Eschatology- Being Ready

"The word translated 'watch' in these several verses [verses like those just quoted] does not mean 'to look for' but 'to be awake'. It does not denote an intellectual attitude but a moral quality of spiritual readiness for the Lord's return. 'You must also be ready' (Luke 12:40). The uncertainty as to the time of the parousia means that men must be spiritually awake and ready to meet the Lord whenever he comes."

Anthony A. Hoekema, The Bible & The Future, Pg. 121