Are You Prepared?

How prepared are you to meet your Maker? Are you ready for the end-time? Yahshua said to “Watch ye therefore, and pray always that you be accounted worthy to escape all these things”…that He had just mentioned in Luke 21:1-35.

What if He came tonight? Or what if you died tonight? Are you satisfied with your present Spiritual condition?

Everywhere, we hear Believers talking about the end of the age, about Yahshua’s return being very near – and I, too, believe that it is imminent. The signs are all around us. We see the Abomination of Desolation (abomination that makes desolate) standing in the holy place (the Dome of the Rock, built on the Temple Mount by Moslems). We see the Islamic hordes surrounding Israel and Jerusalem , threatening to drive them into the sea. Threatening world peace. Threatening to kill with the sword.

But yet, with all this, we see lethargy all around us, too, even while talking about the end-time. Not many are really striving to overcome and be considered worthy to enter Yahweh’s Kingdom. Not many are putting forth the effort needed for salvation. I don’t think we take it seriously as we should.

Why? Why would this be? Don’t we, deep down, really believe, Or don’t we really CARE? Or do we think it is so far away and strange that we keep putting off really dedicating ourselves to the task at hand? The end has always seemed a long way off, and we just can’t get it in our heads that something this earth-shattering and important could happen in our day?

Well, whatever the reasons may be, and whether the end of the age is near or not, our OWN “end time” is getting nearer every day. Our clock is ticking down, year by year, week by week, minute by minute. So, whatever you or I may believe about Bible prophecy, one of these days, our time will be up, and we will lie in our graves until Yahshua calls us forth in a resurrection. But which one? Scripture plainly shows that there will be two resurrections – first, the Firstfruits, a Spiritual resurrection; then, a thousand years later, the Great Fall harvest, the Resurrection when all who have ever lived will come forth in the flesh to be judged.

Will you be in the first resurrection of Firstfruits, or the latter one? How can you know? The first one is called a better resurrection, Heb. 11:35. How can you prepare for it? How can you make sure that you will be among the Saints on that day?

Let’s look in the Scriptures for some answers.

(Mat 16:24-27 KJV)  "Then said Yahshua unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. {25} For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. {26} For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? {27} For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."

He told the young man in MAT 19:17, if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

(Mat 19:20 KJV)  "The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?"

(Mat 19:21-23 NRSV)  "Yahshua said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." {22} When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions. {23} Then Yahshua said to his disciples, "Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven."

He was putting more value on his earthly riches than he was on his salvation. He likely will be one of those who will be told on the resurrection day, “I never knew you..depart from me, you workers of iniquity (you sinners).”

(Mat 7:21-24 KJV)  "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. {22} Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? {23} And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. {24} Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:"

So, with all that said, what is the answer? What shall we do?

The first step is to recognize what sin is.

(1 John 3:4 KJV)  "Whosoever commits sin transgresses the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." Violation of the Torah instructions.

Second, we must acknowledge that WE are sinners, and that WE cannot pay for those sins except by suffering the death penalty – Rom. 6:23, “..the wages of sin is death, but the gift of Yahweh is life everlasting through Yahshua Messiah our Master.”

Third, then, we must recognize that He, having lived a perfect, sin-free life, did not have to die for his own sins, but He willingly died for ours ( Rom. 5:8; 1 Cor. 5:7 and 15:3). He was and is our Example (John 13:15; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 Cor. 11:1).

In short, He did for us, what we CANNOT do for ourselves – and He did it while we were yet sinners – but the time has come to repent of our lawlessness and begin to keep His instructions.

But what does it mean to repent? Job: Job 42:6  Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

To be sorrowful for what you have done, and for what you ARE. To be broken up when we realize the enormity of our sins.

To turn from our lawlessness (sin) and go the other way: Ezek 14:6 KJV)  "Therefore say unto the house of Israel , Thus saith the Adonai Yahweh; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations."

(Ezek 18:30 NRSV)  "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel , all of you according to your ways, says the Adonai Yahweh. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin."

Yahshua preached repentance beginning in Mat. 4:17; (Mat 4:17 KJV)  "From that time Yahshua began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

The Apostles preached repentance all their remaining lives.

(Acts 2:38 KJV)  "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Yahshua Messiah for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

So, after baptism, we receive the Holy Spirit, by the laying on of hands by the presbytery (the Elders). Now we can keep the Law with a spiritual intent. A carnal mind cannot (Rom 8:7).

Baptism is a ritual symbolic burial of the old self, and a resurrection of the new creature. But unless one is truly repentant and converted, he or she would go in the water a dry sinner and come out a wet sinner. We must have repented of our sins and converted to a new and better way.

(Rom 6:1-9 NRSV)  "What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? {2} By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? {3} Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Messiah Yahshua were baptized into his death? {4} Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Messiah was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. {5} For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. {6} We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. {7} For whoever has died is freed from sin. {8} But if we have died with Messiah, we believe that we will also live with him. {9} We know that Messiah, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him."

(Rom 6:10-15 NRSV)  "The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to Yahweh. {11} So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to Yahweh in Messiah Yahshua. {12} Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. {13} No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to Yahweh as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to Yahweh as instruments of righteousness. {14} For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. {15} What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!"

Not being “under law” means we are no longer under the penalty of the law – the death penalty. We are under grace now – grace is undeserved pardon. We deserved to die, but Yahweh forgave us because of us accepting Yahshua, and our obedience from that point on.

Notice two more Scriptures: Rev. 12:17 and 14:12:

(Rev 12:17 KJV)  "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of Yahweh, and have the testimony of Yahshua Messiah."

(Rev 14:12 KJV)  "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Yahweh, and the faith of Yahshua."

We must keep Yahweh’s Commandments AND have Yahshua’s Testimony (found in the New Testament) AND His Faith.

Remember that even after baptism, we still have a large dose of human nature. Even with the help of the Holy Spirit, we still slip up and sin at times.

But when we do, we have an advocate with the Father, who is the atonement for our sins:

(1 John 2:1-6 KJV)  "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Yahshua Messiah the righteous: {2} And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. {3} And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. {4} He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. {5} But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of Yahweh perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. {6} He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked."

Salvation is not as easy as falling off a log; it is hard.

We are told to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12).

Yahshua said (Mat 7:13-14 NRSV)  ""Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. {14} For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it."

We must not turn back! I know a few who have. Here is what awaits them:

(Heb 10:24-29 KJV)  "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: {25} Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. {26} For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, {27} But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. {28} He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: {29} Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of Yah, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"