Dr. Michael Youssef wrestles with the question, is the end near? On this very special episode of Leading the Way Audio. Labor pains do not begin until shortly before delivery time, and they occur in increasing frequency until the baby is born. In the same way, the events associated with the return of Christ.
They will not begin until just before actual return of Christ. and then they will occur with increasing rapidity, building up to that great event. Thank you for joining Pastor and the author of more than 50 life-changing books, Dr. Michael Youssef, for leading the way. Believers living in every generation have wondered if they were experiencing the last days.
In fact, as far back as when Jesus taught his disciples, Christians have asked that question. What are the signs of the n times?
Well, up next, on this episode of Leading the Way Audio, Dr. Youssep takes you to Matthew chapter 24. That's where Jesus speaks pointedly about the last days. You'll look a little closer at six signs that Jesus mentions. Six signs to help you navigate these days in which we've watched so many things happen in our world.
Things that are prompting questions about the end of days.
So listen with me as Dr. Michael Youssef begins this episode of Leading the Way Audio. I want you to turn with me to Matthew 24. Verse 3 of Matthew 24, the disciples asked Jesus the question: What will be the sign? or the signs in the plural of the coming of the end of the age.
Beginning at verse 4, He gives them several things. that indicates that his actual visible rule is in the distant future. It's not immediately. And he said It will be like labor pains, like labor pains. There will be false alarms.
False messiahs. There will be International warfare. There will be famines, there will be earthquakes. Ah But that's just the beginning. of the labor pains.
The baby's arrival Still far off. I want to tell you a few things about labor pains, just in case you don't know. Labor pains do not occur at conception.
Well, at least we know that. Or even throughout the pregnancies. But just prior to the birth. Labor pains do not begin until shortly before delivery time. And there you Occur An increasing frequency.
Until the baby is born. In the same way, the events associated with the return of Christ. They will not begin until just before actual return of Christ. And then they will occur with increasing rapidity, building up to that great event. Matthew 24 verses 1 to 14.
I want to show you six. In this passage, there are six signs. of the labor pains that our Lord Jesus is talking about. The very first sign of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is a widespread falsehood. and deception.
Look at verses 4 and 5. See to it that no one misleads you. Underline that, please. For many. How many?
will come in my name and will mislead how many? Many.
Now, if you've read my book, Saving Christianity, question mark. You would have read about so many people in the churches who have come and said, we are changing the gospel because we want to save Christianity.
So many. And I document them, names and places and they would save Christianity, they think. Deception. Deception. within the churches.
At the end of times The influence of these deceivers is going to be widespread. It will be widespread. Please listen to me. We always have had deceivers. But the number toward the end will be vastly increasing.
The deception of those days is going to be so escalated like never before. Today, so many mega church pastors are preaching false gospels, and they claim they're doing it in Jesus' name. 40 years ago, maybe even 30 years ago, and I'm just going to speak for myself, I'm not going to speak for anybody else, had you told me. that a prominent evangelical church and a prominent evangelical pastor is preaching Marxism under the guise of compassion, I would not have believed it. I would not have believed it.
Now I do. And that is why Jesus is warning us. He said, keep your eyes wide open. Be careful! Beware.
See to it. that you don't get deceived like others. Beloved Here's what causes me to shed some tears, and I really mean that, as my wife, she'll tell you. As the number of deceivers grow and increase, So does the number of the vulnerable people who get deceived. These vulnerable people are desperately seeking an answer for the calamities and the pandemics and the sufferings that torments them.
As these unparalleled wickedness and immorality invade the church. As we see people take pride in their evil. As we see good called evil and evil called good as traditional systems and institutions begin to crumble, as the courts usurp the authority of government, as we see sin being baptized into the church. As you see all of that. You stand firm.
You stand what? The second sign of birth pain. It will be unparalleled global disputes. And warfare. Have you ever thought how today China is mesmerizing the world.
It's mesmerizing the world. Listen, we lived through the Iron Curtain, at least my generation have, and saw them invading countries and doing all that kind of stuff. But we have never seen anything like this. One country mesmerizing the world. For example, They have killed, persecuted and killed Hundreds of thousands, of course, they've been killing Christians for years, but they killed hundreds of thousands of their fellow citizens who are Muslims.
in China. Not a mumbling word from the Muslim world. Not a word. And I read the Arabic press. You say, why?
Because they own them. They own Africa. They have poured trillions and billions of dollars in the Arab world. They own them. They muzzle them.
They're on the world right now, the whole world. Think about it. Many thoughtful people believe The next few years, not many years, next few years, China will be the dominant economic military power in the world. Think about this. Think about what's going on in the world today and what's going to happen when that takes place.
