I Don't Want To Change The World...I Just Want to Recreate It

The more I see of the twist ethos in this world the more I am convinced that the only way I will ever be able to affect a positive change is as a man of God. Politics and wealth will not work as we have seen recently and through history. Somehow corruption always seeps into the system thereby either destroying it outright or hijacking to use as a tool to subjugate a race or people.

We now see the end result of years of this mentality and methodology in America. I am dumping my politics and activism of any form and solely pursuing the creation of a new world by helping to create New Creations. To literally help change one person at a time and show them the direction to Jesus Christ and the Kingdom. To scatter seeds that may one day blossom in the Kingdom. The world has always been a messed up place but recently when words stopped having meaning and everything became an attempt to spin an agenda, my stomach has turned sour to it. It worsens by the day.

The Left points at the Right and the Right points at the Left. The true middle points at both sides and nothing gets accomplished. Only God can straighten this mess out and I am putting all my efforts in and through Him. I will pursue ministry as I am called, for I am called to obey. I no longer want to help change the world...I only want to help recreate it in Jesus Christ's image. Make it and everything in it a new creation. I wish no accolades for myself only for the One who has recreated me and given me another chance to set things straight and to help others do the same. I only wish to do the Lord's will and work and if I can't do that I would rather do nothing.

If I see see something that is clearly immoral, amoral or against what the Bible teaches I will still stand my ground in a firestorm regardless of how controversial the topic such as sin, abortion, sexual immorality, corruption, murder, abuses of all kinds, injustices (real ones, not percieved ones). What I cannot do is what I have stated in my ministry mission statement. I will no longer split hairs on issues that are non-salvational if I am in danger of losing the person. I would rather lose the argument (at least temporarily). No more: Trying to be a hero stuff, just trying to be like Him.

Examining The Scripture CIII: In Yahweh, They Shall Ascend

Israel’s faith towards God in Isaiah 40:27-31 is flagging and they feel as if they have become invisible or insignificant to God. If they had understood God properly and by this point in their history they should have, they would've realized that God is never far from them. We see then that their spiritual health is waning.

The Israelites feel they have been forgotten by God as indicated by the words “hidden from the Lord” and “disregarded by my God”. We are at Isaiah 40. The Israelites have been through the threat of Assyria and are now under the yoke of Babylonian captivity. Things were looking bleak. God’s people should never believe they have been forgotten by God. Punished yes. forgotten no. God forgets nothing He is omniscient. The people of the Northern Kingdom had already been exiled by Assyria but because of God’s covenant He had not abandon them, God’s side of a covenant is forever. It is man that fails a covenant.

God is sovereign and in control. His creation and watches over it from His throne. This is clearly seen in the 6 verse immediately preceding verses 27-31 in Isaiah 40:21-26. Additionally, we see (v. 28) that the Lord is everlasting, Creator of all and He will never grow tired or weary (these are human weaknesses). All in all He is beyond man’s ability to totally understand Him. We can understand the portions or attributes of Himself that He has chosen to reveal to man but we can never know them all or their full extent. Case-in-point: He is Psalm 90:2’s Everlasting to everlasting. In the Hebrew it is the phrase: Eon unto eon ([H5769] umoulm [H5704] od [H5769: –oulm]) “From vanishing point to vanishing point”. In Fine Arts class I learned that a vanishing point is a “point” refers to the point in the distance where lines appear to converge but in reality…they often do not. In reality they could potentially go on forever. But because we are limited in our vision and situational perspective we cannot tell for sure. The Hebrew wordage brings to mind a much clearer and profound image of everlasting to everlasting.


But as any good parent will do the chastising or punishment is quickly followed by an explanation of why the punishment was delivered and a promise of restoration to a former or similar condition. If man hopes and “stays in the Lord” he will be given strength, those that are weak will increase in power…a better conveyance of meaning is: to be multiplied, to make much or increased greatly. We see that no matter the age of those that call and hope on and in the Lord they will “renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint”. It was my mother’s favorite verse which she would often exhort and encourage me with after I had been broken down and hope had faded.

