Series: "Pursuing Answers"
Message #9: "Apocalypse Soon"
Walk into any bookstore in America, secular or Christian, and you will find rows and rows of books on prophecy, the end times.
Turn on the radio or Christian television, and within minutes you’ll be able to hear some radio preacher or television evangelist pronouncing that today’s political event or activity in the Middle East, some new technological advancement or the latest statistics involving crime, the increasing opposition to Christian doctrine or to Christians in general, or some other factor...is a sure sign that we’re living in the last days.
In fact, some of these "teachers" have gone so far as to declare the identity of the antichrist. Others declare the U.N. to be a demonic tool. Some predict a coming world conflict on a scale never experienced before. Others speak of being raptured, snatched away into the clouds to meet Jesus. Still others, however, believe the world will get better and better until the Lord appears, and we will evolve into a great "heaven on earth" existence.
Today we’ll examine what the Bible tells us about the events still ahead, and the clues it gives us for recognizing how near those events are from happening.
I invite you to open a Bible and once again turn to the book of Matthew, chapter 24.
*ILL> Scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center recently reported that one of the largest stars in our galaxy is about to self destruct. Eta Cannae, one hundred times larger than our sin, is giving signs that its life is about over. Researchers say it could become a supernova (and exploding star) within the next 10,000 years. However, since it takes light over 9,000 years to reach the eart, the actual explosion has most likely already occurred.
It is similar in nature to Biblical prophecy. The predictions in Revelation 8 and other places are often written in past tense. Even though the prophet is clearly writing of future events, he’s already "seen" it happen, and in the mind of God the events have already happened.
Today we’ll be looking at the Events, the Signs, and What We Should Do Now knowing what we know.
Understand, there are differences in interpretation, there are a variety of ideas on whether some of these events will happen, have happened, are happening, etc., and the real truth is we’ll only know fully the answers to the questions many have asked about the end times AFTER the end times occur.
However, I believe the Bible foretells EIGHT EVENTS STILL AHEAD...
THE EVENTS...
1) The rapture of the church.
--1 Thessalonians 4:17 - "Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…"
This is not the second coming of Jesus.
This is not when He will touch down on the earth.
--Instead, we will rise ("fly away") to meet Him in the air.
This is not when every eye will see Him, but instead will be the time His coming is like a thief in the night.
This will be a time of celebration for believers, but a time of trauma and fear for non-believers, as every believer, every child under the age of accountability, and many believe (including me) every unborn child of every pregnant lady in the world at that time will leave this earth, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and we’ll go to be with the Lord from that time forward.
2) The Great Tribulation.
--Matthew 24:21 -- "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will."
This will be God’s final "dealings" with the chosen nation of Israel.
This will also be the time when Satan will reveal his open anti-Semitism, his hatred for the Jewish people because he knows the Messiah would come from the Jews.
During the Tribulation, many people will receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, especially many Jews. However, most of the world will still reject the claims of Christianity, being unwilling to suffer the consequences that will come their way if they should decide to place their faith in Christ, or by being deceived. They will opt to follow the antichrist, believe the words and "signs" performed by the false prophet, and end up joining Satan in being separated forever from the Lord and outside of heaven.
The Tribulation will be a tale of two very different halves...
First half:
---A period of false peace under a "disguised" leader, the antichrist.
---As the world tries to recover from the rapture’s loss of human beings from the earth, after every Christian, millions of them, have "disappeared" in a split second.
---Nations will "unite" around this case, promote a New World Order, and elect a "leader" who will appear to be a great man of peace.
---There will most likely be a single world-wide currency.
---Nations will unite their economic systems and every nation will be expected to work with all the other nations.
---The antichrist will present himself as a peace-maker by bringing "peace" in the Middle East. He will return the temple mount in Jerusalem into the possession of Israel, enabling the Jewish folks who will still have rejected Christ as Messiah to rebuild the Jewish temple, something they have been grieving over since 70 a.d. However, that will be a "set-up" by the antichrist, a cruel joke that he will reveal the "punch line" to midway through the seven year period.
Second half...
---The antichrist will unleash his hatred for the Jews and will reveal his always-present desire to be worshipped instead of people worhsipping the Lord.
---Part of his strategy will be to require every person to receive a "mark" on his/her forehead or on the back of his/her hand.
