The Last Days Part 4
Scripture: Matthew 24:15-51; Daniel 12:1, 11; Titus2:11-13;
Introduction
In the first three messages, I shared with you the signs that Jesus said we should take heed of to determine the days in which we are living. Those signs included the rise of false prophets claiming to be Christ or His representative deceiving people; the increase in wars between nations; the increase in famines and earthquakes; how people will fall away from the faith and begin to hate one another; how the love of many Christians will grow cold; to finally the deterioration of the family. All of these signs are presently around us so the question that must be answered is what should we do? Jesus said that we should not be afraid for these things must come to pass before His return, but He also shared with us what we should be doing in the mean time. We should be living with an expectation of His return. Turn with me to Matthew 24 for the conclusion of this series.
I. The Tribulation First
In our study of the book of Revelation, we understood that there will be terrible times on the earth, a time when evil is rampant and God begins to pour out His judgment. Jesus mentioned these times in Matthew 24:15-28. Verses 15 and 16 says “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountain.” What is the abomination of desolation that Jesus refers to as spoken by Daniel? The 11th chapter of Daniel speaks of the first abomination of desolation when he states “And forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up abomination of desolation.” This first reference concerns Antiochus Epiphanes, the Syrian who came down and destroyed Jerusalem, but I do not believe this is who Jesus was referring to. I believe the reference Jesus was referring to is found in the 12th chapter of Daniel. The 12th of Daniel prophesies of the end time and give some insight into the tribulation period. Verse one speaks of the end times while verse eleven speaks of the antichrist. Verse one and eleven says “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued……And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.” During the tribulation period the temple will be rebuilt and the nation of Israel will be back in Palestine. Most believe the reference that Christ is making pertains to the temple of Jerusalem that was rebuilt.
My point with this is that there will be a tribulation period that must happen before Christ returns. Although all of these signs are giving us a glimpse of what is ahead, the end is not yet. Also do not forget that the Church (those who have previously accepted Christ before these times come) will have already been raptured. Remember Jesus said that two will be in the field and one will be taken and the other left and that two women will be working, one will be taken and the other left (Matthew 24:40-41). This will happen before the tribulation period. So we know that before Christ returns it will get much worse and right before His return the world will experience the worse times that have ever been recorded and the antichrist will be on the scene. Since Jesus tells us to not be afraid, there must be a reason and that reason is that we will be fine IF we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.
II. What We Should Be Doing
Everything that I have shared with you leads up to this moment, understanding what we should be doing based on our understanding that time is quickly running out. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:42-46 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave who his master finds so doing when he returns.” In these verses Jesus tells us to be ready, always ready. Some have interpreted these verses to mean that they should stay in their houses so as not to sin and be watching the sky for His return. That is not what Jesus was talking about, although not sinning is a very good thing. He was talking about us living as Christians.
Look at the example that He used. First He speaks of the slave who was left in charge. You cannot be left in charge without having some responsibility given to you. The slave was left with a responsibility. In this example, the slave was to ensure that the master’s house was fed until the master returned home. Jesus said that the slave who was doing his/her job when the master returned would be blessed and rewarded. Contrary to what some have proposed, we are not to shut ourselves off from the world because we are the world’s only hope. We are here to do a job; ministering to the lost and sharing Christ with everyone. If we are so scared of these last days that we allow our love to run cold and we refuse to do anything for anyone, then we’re like that slave that Jesus mentions in verses 48-51. That slave knew his master would be gone for a while so instead of doing his job, he began to mistreat those who were left in his charge. Not only did he not do what he was charged with, he forgot his responsibility and partied instead. Jesus said when the master came home “unexpectedly” and found the slave not doing his job the slave would be punished. In Jesus’ example, that punishment included being cast into the lake of fire for unbelievers. So what should we be doing? We should be doing the two primary things that will make a difference in this world for some people. We will not be able to lead everyone to Christ but there are lives that can be reached for Christ based on how we live and respond to the world around us. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14, 16 that “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden…..Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” There are two primary ways in which we can do this, first in how we live on a daily basis and second in how we love. So let’s examine these two in a little more detail.
