The midnight cry that awakens the church Ezra 9:8-9. (Preached in Penticton FPC) Some time ago, I preached upon Matthew 25:1-13 under the title, "Understanding the times". The Saviour's words in this parable relate to a specific time. The first word of the parable is "THEN". That links us to the time of which the Saviour had just been speaking in the previous verses. Matthew 24 is all about the return of Christ. He was answering the questions: "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Matthew 24:3. Matthew 25:1 is set in the context of events at the end of this age. The church will be aroused by Christ, just before He returns, to the zeal it displayed at the beginning of the age. This is set forth in Matt 25:6-7, 10. He readies them for that great event. I would like to look at our text in Ezra 9:8-9 for further light on that remnant for I believe that the events in the days of Ezra provide us with a foreshadowing of the future.