Last Saturday morning at 5:29, residents of Blair were suddenly awakened to an emergency alert issued by the National Weather Service. If anyone was still enjoying their final stages of sleep, the shrill alarm jolted them back into consciousness. The pelting of rain mixed with hail upon the house and howling winds cutting through the trees was no dream. A severe thunderstorm and its effects were visible and real. 

Continuing to read in our salvation story, we come to the conclusion of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, his most extensive end times teaching. Having previously described a time of Great Tribulation as foreshadowed by the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, Jesus now reveals that one day he will come back and establish God’s kingdom here upon the earth. His return is no metaphor, nor his kingdom an allegory. It will be as visible and real as any Nebraska storm. 

Therefore, we are warned to watch, not so much the cataclysmic signs, but our own lives. We watch ourselves so that we might be ready to one day stand before our Commander and King.