Living in the Last Days | Part 1

The days are growing gloriously dark.

Listen carefully to Adrian Rogers. Those signs are primarily for those who will be left here after the rapture. But if we can see those signs now, we know the rapture must be very close because coming events cast the shadow ahead of time.

Welcome to Love Worth Finding, featuring the dynamic teaching of author and beloved pastor Adrian Rogers. Now, as we've just heard, the time is ripe for the second coming of Jesus Christ. 1 John chapter 2 gives three warnings to us as we near the rapture and the great tribulation prophesied in the book of Revelation.

If you could look with us now, turn to 1 John as Adrian Rogers gives insight to those living in the last days. Turn, if you will, this time to the back of your Bible to 1 John. 1 John chapter 2, and we're going to begin reading in a moment in verse 18. Now, the time is ripe not only for the rapture of the church, but immediately after that, the arrival of the antichrist. With that in mind, begin reading with me, if you will. 1 John chapter 2, and I begin reading in verse 18.

Little children, it is the last time. And as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now there are many antichrists whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us, for had they been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us.

But they went out that they might be made manifest, that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One and know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

Who is a liar? But he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ, he is an antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father. But he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye shall also continue in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you. But as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear ye may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. Now, I say these are perilous times, pregnant times, if you will, about to bring forth as we mentioned this morning, and you need to be aware for several reasons. First of all, you need to be aware for the intercession factor. You need to know how to pray. You need to know how to intercede for this world and for your loved ones and get them ready that they might flee from the wrath to come. Number two, right along with the intercession factor is the soul winning factor.

Now, the real proof that you believe in prophecy is not how many notes you get in your notebook primarily, but do you have a hot heart for lost souls and you get your head out of the clouds of prophecy and onto the pavement of soul winning. There's another reason that you need to understand this, and that is the family preparation factor. You need to get all of your loved ones saved. There's the family preparation factor.

There is the comfort factor. None of what we see happening today has taken God by surprise. There is no panic in heaven. God knows all of these things, no fine print in the contract. And so, let me lay several factors on your heart tonight that come out of this very rich passage of scripture that comes from 1 John.

And there's so much here tonight, I'm going to try to lay three or four factors on your heart that come out of this. Number one, we are living in the last days and you need to be awake. Look if you will again in verse 18 of this chapter.

Look at it. Little children, it is the last time. Now, we are living in the last days. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, these are the last days. You say, well, pastor, how do you know they were the last days? Because they were the last days in John's time. For 2,000 years, it has been the last days. As a matter of fact, this passage may be translated, the last hour. We're always on the brink of eternity.

In John's day, it was the last hour. Well, you say, if that is true, why hasn't Jesus returned? Well, listen, friend, ever since the ascension of Jesus Christ, from that time to this time, we have been living on the brink of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the great teachings of the Bible is that His teaching, that His coming is always imminent.

Eminent means it could happen momentarily at any time. The Old Testament with its many prophecies prepared us for the first coming of Jesus Christ. The New Testament prepares us for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Now, I preached this morning on signs, but I want to say the other side of that coin is this. There is no sign or event that needs to transpire before Jesus can come. We are living in the last days.

Now, let me explain that to you. The two stages in the second coming of Jesus Christ, there's the stage that we call the rapture, and there's the stage that we call the revelation. The rapture is when Jesus comes and takes the church out, and the great tribulation begins here on this earth. After the rapture, Jesus comes this time, not for His saints, but with His saints, and unveils all of His glory, and that's called the apocalypse or the unveiling or the parousia. These are various words that describe Jesus coming in power and great glory. When He comes for the church, He's coming secretly like a thief in the night.

But when He comes in power and great glory, He's coming like the lightning shining from the east to the west. And so the signs that we speak about in the Bible, all of these signs are not signs of the rapture. They're really signs of the revelation. Well, you say, well, Pastor Rogers, then why did you preach to us this morning? Because if the signs of the revelation are here, we know the rapture must be very close.

That's what I'm saying. Friend, these signs could take place after the rapture, all of them. But I was at a conference here a while back, and it was a conference for Christian workers.

But in the hotel, there was a conference for forensic detectives, and one conference for forensic detectives and another for Christian workers. And I saw the signs that talked about the detectives meeting and pointing this way and all of the announcements and so forth. Those signs were not for me.

They were for them, but I could read them very easily. And it's the same way with the signs concerning the revelation of Jesus Christ. Those signs are primarily for those who will be left here after the rapture. But if we can see those signs now, we know the rapture must be very close, because coming events cast the shadow ahead of time. But there are really no signs for the first stage, the rapture. The rapture can take place at any moment.

Now, I want to prove that. The apostle John said it is the last time, literally again, the last hour. Did you get that? Now, listen, just jot these scriptures down very quickly. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 10. Paul is telling the church at Thessalonica how they're to live, and here's what he says here in verse 10, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. The wrath to come is the great tribulation. He says, now listen, folks, you folks at Thessalonica, I want you to wait for Jesus.

