The Signs of the Times and the Beginning of the End | Part 2

From the Love We're Finding studios in Memphis, Tennessee, I'm Byron Tyler. Here with the CEO of Love We're Finding, Kerry Vaughn. Today we are going to be looking at the signs of the times and the beginning of the end. This is part two with Adrian Rogers and a message with our Bible's turn to Matthew 24 verses 1 through 3. Kerry, this is a brand new series that we're kicking off, Challenges to the Cross.

Great series and what a great message for today. We're living through these times. As we read through this and see what's happening, I mean, it's existing now.

Yeah. You know, mankind has always been fascinated with knowing the future, and the most reliable source that we have is God's Word. But so many look to fortune telling.

They look to the stars. Well, sure, and they look to other people and other resources, but I think when we go back to the truth and we go back to God's Word as the measuring stick, right? That's what we compare it to.

We see that it's really just playing out perfectly. Well, as we kick off this brand new series again, Challenges to the Cross, let's hear from Adrian Rogers. In our world today, there are all kinds of thoughts and ideas and philosophies that are challenging our faith. And yet, on the other hand, the Lord is greater than all of these, but God's people need to be forewarned and they need to be equipped to face these challenges to the cross. So true.

So true. And I think when we face things like conflict or we face things like consequences and other things that he talks about in this message, we shouldn't shy away from that, right? We need to embrace it and stand on the Word of God and move forward.

You know, Kerry, the temple was the center for the Jewish life, spiritually and socially, and no one could believe it when it was desolated. Jesus prophesied that and its destruction, and it did come to fruition. And so, you know, the things that we're seeing now in times where the Bible says are going to happen, it's going to happen.

It's going to happen. So I think when you see things like earthquakes and fires and tsunamis and floods, again, you know, those things are heartbreaking and it's a disaster and people have to regroup from that. But at the same time, we know that God is in control and he's working all things together for good to those who are called to him according to his purpose. You know, we need to embrace it. Yeah, we do need to embrace it, and we appreciate our listeners embracing the opportunity to let us know what they think about the ministry. We enjoy so much hearing from our listeners, and we have a listener right now from Facebook, and that is one of the many ways you can communicate with us here at Love Refining. But this listener says, Timeless truths, right? Profound truth, simply stated, that is the ministry of Love Worth Finding.

And so we want to get it out into the hands of the people and into the hearts of the people so they can use it. Kerry, we've been having a great time on Tuesday nights with Conversations That Matter. And it matters, and we want you to tune into that, right? But every week we have a guest pastor, we cover a great sermon, and so be a part of that seven o'clock on Tuesday nights. That's all available from our Love Worth Finding Facebook page, also on YouTube, and you can go to our Love Worth Finding website at lwf.org and join us for Conversations That Matter.

With the signs of the times and the beginning of the end, here's Adrian Rogers. Matthew chapter 24, let's read the first three verses. And Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. Now, don't you think Jesus had seen the temple before? Why would the disciples be showing Jesus the buildings of the temple? And Jesus said unto them, see ye not all these things?

Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. And as he set upon the Mount of Olives, and by the way, the Mount of Olives looks down upon the temple, the disciples came unto him privately saying, tell us, when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the age? Now, when you keep this prophecy in mind, remember this is the setting. Now, notice the subject of the prophecy.

Look in verse three. And as he set upon the Mount of Olives, his disciples came unto him privately saying, tell us, number one, when shall these things be? Number two, what shall be the sign of thy coming? Number three, what shall be and of the end of the world?

The disciples asked three questions. First of all, when will this be? When will the temple be destroyed? Number two, what will be the sign of thy coming?

The word coming here is the Greek word parousia. And it means his coming in power and glory. That is, when are you going to set up your kingdom?

Lord, when are you going to take over and rule and reign? And then last of all, what is the sign of the end of the world? The word world there literally means the end of the age. They thought they were coming to the end of an old age. And the new age, the Messianic age, was about to begin. So, they asked Jesus this question. Now, these were Jewish Christians who were asking him this question. And we're going to see here the signs of the times as they deal with Israel and with the church. Now, what Jesus does here, Jesus looks down through the tunnel of time and Jesus gives them the signs of the times, the intervening days and ages between the time that they existed and when Jesus Christ is going to come again. And he gives them seven marks. And that's what we're going to talk about today, okay?

Now, here they are. First of all, Jesus said the first mark is going to be the deceptions of counterfeit Christs. The deceptions of counterfeit Christ. Now, look in verses four and five. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you, for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many. Jesus said, One of the marks of the last days, the end of the age and the continuing age, will be a time of great deception.

And so many people have been deceived, though the Bible warns us not to be deceived. Let me give you an ancillary scripture, 1 John chapter 4, verses 1 through 3. Here's what the apostle John said, And believe not every spirit, but try, or test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets are going out into the world. Thereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, even now already it is in the world. 2,000 years ago the spirit of antichrist was in the world. The word antichrist takes the word Christ and puts the prefix anti, a-n-t-i, in front of it. Anti means against or instead of. It can mean either.

