34And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36Watch 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.
What is Christianity all about?Is it a show, an act, for people, to pretend that you are better than they are?Is it a sham?Or is it something real?This is a question that many people wonder, especially with so many different types of Christians over the years.Some are holiness Christians, concerned with outward appearance along with their walk with God.Some are do-what-you-want Christians, believing that since Christ died for their sins, they can do what they want, believing that they are saved by God because they accept Him as their Lord and Saviour.
But there is a key to this – not only is Jesus our Saviour, but He must also be our Lord!And according to Jesus himself, in Luke 6:46, we read the following words – “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”One of the most important things to learn is to listen to the words of Jesus.How can we say that we are Christians, if we don’t obey what Christ taught?It is one thing to tell others, “I am a Christian”, and a totally different thing to actually obey Christ.
What is Christ speaking about in Luke 21:34-36?He was just telling his disciples about signs of the ends of time as we know it!Let’s recap a few things that were written in Luke 21, so we have a bit more understanding about what Jesus is speaking here.
-v.7 – The disciples ask Jesus when the end will come, and what signs will they see.
-V.8 – Jesus says that many will pretend to be Christ, but warns us not to follow them.
-V.9 – Jesus says wars and commotions must first happen before the end comes.
-V. 10-11 – Jesus says nations and kingdoms will rise against one another, and there will be great problems in the earth (great earthquakes, famines, pestilences, fearful signs in the heavens).
-V. 12-16 – Jesus says that Christians will be persecuted for their faith, and encourages us to stand strong as a testimony for Christ.He also says that some of us will be put to death for our faith.
-V. 17-19 – Jesus says that Christians will be hated by all men, but to continue in the faith, knowing that our souls will be saved.
-V. 20-28 – Jesus speaks of the beginning of the tribulation period, and warns that those who are left behind will endure much suffering.He also says that at the end of the tribulation period, He will return “in a cloud with power and great glory” (v. 27), and encourages those who remain to be encouraged, knowing that their “redemption draweth nigh” (v. 28).
-v. 29-33 – Jesus says that these are signs of the times, to let us know that the time draws near for the end.
There are many who scoff today at the idea of God bringing judgment upon this world with natural signs.Those who refuse to hear the gospel of Christ will always scoff at any sign from God, being fully convinced in their minds that God is not real, and therefore any natural disasters are simply a random occurrence.
However, Christ warned us that these signs were not just for the unbelievers – they are also for the believers!And more specifically, they are for the believer first, to let us know that the time is short.Those who are on the fence?They will see the signs, and have another opportunity to repent.For those who have hardened their hearts against God, it will take the very hand of God to wake them from their slumber.And we read in the Bible that there are those who are turned over to a reprobate mind – they have refused the gospel, and God has turned them over to love and believe a lie, and be damned.
I want to focus primarily on verses 34-36, because there is a key here that we need to be aware of.I often teach on verse 36, because it is a pivotal verse in understanding the tribulation period and how it relates to Christians.So let’s go back and focus just on that verse, for a moment – “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.”One of the key words in this whole passage is the word “ALL”.Such a small word – three letters long!But it makes a huge difference in the passage.If the word was “SOME”, it would entirely change the understanding of what Jesus was telling His disciples.
“Escape ALL these things” – “ALL” – not “SOME”, not “NONE”, but “ALL”.What am I escaping?What Jesus spoke about in Luke 21:20-28, the tribulation period!We read much about the tribulation period in the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible.We read of a man called the Anti-Christ who will have control over all government on this earth.There will be a 42 month period of destruction upon this earth, and all who refuse to bow down and worship his image, and take his mark, will be killed.There will be intense war, famine, disease and destruction.As Jesus says in Matthew 24:21 (Matthew’s account of the same story), “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
We could cover all of God’s judgments of wrath upon the earth during the tribulation period, but that is not what I am trying to discuss – I want to discuss Luke 21:34-36.Jesus gave us a promise in verse 36 that we could escape ALL of these things!But how do I escape them?He gives the secret (also in verse 36) in a short phrase – “Watch ye therefore, and pray always".
