Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him?
[The Great Controversy pp. 38] Let men beware lest they neglect the lesson conveyed to them in the words of Christ. As he warned his disciples of Jerusalem's destruction, giving them a sign of the approaching ruin, that they might make their escape, so he has warned the world of the day of final destruction, and has given them tokens of its approach, that all who will may flee from the wrath to come. Jesus declares, “There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations.” Those who behold these harbingers of his coming are to “know that it is near, even at the doors.”“Watch ye therefore,” are his words of admonition. They that heed the warning shall not be left in darkness, that that day should overtake them unawares. But to them that will not watch, “the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.”
The world is no more ready to credit the message for this time than were the Jews to receive the Savior's warning concerning Jerusalem. Come when it may, the day of God will come unawares to the ungodly. When life is going on in its unvarying round; when men are absorbed in pleasure, in business, in traffic, in money-making; when religious leaders are magnifying the world's progress and enlightenment, and the people are lulled in a false security,—then, as the midnight thief steals within the unguarded dwelling, so shall sudden destruction come upon the careless and ungodly, “and they shall not escape.”
It is evident even to the casual observer that the world is in a state of unrest and volatility, to the point where all of the systems of earth seem to be peaking at the same time. In the realm of fiscal policies, we have all but run out of options, for we are now entrenched in a deep and deadly cycle of spending and borrowing to pay for our most basic needs as a nation, and try as we might, we just can't seem to shake off the shackles we have bound about our own feet. Then in the world of medicine, we are confronting frequent outbreaks of diseases, viruses, and infections which are putting severe pressure on researchers to find cures. Then again, on the issue of security, it seems as if the nations of the earth cannot agree on a mutually binding agenda that will stem the tide of terrorism and radical ideologies, for with all of the efforts made so far, and with all of the trillions of dollars spent, the problem is still spreading like wildfire across the globe.
These things do portend the soon return of Christ in the clouds of heaven, as is stated over and over again in His word, but for the most part, the secular leaders of the nations choose to bury their heads in the sand, seeking in vain for external answers to an internal problem, which can only be addressed and taken care of by The Lord Himself. Let us therefore never forget the lessons of the past, in the rise and fall of the Jewish nation, for with every rejection of truth, the human heart becomes more stubborn and less impressible by the promptings of The Holy Spirit. It behooves us therefore to be wide awake, knowing that the coming of The Lord draws near, and in response to this undeniable, and unavoidable fact, Christ bids us not to "get ready", but to "be ready", for in such an hour as we think not, The Son of Man cometh.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reiterates this solemn and sacred truth, and it is the will of God that our lives be reflective of the principles and laws of His kingdom, so that the day will not find us sleeping. Let's read:
Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!