Wise and Foolish Virgins - Part 1 — Keith Malcomson

The Rapture and the Coming of the Lord

Praise God. Please turn with me here this morning to Matthew chapter 25, Matthew 25 and the Word of God. I started on something on Wednesday night on our Zoom Bible study. I was doing a real Bible study then and it's overflowed into this morning and it's going to overflow again into Wednesday night as we go back to another Bible study.

But I do want to read from Matthew 25 here but let me just read the scripture we dealt with on Wednesday night and my message on Wednesday night was the rapture of the church, the rapture of the church and I read from 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 concerning the coming of the Lord.

And listen to this very carefully. It says in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and it says there the Lord himself talking about the coming of the Lord, the return of Jesus Christ. It says the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

And notice this, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. It's actually saying those who are resurrected when the Lord comes again he is going to descend from heaven literally to the clouds.

That's what he's going to do. And when that happens there is going to be a catching up of those Christians that are still alive with those who have been resurrected from all generations since that is often in our generation called the rapture of the church, the snatching away.

But do you know what? The word rapture is a Latin word and I don't like Latin and I don't like Romanism in the church. What the Greek language says is there is coming a time when the Lord comes again that he is going to descend from heaven.

Heaven is a real place. He is going to descend from heaven to the air in the clouds of heaven and at that time we are going to be caught up. We are going to be snatched away. And in fact the scriptures teach that in Matthew and Mark and Luke that where Christ is we are going to be gathered together with him.

In other words he is going to snatch us away to be with himself all in one place literally in the air. We are going to gather unto the Lord. He is coming from heaven. We are going to leave the earth and meet together.

But only a certain type of person is going to be caught up. It won't be everybody who calls himself a Christian. It won't be all of those who say I believe in God. It won't be. Absolutely not. It's in this context that I want to bring you to this morning's message.

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins

Turning to Matthew chapter 25 verse 1 to verse 13 and my message this morning is the wise and foolish virgins. Can I ask you this morning are you ready for the coming of the Lord? Because it's about to happen.

Are you ready to be caught up? If the Lord comes are you going to be one of those that gather to him? Are you going to be found lost, bankrupt, naked and outcast? It's going to be one or the other. Reading from Matthew 25 and verse 1.

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom and five of them were wise and five were foolish. Then they that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them.

But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps while the bridegroom tarried they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made behold the bridegroom cometh go ye out to meet him.

Then all the virgins arose and trimmed their lamps and the foolish said unto the wise give us of your oil for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered saying not so lest there be not enough for us and you but go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves.

And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready what a word went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut forevermore no second opportunity. Afterward came also the other virgin saying Lord Lord open to us and he answered and said verily I say unto you I know you not.

Watch therefore for you know not neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh. Let's pray together. Father we do pray Lord God in this world crisis in this hour Lord God of unexpected things this hour when every prophecy in the Bible Lord God that precedes the coming of the Lord is suddenly and quickly and very visibly coming to pass.

My God I pray that this church would make itself ready that every person in this room today Lord God would prepare themselves would awaken from their sleep would turn their eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

My God we are asking of you that you bring an awakening to your church in this hour. My God that there be a call in this hour behold the bridegroom cometh. My God I do pray for that urgency Lord God that would grip us this morning to awaken us out of any sleep or slumber in the mighty name of Jesus.

Be gracious saved by your mighty power this morning. Lord God let your Holy Spirit have a real dealing with every single life in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. My message wise and foolish virgins.

Testing Whether We Are Truly Ready

What are you this morning? Are you a wise virgin or a foolish virgin? You may say oh I'm a virgin I'm a Christian. But I'm not asking do you claim to be a Christian? I'm not saying do you believe in God?

Do you believe the Bible? Do you believe these are the last days? I'm not asking that. I'm not saying oh I'm going to trust on the forgiveness of Christ. I'm not asking that. I'm actually asking are you a wise or a foolish virgin?

And I'm going to explain this here this morning. Do you know in Matthew 24 and Matthew 25 is a part of remarkable teaching by Christ himself about his coming again. About his return for his church. It is very clear teaching in Matthew 25 and Mark chapter 13 and Luke 21.

Jesus gives very clear and accurate teaching about his second coming or his return again. What does he say in Matthew 24 and verse 44? Listen carefully. He says therefore be ye also ready. For in such an hour as ye think and underline that word think.

