there's something happening in the world make no mistake what's happening is prophetic it's something that we're heavily warned about in the Bible and it's a sign of the times that we really are in the last days Pew Research Center recently produced an article titled 8 in 10 Americans say religion is losing influence in public life that 80% of us adults say religion's role in American life is shrinking a percentage that's as high as it's ever been in our surveys most Americans who say religion's influence is shrinking are not happy about it overall 49% of us
adults say both that religion is losing influence and that this is a bad thing look at this illustration people can see and feel there's a decline in people's relationships with God there is a coldness an insensitivity to the things of God now here's an interesting stat reported the survey finds that about half of Americans 49% say the Bible should have a great deal or some influence on us laws while another half just over 51% say it should have not much or no influence look at the near 5050 split between those who want a nation governed
according according to the Bible verse is one that has nothing to do with the Bible dear listener there's an everpresent danger of apostasy for all believers imagine there is a train called Christianity and this train is traveling to a destination called heaven now on this train called Christianity you can see the world you can see the glitz and the glamour of the world you can see the riches of the world you can see it all and so as this train called Christianity gets closer and closer to its destination there's a man who appears on every
station and this man is the Antichrist and he targets everyone on the train he calls for them to step off the train and come and enjoy life in peace he calls for the passengers to take it easy you can come off that train and get back on it anytime enjoy yourself and you see this is what happens in the last days the closer and closer we get to the return of Jesus Christ the more we will see people who've been riding this train called Christianity for many many years we're going to see them fall away
and rebel if it's hard to believe just look at how many pastors start off well but ultimately fall and never recover and this is not to judge because we all fall but we need to open our eyes to what scripture says there is a difference between falling into sin or a moral lapse of judgment and living a double life this world is changing for those believers who study Bible prophecy the stars are beginning to align but how will the world end will the end come as a result of an allout nuclear war will there be
a deadly virus mutation that will wipe out billions will the end come at the moment of impact when a giant asteroid from space makes contact with the Earth these are all theories that have been discussed and debated by Scholars historians and scientists now one intriguing prophecy to be considered is the wormwood Prophecy the biblical worm wood prophecy as described in Revelation 8 foreshadows a cataclysmic event an event that will leave an Untold amount of Devastation upon the earth and its inhabitants the imagery painted by this prophecy is eerie and apocalyptic according to the prophecy a
star falls from the heavens other Bible translations call it a a hue mountain and this mountain this star is blazing with intensity when the star appears in the skies it Heralds a time of Great Tribulation its descent to the Earth signifies the beginning of a harrowing sequence of events that will fall upon the Earth upon impact wormwood unleashes a Toxic effect upon the Earth the waters which sustain life are tainted and rendered bitter in fact a third of the waters on the Earth turn bitter that means the water is literally undrinkable it's not a matter
of Simply a bitter taste to the water it'll be poisonous and just imagine that if drinking water is unavailable to one third of the Earth's population oh how chaos would ensue the devastation to rivers lakes and oceans would affect millions of lives once Crystal Clear bodies of water will be transformed into murky pools of Despair now this is just one prophecy that will come on the earth during the tribulation period but for you to understand the end of the world you have to go look at the Book of Revelation as a whole and not just
focus on one judgment Revelation warns us that many Supernatural and apocalyptic events will take place God's Wrath to come Supernatural apocalyptic events extreme changes in the weather and so much more so let's take a look at what's to come according to the Book of Revelation earthquake it's no secret that earthquake activity's been increasing over the past Century with the intensity of earthquake steadily increasing on average some scientists believes that there's a very real possibility the world will experience a super earthquake in the near future there's some incredible weather phenomena described in the Book of Revelation
a super earthquake there are three earthquakes mentioned in the Book of Revelation the first revelation chap 6 during this period there are seven seals that are opened and each will unleash incredible events on earth now out of those Seven Seals the Bible says this about the six seal I looked when he opened the six seal and behold there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became like blood the Bible says a great earthquake precedes Darkness falling on the earth as the sun becomes black the second time
an earthquake is mentioned is in Revelation 11 this particular earthquake is thought to be in Jerusalem as God's two Witnesses are preaching there after 3 years of preaching they are killed by the Antichrist and their bodies are left in the street but the Breath of Life from God entered them and the Bible tells us they heard God's voice saying come up here and as they are ascending to heaven in a cloud the Bible says in Revelation 11:13 in the same hour there was a great earthquake and a tenth of the city fell in the earthquake
7,000 people were killed and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the god of Heaven now this is a much more localized event but still a devastating one nonetheless the third earthquake mentioned in the Book of Revelation is the greatest and most devastating for context this earthquake is the last of the seven bold judgments at the end of the tribulation period they will be the most severe judgments the world has ever seen because the wickedness of the earth will be at its height and so Revelation 16:1 17 and 18 says then the seventh angel
