Title: The Lord's Question
The September 11, 2001, terrorist attack between the World Trade Center in New York and the U.S. Department of Defense shocked the world in its method and scale of damage. Since that incident, countless terrorism, wars and disasters have come to us. Seeing these things, people say that the last days have come.
In the Bible, our Lord has taught us in detail what will happen in the last days. Matthew 24:3 to the end of chapter 25 are Jesus' teachings about the end times and judgment. Chapters 24-25 of Matthew are called the last chapters. First, let's look at a few verses of what our Lord has to say about the signs of the end times. 24:5 - He says that many people deceive themselves into being the Christ. How many false heretics these days claim to be the Messiah? These are all signs of the end times. Verse 6 - It is said that you will hear wars and rumors of wars. Verse 7 - “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many places.” Verse 12 “The love of many will grow cold because iniquity will increase.” Look around us closely. It's not that love has cooled, but it seems that love has disappeared. In times like these, we need to stay awake and keep our faith strong.
Chapter 25 is the question the Lord asks when we die. We will spend our whole lives preparing to answer this question. The first is the parable of the ten virgins, as we well know. In this parable, the five wise virgins enter the kingdom of heaven, but the five foolish virgins do not. What is the difference between the wise virgin and the foolish virgin? Have you prepared oil? Haven't you done it? The message this parable teaches us is that when Jesus returns, the most important thing is to keep our faith. Therefore, this tells us that we cannot receive salvation if we do not keep the place of faith, and it teaches us to keep the place of faith until the end.
We do not know when the Lord will come. That is why we must always live a life of faith that keeps our faith. Even if the world deceives us with pleasures, temptations, and good things, I hope you will keep your faith until the end.
The second parable is the parable of the talents we are familiar with. In the text, the master entrusts 5, 2, and 1 talents to each of the three servants according to their talents, goes a long way, and then shows the figure of accounting. Of course, the master in the parable is our Lord. And the servants are our workers in the church. A talent can be thought of as a position, an office, or a gift, but it refers to everything entrusted to us while living in this world. God has entrusted each person with talents according to their talents. In other words, the Lord will ask you whether you have faithfully fulfilled the mission entrusted to you during your life in this world.
The third parable is the parable of the sheep and the goats. At this time, the standard of judgment is whether the Son of Man helped him or not when he was in trouble. Those who help go to heaven, and those who don't go to hell. In other words, the Lord asks if you have lived a life of loving your neighbor while living in this world.
Dear saints, the people of the world are saying the end times because of countless disasters and painful circumstances. But we already know what the end of this world will be with the written Word of God. Now, as saints living in the end times, let's live a life that overcomes the world with faith, keeping the questions the Lord will ask us in our hearts.