---This mark will be an identification mark, identifying the person as having put his/her total trust (forever) in the leadership of the antichrist.
And, this mark of uniting with the New World Order will be required before that person will be able to buy anything from any merchant or sell anything to anyone to bring in any money to his/her home.
It will mean that some new parents (yes, many babies will be conceived right after the rapture, meaning they’ll be between two to six years old when the antichrist institutes this mark) will have to choose between selling their souls to the antichrist or providing food for their children. This is one of those consequences we mentioned earlier.
---Yes, there are many who will refuse the mark and place their eternal destiny in the hands of the Lord. However, in doing so, the choice will bring consequences that will affect their children’s lives, and millions who refuse the mark will be martyred, killed in front of their families and others.
---Twenty years ago, as I studied the last times events, I thought it rather odd at HOW these martyrs will die. It was so unusual, unheard of back then. But now, it’s like it’s right out of the morning newspaper...those who will refuse the mark (with the exception of 144,000 Jews...and probably more than that because of the number cited (144,000) is more likely to be a symbolic number for millions rather than a literal 144,000...who will be saved/protected, literally "sealed" and will not perish even though they reject the mark) will die as a result of being BEHEADED! -- Doesn’t sound quite so unusual now, does it?
---The antichrist will also go into the newly-built and much-treasured temple in Jerusalem, and defile it. This is referred to as the "abomination of desolation."
---->This will be the third and final time this term has applied to an event taking place:
-----a) In 168 B.C., Antiochus Ephiphanes went into the Jewish temple and sacrificed a pig to the god Zeus. This started the Maccabean Revolt during the intertestament period. It was during this revolt that a lamp remained burning in the temple long after the oil should have run out, which is what the Jewish "festival of lights" or Hannukah is a celebration of.
-----b) In 70 A.D., the Roman army tore down and desecrated the temple, which is the last time the Jews have had a temple and been able to actually "practice" Judaism.
-----c) The final time is this event during the Tribulation, when the antichrist will enter the temple, defile it, and set up an idol, an image he will demand all persons on earth to bow before and worship in the temple, an image of himself.
---God will pour out His wrath on the earth due to their having rejected His Son and worshipped the antichrist instead.
---->One-third of the earth will be burned with fire.
---->One-third of the seas will be turned to blood.
---->One-third of the rivers and the world’s fresh water supply will become poisoned.
---->One-third of the stars will fall from the sky.
---->One-third of mankind will die.
---->And there will be plagues similar to those in Egypt during Israel’s captivity: plagues of locusts behaving as scorpions, plagues of hail, scorching heat, etc.
3) The second coming of Jesus.
--Matthew 25:31 -- "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne."
--Revelation 1:7 -- "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him."
Dr. George Sweeting once estimated that more than one-fourth of the Bible is predictive prophecy. Both the Old and New Testaments are full of promises about the return of Jesus.
--Over 1,800 references appear in the Old Testament, and seventeen Old Testament books give prominence to this theme.
--Of the 260 chapters in the New Testament, there are more than 300 references to the Lord’s return, appearing in one out of every thirty verses.
--Twenty-three of the twenty-seven New Testament books refer to the event.
Interestingly, for every prophecy of Jesus’ first coming (Christmas), there are eight that refer to His second coming.
This is the arrival of the Messiah the Jews have been looking for...the conquering, military, ruling King-type return.
This is when angels will separate the wheat from the tares, believers from non-believers.
Non-believers will be thrown into a lake of fire, along with the antichrist, and the false prophet.
Satan will be cast into a pit, guarded by and held in captivity by another angel.
Believers who survived the Tribulation will remain on the earth with the Lord, enjoying an intimacy with Jesus unprecedented since His first coming, and actually even more intimate because now every person remaining alive on earth at that moment will know who He is, and will love Him.
4) The Millenium.
--Micah 4:3 -- "And He will judge between many people and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war."
--Revelation 20:6 -- "Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for one thousand years."
The Millenium, meaning a thousand, will be a thousand year period, where Jesus will establish His throne in Jerusalem and rule over the world as the Prince of Peace.
Believers throughout the ages will return to the earth to be with the Lord and to "govern" with Him over an earth at peace.
Those who were martyred during the Tribulation will rise again and also be part of this number.