Haven't we done a whole series on the mind? On the battle for the mind? And as a man thinketh so is he. What the thoughts that dominate your mind are. All those thoughts. How you think. All those things in your heart.

That's what you are. That's what you are. That's who you are. And what does it say here? It says in an hour that you think not the son of man cometh. You know what it's talking about? It's talking about many in the church of our generation.

And they're thinking in their mind. They actually have thoughts and they say I'm fine. I'm okay. The Lord isn't coming just yet. And in fact I'll be alright. Life is going to continue. I can keep acting the way I'm acting.

I've got lots of times. I'll have other opportunities. And yet Jesus himself teaching this says, therefore be ye also ready. For in such an hour as ye think not the son of man cometh. In other words there's going to be a lot of people in our world.

I mean vast multitudes who their thinking is I'm okay. The Lord isn't coming yet. Their actual thinking is going to be destroyed. They believe in him and yet they're not ready for him. You know what? Their thinking has had an effect.

They have such a manner of thinking that they don't make themselves ready. Do you realize the thoughts of your mind, the attitudes of your heart can nullify being ready for the coming of the Lord? Do you know what Jesus says?

Be ready. But he says if you're not ready then you have a mind that says sure I'm okay. Sure I'm fine. The Lord will accept me as I am. There's no urgency in this. There's no crisis. But do you know what this word ready means?

And Christ gives a command. Be ye also ready. The word ready there, the Greek word means to adjust yourself. In other words bring about changes to prepare yourself or to literally put yourself in a position of being at the hand of the Lord.

In other words I'm ready Lord. Here am I Lord. I'm in the right position at the right time and my eye is upon you. Jesus is saying be ye ready. I want you to adjust yourself. You see if you're not changing, if you're not changing your life, God isn't gonna change for you.

Well God I just want you to change and accept me as I am. It will never ever happen, never. You know what he says? He says I want you to change. I want you to adjust yourself. I actually want you to maneuver yourself into the right position for my coming again because I am gonna come.

And you know what? Lots of people are gonna say not now, not at this hour, not on this day. I wanna tell you they're gonna be deceived and caught out. They haven't made the changes. Here in Matthew 25 we read about two groups of people, two very different groups of people.

And yet they themselves think they all look the same. They think they act the same. They believe the same. And that they're all ready for the coming of the Lord. They all believe it. They all think it.

And yet half of them are utterly deceived. I mean utterly deceived. Only half of them are ready. Look what it says in verse one. Then shall the kingdom of heaven, and this is Christ speaking, be likened unto 10 virgins.

Do you know in the Bible he likens the kingdom of God to many things, a great many things. One of the things is to 10 virgins. So he wants to describe to you the kingdom of heaven. He doesn't say church.

He says the kingdom of heaven. Do you know when Christ tries to describe the kingdom of heaven in this hour, in this generation before he comes back, do you know he speaks about wheat and tares? The kingdom of heaven is like wheat and tares growing in a field.

Do you know what wheat and tares are like? They look the same. They grow the same. They grow together in the same field. And the poor angels are looking in saying, master, please let us go in and separate them out.

And he says, no, not yet. No, not yet. The angels are saying that because they can see there's something wrong. These are not the same. And yet they grow together. They look the same. And you know what he says?

It's only at the end, at harvest time, that the angels go forth and separate the wheat from the tares. Now that's talking about those in the kingdom of God. Or what about the sheep and the goats? You know, in Israel, sheep and goats look exactly the same.

Not in our Western world. But if you go to Israel and I showed you a sheep and I showed you a goat, you'd say, well, which is it? Are they both goats? Are they both sheep? I don't know. But you know what?

A shepherd can tell the difference. You've got to inspect them. You've got to look at them. Do you know what the kingdom of heaven is like? It is like goats and sheep that are gonna have to be divided by the great shepherd.

That's what he's literally talking about. Or the kingdom of God is like a man that builds his house upon a solid rock and another man builds his house upon sand. And then the storm comes. You see, until the storm comes, I don't know what you built your life on.

But let the storm come and we're gonna see what you have built your life on. Are you building on obedience to God's word? Or are you just doing your own thing? You could all look the same. Oh, we're all building.

