This is the conclusion for the Tasks for the Week for week 09. I did the first part over the paywall this go round, so I’ll do the second part on this side, too. There aren’t always two parts. As you’ll see, there was a lot to do to close these tasks out. I couldn’t get them all done on Tuesday. Honestly, that’s a good thing given the week I’ve had. If you aren’t already a paid subscriber, and you enjoy this type of content, consider commenting (for free) and becoming a paid subscriber.
7But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
1 Peter 4:7 (KJV 1900)
“The end of all things” has a note referencing Matthew 24:14 and Romans 13:11. In both cases the Apostles clearly believed each passing day brought them closer to the events of the Revelation rather than farther away from them. They saw that as a joy, not as a sadness because it meant they were closer to the return of Christ. Interesting. The word “watch” has a note referencing 1 Peter 1:13. That verse indicates this is a mental thing. I take that to mean spiritual rather than fleshly.
13Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
1 Peter 1:13 (KJV 1900)
The final bit, “...unto prayer.” has two scripture associated with it. Matthew 26:41 is Jesus in Gethsemane asking the Disciples to stand watch while He prays, but they are unable to stay awake. Jesus separates the flesh and the spirit here telling them the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. The second passage is more concerned with us continuing to walk in His word because the end is going to come without us knowing it is here, like a thief in the night.
36Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Luke 21:36 (KJV 1900)
Christ’s point is to be prepared for that event and not get caught up in the cares of the world. My fear is that I am absolutely caught up in the cares of the world. The Matthew passage told not to get caught in temptation. The Luke passage is a statement of worth.
9Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
Nehemiah 4:9 (KJV 1900)
This is a physical watch in the world of the flesh. The two words aren’t connected other than they are in the same scripture, and one comes before the other. The Jews were living in Jerusalem in the same location as always, but the city walls had been destroyed around 150 years prior. There was no safety in that city without walls. So, Nehemiah, following God’s instructions, wisely positioned his troops and mustered an incredible workforce. According to Halley’s Bible Handbook, Nehemiah managed to repel attacks by at least five different groups and complete rebuilding the wall in just 52 days. That’s an incredible feat accomplished somewhere around 436 B.C. Incredible, yes, but it has no bearing on the “watch and pray” study.
18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Ephesians 6:18 (KJV 1900)
This is part of the Armor of God passage I love so much. This passage specifically tells us to suit up in the protection of the Lord, spiritually. Then, it tells us to remain in prayer always in the Spirit. That capital S tells me to remain not just spiritual, but in the company of God through His Holy Spirit. The word “supplicate” as in supplication from the passage, means to pray humbly or to make a humble and earnest entreaty or petition. Humbly ask God for something. The passage that precedes this is all about putting on spiritual armor before doing this last part. Further, Paul finishes this statement by saying what he is supposed to present out in the world is boldly state the gospel. This prayer is a prayer not just to ask God for something but to be given the right words to then also say in the flesh. But it all starts in the Spirit.
2Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
Colossians 4:2 (KJV 1900)
Oh, this one is going to be hard given what is going on right now. “Continue” has the Armor of God passage referenced from Ephesians 6:18 above, but has two more. Romans 12:12 is spot on, but very hard.
12Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Romans 12:12 (KJV 1900)
I’m not sure how patient in tribulation I can be. Lord, You know Your child. I’m praying right now, but I’m not sure how patient I am. The second half is all about not pulling back into a shell during that tribulation. I struggle with this one too.
42And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Acts 2:42 (KJV 1900)
“In prayer” has just one verse listed, but it leads into two very troubling parables told by Jesus.
1And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
3And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
4And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
6And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
7And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
8I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
9And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Luke 18:1–14 (KJV 1900)
This passage explains the word “watch”. It ties into Matthew 24:42 and the parable of the thief in the night being how the return of Jesus will be. This is very long, but I need it all.
3And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
23Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25Behold, I have told you before.
26Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 24:3–51 (KJV 1900)
Verse 45 talks about the servant giving meat to his household. We are the household of God and the meat is the Gospel of Christ Jesus. The meat are the hard sayings of Christ and how they relate to the Word of God for our lives. Paul, writing about how he should speak boldly, is talking about him serving this meat. Verse 46 pronounces a blessing upon the servant of God who is walking in the path God has for him or her and so doing when Christ Jesus returns to discover them walking God’s path for their lives.
The last bit from the Colossians 4:2 passage is “with thanksgiving”. That bit references the second chapter of Colossians meaning to be thankful of all that we have in Jesus through our faith. The second bit references giving thanks in all things from 1 Thessalonians, and the last passage referenced is from Colossians 3. All three of the scripture referenced point to being thankful to God regardless of what situation in life we find ourselves. I find it very hard to be “thankful” during difficult times, but that’s clearly the point.
Summary
What’s the point of these four verses as they relate to “watch unto prayer”? I think it has to do with faith that God knows what He is doing, even when we don’t understand what He is doing. Even though we’ve been given the Bible, which is God’s explanation of all things that’s not enough. Yes, we have His explanation, but it is in human words.
The problem with God’s explanation being in human words is this. God had to take the unexplainable, namely Him and His plans conceived outside of all things through Himself, and take the vastness of God and limit all that He is down to simple, limited human words. A lot about God, God’s plans, and God’s intentions for His creation gets lost in the translation from God’s thoughts to our words. All that God is simply cannot be expressed adequately in human words. So, why bother at all?
We bother at all because through the involvement of God’s Holy Spirit with us as we read His explanation, we get moments of clarity as needed. The Holy Spirit produces those moments of clarity just as we read the right passage of text to expand our personal understanding of His plan for our individual life. Or, sometimes we aren’t reading just the right passage, so the Holy Spirit nudges us through something else toward the correct passage. Once we get there, we experience that “A HA!” moment where enlightenment and understanding snap across our consciousness like lightning across the night sky. In those bright and startling moments, we grow in ways we never dreamed of as we take another step along His path for us, and we peel back a small part of the veil of His creation toward the ultimate fruition of God’s plan for us all. God bless and Godspeed.