In the West, We were already being prepared I mean, we are beaten up so hard by the woke movement. We're prepared. for the Chinese communists. We're ripe for the picking. One of the intelligent officials said that the Chinese Communist Party has the data of 80% of American citizens.
Just think about this. Eighty percent of your data is now in the possession of the Chinese Government. The Communist Party. And they're funding so many groups In the United States. That are determined to divide us as people.
Question. What does the genuine believer in the Lord Jesus Christ do? Take heart. Take heart. Remember, Jesus said these things will take place.
Verse 6, see that you are not afraid. And Jesus is saying that these things are the harbingers of the end, but they are not the end. Question. What are these nations and kingdoms all about? Good question.
I believe it's talking about countries that have democratic governments and countries that have dictatorships. varieties of it. What's the point? The point is that these troubles are going to impact the entire globe regardless of what political systems they may have. All of them, regardless of their political system, will be global upheaval.
No group of people will be exempted from this global conflict. Listen to me. These global conflicts will be so intensified, are going to be so vast. And no one will escape it. No one.
No one will escape it. We have seen how that little tiny virus that can only be seen by a huge magnifying microscope. Tiny virus came to us from a Chinese laboratory. literally, literally shut down the entire world. And that is why the world will be in such desperation that they will fall under the spell of a world ruler.
known as the Antichrist. I have a dear German friend. He's exactly a hundred and two years old now. And he told me this, I've never forgotten it. He said after World War I The German people were so desperate for a deliverer.
that they gladly submitted to Hitler.
Now we're seeing the world. It's so desperate. They'll be glad to submit. to a deliverer. And we are seeing COVID-19 revealed to us leaders from around the Western world who have proclivity to authoritarianism.
And beloved, this is a child's play in comparison to that global leader who will promise peace and deliver pain. But I must go back to the words of Jesus. that his genuine believers He said that to ask what? Do not Let that frighten you. Amen.
Okay. Why, he said, don't that frighten you? Listen to me, please listen to me. Because we are engraved on the palms of his hands, we are carried on his shoulders, he who touches us touches the apple of his eye. And you've heard me say this, and you're going to hear me say it more and more and more and more: that I am indestructible until he says so.
And so are you. If you only believe it. If you only believe it, listen to me, fear is killing you. At least some of you. Don't live in fear.
Jesus repeatedly, don't be afraid. If you're afraid, chances you're not saved. And you need to come to know Jesus. And when you know Jesus. You know he's got you.
He's got you. And when he's got you, nobody can touch you. Amen.
Amen.
Give him glory. Give him glory. The third birth pain. Verses seven and eight, I'm going to move quickly. The Lord mentioned famine and earthquake.
These are natural catastrophes. But there'll be in staggering proportions. They've always been there. In fact, Luke in a similar passage, Luke 21 verse 11, He adds plagues, terror, and great signs in the heavens. This is the equivalent passage.
When our Lord said verse 7, verse 7, It will be in various places, it means simultaneously. It's going to be global. It's going to be everywhere. When John the Revelator talks about the breaking of the seals of the scroll, he said, when the sixth seal was broken, there were stars falling from heaven. Then when the seventh seal was broken, the vegetation was devastated.
The fourth Birth pain. Labor pain. Verse 9. The believers will be hated on the account of the naming of the name of Jesus. Always remember this.
Please don't forget it. Don't forget it. Don't forget it. I want you to always remember this. The persecution that the righteous believers are experiencing right now, and I want those persecuted in persecuted countries, particularly suffering, really, really, really suffering right now, to listen to me.
This is important, my beloved friends. Listen to me. This persecution is not directed against you, it is directed against God. When the resurrected Jesus was manifested Himself, on the road to Damascus and knocked Saul of Tarsus of his high horses. He did not say to him, why are you persecuting my people?
He did not say, why are you persecuting my church? He said to him, why are you persecuting me? Let me ask you this. Have you seen more venom? Have you ever seen more anger?
Have you seen more hatred toward Bible-believing Christians? I'm talking about us here in the West. In England, In speakers' corners, Hyde Park, you can yell from the top of your verse about any other religion, but if somebody starts preaching the gospel, I have videos of, they arrest him. Have you ever seen more hatred toward Bible-believing Christians. Former Christian schools.
are now openly anti-Christian. Former Bible-believing churches are now spitting venom. unbelieving churches. But listen. Always remind yourself, always remind yourself.
If you are persecuted for your faith, they not hating you. Because of who you are. But they're hating you because whose You are Can I get an amen? The fifth Birth pain. Verses 10 to 13.
And actually the fifth one is the consequence of the fourth one. The fifth one is the consequence of the fourth one. As the persecution heats up, Some will forsake Christ and join the non-believers. Here's what the Lord is saying. And please, please, please.
