In his model prayer, the Messiah instructed his disciples to pray "Thy kingdom come." And so we of Israel do -- at least some of us do -- perhaps perfunctorily, perhaps fervently -- but we pray for it. And we hope it will come soon -- or we hope it will come later so as not to preempt our plans and worldly pursuits. Or we don't hope at all. And we speculate about it. And argue over it. When will it come? Will it come at all? What sequence of events will lead to its arrival?

But who among us is really preparing for it?

Preparing to meet our God is something most of us would consider seriously only on our deathbeds or if we believed that YEHOVAH God's return were very, very imminent. Otherwise, forget it for now -- we'll think about it some other day. Such a don't-bother-me, devil-may-care (Satan takes the return of YEHOVAH God very seriously, by the way) attitude is extremely shortsighted. In the first place, if YEHOVAH does return in your lifetime, you, of course, could be in real trouble.

But should you die before He returns, as millions of Israelites have before you, the question of preparation is still important. For the Bible teaches that the dead of Israel in the Messiah -- and you do hope to be numbered among that privileged group -- will be resurrected to immortality when YEHOVAH God returns, when the Kingdom comes!

Wising Up

So no matter how you figure it, the coming of the Kingdom is of immediate concern to those of Israel. When you pray "Thy kingdom come," you should also pray the prayer of Moses: "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). You should take to heart the exhortation of the Apostle Paul : "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-16).

How do we wise up? How do we know what YEHOVAH's will for us is in these crucial times? Fortunately, we don't have to guess. For the Messiah not only told us what would happen (which everybody worries about), but also what to do about it (which most people ignore). Let's take a look at his important -- and often overlooked -- instruction.

Future Shock

In 1970, Alvin Toffler, in his bestselling book Future Shock, proclaimed the gospel of rapid change and predicted a radically different world of the future. Toffler warned of massive future shock -- bewildering anxiety, frustration and disorientation -- for those who don't change their modes of thinking and living to prepare themselves for the changes to come.

Toffler was one of a new breed of thinkers called futurists. They attempt to predict the future based on past and present conditions and trends.

Over 1900 years earlier, Yeshua the Messiah preached another gospel of change and prophesied of a different -- better -- world to come. You can read about it in the best-selling book, the Bible. As the first and foremost futurist, the Messiah predicted the coming Kingdom of YEHOVAH God and told people of Israel to change -- repent -- in order to be prepared for its arrival (Mark 1:14-15). He also warned of extreme future shock -- often summed up in the expression "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" -- for those who didn't heed his message.

Some of the Messiah's strongest warnings about future shock are recorded in Matthew 24 and 25. First, he foretold the sequence of traumatic events that would culminate in the return of YEHOVAH God. Then he warned: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only....Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Matthew 24:36, 42).

Second-Guessing YEHOVAH's Coming

In spite of these emphatic statements of the Messiah, there have always been some who have tried to second-guess YEHOVAH God the Father about His own return and the arrival of His Son. And who wouldn't want to know? After all, the return of YEHOVAH God is the focal point of all prophecy -- the hope and expectation of all true Israelite believers.

But those who try to outguess YEHOVAH God are setting themselves up for an unpleasant dose of future shock -- the trauma and disillusionment of being wrong.

Prophecy is interesting and informative, but it is plain from the words of the Messiah that there is only so much we can know beforehand. So it's futile to try to second-guess YEHOVAH God. Besides, there are more important things for a Christian Israelite to do than play guessing games.

Take a word of advice from Paul: "...Yet shew I unto you a more excellent way....And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge...and have not charity [love], I am nothing" (I Corinthians 12:31; 13:2). Have a balanced approach and concentrate on matters that really count.

Eat, Drink While the LORD Doth Tarry 

At the opposite extreme of the second-guessers are those who give up hoping or believing YEHOVAH God is coming. They comprise a much larger group, and their problem is far more serious. Second-guessing is foolish -- but skepticism and doubt can be fatal!

