Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: Luke 12;37
‘Watch & Pray’, what could this possibly look like in June 2021?
When reading the gospels Jesus reminds us in various parables of the importance of expecting his return. We are to watch and pray that we are ready for Him when the time comes. In John 14:3 Jesus also reminds us that: ‘I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, you may be also’. This is Jesus’s desire, and ours as well. Hence, we need to be prepared and ready for this glorious day.
Below are some questions about our preparation for Jesus’ second coming:
i) Our expectation and desire to meet Jesus at his second coming:
Consider these verses:
- ‘Luke12:36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, ….
- 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching:
- 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
- v44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he has.
- v45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delays his coming…..The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looks not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
- v47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
This parable clearly relates to Jesus’ second coming. Jesus’ second coming is likened to a master returning after a long absence. The servants are separated in two groups, prepared and unprepared. The unprepared servant here is not a reference to the Jews. Jesus is referencing unprepared Christians of all backgrounds.
Because both groups, the prepared and the unprepared, are both servants to start off with, i.e. known by the master, we may interpret that both servant groups are Christians. The one group is watching and the other is not. Jesus doesn’t seem to be including any reference to unbelievers in this parable. (ref v45 underlined)
Can we interpret that Jesus warns that Christians who are apathetic towards Jesus’ second coming are placing themselves in grave danger, as their fate will be worse than those who ‘knew not’? (look up v48)
ii) How are we to prepare? Verse 36-59 of Luke 12 clarifies that it is Jesus’ desire for us to have prepared hearts at the time of his second coming. By cultivating a joyous expectancy and desire to meet him, primarily by feeding off God’s word, from which we receive a blessing.
Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand” and “22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”.
Prepared, secondly, by letting go of the world. We also remind ourselves, like in Proverbs, of the futility of temporary earthly comforts and desires.
iii) The thief: The parallel passage in Matthew 24:43 also considers the parable of the ‘Goodman of the house ‘. This is a separate parable to that of the servants (see i) above).
Because we believers would actually love for Jesus to ‘break into their house’ ie our lives’, this parable probably refers to a different thief breaking in. The ‘thief’, in this case, comes to steal, like in John10:10.
V43: “….if the goodman (housemaster) of the house had known what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house (‘dwelling’ in Greek) to be broken up’ . It thus seems that the thief in this case is Satan, who is making an attempt to break up our house, our lives. Or perhaps our souls and bodies? Is this perhaps a subtle warning by Jesus that Satan is going to attempt to break into our house, our being, around the time of Jesus’s coming? Would this then match the warning that Satan will attempt to set himself up in the ‘temple of God’? (2 Thess 2:4) Note in the New Testament the believers are the temple of God, hence there is a distinct implication is that Satan will somehow attempt to break up/into our being, our temple of God. (1 Cor 6:19,20, Eph 2:20-22). For further explanation see sub-point 3 & 4 below.
iv) Is there something relevant in current world events which could possibly resemble the ‘thief’s’ attempt to break in? There’s a clear warning from Jesus in Matthew 24:15 that believers are to flee from the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet. From Daniel 11:31 we see that Jesus was referring to a historical event where the temple was defiled by a wicked emperor, who set up and did abominable things in the temple of God. Jesus here warns that this abomination is going to happen again. But this time the temple is our bodies! The physical temple lost its function on Resurrection day, when the temple curtain was supernaturally torn. From that moment on we are the temple! (ref Eph 2 & 1 Cor above). The abomination is going to re-occur, but in our bodies. Hence, could this alteration of our essence, tampering with our brain chemistry, perhaps even our DNA, could this be considered as our house being ‘broken up’, or destroyed, as Jesus warns? (ref. further discussion in point 3 & 4 below and Rise_of_the_New_World Part 1, Rise_of_the_New_World Part 2 …e.g. page 50 regarding vaccines)
v) Does the bible give further clues what believers are to watch for? The above scriptures point towards a possible application of prophecy to current events. Below a list of some lesser known biblical ‘signs’, which might be interpreted to have a good fit with the current events.
As a refresher, read Matt 24 and Revelation 6 & 17, 18 and, if you are not aware of the current debate on vaccine validity, which may be the start of attempts to defile us, perhaps watch the video link at the end.
- “The nations are drunk”: (Rev 17) It seems, from this verse, that nations may be losing their sense of rationality and judgement at this stage. Examples of this abound. Most of the world’s population, for example, does not seem to grasp that the covid vaccines have not been long term tested, and that participants expose themselves to a huge personal risk by taking it. It is evident that the world has been indoctrinated to the extent that they distrust their own judgement, trusting only in self-proclaimed ‘experts’ for guidance. Revelation 17 describes the impairment of the world’s judgement and reasoning to resemble that of a drunk man. Both Revelation 17 & 18 aptly describe that the ‘nations are drunk with the wine of her fornication’. Intoxicated with the false narrative, with those lies that are so confidently presented by the government and media, the majority is herded like sheep to their destruction.
