“Bible Signs Of The End Times”
Luke 17:26-30

INTRODUCTION

• Noah warned the people of their generation of God’s judgment to come, and Lot warned the people of Sodom and Gomorrah of God’s judgment to come, and the people didn’t listen. The people had come to a place that the world today is at.
• Let us look at Christ answering the question of the Pharisees in Luke 17:26…And as it was in the days of Noe (Greek spelling of the Hebrew word Noah), so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
• In case you don’t remember… “The days of the Son of man” is the term that God and Christ use for what we call the “second coming of Jesus Christ.”
• What was it like in the days of Noe (Noah)?27) They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
• What we see here in verse 27 is normal everyday activity… eating, drinking, people getting married, etc. Then when no one was expecting it…Bam! Here came the rain. I mean “RAIN.” The judgment of God was here and there was no turning back.
• People of Noah’s day were as God described it in Genesis 6:5…And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
•  Their worship was corrupt and false, their lives were wicked, their hearts and thoughts were evil continuously. Evil had so encased their lives that they thought nothing about their everyday activity.
• Back in Luke 17, verse 28) Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29) But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
• The people of Lot’s generation had the same exact problem. The only difference was that it was pretty much contained to one city where crime, immorality, justice, and religion had become so rampant that they forced God to bring judgment upon them. God didn’t destroy all of mankind, he could go back on His promise made to Noah, so he “nipped it in the bud” by removing the worm that was destroying the apple.
• The city of Sodom was an example of God’s coming judgment to all who keep sinning, all who do not repent, all who are complacent, and those with apathy.
• Then Christ continues to warn the Pharisees in Luke 17, verse 30) Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
• Today folks, the world is being warned for the last time by its pastors and messengers of God… “God’s judgment is coming, be prepared!”
• I want to share with you today folks the amazing evidence that we in 2016 are living in the “End Times.”
• Sure, times have always been bad, sure we have always had pestilences, tornadoes, hurricanes, crime, gay people, extortionists, and political failure. But never in the world’s history have we seen the climactic rise of all the above. The intensity of these events have become intensified and magnified like never before and I want to show you what I have learned. Believe it, or not.
• One more thing before we get into the main message… Satan knows how close we are to the world’s ending and his sentence to be carried out. This is why he is bringing many people to claim… “The world is coming to an end in 1969, 2001, 2012, and so on.” It makes people not pay attention to the preaching of the gospel just like Noah’s day, and Lot’s day. False statements cause people to turn away.

I. The Beginning Of Sorrows

A) The beginning of sorrows started over 2016 years ago

• Look into Matthew 24:4…And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5) For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6) And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7) For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8) All these are the beginning of sorrows.
• All of what you are reading in Matthew 24 4-8…has been happening since Jesus died on the cross. We have seen people be deceived, false preachers, world wars everywhere and in every generation, nations go against nations, earthquakes, famines, etc…. folks this is just the “beginning of sorrows” Jesus said.
• Let me explain Jesus usage of the word “sorrows” which translated from the Greek is “ōdin.”
• It means “birth pangs.” You ladies know what I’m talking about. These are the pains a woman goes through before and during child birth. These pains start out small and not too often. Then the “pangs” become more frequent and intense tit gets to the birth of the child.
• Jesus described the world’s condition exactly by this Word “sorrows/odin.”
• Throughout this earth’s history we have seen the “pangs,” become more frequent, more intense… and folks the birth (the second coming) is about to happen.

II. The Last Age

A) Historical evidence in Daniel

• Look to Daniel 2:31… Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was 32) This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 33) His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
• This is an historical fact of where we stand in earth’s history. The interpretation to the prophet Daniel, consisted of an image of a man which depicted all the “ages” and ruling kingdoms from the time of Babylon until the second coming of Christ Jesus. (the destroying Rock, which is the eternal kingdom of God).
• The different parts of the man represented the different ages and ruling kingdoms of this world.
• Note that the first age is the image’s head, and the last is the feet of the image.
• The last age is the feet. What age is that? It started in the year 476 A.D. When Rome fell and split into the 10 kingdoms of Europe.
• This means that our world has been in the “last age” for at least 1500 years.

