End Times

END TIMES

It was a mild October afternoon in 1982 and Badger Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin was packed. Over 60,000 die-hard University of Wisconsin fans were watching their beloved football team take a beating by Michigan State. What seemed odd was that it seemed the more their team lost the more cheers and applause kept being heard in the stands. It was only natural that some people began to wonder who these strange people were who were cheering while their own team was losing.

As it turns out seventy miles away from Badger stadium the Milwaukee Brewers were beating the St. Louis Cardinals in game three of the World Series. Many of the Badger fans in the stands were listening to portable radios and responding to something else besides what was happening right in front of their eyes. In many ways that is a fairly accurate description of what the Christian life is like. Even though we see injustice, pain and heart ache all around us we know a different voice that tells us we have something to cheer about. We may see where culture is heading, but we know what God’s Word says and that we have a different future.

Last week I talked about Understanding the Times. As we look today at what is happening in the world around us, we see that we are moving towards the time Jesus spoke about;

Matt 24:3-14 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" 4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, ' and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The disciples were sitting with Jesus on the Mount of Olives and they asked Him in simple question. In response He gave them a simple, detailed and straight-forward answer. I know that many people today try and make the second coming of Jesus a very complex and convoluted topic, but it is not.

Let me start out by saying that Jesus was clear that no person on earth knows the day or time that He would return. If you ever hear of someone saying that Jesus will return next Saturday at 3:00 then there is one thing you know for sure, that He is NOT returning next Saturday at 3:00! However, He did say that we could know the season. In other words, we can see if it is drawing close or not.

Mat 24:32-33 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.

So, what are some of the things from this verse that we have read this morning that might indicate that the return of Jesus is drawing near?

1. Growing Trials (6-13)

Jesus said that in the end times we would see increasing trials of many different kinds. These trials include a rise in:

a. Power – increased political turmoil (7a)

It says in verse 6 that, “you will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed … Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” Remember that Jesus spoke these words to a nation that was ruled by a foreign power. Nations have always been at war with one another through recorded history. However, in the last 100 years we have seen this rise to new levels. The first and second World Wars were unique in that they were not simply local conflicts, one nation or even one region of the world fighting. It was a vast conflict that was global in scale.