One title is taken / Matthew 24:32-44
When everything starts, there are times when it ends. Worship has a beginning and an end. There is also a time to start farming and a time to reap. Life has a time to be born and a time to die. The world also has a time of creation and a time of the end. The second coming of the Lord, that time is the end time. The Bible clearly states that the Lord is near and at the door. If our Lord comes at this time, I hope it will be an opportunity for you to examine yourself whether you are the one who will be heard or those who will remain behind forever. We will have to examine ourselves by looking at the eleven social and historical signs the Lord has taught us. Jesus said, “When any of these things happen, know that I am at the door, and be awake and prepare to meet me.”
First, it is said that when the Lord comes, there will be a religious revival. In a book called 'Mega Tread', written by a futurist named John Nesvis, it is said that the age of religious revival will come in the 21st century. Jesus said in 24:5, “Many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and will deceive many.” In verse 11, “At that time many false prophets will arise and deceive many.” I did. Also in verse 23, “When people say to you, ‘Behold, Christ is here and there,’ do not believe. It means that all religions around the world will actively engage in missionary work and will have faith in whatever god they believe in and whatever religion they have. The day of the Lord's coming is near. The 21st century is the era of religious revival. Whether you serve the true God or worship idols, there is only one of them.
The second is the age of war. There were many wars in the last 20th century, and there are still wars in South America, Africa, Asia, and around the world. Now Britain, the United States and Iraq are poised to go to war. Israel and Palestine continue to fight. Killing each other and every day things like this are happening around us. This means that the day of the Lord's coming is near. Two people plow the field, one is taken and the other is left behind forever, that the event our Lord spoke of is approaching, and the Lord is reaching out the door.
Third is the age of disaster. This year also suffered from a major flood, but in South America, due to natural disasters and all kinds of diseases, hospitals are filled with patients as soon as hospitals are opened. One proof of the end. It is said that this will bring many times of sorrow. Many will be grieved by famine, grieving by sickness, and by all kinds of natural disasters. When you see such a phenomenon, you must realize that the day of the Lord's coming is near. You and I must feel it. The era of religious revival. When the times of war, disasters, and sorrows are approaching around us, we must keep awake with spiritual eyes and prepare for the day to meet the Lord.
The fourth is the age of persecution. Those who believe in Jesus are persecuted, hated, imprisoned, and killed. Even today, many Christians around the world are being persecuted. Every Muslim country is persecuted and sometimes even killed. How many Christians died last year in Indonesia? How many Christians still go to jail in China? North Korea is still a country where you cannot worship freely, and you are constantly being persecuted in Buddhist and Hindu countries. It is a big mistake to think that people who believe in Jesus will continue to be popular in the future. It won't be. Believers do not know what kind of persecution will come in the future. He said that persecution would come. This tells us that the Lord has come near to us.
Fifth, there is an age of betrayal. They do not keep their promises to each other, and they do not keep their promises to each other and break their promises. A generation like this is happening all over the world where parents are separated and children live with one parent. Frauds, breaches of promises, distrustful societies, and the breaking of marriages are all around us now. What do you say? It means that the Lord has come outside the door.
It is said that the age of lawlessness is coming. Because lawlessness abounds, the love of many grows cold. Now the whole world makes laws. They work hard to make laws, but whenever they make a law, someone becomes a criminal because of that law. You are not a criminal when there is no law. But when there is a law, someone must be a criminal. Whether it's a traffic law violation or not, there are stupid things happening in our country recently, where too many people lose their credit rating because they use their credit cards carelessly. I see in the US how many families go bankrupt because of that credit card. Those who believe in Jesus must have self-control. In the end, it is the age of lawlessness and one becomes a transgressor.
It was an age without love. Our love for each other grows cold. Every home is destroyed. What is the worst thing in this world? “The whole world is cold and without love, and everywhere there is no love, there is only groaning...” It is also in the hymn. We once loved, but after we got married, the love gradually grows colder and we live in conflict. These things say that the Lord came out the door. The day will come when one will be lifted up and the other will be beaten. I want you and I to live day by day as you have spiritual eyes in your life, understand the word of the Lord and prepare to meet the Lord.
He said that the age of world evangelization is coming. “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” The gospel is preached. When the gospel is delivered to the unreached peoples and the church is established, the time for the Lord to come has come. The Lord came at the door. Sooner or later, when the archangel's trumpet sounds, one will rise and one will be struck behind forever. I hope you aren't the one who gets hit. God loved us so much that He killed His Son, and through His death He allowed forgiveness of sins. Jesus tore His body, shed His blood, and gave His body and everyone who receives His blood to live forever. “I will raise him up on the last day,” the Lord promised.
It is said that the temple in Jerusalem is occupied by Gentiles. “Therefore, when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in holy things, those who read will understand.” What is holy? Jerusalem Temple. On the site of the present Jerusalem Temple, a gilded Muslim mosque stands. The day of the Lord's coming is near.
The restoration of Israel was foretold. The nation of Israel disappeared in A.D. 70 and the people of Israel were scattered all over the world. We have lived as a nation without a nation for 2,000 years. But the Lord said. “When the leaves of the fig tree appear, you know that summer has come.” Theologians say that this olive tree is not a Muslim. The olive tree is a symbol of Israel and appears in several places in the Bible. In 1948, after 2,000 years of statelessness, the Jews restored the nation of Israel and found it again. The day of the Lord's coming is near. Now the time has come to knock on the door. All of you, not only you, but also your loved ones, your family, your children, your relatives, we want to be the one who is lifted up without leaving anyone out.
Finally, the age of immersing oneself in the life of the flesh will come. It means eating, drinking, getting married and marrying, that is, all attention was given to the fleshly life of this world. The life of faith is only a shell. They come to worship on Sundays, but from Monday to Saturday, they have nothing to do with God. It will be an age when there is no change in hypocrisy and formal beliefs, no change in heart, no change in life, and much to repent of. But the Lord shed His blood to forgive our sins and to purify us. You tore your body to pieces. The time has come when you must truly serve God while believing in Jesus and live like a believer through the changes in your life. Why? Because one of the two will be taken and the other will be left behind.
Everyone! How is your life? As you face the Lord's Supper today, I hope that unsaved souls will confess God as their Father today and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior in their hearts and have eternal life. For those who have already been saved, are my lives living like those who have been called with spiritual values, or do I have a form of faith but the power of godliness is gone? I hope you will be the ones who will be lifted up whenever you come.