WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:03.859 Good morning. Nice and loud. Welcome to Calvary 00:00:03.859 --> 00:00:06.900 Chapel. We're going to take a little break here. 00:00:07.820 --> 00:00:09.960 We took a break last week, and then the next 00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:11.539 two weeks we're going to go through Matthew chapter 00:00:11.539 --> 00:00:14.539 24, looking at some of the signs of the end that 00:00:14.539 --> 00:00:17.739 Jesus told his disciples. Signs to look for, 00:00:17.800 --> 00:00:20.460 things to look for before he comes back, because 00:00:20.460 --> 00:00:24.039 the Bible says Jesus is coming back. So before 00:00:24.039 --> 00:00:26.760 we get going, the break we're taking is out of 00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:30.379 the book of Acts. Our break is Paul's missionary 00:00:30.379 --> 00:00:32.679 journey, I want you to keep this in mind so we 00:00:32.679 --> 00:00:35.100 can jump right back in. Paul's missionary journey, 00:00:35.219 --> 00:00:37.179 he's done with his first missionary journey. 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:40.399 They're back in Antioch. They went to Jerusalem. 00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:42.780 Back in Antioch, they're going to go out again, 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:44.399 their second missionary journey. And there's 00:00:44.399 --> 00:00:48.340 going to be a contention between Paul and Barnabas 00:00:48.340 --> 00:00:51.380 over bringing John Mark. So that's where we're 00:00:51.380 --> 00:00:53.939 going to pick up. Not next week, but the week 00:00:53.939 --> 00:00:55.439 after. We're going to take two weeks, go through 00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:58.259 Matthew chapter 24, some other scriptures, Revelation 00:00:58.259 --> 00:01:03.219 chapter 6, a few different things. Looking at 00:01:03.219 --> 00:01:05.420 the end times, the last days, a very important 00:01:05.420 --> 00:01:10.780 time. Last week, we looked at Daniel. We talked 00:01:10.780 --> 00:01:13.400 about Daniel. I'm just going to refresh you guys. 00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:15.319 We're not going to go through, because I know 00:01:15.319 --> 00:01:17.959 Daniel, especially when we got into the math, 00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:21.980 easy to lose people. Other people came up to 00:01:21.980 --> 00:01:26.260 me and wanted a chart or something, a visual 00:01:26.260 --> 00:01:29.739 to see. So I have these in the foyer. Daniel's 00:01:29.739 --> 00:01:33.079 70th week talks about the different kingdoms, 00:01:33.219 --> 00:01:35.879 the timing of different things, rapture of the 00:01:35.879 --> 00:01:41.900 church, the first 69 weeks, the church age, and 00:01:41.900 --> 00:01:45.379 then the 70th week of Daniel, which is the tribulation 00:01:45.379 --> 00:01:48.500 period. time of Jacob's trouble. So I have these 00:01:48.500 --> 00:01:51.379 out there, and Daniel talks about all that. Daniel 00:01:51.379 --> 00:01:54.519 chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar's dream. He has a dream 00:01:54.519 --> 00:01:58.599 of this image, and God gives, and Nebuchadnezzar's 00:01:58.599 --> 00:02:02.280 ready to kill everybody because the dream troubled 00:02:02.280 --> 00:02:05.480 him so bad, and to prove that someone knew his 00:02:05.480 --> 00:02:09.500 dream, you had to tell him the dream and give 00:02:09.500 --> 00:02:12.180 the interpretation, which nobody could do except 00:02:12.180 --> 00:02:14.879 for Daniel. God gave Daniel that interpretation, 00:02:15.039 --> 00:02:17.500 and it was of different kingdoms that were to 00:02:17.500 --> 00:02:21.139 come, right? Daniel said, Nebuchadnezzar, you're 00:02:21.139 --> 00:02:26.060 the head of gold. You're this king of gold who 00:02:26.060 --> 00:02:28.020 rules over everything, and it's going to get 00:02:28.020 --> 00:02:33.159 weaker as we go. Medo -Persia, Greece, Rome, 00:02:33.300 --> 00:02:36.120 and then finally this last kingdom that gets 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:39.560 shattered is this rock that's cut without hands, 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:43.240 comes out of heaven. and shatters this iron mixed 00:02:43.240 --> 00:02:46.259 with clay, the last final kingdom. And it's the 00:02:46.259 --> 00:02:50.719 kingdom that's forming right now in these last 00:02:50.719 --> 00:02:54.979 days, the kingdom of Antichrist, that Jesus Christ 00:02:54.979 --> 00:02:57.759 himself is going to come back and destroy. So 00:02:57.759 --> 00:02:59.199 we're going to look at some of those signs, but 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:03.759 if you'd like this little visual, they're in 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:06.280 the foyer. I made a bunch of copies of those. 00:03:06.379 --> 00:03:09.069 I think they're on the desk out there. And then 00:03:09.069 --> 00:03:11.949 if you're really interested, if you like charts, 00:03:12.069 --> 00:03:16.590 and if you're a visual person, this book is excellent, 00:03:16.830 --> 00:03:20.870 Charting the End Times by Tim LaHaye and Tommy 00:03:20.870 --> 00:03:25.250 Ice. If you like charts, it's got lots of them. 00:03:25.569 --> 00:03:28.270 And they're good. And there's scriptures with 00:03:28.270 --> 00:03:32.169 all of them. And you can look up different things. 00:03:33.729 --> 00:03:39.840 I'll give you some headings. Understanding God's 00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:43.560 plan for the ages. What is Bible prophecy? How 00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:47.939 we got our Bible. Peter and the future. Paul 00:03:47.939 --> 00:03:50.300 and his second coming. The Olivet Discourse. 00:03:51.719 --> 00:03:59.180 The Tribulation. Israel. Ezekiel 37 -39. Lots 00:03:59.180 --> 00:04:02.919 of amazing things in this book. I think it's 00:04:02.919 --> 00:04:06.520 probably $25 or $30 if you're interested. Very 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:12.960 helpful. And very good. So we are going to, and 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:16.120 the book club, listen, this week and next week, 00:04:16.199 --> 00:04:18.180 you'll be able to sign up for the book club. 00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:20.939 Why Grace Changes Everything, the book is $10. 00:04:21.019 --> 00:04:23.720 You can either throw the money in the tithe box 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:28.100 or you can pay for your book when we meet. And 00:04:28.100 --> 00:04:30.319 we're going to meet right before the book club 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:32.079 starts. We'll get together everyone who signed 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:36.060 up. You'll get your journal. And if you ordered 00:04:36.060 --> 00:04:38.240 a book from us, you'll get a book from the church. 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:41.879 They're $10. So you just have to, when you sign 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:44.019 up, just let us know if you need that book. And 00:04:44.019 --> 00:04:46.120 we'll make sure we order you one. We already 00:04:46.120 --> 00:04:49.980 ordered some. Then we'll know if we need to order 00:04:49.980 --> 00:04:53.560 more. So this week and next week will be the 00:04:53.560 --> 00:04:56.699 final order for us. But you can get these things 00:04:56.699 --> 00:05:01.019 right on Amazon for $10. So you can order that 00:05:01.019 --> 00:05:04.060 book. And then we'll listen and you don't have 00:05:04.060 --> 00:05:06.139 to talk at the end, you know, because the end 00:05:06.139 --> 00:05:09.199 of the book, you don't have to like feel pressure 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:11.180 like I want to read the book. I want to be part 00:05:11.180 --> 00:05:13.160 of the book club. But is somebody going to ask 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:16.620 me a question or no? At the end, you get to drink 00:05:16.620 --> 00:05:18.939 coffee, have some desserts. If you want to say 00:05:18.939 --> 00:05:21.920 something, you can. If you want to jump in or 00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:24.199 if you have a question, maybe it'll get answered 00:05:24.199 --> 00:05:27.800 or you can ask a question or talk about something 00:05:27.800 --> 00:05:32.100 God showed you. That'll be at that final. And 00:05:32.100 --> 00:05:36.600 we're trying to gear it and figure out, should 00:05:36.600 --> 00:05:38.839 we take six weeks on a book this size? I don't 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:41.459 know. Some of you guys read this book in a week 00:05:41.459 --> 00:05:45.240 or less than a week. There's 14 small chapters 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:48.339 in this book. You'll have it done in a week or 00:05:48.339 --> 00:05:50.680 two. So I think we're going to shoot for six 00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:53.160 weeks. Gives everyone plenty of time. Maybe you 00:05:53.160 --> 00:05:55.420 need to read it twice. Who knows? You'll have 00:05:55.420 --> 00:05:59.759 plenty of time. Other than that, we're going 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:03.240 to be in Matthew chapter 24, and I'll pray real 00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:05.540 quick. Lord, we're so thankful, God, for your 00:06:05.540 --> 00:06:08.459 love, for your goodness and your kindness, Lord, 00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:11.019 and your grace in our life, God. We pray, Lord, 00:06:11.160 --> 00:06:14.379 for this morning that you'd stir our hearts, 00:06:14.459 --> 00:06:16.500 God, that you'd speak to our hearts, Lord, and 00:06:16.500 --> 00:06:19.540 the things that I need to say I wouldn't forget, 00:06:19.740 --> 00:06:24.740 and the things I do say that wouldn't be confusing. 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:28.740 I wouldn't leave anything out, Lord. So we just 00:06:28.740 --> 00:06:30.660 give you this morning, God, pray that you'd stir 00:06:30.660 --> 00:06:33.500 our hearts. Lord, cause us to look up. Your word 00:06:33.500 --> 00:06:36.839 tells us when we see these things, Lord, we're 00:06:36.839 --> 00:06:39.100 to look up because our redemption is drawing 00:06:39.100 --> 00:06:41.980 nigh. So I pray you'd cause us to do that, Jesus, 00:06:42.139 --> 00:06:49.980 in your name. So every time, you know, every 00:06:49.980 --> 00:06:52.899 once in a while I see this image on, I've seen 00:06:52.899 --> 00:06:57.870 it on Facebook. But it's a photographer who takes 00:06:57.870 --> 00:07:00.490 pictures, and I probably shared this with you 00:07:00.490 --> 00:07:03.569 before, but a photographer, he takes pictures 00:07:03.569 --> 00:07:06.529 of walk -off home runs. Someone who's, you know, 00:07:06.529 --> 00:07:10.149 bottom of the ninth, extra innings, 10th, 11th, 00:07:10.149 --> 00:07:13.149 12th inning, and the guy hits a walk -off home 00:07:13.149 --> 00:07:18.569 run. And the guy takes a picture of the guy rounding 00:07:18.569 --> 00:07:22.259 third base coming into home. And the guy's a 00:07:22.259 --> 00:07:25.060 Christian. He says, that's how I picture people 00:07:25.060 --> 00:07:29.579 going into heaven. Like, finally, we've made 00:07:29.579 --> 00:07:32.860 it. We won. And the whole team, and it's a picture 00:07:32.860 --> 00:07:35.819 of the guy rounding third base. And the whole 00:07:35.819 --> 00:07:38.220 team is waiting for him just on the other side 00:07:38.220 --> 00:07:41.620 of home plate. And it's such a great image, such 00:07:41.620 --> 00:07:44.920 a great. picture because that's really this world. 00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:48.019 We're grinding it out here. We're depending on 00:07:48.019 --> 00:07:50.420 the Lord. We have his word, his spirit. We have 00:07:50.420 --> 00:07:53.699 the church to gather and to get fellowship and 00:07:53.699 --> 00:07:56.259 to sharpen one another. But this world gets hard 00:07:56.259 --> 00:08:02.639 sometimes. And so Bible prophecy is part of what 00:08:02.639 --> 00:08:04.740 causes us to look up and not get distracted, 00:08:04.980 --> 00:08:11.300 to not get deceived, so we can stay focused on 00:08:11.959 --> 00:08:15.920 The kingdom. And not get pulled away or sucked 00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:19.220 away by this world. Because that's what the devil 00:08:19.220 --> 00:08:23.779 wants to do. And the sons of Issachar, I mentioned 00:08:23.779 --> 00:08:26.459 this last week. The sons of Issachar, it's a 00:08:26.459 --> 00:08:32.399 small group of men from that tribe. 200, I believe, 00:08:32.580 --> 00:08:35.820 in 1 Chronicles talks about this group. It says 00:08:35.820 --> 00:08:41.639 that they knew the signs of the times. They understood 00:08:41.639 --> 00:08:44.960 the sign. And if you hate genealogies, like if 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:48.340 that's your Bible in a year and you hit a genealogy, 00:08:48.440 --> 00:08:49.860 you're like, oh my gosh, I'm going to get through 00:08:49.860 --> 00:08:53.240 this in one second today. It's a genealogy. Well, 00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:56.360 you'll miss that in Chronicles if you just skip 00:08:56.360 --> 00:08:58.840 through your genealogy because something special 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:01.360 was said there about these sons of Issachar. 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:05.879 It says they understood the signs of the times. 00:09:06.340 --> 00:09:10.480 And it says for a reason that they knew. what 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:14.620 Israel should do. How do you operate? How do 00:09:14.620 --> 00:09:18.899 you behave? What to do when you see the signs 00:09:18.899 --> 00:09:21.759 the days we're living in? And that's the question 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:26.860 the disciples asked Jesus. When will this be, 00:09:26.960 --> 00:09:29.480 the destruction of the temple and the sign of 00:09:29.480 --> 00:09:32.759 your coming and the end of the age, the age of 00:09:32.759 --> 00:09:37.139 man? When is the rule of man going to be over 00:09:37.139 --> 00:09:43.450 that can be so cruel? And so off, right? And 00:09:43.450 --> 00:09:47.250 they lived in this era of Rome when they asked 00:09:47.250 --> 00:09:51.990 this question. And so prophecy creates a readiness, 00:09:52.149 --> 00:09:58.490 a preparedness for eternity, that your eyes would 00:09:58.490 --> 00:10:05.950 be looking up, your heart would be ready. I think 00:10:05.950 --> 00:10:08.210 I did it last week. You know, a third of your 00:10:08.210 --> 00:10:13.820 Bible, His Bible prophecy. One third. And for 00:10:13.820 --> 00:10:16.919 every one scripture that talks about Jesus' first 00:10:16.919 --> 00:10:20.600 coming, that we looked at it last week in Daniel 00:10:20.600 --> 00:10:26.519 chapter 9, that Israel was to know the day of 00:10:26.519 --> 00:10:30.940 their visitation. The exact day. Daniel predicted 00:10:30.940 --> 00:10:34.500 the very day that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem 00:10:34.500 --> 00:10:39.519 as Messiah. They were to know the day. For every 00:10:39.519 --> 00:10:43.460 one scripture for the first coming, there's eight 00:10:43.460 --> 00:10:45.879 for the second coming. That's how important it 00:10:45.879 --> 00:10:48.700 is that Jesus is coming back. When the disciples 00:10:48.700 --> 00:10:51.820 were there in Acts chapter one and Jesus is taken 00:10:51.820 --> 00:10:54.279 into heaven, the angel says, why do you stand 00:10:54.279 --> 00:10:58.419 there gazing up? Because Jesus, the same Jesus 00:10:58.419 --> 00:11:01.399 is going to come in like fashion. He's coming 00:11:01.399 --> 00:11:05.700 back. Right? And I think we looked at it last 00:11:05.700 --> 00:11:10.399 week, Acts chapter two. As Peter declares what 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:15.220 everyone was seeing in the early church, as they're 00:11:15.220 --> 00:11:17.200 speaking in tongues, declaring the wonderful 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:20.700 works of God in everyone's language, Peter stands 00:11:20.700 --> 00:11:23.139 up and says, this is what was spoken by the prophet 00:11:23.139 --> 00:11:26.159 Joel. In the last days, I'm going to pour out 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:31.159 my spirit on young and old. And then he describes 00:11:31.159 --> 00:11:34.179 this time that leads right to the tribulation 00:11:34.179 --> 00:11:41.379 period. that the sun won't shine, the stars from 00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:44.399 heaven are going to fall, all these different 00:11:44.399 --> 00:11:48.980 things describing the tribulation period. And 00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:52.000 that marked, Acts chapter 2 marks the beginning 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:55.860 of the last days that are narrowing down, narrowing 00:11:55.860 --> 00:11:59.039 down, and the signs are becoming more prevalent 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:01.419 and more prevalent and greater and greater and 00:12:01.419 --> 00:12:07.899 more observable. So Matthew chapter 24, It says 00:12:07.899 --> 00:12:16.639 this. Somebody took my clock this week. If you 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:21.799 look at chapter 23 with me, we'll start there. 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:25.080 It's important. There's some things that are 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:29.220 important to fit in your understanding of the 00:12:29.220 --> 00:12:31.840 last days, how things are going to play out, 00:12:31.899 --> 00:12:37.340 what's going to happen in the future. That scriptures 00:12:37.340 --> 00:12:40.759 are going to fit in or they're not, or you're 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:42.740 going to force them. And I think I talked about 00:12:42.740 --> 00:12:46.759 it last week, that there's this replacement theology 00:12:46.759 --> 00:12:52.200 that lends to anti -Semitism, hatred of Jews. 00:12:53.419 --> 00:12:56.299 That the church has replaced Israel, and that 00:12:56.299 --> 00:13:02.120 Israel is not for today, which is not true. You 00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:05.000 really have to force a lot of things in Bible 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:08.940 prophecy. to push Israel out and put the church 00:13:08.940 --> 00:13:14.360 in its place. So it says this in chapter 23. 00:13:14.500 --> 00:13:19.960 If you remember with me, Jesus has already rode 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:22.919 into Jerusalem. He's wept over it. And he says, 00:13:22.940 --> 00:13:25.679 you know, if you would have known this thy day, 00:13:25.860 --> 00:13:29.539 but now they're hid from your eyes. They cried 00:13:29.539 --> 00:13:33.419 out a scripture, a prophetic messianic scripture, 00:13:33.720 --> 00:13:38.240 Psalm 118. When they were there, Hosanna, they 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:40.200 were saying, blessed is he who comes in the name 00:13:40.200 --> 00:13:41.580 of the Lord. Remember, they were laying palm 00:13:41.580 --> 00:13:45.320 branches down on the road. They were declaring 00:13:45.320 --> 00:13:48.639 Jesus Christ as Messiah. Blessed is he who comes 00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:51.159 in the name of the Lord. They're declaring Jesus 00:13:51.159 --> 00:13:54.360 as Messiah, but Jesus knew something that they 00:13:54.360 --> 00:13:57.159 didn't know. In just a couple days, they were 00:13:57.159 --> 00:14:00.720 going to crucify him. They were going to take 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:03.120 everything they said about him back, and they 00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:06.889 were going to kill him. Right. But Jesus is going 00:14:06.889 --> 00:14:12.169 to say this. Keeping that in mind. Says this 00:14:12.169 --> 00:14:18.090 in verse 37 of chapter 23. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 00:14:18.490 --> 00:14:22.370 the one who kills the prophets and stones those 00:14:22.370 --> 00:14:26.409 who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather 00:14:26.409 --> 00:14:29.370 your children together as a hen gathers her chickens 00:14:29.370 --> 00:14:31.970 together under her wings. But you were not willing. 00:14:33.100 --> 00:14:36.879 How important that is. He doesn't say, oh, New 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:41.179 York, New York. Oh, you know, whatever. You can 00:14:41.179 --> 00:14:43.279 name your city, whatever important city there 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:49.360 is today. He says, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. And 00:14:49.360 --> 00:14:54.159 he says, the one who kills the prophets and stones 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:59.559 the ones who are sent to her. I wanted to gather 00:14:59.559 --> 00:15:02.120 your children together as a hen gathers her chickens 00:15:02.120 --> 00:15:04.460 under her wings, but you are not willing. And 00:15:04.460 --> 00:15:08.720 that's God's heart for people, how he cares for 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:12.860 people. I remember being in Haiti, and I don't 00:15:12.860 --> 00:15:15.919 want to throw this idea off because this is very 00:15:15.919 --> 00:15:19.159 Jewish. But I don't want to throw the idea off. 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:21.799 I remember being in Haiti, and there was all 00:15:21.799 --> 00:15:24.899 these chickens. I would watch from my balcony, 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:28.419 looking down in their little courtyard. And there 00:15:28.419 --> 00:15:30.720 was a couple chickens that had these tiny little 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:33.159 chicks. And people who have chickens probably 00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:36.860 have seen this before. But it was like a visual 00:15:36.860 --> 00:15:39.480 for me. Because they'd be running around. Then 00:15:39.480 --> 00:15:40.840 all of a sudden, you'd look away, look back, 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:42.620 and they'd disappear. Like, where did these little 00:15:42.620 --> 00:15:45.559 chickens go? And then she'd lift up her wings, 00:15:45.659 --> 00:15:47.500 and all these chickens would run out from under 00:15:47.500 --> 00:15:51.360 her. She's protecting them. And that's what Jesus 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:54.440 is saying, how I wanted to gather you in and 00:15:54.440 --> 00:15:57.570 protect you. And be your Savior. And that's what 00:15:57.570 --> 00:16:00.809 Jesus' heart is for every single person here, 00:16:00.889 --> 00:16:03.830 if you don't know him today. How he wants to 00:16:03.830 --> 00:16:06.429 be your Savior, your Lord. He wants to be your 00:16:06.429 --> 00:16:09.830 friend. That's amazing to me. The God of the 00:16:09.830 --> 00:16:12.950 universe, he doesn't just want to save you, but 00:16:12.950 --> 00:16:16.049 he wants to be your friend. He wants to be in 00:16:16.049 --> 00:16:20.690 your life every day, every moment. And so Jesus 00:16:20.690 --> 00:16:23.110 is saying, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who, 00:16:23.149 --> 00:16:28.580 but it's not over here. And I think this book 00:16:28.580 --> 00:16:33.360 has a chart on this. It's the dispersion of Israel, 00:16:33.500 --> 00:16:37.080 how it's left desolate, Israel and Jerusalem. 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:39.200 And that's going to happen. We're going to talk 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:41.220 about that in a minute. But he says that, see, 00:16:41.299 --> 00:16:44.059 your house is left to you desolate. But guess 00:16:44.059 --> 00:16:47.580 what? It's not over. Because verse 39 says, for 00:16:47.580 --> 00:16:52.500 I say to you, you shall see me no more until 00:16:52.500 --> 00:16:55.570 you say. Blessed is he who comes in the name 00:16:55.570 --> 00:16:58.309 of the Lord. They had already said that. They 00:16:58.309 --> 00:17:01.169 had already declared that. They said that. But 00:17:01.169 --> 00:17:04.349 guess what? It's going to happen again. It's 00:17:04.349 --> 00:17:07.730 going to happen again. At the end of the tribulation. 00:17:08.769 --> 00:17:11.289 Right? You remember Zechariah. He says, I'm going 00:17:11.289 --> 00:17:14.369 to send out my spirit in the last days. Zechariah, 00:17:14.369 --> 00:17:17.390 I think it's 12. In the last days, the spirit 00:17:17.390 --> 00:17:24.200 on the... Oh, the sons of David, the spirit of 00:17:24.200 --> 00:17:28.960 grace and supplication. And it says that they'll 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:33.039 look upon me whom they pierced. That hasn't taken 00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:36.039 place yet. That's coming in the future. For who? 00:17:36.119 --> 00:17:40.400 For Israel. For the Jews. And it's important 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:43.819 to keep that in mind because the Jewish state 00:17:43.819 --> 00:17:48.740 and regathering, May 14th, 1948, is the super 00:17:48.740 --> 00:17:52.579 sign of the last days. It's the sign of the last 00:17:52.579 --> 00:17:55.259 days. I believe it's, and we're gonna look at 00:17:55.259 --> 00:17:57.539 it next week. We're gonna talk about the rapture 00:17:57.539 --> 00:17:59.539 next week. We're gonna talk about Israel next 00:17:59.539 --> 00:18:01.779 week. We're also gonna talk about the days we're 00:18:01.779 --> 00:18:04.339 living in, the days of Noah, the days of Lot. 00:18:04.460 --> 00:18:07.599 Those are some of the last days signs Jesus also 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:13.619 gave in a warning to the church and to his disciples. 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:17.660 But the super sign is Israel. Blessed is he who 00:18:17.660 --> 00:18:19.039 comes in the name of the Lord. They're gonna 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:23.349 say that again. They're going to look upon me 00:18:23.349 --> 00:18:28.369 who they pierced. It's very Jewish. We're going 00:18:28.369 --> 00:18:32.390 to see as we travel through Matthew 24, it becomes 00:18:32.390 --> 00:18:36.769 very Jewish, and it lines up with Revelation 00:18:36.769 --> 00:18:42.730 chapter 6, which is a snapshot of the first three 00:18:42.730 --> 00:18:44.329 and a half years of the tribulation. We're actually 00:18:44.329 --> 00:18:46.849 going to read it today and see how it lines up. 00:18:51.460 --> 00:18:59.619 So you look with me in chapter 24. We don't have 00:18:59.619 --> 00:19:06.079 time to read all the verses. I want to. I know 00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:09.640 it can get. I don't want to bog you down too 00:19:09.640 --> 00:19:15.140 much. But it says this. And Jesus was traveling 00:19:15.140 --> 00:19:21.039 from the temple through the Kidron Valley. to 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:24.220 the Mount of Olives every day. He'd teach in 00:19:24.220 --> 00:19:26.799 the temple, and then he'd leave there in the 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:28.980 evening and go to the Mount of Olives. He stayed 00:19:28.980 --> 00:19:31.259 there with his disciples for several days leading 00:19:31.259 --> 00:19:35.960 up to his crucifixion that last week. So it says 00:19:35.960 --> 00:19:39.099 this in verse one, Jesus went out and departed 00:19:39.099 --> 00:19:41.319 from the temple, he and his disciples, and they 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:44.400 came up to show him the buildings of the temple, 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:48.000 how impressive they were. The temple was something 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:51.759 that If you spoke against the temple, you could 00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:56.539 be killed. It's like blasphemy. I mean, they 00:19:56.539 --> 00:20:00.059 held it in such high regard, the temple, that 00:20:00.059 --> 00:20:04.259 Herod rebuilt. He added on. He made it pretty 00:20:04.259 --> 00:20:08.460 amazing. And so the disciples are showing him 00:20:08.460 --> 00:20:11.740 the temple. Like, this is going to stand, right, 00:20:11.819 --> 00:20:13.900 Lord? The temple is always going to be here. 00:20:13.940 --> 00:20:16.440 Finally, it's established. It's going to be here. 00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:23.500 And Jesus says this in verse two, do you not 00:20:23.500 --> 00:20:26.380 see all these things? He's showing it, looking 00:20:26.380 --> 00:20:29.200 at the temple. Assuredly, I say to you, not one 00:20:29.200 --> 00:20:32.539 stone shall be left here upon another that shall 00:20:32.539 --> 00:20:37.160 not be thrown down. And you know, 70 AD, Titus 00:20:37.160 --> 00:20:41.579 Vespasian goes in and destroys the temple. And 00:20:41.579 --> 00:20:45.140 to remove the gold, From the temple that got 00:20:45.140 --> 00:20:51.180 burned accidentally, whatever, as they're removing 00:20:51.180 --> 00:20:53.319 the gold, to get the gold, they have to take 00:20:53.319 --> 00:20:57.980 one stone off upon another. And you've probably 00:20:57.980 --> 00:21:02.700 seen the Wailing Wall, a very famous place where 00:21:02.700 --> 00:21:05.160 you'll see rabbis and visitors and people go. 00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:08.440 If you see anything that has to do with the temple, 00:21:08.460 --> 00:21:11.880 that's not the temple, it's the foundation. It's 00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:14.319 a retaining wall of the temple is what it is. 00:21:14.819 --> 00:21:18.500 And then they built the temple beyond that. So 00:21:18.500 --> 00:21:21.759 there's literally not one stone left upon another. 00:21:21.980 --> 00:21:24.319 How did the disciples know that? How does Jesus 00:21:24.319 --> 00:21:26.680 know that? That wouldn't take place for 35 more 00:21:26.680 --> 00:21:31.960 years. Jesus said, so exacting that every stone 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:37.119 is going to get removed. One stone upon another 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:41.000 to retrieve the gold. that as the temple's burning, 00:21:41.099 --> 00:21:43.400 it melts in between the stones. And the only 00:21:43.400 --> 00:21:46.339 way to retrieve it was to tear the temple apart, 00:21:46.539 --> 00:21:54.579 stone by stone by stone. Listen, prophecy, Jesus 00:21:54.579 --> 00:21:56.779 knows the future. God knows the future. The Bible 00:21:56.779 --> 00:22:01.240 knows the future. And Jesus knows the future. 00:22:01.299 --> 00:22:05.900 Trust me, this is true. And we need to listen 00:22:05.900 --> 00:22:09.509 to what Jesus is saying. Now he goes, so. He 00:22:09.509 --> 00:22:12.869 sits on the Mount of Olives, verse 3, and the 00:22:12.869 --> 00:22:14.869 disciples came to him privately saying, tell 00:22:14.869 --> 00:22:18.150 us, when shall these things be? The destruction 00:22:18.150 --> 00:22:20.349 of the temple. But they think this is all at 00:22:20.349 --> 00:22:24.710 one time. Obviously, when the temple gets destroyed, 00:22:25.009 --> 00:22:28.529 this is all going to be in one. This all happens 00:22:28.529 --> 00:22:32.190 at one time, and it doesn't. So they're asking 00:22:32.190 --> 00:22:34.789 basically three questions here, thinking it's 00:22:34.789 --> 00:22:37.029 all one time. Tell us, when shall these things 00:22:37.029 --> 00:22:40.009 be? And what shall be the sign of your coming, 00:22:40.190 --> 00:22:44.490 your coming back, and the end of the age, the 00:22:44.490 --> 00:22:48.049 age of man? When is man going to quit ruling 00:22:48.049 --> 00:22:52.450 here on planet earth? And Jesus doesn't say that's 00:22:52.450 --> 00:22:55.910 not important. That doesn't matter. Don't worry. 00:22:56.029 --> 00:23:00.130 You just got to be a good person and witness, 00:23:00.430 --> 00:23:03.630 go evangelize, but you don't need to know. You 00:23:03.630 --> 00:23:07.440 don't need signs. Jesus doesn't say that. Jesus 00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:11.960 gives them specific signs. And I'm going to read 00:23:11.960 --> 00:23:14.339 these and then we're going to go to Revelation 00:23:14.339 --> 00:23:18.200 chapter 6 and look and see how it mirrors Revelation 00:23:18.200 --> 00:23:20.880 chapter 6, which is the first three and a half 00:23:20.880 --> 00:23:25.720 years of the tribulation. If you mark in your 00:23:25.720 --> 00:23:29.779 Bibles or take notes all the way to verse 26, 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:34.460 that's the midway point of the tribulation in 00:23:34.460 --> 00:23:41.420 Matthew chapter 24. Okay, we get to a spot verse, 00:23:41.599 --> 00:23:48.779 I don't know, verse 13 or 14, 15. That's the 00:23:48.779 --> 00:23:51.160 middle of the tribulation. And Jesus is talking 00:23:51.160 --> 00:23:54.460 about that all the way to verse 26. That's the 00:23:54.460 --> 00:23:58.099 encouragement to hang in there. That's the abomination 00:23:58.099 --> 00:24:01.400 of desolation. I think if some of you guys were 00:24:01.400 --> 00:24:04.660 here last week, we talked about it. Antiochus, 00:24:04.660 --> 00:24:10.220 Epiphanes. The Seleucid king did this. Claimed 00:24:10.220 --> 00:24:16.980 to be the god Zeus. He went into the temple, 00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:22.640 brought an image, killed a pig, desecrated the 00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:24.500 temple, spread its blood all over the temple, 00:24:24.559 --> 00:24:27.859 made the priest drink the blood, killed over 00:24:27.859 --> 00:24:31.640 100 ,000 Jews. It started the Maccabean revolt. 00:24:32.619 --> 00:24:37.769 History lesson. That was a dress rehearsal for 00:24:37.769 --> 00:24:39.490 what was going to take place in the tribulation. 00:24:40.049 --> 00:24:44.930 Because as the temple's destroyed, I don't want 00:24:44.930 --> 00:24:47.670 to lose you guys. As the temple's destroyed in 00:24:47.670 --> 00:24:53.470 70 AD, the temple isn't desecrated. That's going 00:24:53.470 --> 00:24:57.470 to be future. And Revelation wasn't written until 00:24:57.470 --> 00:25:04.000 95 AD. So that, everything John sees, Was future. 00:25:04.180 --> 00:25:06.680 He's not looking back at Titus destroying the 00:25:06.680 --> 00:25:11.660 temple. Right? So to desecrate the temple that 00:25:11.660 --> 00:25:14.279 gets destroyed in 70 AD, what has to happen? 00:25:15.380 --> 00:25:18.680 There needs to be a rebuilt temple. Which is 00:25:18.680 --> 00:25:23.640 coming. Right? The Temple Institute in Jerusalem 00:25:23.640 --> 00:25:27.259 is there. They have all the instruments prepared. 00:25:27.859 --> 00:25:30.440 They're doing DNA tests. They want to get the 00:25:30.440 --> 00:25:33.640 priests, all the people. That are going to be 00:25:33.640 --> 00:25:35.920 able to do the sacrifices. You remember 2022? 00:25:37.319 --> 00:25:42.380 Five red heifers were sent from Texas to Israel 00:25:42.380 --> 00:25:46.079 that were pure. There wasn't one blemish, no 00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:51.539 white hair on these things. Right? Now, I don't 00:25:51.539 --> 00:25:55.319 know if those are the red heifers. And what does 00:25:55.319 --> 00:26:00.200 that mean, a red heifer? That's what needed to 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:03.329 be sacrificed. and they mix the ashes in the 00:26:03.329 --> 00:26:07.470 water to purify different things, right? In the 00:26:07.470 --> 00:26:14.130 Levitical law and Moses, it's important. So they're 00:26:14.130 --> 00:26:17.450 planning, and every year they go up on the temple 00:26:17.450 --> 00:26:20.730 mount and put up a little bit of a stink, and 00:26:20.730 --> 00:26:26.910 they want to build the temple. They have a problem 00:26:26.910 --> 00:26:31.680 there. one of the holiest Muslim sites there, 00:26:31.779 --> 00:26:35.599 the Dome of the Rock, that for some reason, I 00:26:35.599 --> 00:26:39.440 think it was in 1967, when Israel took control 00:26:39.440 --> 00:26:45.180 of Jerusalem, they left that thing there. I don't 00:26:45.180 --> 00:26:49.640 know why, but that was part of the, whatever, 00:26:51.079 --> 00:26:55.289 the agreement. But God knows that. In fact, when 00:26:55.289 --> 00:26:57.569 you read the book of Revelation, and they're 00:26:57.569 --> 00:27:00.210 called to measure the temple and leave out the 00:27:00.210 --> 00:27:02.769 court of the Gentiles, many people believe that 00:27:02.769 --> 00:27:07.690 that's where the dome of the rock is built and 00:27:07.690 --> 00:27:10.789 where the court of the Gentiles would be. It's 00:27:10.789 --> 00:27:12.789 kind of interesting. I don't want to lose you, 00:27:12.809 --> 00:27:16.529 though. It didn't happen. I start rambling up 00:27:16.529 --> 00:27:21.920 here. When shall these things be? What shall 00:27:21.920 --> 00:27:24.759 be the sign of your coming and the end of the 00:27:24.759 --> 00:27:28.839 age? Jesus said, take heed that no one deceives 00:27:28.839 --> 00:27:30.619 you. So I'm just going to read a few of these 00:27:30.619 --> 00:27:33.700 verses because we're just going to read the first 00:27:33.700 --> 00:27:38.160 few, maybe 10 verses or so. And then we're going 00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:40.279 to look at Revelation chapter 6. We're going 00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:44.259 to go through some of these things that you see. 00:27:44.380 --> 00:27:47.160 But the first thing is, take heed no one deceives 00:27:47.160 --> 00:27:50.730 you. Many will come in my name. saying, I am 00:27:50.730 --> 00:27:57.589 the Christ and will deceive many. You'll hear 00:27:57.589 --> 00:28:00.990 of wars, verse 6, and rumors of wars. See that 00:28:00.990 --> 00:28:03.569 you're not troubled, for all these things must 00:28:03.569 --> 00:28:05.990 come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation 00:28:05.990 --> 00:28:09.049 will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. 00:28:09.250 --> 00:28:12.069 There'll be famines, pestilence, earthquakes 00:28:12.069 --> 00:28:15.289 in various places. These things are the beginning 00:28:15.289 --> 00:28:19.789 of sorrows. And they'll deliver you up to tribulation, 00:28:19.869 --> 00:28:22.150 kill you. You'll be hated by all nations for 00:28:22.150 --> 00:28:25.329 my namesake. And then many will be offended and 00:28:25.329 --> 00:28:27.549 will betray one another and will hate one another. 00:28:27.890 --> 00:28:31.269 Many false prophets will rise up and deceive 00:28:31.269 --> 00:28:35.309 many. And because lawlessness will abound, the 00:28:35.309 --> 00:28:38.130 love of many will grow cold. But he who endures 00:28:38.130 --> 00:28:42.450 to the end shall be saved. You need to have endurance 00:28:42.450 --> 00:28:46.210 through the tribulation. If you're going through 00:28:46.210 --> 00:28:51.079 the tribulation. But the church is not appointed 00:28:51.079 --> 00:28:55.839 to wrath. We're not appointed to wrath. So turn 00:28:55.839 --> 00:29:00.079 with me to Revelation chapter 6. We'll just read 00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:05.500 that chapter together quickly and see the correlation 00:29:05.500 --> 00:29:20.740 here. We might read another chapter in Revelation 00:29:20.740 --> 00:29:31.140 2. So Revelation chapter 6 kicks off the tribulation 00:29:31.140 --> 00:29:37.480 period. You don't have to turn there, but John 00:29:37.480 --> 00:29:47.039 is taken to heaven in chapter 4. An angel says, 00:29:47.099 --> 00:29:51.410 come up here. and ushers John into heaven. And 00:29:51.410 --> 00:29:54.750 now the church is in heaven, Revelation chapter 00:29:54.750 --> 00:29:58.589 four and five. And this is the view from heaven 00:29:58.589 --> 00:30:01.269 of what's taking place on planet earth during 00:30:01.269 --> 00:30:05.549 the tribulation, seven year period. I saw when 00:30:05.549 --> 00:30:08.509 the lamb opened one of the seals. Remember chapter 00:30:08.509 --> 00:30:11.869 five, there was a scroll sealed with seven seals 00:30:11.869 --> 00:30:15.529 and no one was worthy to open it. And John wept 00:30:15.529 --> 00:30:18.339 bitterly because no one in heaven or earth was 00:30:18.339 --> 00:30:22.180 found worthy. But then he says, oh, John, don't 00:30:22.180 --> 00:30:25.160 weep. The lion of the tribe of Judah, he's worthy. 00:30:25.480 --> 00:30:28.000 And John turns to look at the lion of the tribe 00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:30.299 of Judah, and what's he see? A lamb as though 00:30:30.299 --> 00:30:32.180 it had been slain from before the foundations 00:30:32.180 --> 00:30:36.319 of the earth. Jesus Christ is the one that's 00:30:36.319 --> 00:30:41.140 worthy. So he's opening these seals. And I saw 00:30:41.140 --> 00:30:43.380 the lamb open one of the seals, and I heard one 00:30:43.380 --> 00:30:45.119 of the four living creatures saying with a loud 00:30:45.119 --> 00:30:49.450 voice, like thunder come and see. And I looked 00:30:49.450 --> 00:30:53.589 and behold, a white horse. It's not Jesus Christ. 00:30:54.269 --> 00:30:59.069 It's antichrist. And he who sat on it had a bow 00:30:59.069 --> 00:31:02.529 and a crown was given to him. This laurel wreath 00:31:02.529 --> 00:31:06.069 was given to him. It's a conquering crown, but 00:31:06.069 --> 00:31:08.069 it's not a kingly crown. It's not the crowns 00:31:08.069 --> 00:31:10.910 that Jesus is going to wear. The different crown. 00:31:11.190 --> 00:31:14.809 And he went out conquering. And to conquer. And 00:31:14.809 --> 00:31:18.509 the bow he has is a bow of a covenant. It's a 00:31:18.509 --> 00:31:24.750 pact. It's not like a Matthew's bow or whatever 00:31:24.750 --> 00:31:28.890 it is. It's not a crossbow. This is a bow. It's 00:31:28.890 --> 00:31:32.230 a covenant. It's the covenant. It's the peace 00:31:32.230 --> 00:31:35.970 treaty that we looked at last week in Daniel 00:31:35.970 --> 00:31:41.589 chapter 9. That Antichrist is going to make a 00:31:41.589 --> 00:31:46.930 treaty. For one week. A seven year period. With 00:31:46.930 --> 00:31:51.369 Israel. That's what happens here. Revelation 00:31:51.369 --> 00:31:54.250 chapter 6. Jesus says, take heed that no one 00:31:54.250 --> 00:31:57.289 deceives you. Many will come in my name. Antichrist 00:31:57.289 --> 00:32:01.789 is a deceiver. And he's going to deceive the 00:32:01.789 --> 00:32:06.410 whole world. Rapture the church. The church is 00:32:06.410 --> 00:32:08.529 out of here. Antichrist is going to bring this 00:32:08.529 --> 00:32:11.240 peace. He's going to bring a peace treaty to 00:32:11.240 --> 00:32:14.819 Israel. He's going to bring an answer. He's going 00:32:14.819 --> 00:32:17.519 to have an answer for why millions of people 00:32:17.519 --> 00:32:20.740 disappeared from planet Earth. All the wars and 00:32:20.740 --> 00:32:23.720 rumors of wars that have been happening and do 00:32:23.720 --> 00:32:26.319 happen. He's going to have an answer for all 00:32:26.319 --> 00:32:29.119 these things. And he's probably going to be the 00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:34.319 guy that allows the temple to be rebuilt in Israel. 00:32:34.740 --> 00:32:36.960 That's part of this covenant, this pact, this 00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:42.519 boa that he brings. And through diplomacy, he's 00:32:42.519 --> 00:32:45.880 going to conquer. And then you're going to see 00:32:45.880 --> 00:32:49.880 all these governments start shifting. And you 00:32:49.880 --> 00:32:52.400 look at Daniel's prophecy, and we're going to 00:32:52.400 --> 00:32:55.359 see it later in the book of Revelation. We won't 00:32:55.359 --> 00:32:56.680 because I'm not going to go there. You guys can 00:32:56.680 --> 00:32:59.660 read it. But that's why these horns grow up in 00:32:59.660 --> 00:33:02.619 these kingdoms. Ten horns. It's going to be this 00:33:02.619 --> 00:33:07.700 confederation of nations under Antichrist. That 00:33:07.700 --> 00:33:11.099 begin to rule the world. He's a world global 00:33:11.099 --> 00:33:14.779 leader. Antichrist. He's on a white horse. Why? 00:33:14.940 --> 00:33:17.480 He's deceptive. Because the guys on the white 00:33:17.480 --> 00:33:19.980 horse, those guys are the good guys normally, 00:33:20.200 --> 00:33:24.380 right? Not in this case. He's fooling the world. 00:33:25.160 --> 00:33:27.920 He's coming in on a white horse like a hero. 00:33:29.339 --> 00:33:37.380 But it's a lie. And then. Verse 3, when he opened 00:33:37.380 --> 00:33:39.420 the second seal, I heard the second living creature 00:33:39.420 --> 00:33:42.140 saying, come and see. And another horse, fiery 00:33:42.140 --> 00:33:45.880 red, went out. And it was granted to the one 00:33:45.880 --> 00:33:49.539 who sat on it to take peace from the earth. And 00:33:49.539 --> 00:33:51.700 that people should kill one another. And that 00:33:51.700 --> 00:33:55.119 was given him a great sword, a mega sword. That's 00:33:55.119 --> 00:33:58.880 the wars. People are now jockeying for position. 00:33:59.519 --> 00:34:02.660 Remember, that's what Jesus said. Take heed, 00:34:02.660 --> 00:34:06.019 no one deceives you. The second sign. Wars and 00:34:06.019 --> 00:34:09.179 rumors of wars. How it lines up. White horse, 00:34:09.420 --> 00:34:15.480 red horse. See that you be not troubled, for 00:34:15.480 --> 00:34:17.699 nation will rise against nation. Kingdom against 00:34:17.699 --> 00:34:20.139 kingdom. There'll be famines, pestilence, earthquakes. 00:34:20.420 --> 00:34:25.340 So the next horse is this war that's going to 00:34:25.340 --> 00:34:29.880 be taking place. And that's always gone on. Back 00:34:29.880 --> 00:34:33.019 when it says... In verse 8 of Matthew 24, these 00:34:33.019 --> 00:34:35.239 are the beginning of sorrows. That word literally 00:34:35.239 --> 00:34:40.139 means birth pains. It's birth pains. It's like 00:34:40.139 --> 00:34:45.099 when you start having contractions, something's 00:34:45.099 --> 00:34:46.780 coming. If you're pregnant and you're a woman, 00:34:46.920 --> 00:34:50.539 right? I've never experienced birth pains. But 00:34:50.539 --> 00:34:56.340 when it happens, the baby's coming. There's no 00:34:56.340 --> 00:35:00.119 turning back, right? Something's going to happen. 00:35:00.570 --> 00:35:04.289 And so there's these birth pains leading up to 00:35:04.289 --> 00:35:07.949 a time of the tribulation where then it gets 00:35:07.949 --> 00:35:10.349 intense. There's no turning back. So there's 00:35:10.349 --> 00:35:12.469 Braxton and Hicks. We're always experiencing 00:35:12.469 --> 00:35:14.909 those leading up to that where there's some pain 00:35:14.909 --> 00:35:17.789 and then it subsides. Some pain. We've always 00:35:17.789 --> 00:35:21.550 experienced deception, this world. We've always 00:35:21.550 --> 00:35:25.250 experienced wars and rumors of wars. Nothing 00:35:25.250 --> 00:35:29.050 like we are today. World War I. That was supposedly 00:35:29.050 --> 00:35:33.289 the war to end all wars, right? I can't remember, 00:35:33.429 --> 00:35:38.510 15, you have to ask Caitlin, 15 to 20 million 00:35:38.510 --> 00:35:43.429 people die in World War I. That was the war to 00:35:43.429 --> 00:35:46.969 end all wars. Then World War II, including civilians, 00:35:47.250 --> 00:35:51.829 70 to 80 million people die. And then they let 00:35:51.829 --> 00:35:56.349 the genie out of the bottle, Hiroshima, right? 00:35:56.840 --> 00:36:00.380 Here's a weapon that nobody's ever seen. And 00:36:00.380 --> 00:36:03.079 now people have these weapons. That was almost 00:36:03.079 --> 00:36:10.420 100 years ago, 80 years ago. Where they destroy 00:36:10.420 --> 00:36:13.760 somebody, 100 ,000 people like that, 80 ,000, 00:36:13.780 --> 00:36:18.659 70 ,000 people like that. One bomb. Now people 00:36:18.659 --> 00:36:22.599 have enough bombs. Russia has enough to destroy 00:36:22.599 --> 00:36:25.619 the world five times over. America, four times 00:36:25.619 --> 00:36:28.170 over. People that you don't want to have the 00:36:28.170 --> 00:36:32.750 bomb, North Korea, they have it. People that 00:36:32.750 --> 00:36:35.409 have an itchy trigger finger. There's wars and 00:36:35.409 --> 00:36:38.510 rumors of wars. It's taking place. Zechariah 00:36:38.510 --> 00:36:40.969 says that in the last days that Israel would 00:36:40.969 --> 00:36:43.989 become a cup of trembling, a burdensome stone 00:36:43.989 --> 00:36:45.929 that all the world is going to burden themselves 00:36:45.929 --> 00:36:51.309 with it. Everything's focused and becomes focused 00:36:51.309 --> 00:36:54.269 on this tiny little nation that's the size of 00:36:54.269 --> 00:36:58.860 New Jersey. Right? But wars. So during the tribulation, 00:36:58.860 --> 00:37:01.440 there's going to be wars. Antichrist is jockeying 00:37:01.440 --> 00:37:04.179 for position. Other countries are jockeying for 00:37:04.179 --> 00:37:06.820 position. The United States is not going to save 00:37:06.820 --> 00:37:09.980 the world. Donald Trump is not going to save 00:37:09.980 --> 00:37:13.059 the world. Maybe that's a shocker to someone. 00:37:13.119 --> 00:37:19.900 I don't know. But he's not. Where does America 00:37:19.900 --> 00:37:24.760 play out in Bible prophecy? I don't know. We're 00:37:24.760 --> 00:37:27.739 not mentioned really, which is kind of a scary 00:37:27.739 --> 00:37:36.039 thing. Back in Revelation, it says when he opened 00:37:36.039 --> 00:37:41.920 the third seal, I heard the living creature say, 00:37:41.960 --> 00:37:43.880 come and see. And I looked and behold, a black 00:37:43.880 --> 00:37:47.019 horse. And he who sat on it had a pair of scales 00:37:47.019 --> 00:37:49.699 in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst 00:37:49.699 --> 00:37:51.980 of the four living creatures saying, a quart 00:37:51.980 --> 00:37:54.969 of wheat for a denarius. and three quarts of 00:37:54.969 --> 00:37:58.150 barley for a denarius, and don't harm the oil 00:37:58.150 --> 00:38:04.210 and wine. That's the famine that's coming. Food 00:38:04.210 --> 00:38:06.610 is going to be so astronomical. You think food's 00:38:06.610 --> 00:38:09.969 expensive now? I wish you knew my food bill. 00:38:11.170 --> 00:38:15.530 We have nine kids, and they all have friends 00:38:15.530 --> 00:38:18.090 that come over. It's like locusts come through 00:38:18.090 --> 00:38:20.690 my house. I look in my fridge. I'm like, where 00:38:20.690 --> 00:38:24.420 is the food? And where's the fruit? And I see 00:38:24.420 --> 00:38:28.360 Josh sitting down eating $5 little things of 00:38:28.360 --> 00:38:32.460 raspberries, like it's a nickel or something, 00:38:32.519 --> 00:38:36.079 like we picked them. Well, food is going to be 00:38:36.079 --> 00:38:38.860 astronomically expensive. People are going to 00:38:38.860 --> 00:38:42.900 be starving during the tribulation. And it says 00:38:42.900 --> 00:38:46.460 famines. Jesus said that there'll be famines. 00:38:46.719 --> 00:38:49.039 Well, there's always been famine, but not like 00:38:49.039 --> 00:38:52.010 it'll be in the tribulation period. It's coming. 00:38:52.230 --> 00:38:58.750 And birth pains increases in frequency and intensity 00:38:58.750 --> 00:39:02.570 the closer you get. You'd have to ask one of 00:39:02.570 --> 00:39:04.789 the ladies if that's true, but I believe it is. 00:39:04.889 --> 00:39:08.409 The closer you get, the more intense the pain 00:39:08.409 --> 00:39:15.449 gets. Birth pains. Until you have the baby. And 00:39:15.449 --> 00:39:18.510 that's what Jesus is describing these things, 00:39:18.769 --> 00:39:22.099 these signs of getting worse. And worse and worse, 00:39:22.199 --> 00:39:33.079 the closer you get to the Lord's return. And 00:39:33.079 --> 00:39:37.360 then he says this. Actually, turn with me to 00:39:37.360 --> 00:39:39.519 Revelation chapter 8. Read this really quick. 00:39:41.679 --> 00:39:44.400 You wonder why things are going to get hard. 00:39:44.840 --> 00:39:47.559 By the time we get done reading chapter 6, that's 00:39:47.559 --> 00:39:53.239 the first half of the tribulation, over one -fourth 00:39:53.239 --> 00:39:58.579 of the population on planet Earth is dead. Gone. 00:39:59.139 --> 00:40:07.500 That's North America, South America, Central 00:40:07.500 --> 00:40:13.179 America, gone. Europe, gone. Two billion people, 00:40:13.400 --> 00:40:16.909 gone. In three and a half years. That doesn't 00:40:16.909 --> 00:40:18.889 include the rapture of the church, people who 00:40:18.889 --> 00:40:22.349 are taken out of here, millions of people. But 00:40:22.349 --> 00:40:25.030 we know from reading Revelation chapter 6, at 00:40:25.030 --> 00:40:27.170 least one quarter of the population is gone. 00:40:27.409 --> 00:40:32.949 It says this as you enter into chapter 8. These 00:40:32.949 --> 00:40:38.000 are the trumpet judgments. The first trumpet, 00:40:38.059 --> 00:40:40.280 verse 6, says the seven angels who had the seven 00:40:40.280 --> 00:40:42.380 trumpets prepared themselves to sound. I'm just 00:40:42.380 --> 00:40:44.659 going to read this, and you can use your imagination. 00:40:45.679 --> 00:40:49.039 The first angel sounded, and hail and fire followed, 00:40:49.119 --> 00:40:52.019 mingled with blood. And they were thrown to earth, 00:40:52.159 --> 00:40:54.599 and a third of the trees were burned up, and 00:40:54.599 --> 00:40:58.860 all the green grass was burned up. And when it 00:40:58.860 --> 00:41:00.900 says grass, the word that's used, I can't remember 00:41:00.900 --> 00:41:04.300 what it is in Greek, that means it means herbs. 00:41:04.400 --> 00:41:06.920 It means stuff that you grow. That you would 00:41:06.920 --> 00:41:11.699 grow for food. So as this happens. This is still 00:41:11.699 --> 00:41:15.440 the first half of the tribulation. A third of 00:41:15.440 --> 00:41:17.460 everything that you would possibly eat. That 00:41:17.460 --> 00:41:19.360 people would grow on planet earth. That's gone. 00:41:22.219 --> 00:41:25.880 And the second angel sounded. And something like 00:41:25.880 --> 00:41:28.940 a great mountain burning with fire. Thrown into 00:41:28.940 --> 00:41:31.159 the sea. And a third of the sea became blood. 00:41:31.480 --> 00:41:33.699 And a third of the living creatures of the sea 00:41:33.699 --> 00:41:37.789 they died. And a third of the ships were. Well, 00:41:37.789 --> 00:41:40.710 the sea is where we get half our oxygen on planet 00:41:40.710 --> 00:41:46.190 Earth. So if a third of it's destroyed, oxygen 00:41:46.190 --> 00:41:49.929 on planet Earth goes down by 20%. Just oxygen. 00:41:50.210 --> 00:41:55.030 That doesn't include food on planet Earth, things 00:41:55.030 --> 00:41:59.730 that are coming. And use your imagination. We 00:41:59.730 --> 00:42:02.409 could camp here for a long time. We don't have 00:42:02.409 --> 00:42:07.090 time to. And a third angel sounded, and a great 00:42:07.090 --> 00:42:09.250 star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, 00:42:09.269 --> 00:42:11.750 and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the 00:42:11.750 --> 00:42:14.889 springs of water. That's fresh water. And the 00:42:14.889 --> 00:42:17.829 name of the star was Wormwood. And a third of 00:42:17.829 --> 00:42:20.130 the waters became Wormwood, and many men died 00:42:20.130 --> 00:42:23.110 from the water because it was made bitter. It 00:42:23.110 --> 00:42:30.730 was polluted now. Like I said, we could camp 00:42:30.730 --> 00:42:34.599 here for a while. In verse 12, a fourth angel 00:42:34.599 --> 00:42:38.019 sounded, and a third of the sun was struck, and 00:42:38.019 --> 00:42:39.880 a third of the moon, and a third of the stars. 00:42:40.039 --> 00:42:43.980 So a third of them were darkened, and a third 00:42:43.980 --> 00:42:46.519 of the day did not shine, and likewise the night. 00:42:46.639 --> 00:42:48.659 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through 00:42:48.659 --> 00:42:51.059 the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, 00:42:51.179 --> 00:42:54.079 Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, 00:42:54.179 --> 00:42:57.039 because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet, 00:42:57.239 --> 00:43:02.000 the next three that are about to sound. So you 00:43:02.000 --> 00:43:08.519 can see how the earth, the system where you grow 00:43:08.519 --> 00:43:13.619 things and food and all, it's going to be really 00:43:13.619 --> 00:43:24.519 messed up. So, don't harm the oil and the wine, 00:43:24.619 --> 00:43:26.920 verse 6. Verse 7, when he opened the fourth seal, 00:43:26.960 --> 00:43:29.630 I heard a voice. Of the four living creatures 00:43:29.630 --> 00:43:31.190 saying, come and see. And I looked and behold, 00:43:31.349 --> 00:43:34.469 a pal horse. And the name on him who sat on it 00:43:34.469 --> 00:43:37.750 was death. And Hades followed with him. And power 00:43:37.750 --> 00:43:42.230 was given to them over a fourth of the earth 00:43:42.230 --> 00:43:45.329 to kill with a sword, with hunger, with death. 00:43:46.369 --> 00:43:51.670 And by the beast of the field. Beast of the earth. 00:43:52.429 --> 00:43:58.800 A fourth of the earth is destroyed. It's pestilence. 00:43:58.820 --> 00:44:00.800 And that's what Jesus warned about, pestilence. 00:44:01.500 --> 00:44:04.000 Infectious, deadly diseases. And we went through 00:44:04.000 --> 00:44:08.920 the dress rehearsal with COVID for a global pandemic, 00:44:09.019 --> 00:44:14.440 didn't we? Infectious, deadly diseases, COVID. 00:44:15.340 --> 00:44:17.579 That's going to be nothing compared to what's 00:44:17.579 --> 00:44:21.539 coming in terms of infection and seriousness 00:44:21.539 --> 00:44:25.239 and how bad it's going to be on planet Earth. 00:44:26.039 --> 00:44:31.179 Pastor Lentz is going to be incredible. When 00:44:31.179 --> 00:44:34.179 we were planning on going to Guatemala 2020 when 00:44:34.179 --> 00:44:38.280 COVID hit, and it was funny, we had insurance 00:44:38.280 --> 00:44:43.920 for our trip for a global pandemic. Yeah, you 00:44:43.920 --> 00:44:47.239 need to get insurance. Well, guess what? 2020, 00:44:47.519 --> 00:44:51.199 we had a global pandemic. I'm glad we had insurance. 00:44:51.440 --> 00:44:54.300 We got most of our money back for the trip, for 00:44:54.300 --> 00:45:00.750 the tickets. But that's coming. Pestilence, infectious, 00:45:01.110 --> 00:45:04.710 deadly diseases. You're not going to escape it. 00:45:05.090 --> 00:45:10.630 Now, it's a weapon. Those are used as weapons 00:45:10.630 --> 00:45:14.269 now, right? Those are going to get unleashed 00:45:14.269 --> 00:45:22.369 as weapons on America, on other countries. Weather 00:45:22.369 --> 00:45:26.230 patterns. Fifth seal, if you're still in Revelation 00:45:26.230 --> 00:45:29.329 with me, he opened the fifth seal. I saw under 00:45:29.329 --> 00:45:31.769 the altar the souls who have been slain for the 00:45:31.769 --> 00:45:33.690 word of God and for the testimony which they 00:45:33.690 --> 00:45:36.929 held. That's the persecution we read about back 00:45:36.929 --> 00:45:40.030 in Matthew 24. And they cried with a loud voice 00:45:40.030 --> 00:45:43.570 saying, how long, O Lord, holy and true, until 00:45:43.570 --> 00:45:45.710 you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell 00:45:45.710 --> 00:45:49.230 on the earth. Those are tribulation saints, people 00:45:49.230 --> 00:45:53.519 who get saved during the tribulation. And then 00:45:53.519 --> 00:45:55.960 a white robe was given to each of them, and it 00:45:55.960 --> 00:45:57.659 was said to them that they should rest a little 00:45:57.659 --> 00:45:59.840 while longer until both the number of their fellow 00:45:59.840 --> 00:46:02.019 servants and their brethren who would be killed 00:46:02.019 --> 00:46:05.019 as they were was completed. They're going to 00:46:05.019 --> 00:46:07.460 have to lay down their necks for the gospel during 00:46:07.460 --> 00:46:15.260 the tribulation period. It's often what Islam 00:46:15.260 --> 00:46:21.539 does to kill someone. It's decapitation, beheading. 00:46:25.360 --> 00:46:27.079 That's the way these guys are going to get killed. 00:46:29.340 --> 00:46:33.860 And they're waiting. They have to wait. And I 00:46:33.860 --> 00:46:35.719 looked when he opened the sixth seal, and behold, 00:46:35.860 --> 00:46:38.360 there was a great earthquake. Jesus said there'll 00:46:38.360 --> 00:46:42.619 be earthquakes. And the sun became black as sackcloth 00:46:42.619 --> 00:46:44.679 of hair, and the moon became like blood, and 00:46:44.679 --> 00:46:47.119 the stars of heaven fell to earth as figs drop 00:46:47.119 --> 00:46:49.219 its late figs when it's shaken with the mighty 00:46:49.219 --> 00:46:52.920 wind. We're going to have to close here in just 00:46:52.920 --> 00:46:56.869 a second. They receded as a scroll, as a scroll 00:46:56.869 --> 00:47:01.510 is rolled up. And every mountain and island was 00:47:01.510 --> 00:47:03.469 removed out of its place. And the kings of the 00:47:03.469 --> 00:47:05.389 earth and the great men and the rich men and 00:47:05.389 --> 00:47:07.730 the commanders and the mighty men and every slave 00:47:07.730 --> 00:47:10.070 and every free man, they hid themselves in the 00:47:10.070 --> 00:47:12.809 caves of the rocks of the mountains. And they 00:47:12.809 --> 00:47:14.530 said to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on 00:47:14.530 --> 00:47:17.070 us and hide us from the face of him who sits 00:47:17.070 --> 00:47:19.030 on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 00:47:19.150 --> 00:47:21.670 They understand where the judgment is coming 00:47:21.670 --> 00:47:24.139 from. which is amazing. Then you get to chapter 00:47:24.139 --> 00:47:30.980 12, and their allegiance is an allegiance to 00:47:30.980 --> 00:47:33.420 Antichrist. They take the mark. I think it's 00:47:33.420 --> 00:47:36.480 chapter 12. They take the mark, and they say, 00:47:36.519 --> 00:47:40.039 who was able to war against the beast? Who was 00:47:40.039 --> 00:47:43.619 able to fight him? They understand judgment's 00:47:43.619 --> 00:47:45.760 coming, and then they make a stand, and they 00:47:45.760 --> 00:47:49.119 take a mark in their right hand or their forehead. 00:47:49.980 --> 00:47:52.840 People are going to love that mark. People are 00:47:52.840 --> 00:47:55.380 going to want it, right? You're going to get 00:47:55.380 --> 00:47:59.119 your monthly stipend that you don't have to work 00:47:59.119 --> 00:48:02.179 anymore. AI is going to be your worker. You're 00:48:02.179 --> 00:48:05.460 going to have robots. You're going to have in 00:48:05.460 --> 00:48:07.760 your right hand or your forehead this mark. No 00:48:07.760 --> 00:48:09.179 one's going to be able to steal your identity. 00:48:09.460 --> 00:48:11.199 You're going to be able to go to the hospital, 00:48:11.340 --> 00:48:13.820 the doctor, get your free medication, healthcare, 00:48:14.159 --> 00:48:16.719 groceries. You're going to be able to get everything 00:48:16.719 --> 00:48:21.079 you want with that mark. It's coming. It's getting. 00:48:21.679 --> 00:48:25.760 That system is here. It's never been like this. 00:48:25.840 --> 00:48:28.059 Jesus said, when you begin to see these things 00:48:28.059 --> 00:48:31.239 take place, look up your redemption's drawing 00:48:31.239 --> 00:48:34.519 nigh. We're here. The system of antichrist is 00:48:34.519 --> 00:48:38.420 in place. It wasn't 100 years ago. 100 years 00:48:38.420 --> 00:48:41.920 ago, this was not happening. It could not happen. 00:48:44.159 --> 00:48:51.590 Now we're here. This is taking place. The great 00:48:51.590 --> 00:48:53.710 day of his wrath has come, who is able to stand. 00:48:54.250 --> 00:48:57.730 We don't have time to talk about all the different 00:48:57.730 --> 00:49:01.070 things that Jesus talked about there in Matthew. 00:49:02.230 --> 00:49:04.829 We're going to keep going here in Matthew 24. 00:49:06.250 --> 00:49:08.750 I thought maybe next week we'd be done. We might 00:49:08.750 --> 00:49:10.650 be done next week. I might be able to condense 00:49:10.650 --> 00:49:13.090 it a little bit. But we're going to keep going. 00:49:13.389 --> 00:49:16.650 Bible prophecy, the last days. We need to be 00:49:16.650 --> 00:49:19.070 aware. We need to be looking up. Deception is 00:49:19.070 --> 00:49:25.110 great. I won't turn there. I'm so tempted. Next 00:49:25.110 --> 00:49:26.530 week we're going to look, because in the last 00:49:26.530 --> 00:49:30.489 days, listen, the Bible says that many will depart 00:49:30.489 --> 00:49:33.050 from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits 00:49:33.050 --> 00:49:35.550 and doctrines of devils. There's a deception 00:49:35.550 --> 00:49:38.650 coming where people are going to walk away. Antichrist 00:49:38.650 --> 00:49:43.710 doesn't mean against Christ only. It means in 00:49:43.710 --> 00:49:47.210 place of. That's what antichrist means. There's 00:49:47.210 --> 00:49:51.679 many... False gospels out there. People who claim 00:49:51.679 --> 00:49:55.980 to have a way to heaven. The deception is amazing. 00:49:59.739 --> 00:50:02.159 I remember Hale -Bob Comet. Some of you guys 00:50:02.159 --> 00:50:04.380 don't remember that. These guys wearing Nike 00:50:04.380 --> 00:50:07.639 sneakers. These guys were doctors, lawyers. Very 00:50:07.639 --> 00:50:10.460 intelligent people waiting for this comet to 00:50:10.460 --> 00:50:13.239 come and take them off the planet. But they had 00:50:13.239 --> 00:50:15.829 to drink this poison. And they're all laying 00:50:15.829 --> 00:50:17.610 there with their, I think, white Nike sneakers. 00:50:17.849 --> 00:50:19.889 I can't remember how many people there were in 00:50:19.889 --> 00:50:27.130 California in the early, mid -90s, 94, 95. The 00:50:27.130 --> 00:50:30.289 deception, like, yeah, this comet's going to 00:50:30.289 --> 00:50:33.849 pick you up. Everyone had to have Nike sneakers, 00:50:34.090 --> 00:50:39.110 drink this poison. Intelligent people bought 00:50:39.110 --> 00:50:43.679 in. Intelligent people understand that the wrath 00:50:43.679 --> 00:50:46.099 of the Lamb is coming and they pledge their allegiance 00:50:46.099 --> 00:50:50.019 to Antichrist. The wealthy, the rich, the powerful 00:50:50.019 --> 00:50:53.719 people who hide themselves initially pledge their 00:50:53.719 --> 00:50:56.539 allegiance to Antichrist. The deception is going 00:50:56.539 --> 00:51:02.039 to be mind -blowing. It says that if it were 00:51:02.039 --> 00:51:05.820 possible, that even the very elect would be deceived. 00:51:05.820 --> 00:51:12.030 Jesus warned that. Thessalonians says that he's 00:51:12.030 --> 00:51:14.590 going to send a strong delusion that they might 00:51:14.590 --> 00:51:18.630 believe a lie. That's how strong the lie, the 00:51:18.630 --> 00:51:23.170 delusion, this Antichrist person is coming. And 00:51:23.170 --> 00:51:27.329 the spirit of Antichrist is already here. Deception's 00:51:27.329 --> 00:51:30.590 already here. He's probably alive, like I don't 00:51:30.590 --> 00:51:33.010 want to be a doomsdayer, but he's probably alive. 00:51:33.030 --> 00:51:35.369 We're living in the last of the last days. We 00:51:35.369 --> 00:51:39.320 need to look up. So Lord, we give you our lives, 00:51:39.400 --> 00:51:41.860 Lord. I know that I ran a little long today. 00:51:42.360 --> 00:51:45.260 I pray, God, you'd stir us up as a church, as 00:51:45.260 --> 00:51:48.719 a people, Lord. You've given us these signs to 00:51:48.719 --> 00:51:51.780 equip us, to prepare us for your soon return, 00:51:51.980 --> 00:51:54.480 the way you did with the sons of Issachar. They 00:51:54.480 --> 00:51:57.639 knew the signs of the times that Israel might 00:51:57.639 --> 00:52:01.480 know what to do. And we need to know as a church, 00:52:01.539 --> 00:52:04.800 God, what should we be doing? Should we be busy 00:52:04.800 --> 00:52:09.639 about your business or ours? Busy about the kingdom 00:52:09.639 --> 00:52:13.559 or your kingdom or our kingdom. Give you our 00:52:13.559 --> 00:52:15.500 lives, Lord. Pray you'd stir our hearts, Lord. 00:52:15.619 --> 00:52:19.079 I pray some of this stuff would just settle in 00:52:19.079 --> 00:52:20.659 on our hearts and our minds, Lord.