And it means really both. The antichrist comes against the true Christ and presents himself instead of Christ, and therefore there are many false Christs and many false messiahs. In the past 50 years, no less than 1,100 people have professed to be Christ.

I'm amazed at what people will believe. Number two, not only is there going to be the deceptions of counterfeit Christs, number two, there will be the divisions of continuing conflicts. Would you think that in 2,000 years man would have solved the problem of war and to make the world safe? I've heard so many promises of wars to end all wars and to bring in safety and to make the world safe from war. But Jesus said that will never happen.

Look in verses 6 and 7. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that ye be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Now the world, from the time that Jesus made this statement to this present day, has been plagued by the specter of war, and wars are growing in number and wars are growing in intensity. Since World War I, at least every month, there has been an attempt to bring about political, economic, racial, or religious change. More wars have been seen by this generation, the generation in which we live, than any other generation. Terrorism, hijackings, bombings, assassinations, sabotage, war. Continuing conflicts, divisions. Number three, the disasters of cataclysmic consequence. Skip on down now, Matthew 24. For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be, here are the cataclysms, famines and pestilences, and earthquakes in diverse places.

All these are the beginning of sorrows. Now Jesus, looking down through time, said there would be famine. You would think that perhaps man, with increased agricultural skill and genetic engineering, would be able to solve the problem of famine, but the problem of famine in our world is really twofold. Number one, there's the failure of agriculture itself, and number two, there's the bottleneck of distribution. Even when we have the food, we cannot get the food to the people who need the food. But before long, we will not have the food.

We are now living on planet earth from field to mouth. Famine is coming here upon this earth. But not only did Jesus speak of famines, Jesus spoke of plagues. I can remember when I was a kid, they said, we've conquered polio, and I thought, well, isn't that wonderful? It won't be long before every disease like smallpox and these other things, we'll know how to deal with those. And then along comes AIDS, and then along comes SARS, and along comes Ebola, and along comes this thing and that thing. And then to cap all of that off, biological and chemical warfare is a specter that we face. Jesus said plagues are going to be a sign of the day in which we live. And then he mentions earthquakes.

It seems that Mother Earth itself is heaving in pain. Jesus said that in the ensuing age before he comes, there will be earthquakes. Now, number four, is there going to be the defamation of committed Christians. We're going to be defamed if we love the Lord Jesus.

It's one of the marks of the age. Look in Matthew 24, verses 9 and 10. 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. And then shall many be offended and shall betray one another and shall hate one another. Jesus said that religious persecution will increase at the end of the age, but it's going to be centered on Christianity, those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ. This world does not mind religion, but it does resent the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, there's going to be a persecution of believers in the last days, and it's going to separate those who are true believers from those who are cultural Christians. Number five, the distortion of Christless cults. It will now in Matthew 24, verse 11. And many false prophets shall rise and deceive many.

C.K. Chesterton has pointed out that when a man ceases to believe in the one true God, it doesn't mean that he believes in nothing. It means that he will believe in anything. Now, when the Bible speaks of a prophet here, it doesn't mean a person who is even religious. The word here means somebody who speaks with authority. It could be a philosopher. It could be a college professor. It could be a scientist.

It could be a statesman. But these are people today who want to shape and to mold society into its thinking, and they will deceive many. It's like it was in the days of Noah when the Bible says God saw the imagination of men's hearts was evil continually. The word imaginations there does not mean daydreams, but it speaks of carefully crafted philosophies.

It's a word that was used to describe the molding of a piece of pottery. These philosophers were trying to fit society into their mold, and what all of this comes down to really is New Age humanism, when New Age humanism just takes the teaching of all the religions of the world and tries to synchronize them into its mystical system. Let me tell you what one of them said. We honor the truth and beauty of all the world's religions, believing that each has a seed of God, a kernel of the Spirit that unites us. The New Agers believe that God revealed himself in Jesus, but he also revealed himself in Buddha and Krishna and a host of other people. Now, let me give you the sixth sign that Jesus spoke about, and it is the disposition of carnal coldness. People are going to be cold-hearted. Notice again in Matthew 24, verse 12, and because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Now, what brings about this cold-heartedness? It's the teaching of these false prophets. These false prophets take away the moral base. When you have no moral base, when it's all right to kill babies, when it's all right to perform homosexual marriages, when it is all right to take away life from a person who has lost consciousness or euthanized the aged, why is this all right? Because you have taken away the fixed standard of right and wrong, and when you take away moral limits, you destroy the fire and the glow of true love, and you substitute that with the false fire of lust, and theology turns to meology, and the Bible says because the iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. When you have a bounding iniquity, when you have a crime wave, and the word iniquity literally means lawlessness, what do we do?

We get unfriendly. Somebody knocks at your door and says, look, can I come in and use your phone? My battery is dead. You say, no, I'm sorry. You see somebody on the road with a thumb up. You have an empty seat.

