Watching and Waiting for the Lord's Return
Pastor Tan Thai
This sermon expounds on Jesus's Olivet Discourse, where He answers the disciples' questions about His second coming and the signs of the end times. Through parables of the faithful and unfaithful servants, the ten virgins, and the thief, the sermon emphasizes that we cannot know when the Lord will return, so we must prepare and be ready every day. The most important matter is not predicting the time of Christ's return, but living with faithfulness and spiritual readiness to receive the Lord.
The opening section of the sermon presents a world filled with war, pandemic, crime, and hardship, causing many people to wonder if these are the signs of the end times. The disciples of Jesus Himself asked this very question when sitting on the Mount of Olives, asking when these things would happen and what signs would precede His coming and the end of the age. This sermon aims to help God's people understand His teachings about the Second Coming so that they may have peace, hope, and spiritual readiness during these turbulent days.
The second section develops the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple as historical evidence confirming Christ's words. This temple was a magnificent architectural structure built over 82 years with colossal stones, but in 70 AD, only 37 years after Jesus's prophecy, Roman soldiers completely destroyed the entire temple exactly as He predicted—not one stone would be left upon another. The lesson from this event is that all human structures, however great, are only temporary and will be destroyed; the material world consists only of temporary visible things while the invisible reality is eternal.
The third section develops the theological significance of the temple's destruction in the context of salvation history. The temple's destruction marks a shift in how people worship God—from worshiping at a specific physical location to worshiping in spirit and in truth everywhere. After the Holy Spirit was given, the body of the believer became the temple of God, where the Spirit dwells. This demonstrates the highest value of humanity in Christian theology—sinful people are worthy to have God's Spirit indwell them, forming the Church as the body of Christ.
The fourth section explains the timing of the Second Coming through four parables that Christ told immediately after the Olivet Discourse. The parable of the thief teaches that the Lord will return unexpectedly at an unknown day and hour. The parable of the master and servants teaches that the Lord will come sooner than those who think the master delays expect, so everyone must be ready at all times and cannot delay repentance and change. The parable of the ten virgins teaches that the Lord may come later than expected, requiring long-term perseverance and continuous preparation.
The final section connects Christ's teachings to the practical life of believers. The most important question is not when the Lord will return but whether you are ready when He returns. You must remember that you yourself are that servant, you yourself are one of the ten virgins—your daily choices about faithfulness, preparation, and perseverance will determine your place on the last day. Therefore, instead of wasting time searching for signs and predicting the timing, you should focus on living wisely, preparing spiritually, and remaining faithful and steadfast to the end.