poured out his bowl into the air and a loud voice came out of the Temple of Heaven from the throne saying it is done and there were noises and thundering and lightning and there was a great earthquake such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth The Book of Revelation also talks about the Seven Seals and seven trumpet judgments of God these are a series of catastrophic events that signal enormous changes for the planet as each of these judgments are cast onto the Earth they are reminiscent of the
10 plagues to fall on Egypt during The Exodus here's a short summary of what these judgments are and how they will affect Humanity the first sealed judgment is the Antichrist being let loose upon the world the Antichrist is depicted as a rider on a white horse the Bible tells us that he went out conquering and to conquer the world the second seal judgment is the introduction of conflict over the entire Earth this is represented by the bright red horse and the Bible says we quote and it was granted to the one who sat on it
to take peace from the earth and that people should kill one another and there was given to him a great sword this is when the Antichrist revealed his true evil nature for the third sealed judgment famine would break out on the earth and this is the black horse this will truly be a time of great hardship the Bible says a quart of wheat for a Daenerys when the Apostle John was writing these prophetic Visions in the Book of Revelation and those times a Daenerys was one day's wages back a quart of wheat was just enough
food food to get by with so this symbolizes that people will be earning very little and it will be just enough to buy food for the fourth seal judgment we see the introduction of the Pale Horse which comes and represents widespread death on Earth the Bible says we quote power was given to them over a fourth of the earth to kill with sword and hunger with death and by the Beast of the Earth for the fifth seal judgment it's unlike the preceding four at this time God's people are under intense persecution on the earth and
meanwhile in heaven all the martyred Saints cry out to God with a loud voice saying how long oh Lord holy and true until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the Earth but the martyrs are told to wait a little longer and they are given a white robe for the six judgment seal has much to do with the elements and the Bible describes the Judgment by saying there was a great earthquake the sun became as dark as black cloth and the moon became as red as blood then the stars of the
sky fell to the Earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind the sky was rolled up like a scroll and all of the mountains and Islands were moved from their places the final seal judgment is very unique because an incredible thing happens Heaven is filled with silence for about half an hour many believe that the silence is a marked expression of shock at what's about to be released on the earth with the introduction of the seven trumpet judgments the trumpet judgment judgments are quite different from the seal judgments for the
trumpet judgments God Will Rain Down hail and fire upon the Earth and then the Bible describes a great Mountain burning with fire that's thrown to the Sea many believe this to be a meteor the third trumpet judgment says a great star burning like a torch falls from heaven causing major contamination and this kills many then God strikes a third of the Sun a third of the Moon and a third of the Stars so they are darkened the fifth trumpet the bottomless pit is opened where a huge swarm of locusts are allowed to be released on
the earth the six trumpet is almost Beyond human comprehension because four demonic angels are released from the Euphrates river to literally kill onethird of all mankind the seventh trumpet is unique and unlike the preceding five because the Bible tells us that the seventh angel blew his trumpet and there were loud voices shouting in heaven the world has now become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ and he will reign forever and ever at this time the end is near however the last set of judgment to be Unleashed on the Earth are the seven
bold judgments there is a finality to the seven Bowl judgments for the first Bowl horrible sores break out on those with the mark of the beast the second bowl everything in the sea [Music] dies the third Bowl all the waters are polluted for the fourth Bowl The Sun Burns and scorches people for the fifth Bowl there's a complete darkness over Antichrist Kingdom in the sixth Bowl the Euphrates River dries up the kings of the East come and the scene is set for the battle of Armageddon and the final seventh Bowl produces a great earthquake cities
of Nations fall and a huge hail storm occurs while some biblical Scholars May believe that God has already begun enacting judgment on the earth The Book of Revelation paints a very clear clear and frightening picture of what's to come but what about those who are in Christ what about those believers who truly obey God's word what happens to them well I believe you need to look at what Jesus said in Luke 21 when he was teaching about the end of the Earth in verse 36 he says Be always on the watch and pray that you
may be able to escape all that is about to happen and that you may be able to stand before the son of man here Jesus is emphasizing the importance of making sure we always are living correctly as Christians so we can be counted worthy to escape the terrible fate that is coming with this verse in mind I believe that the True Believers of Christ have been raptured before God's Wrath and judgment is Unleashed on this Earth my parents have this saying when talking about the future they tend to say something along the lines of if
the Lord terries then one day we'll go to be with him and growing up it always always used to bother me why would you even think like that or say that I would respond you see as a child I was fixated on the unthinkable which would be to lose my parents however as I have grown in the Lord I have discovered that in my parents saying the words if the Lord terries then one day will go to be with him they are fixated on being with Christ in one way or another I didn't get it
at first but the reality is that my parents are going through this life with their eyes on eternity they are living on this Earth with the acceptance that one day they will be in the presence of the Lord and so Saints my message is simple there are two things which are certain it's either Jesus Christ Christ will return within our lifetime or the day will come when we are called into his presence this is the truth you will either live to see The Return of Christ The Rapture the snatching away of the church or you
