He Clearly Said, "BE READY, GET READY!"

When Old Men Dream Dreams

Acts 2:17-18 "'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS...'"

In January 2025, I became one of those old men.

Not in a dream—I was fully awake, in prayer before dawn—but I experienced what Joel prophesied and Peter repeated, that “it” would happen "in those days," in "the last days," before "the great and awesome day of the LORD." It happened to me.

I heard two words that changed everything: "BE READY."

Not a thought. Not an impression. Not something I could dismiss or explain away. Words—more than audible, tangible, undeniable. They rattled through me with such force that everything stopped. My prayer ceased. My thoughts froze. Time itself seemed to pause.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, I asked the only question I could form: "What does that mean?" I know it sounds dumb now, but you were not there. I was stunned.

Minutes later—long enough that I thought the moment had passed—I heard it again, but different: "GET READY."

Two phrases. Two commands. Separated by silence, yet inseparably linked.

One Way, One Door, One Kingdom

I'm 64 years old. I've been a believer for decades. I am a true Bible nerd. I can’t get enough. But I can count on one hand the times I've heard from God like this, like almost never.

I don't claim to be a prophet. I don't have regular visions. I'm not someone who hears voices. I'm just a husband and grandfather who loves Jesus, who's married to the most amazing woman God ever created, who raised five kids and now has grandchildren.

I have no credentials. No seminary degrees. No ordination papers. I'm the least qualified person I know to teach anyone anything about the Bible. I'm a sinner—the worst kind. If salvation could be lost, I'd have lost it a billion times over. Every good thing I have is a gift from God because I possess nothing good on my own.

Joel 2:28-29 "It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days."

But Joel's prophecy repeated by Peter in Acts isn't about credentials. It's about "those days"—the last days—when God pours out His Spirit and speaks to whoever He chooses: sons and daughters, young men and old men, male and female servants. The unqualified. The unlikely. The unworthy. Me.

What Comes "After This" in Joel 2?

After God restores His people (Joel 2:18-27). After He demonstrates He is in their midst. After judgment passes and blessing returns. THEN He pours out His Spirit.

What are "Those Days"?

Joel 2:31 tells us: the days BEFORE "the great and awesome day of the LORD comes." Peter, preaching at Pentecost, identifies these as "the last days"—the entire church age from His ascension until His return.

We are Living in "Those Days"

And if Joel's prophecy is true—if old men will dream dreams and hear from God in the last days—then perhaps what I heard in January wasn't random. Perhaps it wasn't just for me.

Perhaps it's for all of us.

For nine months I've wrestled with what "BE READY" and "GET READY" mean. Every day. That event ROCKED ME. Every time I thought I understood, God peeled back another layer. The more I learned, the more I realized how much I didn't know. But with each revelation, one truth became clearer:

These two phrases are not separate messages. They are the culmination of everything Scripture teaches about entering the Kingdom of God.

This document contains no human commentary, no theological speculation, no denominational tradition. We're going straight to Scripture—the NASB translation—and letting God's Word interpret itself through the Holy Spirit. We'll use Strong's Concordance and lexicons only to understand the original languages. We'll examine Jewish idioms and cultural context where they illuminate the text.

But we will not allow any human scholarship to contaminate what the Bible clearly says.

What I've discovered connects three profound truths that are actually ONE truth:

Childlike Faith — the ONLY way to enter the Kingdom

The Thief on the Cross — the perfect picture of saving faith

The Bride of Christ — our identity as we await the Harpazo (Rapture)

These three images describe the same reality from different angles. They all point to one door, one way, one Savior: Jesus Christ.

"BE READY" describes a state of being—the condition of those who are prepared, watching, expectant, clothed in Christ's righteousness.

"GET READY" describes the action required to enter that state—receiving the wedding garment, believing the Gospel, converting to childlike faith.

The Bridegroom is coming.

Joel prophesied it.

Peter confirmed it.

Jesus commanded it.

Paul expected it.

And now, in "those days"—our days—the Spirit is speaking again, preparing the Bride for the moment when the Father says to the Son: "Go get Your bride."

The trumpet will sound. The shout will echo. And in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, those who are ready—those who have received the gift, who are clothed in His righteousness, who are watching and waiting—will be caught up to meet Him in the air.

This is not date-setting. This is not speculation. This is the clear, repeated, emphatic teaching of Jesus Christ, the apostle Paul, and the entire New Testament.

