"You must be ready"

Article for November 16, 2025

All verses are from the ESV.

Malachi 4:1 1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

The day is coming, it may be close, it may be in our lifetime, and it might not.  Some say the signs are here.  Others say the signs have been here since the time Jesus walked the earth.  And scripture says we will not know the time or the day.  Yes, the time is drawing near, and the question is not when, rather are we ready should Jesus come now.

Beware those who are evildoers and beware those who are arrogant.  Beware those who falsely claim to be Christians and beware those that use their false Christendom to put other Christians down.  Jesus did not come to condemn, yet we have said Christians who come off arrogantly bolstering themselves over others and condemning those who get in their way.

Said arrogance, what goes around comes around, and it most certainly will happen.  Take heed, repentance is very important in the exercise of forgiveness.  We all are guilty, in need of repentance, and direly in the need of forgiveness.  So, do not be afraid or too arrogant to humble yourself on your knees before the Lord of Hosts and repent and ask for the forgiveness you need.

Luke 21:8–9 8And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. 9And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

It is one thing to be led astray by others and another thing to be led astray by your own arrogance.  We talk a lot about the world around us but now let us talk about the world within us.  Though we might not say we are God, we sometimes come off so self-righteous, we give others the idea that we think we are God.  We sometimes act in stubborn self-righteousness and don’t realize we fall short of repentance, which makes us fall short of forgiveness.  Now is the time to repent.  Now is the time to get ready.  Now is the time that draws nearer every day.

Look at the world around us and look at the world within us.  Many rumors of war and the evil one to come are being spread.  Rebellion and a turning of many backs to our Lord is multiplying every day.  This is not the time to think it won’t happen in our lifetime, rather it is a time to rally our faith in Jesus Christ and be ready for whatever comes next.

I know, I sound like a crazed doomsday sayer, but the truth is this is how we should be living our lives according to the Holy Scriptures.  Be ready, and stay ready. 

Luke 12:40 ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

But the sad thing is that many live their lives as if the Lord Jesus is never coming.  How should we live our lives, and how can we help one another to be ready. This is the time to be in God’s word together.  Or are you too arrogant to say you are ready even though you know you are not.  But of course, the arrogant don’t fear the Lord.

Luke 21:20–22 20“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.

We know the Temple was rebuilt because it was desolated by the Babylonians in 586 BC.  It was rebuilt by those returning from their Babylonian captivity under the instructions and authority given to Ezra. (see the book of Ezra). Later the temple was destroyed again and rebuilt by King Herod, and he renamed the Temple to be the temple of Herod.  The Temple was again destroyed by the Romans after the time of Jesus.  And now the Temple of God’s remains sits under a Muslim Mosque. 

Several times Jerusalem has be taken over, its people dispersed over many countries, and as many times brought back into existence.  You might brush it off that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back at all or at least not in our lifetime.  Either way, heed the warning, given to us in Luke 12:40, you must be ready.  Repent, be forgiven, and wait for the salvation that surely is to come whether today or tomorrow.

Luke 21:24 24They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The times of the Gentiles is the way of the world, and the way of the world needs to be fulfilled.  What is being fulfilled is the destruction of the world and its ways.  For our world is destroying itself and, in its arrogance, it made itself blind what it is doing to itself. 

Pray for the world or pray that many will escape its self-destruction.  And pray that you, yourself will not be snared by the world.  Pray that we who believe come together and hold each other up in the Word of our Lord.

In the darkness they will die, but we are the people of the light and live.  We are the forgiven and only can be saved through Jesus Christ our Lord. (John 14:6).  Let no one deceive you or trick you into following the false savior that may already be among us.  Jesus Christ and only Jesus Christ is our savior, and this is not by man’s doing but by God’s will and plan for all who believe and will be saved.

Luke 21:27–28 27And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

But before we see this glorious day when Jesus comes in all His glory the world will become a desolate place.  The evil one will reign, and the world will follow this evil that threatens our eternal life.  But take heart, Jesus has over come this evil and the world. (John 16:33). We can take heart even if at times we feel our faith is small, for though we are not always faithful we can count on Jesus Christ for He remains faithful to us all. (I Timothy 5:24; 2 Timothy 3:3)

Malachi 4:2–3 2But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

For those who do not fear the Lord they will be trampled underfoot.  But for those who fear the Lord, and were led by the Lord to repent, are most certainly forgiven up to the time of our Lord’s glory fulfilled.  We will be taken to Him who died for all sin, came for the lost, and declares us found the children of God, and saves us through His resurrection.  Amen.

Written by Pastor Curtis A. May