Matt 24:3-12
What In This World Is Going to Happen?

We just finished with the elections and the "conservative," Trump,
won because more of the voting districts voted for him. However, so
far (as of Friday, November 11) Hillary won more of the populous
vote. The last I checked, she had around 300,000 more votes than
Trump.

Those figures mean at least one thing. The voting people of America
are about evenly split on which direction our country is to go from
here, the two choices being liberal conservative and socialist
democrat.

The socialist democrats are going crazy with riots, calls to suicide
centers, and a lot of whining and name calling.  And while I under-
stand why conservatives are happy that Clinton did not win, I hope we
all understand that a liberal conservative is not a conservative by
Alabama’s measurements and certainly not by Bible standards.

So, what is the world is going to happen?  I would like to spend some
time discussing with you what the Bible says for the Bible says quite
a lot.  What it says falls into the category of prophecy and more
specifically, end-time prophecy.

Let’s start this morning and see how far we get.

I. \\#Matt 24:3-12\\ Some of the same old things.
    A. These verses deal with the time period that we are discussing.
        1. \\#3\\ The disciples asked Jesus almost the same question
            as our message title.
        2. They asked, "What is going to be like when You return?"
        3. Since Jesus will return at the end time, the two topics
            are the same.
    B. This passage is one of the most often studied texts relating
        to the end time.
    C. Let’s divide it into three sections, but we will only look at
        the first two.
        1. \\#5-8\\ The Common Signs - Signs that have always been
            around but will increase as time passes.
            a. \\#5\\ False Christs - 3 are mentioned in the Bible
                 \\#Acts 5:36, 37, 21:38\\.
            b. \\#6\\ Wars
                (1) The first war in the Bible was mentioned in
                     Genesis 14, just 5 chapters after Noah got off
                     the ark and 3 chapters after God confounded the
                     languages.  The number has been growing ever
                     since.
                (2) As of September 2014, there were 10 official wars
                     and 8 active military conflicts which were
                     recognized by the United States.  There were
                     also violent conflicts involving 64 countries
                     and 576 militias and separatist groups.
https://www.reference.com/government-politics/many-wars-going-world-
right-now-ffd6236450ccb7ae#

                (3) Only ten countries are not engaged in some type
                     of military conflict.
http://theantimedia.org/10-countries-in-the-world-not-at-war/

            c. \\#7\\ Famines, pestilences, and earthquakes - Genesis
                records the first famines and pestilences.  Not much
                was said about earthquakes in the Old Testament.
            d. \\#8\\ All of these are referred to as the "beginning
                 of sorrows" or to say, "things are just getting
                 started."
        2. \\#9-12\\ The Close Signs - Signs that began with the
            church age and are closer to our time.
            a. \\#9\\ Persecution of the Christians - This sign could
                not have begun before the church age.
            b. The remainder of these signs have been around but are
                getting worse.
                (1) \\#10\\ Civil Unrest
                     (a) Many will be offended.
                     (b) Many will betray one another.
                     (c) many will hate one another.
                (2) \\#11\\ More false prophets
                (3) \\#12\\ Loveless and cold hearts
        3. \\#14-24\\ The Catastrophic Signs
            a. These verses deal with the middle of the tribulation.
            b. They are beyond our topic.
    D. So the majority of the signs that Jesus mentioned have been
        around for thousands of years.
        1. Two things are going to happen concerning these now.
            a. They are going to continue.
            b. They are going to get worse.
                (1) There will be more famines, more earthquakes,
                     more unrest, more cold hearts, and more wars.
                (2) Things are getting worse in this natural world in
                     every way.
        2. So more of the same.

II. The church will CONTINUE to fall away.

2Th 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;

    A. I say CONTINUE for two reasons.
        1. It has always been a battle to keep the church on the
            right track.  It has always been made of human beings and
            humans fail.
        2. It is well on its way to falling away now.
    B. When it comes to the church falling away, it is either the
        greatest symptom of the last days or the cause of the last
        days.
        1. Either God is withdrawing Himself from the church causing
            it to fall away or the church is falling away causing God
            to withdraw from the church.
        2. I rather think it is the later but I am not for certain.
    C. The church will continue to fall away in three areas.
        1. Doctrine
            a. Again, the church has always battled error.
                (1) In fact, many cults are "Christian" cults; that
                     is, they were founded on wrong views of the
                     Bible.
                (2) Catholicism, Mormonism, Calvinism, Jehovah’s
                     Witness, and many more.
                (3) Remember, just because something is religious,
                     that does not make it right.
            b. The difference today is twofold:
                (1) In the past, errors caused splits.
                     (a) Today, most everyone is all right with
                          error.  They want to minimize doctrinal
                          difference.
                     (b) I know we don’t need to split over everything
                          but neither can we accept everything.
                     (c) Error is error and over some things, there
                          needs to be a split.
                (2) As with so many other things, this attitude has
                     become universal.  It is not that doctrinal has
                     become unimportant to a few people.  It seems to
                     have become unimportant to most people.
            c. Truth is more than important.  It is essential.

Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the
truth shall make you free.

        2. Lifestyle
            a. Christians will live less like Christ and more like
                the world.
            b. That is true in every area of life:
                (1) Dress, language - Two of the most notable.
                (2) It is true in our entertainment.  (read, watch,
                     listen to)
                (3) It is true in our education.
                (4) It is true in our goals. (make money, build
                     houses, achieve prominence)
        3. Ministry
            a. We have quit.
                (1) Most of it, we gave to the government and they
                     booted us out.
                     (a) educating the children,
                     (b) healing the sick,
                     (c) caring for the orphans,
                     (d) feeding the hungry.
                (2) The church can barely do any of those things any
                     more without a license from the government.
            b. Even the things that are still considered the church’s
                responsibilities we are not doing as we should.
                (1) Preachers are not preaching.  That goes back to
                     the issue of doctrine.
                (2) Churches are not giving and going.  We have
                     gotten comfortable just going to church.

    D. The church will continue to fall away until God removes it.
        1. That is called the rapture.  \\#1Thess 4:13-18\\
        2. There is no recorded trigger for the rapture in the Bible.
            a. As far as we know, no sin will trigger it.
                (1) The rise of abortion and homosexuality has not
                     triggered it.
                (2) No blasphemy has triggered it.  We have taken
                     God’s name in vain, used God as the bunt of our
                     jokes, satire, foolishness, and ignorance.
                (3) America turning from God has not triggered it.
                (4) The rise of Islam has not triggered it.
                (5) Attacks on Israel has not triggered it.
            b. As far as we know, no persecution will trigger it. The
                church has been persecuted before and God did not
                come get us.
            c. Even total abandonment of the light did not trigger it
                during the Dark Ages.
        3. The timing of the rapture is totally God’s secret.

Mt 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no
man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father
only.

Lu 12:40  Be ye therefore ready also: for the
Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

        4. But at some point, God will either pity the helpless
            church or just get tired of it and call what is left of
            it home.

These are two things that are going to happen in this world.
Presently, I am thinking there are two more. But the question for the
Christian is never as much was is going to happen in the world as it
is what are you going to do. Even as the church falls away, you can
choose to stay faithful to God. Lost person, even as evil mushrooms
in this world, you can be saved and live for Jesus.
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