Bible Talk with sister Deb. Ready or Not: Preparing for Christ's Imminent Return

The second coming of Jesus Christ is imminent, with signs all around us indicating we're closer than ever before to His return.

• Jesus repeats "I come quickly" three times in Revelation 22, emphasizing the urgency of His return
• Three witnesses confirm this message: God's angel, John, and Jesus Christ himself
• Christ's return means joy for believers but judgment for those who don't know Him
• The "twinkling of an eye" means His return will happen faster than our quickest reflex
• Christians should live with expectancy, not complacency, as they await His return
• God's perfect track record of fulfilled prophecies guarantees His future promises will also be fulfilled
• Present-day signs (wars, earthquakes, famines) are just "the beginning of sorrows"
• The final invitation in Revelation 22:17 offers the water of life freely to all who will come

Today is the day of salvation - not tomorrow, not someday. Open your heart to Jesus before it's too late.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction and Theme
• 3:46 Three Witnesses in Revelation 22
• 8:30 Jesus' Promise: "I Come Quickly"
• 13:10 Good News and Terrible News
• 17:19 Be Ready: Time Is Running Out
• 21:40 Final Invitation and Prayer

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:19

Uh, a place. That's where we'll fall behind. Deep in the struggle just to find our way, we lose the heart, we lose the faith. Sometimes this life can tear your world apart, but you've got to remember his love is strong. Hey, you're listening to Bible Talk with Sister Deb Osborne. You can listen to Bible Talk on WIC 88.1 Christian Radio Station every Sunday at 5 pm. You can also listen to Bible Talk and much more on the 421 Podcast. You can find the show streaming on Apple, spotify or whatever platform you're choosing. If you'd like to contact Sister Deb, you can email her at osborne Debra K at gmailcom. That's O-S-B-O-R-N-E-D-E-B-R-A-K. At gmailcom. If you'd like to support the show, you can support it through PayPal slash H-O-R-421, or you go to our website, h-o-r-421showbuzzsproutcom. Now I give you your host, sister Deb. Praise the.

Speaker 2: 1:22

Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, so happy to be back doing this today. It seems like it's been a while. So today my message is I've done this one quite a couple times at least, I think, and when I was talking to the Lord and thinking about what the next thing was going to be, this kept coming back up in my mind, and I think it's something that the Lord really wants to be out there. Somebody needs to hear this. Of course. It's Revelations 22, and it's talking about Jesus coming, and I feel that I should do this again and I really feel that the Lord wants it to be out there. And you know, if he tells me to do it again next week, I'll do it again next week. If he tells me to do it next month, I'm going to keep doing it and keep doing it as many times as the Lord lays it on my heart to do it, because it needs to be out there.

Speaker 2: 2:26

And what I really want people to understand is you know what People? Jesus is coming soon. His return is certain, and I'm going to pause for just a few seconds and I want you to let that sink in a moment. Ponder that, let it sink in. You know, the signs of the times tells us that we're closer now more than ever before. And, friends, today we believers well, I mean I'm talking to believers and non-believers we need to be ready. The believers, we need to be living in holiness, serving God and watching in prayer. You know, and I just want you to ask yourself today, are you ready for Christ's coming?

Speaker 2: 3:08

You know, jesus told us three times in the book of Revelation that he was coming and I believe that you know he gave us warning after warning after warning. Nothing's going to stop it, ready or not, he's coming. And I know, growing up, you guys have listened or played. One of our favorite games to play growing up was hide and go seek. And you know somebody would hide their eyes and we would all go and hide and that person would stand up and holler hey, ready or not, here I come. And people, that is the message that Jesus Christ has given us today that he's coming. Whether we're ready or not, he's coming.