Oh, I'm getting my house ready. But what are you building on? You know, even in Revelation, we have the contrast of a harlot worldwide church and a spotless bride called the bride of Christ. They are in contrast.

Both are women that present themselves as the worldwide church of God. And yet they are radically different. Notice with me in Matthew 24, Jesus talking about the kingdom of heaven. He likens it to 10 virgins.

In other words, all those who claim to be Christians, he is liking them to be the kingdom of heaven. Look with me at how similar these two groups are. Very, very similar. Two groups in the kingdom of God, and yet they're not the same.

But let me show you how similar they are. First of all, it says they are all virgins. The wise are called virgins, and the foolish are called virgins. Even those who are foolish in the kingdom of God actually look like virgins.

What do I mean by virgins? It says in Revelation 14 in verse four, about virgins, it spiritually defines what a virgin in the church looks like. And it says, these are they which follow the Lamb. What is a virgin in the kingdom of heaven?

It is someone who claims or who looks like they follow the Lamb of God. They are a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice here, they're presented, when you look upon them, they are virgins. They are morally pure.

They are outwardly pure. They are separated and by themselves. You know who they are? Do you know who these virgins are? They are professing Christians. They are members of local churches. They sit under preaching.

They watch messages on YouTube all across our world. And in fact, they are in close association with God's chosen people to such a degree you cannot tell them apart. They associate with them. They meet with them.

They pray with them. And yet they are not the same as them. And yet they're all called virgins, the foolish and the wise. They are all outwardly, visibly virgins. They have come out from the world. They are separated unto the Lamb.

They have heard the call of the Lamb of God. They believe that Jesus has died for sinners. So they're all virgins. Also in verse one, notice that they all had lamps, the wise and the foolish. Even the foolish have lamps in their hand.

Do you know what it says there in verse one? They took their lamps. That means they take them, they hold them, they seize them. That is a strong word. They literally grab a hold of the little lamp because it's dark outside.

You know what that word lamp means in the Greek? It's the Greek word lampos, meaning to beam or radiance. That's what it means. So when you have a lamp, you are radiating something outwardly that can be seen in the darkness.

You are literally beaming because of something that you have in your hand. Do you know what those lamps were that they used in the first century? It was like a hollow cup with a saucer or a bit like a flat milk jug.

And in the middle, it had an open top where you poured the oil in. And then it had a little spot where the oil would get burnt and the light or the flickering flame was right at the end. And you kept pouring the oil in and trimming the wick to keep the lamp burning.

The Outward Testimony of the Lamp

What does the lamp represent? Foolish virgins have lamps. Do you hear what I'm telling you? And wise virgins have lamps in their hand. They have grabbed it, they have seized it, they hold it fast, and they're in a world of darkness, but they're holding forth this burning lamp.

Do you know what the lamp represents that both the wise and the foolish have? It's our outward testimony. They both do good works. They both have good words. Both of them have a right message. Both of them can evangelize.

Both of them can speak about Christ. Both of them can pray. Both of them can be involved in ministry. All of them can be involved in social activity. So you have the wise and the foolish virgins, and they are literally holding forth a lamp.

If you see them, you'll say, this is a virgin. You're not looking at whether they're wise or foolish. You're saying they're an actual virgin, and they've got a lamp burning in the darkness of night. Notice as well, it says, they all went forth to meet the bridegroom, both evil and good, both wise and foolish.

They are all going out to meet the bridegroom. They all believe in Christ. They all believe that He died on the cross. They are all going through the right actions. They believe He's a bridegroom and that the church should be a bride, a bride making herself ready.

They all call on the name of the Lord. They all believe in true salvation. They all believe that Christ came to save them and deliver them from sin. Even the foolish virgins believe it. And do you know what?

They are going forth. They say, I'm getting ready for a marriage feast. That's what the foolish virgins say. They actually get up and begin to move and prepare for the coming of the Lord. They say, I believe Jesus is coming.

You see, they all expected a sudden return of Jesus Christ. All of them believed that Jesus was coming again, even the foolish virgins. If you talk to foolish virgins, do you believe it's the last days?

Oh, yes, I do. Do you see the signs of the times? Yes, I do. Do you believe this is a very evil day? Yes, I do. Do you believe we must be getting near the end? Absolutely, I am convinced of it. And yet they're a foolish virgin.