B) Increase of knowledge

• Daniel 12:4… But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
• Throughout history we have had a slow and little increase in knowledge. But take a look at the EXPLOSION of knowledge over the past 150 years!
• From 1800-1900 we went from horse to automobiles. And in the past 50 years we have seen technology bring us ATM machines, DNA testing, Laser and robotic surgery, cell phones, barcodes, internet and wi-fi, GPS, CT scans, MRI imagery, birth control, microwaves and on-line shopping.
• We are living in the time where “knowledge shall be increased.”
• What about the part of the verse in Daniel 12:4… “many shall run to and fro”

• We are able to go anywhere we want, at any speed we want, at any time we want, to see and do anything we want or need to do. This is the “to and fro.” The term “to and fro”.. to somewhere and from somewhere, to one place from another place.
• I believe that this running to and fro also has a spiritual application for which applies today especially among the deaf. Many Christians today are running from church to church, religion to religion trying to find God and worship failing miserably. WHY? They are trying to satisfy themselves and not satisfy God.
• It reminds me of Amos 2:12… And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
• For over 1000 years in the “Dark ages” knowledge of the Bible was suppressed by the Roman Catholic church. But since the protestant reformation and breakaway from Rome, God’s people have been running to and fro in His Word freely.
• Knowledge of the Bible today is truly exceptional. One must be careful as to where you obtain the knowledge from. There are many who twist the truths.

C) The ability to force the mark

• Revelation 13:17 … And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
• How are they going to force people that are unwilling to take the mark (666)?
• They are now working on a “cashless society.” All will be automated. Automatic deposits of payroll checks, automatic payments on line, automatic purchases on line….It’s here today folks.
• It won’t be long and cash will not be needed. “Pay Pal, and Google Wallet” are now going global. Check the news. Sweden is really close to being a Cashless Society now. Nigeria Deploying Biometric Technology throughout the Banking System. Israel’s leaders are now pushing for a cashless society, The UN World Food Program is also pushing Smart Cards and Digital Payment.
• And look at the financial turmoil around the world today. This will help in bringing in a “unified” currency to help make it possible to enforce the mark of the beast. Technology isn’t the mark, but technology is needed for proper enforcement of it. This is a SURE sign of the end times!

D) MAN OF SIN REVEALED

• II Thessalonians 2:3 … Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
• “that day” is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to take His Bride. This day will not come Paul says until “there come a falling away first.”
• One view is that the falling away began not long after the New Testament church was established and was completely fulfilled when the Roman Catholic Church took control and merged Christianity with Paganism, and punished anyone who did not bow to her so called ‘authority’ and false teachings.
• “…that man of sin be revealed” Many believe to be the Pope (s) of the Catholic Church which God calls the great whore.
• And that man of sin who was “revealed” to the world during the Protestant reformation is none other than the pope(s) of the Roman Catholic Church.

E) VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL IMMORALITY

• Matthew 24:37…  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
• We have already discussed some of this and may expound a ;little more in this area of “violence.” Moses explains it in Genesis 6:13 …And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
• You also remember that Christ made reference to Lot’s day as well with it’s sexual immorality. It is well explained in Jude 1:7…Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
• Fornication is sex before marriage (Mainly among the teenagers, and young adults).
• Then you see the term “strange flesh.” That means to have sex with people you are not married to, or sex that is not “God ordained.” Such as sex with animals, lesbian, and Homosexuals, sex with another person’s spouse, al of that is not God ordained. It is “strange flesh.”
• Since 2001, at least 14 countries have fully legalized homosexual marriage, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, New Zealand, Uraguay, France, with some parts of Mexico and America doing the same.
• There are currently 110 MILLION Cases of sexually transmitted diseases with 20 MILLION new cases every year in America alone.

F) RISE IN SPIRITUALISM

• I Timothy 4:1 …Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,
• We are living in the “latter times.” How do I know? The Bible gives us a clear description of the latter times….