Well, that wouldn't make any sense if it were not the possibility for Jesus to come. He said, you'd be waiting for Jesus. That is a present infinitive.

I know that'll bless your heart. It's a present infinitive. It means that we're to be constantly waiting. Those people so long ago were to be waiting for Jesus.

Let me give you another one. Philippians chapter 3 verse 20. For our conversation, the word conversation here literally means behavior. Our conversation is in heaven from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said, look, we're looking for Jesus. We are looking for Jesus. Those early saints 2,000 years ago were looking for Jesus.

Let me give you another one. First Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 7. Paul talking about the spiritual gifts that the Corinthians had said that you come behind in no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The early Christians were looking, longing, yearning, waiting for Jesus Christ to come.

Let me give you another one. Hebrews 9 verse 28. For Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. They were to be looking for Jesus. Those saints 2,000 years ago.

Here's another one. Titus chapter 2 verse 13 says we're to be looking for the glorious appearing of the great God and our savior, Jesus Christ. All of these teach us that at any moment Jesus may come.

Jesus could have come any moment from the time that the apostle John wrote our text here in chapter 2 and verse 18 up until this present time. And that's the reason Jesus gave us this scripture from Matthew 24 verses 48 through 51. He talked about a servant who was not ready for his master to return. And he said, but, and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, my Lord delay at this coming and shall begin to smite his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken, the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him. And in an hour when he is not, that he is not aware of and shall cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, there should be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

What Jesus said there for is that it is wicked not to expect and prepare for the second coming of Jesus and it will result in judgment. So the last hour began in John's day. We are living in the last days indeed.

I believe we're living in the last of the last days. Now there are signs of the times, but these signs of the times do not tell us that Jesus cannot come at any moment or could not have come at any moment. We're always looking and waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ. I've been in the ministry for more years than I can really realize when I think about it. Half a century I've been preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and I've been preaching on the second coming.

I believed in the second coming when I first began to preach it and I still believe it. And the anticipation and the nearness has never gone from me. When I was a boy in college I was preaching a revival meeting in Stewart, Florida. They put me in a hotel right near the railroad track.

I didn't know it was near the railroad track. In the middle of the night I had just preached a message on the rapture. And in the middle of the night a diesel locomotive outside my window blew the whistle. I was absolutely certain it was a rapture. I never heard a noise like that.

It was the most penetrating sound I'd ever heard. And after I'd been preaching and meditating on the second coming of Jesus Christ and I sat up in bed and I said, oh this is it here I go. But I didn't go I just stayed there in the bed. But I'm telling you friend one of these days is going to happen in a moment in the twinkling of an eye we are going to hear the shout, behold the bridegroom cometh go ye out to meet him. So what we need to say first of all is very clearly this is the last day and we need to be awake. Now number two the antichrist is coming. Not only is Jesus coming the antichrist is coming and we need to be aware.

Look again in verse 18. Little children it is the last time and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come. Even now are there many antichrists whereby we know that it is the last time. Now there is a wicked, malevolent, ungodly person who will be Satan in the flesh who is waiting in the wings waiting to be revealed after the rapture of the church. This antichrist is ready to step on to center stage. Now it may surprise you to know that the apostle John is the only one in the Bible who calls this man the antichrist.

He like many criminals has many aliases but he has one heart and one mind. Let me give you some of the other names that he is called in the Bible. He is called for example the man of sin. Put this scripture down. 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 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. He is saying that the day of wrath will not come, the tribulation will not come until that man of sin is revealed. The reason I use that phrase is that there is someone so wicked that the Bible calls him a man of sin. The whole problem began with the sin of man but it is going to end with a man of sin. The evolutionist wants us to believe that we have come from the beast. We haven't come from the beast.

We are headed to the beast. The man of sin. The Bible calls him here the man of sin. That is a very interesting phrase, the man of sin. As a matter of fact in my study I looked it up in a number of different translations.

Let me tell you how it is translated in various translations of the scripture. One calls him the man of lawlessness. Another calls him very interestingly the incarnation of wickedness. Another calls him the champion of wickedness. Another calls him wickedness in human form. The apostle John calls him the antichrist.

He is called also in this scripture that I gave you in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 3. He is called the son of perdition. And what that means is it speaks of the judgment that is awaiting him. The word perdition means judgment. And the antichrist will not prevail.

He is headed to hell. But he is the son of perdition. By the way the only other person called the son of perdition in the entire Bible is Judas. Now again he is called, and I've already referenced this, he is called the beast. Revelation chapter 13, if you remember our study in the book of the Revelation, he is called the beast.

The Revelation is full of emblems and symbols. And so this man like a beast is ferocious. He is cruel. He is fierce.

He is bloodthirsty. But John calls him in our passage the antichrist. Now if you were here this morning you remember that I told you that the prefix anti means two things. It means instead of and it means against.

It has two meanings. So this is one who comes instead of Christ. That is he is a false Christ who substitutes himself for Christ, therefore to be against Christ. He is the counterfeit Christ. He will be to the devil what Jesus is to the Father.