Speaker 2: 3:52

And you know he gave us in the book of Revelation 22,. He gave us this message and in all these things that was going to happen, he gave us three witnesses, you, three witnesses that brought us these things he said in Revelation 22, verse 6, he said unto me, these sayings are faithful and true and the Lord, god and the holy prophets sent his angel, sent his angel. There's your first witness. He sent his angel directly from his angel, straight from God. This is straight from God to you guys, to everybody, to John. He's telling John, and the second witness is John. And in verse 8, john said and I saw these things and heard them. John heard them directly from the angel, the messenger from God. And of course we know the third witness was Jesus Christ himself. And of course we know the third witness was Jesus Christ himself.

Speaker 2: 4:46

In verse 16, jesus said I have sent mine, angel, to testify to you these things, to the churches. See, he's told us over and over and over. He gave us these messages and he told us three times in the book of Revelation that he's coming. He said in verse 7, he said Behold, I come quickly. He's telling us watch and pray because he's coming. And this is Jesus. 7, he said Behold, I come quickly. He's telling us watch and pray, people, because he's coming.

Speaker 2: 5:07

And this is Jesus himself, talking straight to us, telling us the Lamb of God is saying I'm coming soon. And he says it again in verse 12. He says, behold, I come quickly. He's saying it again to his children. He's telling you, listen, I'm coming, I'm coming real soon. And then, down in verse 20, of course, he says it again. He says surely, surely, I come quickly. And he's saying people, I can assure you that I'm coming, ready or not, I'm coming, and whether we're ready or not, he's coming again. He's assured us that he's coming and I don't know about you, but I want to be ready. And, friends, I just ask you today to think about these words of Jesus, and you know he thought these words so important that he said them three times in this chapter. I'm coming soon. That's our message.

Speaker 2: 6:00

And Jesus' promise I'm coming soon is both great news. Jesus' promise I'm coming soon is both great news and it's also terrible news. Because, you see, for the Christian people, for you and for me, and for the people that are trying to live our best for the Lord, that's the best possible news we could ever hear, because we live in a world today that's broken. We look all around us and we see tragedy. We see death everywhere. We see greed and hatred, we see war and violence and adultery. We see people that can't even walk into the house of God and sit down and worship God as the true worshipers that he seeks in spirit and in truth, because of animosity.

Speaker 2: 6:43

But people, I'm telling you today, when God fulfills His promise, all of the above mentioned that I just said ends. There's going to be no more suffering, no more pain, no more death, no more hunger or thirst. He will wipe every tear from our eyes and for all of those who don't know Christ, that's where your worst possible news comes in. They're going to be gathered. These people are going to be gathered before the judgment throne and they're going to give an account for everything that they've said, they thought or they've done in this life. Friends, I'm telling you that day will not end very well for those people. They will be cast into the lake of fire with the devil and his angels. They will be cast into the lake of fire with the devil and his angels.

Speaker 2: 7:25

You know, that's why it is so urgent, urgent that you listen to this and that's why I'm repeating this again, because I'm telling you the day is going to come when God, he will lose his patience with the evil of this world. It's going to run out and he's going to tell his son go and get your bride. I'm done watching all this, I'm done hearing it, I'm done seeing it. You know, that day when God, you know, when Christ keeps his promise to return to take us home, that's going to be the awesomest day that we ever hear.

Speaker 2: 8:01

You know, and I'm telling you right now, this book of Revelation, that's telling us all this stuff, it's not some kind of fairy tale, people. It's true, it's all true. It's not fiction. And the very fact that God says it means that it's going to happen, because God said my word shall not return to me what Void, it will always accomplish the purpose for which it was sent out. So I'm telling you, people, think about these things. If God said fire would scorch the earth, trust me it's going to. If God says a third of the rivers is going to be turned into rotten, they will. If God says the demons are going to come out of the pit and hail fire in chapter 9. Trust me, it's going to happen.