Examining The Scripture CII: Isaiah Is Commissioned To Be Totally Ignored

What is the meaning of Isaiah 6:9-13 in terms of Isaiah's call in verse 1 through 8? We see what kind of prophetic ministry God has layed out for Isaiah. Right from the beginnnig of chapter 6 we see God actively intervening in Isaiah's life to shape the future for Israel and the world. Isaiah is being commissioned for prophetic duty like a soldier. He essentially volunteers himself when solicited by the Lord, probably because he has been overwhelmed by the Lords presence in verse 1-8. He is awe-struck and totally blown away and he knows that he is a sinner and not worthy to be in God’s presence. He knows that he is deserving of death or being burnt to a cinder for his sin hence the “woe is me for I am ruined” statement.

I figure that the first thing anyone would what to do in this situation is to appease God so when solicited “Whom shall I send”…Isaiah jumps on the opportunity “Here I am send me!” Unfortunately for Isaiah he volunteers an answer like someone on a TV game show that hasn’t waited to hear the entire question and becomes totally hornswaggled due to his own hasty reaction. He is going to be initiated into a prophetic ministry for a generation of Israelites…and he will be nearly totally ignored.

The Lord even states as much in the commissioning. "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.” That’s like telling someone there are going to build a house and not give them a hammer. Israel will have become so desensitized to the Word and to God that it will be as if Isaiah is talking gibberish to them. The Israelites believed they will be fine because of their covenant with God. They fail to understand that they have violated the covenant because of idolatry and other sins. Another thing that doesn’t help Isaiah get folks to listen is that Israel both the Northern and Southern kingdom were going through a interim period of prosperity.

Not only this, he will be required to do this knowing Israel is doomed or until “cities are devastated and without inhabitant, houses are without people and the land is utterly desolate” and he would prophesy until this devastation occurred. When the judgment begins to unfold the Northern Kingdom (Samaria) fell in 722 B.C. to Assyria. The Assyrian period of Isaiah lasts fro Chapter 1-39. The Babylonian period picks up in Chapter 40 and runs through 66. Isaiah did not live through Babylonian captivity but he comforted Israel with his words for those times.
The Lord will use Assyria, Babylon, and the Medes to execute His purposes, and afterward judge each of these along other nations, bringing them to desolation because of their sins. I imagine that this is hard on the man’s psyche. He will be required to prophesy doom and no one in Israel would bother to listen. But like many of the prophetic ministries like Isaiah that will be reviewed in later we see a glimmer of hope and a promise of renewal through a remnant or “a tenth portion in it” that will be left in the land by Nebuchadnezzar…a holy seed, stump from which the Messiah would arise.

Propogation of The Gospel

Thanks everyone for feedback and follows. July was a banner month in terms of spiritual fruit being put forth on this blog. The Lord is gracious and it is by that grace that I continue to move forward in my ministry to others. Like everyone else I have my pitfalls and points where I stall out and it always seems to be on an upward climb (like the climb I am beginning now). I pray the effort to move forward does not jeopardize growth. Nothing comes easy in life regardless of what some have been told about thinking positive. Sometimes it takes a bit more than positive reaffirmation. I don't know what world that ideology came from but I live in a world where battles are often hard won but they are usually won and it is usually through no work of my own. I will not complain though I will praise the one that puts air in my lungs and mettle in my spine so that I can march forward with assurance and project Christ-likeness as best I can.

I cannot promise that I will be able to produce another month of 60+ posts especially with a full course-load coming in the Fall including Greek and Theology. I will do my best to help build others as I am simultaneously trying to build myself. I just know that now, every brick that is laid in my life is mortared with Christ. What I learn I pass on to others after I know it is sound teaching because I find it too valuable to keep to myself -AND- I was commanded to do otherwise. Anyone that understands horticulture understands that I am performing a form of spiritual propogation of the Gospel and God's Word which is the most efficent way that I know how to do it. To teach and to break off a little piece of myself to produce new life or as the definition of propogate implies:

Propogate: \ˈprä-pə-ˌgāt\ (verb)
(a) to cause to spread out and affect a greater number or greater area
(b) to foster growing knowledge of, familiarity with, or acceptance of (as an idea or belief)
(c) : to transmit (as sound or light) through a medium

I do not believe it is any accident that Jesus and the Bible often use the analogy/metaphor of the "vine" when referring to Jesus or when Jesus refers to Himself. It is no accident that the idea is used often that Jesus is the Branch/Vine or the idea of Gentiles being grafted into the Vine. It certainly is no accident that vines/grapes are easily reproduced by the method of plant propogation and this parallel in particular between the plant kingdom and the spreading and growth of the Gospel for The Kingdom are often drawn. Grapes to Wine. Wine as Offering. Wine as blood. Blood for Life. Life is Atonement. Atonement is Justice. Justice for Sin, Sin from Man, so that man can have a relationship with God...

