On Alert

In the military, personnel are often put “on alert” in preparation for pending deployments or when a threat is imminent or possible. Most Americans have heard of the DEFCON system to alert military forces of potential threats and most might remember the threat level being at DEFCON 3 immediately following September 11, 2001, which simply meant that military personnel were to be “on alert” above their normal level.

Being “on alert” means to be watchful, to be ready, to stay awake, and to be vigilant. Christians are to be vigilant about their faith, to include the rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ. When speaking to His disciples Jesus commanded them “…to be on alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42). As Christians we are to observe the events that will unfold in this world as signs of His second coming, not to be afraid, but to be watchful and expectant that the end is near. Being on alert is the posture in which a soldier of the cross is to be in. Jesus said that we can expect false messiahs, false religions, wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, and a whole lot more. These things should not surprise a soldier of the cross who is “on alert.” Being in a state of preparation means understanding the orders of our General, Jesus Christ, while becoming more and more like Him each day. There is no better preparation than that. He increases and we decrease. He is exalted and we are humbled. He has already led by example and now commands His disciples to follow. He has suffered and now we are to share in His sufferings (1 Peter 4:13).

Perhaps most concerning of all is what will happen to those who are asleep and not alert to the events leading up to Christ’s second coming. For the unsaved who have rejected Jesus’ final payment for their sins or for the “evil servant” who has gone bad, they have been warned with the words of Matthew 24:50, 51. Jesus said “the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces…” Translation, they will spend eternity in hell apart from the presence of the One in which they rejected and failed to be “on alert” for.

The solution is to live everyday expectant of our Lord’s return and “on alert” as the general signs of His coming continue to unfold right before our eyes.