This article examines the parables of the Second Coming of Jesus. Under traffic rules, the red in a traffic light means stop, yellow means ready, and green means go. (Mark a start and finish line. Have the children line up at the beginning and turn off the lights.
The children may move ahead when the teachers turn on the green light. When the red light comes on, they must stop. When the yellow light shines, they can adjust and talk, but they must not leave the spot where they are.
If anyone keeps moving, he must go back to the start. While the light is yellow, you can ask the children to mention things they will do as they get ready for Jesus Christ to come. While they are talking, switch on the green light.
Teaching Method
Have preschoolers sit in a circle. Choose one child to be a “messenger. “As the class sings a song, the messenger walks outside the circle, tapping the children on the head.
At the word” ready, “the child must jump up and follow the messenger around the circle. That child has joined the people spreading the news about Jesus Christ’s second coming. Any child not standing up on time before another is tapped will remain seated. He is not ready.
Text: Matthew 24:32-4-1; 25:1-13, 14-30
Readiness and Transition
Jesus often speaks in parables to teach fundamental truths of the kingdom The Bible, Jesus is fond of using parables to drive home.
His point is a kingdom that may not be easily understood by the human mind. He did the same thing about the issue of His second coming. Jesus told many disciples and all Christians today. Let us look at the parables one after the other.
Parables
The Parable of the Fig Tree (Matthew 24:32-35)
The fig tree is a common fruit tree in Israel. It is mentioned many times in the Old and New Testaments. Most Bible references see the fig tree as a symbol of fruitfulness and blessing.
The connection of Jesus here to the fig tree is not so much about the fruitfulness of the fig tree but about how the growth of the fig tree relates to the coming of summer.
Unlike most trees in Palestine, fig trees lose their leaves seasonally. Therefore, each time they see a fig tree budding and bringing out new leaves, they know that summer is near.
Israelites do not doubt the coming of summer; the budding of the fig assures them. Just as the fig tree heralds the coming of the summer season, all the signs Jesus mentioned from verses 4 to 31 of Matthew 24 prove His coming is close.
Almost all the signs of the Second Coming that Jesus gave have passed. This should make us alert and ready because the coming of the Lord is sooner than we have always expected.
The Parable of the Faithful and Wise Servant (Matthew 24:45-51)
The household went on a journey. The responsibility of this servant is to exhibit such a servant may exhibit. He may act faithfully, doing all that the master will be pleased with him and will reward him.
But if he concludes that his master will not come on time and begins to act wickedly, the master of the servant will come when he never expected. He will reject him and send him to a place of weeping, pain, and suffering. This parable teaches that we must be faithful, wise, and committed to the service of God.
No one knows when the Master will come; we must, therefore, be active as we carry out our duties in anticipation of His second coming. When He comes, Jesus Christ will look at how faithful you have been to all He has entrusted to your care.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins Matthew 25:1-13
In the Jewish wedding custom, the bride and her maids wait for the bridegroom to arrive for the wedding banquet. In this parable, ten virgins were waiting for the bridegroom. The bridegroom did not come on time, so they fell asleep.
At midnight, an alarm sounded that the bridegroom was coming. The ten virgins got up and picked their lamps. The first five virgins were wise; they put oil in their lamp and took extra oil. But the other five were foolish; they did not have enough oil in their lamps.
The foolish virgins had to go out to buy oil. While they were on their way, the bridegroom came, entered with the wise virgins, and shut the door. Soon, the foolish ones came and requested that the door be opened to them, but it was too late. The bridegroom said he did not know them.
By this parable, Jesus emphasised how prepared and watchful we must all be for Jesus’ second coming. We cannot claim to be waiting for the Lord without getting the needed things ready.
Always check to see if you are still holy, righteous, obedient, honest, etc. If you fail to prepare, you stand the danger of being left out like the five foolish virgins.
The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)
A rich man was going on a journey. He called three of his servants and shared his wealth with them. He gave the first servant five bags of gold. T
he second, he gave two bags of gold, while the third got one bag of gold. He gave them according to their abilities. Then he went on his journey. The servant with five bags traded and got five bags more.
The second servant also gained two more bags. But the third servant with one bag dug the ground and hid his master’s gold. The master of the servants came and called them to give an account. The one with five bags reported that he gained five more bags. The servant with two bags also brought his profit.
The master commended the two of them and gave them a share in his kingdom. The one with one bag brought his bag without profit. The master was angry with him. He was a wicked, lazy, and unprofitable servant. The one bag of gold was taken from him, and he was cast in total darkness.
The parable teaches us to be ready to work for the Lord. Your talents, time, spiritual gifts, possessions, wisdom, and many more are the wealth God has given you.