You see, I'm saying the wise and the foolish, they're all going out, preparing for the bridegroom. They all expect that Jesus is coming again. And notice with me carefully. It says that all slumbered and slept.

Spiritual Slumber in the Last Days

The wise as well as the foolish, they all begin to slumber. You know what Jesus is talking about that time just before he comes back? When it begins to get dark, when the hour is very late, when a lot of time has passed by, and the wise and the foolish begin to slumber.

You know what slumber means? Just now and again, your head droops. Oh, you're still awake. Yes, your mind is still alert. Yes, you know what's going on in the room around about you, but you just begin to slumber.

Now and again, your head hits the window or the back wall, or it begins to hit your chest. That's what slumbering is. Oh, of course you're not asleep. You know, I've seen people before they try to convince themselves.

I'm not asleep. I'm just resting a little. Yes, I know where you're going as well. Just a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands. I can assure you, you are going to become a sleeping Christian.

Slumber is the stage before sleeping. But notice here, it wasn't just the foolish that slept. It was the wise, the prepared, the ready, those that were gonna meet the Lord and be in the right place at the right time.

They all began to slumber. You know why? Because of the hour, the darkness, the generation of what is happening in our world politically and socially and economically and morally and educationally. Because of the change of climate, it has an effect on the wise as well as the foolish.

Nobody escapes this. The danger of sleeping in this hour is extraordinary. I wanna tell you, never have I seen an hour where the church real believers are in danger of sleeping like this. We are closer than ever before.

All the signs are before us like never before. Everything is happening and changing fast. And yet this is the hour that I see the church sleeping, not like 10 years ago or 20 years ago or 30 years ago.

I see everyone falling asleep, the wise and the foolish. It absolutely astonishes me that never have the signs been so real. Never has the hour been so late. Never has the coming of the Lord been so close.

And yet the church is ill-prepared for it. Here this morning, I showed you how similar they all are with their lamps. They're sleeping. They're all virgins. But let me look closer at the foolish virgins here for a moment.

The Foolish Virgins in the Church

Who are these foolish virgins? They're in the kingdom of God. And I believe they're not in the world. They're not in the pubs. They're not out on the high street this morning. They're in churches right across our world.

Who are the foolish virgins? They're going to be sitting in churches or watching some sermon on internet today. I promise you, that's who the foolish virgins are. Look at this word in verse two and verse three, foolish.

Foolish. What does it mean to be a foolish virgin? The word foolish there means dull. You're actually dull. You're stupid. You're heedless. The Greek word means like with a knife when it has a flat edge.

You have lost your edge. You're blunt. You're absolutely blunt. You're heedless. In other words, you don't take heed. You know everything. You've heard the preaching. You could tell everybody else about this, but you yourself do not take heed to the simple commands of the word.

And yet you could tell everybody in this city exactly. The word means to be thoughtless or to be mindless, to not to use your brain or your intelligence, not to have your mind engaged. I'm telling you who the foolish virgins are who are not gonna be ready for the coming of the Lord.

They're in churches all over our world. They are called born again Christians. And yet you know what? They're heedless. They're mindless. They actually don't use their brain. They don't engage their brain as far as the word of God.

Do you know what the Greek word is for foolish? It's the word moros, where we get our word moron from. When I was young, it was a crime to call anyone a moron in our house. You'd be hit over the ear. I'm sure these guys have never been cuffed over the ear.

They weren't like me, but you dare not call anybody a moron. That was as grievous as you could get. That is a terrible name. But do you know what the name moron means? It means lacking a grip upon reality.

It means to be brainless or without any intelligence. And yet Jesus is saying here, look at these foolish virgins. They are senseless. They are morons. They have lost a grip of reality. They're in the church.

They're singing the songs. They're praying. They're worshiping. They believe it all. And yet somewhere they have lost a sense of reality. I mean, they're living in another world. Their brain isn't engaged.

They're actually dull in their senses. They're dull in their mind. They're not getting it. They hear the preaching and go, amen, yes, I believe that. Oh yes, I believe Jesus is coming. But something has broken down within them where it just doesn't click.

Do you know Jesus also said in Matthew 5 and 22, he says, whosoever shall say thou fool, it's the same word, shall be in danger of hell fire. Calling someone a fool is so bad that if you in this room call anybody out there a fool, you yourself could be in danger of hell fire.

