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. Romans 13:12
More than 90 years ago, a prominent Bible teacher was outlining the conditions he saw around him that convinced him that the rapture was not far off. This teacher spoke of the rapid and widespread expansion of all forms of transportation and information systems, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel 12:4. He also spoke of the economic and social changes that he could see occurring around him, as well as the sweeping departures from the principles of the Word of God, breakdown of families and other God-ordained institutions. In the opinion of this great Bible teacher, the Rapture must surely be very near at hand. If this man was amazed at the great changes that occurred during the 1920s, he would surely be shocked at how things have changed in the 21st century. If it was high time for Christians to rouse out of their sleep if indifference in his day, how much more is it critical for Christians to be on high alert in our day?
Our text speaks of our salvation being nearer now than when we first believed. This is speaking, of course, of the salvation of our bodies, when the Rapture will remove us from this scene and deliver us forever from the presence of sin. For this great event every saint of God is longing. Some of us have been on the road to Heaven for many years, and others are young in the faith, but all of us are aware from the Word of God that our eternal destination is far superior to what we have in even the best of circumstances here. The wealth and comfort that we know in our western societies is undoubtedly more comfortable than the living conditions in many third-world countries. But we still know pain and sorrow and disappointment, and we function in mortal bodies that are on a continuously downward spiral to the grave. This present world has little to offer the soul that has learned a little of the glorious joys of being forever with the Lord. But there is a danger, as our text warns us, of becoming too comfortable in a world that not our home.
Our text does not tell us that it is high time to be working harder, or that it is high time to be more careful in our testimonies. No, our text is calling on us to rouse out of sleep. In many ways, we are asleep, compared to what we ought to be in our worship and service for our Lord. For most of us, we know far too little of the Word of God and spend far too little time in the presence of our Lord in prayer and meditation. Most of us are also far too removed from activities that would serve to witness for our Lord and Saviour, spending far too much time on our own comforts and entertainment. Most of us devote far too little time to service for the Lord’s people. We surely do need to wake up and be aware that our Lord desires us to be occupied with His kingdom until He comes.
Our Lord is coming! Are we awake to hear His call? Are we living in the anticipation of ‘perhaps today’? -Jim MacIntosh