Attentive to discover and avoid danger, or to provide for safety; wakeful; watchful; circumspect; wary. For this reason, He gave the Parable of the Ten Virgins to some of the twelve disciples just days before His brutal crucifixion. Share this page using one of these tools: Email / username or password was incorrect! Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: nepho Phonetic Spelling: (nay'-fo) Short Definition: I am calm, vigilant, sober Definition ... //strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3525.htm - 7k, 69. agrupneo -- to be sleepless, wakeful ... 69 (from 1 , "not" and 5258 , "sleep") -- properly, no sleeping; (figuratively) staying vigilant (alert, attentive), ie without any unnecessary "time off.". Jesus makes this parable very personal to highlight the need for each individual's spiritual preparedness. Overcoming is highlighted another seven times (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21), as Christ ends each of His critiques with a promise that begins, "To him who overcomes. Later in his epistle, Paul instructs us: "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. It is part of our responsibility to pray that we not enter into temptation. None of that results from simply being a news- or prophecy-addict. Those who are worthy and those who are clothed in white are the same: They are the ones who overcome! For when they say, 'Peace and safety!' He has to fight off sleep lest the enemy sneak up on him and kill him, opening the camp to attack. Wisdom Literature Proud member As a consequence, they failed miserably (Matthew 26:56, 69-75; Mark 14:50-52). Finally, he speaks of love, the love of God. Hebrews: A Message for Today. There is still a glimmer of life within this church, but the letter gives the impression that they have relaxed in their spiritual responsibilities so much that they are nearly comatose. As Jacob ... /.../aphrahat/aphrahat select demonstrations/demonstration x of pastors.htm, 1 Timothy iii. As stunning as that example is, we should bring it down to a more personal level: to an army of one. Amos answers God's question by saying he saw ripe fruit. Nothing may be more harmful than to assume we have more time (I Thessalonians 5:3). Again, the charge is to resist, but it is directly coupled with submission to God. | GotQuestions.org, Vigilant: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com. He complements this with, "strengthen the things which remain," which qualifies the meaning of "watch." Verse 38 warns that He might return in the second watch or in the third. He is faithful. Well, Christ tells us that a "night is coming when no one can work" (John 9:4). God's way requires constant vigilance. They have not had sleepless nights over their standing with God. It is easy for a servant to think, "What is the use? "May" indicates permission is given. Not fifteen times throughout the whole Bible but in just one book! Is God's hand involved in world events, while we think we have plenty of time before the end? Why? The precise time of Christ's return is unknown, so He urges us to take advantage of the knowledge and time we already have in hand. But how - in what manner - is time moving? However, it also shows that time is moving in a definite direction and that God Himself is orchestrating many of the events within its progress toward the return of Jesus Christ, the Day of the Lord, and the establishment on earth of His Family Kingdom. John W. Ritenbaugh Here also is a conditional promise: Those who watch and keep their garments will be blessed. Since God Himself reports Noah's work through Moses, his story is not fiction; one man lived the entire experience. If we wait, the acceptable day will pass, and the day of vengeance, even now moving toward us, will be here. Knowing this, our job is to watch and pray and overcome so "that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (verse 36). In Mark 13:37, Jesus Christ commands us to watch: “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” The Greek word here, gregoreuo, translated as “watch,” is in the imperative mood, expressing a command by the order and authority of the one commanding. John W. Ritenbaugh Please see Blue Letter Bible's Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. ", John W. Ritenbaugh God says the time is ripe for picking Israel. Fight the problems that arise. Many are familiar with the story of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, when Sparta's King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans, along with 700 Thespians, 400 Thebans, and perhaps a few hundred others, fought to the death against the million-man army of Persian Emperor Xerxes. In Jude 14-15, the apostle quotes an Old Testament personality, Enoch, whose pre-flood prophecy deflected Hebrew thought about time in a far different direction: Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." These ten virgins, then, represent those individuals called into the church at the end time. God will help, as only He can. Notice the remainder of the fourteen uses of “watch” by Jesus in the Gospels (again, gregoreuo is in bold in the verses that follow): Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. 