1. “…some shall depart from the faith” There are people leaving churches that teach sound doctrine almost daily. They are forsaking the doctrines of Jesus Christ and watering down the Word of God so much that you cannot recognize their faith as being a religion. Their Bibles are not the Word of God. In fact they have taken God’s name out of it.
2. “…giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; The Greek word for “seducing” is “” It means… impostor, deceiver, misleader. This is completely a spirit of Satan. He is the master of deception. And as Paul says “the doctrines of devils.” It is something that no child of God should even contemplate (Think about). Included in this is T.V. programs, movies, activities, parties and even some so-called Christian functions. Many are evil spirited and are geared to fool you, trick you into believing in that type of behavior. Near death experiences are rampant today. It is false!
3. I Timothy 4, now verse 2) Speaking lies in hypocrisy; This is most definitely speaking of the end times and TODAY! Have you ever heard so many lies by our own President of the United States of America? People today lie every time they open their mouth. God hates liars. On top of that they are hypocrites. These are mostly preachers of false doctrines who mislead their sheep. They preach one thing and do another.
4. “… having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Let us first realize that this is a medical term. To “sear (burn)” a part of the body is to desensitize (make it not sensitive) it or deaden it. The problem Paul was talking about here was that the church leaders and members were doing sinful acts with their conscience not even bothering them. Their hearts were desensitize.
5. Verse 3) “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

This was one of the problems with the church at Ephesus and they were forbidding men to marry and commanding them to not eat meat. I personally do not see how a priest or pastor, believe this is right in God’s eyes. God made man and woman to procreate (have children). How in the world are they going to do that if men cannot get married? DUH! God has always commended (praised) people for being able to stay single, and encouraged fasting. He never demanded people to stay single or abstain from food. This is the problem with many religious leaders of today. It forces people to turn away from God rather than turn them towards God. The Catholic Church has always shared this view and claims that celibacy and fasting continuously sanctifies and saves their priests, cardinals and bishops.

G) MASS ANIMAL DEATHS

• One thing we need to realize is that God always brings judgment upon His people for their sins. Notice Hosea 4:1…Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. 2) By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
• I believe that Hosea is warning the people of Israel here when he says… “Hear the word of the LORD” It’s more like he is saying… “You better listen to what God has to say.”
• Then Hosea warns them “WHY” it is imperative that they listen and obey. Hosea said that God has a “controversy” with the whole country. The Hebrew word for “controversy” is “rîb.” It means chiding, strife, or as they say… “I have a bone to pick with you.” What was their problem?

1. “…there is no truth,” There is no truth in their heart, or actions.
2. “…nor mercy,” They don’t even have mercy for others who are bad off.
3. “…nor knowledge of God in the land.” They don’t even act like God is there. They don’t go to church, they don’t read their bible, they don’t fellowship one with the other, and they don’t pray.
4. 2) By swearing, The are making oaths to false religions, clubs, organizations and families.
5. “…and lying,” Everything they say is a lie. No one can trust them.
6. “… and killing,” Like Satan, life was worthless and easy to take away from others.
7. “… and stealing,” Stealing had become so accepted and a part of everyday activity that they were immune to conviction at all from doing it.
8. “… and committing adultery,” Sex was rampant and also accepted in worship, at work, and no matter where they were, marriage meant nothing to them.
9. “… they break out,” This term means that they broke all restraint. In other words, they had no problem forcing their way through a restraint set by law makers and others. They felt laws and rules were made to be broken.
10. “…and blood toucheth blood.” This sadly meant that there was a lot of bloodshed for any reason at all. No restraint, no respect, and no love.

• Now because of all that God is bringing this judgment….Verse 3 …’Therefore shall the land mourn, In other words… people are going to be sorry, and sad, and upset badly because…“… and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.”
• The word “languish” is ʾāmal in the Greek. It means…to waste away, to become weak, or feeble.
• During the last few years we have seen fish, birds and other animals die in huge numbers.
• Since 2010, millions of fish have been turning up dead in lakes, rivers and sea.
• Birds have been dropping out of the sky in huge numbers. And we are seeing other unusual animal deaths all around the world. Including bees and bats dying in their millions. Mass animal die-offs are on the rise, killing billions and raising Questions. The Oceans are on the Brink of a Catastrophe!
• You can also see this same judgment in Isaiah 19:8 and 24:4.