Speaker 2: 8:47

You see, our God, our awesome God, he has a perfect record. He said the world was going to die by water, and it did. He said that Babylon would fall, and it did. He said Jerusalem would fall and it did. Friends today, he said a Messiah would come and he came. He said that Messiah would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem and be slaughtered. He was See. God's future record will be just as perfect as his past record. He has never missed anything yet and he won't miss anything in the future. He's telling us right now people. He said wars and rumors of wars. We see it daily. He said nation against nation. We see it daily. He said nation against nation. We see it daily. Famines, pestilence and earthquakes. We see it daily. And we will see Armageddon. It's going to happen. We will see the Antichrist it's coming. Believers are being martyred. It's going to happen. Messiah is going to come back. It's coming.

Speaker 2: 9:50

People, I'm telling you you need to get this in your head. If God said it, it's going to come back. He's coming. People, I'm telling you you need to get this in your head. If God said it, it's going to happen. That term at hand, at hand, it means imminent. It means that the event on God's clock is the return of Jesus Christ, the next event. And, friends, we need to get busy right now serving the Lord. We need to get rid of all the garbage in our lives and get down to the business of obedience, of worship, proclamation, proclaiming the Word of God and telling people about it. He said not to bind the sayings of this book Serving God. We need to do this immediately. I mean like yesterday. You know, we need to do this.

Speaker 2: 10:34

Some people may say, wow, someday I'm going to study the Bible, someday I'm going to witness to my neighbor, someday I'm going to walk across the street and pray for my ailing neighbor. You know, someday I'm going to do these things. Well, someday, someday, people, now is the time. You know, I've got news for you. The second coming people is going to be an event that everybody's going to experience. No one's going to miss him coming in the clouds. Every eye shall see him and every knee shall bow before him, and every knee shall bow before him.

Speaker 2: 11:10

This is not a metaphorical event or a spiritual awakening. It's not a phenomenon that happens only once. This is reality, people. This is Jesus Christ physically doing what he said he would do, what he promised he would do, and it's going to be sudden. And right up until that very time, people are going to be doing about their daily lives without a clue of what's getting ready to happen and that's why I'm telling you today, that's why it's so important not to get caught up in the craziness of the world. You know, get your eyes fixed on God.

Speaker 2: 11:46

You know, when we were young, we were young and going to church and we were young kids. You know the biggest cry that you could hear in the church is Jesus is coming soon. The stirring message that a lot of the pastors tried to get through then was the return of Jesus Christ. But if you look around today and you sit through your churches and the powerful cry today that Jesus is coming soon, you seldom even hear that in God's house today, in fact, probably very few Christians even live with a sense of expectancy like we should, looking and yearning and waiting on Jesus's return. He told us to look and watch and pray. People don't even do that anymore.

Speaker 2: 12:27

I think the enemy's got people's minds so bogged down that he ain't coming. He's delaying his coming. The enemy is telling people that. He's telling people that and you can believe that lie if you want to. But I am telling you right now Jesus Christ is coming someday.

Speaker 2: 12:42

People Now, you know there's times in this Christian life where the journey gets hard, especially when the realities hit you square in the face. We all face those. But, friends, today I'm telling you, I'm telling you now, no matter what challenge that you face in this life, we have a real hope. A real hope, and that hope is that Jesus Christ is coming soon and all of this stuff's going to be over, all of this mourning, all of this crying, all this death and destruction and war and arguing, and it's all going to be over.

Speaker 2: 13:25

And you know what the Word of God says it's going to be in a twinkling of an eye. Do you know how fast that is? I read somewhere that they've actually wrote books about that. Not read the books, but I've read about it. You know, the twinkling of an eye is the fastest human reflex. It's the fastest thing that our body can do. Now, twinkle your eyes. Can you imagine twinkling your eye and Jesus Christ coming back?

