Watch
Revelation 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
The warning is that if you are not watching he will come as a thief. How does a thief come? You wake up and realize “I’ve been robbed” or you return home and realize “I’ve been robbed”. You were clueless at the time about what was going on. So then what does it mean to watch? I saw a video recently selling these doorbell cameras how a woman at work saw someone stealing her packages. She didn’t know the day or the hour, but she was watching and as a result she wasn’t caught unawares.
Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
This is a good example of “watching”. They were keeping watch over the sheep, making sure no wolves got to the sheep. You don’t know the hour or the day that the heavenly host is going to show up to announce Christ’s birth, but because you are watching you find out and are not caught unawares.
Matthew 24: 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For 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, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Please notice that Noah entered the ark 7 days before the flood came. Yet the Lord says "they were eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark". People were celebrating and enjoying life until the day of the rapture. "And they knew not until the flood came" the flood came 7 days later. The great tribulation comes at the end of the seven years. Wormwood takes them all away. There will be people who are clueless right up until the end, however, the celebrations and rejoicing will cease after the rapture prior to the tribulation. There are two reasons for this, first the judgements fall. If people stop going out to eat at restaurants and public gatherings and weddings are cancelled it suggests a famine and a lockdown. It also suggests repentance and regret. Many believers who are left behind will be repenting and regretting, meanwhile the Antichrist's reign will be launched with famines and lockdowns.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
There are two places for believers to be, in the field reaping the harvest and grinding the grain at the mill. The word of God is likened to little grains that we need to grind and turn into flour and bake into bread. You have your evangelists ministry and your feeding ministry. So then why would half of those in the fields reaping the harvest not be taken or why would half those who are grinding the grain in the mill not be taken? Satan has infiltrated the church, half of those who are speaking from the word of God are false prophets and half of those who are evangelizing are doing so for cults.
Acts 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
We are not simply watching for the Lord’s return, we are watching to protect the flock, we are watching for wolves creeping in. Think about this, why do wolves have to creep in? Without the element of surprise they have very little chance of success. Today we see many who have arisen speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. It isn’t working, in fact what we really see is the Lord’s sheep know His voice and they are running from these wolves. But what happens after the first rapture, then with the strongest taken the odds tilt a little in favor of the wolves. They will require the mark of the beast or else get beheaded. 144,000 will choose to have their heads chopped off. But after that the odds tilt even more in favor of the wolves. Then there will still be those who refuse, wandering and destitute. The point is that right now we far outnumber the wolves and good shepherds should have no problem fighting off the wolves.
Luke 12: 36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. 40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
How many of us missed this? Luke is written to the firstfruits, the ones who are raptured before the tribulation. What wedding is the Lord returning from? The wedding we think of takes place after the rapture not before it. Therefore there is another wedding and certainly not the Lord’s wedding. If this is referring to the Lord’s wedding He isn’t going to come out late at night and serve the servants on his wedding night. So let’s consider some of the other weddings. There was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, the wine ran out, and it signifies that human life has ceased being a celebration of life. Imagine you are at a wedding and they stop serving wine and start serving water. “The party is over”. That depicts the end of this age. Think about a baby being born. As it grows in the womb it becomes clear that this is not sustainable. The baby is growing but the womb isn’t. At some point “the party is over” and the baby needs to come out. This is when the Lord will come. There are many things we can watch, we can watch for wolves, we can watch for signs in the heavens, we can watch over the sheep, we can watch those who arise and speak perverse things, and we can watch for signs that “the party is over”.
Mark 13: 28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: 29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. 30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. 31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. 33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. 34 For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. 35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: 36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
This shows us that there are many prophecies in the Bible which tell us that the day is approaching. We can know the season (summer is near), we can know the generation, we can know a lot of things that tell us the day is approaching. In the same way you don’t know the day or the hour a woman will give birth to a baby but there are a lot of things that you can know which will give you a very good idea that the day is approaching. The fourth month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year is "the door" month and it is the first month of summer.
Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Matthew 26:40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
Mark 14:37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?
Proverbs 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
1Thessalonians 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
The thought is that “the first shall be last and the last first” applies to the gospels. Matthew refers to those raptured last and Luke to those raptured first. In Luke the account is different. The disciples in Matthew and Mark could not watch for one hour, in Luke they sleep for sorrow.