Be ready before the time is up

God is absolutely infallible. The atomic clock, which is said to be the most accurate clock built by humans, will only lose or gain one second in 3 million years. Yet God is more accurate than such an atomic clock. Over the span of eternity, God does not permit even one second of error and carries out everything according to His timetable. The prophecies in the Bible foretold of what God was going to do in the future. People in the past waited for the coming of Christ in accordance with those prophecies, and Jesus came as prophesied, died, and ascended to heaven after He resurrected.

To the disciples who asked about the end times, Jesus said, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Ac 1:7). The Lord made it clear that we cannot know the times which God has appointed (Mt 24:36). However some people deceive others by claiming that they know when that time and season will be. In doing so, they are in opposition to God, for trying to know the times which God only knows essentially mean that they are trying to become like God.

Satan is the one that fell while trying to make himself equal to God (Isa 14:14). Though Jesus Christ is originally equal to God, He did not take equality as granted but humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant and obeyed to the point of death (Php 2:6-8). Yet an angel who is merely a servant, tried to make himself equal to God. It was with a similar message that the serpent tempted Eve, for it said to her, “You will be like God” (Gen 3:5).

Though it is essential to know God in order to have eternal life, we must not try to know of the things which God put only in His own authority. The Son of God is equal to God, and yet there is a clear hierarchy between the Father and Son. Therefore the Son respected this, and did not seek to know that which the Father put in His authority. And this should be all the more so for us who used to be sinners and became children of God by grace.

In regard to the things God forbade, we should not insist on finding out, but rather obey with a humble heart. Parents do not tell their children of certain things which they deem will not benefit their children if they knew. This is the same with God. Thus, instead of trying to find out the times and seasons, we ought to be on guard always and be ready for that day as Jesus said (Mt 25:13).

You can’t enter once the door is shut
Traditional Jewish wedding ceremonies are quite unique. The groom goes through the entire town with his guests during the day and enters the wedding hall around sunset. What is unusual about the ceremony is, once it is time, the doors to the hall are shut, and nobody is allowed to enter thereafter. Even if it is a close friend of the groom, if the doors are shut, he has no choice but to congratulate the groom from outside the wedding hall.

There is a need for us to self-examine whether the door has been shut or not when it comes to our spiritual life. Although everyone is worshipping together in the one building, some would have entered through the door, while others are still standing outside. The Lord said that though ten virgins all waited for the groom, only five were able to enter and the other five could not. We have to take these words of the Lord seriously. Once the door is shut, it is impossible to enter even if a person might have prepared his oil later on (Mt 25:1-13).

A person once said in his testimony, “There was a time when I used to make a lot of money, and I could’ve easily dedicated to build a worship sanctuary all by myself if I wanted to.” Perhaps some of the people listening to his testimony might think that he has great faith. But his story is just a thing of the past. He did not enter through the door while the door was opened.

The Lord described the five virgins who failed to enter the wedding banquet as foolish. A foolish person ignores the Lord’s word when they have a chance, only to panic after the chance is gone. We need to observe whether or not the door is already shut upon our families and be watchful. If the door is shut, it will be useless even if others lend their oil to that family.

From the moment we start our faith lives, we ought to be true saints, that is, the Lord’s brides. Many people come to the Lord and cry out, “Lord, help me!” However, in a lot of instances, the help they are after is tied to the prosperity of their flesh. No matter how well-off a person is in his flesh, he cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven with that (1 Co 15:50). A person who was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and united with Him is His bride already. Such a person should not be wandering astray still by neglecting the fact that he has become the Lord’s bride. Instead, the bride is required to love the groom fervently.

Love the church before the door is shut
We have to love God before the door is shut. And if we do sincerely love God, we ought to love our neighbors as our self. To love as our own self means to love with a mother’s heart. It is a mother’s heart to feed her children with the best, even if she has to starve; a mother provides for her children in order that they succeed, even if that means to sacrifice everything she has.

The church is our closest neighbor which we must love with such a heart of a mother. People of different backgrounds, gender and personality come to church, but everyone unite to form the body of Christ. Later, the Lord will say to some, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me” (Mt 25:41-46). Those people may then answer, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?” We have to understand that it is when we love the church, that we truly love the Lord.

It is meaningless to later reminisce over the past and regret. We must love the Lord when we have the chance to love Him. Once the door is shut, we cannot show our love to Him even if we want to. In the Bible, there are many scenes where Jesus walks past some people. After the Lord passes by, there is no second chance. “Do you know how hard I worked until now to get the oil ready?” a person might say, but the door will never again be open after it is shut. The Lord forewarned us of this. We have to love the Lord before the door is shut.

It is my earnest dream to keep writing unto the end of my life that is slowly coming to a close. As I didn’t have many opportunities to receive proper education, being able to read and write was to me a great blessing. Thus, I strived to zealously read, learn and write, and was able to write numerous books which is certainly not easy for most to achieve. In so doing, my hope is for my works to take real effect once I am gone from this world, rather than at present. Perhaps my life will end before I accomplish everything, yet I will continue working through my writings.

Before I pick up the pen, I earnestly pray for several months, even a whole year, to have the inspiration, wisdom and knowledge to write. Never would I rush into write anything hastily, but only after I receive God’s answer, would I pick up the pen to write. Then by hand, I carefully write each and every letter which I treasured in my heart and soul, not stored inside a machine. Though others may not understand or believe me, this is my truth; I have written from the inspiration of God.

Therefore, it cannot be denied that the Holy Spirit works together with my writings, touching the readers and manifesting His powers and signs. For the people who have my books, they, or even their children could get the chance to read it at least later on if not now, and I’m confident that great wonders of God will accompany them.

Readers will benefit from reading my books if they start by reading the ones written first. Also, I strongly discourage introducing new releases to those who are new to church or unfamiliar with these books. As a person plants a seedling for the tree to root down, prune the branches for the tree to flower and finally bear fruits, I want to recommend everyone to read my books in series, beginning with the first one I wrote, which I’m sure, will establish a balance in knowledge and give inspiration to the reader. Then, anyone will come to know that this word is the living water that comes from the Rock. This Rock is Jesus Christ. My books are not written for Jesus, but to impart the message of Jesus.

As I always write an introduction before going on to the contents of the book, I would like to encourage readers to always have a thorough read through the introduction first. Once they digest the introduction, it will guide them to comprehensively understand the book’s actual contents. The key is not in finishing the book quickly; one has to receive the message, for then the contents of the book – written by God’s power and inspiration – will become a blessing to the reader. The word of God is a blessing, His gift.

Pastor Ki-Dong Kim
Lord’s Day Worship Column

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Outline and Summary translated by Sarah Lee
Letter translated by Sarah Lee
Interpretations by Sarah Lee

Chief Editor: Helen Nam
Korean Summary by Ki-Taek Lee