Speaker 2: 13:55

Because, friends, I'm telling you, either way, you're not going to have time to pray, you're not going to have time for repentance, you're not going to have time to make it right. Friends, I'm begging you to let that sink in. Please let this message sink into your heart, friends, the message that we get in Revelation 22, the very last chapter of the Bible is that Jesus is coming back, and he is coming back, and he's coming back to get His children. He's coming back to judge the sinners and to put the devil and His angels into the bottomless pit forever. And he said it over and over and over again in his word Behold, I'm coming soon. He's saying it over and over again so that when we close the book of God, the word of God, we'll have this promise ringing in our ears.

Speaker 2: 14:44

We ought to have it. We ought to think about it daily and see. So apparently he really wants us to know. He wants us to take a hold of his promise. He could come at any time, friends. He could come at any time, and we shouldn't get complacent as we wait for his return. We shouldn't sit down and think well, you know. Well, you know he's coming. We need to get up, people. We need to be ready. We need to always be ready for that glorious day, that glorious day that he will come and take us home. You know and that, my friends, is what you can bank your whole life on that, at that very last day, when our Lord Jesus comes again and you and I are going to be raised up and restored glorified bodies and we're going to see our Savior face to face. The great hope is ours because of His promise. His promise is Behold, I'm coming soon. Friends, our Lord is telling us today to take hold. He's telling us to stay close to God, to hold on tight. It won't be long. Hold on to this promise. Behold, I'm coming soon. And this is everyone that's listening that is still outside of the will of God. If you're listening to me today and you haven't made your mind up and you're outside of the will of God, people, I'm telling you.

Speaker 2: 16:08

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians now is the acceptable time. Behold, today is the day of salvation. Take my advice. I beg you. If I have to beg, I'll beg. I don't care. Take my advice. Don't delay anymore. Jesus wants you to come to him today, people. He wants you to come to him today. Please don't get putting off this important matter. Open up the door. Open up your church doors. Get in your churches. Open the door for Him.

Speaker 2: 16:38

People, the price he paid is too high for us to gamble and play this game. He delivered all of us out from. Too much for us to not take this serious. Don't make the same mistake made by the foolish virgins out from too much for us to not take this serious. You know, don't make the same mistake made by the foolish virgins. They put off doing anything about their lamps until it was too late.

Speaker 2: 17:04

You know, and if you're caught, if you're caught not ready when Christ returns, you're going to have nobody to blame but yourself, because God's Word has already given us an ample warning that you really have no excuse. It's there and please remember, people, Jesus Christ may come at any time. Friends, don't think that you're going to start living for Christ someday. Someday may be too late. Don't think well, someday I'm going to get off of this fence and I'm going to get on fire for God. Friends, today is the day to be filled with Christ. Today is the day to get right before it's too late, because Jesus is coming. He's coming soon.

Speaker 2: 17:48

You need to let that sink in. I don't mean in theory. I'm telling you that Jesus Christ is on His way. I'm telling you that one day, soon, that trumpet's going to sound and I'm begging you, people, do not gamble with eternity, because there's no do-overs, there's no Jesus. I didn't know, I didn't hear, I didn't see anything. Nobody told me. You're not going to have no excuses. You're not going to have no excuses Because he's telling us every day in his word of God that he's coming.

Speaker 2: 18:23

He shows us every day. There's some kind of sign out there that he's coming. You know, please, people, I beg you, if you're not ready with the Lord, seek him while you can. Please come to God before he comes, because he's coming. And Jesus said people that he's not just coming, he's coming quickly. You know, this little adverb moves his return from inevitable to imminent, from someday to any day.

Speaker 2: 18:56

People, I ask you today are you ready? If Jesus Christ came right now, would you be ready? Have you given your heart to God? If not, then I so urge you to turn your life over to God and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that he died on the cross for your sins and he raised you from the dead, that he came back from the dead after the third day. You need to believe this, you need to declare this.

Speaker 2: 19:26

And in his word he didn't leave us with any condemnation. He left us with the last invitation. A last invitation. He said in Revelation 22, verse 17,. He said and the Spirit and the bride say Come. He said, and let him that heareth come. Let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely Revelation 22, 17. People, he's telling us over and over and over again, come.

