''Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour (Matthew 25:13).''
Many people try to predict the end of the world. And they have many different methods for doing such. There are many preachers today who read the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. They interpret the Bible by the headlines in the paper. Trying to figure out the secret code God has left behind in the end-time prophecies. But there is no secret code. Jesus says Himself, "You know neither the day nor the hour." A couple of months ago, we heard Him say, "But concerning that Day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only" (Matthew 24:36).
Jesus refused to know when the Day of His return would be. He didn't want to set a date for everyone to become complacent. If you knew that Jesus was going to come back October 14, 2198, would you care about Jesus right now? Would you care about the Christian faith? Or the fate of the persecuted Christians around the world? Of course you wouldn't. There probably wouldn't even be congregations meeting for worship every Sunday. So many would not worry until their deathbed about their salvation because there's no imminence with Jesus.
But Jesus' return is imminent. We don't know the day or the hour. Jesus doesn't tell us so that we continue to watch for Him. That we're concerned about our eternal salvation. And the salvation of those around us. Jesus is coming soon. Watch and be ready. Amen.