- “Buying or selling”: For anyone who has assessed the risks and consequently declines to participate or comply, the most immediate and important consequence seems the looming issue of being excluded from ‘buying or selling’. (Ref Rev 13:16 “And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: {13:17} And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name”). Most countries have been/are considering some kind of a health (i.e.. vaccine) passport. Currently this restricts travel and minor business access, but it is only a matter of time before the workplace, banking and shopping is affected. This puts the non-consenter in a surreal position where he needs to, as a logical consequence, think about stockpiling for virtually every future need. In today’s climate this seems impossible to do. However, one can buy time by planning and to start cultivating a self-sufficient lifestyle. This pre-planning will enable excluded/ostracized Christians to work out ways to share and help each other while other options unfold. Those who ignore this logic, the unprepared, will most likely be swept away by events as they look on helplessly.
- The “Abomination” and the defilement of the temple: Daniel 11 prophesies the defilement of the temple in Jerusalem, an event that actually happened a few hundred years later and which is recorded in the book of the Maccabees. A vile Greek emperor did all kinds of abominable things to and in the temple and to the Jewish people. Jesus warned in Matt 24:15 that this ‘Abomination’ is going to re-occur but adds a caveat, that it will require some wisdom from the reader to interpret this. Recognizing that we believers are now the temple of God, are our bodies not where we are to look for the ‘defilement’ or the ‘abomination’? The physical temple lost its function on Resurrection day when the temple curtain was supernaturally torn, and on that same day Jesus breathed on his disciples and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). Being indwelt by the Spirit from that day on, so are we also, at the very moment we trust and believe that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross paid for our sin and we thereby accept his offer of eternal life with Him.
This indwelling is abundantly clear from the New Testament, that in Christ: “In whom all the building fitly framed together, grows unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit”. (Eph 2:21-22). We are the temple. Even though there may perhaps be an additional, but secondary, fulfillment by a physical future temple being built, the primary interpretation of Mt 24:15 refers to an attempt to defile each Christian physically.
- Daniel 2’s ‘mingling of the seed’. In Daniel 2 a prophetic dream of a statue describing the future world empires is supernaturally interpreted by Daniel. The final (end-time) world empire, before Jesus comes to set up the millennial kingdom, is described as a mixture of iron and clay. That picture seems clear enough, there will be a mixtureof strong and weak. The ‘strong men’ of industry, those with the real power, are dispersed amongst the population (clay) as opposed to historic emperors with centralized power. That would match the current situation where bankers and technocrats are pulling all the strings. But there is another clue in v43: “And whereas thou saw iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.” Biblically reference to seed is to procreation. Our seed is the conceived cell. ‘Mingling themselves with the seed of men’ may indicate some defilement of our essence, our seed. There may be a second attempt by Satan, as it seems that he did in Noah’s day, to corrupt the essence of our humanity, our seed. This requires a very careful look at Genesis 6, and the use of the word ‘cleaving’ elsewhere in the Bible. In addition, the events of Daniel chapter one may perhaps also be read as a prophetic picture of Daniel resolving ‘not to be defiled’. Consequently, after 3 years, he ‘stands before the king’ and receives the highest commendation. Now parallel that with the end time passage in Luke 21:36 “ Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things ( the defilement?) that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
- ‘To him is given a great sword (Rev 6:4)….and that they should kill one another.’ Should we attempt to align of the horse riders of Revelation with current events, note that a sword is hardly a modern-day instrument by which people would be killing one another. Also, recognizing that a sword is a piercing instrument and investigating the Greek wording of Rev 6, adds some clarity. The fourth seal uses the traditional Greek for a sword. The second seal, however, uses a different word indicating a dagger, knife or ‘short sword’. (See Strong’ ref 3162 and 4501). As an injection needle was nonexistent in the first century, wouldn’t a little sword be an apt description for a potentially lethal injection? The pronoun ‘great’ would probably relate to the worldwide influence or great extent of the use of this instrument.
- Considering that with the red horse rider of Revelation 6:4 ‘peace is taken from the earth …..and that they should kill one another”, this seems to refer to war. However, Jesus in Matt 24 and in Revelation 6 specifically avoids a reference to war. While our first impression is that this ‘killing one another’ involves a war, remember that Jesus says in Mt 24:6, that ‘wars and rumours of war’ are not signs of the end.
Hence, when we hear of normal citizens, like students and teachers, signing up to help administer the covid ‘vaccine’ alongside doctors and nurses, we may well ask if they are not unwittingly be fulfilling prophecy. There are currently significant reports of mortality following the jab. This type of action, if it continues in this vein, could possibly be a fulfilment of Rev 6 where the population will be ‘killing one another’
- The above also is consistent with the first seal, which indicates a non-violent conquest of the earth. This conquering rider is on a white horse, which indicates a peaceful conquest. Traditionally, this rider is interpreted to be the antichrist, conquering the world by deception. Note also that the next horse rider, to whom is given power such that inhabitants are ‘killing one another’, follows the rider on the white horse, to whom is given a crown, a ‘Corona’. This is the Latin for crown, in the written language of the Roman conquerors of the day. Refer to the video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QAY4Y-6iE8w for our further analysis of the four horsemen of Rev 6. (approx. from minute 5.00-13.00). Also note the mention of the bow, but no arrows, i.e. could the bow be referring to an indirect weapon, a weapon that shoots, but in this case, with invisible arrows?