Joel prophesied that in the last days, before the great and awesome day of the LORD, God would pour out His Spirit and speak to His people.

That prophecy is being fulfilled.

The question is not when.

The question is: Are you ready?

The following study examines every relevant passage of Scripture to understand what God's Word—and God's Word alone—says about being ready for the return of our Lord.

THE DIRECT COMMAND - “BE READY”

Jesus’ Own Words

Matthew 24:44 “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

Luke 12:40 “You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

These are Jesus’ own words about His return. The Greek word translated “be ready” is (hetoimoi) - meaning prepared, ready, in a state of readiness.

The Context - Matthew 24:36-44

This passage gives us critical surrounding teaching:

No one knows the day or hour (v.36)

It will be like the days of Noah - people living normally, unaware (v.37-39)

Two in the field, one taken, one left (v.40-41)

Therefore, be on the alert/watch (v.42)

The master comes at an unexpected hour (v.43)

Therefore BE READY (v.44)

Luke 12:35-40 - Additional Dimensions

“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit” (v.35)

Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast (v.36)

Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert/watching (v.37)

Whether he comes in the second or third watch and finds them so (v.38)

You too, BE READY (v.40)

Notice the sequence: BE ready (a state of being), and the master coming at unexpected times.

Now, what about “GET Ready”? This suggests an action, a transition into readiness.

The order matters biblically. You heard “BE Ready” FIRST, then “GET Ready” - not the reverse.

Could “GET Ready” be the instruction on HOW to enter the state of “BE Ready”?

UNDERSTANDING “NO ONE KNOWS THE DAY OR HOUR”

What Matthew 24:36 Actually Says

Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”

Let’s examine this carefully:

WHAT IT SAYS:

No one KNOWS the day and hour
Not angels
Not the Son (in His earthly ministry)
Only the Father knows

WHAT IT DOES NOT SAY:

Don’t watch for it
Don’t look for signs
Don’t study prophecy
Don’t anticipate it
Don’t be ready for it
You CAN’T know the season/time period

The Immediate Context Commands the Opposite

Matthew 24:37-39: He gives the Noah example - people were caught unaware, eating, drinking, marrying - UNAWARE. The warning is: DON’T BE LIKE THEM.

Matthew 24:42: “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”

Matthew 24:43: “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert…”

Matthew 24:44: “For this reason you also must BE READY…”

The entire context is COMMANDING watchfulness, alertness, and readiness - the exact OPPOSITE of “don’t look or watch.”

The Feast of Trumpets Connection

The phrase “no one knows the day or hour” is connected to Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) - it begins at the sighting of the new moon, which cannot be predicted with absolute precision, so it was known as “the feast that no one knows the day or hour.”

Believers Are NOT in Darkness

1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 “Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.”

NOTICE:

“YOU have no need of anything to be written” about times and seasons

WHY? Because they ALREADY KNEW to watch

The day comes like a thief TO THOSE IN DARKNESS

But “YOU, brethren, are NOT in darkness”

It should NOT overtake YOU like a thief

Therefore: BE ALERT

Paul Expected It in His Lifetime

1 Thessalonians 4:17: “…we who are alive and remain…”

1 Corinthians 15:51: “…we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed…”

He used “WE” - he was watching, ready, expecting.

The Crown for Those Who Love His Appearing

2 Timothy 4:8 “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

“LOVED HIS APPEARING” - those who are watching for it, longing for it, ready for it.

Titus 2:13 “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus”

“LOOKING FOR” - actively watching.

Hebrews 9:28 “so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

“EAGERLY AWAIT” - not passive, not ignorant, but actively anticipating.

JESUS’ STATE WHEN HE SPOKE - THE JEWISH WEDDING IDIOM

Jesus Had Emptied Himself

Philippians 2:6-8 “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Jesus had “emptied Himself” - He voluntarily limited His divine attributes during His earthly ministry. This is when He spoke Matthew 24:36.

After Resurrection and Glorification

John 16:13-15 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

“ALL THINGS that the Father has are Mine” - Jesus Himself declares this.

John 17:10 “and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.”

Complete unity and shared knowledge between Father and Son.

Colossians 2:3  “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

ALL treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Christ.

Colossians 2:9 “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form”

ALL the fullness - nothing is withheld.