Jesus said he who hath seen me hath seen my Father. The antichrist will be able to say who hath seen me hath seen my Father. Satan has always desired worship. Just as we are to worship God the Father through God the Son, Satan who mimics God wants to receive worship through his antichrist, his false Christ, the Christ of the cults, Satan wants obvious, open, overt worship. Let me tell you some things about the antichrist and let's let them begin with the letter D so you can remember them. First of all, he is devilish. He is full of the devil. He is Satan incarnate.

Number two, not only is he devilish, the antichrist, he is divisive. Look in verse 19 of our chapter here if you will. But they went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. In John's day there was a division in the church. There were some people who started in the church but then they left.

They went out. The us refers to the church and there was a splinter movement. There was a breakaway movement. And John says the power behind that division was the antichrist. The spirit of antichrist that was already in the world in John's day divides churches.

He says they were not of us. That is, there was no true fellowship. There was no true union. They didn't lose their salvation. They never had it.

There was no real koinonia. And so the antichrist is the power behind all of the false cults that you have. A lot of the false cults have this stamp on them, made in America. They have broken away from the true church and they have come out with the spirit of antichrist and they are preaching a false gospel. The Bible says in 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 1, in the last days perilous times shall come for men shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits. So there is the spirit of antichrist that is devilish and the spirit of antichrist that is divisive. And there is the spirit of antichrist that is deceptive.

And the Bible says the devil would deceive the very elect if it were possible. Look if you will now in verses 20-23. But ye have an unction.

He talks about these who have gone out and split away. But he talks now to the true believers. But ye have an unction from the Holy One and know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth but because ye know it and that know lies of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ, he is an antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father. But he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Now what he is saying is this antichrist who is devilish and who is divisive is also very deceptive.

And notice the focal point of his deception. It is over the person of Jesus Christ. He wants to deny the facts about the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the devil doesn't care what you believe. You can believe many things that are good and right and honorable as long as you are wrong about Jesus.

He doesn't care what else you may be right about. If you are wrong about Jesus, nothing else really matters. Let me give you a couple of ancillary verses here now. Remember we are talking about antichrist, the spirit of antichrist. Not the antichrist but the spirit of antichrist. The spirit of antichrist is devilish. The spirit of antichrist is divisive. The spirit of antichrist is deceptive. Now you are in 1 John 2.

Go over to 1 John chapter 4 and look here beginning in verse 1. Beloved, believe not every spirit. Don't get the idea that everything that is spiritual is holy. Believe not every spirit but try or test the spirits whether they are of God. He is going to tell you how to test the spirits here in a moment.

Because many false prophets are going out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, Jesus the Messiah is come in the flesh, is not of God. This is that spirit of antichrist whereof ye have heard that it should come and even now already is in the world. The touchstone, the test point is Jesus.

Now remember this. When a false cult comes to your door, they will say believe something. When a real Christian comes to your door, they will say receive someone. That someone is Jesus Christ. The Bible says believe not every spirit.

Test the spirits whether they be of God. Go back now you are in 1 John. Go to 2 John and look if you will in verse 7. For many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

Look to yourselves that we lose not those things which we have wrought but that we receive a full reward. Now notice verse 9. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If a person is wrong about Jesus, they're wrong, friend. If a person is wrong about Jesus, they're wrong.

Aren't you thankful for the profound truth simply stated by Adrian Rogers? Well, we'll continue with part two of this powerful lesson tomorrow. But if you have questions about who Jesus is, about what he means to you, how you can begin a relationship with God through Christ, go to our Discover Jesus page at lwf.org slash radio.

You'll find resources and materials there that can answer any questions you might have about your faith. Again, go to lwf.org slash radio and click Discover Jesus. Now, if you'd like to order a copy of today's message, request the title Living in the Last Days when you call us at 1-877-LIVE-GOD. This message is also part of a powerful series.

It's called Challenges to the Cross. For the complete collection, all six insightful messages, call that number 1-877-LIVE-GOD, or you can order online at lwf.org slash radio or write to us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183. Well, thanks for studying in God's Word with us today and considering the sobering reminder that the signs of the upcoming revelation are all around us in these last days. Are you awake?

Are you seeing them? Tune in tomorrow for the insightful conclusion of Living in the Last Days right here on Love Worth Finding. You know, Love Worth Finding, we love to hear from you and how this program is making a difference. I want to share a message we received recently that said, my husband and I listened to Dr. Rogers on a weekly basis. Even though he's been gone for a number of years, his teaching is still profound and relative to today. We appreciate the depth of his teaching in this day when so many pastors watered down the word. We always pick up some nugget of truth. Now more than ever, it's a blessing to share real truth that never changes through the messages of Adrian Rogers. And when you donate to the ministry this month, we want to send you our Critical Issues Booklet collection. Does character matter to you? How has tolerance affected the culture in which we live? In this collection, Pastor Rogers deals with difficult questions head on. Request the bundle when you call with a gift right now at 1-877-LOVEGOD or give online at lwf.org slash radio.