Jesus said that. You say, how could that be? I tell you, when I was a kid, I used to tremble over the thought of even calling someone a fool. You know why? The word fool means your past salvation. You're beyond grace.

There's no hope of redemption. You're an apostate. You're utterly hopeless. You're beyond the pale. That's what the word fool means. And you know what Jesus says? Don't you dare call a man a fool. Don't call him a moron.

Don't say that he's so brainless that he cannot receive salvation. That's how serious it is. And yet what does Christ do? He says, see these five of these 10, five of the 10, they're actually foolish.

They are brainless. They have lost touch with reality. They have gone to such a stage, there's no hope for them. And yet they sit in church, believe in everything, knowing everything, understanding everything.

And yet they've gone so far sitting in a church environment that it's almost impossible for them. Let's look at these foolish virgins here. In verse three, it says, they took lamps, but no oil. Why are they so different from the wise?

What sets them apart? Look at it, this thoughtlessness. Again, the mind. Do you think your mind, the attitudes of your heart affect who you are and what you do? Yes, absolutely. It says here in verse three that these foolish or brainless virgins, they took lamps, but no oil.

Notice this carefully, please. I want you to have this written on your hearts here this morning. They had their lamps in their hand. They seized the lamp. They carried the lamp. They had a sense of urgency about the lamp.

They would not let go of the lamp, but they had no oil for the lamp. Listen, what does this represent? They thought the lamp was sufficient, the outward testimony, the activity. They thought ministry was enough, but they had no real thought or understanding about the oil.

Yet it was the oil that was the source of all fire and of light. It should have been the oil that they were seeking, but they weren't interested in the oil. The oil was a secondary thing, an unimportant thing.

They wanted the lamp, and they held the lamp fast in their hand. They thought of the present and of the outward life, of the life of the church, but not the future and inward life. They weren't thinking about the coming of the Lord.

They weren't preparing for the coming of the Lord. They weren't thinking of that day. Although they believed all this, they weren't preparing themselves. Otherwise, they would have took oil with them.

How do I know someone who doesn't believe Jesus is coming? You do not take oil. You don't care about the oil. You're not trying to have oil in your vessel. But look at them. They had so much right, but the important thing was wrong.

Oh, they were right. They were virgins. They had a vessel. They were going forth to meet the bridegroom. They were expecting the coming of Jesus. They were there with real believers. And yet, do you know what?

They had no oil with them. They didn't take oil. They didn't take oil. Saints, can I ask you, are you taking oil? Do you have oil this morning? Do you have oil? Or do you just have an outward lamp? Is your lamp empty?

Do you have any source? Are you taking pains to make sure that you have oil here this morning? Do you know what this oil of the foolish virgins looks like? I call it outward oil, not inward oil. The wise virgins have inward oil.

The foolish virgins have some oil, but it's only called outward oil. In other words, it's used for the outward life, not the inward life. The oil they have is used for gifts and for serving in the church, but it doesn't affect their character in their home or their personal private communion with the Lord.

They don't have enough oil to make them go alone with God and pray, but they have enough oil to make them rise up in the church. It is oil for power, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the baptism in the Holy Ghost, the gifts of the Spirit, but they have no oil for genuine regeneration and sanctification of the life.

Saul, Balaam, and Judas as Warnings

You say, is there such people? Yes, there always has been. Do you remember King Saul in the Old Testament? God anointed him to be king of Israel. God anointed him of the Holy Spirit and raised him up in the nation.

He was a very humble man, and he stayed in that position for 40 long years. Only two years did he walk with God. You see, the outward oil makes you walk temporarily with God. You come in, you get excited, you believe it all.

You wanna be a part of it all, and you can even get raised up of God. God can give you a position or a gift or a ministry. God can actually do that. And then you spend 38 years amidst God's people. You're a rebel, you're a backbiter, you're spiteful, you're angry, you're jealousy, 38 long years.

I'm talking about foolish virgins. King Saul was a foolish virgin. The oil could come upon him. He's out trying to kill young David. He wants to destroy him, and yet David hasn't done anything wrong. But do you know what happens?