This will be a time of no war, but of peace.
--This is the period sung about, when we "ain’t gonna study war no more, ain’t gonna study war no more...and we’ll lay down our sword and shield, down by the riverside."
Near the end of the Millenium, however, Satan will be released from the pit for a brief period of time.
--To no one’s surprise, Satan will go about his normal actions, trying to get people to rebel against Jesus, and turn instead to following Satan’s deception.
--As a result, he will assemble an army of millions who will gather on the plains near Megiddo (or the Valley of Armegeddon), preparing to march against Jerusalem for the purpose of overturning Jesus’ government and ending His rule.
5) Armageddon.
--Revelation 20:9 -- "and they came up...and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them."
As Satan’s army assembles itself in the valley of Megiddo, God will rain down fire and brimstone on them.
The army will be annihilated, and then time will stop.
6) Final judgment.
--Revelation 20:11-13,15 -- "And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whom earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. And books were opened and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds...and if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
Heaven and earth as they exist now will be done away with.
The only two places of existence will be the lake of fire and a new heaven.
Non-believers, those who did not receive Jesus by faith as Lord and Savior, those whose names were therefore never recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life, will be shown that their name is not listed in that book.
--Their entire lives will be revealed, every wrong deed, every opportunity to receive Jesus that they rejected Him instead, every time they could have acted on what knowledge they had about the existence of God and God’s nature being that of forgiveness and grace.
--As a result they will understand that they will be receiving the consequence of their actions...they will be forever separated from God, cut off from His presence.
Believers will see that their name is written in the book of life, as result of having trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior.
--As result of receiving Jesus, their sins have been forgiven, forgotten, cast as far as the east is from the west, and will never be exposed.
--However, believers’ works will be "judged" for the purpose of rewards.
--Everyone will "see" the times when a believer allowed the Lord to work through him/her, accomplishing the work of the Lord.
However, because the "good works" are only those in which it was the Holy Spirit’s power and ability doing the work through a believer’s humility and availability, believers will take whatever rewards they receive and lay them down at the feet of Jesus, the One Who actually performed the work, and is worthy of all the praise.
7) Eternity.
--Revelation 20:15 -- "and if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
--Revelation 21:27 -- "...and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life."
The devil and non-believers, after they will have been judged, will be thrown into the lake of fire, where the antichrist and false prophet already are. And, they will remain there forever, cut off from God throughout all eternity.
--That’s what makes it hell...being separated from God.
Believers, on the other hand, will enter into the new heaven and dwell forever with the Lord there.
When will these events come about? How close are we?
*ILL> Edgar Whisenant, a retired NASA engineer, sold 4.3 million copies of his book, 88 Reasons Jesus Will Return in 1988. However, December 31, 1988 came and went, and no Messiah’s return. So, he wrote another book the next year, 89 Reasons Why Jesus Will Return in 1989, and, believe it or not, sold ANOTHER 30,000 copies of that book! However, again December 31 came and went without the Lord returning. After missing it twice, Whisenant retired to his one-room shack outside Little Rock, Arkansas, saying he could now stand in front of the Lord, knowing he gave it his best shot.
Well, actually, no. His "best shot" would have been to first read the Bible.
The Bible tells us straight off that no one, not even Jesus Himself, knows the exact time of these events to begin occurring.
*ILL> A better understanding of it all can been seen in how one Army officer explained it...__One day the sergeant in charge of my duty roster called me at home and told me to get to the base ASAP. He told me to bring all my gear with me, minus my heavy field jacket and sleeping bag. He told me to kiss my wife and kids goodbye for awhile. I just had two hours to get my affairs in order, and the clock was ticking. If I wasn’t on base within 120 minutes and ready to go to the staging area, I would considered AWOL. I couldn’t find my jungle boots, nor could I find my bug juice. Sarge’s instructions to not bring my heavy coat hinted that I was going somewhere warm, but I didn’t know exactly where. I finally gathered my stuff and then my wife and kids took me into the batallion. I asked the First Sergeant, "Where are we going, sarge?" He told me, "It’s not for you to know right now." -- I’ve learned that it’s similar with God the Father...He didn’t even tell His Son when His return would be, so I don’t need to spend any time trying to figure the exact time out. Instead, we have to be content with the fact that there are some things we will never know until we arrive in glory. Since we’re all in God’s army, we must be prepared at all times for the inevitable.