Speaker 2: 20:03

God's last word in Revelation is an invitation, an invitation to come and drink from the water of life freely and live in God's new heaven. That last word is up to you. He said his last word here on it and it was an invitation to come and to get out of the life of sin and to get out of all the chaos and to give it all to the Lord, to give it to him and let him handle it all, because time is winding up and the things that we see going on around us today, those are just the beginning of sorrows. If you've been in His Word any and all, you'll know that All of that stuff I talked about earlier the wars and rumors of wars, the earthquakes, the pestilence the Bible said the Word of God is telling us that all of that is the beginning of sorrows. And when it says beginning of sorrows, I'm taking that to mean it's only going to get worse from here.

Speaker 2: 20:58

And you've got preachers out here today telling people that you know what Life's going to be good, everything's going to be okay. Well, I'm going to tell you right now, people, I'm not going to lie to you and tell you it's going to be okay, because it's not. If you have not given your heart to Jesus Christ, if you have not got sin out of your heart and gave him your heart and trying your best to live for him, it's not going to be okay. And if you let him take you out of this world and you draw your last breath before you give your life to him you draw your last breath before you give your life to him it's not going to be okay. And if you sit back and you wait and you mess around and you fool around and you don't listen and you don't take this stuff to heart and you let him split those eastern skies, it's not going to be too late. It's going to be too late. It's not going to be too good for you at all, I'm telling you. And when you do see him split those skies, you're going to be too late. It's not going to be too good for you at all, I'm telling you. And when you do see Him. Split those skies. You're going to see tears of joy on a Christian's face that's serving the Lord. You're going to see tears of joy because he's come to get His children and you're going to see the sinners cry because it is too late.

Speaker 2: 22:09

And I beg you, today, people take it to heart. If you haven't given your life to God, you need to sit down somewhere and talk to the Lord and get yourself straightened up, because you never know. And if you have given your life to the Lord and you're trying your best to serve and worship in the best that you can, just keep on that road. Keep in that word, keep praying and pray as hard as you possibly can. Pray people, give it all to Him and get in His Word. That's all I have on this. I hope and pray that this has blessed you as much as it has blessed me to bring it to you. I feel so strongly that somebody needs to take heed to these words today. Somebody needs to open up their heart and give it to God, because he's knocking and you need to open up before it's too late. I'm going to end this with a prayer. Thank you so very much for listening and I pray and hope and pray that this has made you think so.

Speaker 2: 23:10

Our Father, god in heaven, lord, I ask you, lord, to let these words go to the heart that needs to hear it. Lord, just let them open up their hearts and their minds and their ears and realize that time is winding up. Let them realize, lord, that they're going to be lost. Let them realize that they don't want to burn in hellfire. Let them open up their eyes and realize that they want to walk on the streets of gold. They want to stand by the river of life. Lord, just open up their hearts. Let their ears hear and understand what's being said here today. Knock on the doors of their hearts and, lord, just let them open up their heart to you, to you, lord. Let them give it all to you and trust in you, lord, because it's going to be a struggle, and they know, they know. Just let them feel it. Let you, lord, because it's going to be a struggle, and they know, they know. Just let them feel it. Let them feel it in their hearts that it's time that today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow, not yesterday, today. Today is the day to make this right. Today is today, lord. Let these people see it and feel it and understand it. Let these words, your words, go to the heart and the ears that need to hear it.

Speaker 2: 24:12

Lord, we thank you for this message, for this service. We thank you for this podcast. We thank you, lord, that it's getting out there. Lord, we just praise you and honor you for it. We worship you. We thank you for everything. Lord, I just ask you to bless each and everybody out there listening today that they will open up their hearts to you. Lord, we ask these and all things in Jesus' holy, sweet name. We pray Amen and amen. God bless everybody.

Speaker 1: 24:53

Love is strong. Love is strong. I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait. Love is strong. Love is strong, love is strong.