The Spirit of God can come on Saul, and he begins to prophesy with the prophets. He's trying to kill a young man. He is angry, he's got a spear in his hand, and yet the Holy Spirit comes on him, and he begins to prophesy the Word of God.

What about Balaam in the Old Testament? A prophet of God with a ministry from God, and all of his prophecies come to pass, and yet he brought compromise in amongst God's people, or what about Judas in the New Testament?

Chosen by God. You know who Judas was? He was a foolish virgin. He walked with the master. He saw the miracles. He was sent out to preach on the high street. Can you imagine? Hey, what are you doing out here?

Jesus sent me to preach on the high street. Really? Yes. In fact, he commanded me to go heal the sick, to cast out demons, and do you know what? I prophesy in Jesus' name. Really? You must be a wise virgin.

No, if only you knew. If you really knew, you would find out they're a foolish virgin. You see, these with outward oil, they use up their oil in outward performance for their own benefit, but they don't use it for their inward spiritual benefit to prepare them for the coming of the Lord.

They don't do that. They have outward oil, no inward oil. Notice what happens to these foolish virgins. They would have carried on the same, but something happened to reveal what they are. In verse five, it says, while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

Do you see that? While Jesus Christ tarried. There's a prophecy here that everything we find in, Matthew 24, and the coming of the Lord, and our gathering onto him. You know what's gonna happen? The Lord's gonna tarry.

Jesus is going to delay his coming. There is gonna be a long time lapse. You see, Jesus isn't gonna come early as expected. The bridegroom isn't gonna come during the day when the gospel is burning across the nations unhindered, and evangelism is moving forward like it did in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries and further.

You know what? There's gonna be a delay until a midnight hour. Jesus has delayed his coming, and it says in this parable that he delayed until midnight. What happens at midnight? It begins to get very cold.

It gets very dark. It's a time where everybody begins to sleep. That's what the midnight hour is, and it says here in verse five, while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. Do you realize slumbering and sleeping for a genuine Christian, it's very serious.

We must not fall asleep, and yet, do you know what? It only affects our outward testimony in this world, and we must not sleep. If you have lost your testimony, if you're not having an influence in this world, if you're not holding forth your lamp, then you are asleep this morning.

I wanna tell you, oh no, I'll get to it someday. You are asleep. Do you evangelize like you used to? Then you're asleep. Do you have a desire like you used to? Then you're asleep. Do you fast? Do you pray like you once did?

Then you're asleep. You're slumbering. Oh, but I know I'm a genuine believer. Yes, but you're asleep, and you know what? You've lost your outward testimony. If there's things you used to do, and you can't even make yourself do it, you are in a serious condition of slumbering and sleeping, but you think your condition is serious.

Oh, it's far worse for the foolish virgins. You see, you're slumbering and sleep means a loss of your testimony. They, when they slumber and sleep, it means the loss of their eternal soul. That's how serious it is this morning.

The Midnight Hour and Increasing Lawlessness

Until, there's gonna be a delay of Jesus until the beginning of sorrows. Darkness is going to engulf the world. Many in this hour, do you know what they're saying? This isn't gonna happen to us Christians.

Not gonna happen in America, in Ireland, in Britain, in Europe. And they're saying, we're not gonna be here for this. We actually see a climate in our world turning against us. And persecution is arising everywhere from England all the way through to America.

There has been a change in the past several years. I mean a radical change. And now all of a sudden, all these Christians are going, hold on, God won't let me suffer. God won't let me go through hard days of trial.

It's not God's will for me to face persecution. Oh really? Oh really? Do you realize the church has fallen asleep? It is at midnight hour. We are getting very close to midnight. And the beginning of sorrows, all the signs are there.

All around us in a very real way. Notice what it says in chapter 25, 13. Watch therefore, for you know not neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh. You don't know the hour or the day.

And you know what? You better watch. You better watch or you are not going to be ready for the coming of the Lord. Do you realize that will be the greatest crisis in any person's life? To have believed everything and not to be ready, not to be watching.

Do you know what it means to watch? This word watch that Jesus says, he says keep awake. Be vigilant. Stir yourself. You need to shake yourself out of your slumber and sleep. You say I can't, that's a lie.

That's an absolute lie. You know what? That's a condition of your mind, of your attitude. You've allowed thoughts to come in that now have become attitudes and now it affects your actions and you're paralyzed in your actions.