Transcription
So basically, the scriptures tell us that Jesus gives us the specific trends for the end of the world. That's what he says in Matthew 24. Now, let me just show you what I'm going to show you in Matthew 24. This is Jesus talking.
Uh, when Jesus talks in Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13, theologians call it the Olivet discourse. That means he was on the Mount of Olives and he gave a discourse. It was kicked off by the disciples saying, "What are going to be the signs of your coming back?"
So, I love the Olivet discourse because it's exactly what all of us want to know. What are the signs? How do we know Jesus Christ is coming back? Well, in order, look at Matthew 24 and 5, 6, 7, 9-13, and then Luke 21. In order, Jesus introduces first false Christs are coming, and war, and famine, and death, and martyrdom, and all these signs.
Now, look at the outline of Revelation 6. Just the first six seals. It's exactly illustrating what Jesus promised was coming. The first seal is the white horse, which is deception, the coming, the rise of the Antichrist. Second horse is the red horse, global war. Third horse, the black horse, global famine. The pale horse, remember I told you the Greek word there is chloros, kind of like chlorine, kind of pale, sickly, gangrenous green. That's the death arriving. Then the fifth seal is martyrdom. All these, remember I said there's going to be this global hatred of God, his people, both the Jews and the Christians. And that's what the martyrdom is. And then all these signs, uh, the earthquakes and the horrible weather and everything else.
Now, look what Jesus says, actually his words. "All these are the beginning of sorrows." That's a odin is the word there. It means birth pains. Verse 33. "So you also, when you see all all when you see all these things, know that it is near at the doors. Assuredly I say to you, this generation, the generation that sees all of it happening because when it all happens, it happens fast. Remember we covered that in chapter one of Revelation. Tacos, remember tachometer. Can you remember all the way back to last week? You know, uh, that because you're having five hours a day of this information exchange that's going on. But back then, we talked about the rapid."
So Jesus puts it this way, "The generation that sees all this stuff happening at once [snorts] is going to actually be the generation that experiences it." And that's what everybody's always wondering. Are we that generation? Well, let's think about that. Because the generation will not pass away till all of these things, that whole list I showed you, those 12 trends that are present when Christ returns.
So basically, the end of the world trends Jesus says, what we just read, will have this odin, this birth pain characteristic. I have witnessed eight births and I will say that the birth pains is a great picture of the second coming of Christ because Bonnie would at first be walk around the house and go, "Oh, oh, that was a little one. I just felt that. That was a little wow." Then she goes, "Oh, oh." And then she can't move and she's like she said, "Honey, I think we have to go." And I mean, she's and finally she can't even talk. Those birth pains, labor pains. You can't talk. You can't think. I, I mean, it's unbelievable.
Well, the, the idea that the earth is going to be uh seeing greater and greater visibility, greater and greater frequency, greater and greater intensity. You see, birth pains, labor pains, they get stronger and closer together and stronger and closer together. And it's so that you can see them. You can see the person. They're, they're like being squashed. The, the expectant mother delivering this child, their muscles are squashing them. They, they are visible, frequent, intense, and have a great impact. The whole earth is going to be going through these birth pains.
What? What are they? Well, global deceptions are going to get more believable. You haven't seen anything yet. The Antichrist and the false prophet, this dynamic duo that's going to run the world. The Antichrist is going to say, "I want you to do this, and this is how you know I'm the one you're looking for. Go ahead." And the false prophet, it says in chapter 13, we're coming to, can call down fire from heaven. Do you remember Elijah and the the prophets of Baal? And he prayed and God sent fire and it consumed the altar, the sacrifice, and even licked up the water, and everyone fell on their face and said, "God is God."
Satan. That's why God said signs and wonders, you need to be aware of because Satan is the god of this world and he can do. Job 1 and 2 says weather things. Satan called a storm out of the wilderness that destroyed Job's children having a big reunion in one of their homes, and it flattened it and killed them all. And that was Satan. The lightning that came and killed Job's servants and their flocks, Satan sent. So see, you got to understand, Satan is the God of this world under the authority of the God of the universe who allows him parameters for God's purposes. And that deception is just going to get unbelievable.
Diseases are going to get more lethal. Global warming, you ain't seen nothing yet. It says the sun, the sun will scorch. Have you ever put your English muffin in the toaster oven and left it a bit too long and watched it scorch? People are going to be scorched by the sun. You haven't seen warming to the extent it's coming. It's going to get deadly. Global water shortages. It says that people are going to die because the water is all poisoned. It's starting, but it's not there yet. Global food scarcity is going to get more regular. Global conflicts are going to get bigger and deadlier. Global hatred of Christ and all associated with him is going to get more personal. It's not very personal for us. I mean, you share the gospel and someone will mock you a little bit. They, they aren't stoning yet in America. They, they aren't dragging Christians off and crowds and imprisoning them or beating them to smitherines. See, we, we really are insulated, but it's coming. Global hatred.
Now, this is all before Christ comes. These trends mean they're, they're starting to get stronger and wider and deeper and more impactful. See, all of this, I 110% believe in the rapture of the church. But before the rapture, this is going to all be going on. You understand? The rapture is the launch of the church. The control rods come out of Earth. The Holy Spirit's restraining influence is removed mostly, and it just breaks loose. But before that, there's going to be even more complete global tracking than you've ever thought possible. >> [music]