The prophets of old said Jesus would come the first time, and He did.
However, there are five times more predictions having to do with His second coming than His first, so it’s even more certain He’s going to come soon.
We won’t ever know the exact time for the events still to come until they occur. However, the Bible does give us some HINTS, some SIGNS to be looking for...
THE SIGNS...
1) Israel will "bloom" and become a nation again.
--Ezekiel 34:13 -- "I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down in good grazing ground, and they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel."
The "legitimacy" of Israel is a reality, as Israel became a nation in 1948.
The blooming of Israel is also a reality.
--Before Israel became a nation in 1948, the land was nearly desolate. However, since then the rains have increased 50%.
--Now Israel is a garden that produces fruit for all of Europe.
--Even the hills that were barren for nearly two thousand years are now reforested.
2) Unprecedented travel.
--Daniel 24:4 -- "Many shall run to and fro…"
Ronald Admundsen, the Norwegian polar explorer, on December 14, 1911 reached the South pole, becoming the first person ever known to do so. Then, he and two other explorers became the first to cross the North pole by air in 1926.
Many of us have grandparents who can remember a time in recent history when the major mode of transportation for folks was a horse and carriage. In fact, even the machines which have been invented in the last 150 years to help us expand our transportation capabilities in a dramatic way are still "rated" in terms of horsepower.
But today we can hop on a plane and fly to any part of the planet.
We’ve sent men to the moon, and even commoners such as school teachers and accountants into space.
3) An explosion of knowledge and information.
--Daniel 24:4 -- "...and knowledge will increase."
The phrase "knowledge will increase" is more than just indicating a little bit of a spike in the accumulation of data. Instead, it’s indicating there will be an unprecedented "explosion" of knowledge...something so dramatic that everyone will be aware that a phenomenon has occurred unlike anything ever before.
Well, this one’s obvious occurring right now...we live in the "information age."
Scientists and educators tell us that between 1950 and 1985 knowledged doubled. In other words, in just 35 years the total amount of information we knew worldwide up until that time doubled!
Even more astounding, though, is that knowledge doubled again in only 20 years after the first time, between 1985-2005.
And, it is predicted to double again by 2115.
4) False Christs arise.
--Matthew 24:5 -- "For many will come in my name, saying, ’I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray."
As the time of Christ’s return draws near there will be more and more individuals proclaiming themselves as Messiah.
--Some of the most recent have included Sung Yung Moon, Jim Jones, David Koresh, Marshall Applewhite, Maharishi Yogi, Moses Guibbory, Christ Mytraya, and Rabbi Menachem Mendelscherson.
--Others have proclaimed the Dali Lama and the Pope to be Christ on earth.
The majority of evangelical Christians believe the presence of these false Christs will culminate in the appearance of one final false Christ, THE antichrist.
With breathtaking advances in the mass media, false Christs can now disseminate their messages on a world-wide scale.
5) Wars and rumors of war.
--Matthew 24:6-7 -- "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for these things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom..."
Historians agree that the 20th century was unparalleled in the scale of its human misery created by other humans. No period has witnessed the escalation of wars as did the 20th century.
--The Red Cross estimated that over 100 million people have been killed in wars since 1900. And this number does not include the genocide of Russians opposed to Stalin, Jews exterminated during the Holocaust, nor those killed during the bloodthirsty regimes of Idi Amin, Pol Pot, and Mao Tse Tung.
--Also, before 1914, war had never been universal, but in both World War I and World War II, total war was waged. Every country, every person was affected.
--Since World War II there have been numerous wars and hundreds of rebellions and revolutions.
6) Famines and pestilences.
--Matthew 24:7 -- "...and there will be famines and pestilences."
*ILL> Remember "USA For Africa," and "We are the world, we are the children..."? Ever watch the news and hear of the famines right now in India, Darfur, and many parts of Africa?
Pestilence has to do with disease.
--Sometimes it’s a disease that affects plants, and brings about famines.
--Sometimes it’s a disease that affects humans and brings about suffering and death.
Quite simply, there are diseases now that never existed before in history. And, we thought we had conquered some diseases that used to exist, but, to our horrible surprise, they have returned, now resistant to antibiotics.