will be called before the master here's what the Bible says Hebrews 9:27 and just as it is appointed for man to die once and after that comes judgment you see I I could preach a sermon about faith the type of faith that moves mountains I could preach about the Angelic protection we have in Christ I could speak about all of those good and uplifting things but people of God that's not what will save you what will save you is accepting Jesus Christ as your lord and savior what will save you is being obedient to Matthew
2237 to39 which says you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind this is the great and first commandment and a second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself what will save you Saints is living with an eye fixated on Jesus Christ on producing good fruit in his kingdom you see Saints Jesus is coming soon and should the Lord T we will be called up before him this is biblical and the one one thing that you can never deny about the
Bible is that this book is as relevant today as it was hundreds of years ago and with this in mind I would like to speak about how the unbelievers can be identified in the last days so that you can examine your life and identify which category you'll be found in now the passage of scripture found in 2 Timothy 3 almost paints an exact picture of the current state of the world today for some context before I read this passage of scripture Paul is warning Timothy what the last days would be like he goes into detail
describing the unbeliever and he really Paints the image of how bad those who are living in a carnal state would be and therefore how we as Believers must be on guard not to be caught up in this state of living and 2 Timothy 3:1 Begins by saying but know this that in the last days perilous times will come the meaning of the word perilous is dangerous or risky and aren't we seeing that to be true in this present day illnesses all over the world natural disasters even plagues can be found in some countries in this
present day but the part in this passage of scripture that I would like to focus on is the list of various characteristics that the Bible States will be found in many people and the purpose of us being aware of this list is so that we may examine ourselves as I read each one have have a moment of reflection and examine yourself to ensure you are not found to be in one of these categories if you are struggling with any of the following points then this is the perfect time to take action and repent here are
some of the characteristics among people that can be found in 2 Timothy 3 a few I'd like to highlight are that men will be lovers of themselves lovers of money boasters proud unthankful Unholy unloving unforgiving without self-control brutal despisers of good traitors lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness but denying its power the Bible goes into great detail in 2 Timothy 3 to describe the state of mankind can any of these traits be found in you if you were to be called before Christ in this very moment would any
of these things be attached to your name but I want you to know it's not all doom and gloom as much as there will be perilous times to come God gave us as Believers a promise that we should hold on to acts 2:17 to18 and it shall come to pass in the last days says God that I will pour out my spirit on All Flesh your sons and daughters shall prophesy your young men shall see Visions your old men shall dream dreams and on my men servants and on my maid servants I will pour out
my spirit in those days and they shall prophesy children of God have something to hold on to in the midst of perilous times and this should give you comfort God has promised not to leave you he has promised to pour out his spirit and if you really read this closely God is promising spiritual power for believers and when God's spirit is poured out then the gifts of spirit will also come upon us as children of God gifts such as discernment Peace Love wisdom all will increase with the outpouring of God's spirit so regardless of what's
going on in the world as Believers we know this as we Edge closer and closer to the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the only place for us to seek refuge and strength is in the presence of God Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no one can come to the father except through me perilous times will come in the last days but keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and he will deliver you we need to turn from Evil and look toward our beautiful savior Luke 17: 30-33 says so
will it be on the day when the son of man is revealed on that day let the one who is on the housetop with his Goods in the house not come down to take them away and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back remember Lot's wife whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it but whoever loses his life will keep it Jesus is talking to his disciples about his second coming he reminds us that his second coming will be like any Ordinary Day people will be going through their everyday
routines then we get to verses 30 and 31 where Jesus tells us that we need to be prepared for that day and not be distracted these illustrations are stressed that people will have no time to prepare when he appears he then gives us the warning of Lot's wife in Genesis God comes to destroy the city of Sodom and Gomorrah due to their rampant sin before the destruction God comes and warns a man named lot and his family who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah God commands lot's family to flee and not turn back at some point
as they flee Lot's wife looks back at the city in an instant she turns into a pillar of salt Jesus is warning us here not to be distracted like Lot's wife if we become so distracted by the world that we completely turn our eyes away from Jesus we will receive judgment just like Lot's wife when we make our lives about self-preservation we lose our lives to God's judgment however when we give our lives up to following Jesus we keep it to be clear there will be moments in life that distract us from Jesus but although