1. Living Right With Great Expectations
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” Titus 2:11-13
The first thing without question is that we should be living righteously. Living righteously does not mean I can live based on my standards or what the world’s standards are. It means that I must be living according to God’s standards. In our society today there are things that have been determined to be okay that God never approved of in His word. So the question that we must ask consistently is which governing bodies will we listen to, God or the world around us. Our system of government can make anything legal, but that does not make it right in God’s eyes. Just because man says it is okay, it is what God says that will be the determining factor as to where men and women will spend eternity. Man says it is okay to be so far in debt that you spend all of your time living from paycheck to paycheck and still never having enough for your daily needs. God says owe no man anything but to love him. Man says do what you feel is right or what makes you happy. God says we should serve Him and Him alone. Man says as long as it is between two consenting adults I can do what I want. God says it is sin. Man says it is okay for children to speak their minds to their parents. God says for children to honor and respect their parents. We must choose how we will live in these last days. Will we live like the servant who was expecting his master to return and thus was found doing what he was supposed to be doing when his master returned or will we be like the other servant? Will we live like the servant who expected his master to be gone a long time and therefore did not do what he was supposed to be doing? God’s way or man’s, you must decide.
Finally Paul tells us to look for and expect Christ’s return while living the lives we are supposed to live. Our lives should be reflective of our belief, the belief that Christ will return for His Church. Only if you believe and expect Christ to return will you have the motivation and/or power to live according to God’s standard. As I’ve said before, the world’s approval of sin does not change God’s view of it or what His response will be to those living in it when Christ returns.
2. Walking In Love
The second thing we should be doing is living with love for our fellow man. One of the signs that Jesus mentioned of the last days that we discussed last week focused on how the love of many will turn cold based on sin increasing (Matthew 24:12). As Christians, this is the primary way that the world knows that we are Christians, the love we have within us that we share. In John 13:34-35, Jesus says “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” If Christians are identified by the love they are supposed to walk in because of their love for Christ, then in these last days our ability to show love even as things get worse will be crucial for those seeking Christ. Jesus commanded that we love one another, even as He loved us. Remember this one point, God hates sin but loves the sinner. Jesus loved us even when we were in the midst of our sins. Likewise, we should love those who are Christians as well as those who are not. The religious and/or social status of someone should not be a factor in our ability to love individuals. There are a lot of things that we must do as Christians, but the most important thing of all is our love for others.
Jesus was once asked by a lawyer what the greatest commandment was in the Law in an attempt to trap Him. Jesus responded with the following: “….You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-39) Jesus’ response was very clear and specific. First we should love God with everything that is within us and second we should love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Jesus said that everything within the Law and the Prophets rests on these two commandments. In other words, all of the Old Testament scriptures rest on these two things. Do you love God with all that is within you? Do you love your fellow man as you love yourself? In these last days, this will be crucial.
Conclusion
We have spent the last four weeks discussing the signs of the end times, the signs of our time. Today we have looked at what we should be doing. If you are a Christian you can be assured that your future with the Lord is secure and bright. However, if you are wondering, then you need to take the steps today to secure your future. That step is to accept Christ in your heart, not “join the church” but accept Christ in your heart. Joining a church is a “by product” of you accepting Christ, meaning that you join a Church because you have accepted Him and are desiring to be in a place with other Christians to learn, grow and fellowship. There are a lot of people who have joined churches but have not given their lives to Christ.
To the rest of you, those who have accepted Christ, what are you doing? We must be ready for Christ’s return and that readiness is determined by how we are living today. Are you living a life that says you are expecting Christ to return and you want to be ready? Or are you living a life that says Christ may be coming back, but I have plenty of time to work through my issues (my flesh)? I want to leave you with this story that I heard in a movie I recently saw.
There were two farmers who were in desperate need of rain for their fields. Both farmers prayed to God for the rain to come. However, although both farmers needed and prayed for the rain, only one of the farmers actually went out after praying and prepared his fields for the rain. The question is this; which of these farmers really expected God to answer his prayer? The answer is the one who actually went out and began to prepare his fields. This farmer believed that when he prayed, God would respond. In anticipation of God’s response, he went out to his fields and prepared them for the rain that God would send. The other farmer prayed, but through his actions he did not believe God was going to respond and therefore he did not prepare his field for the rain that he had prayed for.
Jesus said He is coming back at a moment when most will not be looking for Him. Based on this, he has said we should be ready and living according to God’s will for our lives. If we believe what Jesus said, then it would make sense that just like the farmer who prepared his fields, we would prepare for His coming and live a life that is evident of our belief. Do you really believe He is coming back? I do.
I hope you have gained some insight from this series. May God’s blessings be yours and may you recognize them daily.
