiard hall, bowling saloon, dance, or bewitching pleasure with gay waltzers, for no Christian would wish to meet death there or be found there when Christ comes. Entrusted means are to be used as His helping hand to advance the work and supply new fields, laying up treasure in heaven where the heart will be rather than laying up earthly treasure that moth and rust corrupt and thieves steal, investing in the last message of mercy and sustaining gospel workers instead of spending in self-gratification to gain worldly riches that crumble to dust. God's people show readiness by self-denial and sacrifice of earthly riches to obtain eternal riches, enduring tribulation and warring the good warfare without laying down weapons, and by not returning to rebuild homes in a city destroyed by judgment as by fire and brimstone rained upon cities proportionate to their sins, but locating apart from polluted city atmosphere.
Looking for His soon appearing leads true believers to regard earthly honor, possessions, and distinction as emptiness and nothingness beside heavenly things. They live above the world as pilgrims and strangers whose citizenship is above, with steps advancing heavenward, gathering the sunbeams of Christ's righteousness into the soul to be burning and shining lights to the moral darkness enshrouding the world. This hope with its solemn realities produces vigorous faith, lively hope, fervent love, holy consecrated zeal, and decided distinction from the world. Filled with the advent spirit, they will be found ready whenever He comes, whether working in the field, building a house, or preaching the Word, ready to welcome Him as the God waited for who now saves.
Warning and Mission Work
The coming at an unthought hour is part of the predictions of Matthew 24 now being fulfilled, and is to be studied and brought to the attention of all as truth that decides eternal destiny. Ministers and teachers are to present it to those they instruct as the sure word of prophecy that is the foundation of faith, above matters of lesser consequence, calling the church to arouse as it sees unmistakable fulfilment. They are to explain the prophecies of this chapter together with the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation and with Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, leaving out matters of minor consequence. The warning is a message ministers must faithfully give wherever people are, while urging them to prepare to meet death with Christ's armor if death comes.
The warning message is to be given so the world can prepare for His coming and its judgments, for readiness means being found faithfully doing entrusted work and indifference and belief that His coming is delayed leave people unprepared. The command belongs to those living amid the perils of the last days and requires watching, warning those perishing in sin, and proclaiming the message of warning, with little time and the end of all things at hand. Believers must proclaim the message everywhere, from person to person and home to home, warn friends and neighbors, tell those who do not know the truth about His coming, and let their light shine forth to those in darkness and guide seekers. Disasters and the fulfillment of the signs of the times warn that the end is near and probation is passing quickly, so warnings about judgment should awaken people from apathy and prompt faithful service, immediate preparation, repentance, and earnest warning to others. God is allowing time for His ministers to finish their work, so believers must not delay or let worldly pursuits keep them from proclaiming the truth and preparing people for His soon return, and no one should live or act as though His coming is delayed.
Being ready includes watching for His coming and faithfully doing the work entrusted to each person, continuing in God's service rather than neglecting it or becoming absorbed in worldly pursuits, especially in the last days when iniquity abounds and many grow cold in love. It means being the faithful and wise servant made ruler over the household to give meat in due season, giving others the timely present truth they need, and being guarded not to feed the flock with food inappropriate for the time, so that the Lord when He comes will find him so doing and make him ruler over all His goods. This involves diffusing light, eating His flesh and drinking His blood by feeding on His words which are spirit and life, practicing the truth given instead of holding merely assenting faith, sinking the shaft deeper for precious gold of truth, and dispensing every ray of light to others instead of burying the talent and doing nothing. It means living as servants entrusted with the bodies and souls of others, doing the very best in influence, speech, actions, and association, diligently searching God's Word, speaking its truths, caring for souls, exerting every influence as faithful watchmen to win souls and win the tempted, and as workers always ready to speak a word in season lest coming suddenly He find them sleeping. Readiness includes watching for souls without readily giving up brethren, diligently using talents great or small, caring for bodies and souls, using health journals to fit people for the coming, and making right use of every light given from God's Word; the last message of mercy is the message of the three angels, and the unexpected coming brings judgment on the unfaithful servant who assumes delay and mistreats others or joins in wrongdoing.
Faithful watchmen on the walls of Zion must stand at their post feeling responsibility as sentinels, lift up the voice and cry aloud, and give the trumpet a certain sound with earnest solemn warning and not whispered sleepy tones. They must agitate, stir and arouse the people to inquire for themselves and get ready, because men and women sleep in peace and safety while false prophets soothe consciences crying peace and safety, and sudden destruction comes upon every soul who is not watching. That arousing warning is the third angel's message going forth in power until the earth is lightened with his glory, calling for preparation of a people to stand in the great day when the Lord approaches to judge the world for its iniquity. The expectation that the advent was near makes the salvation of souls urgent and leads to efforts to share truth that would enlighten and arouse people rather than live in false security. This readiness includes active work to warn others, waiting believers keeping on doing their work and serving actively, with prayer, temperance, humility, simplicity, sobriety and watching in prayer, wholehearted consecration to Christ and His service, living in purity and holiness, discerning truth from error rather than trusting claims of delay, and pressing the battle to the gates.
The call to be ready requires a soul-purifying work that turns affections away from worldly things to consecration, proclaimed by united ministers who have laid aside sectarian views and feelings. It moves sinners to repent, weep and pray for forgiveness, moves the dishonest to make restitution, moves parents to deepest solicitude for their children, and moves those who receive the message to labor with unconverted friends and relatives with souls bowed by its weight to warn and entreat them to prepare. Readiness means keeping the mind fixed on God, living earnestly so actions match faith, using influence for God and His truth, making peace with God, repenting and being converted so sins are blotted out, heeding the messages sent, and seeking to perfect Christian character so that a sudden death does not find a person unprepared. The salvation of oneself and others must take priority over everything else, with personal salvation attended to and then earnest labor for others, for carelessness, indifference, and despair do not honor God. Believers are to show through choices and works that they are not secure in this world and are ready for His coming, having Jesus precious with His divine image perfectly reflected as instruments of righteousness, reflecting His character and dying more fully to the world since there is much work to do and little time, with refusal to yield to such evidence set home by heartfelt warnings marking the most hardened cases.