Sermon Central
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The Time Of Jacob's Trouble Series
Contributed by Carl Allen on Jan 29, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon is Christ explanation in Matthew to the disciples on the his return to them before the tribulation.
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A Biblical View of the End Times
THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE
Matthew 24:1-31
Intro: Today, we continue our study of what the Bible has to say about the end of time, and the events that will take place as God completes His great plan. Thus far, we have considered the Rapture of the church and the man who will be known s the Antichrist. Today, we will be looking at a period of time known in the Bible as "The Time of Jacob’s Trouble."
This phrase is found in Jeremiah 30:6-7. In these verses, Jacob, or the nation of Israel, is portrayed like a man who is about to give birth. This man is suffering great pains and is bowed in agony. The Bible tells us that there are no days to compare with those that Israel must endure. However, verse 7 shows us that Israel will be saved out of those days.
The message today is not always easy to hear, but needs to be heard for those that are lost and uncertain of their future. Now, having said that, I want us to spend some time tonight in the 24th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel as we think together about The Time Of Jacob’s Trouble.
I. HOW TRIBULATION COMMENCES ( vv. 1-14)
This passage is part of a sermon preached by the Lord Jesus known as the Olivet Discourse. Jesus told His disciples that the Temple would eventually be destroyed. In this message, Jesus tells them some of the events that will transpire during the course of the Tribulation. There are lessons given here that we can learn from and grow from. The first half of the Tribulation will be a time of:
A. Spiritual Deception (vv. 5, 11)
• There will be a rise in the appearance of those claiming to be the way of salvation.
o There will be many false Christ’s and false prophets during the Tribulation.
o The Anti-Christ will deceive the world into believing that he is god and he will demand and receive the worship of men!
o The Tribulation will be a spiritual time, but it will be marked by great deception.
o One of the great tools used by the Antichrist to deceive the world will be his ushering in a time of peace.
• We are already seeing these things being manifested in our times.
• Remember men like David Koresh, Jim Jones, Sun Myung Moon and many others who claim and have claimed to be the Messiah. False prophets abound.
• However, these are just the tip of the iceberg.
• The crazies will crawl out of the woodwork during the Tribulation.
B. Social Devastation ( vv. 6-13) - The Tribulation period will be marked by an increase in the instability of society. Notice these pictures that are given here.
1. This Time Will Be Marked By Disruptions - vv. 6-7
• There will be an increase in warfare and the hostilities between nations.
o The false peace instituted by the Antichrist will not last and will be replaced by the devastation world war!
• There will be an increase in anti-Semitism and persecution aimed at the Jewish people.
• Again, many of these things seem to be going on around us tonight. For instance:
• The world’s political scene is becoming increasingly unstable.
o Now, small nations ruled by unprincipled men have nuclear capability.
o Economic pressures are forcing countries to seek the resources that belong to neighboring nations for their very survival.
o The world is poised for war!
• There is a marked increase of hatred towards the Jewish people in today’s society.
o This is profoundly clear in the attitudes of Israel’s neighbors.
o The Palestinians and the Arabs would love nothing more that the total destruction of the nation of Israel.
o However, when the actual Tribulation comes to the world, there will be an astronomical increase in this kind of activity.
• The things that are transpiring in the world today are only the first rumblings of what is yet to appear.)
2. This Time Will Be Marked By Desperation - v. 7
• According to this verse, there will be "famine" during the Tribulation.
• This is again made even clearer by the words of Rev. 6:5-6.
• A careful look at these verses reveals the following:
o The black horse speaks of death.
o The balances refer to a careful rationing of food.
o A "penny" was a day’s wages.
o A Roman penny would purchase 8 measures of wheat or 24 measures of barley.
o In other words, the food supply will be 1/8th of what it is normally.
• Again, we are already seeing these things begin to take shape.
o We are living in the most prosperous days this world has ever known.
