The Worst of Times On Planet Earth
Sermon Transcript
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Charles Dickens wrote what became a classic book titled A Tale of Two Cities. You might remember that one. It's probably best known by the way he starts. Do you remember this? "It was the best of times…" Finish the next sentence with me. "And it was the worst of times." Yeah, you've heard this one before. Did you also know that Dickens went on to say, "It was the age of wisdom; it was the age of foolishness. It was the epic of belief; it was the epic of incredulity. It was the season of light; it was the season of darkness. It was the spring of hope; it was the winter of despair." Those eloquent words from Charles Dickens could easily be used to describe the times in which we're living right now. A real contrast, don't you think, in experiences from hope to despair, from light to darkness, from best to worst.
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Today I want to talk to you about a future time in Bible prophecy that can only be described as the worst of times on planet earth. Mark Hitchcock, a well-known Bible prophecy expert and a pastor, he calls it the "darkest hour in human history." I also want to talk to you about something known as the Great Tribulation, of course, but also to give you some biblical encouragement in light of the present troubles that we're living in today. I'm in this series of messages titled "What on Earth is Happening?" It's a question I've been asking. It's taken me to the pages of scripture. I think a lot of people are asking that question today. What on earth is happening? We're examining the prophecies of Jesus found in Matthew 24 and 25, a section of scripture known as the Olivet Discourse, a conversation that Jesus had with, according to Mark's Gospel, four of His disciples- Peter, James, John, plus Andrew. It was kind of the inner circle plus Andrew. And just days before Jesus goes to the cross He sits with these four disciples on the Mount of Olives overlooking the old city of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. What a breathtaking scene it was. And they're asking Him questions about the end of the age. "What will be the sign of Your coming, Jesus?"
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Before we return to the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24 and 25, I want to stop off in the upper room just a few days later when Jesus met with His disciples in an undisclosed space somewhere in the old city of Jerusalem. They were celebrating the Passover meal. It was just hours before Jesus went to cross. The conversation that He had with His disciples then is recorded for us in John 13-17, a section of scripture known as the Upper Room Discourse. And in John 16:33 Jesus said these words to His disciples and to us- "In the world you will have tribulation." But then He says, "Take heart; I have overcome the world."
0:03:09.7
I think it's fair to say Jesus never promised us a rose garden, at least not in this life. He promised us heaven in the next life. But He said in this world and in this life you will have tribulation. Now, the tribulation He spoke of in the upper room was general in nature, and it applies to all people in all places at all times. We're certainly living in a world today full of trouble and distress and difficulty. However, there is a tribulation coming to planet earth like the world has never known. So intense is the judgement of God poured out upon this earth, according to the pages of scripture, that Jesus says in Matthew 24:22, "For the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short." This is a future time in Bible prophecy known as the Tribulation or the Great Tribulation, a time of intense and never-before experienced tribulation and distress on this earth.
0:04:17.9
I'm reading in my Bible from Matthew 24 beginning in verse 15 when Jesus says, " So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand)," He says, "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being," Jesus said, "would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short."
0:05:19.8
Now, the last time we were together we talked about the general signs that Jesus gave that point us to the nearness of the end of the age. Do you remember those general signs in verses 4-14? They included false prophets, wars, natural disasters, persecution, apostacy, lawlessness, and of course the worldwide preaching of the gospel. Jesus says these signs are like birth pangs. As we get closer and closer to the end of the age, they will increase in intensity. They will increase in frequency. The greater detail is found in Revelation 6 and 7. It reveals what all of this will look like on planet earth during the first 3½ years of a seven-year period of time known as the Great Tribulation. In Matthew 24, though, verses 15-28, Jesus provides a more specific sign to look for at the end of the age. As best as I understand it, He jumps right into the middle of the seven-year Tribulation, which He calls a Great Tribulation from that point forward. The devastation on planet earth during the last 3 ½ years of the Tribulation will be greater than at any other time in human history. Nothing even comes close to comparing. It will make the Nazi holocaust and the killing fields of Cambodia look like child's play.
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Something known as the abomination of desolation marks the beginning of this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad time on earth. Jesus said the prophet Daniel first mentioned the abomination that makes one desolate, and He kind of adds these words in parenthesis you'll find your Bible. He wants every reader to understand this. And when you see this happening in Jerusalem, Jesus says in effect, run to the hills. Run to the mountains. "Flee to the mountains" and flee for your life, He says.
