Living Ready in Distracting Times
Expecting but Missing
The long-term question we must ask:
Are we ready as a church for Jesus’ return?
Are we truly an end-times church, or have we reduced the Gospels to a tool for solving our pains and problems?
Jesus does meet us in our now, but to what end? Even those He resurrected eventually died again. If we only use Him as a fix for our immediate needs, we miss the larger revelation.
Love Is Missing
“Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.”—Matthew 24:12 (NLT)
When sin increases, proximity to God decreases, and the fruit of His presence—love—fades. The church is called to be the place of proximity, where people encounter Jesus through His body. If we drift from His presence, we drift from revelation.
The Struggle for Revelation
Christianity is not just about feeling good or following rules. We are still struggling to grasp the full impact of Jesus’ first coming, let alone live ready for His second.
We make lists of His teachings but fail to adjust our hearts for His return. Where Jesus goes, we go—we must remain close to Him.
The Jewish Mishap
The Jewish people had clear prophecies of the Messiah, but when He came, they missed Him.
They expected a political conqueror; instead, they received a suffering Servant.
They were focused on circumstances, not presence.
Today, with even more revelation (OT + NT, the Spirit, history), are we repeating their mistake by shaping Jesus’ return around our opinions instead of His Word?
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”—Isaiah 9:6–7 (NLT)
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.”—Micah 5:2 (NLT)
“Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt.’”—Matthew 21:5 (NLT)
“He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.”—John 1:11 (NLT)
With hindsight, we ask: How did they not see this? The answer—distance from His presence.
Will We Be Ready?
The first coming of Jesus shocked everyone. The second will be no different—except this time He comes in glory, not humility.
The issue is not if He will come, but if we will be ready. Will we be wrapped up in our circumstances with a sprinkling of Sunday religion, or sold out to our coming King despite them?
The Revelation Is About Jesus
“This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John, who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.”—Revelation 1:1–2 (NLT)
Jesus is both the subject (of) and the revealer (from). He is the One revealed and the One doing the revealing. John, “the disciple Jesus loved,” was given this vision so he would not lose heart. In the same way, Jesus shows us the end so that we stay faithful and focused.
Revelation is not a puzzle book to help us time our repentance. It is not about sin management but about faith-led anticipation. The unknown hour calls us to constant readiness.
The Devil’s Strategy Is Distraction
“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”—Galatians 5:19–21 (NLT)
These sins are not just failures—they are distractions that dull readiness and blur vision. They replace the fruit of His presence with lesser fruit.
“Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.”—Matthew 24:12 (NLT)
Distraction is the enemy of revelation.
The Culture of the Last Days
“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!”—2 Timothy 3:1–5 (NLT)
This list mirrors Galatians 5—the life outside God’s presence. End times are not just about peril but about humanity drifting from God. Our call is not to judge the times by culture’s sinfulness but to stay rooted in His presence.
Jesus’ Warnings About Noise
“Jesus told them, ‘Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, “I am the Messiah.” They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.’”—Matthew 24:4–14 (NLT)
Wars, deception, famine, persecution—all are noise. The greatest danger, however, is not war but cold love.
Living Ready
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”—Hebrews 12:1–2 (NLT)
Living ready means eyes fixed, love uncooled, and faith steady.
The Power of Focus
“So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”—2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)
“Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.”—Colossians 3:2 (NLT)
When we behold Jesus, we are changed into His image. When our focus shifts to the world, He grows dim in our lives. But when our eyes are fixed on Him, the world grows strangely dim.
Declarations
I will not be distracted by fleshly desires.
I will not be deceived by last-day culture.
I will not let fear or noise cool my love for Jesus.
I will fix my eyes on Jesus, until the world grows strangely dim.
Revelation is not just about the end—it is about the outcome: Jesus victorious. We are not called to panic in these days, but to prepare. May our eyes be so fixed on Jesus that everything else grows strangely dim.
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