GET RIGHT – OR GET LEFT
Pastor Bruce Ball
As Christians, we are not supposed to know when the end will occur. However, we are supposed to be aware of the season and of the signs. Today, I want to paint a quick picture of what the Bible tells us of the ending, and then see if there is anything in that story that we can use to help us get ready for it.
To start with, we need to realize that the Bible is “THE” authority and there is nothing that supersedes that authority.
2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17 state:
‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness – so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’
Every generation of Christians since the days of Jesus have felt that His return would be in their lifetimes, and we think that, too. What makes it different for us is that we have seen things come to pass in this generation that could never have been thought of before, and those things have made it possible for all the prophecy to come true. At this point, we are basically waiting until God says “Now.” And please understand that this could happen a thousand years from now, and it could also happen today. It behooves each one of us to make sure we do all that we can to get ready, and help others get ready.
Today, I am going to talk about the end, as man knows it, and what that means to us.
First of all, it seems that we are in the age of polls. Every night on the news, it will tell which poll puts which presidential candidate ahead. And, of course, we all have seen how many politicians will forsake their so-called ‘ideals’ just over what the latest poll says the people want. For those of you who have Internet service, many web sites that you visit will offer polls on a variety of subjects for you to take.
Keeping in line with that wonderful information I just gave you, we are going to give you some more information taken from recent polls. According to a recent Time/CNN poll, since 9/11, 35% of Americans are paying more attention to how the world’s daily news might relate to the end of the world.
People have always had a preoccupation with the future. In the world, people gamble on the outcome of a game or a particular stock. Others go to Ouiji boards or to horoscopes to see what kind of future they are going to have.
A couple of years ago, there was a TV show that was about a man getting tomorrow’s paper today, and how he went about trying to prevent the bad things that were going to happen.
The need to know about what will happen even included the sex of unborn children. Women used to spit in Sani-Flush. It would turn one color if it were a boy, and another color if it were a girl.
The "Left Behind" books and videos have fed this hunger to know what will happen next. One of the earmarks of new religious groups has often been the specific predictions their founders made concerning the coming end of the world.
Three of the most-often questions asked by people, including churchgoers, are:
1. What is the “End Times”?
2. When will it happen?
3. What does all that mean to ‘me’?
People are starting to become more aware than they have ever been before. They want to know what is going to happen in the world so they will know what is going to happen to them. Today, I am going to give you some answers to each of those three questions, so get ready; we are getting ready to embark on a very curious journey. A journey you need to know about.
1. WHAT IS THE “END TIMES”?
Prophecy is the telling of an event before it occurs. It is akin to forecasting the weather for next month, except Bible Prophecy is accurate and weather forecasting isn’t. I know. I used to be a weather forecaster.
Prophecy is a sign of God’s love for us. He knows what is going to happen in the last days before Christ returns, and it isn’t all going to be fun and games for Christians, so God is forewarning us so that we can be properly prepared and ready. If God did not love us, He would not care if we were prepared or not.
For today’s sermon, prophecy is explained as what the Prophets of old said concerning the end of the world tomorrow. These men of God who walked through the Old Testament, were given words and visions from God to let His people know that there would come a day when it would be too late to be Godly. There would come a day when all decisions would be made and the consequences of those decisions must be lived with. There would come a day when there would be an end to the world as we know it. These days would be the End Times, and we needed then, and still need today, to be ready for them.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:19-20, tells us,
"Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt."
Now, as in all things biblical, we must be very careful not to distort or change the truth of the Bible. Some might take the teaching of the End Times to an all-new level. Please remember that we must all study and understand, and then put all things into a proper and focused perspective within the church of Jesus Christ.
2. WHEN WILL THE END-TIME HAPPEN?
Nobody knows for sure exactly when the end-times will occur, but we do have a very good outline of what to expect in those days. In order to fully understand the Scripture, however, we should probably define a few of the key words used to describe Bible Prophecy.
“RAPTURE”
This is when all those people who ever lived and chose to follow Jesus, as their Savior will be taken up into the clouds to meet Jesus.
In JOHN 14, Jesus tells us not to worry. He says that in His Father’s house are many rooms, and He tells his disciples that He is going there to prepare a room for each of us. Then, He says He will come back and get us and take us to His Father’s house.
In 1 THESSALONIANS 4, Paul tells us that those who are asleep in Christ will rise first and meet Jesus. Those that are asleep in Christ are those believers that have passed on. Now you want to know where these people have been keeping themselves all these years, right?