Revelation 1:1 “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place…”

The Father GAVE Jesus the Revelation - He now KNOWS and is REVEALING the timing and events.

The Jewish Wedding Idiom

When a Jewish young man asked his bride’s father for permission to marry, and the father agreed, the son would go back to his father’s house to build a dwelling place for his bride.

John 14:2-3 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

Jesus is literally describing the Jewish wedding custom.

The son would work under his father’s supervision. When the father determined it was ready, only THEN would he tell his son, “Go get your bride.” Until that moment, when people asked the son “when is the wedding?” he would say “No one knows the day or hour except my father.”

It was an idiom meaning “I’m waiting for my father’s approval” - NOT “don’t watch for it” or “it’s unknowable.”

The bride was expected to BE READY at all times - lamp oil ready, dressed, waiting, watching, EXPECTING.

Matthew 25:1-13 - The Ten Virgins parable - this is about the wedding! Five were READY (watching, prepared), five were NOT.

The Contradiction of Using Matthew 24:36 to Stop Watching

To use Matthew 24:36 to STOP people from watching for Christ’s return, to mock those who study prophecy, to discourage readiness - this contradicts:

Every command Jesus gave to WATCH

Every command to BE READY

Every command to be ALERT

Paul’s eager expectation

John’s “even so, come Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20)

The crown promised to those who “loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8)

It makes the surrounding chapters of warnings meaningless.

Using Matthew 24:36 as a prohibition against watching is contamination - human tradition that contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture.

The Beatitudes - The Kingdom Entrance Requirements

Matthew 5:3-10 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

"Poor in Spirit" - The Foundation

"Poor in spirit" - This isn't just "humble." The word means utterly destitute, a beggar with absolutely nothing. Not just poor, but spiritually bankrupt.

This is the FIRST beatitude for a reason. It's the foundation of everything else.

"for THEIRS IS the kingdom of heaven" - present tense. Not "will be" but "IS."

You cannot enter unless you are spiritually bankrupt, recognizing you have NOTHING to offer.

This IS:

The child with no ability to save themselves

The thief on the cross with nothing but belief

The wedding guest receiving the garment as a gift

Adam and Eve needing GOD to clothe them, not fig leaves

The Pattern of Weakness

Look at the progression:

Poor in spirit - spiritually bankrupt

Mourn - grief over sin and brokenness

Gentle/Meek - power under control, but emphasizing humility and submission

Hunger and thirst - desperate need, not casual interest

Merciful - receiving mercy because you know you need it

Pure in heart - not through self-effort but through cleansing

Peacemakers - because you've received peace from God

Persecuted - the world rejects those who are weak and dependent

Every single beatitude describes WEAKNESS, NEED, and DEPENDENCE.

The Opposite of Human Religion

Human religion says: Be strong. Be righteous. Be worthy. Earn it. Achieve it. Prove yourself.

Jesus says: Be poor in spirit. Be empty. Be needy. Be dependent. RECEIVE it.

Matthew 5:20 - "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."

How can our righteousness surpass theirs? They were obsessed with keeping the Law!

Because our righteousness isn't OURS - it's CHRIST'S righteousness given to us. That's the only righteousness that surpasses theirs.

This Reinforces Everything

The Beatitudes are describing the same truth as:

Childlike faith - "poor in spirit" = the helpless child

The thief on the cross - "poor in spirit" = nothing to offer but faith

The wedding garment - "poor in spirit" = receiving what we cannot provide

BE READY/GET READY - recognizing our spiritual bankruptcy and receiving Christ's righteousness

CHILDLIKE FAITH - THE ONLY WAY IN

Matthew 18:2-4 “And He called a child to Himself and set him among them, and said, ‘Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’”

Key word: CONVERTED - to turn, to change completely

“UNLESS you are converted AND become like children, you will NOT ENTER”

This is NOT optional. This is THE requirement.

What Does It Mean to Be “Like a Child”?

Luke 18:15-17“And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. But Jesus called for them, saying, ‘Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.’”

“RECEIVE the kingdom of God LIKE A CHILD”

How does a child receive?

TOTAL DEPENDENCE.

ZERO ABILITY TO SAVE THEMSELVES.

COMPLETE TRUST.

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS - THE PERFECT PICTURE

Luke 23:39-43 “One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, ‘Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!’ But the other answered, and rebuking him said, ‘Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!’ And He said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.’”

What Did the Thief DO?

