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.
o However, the world has never been this populated before.
o Much of the land that was once used to grow food now has been transformed into places for people to work and live.
o Our world faces genuine food shortages.
o Think about the following for just a moment.
• One person dies from starvation or one of its related diseases every second of every day!
o This translates into 86,400 per day; 2,592,000 per month, or 31,104,000 every year!
o 75% of those who die are infants and children under that age of 5 years of age.
o During the Tribulation, these things will just grow worse and worse. Who wants to stay here for that?
3. This Time Will Be Marked By Diseases - v. 7
• Verse 7 refers to "pestilence".
o This tells us that the Tribulation Period will be a time when diseases will run rampant among the world.
o Again, this is referred to in the book of Revelation, Rev. 6:8.
o This awful look into the future tells us that 25% of the world’s population will die at one point in time.
o At present, there are over 6 billion people in the world with a new one being added every half-second!
o Every year, there are over 78 million new births in the world!
o Imagine a scene where over 1.5 billion people died during the same terrible tragedy.
o Imagine the disease that would result because of the lack of proper burial sites for the dead.
• During World War II, 1 person out of every 40 died. During this terrible plague, 1 out of every 4 persons will die! It will be terrible time!
4. This Time Will Be Marked By Disasters - v. 7
• Jesus says that there will be earthquakes and natural disasters during these early years of the Tribulation.
• Again, the 20th Century saw a dramatic increase in the number of earthquakes.
• These quakes became very intense and began to happen in places that earthquakes usually did take place.
• These things, again, are simply setting the stage for what will happen in the future.
5. This Time Will Be Marked By Disobedience - v. 10, 12
• These verses seem to indicate that the Tribulation will be marked by a total disregard for the sanctity of life, property, or the rights of others. This is clear by two statements.
• Of course, the population of the world is already being trained to disregard the life and rights of their fellow man.
o When we live in a world that allows the murder of over 55 million unborn children every year it sends the message that life is without value.
o When the world accepts the foolish notion that man evolved from lower life forms, that when he dies, he is like a dog that merely goes to the grave, it becomes easy to take lives.
o If men saw one another as what they are: unique creations, each made in the image of God, it would prevent some men from taking the life of another.
• The Tribulation will also see an increase in man’s attraction to and indulgence in sin.
o After the church is removed at the rapture, all restraints on society will be removed as well.
o No longer will there be the presence of a people who are filled with the Holy Ghost.
o No longer will there be people on the earth who pray for society and their neighbors.
o The world will continue its slide into Hell by following sin with all the power it possesses.
• Again, we can already see these things happening all around us.
o A quick look at 2 Timothy 3:1-5 proves this beyond all dispute!
o We live in a nation where 85% of the population of the United States claims to be Christian.
o Look at people’s lives and tell me how this can be!
How can that it be when 62% of all Americans believe that Bible is not totally true?
How can that be when 1.5 million unborn babies are aborted in the country in the name of convenience?
How can that be when the rate of pre-marital sexual activity in the church is the same as that of the world?
How can that be when 32% of professed Christians and 64% of non-Christians say that they consume alcohol every month?
• I could go on and on with that same kind of depressing mess, but I think the truth is evident!
o Our world is going to Hell in hand basket!
o Our world is already manifesting signs of the way things will be during the Tribulation Period.
o However, things will be far, far worse than this.
C. Special Declaration (v. 14)
• Thankfully, not all the events of the Tribulation will be bad.
• During these years, God will raise up some men who will carry His message to the farthest ends of the globe.
• This great mission will be accomplished by two separate groups.
o The 144,000 - Rev. 7:1-8
God will raise up an army of Jewish men that He will seal, protect and send out to tell the world about the Lord Jesus Christ.
The world system, the devil and the Antichrist will be powerless to stop these men from their appointed task.
o The Two Witnesses - Rev. 11:1-12
These two mystery men will stand at the Wailing Wall outside the newly constructed third temple and they will preach the Word of God.
All attempts to stop them will fail until the Lord allows them to be slain.
Their bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 days while the world celebrates their deaths.
Then, they will rise from the dead and ascend into Heaven.
• Even in this dark hour that will come upon the earth, God will have His men proclaiming His truth to a world that desperately needs to hear it.
o Now, if you are not saved tonight, don’t think you will wait until these men start ministering to be saved.
o The time for you to be saved is right now.
o Where do you stand with God?
II. HOW TRIBULATION CONTINUES (vv. 15-29)
A. They Are Treacherous Days (v. 15a)
• This verse refers to the Antichrist breaking his covenant with the nation of Israel.
o This was prophesied by the prophet Daniel, in Daniel 9:27, and will be fulfilled during the Tribulation Period.
o The Antichrist’s sin will amount to him entering the Holy of Holies in the newly constructed Temple in Jerusalem.
o He will declare himself to be God and will demand that the world fall before him in worship.
• Before this prophecy can be fulfilled, the Temple must first be constructed in Jerusalem.
o For many years this seemed to be an absolute impossibility.
o However, recent years have seen the rebirth of the nation of Israel, and have brought about the real possibility of this happening in the very near future.
o Friends, you can count on it!