--The H.I.V. virus, which causes A.I.D.S., has currently infected more than 120 million people, and at least 40 million people have full-blown A.I.D.S.
--In 1993, A.I.D.S. became the leading cause of death in U.S. males between the ages of 20-45.
However, A.I.D.S. is not the only modern plague...
--There are now over 100 differnt kinds of cancer, which kill over 5 million people each year.
--The depletion of the ozone layer is thought to be responsible for a dramatic rise in melanoma (skin cancer) world-wide.
--Epidemics of typhoid, diptheria, and even the Black Death, have afflicted areas of India and the former Soviet Union.
--Deadly new strains of malaria, tuberculosis, and cholera are becoming resistant to all antibiotics, killing millions of people.
7) A dramatic increase in earthquakes.
--Matthew 24:7 -- "...and there will be...earthquakes in various places."
The King James version of the Bible translates the phrase in verse 7 as earthquakes happening in "diverse" places. That’s really the idea: earthquakes will not only happen in more frequency, but in places where they never had happened before.
On March 27, 1964, Alaska was devastated by a massive earthquake measuring 8.4 on the Richter scale. In the 43 years since then, more than 1.5 times as many quakes have occurred than in all of recorded history before the Alaska quake.
--The World Almanac reports there were only 10 quakes of significant strength in the years 100 a.d. - 1000 a.d.
--Then there were 21 quakes of a major strength in the 800 years, spanning the years of 1000 to 1800 a.d.
--In the next 150 years there were 51.
--Since 1950, only 57 years, there have been 168.
--There also have been more recorded tsunamis (earthquakes in the ocean) in the past 30 years than all recorded history before that time.
These dramatic increases have led scientists to predict that we’re entering a new period of unprecedented seismic activity, both in number and in severity.
8) Rise in the influence of false teachers.
--Matthew 24:11 -- "And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray."
--2 Timothy 4:3-4 -- "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves in accordance to their own desires, and will turn aside to myths."
Their influence has increased due to:
-->The availability and influence of mass media.
-->People’s hearts having grown cold, and having turned away from "formal" systems of thought, organized religion.
-->Bible Study has dwindled over-all among believers from just a generation ago.
-->Those who oppose truth are simply more vigilant in their efforts of persuading others to their viewpoint than are those who proclaim truth.
9) Increased wickedness and evil.
--Matthew 24:12 -- "...because wickedness is multiplied..."
We’re now living in the time Isaiah predicted as the end times, when men will declare good evil and will declare evil good.
--Now we see regular displays of people being proud of what they should be ashamed of, and believers are often hesitant to be identified as people of faith for fear of being ridiculed.
*ILL> A survey of school teachers in 1940 identified the most serious problems they dealt with in the classroom were running in the halls, chewing gum, and talking in class. Only 55 years later, in 1995, the same survey was given to school teachers, and this time they reported the serious problems they were encountering were robbery, rape, alcohol, drugs, teen pregnancy, suicide, guns, and attacks on teachers.
In years past we’ve fought wars against dictators and despots, but now we’re engaged in a war against the "generic" term of terrorism. In other words, evil and wickedness is now so rampant, so wide-spread we expect it to occur everywhere we go. We’re on the lookout for it at all times. We’re stopped at checkpoints in airports or other public places to be "scanned" or "wanded" as protection from potential evildoers.
Where bombs have been a problem over the years, now it’s bombs strapped to individuals willing to risk their own lives in their effort to kill others.
10) Increase in cold-heartedness, selfishness.
--Matthew 24:12 -- "...most men’s love (for others) will grow cold."
The idea being presented in the context of all the events being predicted is this: people will become so surrounded by evil and wicked activity, they’ll shift into a self-preservation mode, and an intenstively internal focus.
--Their love for others will be noticeably lacking.
--They’ll choose to keep from getting involved in helping others in need for fear of it taking personal time away or leading them to further involvement.
--They’ll barricade themselves in protected/walled communities. They’ll stay inside, not even knowing their neighbors’ names.
*ILL> Even secular observers gave the 1990’s the tage "The Me Generation," because the focus shifted dramatically and noticably to a focus simply on ourselves.
The Justice Department reports that every year we beat the previous year’s record for law suits being filed against our neighbors, many of which are purely trivial.