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Now, if you will, hold your place here in Matthew 24, and I want us to go to the passage in Daniel to which Jesus refers. It's Daniel 9:24-27. And as you're finding your way there, let me set this up just a little bit. The abomination of desolation that Daniel predicts has both a near-term and a longer-term fulfillment. That's the way you have to understand Bible prophecy. There's often a "now but not yet" kind of fulfilment to it. The near-term fulfillment of this prophecy in Daniel happened during the reign of an evil despot named Antiochus Epiphanes VI. He is an Old Testament type of the antichrist who is to come.
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Now, more than a century before the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, Antiochus rose to power and immediately went on a wild campaign, forcing the Hellenization of the Jews. He wanted to turn the Hebrews into Greeks and force them to worship the Greek gods. He slaughtered those who refused to submit to his reign of terror. And in 167 B.C., a little more than a century and a half before the birth of Jesus, Antiochus stopped the temple sacrifices to the Lord, set up a statue of Zeus in the holy of holies, and sacrificed a pig on the altar. That, friends, is the definition of an abomination that caused much desolation to the Jews prior to the coming of the Messiah.
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But Jesus, referring to Daniel's mention of the abomination, he speaks of yet a future atrocity that is still to come. In other words, Jesus has the longer-term fulfillment of this prophecy in Daniel in mind. In Daniel 9, the Lord gives Daniel this panoramic view of the future that includes the Gentile oppression of the Jews, the destruction of Jerusalem, the crucifixion of Messiah the prince, and the rise of the antichrist at the end of the age, including his abominable actions during the Tribulation Period.
0:09:45.5
Now we're ready for Daniel 9:24-27. Let me just read the prophecy beginning in verse 24. "Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant,"—he being the antichrist—"with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator." You can breathe now. That's a lot to digest, isn't it? It's a lot of read. And again, it is this panoramic view of world history and Bible prophecy from around the time of Daniel all the way to the end of the age.
0:11:25.3
I don't have time to get into all of the details, so let me just summarize a little bit. Through Daniel the Lord sets forth this panoramic timeline that spans 490 years, or what is called 70 weeks. In the Bible one prophetic week equals seven years. So do the math there; seventy weeks times 70 years, 490 years this prophecy entails. The first 69 weeks, or 483 years, began with the decree of Artaxerxes in 444 B.C. for the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem until approximately 30 A.D. when Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey. We call that Palm Sunday. The preciseness of that day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem fulfilled the end of the first 69 weeks, or 483 years of Daniel's prophecy.
0:12:30.2
Later that week, of course, Messiah was cut off, as Daniel says, by crucifixion. One prophetic week remains. It's often referred to as Daniel's 70th week, a seven-year period of time yet to be fulfilled in Bible prophecy, yet to be experienced and lived out here on planet earth. This is the future tribulation which lasts for seven years which Jesus describes from the midpoint forward in Matthew 24:15-28. Presently, we are living between the 69th week and the 70thweek of Daniel's prophecy in a period of time known as the Church Age. And we're kind of in this prophetic pause, awaiting the next event on God's prophetic calendar, which I believe, of course, is the rapture of the church.
0:13:24.7
Now, following the rapture of the church which closes out the church age, the tribulation begins. Daniel's 70thweek begins. The antichrist enters the global stage as a major political player, most likely he does this by negotiating peace in the Middle East, providing safety and security for Israel. And for the first 3 ½ years of the Tribulation, the antichrist positions himself as Israel's friend, even making it possible for her to rebuild the temple to resume the sacrifices of the Old Testament. However, his demeanor toward Israel changes at the midpoint of the Tribulation. At that time, the antichrist breaks covenant with Israel, enters the temple (much like Antiochus), stops the religious sacrifices, and desecrates the holy place by setting himself up like a god for the world to worship. Many Bible scholars believe he will erect this statue perhaps using the technology of the day, maybe a hologram of himself in the same way that Antiochus set up a physical idol of Zeus and told everybody to worship it. At this time the antichrist also seizes full control of the world's economy and the financial systems.
0:14:48.0
Now, when this happens, Jesus says it will be obvious to all, especially to the Jews. He tells all those who are in Judea at that time, "Flee to the mountains." When you see the abomination which causes desolation, there is no time to waste. Run to safety. Flee to the mountains, He says. Run for your lives. And He stresses the urgency of doing this with some specific instruction. He says if you're on your rooftop…which you've got to know that homes back then were often built not with pitched roofs, but flat roofs. And they would use the top of the roof as a terrace, a great place to go at night and observe the stars and enjoy that. Or maybe you have lunch on your rooftop. He says if you're on the rooftop, don't waste time going down inside your house and grabbing a few things. Run to the mountains. If you're out in the fields at that time, don't waste time going ack to the house and grabbing a few things. Run to the mountains. Flee to the mountains, He says.