Chirst is the True Vine. The matching of pairs for this is endless and priceless...I could continue but you get the picture.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

Come to think of it...my last three posts have been about growth, reproduction of growth/The Gospel or vineyards or vines in general. I even started this post with the idea of producing spiritual fruit and I didn't even realize I had done so until just now. Strange.

Examining The Scripture CI: A Bait-And-Switch In The Vineyard

A reader when reading Isaiah 5:1-7 will recognize that they are reading the “Song of the Vineyard”. What many first-time readers will not notice in the process of reading this portion of Scripture is that they are being led into a theological trap. By the time the reader reaches verse 7 the trap is sprung and the reader is rereading the first seven verses to figure out where they got sucked into the trap.

It is the old adage, how do you insult someone so that they will actually stand there and listen to you without walking away? Isaiah realizes that a speaker must first compliment his listener before hammering them with a truth they are not readily inclined to accept. As the reciever of the information is basking in the glow of being "built up" and/or complimented, the underhanded punch connects with the gut and knocks the wind out of the person. They have no chance to recover and stand dazed. The same methodology applies to Isaiah 5. It is a form of bait-and-switch.

Isaiah 5 sings/speaks this out as a psalm. Everybody loves a song. It begins as a love song singing to God his “beloved” about His vineyard on “fertile” ground. A vineyard planted in the best place in the choicest circumstances. The stones have been removed from the field and a watch tower has been placed in the middle. There is also a wine vat. Everything is perfect. This vineyard should yield abundantly. But like the Pied Piper, Isaiah lulls listeners and his readers into a false sense of security and marches us to a cliff for dramatic purposes. At the very end of verse 2 the tone changes from that of praise to God to a biting rebuke of Israel’s spiritual condition “but it yielded only bad fruit”.

As a keeper of the vineyard (figuratively)/Israel (literally) the prophet Isaiah then basically asks if he is responsible for the poor spiritual yield of the field that he is watching over. He realizes as God’s prophet that it is his imperative to go out and warn the people of their failed state just as it is the vine-keeper/vintner's responsibility to assure the most productive growing environment for grapes. Having done this, the rhetorical question is raised “Have I not done everything possible to assure a plentiful yield?”

In the remaining verse we see the threat of imminent judgment. The hedge which keeps wild foragers from invading the vineyard and taking the “wild” grapes away will be removed and they will pluck the wild grapes. In the literal sense this means political and geo-political buffers will be removed and Israel will be invaded from a foreign power and taken away because the hedge that God has maintained will be removed. Those that are not removed/exiled will be destroyed outright. Verse 6 goes as far to paint a picture of a vineyard/Israel that will be unmaintained or desolate with no rain, a virtual wasteland. Instead of wine for a winepress there will be grapes crushed on the ground. Instead of abundant fruit and spiritual abundance there will be death and bloodshed on the ground. Peoples heads and bodies will be crushed and smashed like grapes in a wine vat. The Assyrians were infamous for their brutality. They were even known for skinning captives while they were alive as I have ssen archeological remains from the area showing exactly that, people being skinned.

We see similarities to the story of Jesus and the fig tree in Luke 13, the barren fig-tree and the vines are intended to enforce the warning given that if the barren tree does not brings forth fruit, will be cut down. Both this psalm/song and the parable in the first place refers to the nation and people of the Jews (IVP Commentary, Bible Gateway [Online]). The psalm starts as a psalm of praise and ends as a psalm of lament.