In LUKE 16, we read about a rich man and a poor man. The rich man was arrogant and only concerned with the things rich people are concerned with. The poor man was named Lazarus and he was a godly man. They both died.
The poor man was taken to be with Abraham and the people of God. The rich man was taken to hell where he could see the other side, but could not get to it, and he stayed in torment.
We believe that the dead in Christ are set apart, but have not entered Heaven yet. We believe they are in Paradise. When Jesus comes, He will take those in Paradise first, and then He will call the ones who are still alive to be by His side.
Some believe that the Rapture will happen before the coming Tribulation; some people believe it will happen halfway through the Tribulation, and some people believe it will happen at the end of the Tribulation. Certainly, there are Scriptures in the Bible that seem to support each theory. I personally believe it will happen before the anti-Christ come to power.
“TRIBULATION”
This is the last 7-year period of the world, as we know it. In REVELATION, it tells of the anti-Christ coming and striking up a peace treaty between Israel and the surrounding enemies. Things will be so bad by this time that when he produces this treaty, the entire world will start hailing him as the savior of the world.
It goes on to tell us that even though the treaty will be for seven years, it will fall apart halfway into it and things go from very bad to much worse. This is when the Antichrist will rule the world economically, religiously and politically. This is when the Antichrist will start telling the world that he is God.
“ARMAGEDDON”
At the end of the 7-year peace treaty, all of the world’s armies will come against Israel to completely destroy her. This is the war of Armageddon.
“THE SECOND COMING”
Do you remember in our Communion meditations we sometimes emphasis that Jesus wants us to eagerly await His return? The Day of His return is the day that all Christians have waited for! This is the climax of human history on this earth. In REVELATION 20, it tells of how Satan, who commands the armies, will lose that final battle.
One of the signs of the end times is unfolding right before our eyes today. Everything in the end times is centered on Israel: Specifically, the return of the Jews to their native land. This is the most prophesied event in the entire Bible. Three of the most prophetic books of the Bible spend a great amount of time telling us about the regathering of Jews to Israel as a sign of the end time. These books are JEREMIAH, EZEKIEL and ZECHARIAH.
Back in DEUTERONOMY, God warned Israel that He was going to scatter them over the entire world where they would find no rest. And, for 1900 years they have basically been scattered from their homeland and have been persecuted everywhere they went.
Starting in 1897, the Jews started to trickle back into their homeland. By 1947, the United Nations had officially given them their own country. In 2003, over 43% of the world’s 14 million Jews were back in Israel.
Let me give you all this in a synopsis of why this is so important. In DANIEL it says that the Antichrist will make a covenant with the nation of Israel for seven years. For him to be able to make a treaty with a nation, the nation must exist, right? And, if it exists, it must have a government and a citizenry. Therefore, a Jewish nation must exist prior to the Tribulation. For the first time in nearly 2000 years, it does exist again!
Why is Israel so important? The answer is simply because it has the city of Jerusalem in it. Jerusalem is so important, it is mentioned over 800 times in the Bible. 489 of are prophetic statements about the part it plays in end times.
This city has no great agricultural benefits, no great seaports, and no great industries to speak of, so why is it important enough to start a war over? It is the city that lies at the center of two of the world’s major religions: Judaism and Islam.
Jerusalem is important to Judaism because –
· David made Jerusalem the capital city of all Israel.
· David’s son, Solomon, built the temple in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is important to Islam because –
· According to their tradition, the Temple Mount, located in Jerusalem, is where their leader, Muhammad went to Heaven on his night journey. The Dome of the Rock now covers the rock where Muhammad left his footprint as he leaped to Heaven.
· Islam teaches that any land conquered in the name of Allah remains in their possession forever. Since Israel and Jerusalem were conquered ‘in his name’, it is a direct insult to Muslims for these lands to now be in the hands of Jews.
One of the greatest ironies in the world is that the name ‘Jerusalem’ actually means ‘peace’, yet it is the most fought after, and fought in, city in history.
There is something else that is quickly getting into place that will enable the scenario of the end times to begin. All we have to do to see it is to read the daily papers about the European Union, or the EU. What is that seems to be so prophetic about the EU to many Christians?
In DANIEL, we find out that the Roman Empire will be established in two different times. The first time was when Rome ruled the world in he 1st century and the second is forecast right before the end time begins.
