A key word that Jesus used relating to His second coming is "watch." Many are watching for the signs to occur of the second coming -- looking for false prophets, wars, disasters, and pestilences -- but Jesus also applied watching in a couple of other ways.
In the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, Jesus emphasized that we need to watch with enough oil for the night season (Matthew 25:1-13). The oil represents the Holy Ghost. We need to be looking for the coming of the Lord, but we also need enough Holy Ghost to get us through the evil times preceding His second coming.
Jesus also likened the Church to servants who had been given assignments while the owner of the household left on a journey. When the owner returns, he expects his servants to be faithfully doing the jobs assigned to them and to be getting along with each other (Matthew 24:42-51). The owner of the house represents Jesus. We need to be watching and working when the Lord returns and getting along with our brethren in the Church.
A third application of the term "watching" is in prayer. Jesus said, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). Watching in prayer will not eliminate temptation but will alert us to temptation and give us the strength we need to resist temptation. Let's make sure that we are watching in all the ways that we need to as the Lord's coming approaches.