We must understand what fruit is in a plant. It is an abundance of life. If a plant cannot produce fruit it is either because it is barely getting by or it is dying, so it reserves its “life” for “selfish” needs (living). It puts the nutrients and water it does have to self-sustaining uses. Israel was dying spiritually and God and Isaiah knew it. They best thing to do to them was to either prune them back to a stump and allow them to go dormant until the survival period had passed (remnant) or mercy kill the ones that were beyond the point of no return (invasion and exile).

Another interesting feature of Isaiah 5 is the use of assonance or a repeating word sound to create a rhyme in the last two lines of verse 7. It stresses the contrast between what God expected of His people as opposed to what actually happened to them (Martin 1042).

•Thus He looked for justice (mispat), but behold, bloodshed (mispoh)
•For righteousness (sedaqah) , but behold, a cry of distress (seaquah)

Martin, John., John Walvoord. "Isaiah." Bible Knowledge Commentary Old Testament: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Bible Knowledge). Acambaro: Victor, 1985. 1042. Print.

Examining The Scripture C: The Branch

Welcome to my 100th post in the "Examining The Scripture" series of the Old Testament. We are about 2/3 of the way through the Old Testament. Most of the prophetic books are in front of us and everything else now behind unless I decide to turn around :). If I do turn back it is to glean more information from an already reviewed book to make a point or draw comparison.

Isaiah 4:2-6: Contains the mention of The Branch. It is a messianic title and I will treat it as such. There is debate within certain Bible translations and certain theological points of view on whether this is truly a messianic passage. What I have found is that the translations and denominations that are influenced by or adhere to Liberal Theology, take a the non-messianic view of this as Liberal Theology is always attempting to diminish or remove the supernatural or physically unexplainable from the Bible.

We see within the scope of this unit what the future spiritual condition of the people will be in Judah. We also see how will God provide for their physical safety and needs. There is a lot going on here and it all points to Jesus Christ and salvation. Because of the importance of this topic and my need to convey it properly I will do so in outlined sermon for to avoid missing anything.

The Branch: (v. 2) “In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel.

(a) This verse itself and Isaiah 11:1 answers who the branch is: “a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

(b) The stem of Jesse is David (a nearly dead stump), the tribe of Judah...Jesus Christ. The Branch is a Messianic title of Jesus. The mention of a branch is also an allusion to what Jesus will later mention in John 15:5

Future Spiritual Condition: (v. 3) “It will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy--everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem.
(a) The “believing remnant” will be called holy that are written in the “Lambs Book of Life” in Heaven or those chosen by God to be saved (Calvinism?).
(b) They will be cleansed by a Spirit of judgment and fire (v. 4) after the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion.
(c) A purification to cleanse for the coming reign of a King, The King Jesus Christ

God’s Provision for Safety/Needs:
God’s glory will be obvious and/or evident: (v. 5 & 6) “the LORD will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night. It will be a like a shelter “to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain”.

(a) Obvious allusions to Exodus but also allusion to the future. As in Exodus God dwelt with the people. Just as He will in the future in the form of a human for approximately 33 years and with each individual believer in the form of the Helper, the Holy Spirit. Just as God restored Israel after the wandering in the wilderness so too will God restore those that are obedient and faithful to Him in the future. The cloud (presence of God) will not just be over the Temple of stone but over all believers/individual as a temple in which the Holy Spirit will indwell. Vessels that will be set apart and obvious and glorious not because of their outward appearances but for the treasure that they contain, Christ.

Wiersbe, Warren. "Wanted: A Prophet." Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament: The Prophets (Bible Knowledge). Acambaro: Victor, 2003. 15-16. Print.

Human Wreckage & A Snort of Indignation

It is understood that some of the language used in the Old & New Testament is an adaptation for human understanding. The Bible uses wordage that lends itself to explaining to man the attributes and characteristics of God that would otherwise be nearly impossible or difficult to understand. God is often represented by human emotions or experiences humans would have (anthropomorphisms) and this is done for our benefit. We must be careful to acknowledge the fact that although some of these “emotions” attributed to God are not human when given to Him, it doesn’t mean that they are any less real. Anger, jealousy, love are some of the more common that we approach in God’s Word. Abraham Herschel a Jewish scholar called God the the God of feeling. He based his statement off of the ubiquitous anthropomorphisms spread throughout the Old Testament. Anthropomorphisms as mentioned above are human characteristics attributed to God to help describe Him. He said they should not be viewed as feeble human attempts to describe an unknowable God but rather to be welcomed as crucial and critical to our understanding of Him. The most amazing thing about God is not necessarily His infinite power or infinite knowledge but it is His infinite concern for humanity even to the point of allowing Himself to be characterized by human traits and to be crucified in a humilating death (Philippians 2). Why else would He continue to enter His creation to steer man back onto the straight and narrow?