NOTHING. He couldn’t. He was NAILED to a cross.

He couldn’t be baptized
He couldn’t do good works
He couldn’t attend church
He couldn’t tithe
He couldn’t read Scripture
He couldn’t pray eloquently
He couldn’t live a moral life going forward

He could only BELIEVE.

He recognized:

His own guilt (“we are receiving what we deserve”)
Jesus’ innocence (“this man has done nothing wrong”)
Jesus’ identity as King (“when You come in Your kingdom”)
His complete dependence (“remember me”)

THIS is childlike faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Even the FAITH is a gift.

THE BRIDE - POWERLESS, WAITING, READY

The Jewish Wedding Pattern

Betrothal (engagement) - legally binding covenant

Bride price paid (mohar)

Groom goes to prepare a place in his father’s house

Bride WAITS - she doesn’t know the day or hour

Bride must BE READY - oil in lamp, dressed, watching

Father tells son: “Go get your bride”

Groom comes WITH A SHOUT - the groomsmen announce his coming

Bride is taken to the wedding chamber (chuppah)

Seven days in the chamber (consummation, hidden)

Wedding feast with all the guests

THE HARPAZO - THE GATHERING OF THE BRIDE

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”

“WITH A SHOUT” - a shout of command, the cry of a herald

This is the GROOMSMEN announcing the Bridegroom!

“CAUGHT UP” - (harpagesometha) - HARPAZO - to seize, to snatch away, to catch up

“TO MEET” - (apantesin) - the technical term for going out to meet a dignitary and RETURN WITH HIM

(This is the same word used when the ten virgins go out to MEET the bridegroom - Matthew 25:6)

The Last Trumpet

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

“LAST TRUMPET” - In Jewish wedding tradition, there were specific trumpet blasts. The “last trump” was the final, longest blast (tekiah gedolah) that announced the groom’s arrival.

John’s Vision - A Picture of the Harpazo

Revelation 4:1 “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.’”

“COME UP HERE” - John is caught up - a picture of the Harpazo

Notice what happens AFTER Revelation 4:

The Church is not mentioned again until Revelation 19

Revelation 4-18 describes the Tribulation on earth

Revelation 19 - the Bride returns WITH Christ

The Bride Has Made Herself Ready

Revelation 19:7-9 “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, ‘Write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”’”

The bride has MADE HERSELF READY. She believed, now she WAITS AND WATCHES.

CONNECTING IT ALL - ONE MESSAGE

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”

John 10:9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

ONE WAY. ONE DOOR.

How Do We Enter?

AS A CHILD - completely dependent, powerless to save ourselves

LIKE THE THIEF - believing only, trusting only in Jesus

AS THE BRIDE - betrothed by His blood, waiting, watching, ready, LOVED

THE WEDDING BANQUET PARABLE

Matthew 22:1-14 - The Parable of the Wedding Feast

Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son. He sent out his servants to call those who had been INVITED to the wedding, but they were UNWILLING to come.

He sent out more servants, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’

EVERYTHING WAS READY.

The king had done ALL the preparation. The feast was complete. All they had to do was COME.

But what happened?

‘They paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business.’

They were TOO BUSY. Too caught up in THIS life. Too focused on their own stuff.

Some even seized the servants and killed them.

The king was ENRAGED. He destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’

TO THE HIGHWAYS. TO THE HEDGES.

The servants went out and ‘gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.’

BOTH EVIL AND GOOD.

Not the religious elite. Not the ones who thought they deserved it. Not the ones with their lives together.

EVERYONE. Tax collectors. Prostitutes. Sinners. The broken. The outcasts. The UNWORTHY.

The Man Without Wedding Clothes

When the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man NOT dressed in wedding clothes.

He said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’

And the man was SPEECHLESS.

The king said to his servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Then Jesus said: ‘For many are called, but few are chosen.’

The Wedding Garment - Christ’s Righteousness

In Jewish wedding custom, when the king invited people to a royal wedding, he would PROVIDE the wedding garment. It was a GIFT. You couldn’t bring your own. You had to wear WHAT HE PROVIDED.

This man tried to come in with his OWN clothes - his OWN righteousness - his OWN goodness.

And he was cast out.

Isaiah 64:6 ‘For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment.’

Our OWN righteousness? Filthy rags.

Adam and Eve Lost the Glory

Genesis 3:7: After they sinned, ‘they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.’

