Watch and Pray – For What?

Be alert and be prepared, for whatever may be on the horizon.

Scripture has always told us to take the Lord seriously by living in holiness, being diligent in His service, and preparing for persecution. We should therefore watch how we live and, in the sense that any of us may die at any time, all believers throughout the generations have lived with the possibility of imminency with regard to facing the Lord in person. Although none of us knows when the Lord Jesus will return, there is a heightened sense of world events accelerating towards alignment with many of the Biblical signs we are told to watch out for. Even in the West, where believers have previously enjoyed great freedom, we now see things getting serious. None who take Bible prophecy seriously can be under any illusion that the last few years leading up to Jesus’ return will be challenging in the extreme, but should we be preparing ourselves to overcome during those days, even to the point of death, or should we expect to be delivered before then – at the rapture?