The Watchful Christian

Mark 13:32-33, 37

"However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.33 And since you don't know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alertI say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!"

Every believer, in all places and times, has been commanded by Christ Himself to watch for His return. Since we cannot know the day nor the hour, we are to be watchful always. There are at least eight references in the New Testament commanding us to watch for His coming.

Many people have tried to calculate the date of Christ’s coming. But Jesus said,

Matthew 24:44 “You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

If anyone “thinks” he has figured out the time, we can be sure that calculation is wrong! If even the Lord Jesus Himself, within the self-limiting confines of His humanity, did not know the time of His return, it is unscriptural and presumptuous for any of us to think we can determine it.

In fact, the very reason for its uncertainty is to stimulate watchfulness on the part of the believer. When a believer starts to think and say in his heart

Luke 12:45 “├ö├ç┬¬..'My master won't be back for a while,'?,

there arises a real danger that he will fall into sinful habits.

Titus 2:13, 12The daily attitude of “looking forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed├ö├ç┬¬ is a real incentive for one to remember the ├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬.instruction to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,

1 John 3:2-3 promises Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

1 John 2:28We should continually "remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame".