Watch and Pray

 

Jesus Christ told us to “watch … and pray always.” What does the Bible mean when it tells us to watch and pray? Here are four aspects of being watchful.

One of the most strongly emphasized warnings in the Gospels is the command to watch. But what does it mean to watch? The Greek words translated “watch” basically mean to watch, keep awake, be circumspect, be attentive, be ready and be cautious.

This article explains four ways the command to watch and pray can be applied to our Christian lives.

Watching or being circumspect to repent and obey

Jesus told the church in Sardis: “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you” (Revelation 3:2-3).

It is a clear teaching throughout the Bible that we should be vigilant and circumspect to repent of sin and obey God. This is a key to growing toward perfection.

In Exodus 23:13 God said, “And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect.”

Being circumspect means being watchful or careful. When God speaks, He expects us to respond by carefully and watchfully obeying and praying for His help. This includes remembering God’s law, interpreting it correctly and being thorough and accurate in obeying it.

God expects diligent obedience to His instructions. We should hang onto and painstakingly act on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

God expects a diligent and careful approach to repenting of sin—to changing from trampling on His laws. “For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you” (2 Corinthians 7:11).

Being watchful is a fruit of true repentance. Disobedience will bring a penalty.Being watchful is a fruit of true repentance. Disobedience will bring a penalty. The wages of sin is death. Because God judges impartially, we should fear failing to carry out His instructions and the penalty that will follow. This healthy fear of God should produce a watchful approach to obeying Him.

As Paul wrote in Titus 3:8, “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works.”

Watching or being on guard for enemy attacks

The concept of watching is borrowed by analogy from the soldier guarding against an enemy attack. His duty is to sound an alarm if he sees the enemy coming. This applies to the approach we should take to guarding against our adversary Satan the devil and his spiritual attacks. Jesus commanded His disciples in Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

The reason Satan is so effective at influencing humans to sin is that humans are generally unsuspecting of Satan’s attacks.

• Those attacks come from an invisible enemy who seems to be nonexistent.
• Those attacks are subtle and come in the form of ideas, impulses, suggestions and moods that are not easily distinguishable from human or environmental sources.
• Those attacks come in the form of baited hooks that focus our attention on the lure and blind us to the concealed hook.

It is a war game of distraction—trying to take our focus away from doing what God commands. The antidote to all of this effort by Satan is to watch and pray, to be aware of his attacks so that we can be ready to resist with the Word of God and the power of God. We must monitor and anticipate these influences to sin and be ready to say no to them and yes to God’s instruction.

Watching for prophetic fulfillment

What should we do with a knowledge of the future obtained from prophecy? Jesus Christ said that we should be vigilant to watch and pray and prepare for His coming.

When we monitor world events, we try to discern any trends that may relate to prophetic events so that we are not taken by surprise when they are fulfilled. (Learn more in our article “Discerning the Signs of the Times.”)

Reading the history of world events and prophecies that have been fulfilled can be a good primer for this activity of watching world events. But it is important that we avoid the pitfall of attempting to guess when events will occur. “For you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:13).

Forming theories of possible outcomes of trends is a natural part of watching for prophetic fulfillments. But those theories should be treated as speculation. If we form a theory, we should await additional facts for verification of the theory.

Impartiality, objectivity and God’s perspective are other important parts of monitoring events.

Watching our spiritual condition or state of readiness

Jesus Christ seemed to have used “watching” and being “ready” interchangeably, because both apply.The fourth dimension of watching accompanies each of the other three: monitoring our state of readiness or spiritual condition. Jesus Christ seemed to have used “watching” and being “ready” interchangeably, because both apply. When a guard is on the lookout for a possible enemy attack, he usually does more than merely monitor; he also maintains a state of readiness for any possible attack so that he can respond appropriately.

Similarly, watching and praying for the return of Jesus Christ will do us as Christians no good if we are not also preparing and readying ourselves for His return.

What does it mean to be ready? To live by every word of God as a habitual way of life, to be imbued with the fruit of God’s Spirit required to fulfill the spirit of the Word, and to demonstrate that we will continue to do so for eternity, no matter what.

How can we measure our state of readiness? By examining whether we are unconditionally living by the Word of God as our habitual way of life (Matthew 4:4).

How can we maintain forward movement toward readiness? By aiming daily to increase the number of instructions and truths by which we live while decreasing the number of failures to fully obey (1 Thessalonians 4:10; 3:12).

What will it take to be ready? A “blood, sweat and tears” self-sacrificing effort that is captured by Jeremiah 29:12-13.

How can we ensure we are ready on time? By maintaining a sense of urgency, trying to make up for lost time (Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:5) and being efficient and resourceful in the use of our time.

We don’t know what our deadline is. But we do know that it is possible to take longer than necessary and fail to be ready on time (Matthew 25:1-13; Luke 13:6-9; Hebrews 5:11-12). We need to keep growing to be ready on time.

Let us therefore watch and pray in all four of these dimensions, because our readiness to meet and serve our Savior and King depends on it.

Why, when and where will Christ return?

 

Why Will Christ Return?

What will the world be like right before Christ returns?

The world just before Christ’s return will be filled with lawlessness that is flaunted, as if to taunt God. Add to that the strained relations between political groups and religious groups around the world, and we will literally be at the brink of blowing up the entire planet.

Christ’s return to the earth, or second coming, is absolutely necessary for a reason: human survival. “Unless those days [the days of the end of the age] were shortened, no flesh would be saved” (Matthew 24:22).Read about why Jesus Christ has promised to return to earth. When Will Jesus Return? Jesus knew that we would want to know when He is coming back. He wants us to eagerly await that day! But does the Bible answer, When will Jesus return? Where Will Jesus Return?The world desperately needs the return of Christ. But the Bible warns there will be conflicting messages about when and where He will return. What’s the truth?Will There Be a Rapture? Does the Bible describe a secret rapture of Jesus Christ’s faithful followers? Explore further what the Bible really says will happen at Christ’s return to earth. Will There Be a Secret Rapture? Did Jesus Teach the Rapture? Left Behind: The Truth

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PROBLEMS OF TODAY:

 

Blessings & Curses on Mankind

God predicted that sin would crescendo at the time of the end, resulting in wave after wave of punishments until people turn to God. If terror, disease and famine don’t bring people to repentance, even worse curses will come.

God gave us His laws for our good, and He makes it clear what will happen if we do not obey Him. Learn about the blessings promised for obedience and the curses that are the result of sin.

What’s Causing Our World’s Problems Today?

So many other conditions and problems in our world are related to mankind’s resistance to following God’s laws. Read more about them in these articles.

How Sin Affects Us Personally

“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12)

 

With sin all around, the hearts of humans will become “cold,” or less interested in doing things for the good of others. Is there anything you can do to protect your heart from growing cold as the end times approach?

How Should We Prepare for the End Times?

Should we prepare for the “end of the world” by stocking up on food, water and other supplies?

God tells us to prepare spiritually for the end times and Christ’s return rather than prepare physically. This is done by developing a close relationship with God through prayer, Bible study, fasting and meditation.

What Will Happen in the End Times?

End-Time Prophecy

This article will give you an overview of the what, where, when and why of these end-time events that are predicted by God and described in the Bible.

The end-time prophecies are described throughout the Bible–both in the Old and New Testaments. Learn more about what is predicted through the prophets Daniel and Jeremiah, and in Christ’s own words.

•   Daniel 12: End-Time Events
•   Jacob’s Trouble: What Is It?
•   Understanding the Olivet Prophecy

What Are the Signs of the End Times?

• How can we use world events as a sign of where we are in biblical prophecy? The Bible provides several examples to help us see that this age is coming to a close and we must pay attention to what’s most important: God’s way of life.

Who Will Rule the Waves?

 

America, like Britain before it, has been undisputed ruler of the waves. But the winds of change signal growing conflict in the struggle for control of the seas. What does the Bible say about sea power and global trade in the end times?

“Control of the seas can mean peace. Control of the seas can mean victory. The United States must control the seas if it is to protect your security,” said U.S. President John F. Kennedy, June 6, 1963.

Leaders throughout history have realized the vital importance of sea power. And now as America’s reign as ruler of the waves seems to be fading, countries around the world are reconsidering their own naval strategies.

New naval arms race

Looking at just the three largest navies shows that serious competition is underway. Both Russia and China have more attack ships and submarines than the U.S., but total numbers don’t tell the whole story.

USA Today reported, “Small surface combatants comprise the majority of China’s attack ships, while the U.S. dominates when it comes to larger combatants and aircraft carriers. Raw numbers aside, the U.S. has the war fighting edge when it comes to advanced technology, weapons systems and operational capabilities.”

But things are changing fast. Reuters reports that the Chinese navy “now has about 400 warships and submarines, according to U.S. and other Western naval analysts. By 2030, the Chinese navy could have more than 530 warships and submarines, according to a projection in a 2016 U.S. Naval War College study.

“A shrunken and overworked U.S. Navy, which has ruled the oceans virtually unchallenged since the end of the Cold War, had 288 warships and submarines at the end of March, according to the Pentagon.”

Threats to continued American dominance

Competition is growing and U.S. vulnerabilities are being increasingly scrutinized and exploited.

Some of the dangers it could face include:

• Espionage providing various enemies with the vulnerabilities of U.S. vessels as well as plans for replicating U.S. technologies.
• Asymmetric attacks by small boats, divers, mines and even trained dolphins and beluga whales.
• Crowded waterways and overtaxed crews leading to accidental or intentional collisions.
• Cyberattacks.
• EMP attacks (electromagnetic pulse weapons frying a ship’s electronics).
• Anti-satellite weapons disrupting command and control.

Updated tech, outdated assumptions?

In light of such dangers, some believe U.S. military strategies and assumptions have made America more vulnerable.

Christian Brose, author of a forthcoming book on the future of warfare, wrote in Foreign Affairs that since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. military “assumes that any quantitative advantage that an adversary may possess will be overcome by its own superior ability to evade detection, penetrate enemy defenses, and strike targets. And it assumes that U.S. forces will suffer few losses in combat.

“These assumptions have led to a force built around relatively small numbers of large, expensive, and hard-to-replace systems. … What’s more, systems such as these depend on communications, logistics, and satellite networks that are almost entirely defenseless, because they were designed under the premise that no adversary would ever be able to attack them” (May/June 2019, p. 128).

Potential adversaries will have plans to exploit these vulnerabilities. Navy Times reported:

“China’s Rear Adm. Luo Yuan, the deputy head of the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, added fuel to the South China Sea fire when he stated the key for Chinese domination in those hotly contested waters could lie in the sinking of two U.S. aircraft carriers. …

“‘What the United States fears the most is taking casualties,’ the admiral said, before adding that such an attack on two of the U.S. Navy’s steel behemoths would claim upwards of 10,000 lives.”

Such threats are only part of the picture. The geopolitical realities are shifting, as Britain and the U.S. continue losing sea gates they long controlled.

Losing strategic sea gates

One key aspect of the rise of British and American naval and trading power has been their control over strategic sea gates or choke points around the world. You can learn more about this in our booklet The United States, Britain & the Commonwealth in Prophecy, especially the infographic on pages 78-79.

This booklet traces the historical and prophetic significance of the rise of these nations—and their decline. It shows that national sins are playing a part in the dismantling of these strategic advantages.

Consider how their influence has been diminished or is being threatened in places like:

• The Suez Canal: under British control until 1956.
• The Panama Canal: since 1999 controlled by Panama, and now run by a Chinese company.
• Strait of Malacca: under British control until 1957.
• South China Sea: the U.S. continues freedom of navigation exercises, while China builds islands and bases to reinforce its claim (see “Route of Contention” and “China’s Dream”).
• Sri Lanka: Chinese investments allowed China to gain control of a strategic port (“How China Got Sri Lanka to Cough Up a Port,” The New York Times).
• Strait of Hormuz: Iran threatens this route of much of the world’s oil in defiance of the U.S. and Britain.
• Gibraltar: Brexit has reignited conflict with Spain over this strategic entrance to the Mediterranean.

All of this portends a significant decline in power for these nations that have policed the world’s oceans for centuries. Could it be a fulfillment of God’s warning to sinful people that He would eventually “break the pride of your power” (Leviticus 26:19)?

While China appears to be the greatest threat now, many other countries are upgrading their navies. In a world where America’s security umbrella is being doubted, even allies are scrambling for ways to protect their national and regional interests.

Considering these and other troubling trends, what will the future hold?

Ships, international trade and maritime conflict all play a part in end-time Bible prophecies.

Prophecy of end-time European naval power

One major event of the end time will be a final conflict between “the king of the South” based in the Middle East and “the king of the North” based in Europe. Daniel says, “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through” (Daniel 11:40, emphasis added).

Though Daniel described them using the military technology of the time, the ships and other equipment will surely be the latest in state-of-the-art weaponry. The northern army and navy will rapidly overrun many nations in the Middle East (verses 41-43).

This European power, also known as “the beast,” will seem to have unmatched military power. People will marvel: “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:4). This bloc of 10 nations or groups of nations will have a role in subjugating many of the English-speaking peoples (see “What Is Jacob’s Trouble in End-Time Prophecy?”).

But no matter how great the end-time naval powers become, they will be no match for the power of the Creator God. As human evil grows worse and worse, God will reassert His control over the waves.But no matter how great the end-time naval powers become, they will be no match for the power of the Creator God. As human evil grows worse and worse, God will reassert His control over the waves.

The second trumpet plague strikes the seas and ships

Throughout the Bible, God warns that sin—breaking God’s beneficial laws—brings terrible consequences. In the end time those consequences will crescendo to a terrible climax. God warns of seven plagues announced by trumpets. The second of these plagues will strike the seas and ships:

“Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. And a third of living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed” (Revelation 8:8-9).

Learn more in our article “Why Will God Send the Seven Trumpet Plagues?”

Sadly, even in the face of these plagues, John records that people “did not repent” of their sins and rebellion against God (Revelation 9:20-21).

The fall of Babylon

Near the end of Revelation we read of humanity’s last great effort to live apart from God. The wealth and power of this evil end-time Babylonian system is tied to its prowess in international trade. When this end-time Babylon falls, many will mourn.

“‘For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’

“They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth!’” (Revelation 18:17-19; see our article “What Is Babylon?”).

While the merchants and sailors will mourn, God’s people will rejoice to know that this evil system that persecutes and martyrs true Christians and trades in the “bodies and souls of men” will finally be stopped (Revelation 18:13, 20, 24).

“As the waters cover the sea”

The end of this evil power will signal the beginning of a greater power that will produce even greater prosperity: the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ will return to save humanity from self-destruction and will establish the Kingdom of God to rule over the earth and seas with true justice and for the good of all.

“Neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4), neither on land nor on the sea. “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).

In the end God will rule the waves, and the result will be peace.

Study more about end-time events leading up to the return of Christ in our free booklet The Book of Revelation: The Storm Before the Calm.

When Will the World End?

 

Jesus’ disciples asked Him for signs of “the end of the world.” Jesus didn’t give a date, but He did give prophetic signs we should watch to be ready. Is the end of the world near now?

There are many ideas about when the world will end, and even about what the end of the world and the end times mean.

For many, it’s a joke. Cartoonists draw a strange man wearing a sandwich board sign proclaiming “The End Is Nigh” to the unheeding crowds on a big city street.

But it’s not just kooks and religious people talking about the end of the world. Scientists and politicians throw around the phrase as well. Headlines discuss “Here’s How Stephen Hawking Predicted the World Will End” and “How Will the World End? Experts Reveal Nine Most Likely Ways Humans Will Be Wiped Out.”

The prestigious Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists annually updates its Doomsday Clock. As I write, it is set at 2 minutes till midnight, the closest it has ever been throughout the atomic age.

Existential threats and the end of the world

Human survival and the world as we know it are truly under threat. Many passionate and even desperate people are warning and trying to reverse whichever of the dangers to our existence seems most real to them. But there is little agreement and precious little action. The dangers grow worse, and most people do their best to put them out of their minds.

But is there a source that can give definitive answers about what is going to happen and when? Is there a real solution to prevent human extinction?

Why not consider the source that most likely gave us the term end of the world and see what it says?

Where the term end of the world came from

Before there was a scientific or political interest in the end of the world, there was a religious one, based on the wording of the most influential English translation of the Bible.

The venerable King James Version of 1611 uses the expression end of the world seven times. Four of these are in the book of Matthew, referring to the prophetic end times. (In Psalm 19:4 and Isaiah 62:11, “end of the world” instead has the connotation “to all parts of the world.”)

In the Bible, what does “end of the world” mean? And when did Jesus say it would come?

The disciples asked Jesus about the end of the world

Jesus had warned His disciples that the most magnificent structure of their nation and religion was going to be totally destroyed (Matthew 24:2). They were understandably concerned and wanted to know when this would take place. They connected His prediction of the destruction of the temple with other predictions that He would come again at the end time. So they approached Him.

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (verse 3, King James Version unless otherwise noted).

End of the world means end of the age

If you check other, more modern translations, including the New King James Version, you will see that most of them translate the last phrase as “end of the age.”

The Greek word used here is aion, which here means an age—specifically, the time of man’s misrule that will end when Jesus Christ returns.

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words says this about aion: “‘An age, a period of time,’ marked in the NT usage by spiritual or moral characteristics, is sometimes translated ‘world;’ the RV marg. always has ‘age.’ … The phrase ‘the end of the world’ should be rendered ‘the end of the age,’ in most places.”

The disciples were asking about the time when Jesus would return to end humanity’s age of destruction and begin the rule of the Kingdom of God over the earth.So the disciples were asking about the time when Jesus would return to end humanity’s age of destruction and begin the rule of the Kingdom of God over the earth.

What are the signs of the end of the world?

In Matthew 24 Jesus gave many signs that would lead up to His return, including His promise that the good news about God’s Kingdom would be shared around this world—a world steeped in bad news.

Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (verse 14).

The good news is that, though Jesus will come back during a time of unparalleled “great tribulation” when humanity is at the brink of self-annihilation, He will return and save humanity (verses 21-22).

Read more about this good news in our article “End of the World: Why It Is Good News.”

The signs Jesus gave include religious deception, wars and rumors of wars, famines, disease epidemics and much more. We encourage you to study more about the signs of Jesus Christ’s return in our articles “Discerning the Signs of the Times,” “Understanding the Olivet Prophecy,” “When Will Jesus Return?” and “Where Are We Now in Bible Prophecy?”

We can examine all of Jesus’ prophetic signs and know we are very close to the end, but Jesus said we won’t know the day or the hour (verse 36).

What does Jesus want us to do until the end of the world?

So what did Jesus tell us to do? At the end of Luke’s account of the same Olivet Prophecy, Jesus warned:

“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.

“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man [Jesus Christ]” (Luke 21:34-36, NKJV).

Jesus compared the end times with the days of Noah, when most people ignored Noah’s warnings and were completely unprepared for the Flood. Study more about this and what we should do in our articles “The Return of Jesus Christ: As the Days of Noah Were” and “Five Prophetic Trends to Watch.”

Parable of the tares and the end of the world

The King James Version also quotes Jesus using the phrase end of the world twice and end of this world once in His parable of the wheat and the tares (weeds). This parable was about how God sows His truth in this world and prepares people for His Kingdom, while Satan sows lies that produce people who pretend to follow God but follow Satan instead.

“The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels” (Matthew 13:39; see also 40 and 49).

To be truly ready for Christ’s return, we must be sure we are living as He lived and doing what is pleasing to Him.This can also serve as a sober warning to Christians to not fool themselves into thinking they are okay just because they attend church or consider themselves Christians. Satan is the master of deception. To be truly ready for Christ’s return, we must be sure we are living as He lived and doing what is pleasing to Him.

Here again, in this parable of the tares, “world” is translated “age” in the New King James Version and other modern versions. From other passages that give more specifics about God’s times of judgment, it seems these passages are talking about judgment that will occur sometime after Jesus’ return. Study more about the various times of judgment in our article “Judgment of God: The Real Story.”

Jesus Christ’s words of reassurance about the end of the world

In what has come to be known as the great commission, Jesus gave His followers a job to do before His return, and He gave us encouragement as well.

Jesus said to go and teach all nations, baptizing them and “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20).

This mission trains His Church to do His work and to learn to care for the people He is calling now. Jesus promised to be with us in this effort to the end. He will never abandon us. His help—and His Kingdom—are sure.

World without end?

It is interesting to consider that, even though the King James Version talks about the end of the world, it also talks about “world without end”:

• “But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end” (Isaiah 45:17).
• “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:21).

In both passages, the New King James Version translates “world without end” as “forever and ever.”

God’s plan is not just about an end. The end of this evil age will actually mark the beginning of something much better. The Kingdom of God is a joyous, peaceful and ever-increasing kingdom that will have no end.

You need to understand and prepare for this wonderful world of the future. We encourage you to start by downloading and studying our free booklet The Mystery of the Kingdom.