It Is Time

Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Repentance was to humble oneself, to wear sackcloth, being sorry for sins. John required that the people be baptized in water as repentance and to be prepared for the one who would come. Jesus would preach repentance, but with another baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. He would exchange sackcloth and rags, for righteous white spiritual garments.

Mat 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Mat 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Jesus began his ministry where John the Baptist left off; the time is fulfilled, Jesus the Messiah had come. The message was to repent, to turn from the way of the flesh and to turn to God for the renewing of the heart, by trusting Jesus. The kingdom was at hand; the kingdom was by following the king, wherever he leads you. Jesus is the King of the kingdom who was sent by His Father in heaven to gather a people.

John 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
John 14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
John 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
John 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
John 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Luk 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luk 12:33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
Luk 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also

Prepare for the kingdom, by putting Jesus ahead of all things. Sell and invest in the lives of others, this will prepare you for the kingdom that is coming. We are not to be the church of coveting things, as the church of Laodicea; Jesus counseled this church.

Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Luk 12:35 Let your loins be girded about, and [your] lights burning;
Luk 12:36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

We are to be ready for the Lord's return at anytime.
Luk 12:37 Blessed [are] those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
Luk 12:38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find [them] so, blessed are those servants.
Luk 12:39 And this know, that if the goodman (master) of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.

Jesus' coming will be at any time, day or night. He comes as a thief; he comes for a particular person who is seeking him. Those of the world will be left behind.

1 Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
1 Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
1 Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
1 Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
1 Th 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

A child of light and truth, knowing and known by Jesus ; he will come for him or her before the wrath of God comes upon the evil of the world.

Mat 22:8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
Mat 22:9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Mat 22:10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
Mat 22:11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
Mat 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast [him] into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few [are] chosen.

Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

We are to be clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. His blood has made us free of sin and we are become children of God. We are not to trust in our own righteousness.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of our condition apart from Christ Jesus

Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Isa 64:7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

We are to follow Jesus; we trust him and when he comes for us by death or the rapture, we shall always be with him; even when he returns to earth to reign as king for a thousand years during the Millennium.

Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Rev 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

LORD God, Father of the redeemed in your Son Christ Jesus. We are ready for Jesus to come at any time. We trust in him and are in him. Lead us in righteous paths, investing in the lives of others. May many be chosen and fruit be offered to glorify you Father. Help us to see in the Spirit and to serve you well. In Jesus name, amen.