The Clock Or The DoorBell
When my husband drew the plans for our house, he designed a place for a grandfather clock. After we moved into our new home, we looked at clocks in stores and soon realized that it would have to be a goal for the far future and set a piece of furniture in its place. Having decided that, we set a piece of furniture in its place.
A couple of years later, we received a phone call from our “garage saleing parents” saying they had found a grandfather clock and that we should come see it. We were blessed with the perfect clock for only $250. At the time, the clock did not run. For nearly ten years, the clock stood in its place, just looking pretty without any other function or purpose except to collect dust. Then, a few months ago, my husband started to play with the chains and found that it was an easy fix. The clock began to loudly call out the hours, the half hours, and even the quarter hours, adding a special new life to our home.
Now this is really where my story begins. The rich melodic sounds of the Westminster Chimes began flooding our home, but there was a problem every hour on the hour, I would run to the front door thinking it was the doorbell, which also boasts the Westminster Chimes. I soon discovered that if I listened closely I could tell the difference. The doorbell has a much louder sound whereas the clock has a richer, deeper, and more musical sound. Although we do know the difference, when the doorbell actually rings it, takes a second and both my husband and I say in unison “that’s the doorbell.”
We have a large home perfect for entertaining and from time to time we will host a woman’s brunch or invite friends for lunch. Although we have learned to decipher which is the clock and which is the doorbell the clock invariably interrupts conversations as our guests are sure we have company at the front door. So we laugh and explain.
Our doorbell got me thinking. Recently I was reading Matthew 24 and in that chapter it clearly spells out the state of things just before the second coming of Jesus. It’s clear to anyone that reads it that Jesus is going to come back very soon! But what has this got to do with my clock? You see Matthew gives us a warning as well as a clue. “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For 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. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore 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. For 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.” Matthew 24:23-27 So we are told that like the visitors to our home who haven’t learned to tell the difference between the clock and the doorbell, some will mistake satan for Jesus simply because they didn’t study what the Bible says about what the second coming will be like.
So what will the second coming of Jesus look like? We already looked at Matthew 24 which plainly states that it won’t be a secret and that everyone will know. The book of Acts gives us more information. Talking about Jesus returning to heaven after the resurrection it says “… He was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see Him. As they strained to see Him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday He will return from heaven in the same way you saw Him go!” Acts 9:1-11 NLT Revelation also talks about coming in a cloud and adds to it. “Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see Him…” Revelation 1:7 NLT We can be sure that it won’t be a secret thing! 1 Thessalonians gives us even more information. “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Now there is another problem when it comes to the clock and the doorbell. Recently, our son-in-law stopped by to give us something. He stood outside our locked door and rang the doorbell. After waiting for what must have seemed like forever, he left the item on the front steps and drove home. Yes, I know the difference between the gong of the clock and the copycat doorbell, but there is one problem. If I fall asleep or even if I am a bit sleepy, my mind tunes out the clock and along with it, the doorbell. So, when thinking of this dilemma, is there any story in the Bible that might “ring a bell?” How about the very next chapter in Matthew, “When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight, they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’ (Matthew 25:5 & 6)
It is high time we dust off our Bibles and dig in, satan knows his time is short and has a counterfeit for everything that is true. The only way to not fall for His lies is to stay alert and search the scriptures and find out for ourselves what is true.