I need to understand this phrase, to understand how I can escape all of these things.So let’s discuss these two words – “WATCH” and “PRAY”.Let’s get into the original definitions of the words, to know what they mean.
“WATCH - ἀγρυπνέω - ä-grüp-ne'-ō - 1)to be sleepless, keep awake, watch 2)to be circumspect, attentive, ready – a compound word meaning “without” and “to sleep”
“PRAY” - δέομαι - de'-o-mī - 1) to want, lack 2) to desire, long for 3) to ask, beg a) the thing asked for b) to pray, make supplications – comes from a root word meaning “to bind, to tie, to fasten”
Essentially, to watch means to be spiritually sober – we must be aware at all times of what is going on around us, so that we don’t get sucked into the traps of sin.Sometimes things which initially appear harmless can be full of poison, and you won’t know how bad they are until you get into them.And to pray?It means to bind your will to God’s will, and begin to ask for things that are needful for yourself and for others.Without God’s help, it is impossible to grow in Christ!Sometimes we forget how necessary God’s help is in our lives and in others, and we think we are at a place where we don’t need to pray for ourselves of for others.But Christ teaches us that if we don’t pray always, we will miss out.
Who wants to experience the torments of the tribulation period?A short synopsis of what will happen for the believer and the non-believer.Those who are left behind, but choose to follow Christ after the rapture?They will have to give their lives – the Bible tells us in Revelation 20:4 that they will be beheaded.I imagine that there will be some who try to survive during the Tribulation period in hiding, but the lack of food, etc. will make it extremely hard to continue.And for those who choose to serve the Anti-Christ?They will be able to continue their lives to the best of their ability, but they lose all chance of salvation once they take the mark of the beast.And they will spend eternity in a lake of fire, suffering for their rebellion.
I really don’t have to know all the details of every torment and judgment that will take place to know that I don’t want to be here when it does take place.All things are written in the Word, but how much warning do I need to make a choice to get myself ready?If I don’t respond to God tugging at my heart now, what makes me think that I will get myself ready for God when the going gets tough?
So I ask you one question – are you obeying Christ?Or are you just going through the motions, and telling others you are a Christian, when in reality you are not being obedient?What has Christ asked of us as Christians?To WATCH and to PRAY.There are more than just these, but a mature believer will actively do these things in their life.They will be at a place in Christ where it is as natural as eating and breathing – the desire to watch out for those things that can suck us back in to a life of sin, and to pray constantly for ourselves and for others.
And so I go back to Luke 21:34-35, which were a part of this teaching.Jesus says that if we begin to focus on ourselves, and not on Christ, we can easily be sucked into a life of self-gratification (in any area!), and so we begin to fall asleep spiritually.A sinning Christian is not awake spiritually!Even the foolish virgins in Matthew 25 heard the call that the time had come for the bridegroom to arrive, but they had not prepared themselves.They brought no oil in their lamps (they had no prayer life), and so their lamps went out. And they were not allowed into the marriage supper – they missed the rapture.
The Bible warns us to be awake TODAY!We have no promise of tomorrow.The Bible even tells us that some of us will have to give our lives for the gospel of Christ, but it is easy to read it and consider that it might not be us.But what if it is?What if you are going to be put before a court one day and testify that Christ is Lord, knowing it may cost you your life?Which is worth more – this short life on earth, or the eternal life in heaven?
Consider that Christ has given us a promise – to escape those things which come to pass.But we need to be ready today!I encourage you to take today and reflect on areas where you have not been perfect in your walk with Christ, and begin to work with God to help you grow spiritually, so that you are not left behind.
Also, if you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you can do so now!God offers salvation for all who desire to be saved!We read in John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you want a new start in life, you can have it through Christ.Repeat this prayer from your heart – “Dear Jesus, please come into my heart, and be my Lord and Saviour.Please forgive me of my sins, and help me walk with you.I believe that you are the Son of God, and that you died and rose from the dead for my sins.”If you prayed that from your heart, you have now given your life to God – and you are saved!But you must begin to walk in the faith.Find a local church that preaches from the Bible (some don’t!) and begin to learn more about Christ, and how you can grow in Christ.And as always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask – God bless you!