The Apostle Peter predicted that as we drew closer to YEHOVAH God's return, there would be, ironically, greater and greater skepticism that He would return. "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" (II Peter 3:3-4).

Peter explained that YEHOVAH God does not view time as we mortals do and any "delay" is for our benefit. "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the LORD as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The LORD is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any [of Israel] should perish, but that all [of Israel] should come to repentance. But the day of the LORD will come as a thief in the night..." (verses 8-10).

The smart Israelite Christian realizes this and keeps himself busy doing what the Messiah says:

"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his LORD hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his LORD when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods" (Matthew 24:45-47).

But the doubter or skeptic, lacking conviction and motivation, is liable to misuse the precious time afforded him. He adopts an eat-drink-while-the-LORD-doth-tarry life-style -- with fatal consequences. "But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My LORD delayeth His coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the LORD of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (verses 48-51).

Avoid future shock. Don't be caught off guard. If you let down in your spiritual responsibilities, you may be left out of the Kingdom.

The "Fuelish" Virgins

Another group of people of Israel in danger of suffering future shock is portrayed in the parable of the wise and foolish -- or "fuelish," as we shall see -- virgins.

Ten virgins go out to meet the bridegroom -- the Messiah (Matthew 25:1). Half of them are well supplied with oil; half aren't. While the bridegroom is delayed, they fall asleep. At midnight the cry goes out to meet the bridegroom.

"Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not" (Matthew 25:7-12).

Spiritual Energy Crisis

The Messiah tells those of us of Israel to be lights to the world (Matthew 5:14). "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (verse 16).

Your light can shine if you have plenty of oil -- if you have and use YEHOVAH's holy spirit daily, if you have a close one-on-one relationship with YEHOVAH, and if you are doing His will.

But if you aren't "on fire" for YEHOVAH God, then you, like the "fuelish" virgins, are suffering from a spiritual energy crisis.

The problem with them was not that they did anything particularly evil -- but rather that they didn't do anything at all! They were spiritually apathetic and complacent. Maybe they didn't dive off the deep end of the cesspool of sensuality and sin -- like the wicked servant in Matthew 24 -- but neither were they fervent and zealous for the things of YEHOVAH God.

The foolish virgins couldn't make up their deficiency by borrowing oil from others. This shows that you can't make it into the Kingdom -- you can't be saved -- on some other Israelite's coat tails. All of your friends and good connections won't do you any good at the time of judgment. You will be judged on your own merits -- or demerits.

The Messiah ended the parable with this warning: "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 25:13).

Watch what? Certainly world conditions. But the Messiah also meant we of Israel should watch our own spiritual condition. The literal Greek carries the connotation of being vigilant, awake, alert, prepared. We should post a continual watch on our own lives -- what we think and what we do -- and have plenty of fuel on hand through contact with YEHOVAH God and His Word. Then we of Israel will be prepared for future salvation instead of future shock.

The Parable of the Talents

Now that you're awake, you need to keep yourself busy. You need to be doing something constructive with your life. This is the Messiah's advice in his next parable -- the parable of the talents. A talent in the Messiah's time was a unit of currency worth several hundred dollars at today's rates. In this parable the Messiah used it to symbolize a person's abilities and natural aptitudes. Etymologists tell us the modem use of the word "talent" is derived from the use the Messiah made of it in this parable.

The parable begins in Matthew 25:14 with a man (the Messiah) taking a long journey into a far country (heaven). Among his servants (Israelite Christians) he distributes his wealth for them to invest; some get more than others. Upon his return he calls for an accounting.

"And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord" (verses 20, 21). The servant with two talents also doubled his amount and was similarly commended.

"Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 25:24-30).

Don't Sell Yourself Short

The lesson to all of Israel is to make the most of the talents and opportunities YEHOVAH God gives you. This message is especially important to those who think they possess only one talent -- or less. Focusing their minds on what they don't have instead of what they do, they are fond of quoting Paul's statement in I Corinthians 1:26-27: "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world...the weak things...and base things of the world, and things which are despised." Identifying themselves with this description, they short-sell themselves, bury their talent, and wait, wait, wait for the Messiah to come.