*ILL> One campus leader was asked a few years ago about the "slackers" tag being given to Gen-X’ers, those on campus who looked to him as their leader. The questioner asked him: "What do you think about your generation being labeled as ignorant and apathetic?" The leader’s response: "I don’t know, and I don’t really care."
11) The gospel will be preached worldwide.
--Matthew 24:14 -- "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come."
The idea here is not that will be broadcast one time, but that it will be a recurring event...the gospel will be being preached to the nations every day.
Before television and satellite communications, this would not have been possible...but today it’s ho-hum, daily stuff.
12) Christianity and Christians will be hated.
--Mark 13:13 -- "All men will hate you because of Me..."
*ILL> Comedians like Bill Maher, George Carlin, Rosie O’Donnell, Lewis Black, and others rail against Christians, to thunderous applause and cheers from audiences.
*ILL> Political operatives and advisers to presidential candidates want faith to be played down as part of the Presidential debates and the campaigns in general, declaring it to be too divisive, and generally unimportant.
Terms like "right wing" or "born again" or "Christian conservative" are all dirty words/descriptions to many.
*ILL> I’m reminded of my favorite bumper sticker: It says, "I’m proud to be straight, pro-life, born again, and of the opinion that the spotted owl tastes a lot like chicken."
In a society where "tolerance" is God, the group that experiences the most intolerance are Christians, and yet the world deems that to be "okay."
Well, these twelve signs are described by Jesus as "birth pangs"...indicating that a big event is about to occur.
However, our primary attention should not be on trying to predict the timing of the events so much as simply being aware of the urgency of our actions and the brevity of time left for us to act.
So...
WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING NOW…
There are three approaches a person can take regarding the events we’ve looked at and how to spend our time between now and the events occurring:
1) Make no decisions at all, take no actions whatsoever.
*ILL> The Danish philosopher, Kierkegard, told a parable of a theater where a variety show is proceeding. Each act is more fantastic than the last, and is applauded by the audience. Suddenly the manager comes forward, apologizes for the interruption, but announces that the theater is on fire, and begs his patrons to leave in an orderly fashion. The audience thinks this is the most amusing turn of the whole evening, and cheer thunderously. The manager again implores them to leave the burning building, and he is again applauded vigorously. At last, he can do no more. The fire then raced through the whole building and the fun-loving audience perished. Kierkegard concludes: "So will our age go in fiery destruction to the applause of a crowded house of cheering spectators."
2) Wait till it’s too late.
*ILL> A lady once called an insurance company, and when the agent answered the phone, the lady said, "I need insurance on my house. Can I do that over the phone?" The agent replied, "No, ma’am, we’ll need to look at it first." The lady then told him, "Then you’d better come quick, because it’s burning down right now."
3) Be ever mindful of the brevity of our time left.
*ILL> D. L. Moody once declared, "I never preach a sermon without thinking that possibly the Lord may come before I preach another."
Obviously, the latter approach is the one we should take.
We also, however, should be...
-->Calm and confident.
----Matthew 24:6 -- "...see that you are not alarmed...for these things must take place, but the end is not yet."
-->Alert and aware.
----Matthew 24:8 -- "...for these things must take place..."
-->Ready and anticipating.
----Matthew 24:8 -- "all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs."
*ILL> After church one Sunday, where she had been taught about the second coming of Jesus, a little girl was quizzing her mother. She asked him, "Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?" Her mother answered, "Yes." The girl then asked, "Could He come back as early as today?" Mom: "Yes." Girl: "Could He come back in just a few minutes?" Mom: "Yes, dear, He could." Then the girl looked at her mom and asked, "Mommy, will you comb my hair?"
The word "Maranatha" is a syriac expression that means, "Our Lord comes," or "the Lord is coming soon."
It was used as a greeting in the early church. When believers gathered or parted, they didn’t say, "Hello" or "goodbye," but "Maranatha!"
What a wonderful thing it would be if we too were so aware of the Lord’s return and be anticipating it that it would be that much on our minds.
BRINGING IT HOME...
<>Are you confident that you’re ready?
<>If the rapture was for sure to happen tomorrow, what would you do between now and then?
--Then do it, because the rapture could be tomorrow...or today...or before I finish this...sentence.
The apocalypse is indeed coming soon.
Maranatha!