9-11-11 – Watch and Pray
Luke 21:34-36
34And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36Watch 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.
What is Christianity all about? Is it a show, an act, for people, to pretend that you are better than they are? Is it a sham? Or is it something real? This is a question that many people wonder, especially with so many different types of Christians over the years. Some are holiness Christians, concerned with outward appearance along with their walk with God. Some are do-what-you-want Christians, believing that since Christ died for their sins, they can do what they want, believing that they are saved by God because they accept Him as their Lord and Saviour.
But there is a key to this – not only is Jesus our Saviour, but He must also be our Lord! And according to Jesus himself, in Luke 6:46, we read the following words – “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” One of the most important things to learn is to listen to the words of Jesus. How can we say that we are Christians, if we don’t obey what Christ taught? It is one thing to tell others, “I am a Christian”, and a totally different thing to actually obey Christ.
What is Christ speaking about in Luke 21:34-36? He was just telling his disciples about signs of the ends of time as we know it! Let’s recap a few things that were written in Luke 21, so we have a bit more understanding about what Jesus is speaking here.
- v.7 – The disciples ask Jesus when the end will come, and what signs will they see.
- V.8 – Jesus says that many will pretend to be Christ, but warns us not to follow them.
- V.9 – Jesus says wars and commotions must first happen before the end comes.
- V. 10-11 – Jesus says nations and kingdoms will rise against one another, and there will be great problems in the earth (great earthquakes, famines, pestilences, fearful signs in the heavens).
- V. 12-16 – Jesus says that Christians will be persecuted for their faith, and encourages us to stand strong as a testimony for Christ. He also says that some of us will be put to death for our faith.
- V. 17-19 – Jesus says that Christians will be hated by all men, but to continue in the faith, knowing that our souls will be saved.
- V. 20-28 – Jesus speaks of the beginning of the tribulation period, and warns that those who are left behind will endure much suffering. He also says that at the end of the tribulation period, He will return “in a cloud with power and great glory” (v. 27), and encourages those who remain to be encouraged, knowing that their “redemption draweth nigh” (v. 28).
- v. 29-33 – Jesus says that these are signs of the times, to let us know that the time draws near for the end.
There are many who scoff today at the idea of God bringing judgment upon this world with natural signs. Those who refuse to hear the gospel of Christ will always scoff at any sign from God, being fully convinced in their minds that God is not real, and therefore any natural disasters are simply a random occurrence.
However, Christ warned us that these signs were not just for the unbelievers – they are also for the believers! And more specifically, they are for the believer first, to let us know that the time is short. Those who are on the fence? They will see the signs, and have another opportunity to repent. For those who have hardened their hearts against God, it will take the very hand of God to wake them from their slumber. And we read in the Bible that there are those who are turned over to a reprobate mind – they have refused the gospel, and God has turned them over to love and believe a lie, and be damned.
I want to focus primarily on verses 34-36, because there is a key here that we need to be aware of. I often teach on verse 36, because it is a pivotal verse in understanding the tribulation period and how it relates to Christians. So let’s go back and focus just on that verse, for a moment – “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.” One of the key words in this whole passage is the word “ALL”. Such a small word – three letters long! But it makes a huge difference in the passage. If the word was “SOME”, it would entirely change the understanding of what Jesus was telling His disciples.
“Escape ALL these things” – “ALL” – not “SOME”, not “NONE”, but “ALL”. What am I escaping? What Jesus spoke about in Luke 21:20-28, the tribulation period! We read much about the tribulation period in the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. We read of a man called the Anti-Christ who will have control over all government on this earth. There will be a 42 month period of destruction upon this earth, and all who refuse to bow down and worship his image, and take his mark, will be killed. There will be intense war, famine, disease and destruction. As Jesus says in Matthew 24:21 (Matthew’s account of the same story), “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
We could cover all of God’s judgments of wrath upon the earth during the tribulation period, but that is not what I am trying to discuss – I want to discuss Luke 21:34-36. Jesus gave us a promise in verse 36 that we could escape ALL of these things! But how do I escape them? He gives the secret (also in verse 36) in a short phrase – “Watch ye therefore, and pray always".
