The End
How To Prepare
Matthew 24:1-51
True or false: spiritually and morally ... Things are worse today. than they have probably ever been!
Probably 99.99% of you would say ... True!
True or false: When our grandparents established a home it was more secure with a better chance oflasting. TRUE!
I hate to burst the balloon of the blind optimist or of the humanist who believes that things will get better and better... they will get worse and worse!
Scripture tells us that it will.
Even Jesus himself taught that in Matthew 24.
As he sat down on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him and asked him, "What will be the signs of the end?"
Many people have asked this question before of many people.
Jesus was the ONLY one who knew for sure, first hand, and could give the 100% true answer.
I am jealous of the disciples .. not because they could get it straight from the source ... but because they sat beside, touched, talked to, and knew intimately ... my Lord.
Jesus' answer is recorded in chapter 24 ... read vv. 3-12.
Will things get better and better? NO! ... worse and worse.
We should expect ...
conditions will worsen
homes will weaken
morals will wane.
1. Conditions will worsen
Jesus said that on the world scene, conditions will worsen ... get worse than they are.
Wars and dissentions will increase, divisions will multiply and become non-negotiable and
irreconcilable.
Dean Rusk was in the Cabinet of Nixon, and he said, "We negotiate with the Russians eyeball to eyeball, and both sides are afraid to blink." 1
Bosnia, Chechnya, Israel, South Africa, Haiti, Iraq,
There will be worldwide hunger ... look at the exploding number of homeless and poor.
Look at 2/3 of the world where malnutrition and hunger are killing children, old persons, and even young adults by the thousands every day.
The natural world will be in chaos ... with earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, fires.
Where is this not in evidence today.
I am not saying that we are living in the end times... I hope we are... because they are terrible now and if they continue they will continue to get worse and worse.
You cannot point to anything in this world where it naturally gets better.
Everything ages, rots, rusts, deteriorates, etc.
As sure as heat rises ... this world is going to worsen, deteriorate, and rot.
Morally, spiritually, educationally, physically, socially ... in every way!'!
There is a movement and you can see billboards, bumper stickers, stamps, etc. that say
"Pray for peace. "
I believe in prayer ... but some things are not open to prayer... God's will and plan are
not.
God has already told us ... things will get worse and worse until they will reach such a state of rottenness that verse 22 says that God will have to step into the world and take evasive action ... he will have to step in and call "Time Out."
The scripture tells that if he didn't, "no one would survive."
You may think that is an unrealistic picture... if so, just get a video of the L. A. Riots ... they will show you how passionately and how quickly man can lose control and the depths to which he can sink.
Look at events like children burning one another. ...
children killing parents ...
parents killing kids ...
persons killing indiscriminately ...
mass murderers who eat victims
and you will see that animalistic behavior is becoming more and more commonplace.
Look at the Nazi holocaust and see how nation can turn against nation and how unspeakable horror can be perpetrated and even condoned.
Technical knowledge will also abound and increase… we will be able to help people live
longer and longer. .. but will they want to?
2. Homes will weaken
There is not one person here today that does not know anyone who is divorced.
There are few here that do not know of anyone who has been abused.
In fact, many, many of you even have to say .. It has even crushed my family.
Many of you are afraid today of what the divorce will do to your grandchildren.
3. Morals will wain
"What once made us blush we now watch with ease."
What once was banned from the theatre or books is now commonplace on prime time television.
What only "bad" dirty old men and sailors would have watched or could have gotten their hands on ... our children now view every day.
What once would have been grounds for scorn and rejection ... even caused us to be branded with a scarlet A. ... is now THE NORM" , , , " " ,
What we once condemned in others we now accept in ourselves.
Life seems to be out of control. ..
of police
of parents
of church
of teachers
of government
of courts
It is easy to picture God in heaven wringing his hands saying, "Woe is me, what shall I do?"
But on the basis of 2 Timothy 2: 19 let me assure you... "The foundations of God STAND
STRONG!"
Truth will win over error... good over evil... right over wrong ... God over all.
The question is not will things get better or worse ... or is God in control.
The question is… How do I live and minister and make my way in a world that has lost its way ... that is speeding faster and faster in the wrong direction
Is the church to build walls that are higher and thicker... put on more locks and distribute keys only to our own?
Are we to try to build our own little pocket of purity and protection?
There is an answer in 2 Timothy, chapter 3-4.
Chapter 3 paints a terrible picture of the end days.
In Timothy's day ... it was unpopular to be a Christian ... illegal even.
Martyrs were dropping like flies.
When you made your faith in Jesus known; you were marked by the government as a follower of the way.
Very, very often you died for your faith.
Timothy may have been the type to believe that though the persecution was bad then, it would not be permanent. .. it would get better.
Paul was saying, "NOT!!!"
The phrase "Difficult times" in verse 1 is very rare in the bible.
It means difficult, hard, hard to deal with.
The KJV renders it "grievous"
It means "exceedingly violent" even "savage"
In the last days savage days will come!
I believe that Christians will be as savagely treated as were the Jews in Nazi Germany.