They tried to cover their OWN shame with their OWN works.

Genesis 3:21 ‘The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.’

GOD provided the covering. And it required BLOOD - an animal had to die.

They LOST the glory of God. They LOST the righteousness they had.

Romans 3:23 ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’

We ALL lost it. We’re ALL naked. We’re ALL shameful. We’re ALL unrighteous.

Jesus Redeemed What Was Lost

But Jesus REDEEMED us. He BOUGHT BACK everything that was lost.

Revelation 19:7-8 ‘The marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was GIVEN to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.’

IT WAS GIVEN TO HER.

She didn’t earn it. She didn’t make it herself. It was GIVEN.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ‘He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.’

WE BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.

Not our own righteousness. HIS righteousness.

Philippians 3:9 Paul says he wants to be found in Christ, ‘not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.’

The wedding garment is CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS, given to us as a GIFT when we believe.

Galatians 3:27 ‘For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.’

We are CLOTHED with Christ.

Who Was Invited?

So in the parable, who was invited FIRST?

The religious people. The Jews. Those who THOUGHT they were worthy. Those who were TOO BUSY with their own lives, their own righteousness, their own works.

And they REJECTED the invitation.

So who did the king invite?

EVERYONE ELSE. The broken. The sinners. The unworthy. The ones with NOTHING to offer.

And he GAVE them the wedding garment.

But the one man who tried to come in with his OWN clothes - with his OWN righteousness - he was thrown out.

MANY ARE CALLED, BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.

Why few? Because most people want to earn it. Most people want to come in their OWN righteousness. Most people are too busy, too proud, too self-sufficient.

But the ones who come like CHILDREN? Like the THIEF on the cross? With NOTHING but faith?

They receive the wedding garment. They receive HIS righteousness. They enter the feast.

This Is What “GET READY” Means

It means STOP trying to cover yourself with fig leaves.

STOP trying to earn your way in.

STOP thinking you’re too busy, too important, too caught up in this life.

RECEIVE THE WEDDING GARMENT.

Believe that Jesus’ blood COVERS you. Believe that HIS righteousness is GIVEN to you. Believe that you are INVITED - not because you’re worthy, but because HE made you worthy.

1 Corinthians 1:30 ‘By His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.’

BY HIS DOING.

Not yours. HIS.

I CAN'T, HE DID, I RECEIVE IT, IT IS DONE.

The entire Gospel is nine words. Everything we've written is just unpacking those four statements from every angle Scripture provides.

"GET READY" = BELIEVE

Not "believe and..." Not "believe plus..." Not "believe, then work on yourself..."

Just BELIEVE.

John 6:28-29 "Therefore they said to Him, 'What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.'"

The WORK of God is to BELIEVE. That's it.

"BE READY" = YOU ARE ALREADY READY IN CHRIST

Colossians 2:10 "and in Him you have been made complete"

Ephesians 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ"

2 Corinthians 5:21 "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him"

You ARE ready. Not becoming ready. Not working toward ready. ARE ready - because HE made you ready. HE IS FAITHFUL.

The thief on the cross didn't "get ready" by cleaning up his life. He believed, and Jesus said "TODAY you will be with Me in Paradise." Done. Finished. Complete.

The freedom we just described - "I am free to go share the Gospel" - THAT'S the fruit of understanding Grace. When you know you can't earn it, can't lose it, can't improve it, can't mess it up - you're FREE to love, serve, share, without fear or performance.

Romans 8:1 "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

NO condemnation. Not "minimal condemnation if you're doing well." NONE.

You ARE ready because HE made you ready. The message is simple:

I CAN'T - spiritually bankrupt, poor in spirit, helpless as a child HE DID - Jesus paid it all, finished work on the cross I RECEIVE IT - faith alone, believing, trusting IT IS DONE - (tetelestai) - "It is finished"

Everything else in the document is just showing from Scripture that this is true from every angle: Beatitudes, childlike faith, the thief, the bride, the wedding garment, Paul's harpazo - all saying the same thing.

Believe. You're ready. Now watch for His appearing.

Mic drop indeed.

THE Grace Awakening

THE Grace Awakening Study Guide

Who is Craig Rogers and KINGDOM Empowered?

Come Meet King Jesus

THE GRACE AWAKENING for Those Left Behind

The American Remnant - Left Behind Plan