5-Feb ... For this reason he exhorts old men concerning these matters, "to be vigilant." Remember, this is the same apostle who admonishes Timothy to rebuke people before all—even right before the entire congregation. 'As a Thief in the Night'. "Stand against" is yet another way of saying "resist him." They will be caught completely off guard—"that Day come[s on them] unexpectedly"—because their hearts are misdirected. Notice, however, that God's purpose never changed. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, VIGILANT, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach. Even without examining the underlying Greek, we can tell from the context that Jesus has something else in mind. Individual instructors or editors may still require the use of URLs. If we do not neglect the spiritual (verses 34-35), and instead watch and pray always, we can "escape all these things" (verses 7-33) and enter God's Kingdom. The Bridegroom, of course, is Christ. We will never be right, and it is unverifiable until it happens. Martin G. Collins range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed Being strong in God is derived from the relationship with Him, and this relationship must be worked on, even as a good relationship with another human being must be worked on. Knowledge is not a prerequisite to receiving the blessing. John W. Ritenbaugh He spent one hundred and twenty years preaching, undertaking the hard labor to build the ark, and enduring the mockery of his neighbors. God always gives us choices (Deuteronomy 30:19). Those who strive to master themselves—to exercise self-control to live God's way—will rule in the Kingdom of God (Revelation 3:21; 5:10), while those who slothfully neglect this task could possibly lose everything. of vigilare to watch, fr. Since it is sin that defiles, this beatitude demands from us the most exacting self-examination. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known." This current generation of humanity is living in an atmosphere of widespread violence, which Jesus warned in His Olivet Prophecy would be similar to the state the world was in as Noah was finalizing the housing of the animals God brought to him. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. . The wise virgins were those who had enough oil - representing God's Spirit - to last the night. For the spiritual, however, Christ raises the level of vigilance: "Take heed to yourselves," or be on guard! Luke 21 is a chapter about the end time, and in verse 36, we have spiritual instruction directly from Jesus to anyone living during that time. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Be vigilant for signs of disease in your garden. In other words, we are to hold the ground we have already gained by going forward. “Take heed, watch, and pray.” Because we do not know when He will return (notice He uses the more general “time” in verse 33, not just the specific day and hour), we must be ready for His return constantly. This advice is the essence of Jesus' three parables in Matthew 25: We are not to sleep but to keep our lamps full of oil, faithfully use our talents for growth, and serve the brethren as we wait for the coming of our Savior. Here, He tells us that we do not know the "day and hour," but after His resurrection He expands this unknown variable to "times or seasons" (Acts 1:6-7). Prophecy and the Sixth-Century Axial Period. God is far more powerful than Satan. In I Corinthians 16:13, there are four imperatives in this one verse, which is itself just six words in the original Greek: 1) watch, 2) stand fast in the faith, 3) be men (courageous), and 4) be strong. We cannot just skip our way into the Kingdom of God. But since the wedding feast could not be held without the Bride, and since five virgins miss the feast, all ten virgins cannot make up the Bride. He admonishes us to be ready at all times. You have a subtle enemy, and therefore you must be wise. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. What are works? God says, "Take heed to yourselves." Where Is the Promise of His Coming? You are all sons of light and sons of the day. Richard T. Ritenbaugh The warning to us is to draw close to God now because we do not know when Christ will come back. So who is left? These admonitions to "seek God now," "now is an acceptable time," and "do not let it come to nothing," all indicate a passing opportunity.

The Song Of Bernadette Book Pdf, Warmest Place On Isle Of Wight, Mildred Lake Alberta Postal Code, Madhyamam Kannur Contact Number, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Finale Date, When I Get Up All In Ya Tik Tok,