H) FALSE CHRISTS and PROPHETS

• Matthew 24:4-5, 11 …’many shall come in My Name, saying, I am Christ … and many false prophets shall arise and deceive many.’
• We’ve certainly had our fair share of false Christ’s appearing around the world.
• Also, today we have many false religions proclaiming many ways to eternal life, like Roman Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Folk Religions, Wicca, and many other ‘new age’ movements. With false prophets like the Pope, Muhammad, Krishna, Buddha, etc., leading these religions.
• We also have many false prophets and leaders in “Christian” churches, like the prosperity gospel preachers and people like Oprah Winfrey leading these new age movements.
• Millions of people have been sucked in and deceived by these ‘false prophets’. There are also many ‘sheep in wolves clothing’ in the world today. People like Rick Warren who preach just enough truth to lull the unlearned mind into following them into apostasy!

I) WORLD PUSHING FOR PEACE

• I Thessalonians 5:3 …’For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.’
• Is this sign being fulfilled in our day? Yes. There is an ecumenical movement today which we were told about in end times prophecy that is uniting the world in an effort to bring peace.
• Churches, faiths and political leaders are uniting like never before in an effort to bring peace to this world. But this ecumenical movement is not of God, because we as God’s people are not to unite with the world or any false religion…

3. Amos 3:3… Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
4. II Corinthians 6:17… Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18) And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
5. Revelation 18:4…Even in the future God pleads with His people ….And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

• When they do declare “peace and safety” then destruction will come upon them.

J) FAMINE

• Matthew 24:7 …’and there shall be famine.’
• Global starvation is spreading and increasing causing 1 Billion people to go hungry around the world.
• Add to that the failed crops throughout the world because of extreme weather, and bees dying off in massive numbers, and we have a worldwide shortage of food on it’s way.
• Not only that, we have the likes of Monsanto who are poisoning the crops that are left!

• 4 BILLION people survive on less than 2 dollars per day!
• Do you know that the amount of food that is wasted in the developed world could feed the hungry!
• So think about those in need next time you are about to fill up your shopping art with food that will be wasted.
• The Bible teaches us that we need to be helping the poor and needy, by giving them of our bread and clothing. Rather than throwing away what we don’t want or need.

K) CHRISTIANS BEING KILLED

• Matthew 24:9…. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10) And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
• Christians were being killed for their faith in the first century, as well as during the dark ages when the Roman Catholic Church ruled the world and killed tens of millions of God’s people.
• This is being repeated today in places like Iraq, Iran, China, North Korea, Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Egypt, where many Christians are being killed for their faith in Christ Jesus everyday.
• And once the mark of the beast is enforced soon, then this persecution will spread to the Western World.

L) INCREASE IN SIN

• Matthew 24:12 …’And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.’
• Idolatry, Adultery, Violence, Lust, Greed, Disrespect, Homosexuality, Theft, Lying, Aggression, Selfishness.
• Is this Biblical sign fulfilled in our day? Absolutely!
• Just go back 50 years and you would not see half the sin and wickedness that we see in people today.
• Look at what is portrayed on our TV screens and in the movies and video games!
• Violence, lust and all manner of evil. This is one of the major end of time signs.
• Our world today is aching under the burden of sin and I’m sure God will not allow it to continue for much longer.
• Do you know the worst thing about “sin” today? It is made into “ENTERTAINMENT”! Through movies, television programs, radio, magazines, comics, you name it!
• The majority of people in this world today are happily entertained by the very thing that put the Son of God on the cross!

M) CHRISTIANS TURN AWAY FROM TRUTH

• II Timothy 4:3…For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4) And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
• This sign of the times has certainly been fulfilled in our generation.
• Many “Christians” today do not study the Bible much. Instead they just rely on their pastor’s word as the truth.
• To be honest… they should be able to depend on the man of God to dispense the truth.
• Just recently, it was revealed that Russia had dumped enormous amounts of radioactive material into the ocean, including 17,000 containers of radioactive waste, 19 ships containing radioactive waste, 14 nuclear reactors, including five that still contain spent nuclear fuel;
• 735 other pieces of radioactively contaminated heavy machinery, and the K-27 nuclear submarine with its two reactors loaded with nuclear fuel.
• The rivers and seas are becoming completely polluted, and man is certainly destroying the earth like no other time in history, and God’s wrath is about to fall upon them!

N) GOSPEL PREACHED TO WORLD

• Matthew 24:14 … And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
• Today, The message of God’s gift (His Son Jesus Christ) given to all who believe can be received in a matter of seconds due to the advanced technology of cell phones, T.V., the internet, satilite, etc.

 

ARE YOU PREPARED?