You want to pick them up. You say, well, I'm afraid. And you find yourself hardening your heart because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold, and our society has replaced godly love with selfish protectionism and lust. Number seven, and I love this one, the discharge of Christ commissioned. Before Jesus left this earth, he gave us a commission, and the commission was that we were to take the gospel to all of the world, and we were to go into every nation with a gospel. Nowhere has the Bible ever taught that we were going to win everybody to Christ. The gospel was not given to save civilization from wreckage, but to save men from the wreckage of civilization. And the Bible prophesies that there's going to be the master's minority, that little flock that's going to be saved. But Jesus said we're to take the gospel to the whole world. Will that be done?

Absolutely, it has been done. Matthew 24, verses 13 and 14. But he that shall endure to the end of the same shall be saved, and this gospel of the kingdom shall be, doesn't say ought to be. He says, shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations, and then shall the end come. And Jesus said that in the ensuing time, from the time that he left to the time that he came back, there is going to be the proliferation and the preaching of the gospel worldwide, worldwide.

Has this happened? Indeed, it has. When the gospel has been preached in all of the world, not to every person, but into all the world by radio, by television, by books, by tapes, by leaflets, and by crusades, the world has heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. This does not mean all, every individual, but it means all nations have heard the gospel. Today, what I'm saying, what I'm preaching will be telecast around the world. The sun will not set on this message.

It will go around the world. Through the internet, everybody on earth has access if they have a computer and are hooked into the net to hear the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now, Jesus says something very interesting. He says, when all of these things begin to come to pass, look, if you will, in chapter 24 and verse 8. He says, all these things are the beginning of sorrows.

Now, what does He mean by that, all these things? When you see all of the things that I've mentioned, when you say, Pastor, there've always been wars, there've always been famines, there's always been persecution, yes, but Jesus said, when you see all these things, all these things are the beginning of sorrows. Now, you look at that word sorrows. That word sorrows is the word for birth pains. All of these things are the beginning of birth pains.

Now, those of us who are genuine fathers like I am, you know what it is when your wife begins to talk to you about those birth pains. You know, you see this thing happening. Somebody said, is your wife expecting?

I said, no, it's a sure thing. You see this happening. But then that time happens when she says, Adrian, I think I felt something.

Hm. And then she said, yes, I felt something. There's something stirring. And then you know that when those birth pains do what? When they multiply and when they intensify, you know something's about to come forth.

Isn't that right? They multiply. And when they intensify, you know something's about to come forth. Jesus said all these things are the beginning of birth pains. Now, we don't have to wait on any sign for Jesus to come.

He can come at any moment and has always been willing to do that. But, precious friend, listen to me. The wisest thing anybody could do would be to give his heart to Jesus Christ if we knew Jesus Christ were not coming in a thousand years. But when we know that our Lord may come at any moment and when our Lord has given us the signs of the times and when our Lord has looked down through the ages and helped us to be aware, don't you think that the wise thing to do would be to give your heart to Jesus Christ? I love the Bible.

We can trust the Word of God. And you know, when I see all of these things, people say to me, Well, if there's a God, why the earthquakes? If there's a God, why the wars? If there's a God, why the famines? If there's a God, why the plagues?

Well, even if you don't know why, I can tell you one thing. None of them took God by surprise. There's no fine print in this. God said, There it is. Jesus said, This is what's going to happen.

Then shall the end come. If you stand before God unsaved, you won't be able to say, I never knew or I never heard, will you? If you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ now, you need to know him. Pastor Rogers, are you trying to frighten me? Would to God I could.

If I could, I would. The Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Jesus said, Fear him who's able to destroy body and soul in hell. But I don't want to merely frighten you.

I want to encourage you. I want to tell you there's a God that loves you. So much that he sent his son to die for you and has promised to save you if you would trust him.

Are you ready to do that? Some people, they've been vaccinated with a mild form of Christianity and never catch the real disease. You need to be saved. Church membership won't save you. Moral life won't save you.

Believing the facts of the Bible don't save you. There's Jesus that saves. If you don't have him in your heart, I want you to pray this prayer. Dear God, I know that you love me and I know that you want to save me. Jesus, you died to save me and promised to save me if I would trust you. I do trust you, Jesus. I give you my heart and life and I receive you now by faith as my Lord and Savior. The end of my life, forgive me, cleanse me and save me and begin now to make me the person you want me to be and help me, Jesus, to be willing to make it public, not to be ashamed of you. In your name I pray.

Amen. And if you've accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord just now, we would love to celebrate with you and offer you an insightful resource on our website. It's our Discover Jesus page. You'll find answers there that you may need about your newfound faith, as well as a response section where you can share your decision and how this message has impacted your life. Go to lwf.org slash radio and click the tab that says Discover Jesus. Again, lwf.org slash radio and click Discover Jesus. Welcome to God's family.

We can't wait to hear from you. Well, thanks for studying with us in God's Word. As these worldly sorrows multiply and intensify, we know we're nearing the return of Jesus. Are you living like you're expecting His arrival? Be sure to tune in next time for more profound truth simply stated right here on Love Worth Finding.