Ephesians 5:14 says, “Get up, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you.” In a similar vein, Keith Green penned the lyrics, “The world is sleeping in the dark / That the church just can’t fight ‘cause it’s asleep in the light / How can you be so dead when you’ve been so well fed? / Jesus rose from the grave / And you, you can’t even get out of bed.”
Steve Camp would later write, “Hell is burning while the church is asleep.” The Bible and the preachers of it have been exhorting us to wake up for a long time. From what I can see from my life and the world around me, we are yet to comprehend the gravity of this message.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the world isn’t getting any better or less evil. From my reading, every generation has thought that things couldn’t get much worse, so they must be living in the last days. (2 Timothy 3:1-5; 1 John 2:18) Count me as one of this generation who would concur. It could just be my selfish desire to leave all this behind and get started on eternity with my Savior. Perhaps it’s common sense from looking around. Or maybe our generation will at last be the one to see the coming of our King. All I know is we live in dark days. Jesus promised to return and to return when we least expect Him. (John 14:2-3; Matthew 24:42-44) Knowing this, it’s time for every true believer to wake up.
In the book of Romans, Paul writes that the end is near and that it’s past time for believers to wake up and be diligent in living for the Lord. (Romans 13:11-14) Peter tells us that we’ve already spent enough time indulging in the pleasures of this world, and we must now put all that aside. (1 Peter 4:1-3) He also warned us to be alert because as the times get darker, the enemy gets more desperate. (1 Peter 5:8) It has never been more important to strap on the armor of God: truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, and salvation. (Ephesians 6:14-18) We cannot sleepwalk into battle and expect to survive. (1 Thessalonians 5:6-8)
Jesus is coming back whether we are ready or not. If He finds us sleeping, what do you think will happen to us? Remember the parable of the ten virgins? (Matthew 25:1-13) Those prepared for the bridegroom gained entrance to the banquet, but those who were not diligent were left outside. The Lord is only coming back once for His bride. There will be no second chances to be ready. If we don’t wake up, we might get left out. (Luke 12:35-40; Matthew 24:45-51)
The Old Testament prophets often spoke of setting a watchman to alert the people of impending disaster. (Ezekiel 3:17-21; Ezekiel 33:1-9) We too must keep watch, always eager to see the coming of our Lord. (Mark 13:33-37; Titus 2:11-13) Of all people, His return should not catch us unawares because we should spend our lives anticipating His coming. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6; 2 Peter 3:11-12) This world is not our home (Hebrews 13:14; Philippians 3:20), and we should spend all our days here looking forward to our final destination. (Hebrews 11:13-16; 2 Peter 3:13) Since you can’t anticipate anything while you sleep, wake up! The time of our salvation is closer than it has ever been. (Romans 13:11-12) Prepare your heart and prepare to spend eternity with our Lord and King.