It's too bad they don't read and identify with Paul's response to his own weaknesses. In II Corinthians 12 Paul prayed three times for relief from his physical afflictions. But YEHOVAH answered: "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. " To which Paul responded: "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong" (verses 9-10).

The short-sellers of Israel should also read the parable of the pounds in Luke 19:12-27. It is identical to the parable of the talents except for the fact that each servant is given only one pound to work with. (For those who like to discount their ability, it should be pointed out that a pound was worth much less than a talent.) The profitable servants were able to show the Messiah a 1,000% and 500% return on his investment in them. What you start out with is YEHOVAH God's responsibility -- and what you end up with is yours.

The criterion for Israelite Christians to keep in mind is that the Messiah (and YEHOVAH God) will only hold you accountable for what you do with what you have -- not what you haven't. So get busy!

The Ice Age Cometh

In Matthew 24, the Messiah predicted that as the end approaches there would be an Ice Age -- of the human heart. "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold" (verse 12).

The Apostle Paul elaborated on this chilling of human emotions and relationships in II Timothy 3:1-4: "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves...unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good lovers of pleasures more than...lovers of God."

One of the great challenges facing Israelite Christians today is to give love, to be concerned and involved in people's problems and needs.

Thus the parable of the sheep and goats. The time setting is the judgment when the Messiah sorts out the sheep (righteous of Israel) from the goats (wicked of Israel).

"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me."

The righteous ask how this could be so. "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:34-40).

The goats on the left are left out of the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God because they never took the time and effort to care. They took their motto from the first murderer, Cain: "...Am I my brother's keeper?"

Endangered Species

If you of Israel were in the sorting pen now, on which side of the Messiah would you be placed? If you can't say confidently that you'd end up on the right side, now is the time to do something about it.

There are too few sheep (Israelite Christians) in the world -- in fact, they are becoming an endangered species! Any additions to their depleted ranks will help a love-starved humanity and be well rewarded by YEHOVAH God and the Messiah when the Kingdom is set up here on earth.

The concept and practice of brotherly love is such a vast one that it could scarcely be covered in a whole article, much less in these few paragraphs. But for a working definition read Romans 13:8-10. Also write for two important articles -- YEHOVAH's LAW and Our Neighbor and Foot-Washing and YEHOVAH's Ecclesia! They expand upon the theme of love.

Warn the World

We have seen that the Messiah instructs those of us of Israel to watch, to develop our talents, and to love our fellowman. These are things we as individuals can -- and must -- do. There is yet another responsibility the Messiah places upon us. But it is a collective responsibility -- a job that he has assigned to his spiritual organism -- the Ecclesia. And that is to warn the world that he and YEHOVAH God are coming.

"Go ye into all the world [of Israel], and preach the gospel to every creature [Israelite person]," said the Messiah (Mark 16:15). The gospel is the good news of the coming Kingdom of YEHOVAH God -- see Mark 1:14-15. He also commissioned his Ecclesia to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [of Israel]... teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). See also Mark 16:15.

This is the work given to the Ecclesia to perform until YEHOVAH God and the Messiah return. It is being accomplished today through this ministry -- and others to a lesser extent. The Hope of Israel Ministries is doing something more than pray "Thy kingdom come." As the collective body of the Messiah it is striving to make this important prophecy of the Messiah a reality: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world [of Israel] for a witness unto all nations [of Israel]; and then shall the end come" (Matthew 24:14).

We have no religious ax to grind, no quotas to meet, no pressure to exert. We simply have a message of hope and salvation, and a mission to preach that good news to the Israelite nations of the world. We intend to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God until that Kingdom comes. For as the Messiah said: "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing."

What will you be doing when YEHOVAH God and the Messiah come?

Hope of Israel Ministries -- Proclaiming the Good News of the Soon-Coming Kingdom of YEHOVAH God!

Hope of Israel Ministries P.O. Box 853 Azusa, CA 91702, U.S.A. www.hope-of-israel.org

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