By Da Zhao

Today, all kinds of disasters around the world grow ever worse, and many prophecies of the Lord’s second coming are basically fulfilled. We Christians are eagerly awaiting the Lord’s coming to rapture us. I think of the Lord Jesus’ words, “Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes” (Matthew 24:44). The Lord reminds us that we must soberly ready ourselves to welcome His return, but how exactly should we do this?

1. Ready Our Spiritual Ears and Learn to Hear the Lord’s Voice

It is prophesied many times in the Book of Revelation, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”. And the Lord Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). These two passages from the Bible remind us that we must focus on listening for the words of the Holy Spirit to the churches. When the Lord “knocks,” we must focus on hearing the Lord’s voice, and the Lord’s voice refers to the words of God. The Lord Jesus once prophesied, “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come” (John 16:12-13). From the text, we can see that when the Lord returns, He will speak and work, reveal all mysteries, tell us all of the truth we do not understand, and make us understand and enter all the truths. The Lord Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). We can see that the truth comes from God, so the Lord’s second coming will surely bring the truth to people, grant people life, and show people the way. Therefore, in the matter of awaiting the Lord’s second coming, we must prepare our “spiritual ears,” and being able to recognize the voice of God is especially important.

We can also see in the Bible a parable the Lord Jesus told to the disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like to a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come” (Matthew 22:2-3). And the Book of Revelation says, “And I saw another angel fly in the middle of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6). The Lord tells us that in the last days, God will send His servants to invite us to the feast, which is to say that God will send His messengers to convey the message of the Lord’s second coming and bring us this eternal gospel. If we can seek and investigate humbly, and we can accept and obey when hearing what they testify about is God’s words, is the Lord’s voice, we will greet the return of the Lord.

2. Readying a Heart Which Open-Mindedly Seeks the Truth

The Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). “For whoever exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:11). Here, we see that it is the humble man who delights God, the man who can humbly seek truth and obey God. Especially in the great matter of the Lord’s coming, when someone testifies to us that the Lord has returned, and that he has heard the Lord’s voice, we must take a humble attitude toward him. We must investigate with a curious, humble heart, and use our “spiritual ear” to hear whether it is the voice of the Lord. This is what it really means to “soberly ready” ourselves. I believe that God will guide us, allow us to recognize His voice and welcome His return. The eunuch of Ethiopia, although he had high status and prestige, he was able to humble himself to seek from Philip. In the fellowship and testimony of Philip, he recognized the voice of God. As a result, he welcomed the Lord Jesus.

Therefore, if we wish to welcome the Lord’s second coming, we must have a heart that open-mindedly seeks the truth, learn to hear the voice of God, recognize the voice of God in God’s word, and follow in the footsteps of the Lamb. I wish that all of my brothers and sisters who truly believe in God and long for God’s appearance may be able to welcome the Lord’s second coming soon!