B. They Are Terrifying Days (vv. 16-29)
• These verses bring us into the second 3 ½ years of the Tribulation.
o They will be days of such a horrible nature that they are almost unbelievable.
• There will be two sets of intense judgments that will take place during the latter half of the Tribulation.
• These judgments are known respectively as Trumpet Judgments and Bowl Judgments.
• Let’s take a moment to look at these terrible events.
o The Trumpet Judgments
The First Trumpet - Rev. 8:7 - 1/3 of the green vegetation on the face of the earth is destroyed.
The Second Trumpet - Rev. 8:8-9 - 1/3 of the oceans becomes blood and 1/3 of the life in the sea is destroyed. 1/3 of the world’s shipping is also destroyed.
The Third Trumpet - Rev. 8:10-11 - Perhaps this refers to a meteor that falls into the water supplies and pollute 1/3 of the freshwater of the world.
The Fourth Trumpet - Rev. 8:12 - Some even takes place in space and the sun’s light is diminished by one-third. Also, one-third of the light of the other heavenly bodies is destroyed.
o Before the Fifth Trumpet sounds, an angel flies through Heaven and pronounces three woes upon the earth. The reason? Things are about to take a turn for the worse. Rev. 8:13.
The Fifth Trumpet - Rev. 9:1-12 - The earth is invaded by an army of demons from the pits of Hell. The demons have the power to torment men for 5 months. They won’t kill men, but the pain will be so intense that men will want to die, but they will be unable to achieve death! Hell will literally visit the earth!
The Sixth Trumpet - Rev. 9:13-21 - An invasion of an army that numbers 200,000,000. The results of this invasion will be that 1/3 of the human population will be destroyed. Note: when this event is coupled with the 4th Seal, it means that over ½ the population of earth has been killed.
The Seventh Trumpet - Rev. 11:15-19 - This trumpet announces the soon return of the Lord Jesus. It also introduces the seven Bowl Judgments.
o The Bowl Judgments
The First Bowl - Rev. 16:2 - Some kind of vile cancerous sore is poured out on mankind.
The Second Bowl - Rev. 16:3 - The waters of the sea are turned to blood and every creature in the sea dies.
The Third Bowl - Rev. 16:4-7 - The fresh waters of the earth are turned to blood.
The Fourth Bowl - Rev. 16:8-9 - The sun’s heat is intensified and men’s bodies are burned by the heat of the sun. Yet, with all these torments, they do not repent!
The Fifth Bowl - Rev. 16:10 - This plague brings darkness and intense pain to the inhabitant of the earth. Again so intense that they gnaw their tongues in their pain, yet they still refuse to repent.
The Sixth Bowl - Rev. 16:12-14 - The Euphrates River is dried up preparing a pathway for the nations of the earth to descend upon Israel for the final conflict.
The Seventh Bowl - Rev. 16:17-21 - This bowl brings an earthquake of such magnitude that the islands of the sea sink and all the mountains of the earth fall down flat. On top of this, all the major cities of the earth will be destroyed!
o This is just a portion of the events that will take place during the Tribulation.
It will be a time of unspeakable horrors and trials.
However, no one in this room should ever have to worry about this.
If you are not saved, I challenge you to come to Jesus and be born again!
III. HOW TRIBULATION CONCLUDES (vv. 30-31)
These truths will be covered in far more detail in later messages, but for now, I will just say a word about each of these three things.
A. The Triumphant Savior’s Appearing - v. 30a
• Verse 30 tells us that Jesus will return in great power and glory at the end of the Tribulation Period.
• When He returns, He will destroy the Antichrist and all his followers in one moment of time.
• Jesus will rule the world in an instant!
B. The Terrified Sinner’s Agonizing - v. 30b
• When the world experiences the return of Christ in glory, they will react in terror.
• They have gathered their armies together at Jerusalem to fight what is known as the battle of Armageddon.
• It is at this battle that the blood will run "to the horses bridles", Rev. 14:20!
• However, the armies of the Antichrist and of all the other armies of the world will be destroyed with the Word of the Lord Jesus!
• These people had refused to bow before Him under grace, they refused to bow under judgment.
• Now it is too late for them to bow.
• The time has come for them to reap what they have sowed.
• They will be judged and with the word of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• The Antichrist and the False Prophet will be cast alive in the Lake of Fire and all their followers will be obliterated in an instant of time!
• Jesus will return, not as a meek Lamb, but as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah!
B. The Tribulation Saints Assembling - v. 31 –
• After Jesus has returned and defeated the armies of His enemies, He will gather together the saints and they will enter alive into the Millennium.
Closing: My friends, we have just touched the surface of the events of that terrible seven year period that is to come upon the earth. It will be a time more terrible than men can imagine. I just praise the Lord that the people of God do not have to fear these things. Now, the question that must be answered: Are you ready for the return of the Lord Jesus? Are you saved and sure that you will not be here for these terrible days? If not, you can be, all you need to do is to come to Jesus by faith and He will save you. If you are saved, praise the Lord!