He expects that you use them to bless others; that way, you will make profits. When your life becomes a blessing to others, you will be rewarded. But if you sit down idly, you will be like the third servant and face God’s judgment.
Practical Lessons
- The signs of the second coming of Jesus Christ prove that Jesus will come back.
- You are a steward; be faithful.
- Wise people are always ready for Jesus’ coming, but the foolish make excuses.
- You will give an account of all that God has given you.
- God rewards faithfulness but judges laziness.
We have learned so much about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. People respond to biblical truths in different ways. Spiritual in church but godless outside the church. As we prepare for these coming days, we must respond individually as a person and corporately as a church to the truth we have known. That is precisely what this lesson aims to achieve.
You Must Be Born Again!
The foundation of our response is our salvation experience. Jesus told Nicodemus, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”(John 3:3).
What is required to be born again is to accept Jesus as your Saviour and Lord, admit that you are a sinner, and ask Him to forgive your sins.
Jesus will surely forgive and wipe away your sins with His precious blood. If you do this, the Holy Spirit will dwell in you, and you will experience peace.
If you are born again but have backslidden, you can rededicate your life to Jesus Christ. His arms are wide open to receive you warmly
You Must Have a Personal Relationship with God
After accepting Jesus as your Saviour and Lord, you must begin a relationship to help you maintain your salvation. Jesus does not just want to be your Saviour; He wants to be your Lord. He wants to be so close to you and help you to live a faithful and fruitful life.
Jesus says, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me”(John 15:4).
What can you do to remain in Christ? You will know Him deeply by daily study of His Word and living in obedience to His Word. You will be given to prayer and surrender to the will of God.
You Must Belong to a Church
You can grow to maturity. One of the purposes of the church is to provide spiritual nourishment to all worshippers.
In response to the second, Hebrews charged us not to “forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as you see the Day approaching”(Hebrews 10:25 NKJV). When you belong to a church, you belong to the family of Christ, where you are nurtured to become mature and help others.
Everyone Must Pray
Jesus kept emphasising the need to watch. We all understand that the instruction of the Scriptures to watch is always accompanied by prayer. We must pray that God will help us to be committed and faithful till the end.
We need to pray that the Holy Spirit will prepare us for the coming of Christ. We must seek the face of God concerning those who have not accepted Jesus as their Saviour and Lord before the second coming of Jesus. We should also pray for the grace to stand firm as we await Jesus’ return.
Therefore, according to the words of Jesus, we must watch and pray, remain faithful, and be sensitive to the signs of the end time so that we will not be deceived.
The Church Must Preach and Teach the Truth of Jesus’ Second Coming
Since we know and believe that the second coming of our Lord is real and sure, the church must preach and teach it. The message of the second coming of Jesus Christ has disappeared from some pulpits.
Many pastors are more comfortable preaching about prosperity than the reality of Jesus Christ’s coming. The church must return to raise an alarm that Christ is coming soon. This work should not be left to pastors alone; it must be taught in our homes, schools, and everywhere we find ourselves.
The preaching and teaching will help those who are insensitive and unprepared. Christians must not be caught unaware; we must not miss the rapture.
The Church Must Be Heaven-Conscious
One of the signs of this present age is a loss of focus on the reality of heaven. Some Christians live as though everything about man ends here on earth.
That is so wrong! Apostle Paul says, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable”(1 Corinthians 15:19 KJV). Christians do not belong to this world. Our citizenship is in heaven, and we must eagerly wait for our Saviour, the Lord Jesus (Philippians
One of the ways the church can prepare for the second coming of not on things (Colossians 3:1-2). We must understand that life is one thing above by serving God and others.
The Church Must Do the Work of Mission
The church’s primary task is to fulfil the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). The church must not forget that without the world hearing about Jesus, the second coming of the Lord will not happen.
We owe humanity the responsibility of showing them Christ and helping them to accept and follow Him. We must start from Jerusalem and spread the gospel in our neighbourhood. Our local Baptist churches should be ready to send missionaries and evangelists who will go into different languages, tribes, and races to make disciples.
We should be prepared to support these evangelists and missionaries with our resources and prayers. It is good that Jesus Christ finds us faithfully carrying out our mandate when He comes.
The Church Must Be Serious about Jesus Christ’s Warnings
It will be disastrous if we fail to pay close attention to the warning signs of the Second Coming. We cannot pretend as though we are ignorant. We cannot afford to ignore any of the warnings.
We must be on guard and be watchful. We must not allow ourselves to be deceived by false prophets. We must not let the happenings around us create fear in us (Matthew 24:4,6).
The time of the second coming of our Lord is nearer now than ever; worldly goods and pleasures must not carry us away. We must respond positively to the warnings to avoid being caught unprepared.