The most conspicuous examples are the passages of the Bible where God “yearns” or has “compassion” or the fact that God’s love for humanity is long, long suffering and His love is “everlasting”. If Jesus Christ is the last and full revelation of God then Jesus’ emotions and feelings are true reflections of God Himself. Anyone who reads the New Testament, the Gospels in particular cannot walk away believing God is some kind of sadistic, stoic business man looking down His nose at you while puffing on a cigar and blowing the smoke in your face. At least this is not the Jesus that I have read in the Bible. One of my favorite examples of God showing his emotion is at Lazarus’s tomb. He weeps at Lazarus’ tomb and He also “snorts” with indignation In John 11:33. This can also can be understood as a grunt of righteous anger.

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her {also} weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled...~John 11:33

The English versions really don’t do this verse justice. Most translate this verse “deeply moved" and "troubled" but the Greek is (Strong’s G1690: embrimaomai) the direct translation is “in-thundered”- "move with anger" or “mutter-ing” but a better understanding of this is to understand that “embrimaomai / ἐμβριμάομαι” is a compound word that comes from the words (Strong’s G1722: em- intensifier, intensify, at, by, with) and [brimaomai] which literally means to “to snort with anger” this Greek word is also used in reference to the snort that horses make. Older commentaries seem to downplay the snort and phrase this passage as "He groaned in the spirit". Regardless, the words "in the spirit" are clearly intending that this was effecting Jesus at the very deepest level. He was outraged and sad. It is the outrage, indignation and sadness for the human wreckage from sin.

Jesus was filled with indignation. It is certainly not because Mary and the others were weeping but because of sin which is the underlying cause of all suffering, and sorrow. His righteous anger is direct at the sin. Still this fails to encompass the intense surge of sorrow and emotion that this verse is trying to convey. His weeping would’ve been in sympathy of Mary and the others but His indignation was a righteous anger plain and simple. This profound type of change in Christ’s inner being would most likely would have also manifested in his expression and demeanor as noted “deeply moved in spirit”. He would’ve probably been visibly agitated, the tone in his voice probably would’ve changed, He also sighed/groaned (v. 38) along with the noted snort. In a word Jesus clearly showed His human emotion audibly and because it could be heard it most likely manifested in a visual change of demeanor since Jesus was indeed fully human (and fully divine).

We then see in John 11:35 that Jesus bursts into tears in the famous, “Jesus wept”. The long mentioned, often repeated, and poorly understood shortest verse in the Bible. (Strong’s G1145: dakruo) this is the only place this form of “weeps” is found in the New Testament. This verb does not mean to wail as in crying out loud for a lost loved one but it means to cry out of love for someone or something, a sympathetic love towards those grieving like Mary and Martha and to do it silently (under one's breath so to speak). There is no clearer example of God’s willingness to feel pain and empathize with humanity outside of the cross. It is a sacrificial sympathetic love. Again we see His absolutely fully human side. A genuine sympathizing High priest (Hendriksen 156). It is ironic that the book of the Gospel's that is most focused on Christ's diety (Gospel of John) has some of the most profound statements of His human nature.

The bottom-line is that we need to understand God is anything but apathetic or passive to His creation, especially humans. For people to stand and mock or demean the suffering of such a man shows either their complete ignorance of the man Himself or the absolute degraded nature of the person doing the mocking. The best way to confront the world's view or our view of a God that He is impassive is through Jesus on the cross. If the highest example of true love is to be understood as self-sacrifice or self-giving there is a factor of pain involved here. By loving a person we leave ourselves open to the possibility of being rejected as is the case with God and it is also the case with humans. This means that if Jesus would’ve been incapable of pain, then He would’ve also been incapable of love. This is clearly nonsense. Jesus' life as documented in the New Testament (and Old) is replete with examples of pain, happiness, joy, and nearly every other emotion understood by human beings. Aristotle’s image of an impassive and uncaring Deistic God was crushed at the cross and Jesus’ crucifixion.