- The conquest of the earth of Rev 6:2 is consistent with Revelation 13 and 17, which describes the rise of a one-world Babylon system, in which 10 kings/powers/elites are ruling the world and then submit to the Antichrist. These kings, in today’s terms, are those with the real power, ie these are not the governments of our day. With today’s PM’s generally appearing to be mere puppets manipulated by big business and technocrats, these 10 kings, most probably, are hiding behind trusts, foundations or corporations. We may have some firm suspicions as to who: ie media, banking, IT and pharma magnates, but that will become clear before long.
- The Revelation 13:1-10 beast’s main characteristic is like that of a leopard. Most westerners have heard of the mark of the beast. Yet very few have read how the bible clearly describes in what manner this beast will operate. Revelation 13:2 describes that this beast is like a leopard. “And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” This is the also the Babylon Beast of Rev 17. This leopard kingdom is further described in Daniel 7 & 8. Here Alexander the Great and his conquest of the world is described as the leopard kingdom. History tells us that Alexander took the Medes and Persians, many times more numerous, by blitzkrieg. This is how a leopard operates. It conquers both by stealth and speed. It remains hidden till the last moment, and when it moves it is with lightning speed, even at ’warp speed’, such as to catch the unsuspecting prey before they have a possibility to escape. This leopard also has the mouth of a lion (ie openly arrogant) and the feet of a bear. (trampling everything underfoot). Hence the beast will take the unsuspecting majority by surprise, as indeed is the case at this present time, even as it arrogantly displays its intentions to those who wish to see.
- Sorcery: Note the Greek word for sorcery is ‘Pharmakia’. In Revelation 18:23b we read about those participating in or deceived by the Babylon system:”…for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived“. Noting that the Greek word for sorcery is ‘Pharmakia’, it seems that the world is going to be deceived by pharmaceutical concoctions of some sort. This is what Verse 23 seems to imply. Exactly what the current vaccines do to our bodies is as yet not fully known, but the adverse effects are mounting and the vaccine ‘cure’ seems to be, in many cases, worse than the disease.
- Financial distress and shortages: Following the white and Red horse in 1-4 above is the black horse, famine. Although we are only seeing the first traces of this, , the signs are ominous. Due to lockdowns, supply chain problems and business failures, reports of materials and consumer goods shortages are on the increase. The impact of the Corona ‘pandemic’ has done irreparable damage to economies. Governments are recklessly spending money at levels unprecedented in history to maintain some semblance of normality. However, government debt is now at levels where most countries are technically bankrupt. This, added to the risk of some financial meltdown, cyber-attack or ‘re-set’ can send the world financial system into a downward spiral. However, shortages may even have a more sister cause, in that some of these shortages are ‘engineered’. There are reports that some government agencies seem to be disrupting food supplies with the seemingly deliberate aim to create shortages. Such a famine of global proportions, if this should follow widespread deaths occurring on an unprecedented scale, would confirm that the third seal events of Rev 6 are upon us. (note the famine won’t affect the ‘Babylon system’ rulers.)
- Rev 13: The beast from the earth: A One world Order? read J. Gray’s advice: https://www.academia.edu/30472907/THE_FORBIDDEN_SECRET_HOW_TO_SURVIVE_WHAT_THE_ELITE_HAVE_PLANNED_FOR_YOU . Also view the links at the end of this post. A One world religion? In March 2021 the first Human Fraternity celebration amongst the various religions was initiated. These may be the first signs of moves to a one world religion gaining some momentum. The world does not seem overly ready for this, but this is something to look out for. A worldwide catastrophe, such as a famine, would open up humanity to desire a savior, who will return society back to normal. This may set the scene for the appearance of the Antichrist, who will be loved, admired and worshipped by the lost, as Rev 13 describes” …and all the world wondered after the beast. {13:4} And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?…”. Perhaps we should also consider that the interim step of a ‘universal religion’ may be skipped and the now hidden Satanism, as practiced by freemasons and others, be openly promoted as the only acceptable worship.
Hope:
As bible believing Christians we know that a worldwide persecution of Christians will precede Jesus’s second coming.
We may be this end time generation, who will witness Jesus coming on the clouds, in glory. Evil men will melt like wax in his presence, as Jesus comes to establish his perfect kingdom rule on this earth.
Hebrews describes hope as an anchor to the soul.
Jesus’s promise is to gather us to himself, this is our hope and strength. (John 14:3)
Revelation 12 describes how Christians overcome the persecution in this time: by the blood of the lamb, the word of their testimony, and not loving their lives unto death.
We hold onto this big picture; Jesus has provided us with an steadfast hope, and that gives us the strength to endure.
Anko & Theresa Griffioen
For videos: https://vimeo.com/user98387850
Current events: