Like A Thief At Night! What Are The Signs Of Jesus’ Coming?
.April 18th, 2021
Luke 21, 1 John 2, Revelation 6
Intro: When the World Trade Centers were attacked by terrorists in 2001, it profoundly changed our world in so many ways. For a moment, the churches worldwide were filling up, but it did not take long for people to go back to life as unusual forgetting God.
Since that day, things have completely unraveled. Terrorist attack after attack. Mass shootings. The weather seems to be intensifying. Worldwide global man-made pandemic, killing hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
America united are now America divided. And it is led by politicians. In the middle of this pandemic, rioting and burning down our cities. Again, encouraged by elected officials. Politicians make the police the enemy. It as if we are in Hollywood movie. It as if the world has gone plumb crazy.
So…………………………………… since I just took you down the road of gloom and doom, and have maybe caused you all a little anxiety ….. The question that many people are asking…….
Are we at the end? Is the world knocking on the front door of the Great Tribulation?...
But, the truth is, mankind has been being bad for a long time, and Christians in the past also thought that they were living in the end times. Even the Apostle Peter was looking for the return of Christ…
But here is the thing… we are living in a much different time than Peter’s day… We all get to watch events worldwide in real-time… God said this in Daniel in 12:4
(PP)“But you, Daniel, shut up the word and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many will be able to go here and there, and men will gain in knowledge.”
For Peter traveling, 40 miles was a long day’s journey. But as we know, we can hop on a plane and be in Australia within 24 hours.
And with a click of a button, we can have all information we ever wanted at our fingertips……
So the question that many believers in Christ are asking is: Are we close to the Lord’s return? If we are,… a more important question that needs to be asked: “Am I ready to meet God?”
Transition: Now over the past 300 years, there have been many predictions made that the end was certain…..
The first president of the Watchtower Society of the Jehovah's Witnesses, calculated 1874 to be the year of Christ’s Second Coming then again in 1914, and then again in the 70’s.
Joseph Smith prophesied his return in 1835.
Armstrong, the self-proclaimed “Apostle” of the Worldwide Church of God, predicted Jesus’ return was going to be in 1975.
In 1950 the Seventh-day Adventist Church predicted the return of the Lord.
Jerry Farwell Fundamentalist Baptist preacher predicted in 1999.
In 2019, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez predicts that the world is going to end in 12 years if we don't address climate change.
In 2020, Greta Thunberg an 18-year-old predicts that we have six years to save the earth. And many people believe her, so climate care becomes the concern rather than their getting right with God…
For the next 3 weeks, we will learn together some things about the return of the Lord. God never told us when, but He did give us signs to watch for……….. PRAY………
Transition: Now in the Gospel of Matthew 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21 they are all parallel passages. These are passage that the disciples wanted to know when the tribulation or the “END” will happen…. So Jesus gave them and us something to think about…
Did you know that many of the books of the Bible contains prophecy regarding the end times? So, it is kind of weird that we are not teaching more in God churches about this event.
Now the disciples of Jesus, asked the Lord in (PP) Luke 21:7: “Teacher,” they asked, “when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?”
So, Jesus began to teach these men about a time that God will pour out His wrath on the nations….……
Objective: So, we will see in this passage that Jesus will provide four signs that they needed to be on the lookout for…………………………………………………………………First…….
(PP) I-Luke 21:8 Jesus said, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them.”
So Jesus tells them and us, that there will be people who will claim to be false saviors………Another way to say it is that there will be a delusion, or people of deception, or those who speak half-truths told by these false saviors or prophets. And Jesus tells them and us to watch out for them………
So, we can say that any person who adds to takes away from God's Word, you need to watch out for them…. And oh, the list is very long… and they have been deceiving people for a long time
(PP) Galatians 1:6-9 says, “If anyone adds or removes from God’s Word, they will be eternally condemned.”
So, all of these false teachers will teach half-truths, which confuse people……… even ungrounded Christians.
That is why Jesus taught that His followers needed to be grounded in His teachings.…. and as always these false teachers or false saviors will profit off of people’s fears...It is all about control. Folks, cults control people… Controlling them as to how to think, what to believe, how to live and so much more………
(PP) Now in the book of 1 John 2:18, he wrote: “Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this, we know that the last hour has come…”
The meaning of the term antichrist is simply “against Christ”. And there have been many “antichrist,” since Jesus was on earth. But there is also one that is coming who is the final Antichrist.
In the end times, there will be an antichrist who will be the ultimate embodiment of manipulation and evil. There will be a man who will arise to oppose Christ and His followers more than anyone else in history. He will make Hitler look like a boy scout.
He will claim to be the true Messiah, and he will seek world domination. He will attempt to destroy all followers of Jesus Christ and the nation of Israel…
And……… many people will look to him as their savior.
Transition: So first there will be these false prophets and messiahs….and finally the antichrist himself…… Then….
(PP) II-Jesus says in Luke 21:9-10: “When you hear of wars and rebellions, don’t be alarmed. Indeed, these things must take place first, but the end won’t come right away. Nations will be raised against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms.”
So there will be wars and global disruption. Has that happened? Yes, indeed it has….
Just in America, we have had a long history of wars. In my lifetime, America has always been at war. And civil unrest throughout the world is commonplace. Since March 2020 we have seen nothing but unrest and it has been non-stop. We have seen hatred and it deepest, and it has been fueled by our politicians, who are preaching unity from one side of their mouths, and hatred coming out the other side.
We have watched ANTIFA and BLM making everyone fearful of being called a racist. We have watched white supremacists bring hate and evil into our streets. We have seen our national capital breached with violence.
We have watched our cities burn and people killing people. Our schools are no longer the safe place for our kids. We have watched groups of people taking over our city streets. We are watching our great free nation becoming a communist socialistic nation. And it is not just in America. Folks, the world has gone plumb crazy.
The Bible says at the start of Tribulation, the Bible tells us that there will be wars and global disruption will intensify. And when this happens it will create a need for someone who can bring order, like a global leader who will be able to bring nations and all people together under the name of unity……………………………………….
(And this man will be the………… the final Antichrist).
He will be the devil’s perverted adaptation of his messiah. And he will not have horns, a long pointy tail, or a pitchfork in his hand. He will be so charismatic and convincing, and people will look to him for answers…………………………………………………….
But for Jesus to return, the Bible tells us that these things will happen…… It is a necessary evil….. And it can happen very quickly. Our world changes very quickly as we know….. A year and four months ago we did not have this worldwide pandemic.
Transition: So, there will be out-of-control rebellion… Then…
(PP) III-Jesus says in Luke 21:11: “There will be violent earthquakes, and famines, and plagues in various places, and there will be terrifying sights and great signs from heaven.”
Folks, have any of these happened? ……Yes, all around the world.
The Un reported: “There are 2,000 billionaires in the world with a collective net worth of $10 trillion. They have the resources to solve problems but they are blinded by wealth. World Food Program needs $4.9 billion for one year to keep 30 million people from dying. The say, “Humanity is facing the greatest crisis any of us have seen in our lifetimes.” ………. 4 million have died from the corona virus…. Now I am not sure what Jesus means “Terrifying Sights” and I do not want to know…. Or what does He mean, “Great Signs From Heaven?”
(PP)John writes in Revelation 6:12-14: “A violent earthquake occurred; the sun turned black like sackcloth made of hair; the entire moon became like blood; the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high wind; the sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.”
Well folks, during the start of Tribulation, global destruction will intensify, which will again create a need for a global leader with a global economic plan to bring all people together under the name of unity……………………. This is what the Antichrist will achieve.
Transition: For Jesus to return, these things have to happen. And then……
IV-(PP) Jesus says, “But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers. 13 But this will be your opportunity to tell them about Me. 14 So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you, 15 for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you! 16 Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of you. 17 And everyone will hate you because you are My followers. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish! 19 By standing firm, you will win your souls. That was then as well as now…
There will be State-sponsored persecution.
Jewish examples would be Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini's Italy. A clear modern-day view on state-sponsored persecution would be in Xi’s (ZI) China which is happening right now. There is a fear stoked by the State for people to turn on their neighbors. This is happening now…
There will be personal persecution. Examples would include hatred and rejection within families…. In our western world, we will be canceled by those who disagree with our stance on issues.
Think about what is happening right now. The cancel culture is happening…. Very much like Stalin's Russia. Our children are now not permitted to read Dr. Sues. Children now will be forbidden from watching “Dumbo,” “Peter Pan” “Swiss Family Robinson” and the “The Aristocrats.” Mr. Potato Head is (out of here)... I never knew he was so evil… Folks, I am convinced that it is only just beginning. It wont be long until our government will ban the Bible.… Which is banned in many nations all ready….
Now during the Tribulation, persecution will intensify against Jews and those who identify with Christ.
Notice that Jesus says that it will be because of His name. And guess what all around the world, this is happening, just because people love Jesus.
The Open-Door Ministry has recorded that every day 25 followers of Christ are killed for their faith… every day.
And remarkably this persecution causes the Gospel to spread, and the church grows…… Jesus promises that through their endurance as a believer, they will gain their...eternal life.
And these believers will not sell their soul to gain a few years on earth, rather they gave their lives on earth to save their soul for eternity.
And all the disciples of Jesus… back then… even knew days after the Resurrection that death was in their forecast. Jesus tells Peter that he would die for being His witness.
The disciples dealt with all these things through the New Testament following the resurrection. And these signs will only intensify through the Tribulation.
Application/Conclusion: So……………….. let me conclude here and give us something to take home with us….
Even with the uncertainty of when the end is coming, the resurrection gives certainty to our end… RIGHT! The end is coming...it is just a matter of when….. So here is a timeline:
(PP) Resurrection - Last Days - Tribulation - Return – 1000 year reign or the Millennium – and then Eternity
The tribulation is a time when many of Israel will stop rebelling and acknowledges that Jesus is the Messiah.
They will receive forgiveness and salvation during this time (Daniel 9:24 and Jeremiah 30:7).
It is also a time when God punishes people for rejecting Christ and persecuting Israel (Isaiah 13:11-13, 26:21).
Here is why this subject is so difficult for us to hear and talk about. We don't want to go through the hard stuff to get to the best stuff. None of us want to be canceled by culture, or shunned by our family, or friends, because we identify with Jesus, do we?........... None of us do……
Maybe this subject of the end times, is the first time you have heard about it. Or, maybe you just don’t like hearing about it because it scares you….. Well it is an important part of the Biblical story so it must be heard…….
Just so you understand, our culture is loud and it is only going to get louder….. Maybe you are struggling with knowing what you believe. If someone asks you what you believe, and you do not have an answer. Maybe it time to say, I want to know what I believe. I want to know what it means to be a Christian.
If this is you, let’s start a Bible study after the worship service for 30-45 minutes and learn what it means to be a follower of Christ. If this is what you would like to do. Let me know today. Don’t put it off… It is important to be able to answers those who ask.
You see folks, the Good News is, as a follower of Jesus, you do not have to fear any of this because, Jesus provides us this encouragement:
(PP) Luke 21:28, “But when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads because your redemption is near.”
Just remember that the apostle Peter thought that the Lord's return would be in his lifetime. However, Peter’s world view was not more than a 500-mile circle or so….
Is the end near? I believe that it is…, as well as many people do. So do I, or anyone knows when it will happen?... Only God knows…. No one should be placing a date on Jesus coming.
After all, Jesus did say, “I will come like a thief at night.” So we must be ready… and we must be faithful….
We will pick it up here next week….. Pray