I believe that American Christians in the last 50 years have not known persecution
harassment, ridicule, rejection YES
persecution, NO
I believe that the scriptures teach .... THEY WILL
If America even exists
Listen to vv 1-5 and ask. ... Is that not today?
And don't think that things will ever get better, that there is a better place that you can move to.
The pattern will be...
as to the mind… depravity
as to their faith rejection
as to Christians persecution
By now you are thinking ... enough already, it is hopeless.
NO! There is hope.
The hope is in verse 14 ...
Here is the hope and the plan for the future.
Read verses 14-17
continue in the things that you have learned and become convinced of
GET IN THE WORD
Read it, study it, memorize it, meditate on it, discuss it, teach it,
Get away from the TV, put down one of the news papers… GET INTO THE WORD.
False teachers are going to abound, their craftiness and deception is going to hook more and more unsuspecting.
Even many believers will be fooled, deceived, hood-winked and led away into error and damnation.
V. 5 says they will have a form of Godliness ... they will look religious ... but denying its power... while at the same time teaching doctrines That deny and undermine the true gospel.
So close to the truth, so biblical sounding that they will be believed and followed ... straight to HELL!
Just like Jannes and Jambres .. the magicians that mocked Moses miracles ..... these men will mock true religion ... they will even do miracles and do good things ... but they are men of depraved minds (v. 8) who will gain control over the unlearned.
These false teachers will multiply and only a few, only those well versed, well studied in the scriptures will be able to see through their deception.
Verse 9 tells us that there will be some who can.
THEY are the hope of the future and the plan for overcoming is TO BECOME ONE OF THE WISE.
Satan assaulted our Lord for 40 days ... hitting Him with all he had. Not once did Jesus sin by giving in.
WHY? Main reason: Jesus knew the truth and could not be deceived ... he saw through every deception, and he would cut Satan to pieces and send him running by telling the truth... the scripture.
None of us could win that contest ... we would all sin on the first day because Satan could trick us like he did Eve and Adam.
Why? IGNORANCE!!!!!!
If we want to live victoriously .... WE MUST GET IN THE WORD!!!!!
I don't believe we will reach this point (in the scripture) in my day.
It could only happen by military defeat.
But it COULD and I believe WILL happen in my children's day.
It is already happening ... but not crescendoed
It is necessary for me to be the spiritual rudder for my kids now ... I must be in the
Word.
They must learn how to use the Word ... to study it, TO BECOME CONVINCED OF IT.
It is my job to help them.
As parents WE MUST GET IN THE WORD.
Our kids must be raised in the word, trained in it, become convinced and versed in
it.
The persecution and false teachings that they will face ... you can't imagine.
The knowledge they will need is greater than you will require.
The foundation they require is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY... NOW!!!!!!
Timothy had a faith that had been founded and built on and strengthened by his grandmother and mother.
There is no greater gift a parent can give a child than a Christian home where the Word of God is read, and studied, and followed, and loved.
And Paul says, that as we go forward in a world that will get progressively madder and more and more evil... THE ONLY HOPE IS… KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORD
Learning and CONVICTION.
The only protection from Satan’s temptations, His lies and from the future madness and evil of this world... is right here... very simply put... GROW DEEPER AND DEEPER IN THE WORD
Many of your recognize the necessity of a good education for your kids... you are sacrificing for it… you are paying more money... giving more time... getting involved
You are working on it now and saving for the future ... college.
You recognize the importance of good teeth and are doing all you can now and even doing things to guarantee the future ... braces.
But do you realize that the greatest test they will face... the greatest need they will have... the greatest threat to their future happiness, success, and health will come from a world gone mad... where false teachers will lead them astray into evil and Hell?
Do you realize the greatest education you can give them today is in the Word.
Do you realize that they best investment of your time is to spend time in the Word yourself and helping them to understand it?
Do you realize that the best money you can spend today is to get them a study bible, bible stories, and videos?
They can have the straightest and whitest teeth in the world, enough trust fund to pay for all of college and grad school, a diploma from the finest school and they can still be lead astray.
The only insurance you have that they will not is THAT YOU GET IN THE WORD RIGHT NOW, THAT YOU GROW IN UNDERSTANDING SO YOU CAN TEACH THEM, THAT YOU BEGIN TO LAY A FOUNDATION OF STUDY AND OBEDIENCE SO THAT YOU CAN BE AN EXAMPLE. AND THAT YOU SEE TO IT THAT THEY ARE WELL FOUNDED ON THE WORD.
Don't trust a SS teacher, don't trust a preacher, don't trust anyone ... YOU MUST
SEE TO IT YOURSELF.
Young person... you must start now to read, to study, to learn, to memorize.
Evil days are coming... false teachers will abound... MOST will be deceived
How can you avoid it??? KNOWLEDGE
Not just learning .... but CONVICTION.
GET IN THE WORD.
The invitation today is to parents who want to build a proper foundation for their own life
and their children's lives.
It is to Grandparents.
It is to youth who want to start building.
Come today and
T ell God of your desire
T ell God of your ignorance
Ask God for help
Commit to God that you will give the time and effort