Mapping all the members of the EU, it now covers almost the exact same area as the original Roman Empire covered! For the first time in 1500 years, the conditions for a reunited Roman Empire are set in place. Is the EU the new Roman Empire? We do not know that and cannot claim that. There do seem to be some similarities as to the landmass, but we cannot make bold declarations based upon assumptions.
The Antichrist will someday, and for a very short time, rule over the world. He will attempt to make the world united under him. How many times have we heard about a one-world government? We already have the start of a one-world currency, and the UN and the EU are both working on legislation that would create a world court.
I am not conspiratorial by nature, but as a Christian, I must be aware of what is taking place, and how that is going to affect God’s church, His people and how it will affect you and me.
Has anybody noticed how Iraq came from being this obscure little nation nobody every heard of to being a world class outlaw in less than 20 years? Here are some of the facts surrounding Iraq that you may not have heard about.
· Babylon was in what is now known as Iraq.
· Babylon housed the evil leaders who tried to rule the world.
· Babylon was the richest of all cities in its time.
· King Nebuchadnezzar was an evil and ruthless king.
· Saddam Hussein believed he was a descendant of Nebuchadnezzar.
· Saddam put millions of dollars into the rebuilding of Babylon.
· Babylon sits on one of the world’s largest oil deposit outside Saudi Arabia.
Remember we said the anti-Christ would become the head of the world’s political, religious and economic powers. Here are some situations that “could’ happen.
· The new Roman Empire becomes the one-world political giant.
· They institute a one-world religion that appeases everybody and offends nobody (but Christ, that is)
· Babylon is again occupied by the anti-Christ so that he can control the world’s economy by controlling the masses of the oil fields.
At the beginning of this message, I asked three questions.
1. What is the “End Times”?
2. When will it happen?
3. What does all that mean to ‘me’?
I briefly answered the first two questions by telling you that the End Times is when God has finally decided that no more time is given unto mankind to receive His Son, Jesus as their Christ. This is the day when God says, “It is finished.”, and we do not know when it will actually happen, so it is best to always be ready. Now, let me answer the third question.
3. WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN TO ME?
In today’s world, we hear many people talking End Times and world doom. We must understand that it will be doom, but we are also called, as Christians, to focus on Jesus Christ, and not on the affairs of the world.
The Old Testament prophets did not just give the negatives of what was happening in the nation they lived in, or the part of the world they lived in. They did not focus on just the end times. A true prophet told of things that were about to happen, but he gave the people of God a hope for their future.
In JEREMIAH 29:11, God also tells us,
“I know the future I have for you,” says the Lord. “It is to prosper you and not to harm you; to give you hope and a future.”
Do not make a habit of listening to those who want to tell you about the negatives of end-time prophecy. Instead, read the Bible. God wants you to be aware, not to be scared. If you hear someone talking to you about the future in a prophetic tone, listen to see if there is any real and true hope being included for God’s people. If not, you can be assured this is not true.
I may have told you before about the man who met a lady and asked her out to dinner. She agreed and they set a time of 8:00 pm for him to pick her up at her house.
She put her face on, then put her best clothes on, and all the other stuff that women do to get ready for a date and she was ready a few minutes before 8:00 pm. She sat on the couch and waited for him to show up.
At 8:30 pm, she moved to the kitchen and sat at the table drinking a soda. At 9:00 pm, she was sitting back on the couch, still waiting. At 9:30 pm, she decided she had been stood up and she got undressed, put her hair up in rollers, put the old mud pack on her face and went into the kitchen to get some ice cream. Then, she sat on the couch eating from the carton of ice cream as only those who have been stood up can do.
At 10:00 pm, the doorbell rang. She answered it and there he stood. He said, “I am two hours late and you still aren’t ready?”
It is my prayer that none of us wait until Jesus comes back to get ready. It will be too late. I pray each day for God to secure each of you in the arms of Jesus Christ to make sure you are ready.
I encourage you this morning to get ready for the end – not in a doom and gloom mentality, but in a joyful “I can’t wait to see my Savior” attitude. Do not be scared as we see things unfold around us. Be joyful and bold for Jesus.
INVITATION
As we go into our time of invitation, I want each person in here to bow your heads and close your eyes. Examine your heart this morning. Is it where it should be in relation to Jesus Christ? If Jesus were to come back right now, are you sure you would go to Heaven, or is there some inkling of a doubt? If there is, I plead with you this morning to step up and receive Him as Savior.
For your sake, make sure you get right today, so you don’t get left tomorrow.