0:15:49.0
He says it will be a terrible time for women who are pregnant. Can you imagine begin with child and trying to flee to the mountains and flee to safety during this time? He says pray that it won't happen on the Sabbath. Why the Sabbath? Because some of the strict Sabbath-keepers will say, "No, there are certain travel restrictions on the Sabbath. You can't run. You can't flee." So, Jesus is basically encouraging this sense of urgency during the house. Run for your lives. Run as though your life depends on it, because it will.
0:16:23.8
Now, let's add some detail here from Revelation 12:1-6. Keep in mind, Matthew 24 and 25 is known as the mini apocalypse. Jesus gives some details about the end of the age. Revelation 6-19 is the detailed description of this time on earth that we're talking about, the worst of times on planet earth, the darkest hour of human history known as the seven-year Tribulation. And in Revelation 12:1-6 it pictures this terrible time by describing a woman who appears as a great sign in the heavens. She is tormented by another sign that appears called a great red dragon. If you read that passage of scripture, it's clear from the description that the woman is Israel, and the great red dragon is the devil-possessed antichrist himself. And verse 6 says, "And the woman [that is, Israel] fled to the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God in which she is to be nourished for 1260 days," basically the last 3 ½ years of the Tribulation. Halfway through the Tribulation the antichrist sweeps through the Middle East, turns against the Jews, and introduces a severe persecution against God's chosen people. According to Jesus, there will be no time to lose. Though many will perish, God will provide a refuge in the mountains for those that can make it. That's why He says, "Flee to the mountains."
0:18:14.6
Daniel 12:1 says, "At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble such as has never been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book of life." This is truly the worst of times on planet earth, friends. It's so terrifying and troubling that, again, Jesus says, "If those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short." The Bible says this time is predetermined by God to last no more than 1260 days.
0:19:00.0
That's a lot to take in, but it leads me to the first of three ways I want to encourage you to take this teaching about the Great Tribulation. And, yes, even the smaller tribulations we experience even in our day and age. Take them home with you today. Here is the first thing I want you to take home. Flee to the mighty fortress. Flee to the mighty fortress. Today or during this future time of trouble and tribulation on this earth, the best thing to do in response is to flee to the mighty fortress who is our God.
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Now, allow me to explain what I mean, first by going forward to this future time in Bible prophecy. According to Daniel 11:41 there is a place on planet earth during the Tribulation (0:20:00.0) where it appears the antichrist will not control. At this point in the Tribulation he seizes control of the economic world, the religious world, the political world. But there is a little place on planet earth according to Daniel 11 that is out of the reach of his control. Verse 41 says, "He [the antichrist] shall come into the glorious land." That's Israel. "And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites."
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Now, if you go back in history, Edom, Moab and Ammon, they're all location in Jordan, whose capital today is Amman. You ever heard of Amman, Jordan in the news? Some who study the Bible believe that Daniel's description and Jesus's mention of this safe place for persecuted Jews during the Tribulation includes the Rose City known as Petra, Bosra in Hebrew, which means rock. This place, which you can travel to today, might be the place to which Jesus refers when He says, "Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains," because, again, it seems like this region is protected by God. It's a safe place, a fortress as it were.
0:21:39.4
The Edomites were descendants of Esau, who always held his hand against his brother Jacob. They settled in the mountainous region south of the Dead Sea. And because of their constant hostility against Israel, God declared destruction of the Edomites in Malachi 1:2-4. Read that sometime. About 500 years before the birth of Jesus, this prophecy came true when the Nabataean Arabs ransacked the territory, took control of it, and this fortress-like area known today known as Petra became their glorious capital. Again, this is about 500 years before the birth of Jesus. In time, the Romans overtook Petra, and in time after that the Byzantines did. Since the beginning of about the 8th century A.D…now I'm jumping about 1300 years forward…the once mighty fortress known as Petra has been largely abandoned and has been the home of jackals and snakes and lizards and birds of prey. Interestingly enough, that's what Isaiah prophesied would happen to this region in Isaiah 34.
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But in 1812 a Swiss explorer named Johann Ludwig Burckhardt discovered the beautiful red-rock city known as Petra and introduced it to a world of tourists. Wouldn't you like to go there today? How many of you have been to Petra? How many of you have seen pictures of it? How many of you would like to go there personally? Come to Israel with us in 2022. We're going to Petra. As an extension of our Israel tour, we're heading to the Jordan region, and this is going to be a fascinating, fascinating study because the only entrance to this fortress-like city is a one-mile long narrow stretch hewn from the rock known as the Siq. Just picture in your mind this very narrow stretch. You can only get there walking through. Tanks can't get there. Chariots can't get through. And because of that long, narrow entrance and this fortress-like area that is on the other side of the mile-long entrance, some point to Petra as the place in the mountains to which Jesus told His followers to flee during the Great Tribulation. And it's a picture, a reminder for us that the God of the Bible is always a mighty fortress. He's a safe place for us to dwell in times of trouble. During the Great Tribulation…and again, it might be the place. It seems to be in the region. It seems logical that this is the place to which Jesus referred. There is one place on earth to which they can flee, a safe place, a mighty fortress that God has physically carved out on planet earth for safety for the persecuted Jews during the Tribulation Period.
0:24:54.6
It reminds me, of course, of the hymn written by Martin Luther called "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." I don't know if Luther had this passage in mine when he wrote that and when he talked about the mighty fortress that God is. That hymn is sometimes referred to as "The Battle Hymn of the Reformation," and it's based on Psalm 46, which opens with God as a refuge and a strength. Of course, the battle hymn opens with God is a mighty fortress, literally a strong or unshakeable castle in which we find help in times of trouble.
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What am I saying? Whether you find yourself going through the Great Tribulation…and I'll address that in just a moment…or whether you're experiencing tribulation on this earth...we're experiencing some troubled times right now, aren't we? Nothing compared to what's coming in future Bible prophecy, but nonetheless, stressful for our times. In this time or in the future time to come, the first thing to do is flee. Run toward the mighty fortress who is our God. He is the safe place, a place of refuge for us.
0:26:05.8
Second thing to do to take home with you today is don't be deceived during these times. You know, the devil is a liar. He is a master chameleon and deceiver. The New Testament says that he appears as an angel of light. Make no mistake about it, friends, the devil possesses a Ph.D. in deception. And through the antichrist, Satan's effort to deceive the world into believing his lies will grow exponentially during the Tribulation Period.
0:26:40.6
Now, back to Matthew 24. Let's pick it up in verse 23, where Jesus warns, "Then [talking about the Great Tribulation time] if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!’ or 'There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect." If you were living during that time, or even the times in which we're living today where there are false christs and false teachers, are you easily led astray by people who borrow the terminology of Christianity, but they have a different dictionary? Are you discerning enough to know the difference, or will you be led easily astray?
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The apostle Paul sends the same warning in his second letter to the Thessalonians. Listen to this in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. Paul says, " The coming of the lawless one,"—he's talking about the antichrist—"is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." Oftentimes I get the question, "Pastor, will it be possible for somebody who rejected Christ prior to the rapture to receive Christ during the Tribulation?" And I say, yeah, that's possible. But it will be exponentially harder for a couple of reasons.
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First of all, when the church is raptures, the Holy Spirit departs. It's not "Elvis has left the building;" it's the Holy Spirit and His church has left planet earth. And the restrainer of evil…that's what the apostle Paul in the New Testament refers to the Holy Spirit as. He's a restrainer of evil right now through the salt of the earth and the light of the earth. That is you and me as believers in Jesus Christ who are filled with the Holy Spirit. There is a restraint on evil right now, which is why following the rapture all hell literally breaks loose on planet earth for a period of seven years. So it will be harder. You can't come to Christ without the wooing of the Holy Spirit. He will be active and involved certainly through the ministry of 144,000 Jews, Jewish evangelists who recognize Jesus as their Messiah during the early part of the Tribulation. But it will be harder.
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The second reason it will be harder is because Paul says God sends a strong delusion upon people to believe false things. You'll just sit there and scratch your head with, "How can you believe such deceptions?" Again, the devil possesses a Ph.D. in deception. He is a deceiver all the way back to the Garden of Eden. And he will trick. He will deceive. He will turn many away from God.
0:30:09.6
The apostle John even describes a second beast arising out of the earth who, in partnership with the antichrist—listen to this, Revelation 13—"performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people. And by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives all those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived." This is part of the exponential increase in deception as the antichrist (who is called the beast) and the second beast (probably the false prophet, a religious leader who partners up with the antichrist politically and financially) together are given great powers, even signs and wonders even to where the antichrist himself will be wounded, dies, and rises again from the dead. You know, the devil is a counterfeiter as well as a chameleon. And he wants it to look like he can do just what Jesus did. This is part of the deception that will blanket the earth during the Tribulation Period.
0:31:21.6
Back to Matthew 24:24. This is why Jesus goes on to say, warning at that time, "For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand." He says, "So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." He ends this section in verse 28 by saying, "Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather."
0:32:01.8
We're talking about not being deceived. Flee to the mighty fortress. During any time of tribulation and trouble and distress in your life, just run to Jesus. Flee to the mighty fortress, but also don’t be deceived. The best way to avoid the devil's deceptions at any time is to know the truth like a trained FBI counterfeit currency agent knows a one-dollar bill. You know how the FBI trains their counterfeit agents? Not by putting a bunch of a counterfeit currency in front of them, because that is always changing. No, they put a real dollar bill and real five and a 10, a 20, a 50, a hundred. And they say study the real thing. Study it, every facet of it, every detail of it, so that when a counterfeit appears, in a blink of an eye you can recognize it. Do you know your Bible that well? Do you know the truth of God so well that when a false teacher spits out things using the terminology of Christianity, but with a different dictionary…just a slightly different dictionary to twist the truth just that much, can you detect it in the blink of an eye or in the hearing of your ear? That's the only way I know to prepare yourself for the devil's deceptions. So be prepared.
0:33:34.9
Cults, for example, love to operate in mystery. Have you noticed that? They shroud themselves in hidden meanings known only to the fully enlightened. During the tribulation, some deceivers will say that Jesus has already come. He's here, or He's there. "He's over here in the hidden places, but only the fully enlightened can know. Come, we'll introduce you to Him." Jesus says don't believe it for a moment. Rather, at that time the Son of Man's return, He says, will be like a lightning strike in the sky. Everybody will see it, not just an enlightened few in the hidden places. It will be obvious to all.
0:34:17.7
He uses a rather cryptic analogy to describe the obviousness of the second coming of Jesus Christ. He says that "wherever the corpse is, the vultures will gather." What does He mean by that? Have you ever seen a circle of vultures in the sky? What does it tell you? You know exactly where the corpse is down below. It's that obvious, right? You don't have to guess. It's obvious to everybody. And Jesus uses that analogy plus the lighting strike of the sky to say when He comes, it'll be obvious to all. But there will be deceivers who say, "No, he's already come. He came to us. He's over here in the hidden places. Come on over here." He says don't believe it for a moment.
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Do you have enough discernment to know when a false teacher or a deceptive teaching has come across your way?
0:35:15.3
So, flee to the mighty fortress. Do be deceived. And then, finally, I just say in light of this teaching about the Great Tribulation to come, escape the coming wrath. J. Dwight Pentecost, a former professor of mine at Dallas Seminary writes extensively about the end of the age. And he provides 10 descriptive biblical words that characterize the coming tribulation- wrath, judgement, indignation, trial, trouble, destruction, darkness, desolation, overturning, punishment. It's an ominous list of words, and you get the idea this is the worst of times on planet earth. He concludes his discussion by saying, "No passage can be found to alleviate any degree whatsoever the severity of this time that shall come upon the earth." You say, "Oh, Pastor, this is negative, negative kind of teaching." No, it's teaching from the Word of God. Why does the Bible even tell us about this kind of stuff? Why did Jesus warn the disciples and burden the disciples' hearts with this kind of look into the future? To warn them. As a warning to them. As a warning to us. As a warning to the world in which we live.
0:36:34.4
Because you might have a view of God that is partially consistent with how He reveals Himself in scripture. And you say, "God is a God of love, and He's a God of grace and a God of patience and longsuffering." And He just loves everybody. Yeah, He does. But He's also a God of justice and holiness and righteousness. He's also a God of wrath. It doesn't mean with uncontrollable anger He just spews all over the earth. No, built into the creative order is this idea that if you reject the love of God, the consequences are built in. That's known as the wrath of God Read Romans 1. There are certain consequences built in to rejecting the truth that God has given to us. And the consequence, the ultimate consequence coming on the pages of Bible prophecy is this time of Great Tribulation.
0:37:40.2
Here is the good news for believers in Jesus Christ. You can escape the wrath to come. Why do I say that? 1 Thessalonians 1:10, a letter that Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church where he talks a lot about the end of the age. We get our most detailed description of the next event on God's prophetic calendar known as the rapture of the church in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. It shouldn’t surprise us; at the beginning of that letter he talks about Jesus who "delivers us from the wrath to come." There is a lot of debate among Bible scholars and teachers and prophecy experts in terms of the ordering of events in Bible prophecy. I acknowledge that. My best understanding…and I have kept this for almost three decades of ministry and haven't wavered from it…is that the church of Jesus Christ, those blood-bought sinners saved by the grace of God and through faith, will be snatched out of this earth prior to the Tribulation. It's one way that Jesus saves us and delivers us from the wrath to come. Not to mention the ultimate consequence of rejecting the truth of God, which is a place called Hell, the second death, Revelation 20.
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But you can escape the wrath to come. And you say, "Pastor, I'm already a believer in Jesus. I'm so glad I won't be here during that time." I say great. During the times of trouble and distress and tribulation on this earth…and we're living in one of those times right now, uncertain times and difficult times, the virus and all of that. I say still, flee to the mighty fortress. He's your safe place. Don’t be deceived by false teachers. If you've already escaped the wrath to come, you know where you're headed. That's good. Believer, listen to me. Help others escape. Help others escape. You have friends and neighbors and loved ones, acquaintances, people you have contact with some church or some pastor will never be able to have contact with. Help them escape. Bring the warning to them, the truth of God's Word. The most loving thing you can do is give people the whole council of God, the complete picture of what is to come.
0:40:10.3
I pray every day, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." I pray He comes now. But every day that He doesn't, every day the Father says, "No, I'm not going to turn to My Son and say, 'Go…'"…that day is coming. But every day He doesn't come gives us another opportunity as believers to share the love of Christ and tell the truth to the world, even the warnings that come. Oh, I would love it if it were the grace of God that draws people to faith in Christ, and more often than to it is. But sometimes it's a warning like this straight from the lips of Jesus.
0:40:48.3
And I say to those of you who have never placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, whether you're in person here or you're watching online, flee to the mighty fortress. Run and get to the cross as quickly as you can, because the next event, which I call kind of the first half of the scripture- the rapture of the church, there is no sign leading up to that. There is no indication. Maybe the birth pangs, but we don't know the day or the hour of His ultimate second coming, let alone the front half of that. He could come at any time. And it won't be a lightning strike in the sky for all to see. He'll come in the twinkling of an eye. As fast as you can blink your eye the rapture takes place, and the world that is left behind is sitting here wondering, what on earth is happening? What just happened? You talk about economic, ecological, political turmoil in the world. It's the precursor to the Tribulation. And in that time of distress, a world leader possessed by the devil himself comes centerstage and promises safe and security, gets everybody at rest. And so begins this time also known in the Bible as Jacob's Trouble. You can escape that.
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You can not only escape it, but you can be promised a home forever in heaven. The ultimate fortress and safe place is heaven itself. So, flee to the mighty fortress, friends. Don't be deceived. Escape the coming wrath. And if you've already done that by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have a responsibility. I have a responsibility; we have a responsibility as a church to stay on mission and help as many people as we can escape the wrath to come.
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Let's pray together. Our God and our Father, we thank You for the clear but sometimes ominous and distressful teaching of the Word of God. I thank You that you love us enough to tell us the truth, to even give us a glimpse into the future that comes with appropriate warnings. Lord, I just pray that Your Holy Spirit would urge us in a way today to respond in all the appropriate ways. Maybe there is somebody here today in person or online, where God has you, and a teaching like this has gripped your soul in a way. You say, "I don't know that I'm ready, Pastor." But today is a day of salvation. Just pray this prayer with me. God, I know that I'm a sinner. I've broken Your laws. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That includes me. And I know the wages of sin is death. But that gift of God, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, I want to receive that right now by faith. And I place my faith and my trust in Jesus Christ. Friend, if you prayed that prayer and you meant it…it's not a magical thing to say. No prayer is. It's not an incantation, but it's just the honest expression of your heart to a God who is ready to save, to rescue, to deliver, who is saying, "Come to Me. I'm that mighty fortress who can deliver you in times of tribulation and trouble and ultimately delivers you from the wrath to come." I can say on the authority of God's Word, welcome to the family of God.
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