every believer will stumble at some point and even fall those who continue fighting those who repent and go to Jesus Christ will receive forgiveness true Christian maturity is not that we don't sin but it's the fact that we turn our eyes back to Jesus when we fall short however many people have been so distracted by this world that they have have never truly turned to Jesus on Judgment Day They will receive judgment like Lot's wife because they have completely turned and rejected God's love there are so many distractions in life that can cause us to
turn our eyes away from Jesus sometimes we turn and look to bad things such as destructive substances forbidden relationships and lustful thoughts when we do we are looking to fulfill our own desires however these Des desires do not lead to the life that we think it will other times we're distracted by things that can be considered good we become distracted by our jobs families and hobbies while all these things are good when they force us to turn our eyes away from Jesus they become Idols so we need to be on guard about any distractions in
our life be careful being preoccupied with how much money you make how successful your family is or how much power you have when Good Things become distractions that can be a massive hindrance in our walk with Christ now God is not calling you to leave your family or quit your job instead he calls you to put him at first and Center in your life he should be the focus and while it may feel like you're losing your life by turning from distractions to Jesus you're actually gaining life suppose the restaurant owners mentioned at the beginning
asked people to get off their phones while at the restaurant it would lead to much quicker service times what feels to the customers like a loss ends up being a gain by getting off their phones they gain shorter meal times deep relationships with people they're eating with and a more enjoyable meal experience of course the customers have a choice to get off their phone however if they choose to lose a little they gain a lot the the same is true when it comes to Turning from sin to Christ by turning away from sin we stop
focusing on fulfilling every desire we have and the thing is we may lose some relationships with those around us and we lose the right to be king or queen of our life however we gain so much more we get to be called a child of God we get to inherit eternal life and we get to have a deeper intimate relationship with the one one true God in the same way that customers in a restaurant have the option to get off the phone and focus on the ones they're with then we have the option to turn
our eyes to Jesus so let me ask you what distractions do you have in your life right now that are blocking you from seeing Jesus it may feel almost impossible to give those distractions up but while it may feel impossible those in Christ have his Spirit dwelling in them and by turning from our distractions to Jesus he clears up the chaos and leads us to True Life the Bible tells us to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation spread the good news evangelize Advance the agenda of the kingdom of
heaven but once again to do all of this you will need need to fight now I believe we need to pay attention to Paul's writings in Ephesians which are of great help in this matter Ephesians 6:1 12-13 says for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers against the authorities against the cosmic Powers over this present Darkness against the spiritual forces of evil in the Heavenly places therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the day of evil and having done all to stand
firm the emphasis here are the final three words of this passage to stand firm this is a faith-filled stance this is nonviolent resistance this goes back to the days of the Israelites where in Exodus 14:14 Moses gives his people an assurance from God the Lord will fight for you you have only to be silent we fight not through violence and anger Vengeance and Justice we fight through simultaneous stubbornness and submission stubbornness against this world and against the spiritual attacks from the adversary and submission to God's will it is in that submission where our father takes
up the fight for us the Bible also tells us who the enemies are and how the opposition we're facing is is a force to be reckoned with in a nutshell we're not fighting against other people we're fighting against Cosmic forces that are invisible to us Hebrews 11 is our conviction that these invisible forces exist yes sometimes people are the front from which the assault comes but they are not the root cause the root cause is the father of Lies himself Satan and he uses lies to prompt people to make terrible decisions this knowledge is part
of how we can love others as Jesus loved them when we become aware of who is at the root of evil we're unbled to act out of love for the person rather than the emotions caused by their actions it doesn't remove responsibility for their choices Jesus never withheld the truth about people's decisions but it does give us emotional space to love and forgive them now the resistance to us loving and forgiving freely comes from both our flesh and this world they are not the root cause for battle but they play a large role we're not
to conform to the ways of the world nor are we to live by the flesh but those are the visible forces here culture and so-called human nature are the things that seem to hinder us the most yet fighting the good fight means living and acting totally against both culture and emotion the biggest fights often rage Within ourselves as we try to follow God's commands it is for this reason the law of the Old Testament exists we need guideposts to explain to us how to live counter culturally because our own bodies Revolt when we try that
being said the law alone is not enough to guarantee a life of Faith by itself religious obedience is not enough to give us the Power of Love or the power to love as Paul wrote in Romans the law of sin and death could not do away with sin more powerful is the law of the spirit rather to give us the love and strength to do what God does and he loves in love we don't yell or demand or hold debts over our neighbors in love we're patient and kind and generous and in love we hold
to the existence of God and the death and Resurrection of Christ no matter the cost to ourselves in love our selfish desires burn in service to others in love we share this good news the best news that there is a means of living other than pain and rejection for God is love and he provided his holy spirit to give us access to that love by God's love let's stand firm and fight this good fight of Faith to the far reaches of Eternity [Music]