I need to understand this phrase, to understand how I can escape all of these things. So let’s discuss these two words – “WATCH” and “PRAY”. Let’s get into the original definitions of the words, to know what they mean.
“WATCH - ἀγρυπνέω - ä-grüp-ne'-ō - 1) to be sleepless, keep awake, watch 2) to be circumspect, attentive, ready – a compound word meaning “without” and “to sleep”
“PRAY” - δέομαι - de'-o-mī - 1) to want, lack 2) to desire, long for 3) to ask, beg a) the thing asked for b) to pray, make supplications – comes from a root word meaning “to bind, to tie, to fasten”
Essentially, to watch means to be spiritually sober – we must be aware at all times of what is going on around us, so that we don’t get sucked into the traps of sin. Sometimes things which initially appear harmless can be full of poison, and you won’t know how bad they are until you get into them. And to pray? It means to bind your will to God’s will, and begin to ask for things that are needful for yourself and for others. Without God’s help, it is impossible to grow in Christ! Sometimes we forget how necessary God’s help is in our lives and in others, and we think we are at a place where we don’t need to pray for ourselves of for others. But Christ teaches us that if we don’t pray always, we will miss out.
Who wants to experience the torments of the tribulation period? A short synopsis of what will happen for the believer and the non-believer. Those who are left behind, but choose to follow Christ after the rapture? They will have to give their lives – the Bible tells us in Revelation 20:4 that they will be beheaded. I imagine that there will be some who try to survive during the Tribulation period in hiding, but the lack of food, etc. will make it extremely hard to continue. And for those who choose to serve the Anti-Christ? They will be able to continue their lives to the best of their ability, but they lose all chance of salvation once they take the mark of the beast. And they will spend eternity in a lake of fire, suffering for their rebellion.
I really don’t have to know all the details of every torment and judgment that will take place to know that I don’t want to be here when it does take place. All things are written in the Word, but how much warning do I need to make a choice to get myself ready? If I don’t respond to God tugging at my heart now, what makes me think that I will get myself ready for God when the going gets tough?
So I ask you one question – are you obeying Christ? Or are you just going through the motions, and telling others you are a Christian, when in reality you are not being obedient? What has Christ asked of us as Christians? To WATCH and to PRAY. There are more than just these, but a mature believer will actively do these things in their life. They will be at a place in Christ where it is as natural as eating and breathing – the desire to watch out for those things that can suck us back in to a life of sin, and to pray constantly for ourselves and for others.
And so I go back to Luke 21:34-35, which were a part of this teaching. Jesus says that if we begin to focus on ourselves, and not on Christ, we can easily be sucked into a life of self-gratification (in any area!), and so we begin to fall asleep spiritually. A sinning Christian is not awake spiritually! Even the foolish virgins in Matthew 25 heard the call that the time had come for the bridegroom to arrive, but they had not prepared themselves. They brought no oil in their lamps (they had no prayer life), and so their lamps went out. And they were not allowed into the marriage supper – they missed the rapture.
The Bible warns us to be awake TODAY! We have no promise of tomorrow. The Bible even tells us that some of us will have to give our lives for the gospel of Christ, but it is easy to read it and consider that it might not be us. But what if it is? What if you are going to be put before a court one day and testify that Christ is Lord, knowing it may cost you your life? Which is worth more – this short life on earth, or the eternal life in heaven?
Consider that Christ has given us a promise – to escape those things which come to pass. But we need to be ready today! I encourage you to take today and reflect on areas where you have not been perfect in your walk with Christ, and begin to work with God to help you grow spiritually, so that you are not left behind.
Also, if you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you can do so now! God offers salvation for all who desire to be saved! We read in John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you want a new start in life, you can have it through Christ. Repeat this prayer from your heart – “Dear Jesus, please come into my heart, and be my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me of my sins, and help me walk with you. I believe that you are the Son of God, and that you died and rose from the dead for my sins.” If you prayed that from your heart, you have now given your life to God – and you are saved! But you must begin to walk in the faith. Find a local church that preaches from the Bible (some don’t!) and begin to learn more about Christ, and how you can grow in Christ. And as always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask – God bless you!