[Darris McNeely] The statement from Jesus Christ is on my mind this time because of
the "Beyond Today" television program that we taped earlier this week about watching,
about the Middle East peace process and agreements that have recently been reached there.
I read a Scripture out of Revelation 16, that speak to the very moment when armies gather
in the land of Israel and move toward Jerusalem, at the very ending of this age as
the armies gather to fight Christ that is coming. Revelation 16 describes it, beginning of verse 12,
with the pouring out of the bowl of the sixth angel and the judgment that God is pouring
out upon the world at that time and spirits of unclean frogs go out of the mouth of the dragon,
the beast, and the false prophet out to gather the kings of the earth, into what is described here as
the battle of that great day of God Almighty. And Jesus Christ makes a statement in verse
15, that we know, you know it, it's a red-letter in your Bible if you look it up there. It's one
of the blessings out of the book of Revelation. And Jesus says, "Behold, I'm coming as a thief.
Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garment, lest he walk naked and they see his shame." Watch.
He says, "I'm coming as a thief. And He says to watch.
Why does He say to watch? Keep in mind that the armies are gathering in a place
called in the Hebrew Armageddon, verse 16 tells us. There's that word that we know
that kind of gets really dramatic within time, events, and prophecy, Armageddon.
It's really talking about a place in the valley of Jezreel in the northern part of Israel,
at Meggido, huge plane on which people and the armies will gather.
You know what's interesting about that place? There's a village on the hills that overlooked
that valley, called Nazareth, the Nazareth that Jesus grew up in as a little boy.
You can well imagine, Christ as a child, going out on the rocks and the hillside beyond His
little home there, looking out over that valley, Christ, Jesus being God in the flesh,
knowing the end from the beginning as the Alpha and Omega, and looking out at this vast plane,
knowing that there would be a day in the future when armies would gather there to fight Him
at His second coming way into the future, as we look at it. But to Him, it was very real.
Christ literally watched over that valley, knowing what would take place and understanding it,
and He tells us now, as the resurrected glorified Christ when you look here, and what He says,
He said, "I'm coming as a thief." That day will come suddenly. Other prophecies talk about that.
"Blessed is he who watch and keeps his garment, lest he walk naked and that they see his shame."
We want to be clothed with righteousness is what He's talking about. We wanna be able to understand
the Bible, our relationship with Him and our times.
And He tells us to watch. Why? Because He watched. He watched it as a child. He's watching it today.
He's watching the entire world and He knows what's happening in this world today
as it moves toward that day, when the armies will gather at a time of great stress, crisis,
and division. And deception will rule the world and gather the armies to fight what they think
is some other opposing force, but it's really the returning conquering King of Kings, Jesus Christ,
your Lord and Savior, who tells us to watch to understand our world, our times, our lives, and
our spiritual condition. And He says there will be a blessing, a spiritual blessing for those who do.
That's why prophecy is important. That's why this topic is important. That's why
it is important that we watch to receive that blessing because Christ Himself watched.
That's BT Daily. Join us next time.