God planted the fourth beatitude in a series of judgments/wraths imposed on any earthly power defying God’s Sole Rule of history. Luke 12:37, I Thessalonians 5:2 and II Peter 3:10 all contain specifics relating to this beatitude.
In Luke 12 Jesus offered a series of warnings against being so obsessed with earthly concerns that we neglect the Spiritual Life and his Return from Heaven with history’s termination. While preaching to large crowds, he related it first to his disciples: who should know how to live, but often neglect it; who should possess spiritual values challenging the unsaved, but often don’t. The Parable of the Rich Fool warns against accumulating possessions as a means of self-identification: I’m a success because I have such and such—the old satanic lie “the one with the most toys wins.” That’s followed by the same warning Jesus issued in Matthew 6—against the anxiety and worry that pursuing earthly goals produces. Which he followed by encouraging his followers to begin and continue WATCHING for his Second Coming. Paul emphasized it as “eagerly” awaiting his Return Philippians 3:20. Christ used a Wedding Feast, like the one in Matthew 25:1-13, to make his point. Both Matthew and Luke stressed surprise at the bridegroom’s appearance. Matthew at midnight 25:6 and Luke 12:38 in the second or third watch—anywhere between 10 PM and Sunrise. (Romans divided night into four, the Jews into three, watches.) The Master’s point was: since we don’t know the DAY or HOUR of his Coming, we should WATCH--not Predict—each DAY and its HOURS for him to come. When was the hour, day, month or year we last thought about Christ’s Return, let alone watched for it? End Part V
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