Examining The Scripture XCIX: The Day of The Lord

In Isaiah 2:6-22 we come upon the phrase "Day of The Lord" and it is repeated three times. We should review the meaning of this phrase as we will see it multiple times in the books of the prophets before we finish reading and reviewing the Old Testament.

The following references are referring specifically to the “Day of the Lord” or a reckoning for all sinners. Verse 11, 12 & 17 to some extent all restate the same thing: “The proud look of man will be abased and the loftiness of man will be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day”. In the context of this chapter this statement is foreboding. Man has become haughty and arrogant to the point that they will need to be humbled by none other than God Himself. Instead of mans grandstanding and self-aggrandizement there will only be one exalted: The Lord. When the Lord comes people will try to hide like animals (moles, bats) and flee into (v. 10, 19-21) “hide in the dust”,“caves of the rocks”, “holes of the ground”, because of their fear and terror of the LORD. There will be no escape when He comes because man cannot escape an omnipresent God…even in punishment in Hell because there resides a form of God’s wrath. No former vestiges of mans sin will continue to exist, idols will vanish [probably because the rodents and bats will carry them off because man will cast them aside (v. 20)].

To my knowledge the “Day of The Lord” is mentioned 19 times in the Bible, 3 of which in Isaiah Chapter 2 alone. Some of the others: Isaiah 13:6 & 9; Ezekiel, Joel: Multiple; Amos, Obadiah, most of the Minor Prophets have at least one quote in their books, in the New Testament specifically mentioned in passages from Revelation 6:17; 16:14. As with many prophecies of the Old Testament prophets they are or appear to be dualistic in their intent not just pointing to the immediate future but also to the long term future.

What I am not going to do here is go into a big speech about eschatological (last things) prophecy. What I will say is that the statements about "The Day of the Lord" conveys an air of expectancy. A day of judgment is coming, you cannot avoid it. This statement comes off as a warning of impending judgment and punishment due for sin committed. What it really is besides this is an exhortation to live a godly life (this goes for the Book of Revelation too). Too many people treat the return of God to judge in the Day of The Lord and Revelation's impending judgment as fodder for sensationalism and predictions. These claims of knowing the time and date are unbiblical. Personally, speculating on a date or time that the Lord clearly stated that only the Father knows is foolhardy and quite frankly, flirts with apostasy since adding to or taking away anything from scripture is apostasy. Some of the claims I've heard are worthy of a tabloid magazine. The warnings of the Day of the Lord in reality are basically trying to get believers to realize that they should live their loves like tomorrow the Lord will return. It is the exact fact that no man knows of His return that they should be prepared...they should not be making predictions and publishing books for profit containing the speculated dates or the Lord's return. We know the seasons by the changing of the leaves...

Lesson From A Fig Tree

"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[b]is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." Matthew 24:32-34

The Day and Hour Not Known

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. ~Matthew 24:36-44

Verse 37 tells us that things will be as they were in the days of Noah as there will be sin everywhere constantly or as Genesis 6:5

"Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Genesis 6:5

Yes, there is more in Scripture about it but I am not going to go into it here and now. Yes, it is important but not more important than having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It will suffice to say that if you accept Jesus and live as a Christian humbly and with a repentant heart, you will have nothing to worry about if He does return in your lifetime. Be like Noah and you will be one of the saved not one of the perishing because you are not going to know the hour when Jesus returns anyway. This is the whole idea of pending judgment to begin with. It is more a deterrent from evil than it is a threat. Christ will return. So what are we to do? Stand in abject fear reading the papers looking for signs of the end? NO! We are to live properly so that if that day comes in our lifetimes we are prepared to meet our Maker and have Him say to us, “Well done true and faithful servant!” For those that can’t seem to do this, well I guess they will stand in abject fear waiting for the end to come.

Martin, John., John Walvoord. "Isaiah." Bible Knowledge Commentary Old Testament: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Bible Knowledge). Acambaro: Victor, 1985. 1038-1039. Print.