Dear BPCWA worshipper, Today is the first Sunday of the new year. As announced, our church theme for this year is “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” (Matt 25:13). Why was this theme chosen? How should we respond?

The Son of man will come again. The theme was chosen because God tells us in Matthew 25:15 that Christ will indeed come again. It is not a fable invented by man. It is not something that is uncertain. We just celebrated Christmas. The prophecies of the Messiah’s first coming were fulfilled with extreme accuracy. Some have calculated that for just a few of the prophecies regarding Christ’s birth and life to be fulfilled with such precision, the probability would be staggering, even astronomically impossible. But all those prophecies did indeed come true, as God said they would.  That being the case, the thousands of prophecies regarding our Lord’s second coming will surely occur without a doubt. At that first coming more than 2,000 years ago, Christ – God Incarnate – came in meekness as our Saviour. He was killed for our justification at the hands of those who hated Him and on the cross, He uttered the very forgiveness of “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lu 23:34). But we serve a risen Christ, who will return one day as a victorious King and Judge of all the earth. When He does so, time and life as we are familiar with will end. We often get so used to our routine that we think the routine will always be so. We know this as a theological fact, but has that knowledge become a true living faith? If it has, it will be evident in our life.

The signs are clear. This theme was chosen also because the last of the last days prior to our Saviour’s second coming is truly upon us. The signs are eminently clear. When the disciples asked our Lord privately on the Mount of Olives, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt 24:3), He proceeded to give a series of signs of the times that would precede His second coming. These signs of the end times covered social, national, and religious events. And we see how our current world and events have witnessed these signs already in our midst. False teachers in Christianity (24:5) with signs and wonders deceiving many (24:23-24), the increasing political unrest and threatening attitude between superpowers (24:6), the global pandemic that has taken hold of the world with increasing ferocity (24:7), persecution of Christians (24:9), unrestrained evil and wickedness of man towards each other (24:10), the coldness of Christians towards the Saviour (24:12), the world living hedonistically without regard for the warning of judgement (24:36-38). With Israel being re-formed as a nation (24:32-33), Christ said His coming will be very soon, even at the doors (24:33)! With Israel attaining nationhood in 1948, more than half a century has passed since. Are you still feeling that there’s a lot of time left and thinking that our Lord delays His return? The cycle of these events in mankind’s history has been increasing and many of them are at their peak in our times. With the signs being so eminently fulfilled, what should my response be?

Watch therefore. The unbelieving turn to fortune tellers to tell them about the future. A recent news article wrote about the predictions of Nostradamus. As Christians, we do not turn to these, but to the Bible. God, who created the foundations of the earth, has also determined the boundaries of the existence of man’s history. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” (Matt 24:36) We are however, told to watch out for the signs of His coming. Signs are given by God to warn and prepare man. Many are interested and enthralled by signs of the times and how accurate the Bible is regarding them.  But we should be preparing ourselves in view of these signs, not just be fascinated by them. Christ repeatedly interspersed His elaboration of the end times signs with the command to His followers to thus “be ready” (24:44) and “watch therefore” (24:42, 25:13) because “all these things shall be fulfilled” (24:34) and “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (24:35). We defend the perfectness of God’s every single Word, but do we believe in it enough to prepare ourselves for what He said about His sure second coming? If so, then let us be ready by watching, just as our coming Lord commands of us. In the weeks to come, God willing, we will learn during our worship service sermons what it means to be watching. Do we really have faith to believe that the day of the Lord will indeed come “as a thief in the night” (1 Thess 5:2, 2 Pet 3:10)? If so, then may every worshipper in BPCWA watch and be ready for that day!

Faithful and true would He find us here, If He should come today?
Watching in gladness and not in fear, If He should come today?
Signs of His coming multiply, Morning light breaks in eastern sky;
Watch, for the time is drawing nigh–What if it were today?

Yours in our Lord’s service,
Pastor