Please, in your mind, compare this. Of what we're seeing today, at least I see it in the Christian media, but I'm seeing it in the public media as well. The so-called deconstruction. Movement. This is a nice way of saying This Song leaders and Christian musicians and Christian pastors and Christian leaders.
They're saying, I no longer believe in Jesus. It's called deconstruction. And you hear it almost every week. And their defection from the faith It's really for three reasons. Three reasons.
Write them down if you want to. First, because the price It's too high. And they don't want to pay the cost of the subscription. And secondly, Because the false teachers And the false teaching But those slick deceivers from the pulpits So convincing. They're so conveni they're clever.
They're great communicators. And so the person would say to themselves after listening to them, they'll say, well, who knows? Jesus may have whispered. About immorality and might not be against it like they're telling us. Who knows?
God will not accept everybody in the end. Even those who take pride in their sin. Who knows? Who knows? If the gospel writers really says, What Jesus said.
Who knows? I heard it all. I heard it all. And on and on and on and on. Yeah.
Beloved, that's the oldest lie in the book. Three of the oldest lie in the Garden of Eden. Did God really say? And you can be God. You can be like God.
The third, the most obvious reason for defection. Sin is very attractive. It's very attra very easy on the flash. It's easy to kick back and just take it easy. Don't believe anybody who tells you.
It's sin is not attractive. And the Bible said it. Jesus said, White is the gate. Easy. is the way.
Those people who do fall away. or what are called hangers on. They were just really hangers-on. They were not born again. They were not believers.
They were not really converted to Christ. They were hangers-on of Christians. They were members of the visible church. But they were never members of the invisible church, the elect of God, the church of Jesus Christ, the bride of Christ. Look at verse thirteen again.
but the one who endures to the end. He She shall be saved. Finally, I come to the six birth pains. Finally, Verse 14. The sixth and the last one.
Every nation. Every dark corner of the globe. They will hear the gospel. And then the end will come. Beloved, Despite of the deception we are seeing in the West.
Listen to me. Despite this wholesale departure from the faith in Europe, in North America, in Australia. There are men and women in China, in the Middle East, in North Africa and in Asia who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ knowing that they are signing their death warrant My wife and I are in Europe. had lunch with a a wonderful convert to Christ. His family.
They're the ones who want to kill him. And the smile on his face. He said, they did. Would have been great. I would have been in heaven with Jesus.
The joy. The joy And it is a privilege that I have, I can tell you that. It is a privilege that you have given me to be able to be with these men and women. The joy is unspeakable. And that is why our Leading the Way ministry is so thrilled to be part of this amazing work of God in these end times.
While false believers in the West are defecting, true believers in the East. I joyfully welcoming the cost. of following Jesus. God is gathering. His elect.
I really believe that with every ounce of my being. And that is why this final sign of the birth pang for today is that the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Insightful words, looking at what Jesus taught about the last days.
We thank you for listening to Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. And doctor Youssep dives even deeper into this in his powerful book, Is the end near? You can learn about this month's special offer when you go to ltw.org. Jesus said, At the end of time there will be a great tribulation.
This tribulation is going to encompass the whole globe. Only the Father knows that day. For centuries, people have theorized when the end times will come upon us. For decades, books have been sold predicting when the end will come. But have we thought to ask the one who will see us through that difficult time?
Cut through the noise of end times misconceptions and hear what our Lord Himself told us about the end times. In this powerful book, Is the End Near, Dr. Yusuf examines how current global events are playing into God's end times plan. Evidence for potentially apocalyptic events that could trigger unprecedented natural disasters. Whether it's possible for Christians to be deceived by the Antichrist.
the four dimensions of the coming judgment. And how to live in the hope and security of the Lord's return, even as the world seems to be collapsing around us. Get the truth about the end times. For your gift of any amount, you can receive your copy of Dr. Youssef's book, Is the End Near from Leading the Way.
Visit ltw.org to get your copy today. Order your copy of Is the End Near when you visit ltw.org. doctor Youssef is making it available to you when you give a gift of any amount to leading the way. The website again, ltw.org. Or one of our ministry representatives would love to answer questions, anything you might want to know about ordering, give us a call.
We are 866-626-4356. That's 866-5666. six two six four three five six. And we love hearing from you through the Postal Service as well. You can write to Leading the Way, Post Office Box two zero one zero zero, Atlanta, Georgia, three zero three two five.
Again, that's Post Office Box 20100 Atlanta, Georgia, three zero three two five.
Well, that's our broadcast for today, except for this quick invitation to join doctor Michael Youssef next time right here, when he passionately proclaims uncompromising truth on Leading the Way Audio. This program is furnished by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Yusa.
