Services | Jesus Tells of the Signs Before His Return

Bulletin

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and truth.”

“Grace Greater than our Sin”
Praise and Worship
SCRIPTURE READING – Psalm 42:1 & 2
“Build Your Kingdom Here”
“Your Promises”
“This is it (You Instead of Me)”
“Rest”

Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
SPECIAL MUSIC – By Pru Hungate

Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“The Life and Ministry of Jesus The Messiah”
“Jesus Tells of the Signs Before His Return”


PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“Even So, Come”

Acknowledgements and Announcements

Benediction “Won’t Stop Now”




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Sermon Notes


Mark 13:1 – 4 Jesus leaves the Temple and prediction
Matthew 24:4 – 14 Initial signs of His Return
Matthew 24:15 – 28 The sign of the Abomination of Desolation and great tribulation
Matthew 24:29 – 31 Sins in the sky and His return

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Scritpures

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Transcript of Service

We are continuing on in our study of the life and Ministry of Jesus.

The last several messages have related basically to the time between Jesus publicly came in as Messiah to Jerusalem prior to.

Passover.

To his arrest.

Each day that he has come, he's gone into Jerusalem. Spend time in the temple, teaching, observing.

Showing his disciples various understandings and then he leaves and spends the evening in Bethany and he comes back to Jerusalem each day.

In keeping with that, we see that Jesus has done that again in Matthew Chapter 24.

It's going to say this Jesus came out from the temple and was going away from his disciples, came out to a point out the temple buildings to him.

And he said to them, do not, do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left up on another, which will not be torn down.

Now I'm sure this came quite as a shock to his disciples because Herod had spent decades beautifying the temple. It went from being fairly stoic to a beautiful building with with all the trappings of gold and other adornments, but also was made out of stone, which had a sense of permanence. So there seen beauty and permanence, and Jesus is saying, no, it's not going to be so.

Permanent.

From that, they're going to go on and it says in verse three, as he was sitting on the Mount of olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying tell us when will these things happen and what will be the sign of your coming? And of the end of the H. So I want you to see three things. The disciples are asking. They're asking 3 specific questions. They're asking when will these things happen as far as wins the temple going to be torn down, and then they're going to ask, what's the sign of your coming? Apparently they're starting to get it.

Inkling that Jesus will be leaving? They're quite not understanding how, but they are catching on to the various.

Parable is talking about the master leaving and leaving value for the slaves, and then the master returning so they're kind of grasping the concept and they also are wanting to know when is this thing going to be over and when is it that the Kingdom will be truly established and so they have three primary questions. Now. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all have this passage in them.

The other gospels kind of spend a little more time on the question about the temple, and Matthew is going to spend a lot more time concerning.

The coming of Jesus and the end of the age. Now before I go on, I want you.

To see one thing.

I want you to try to take off your.

Free determined glasses of what the scriptures are. So many people have taught so many different things that when we read the scriptures we say Oh ha. Well it means this or we discount that because it doesn't come in line with our predetermined.

What it is that we think Jesus ought to be doing, or what we've been taught, and so I'm not here to try to convince you that my view of.

Of it is correct. You know there are those who believe that that the Rapture will come and the church will be gone, and others believe that know the Rapture isn't coming until after Jesus comes. And so when we read these passages, everybody wants to read them.

As if it's in context of their doctrinal position, and so I'm not going to try to do that, I'm just going to read what Jesus said that we might understand what Jesus said to take wisdom from what Jesus said and then.

Fit that in to the correct doctrine, not are predetermined doctrine. Now the interesting thing here is that they've waited until Jesus goes to the Mount of Mount, all of it to ask him the question. So they have left her with them gone through the Kidron Valley and gone up to the Mount of olives. Amount of all of it.

Interesting thing Jesus. When he entered Jerusalem came from the Mount.

All of it.

When Jesus is discussing this, he's at Mount Olivet, the Scriptures.

Tell us.

In the Old Testament that there will be a coming at Mount all of it.

And when Jesus Ascends into Heaven, and the disciples are standing around, gazing into heaven about what's going on, Jesus leaves the earth from Mount all of it.

So it's not a coincidence that he's explaining these things at the precise place where future history and why I want to say future history. 'cause when Jesus said these things are going to take place while they are in the future, they will take place as if they had taken place, and so they've asked three questions primarily. Like I said, the other gospels want to talk about the destruction of the temple, which I want to mention briefly.

One of the evidence is that all the Gospels and all of the New Testament was written before the destruction of the temple is because Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple if they were written before 70AD, then they would have said, see, see. Jesus was right. He told us back before his crucifixion that the temple would be destroyed.

And yet they don't.

And so that is an evidence that the New Testament was not written some hundreds of years later, but contemporary with the events.

So let's take a look at what Jesus says an. I'm only going to comment on a few things to try to make them maybe a little more understandable, and to give you some other scriptures that I won't be using. But I want you to take note of so that you might study 'cause I want you to have the correct doctrine, not my doctrine, not some other teacher that you've heard, but I want you to think about these things.

So it says in Jesus answered and said to them, see to it that no one will mislead you so.

Jesus ain't don't listen to other people. Listen to what I have to say.

For many will come in my name saying I am the Christ and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened. For those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise up against nation and Kingdom against Kingdom and it will in various places. There will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginnings of birth pangs.

Now, one of the difficult the difficult aspect of reading this is.

What Jesus is just said is kind of been common throughout human history.

We've always kind of had the.

Use of force by 1 nation against another nation to conquer it, to subdue it, to gain whatever advantage they might have. So there's always been wars and rumors of wars, and so when we see these various things, it's hard to see that as per, say, assign. We've kind of seen famines in various different places. Have poverty stricken countries and others and earthquakes. They seem to be fairly commonplace and so.

It's hard to see that as a definitive sign, but what I would like you to take a look at.

Is take a look at.

The 5th chapter of the Book of Revelation.

When it there's an unbreaking of the seals we're going to see these things, but.

And so it's going to bring in much more clear focus that these are just the beginning. It's not. It's happening is the beginning of the birth pangs.

Now.

I have never delivered children.

And I praise God for that.

But you women who have no that giving birth unless it's a very quick process of an hour or two, then it hurts a lot and it is of great pain. My mother had said that the pain of childbirth was like no other pain so intense, and yet it was so quickly over when you see the joy of the child.

And so Jesus saying that when these things happen, it's going to hurt.

But it's just the beginning, it's the initial.

Getting the earth ready for the deliveries to come.

There's always been.

People claiming to be the Messiah. There's always people trying to.

Conquer there's always earthquakes there, but they are going to be in sharper focus when we see.

These things coming.

Since then they will deliver you over to tribulation and will kill you and you will be hated by all nations. Because of my name.

At that time, many will fall away in will betray one another and hate one another.

Now.

There seems to be this discussion in the church that somehow believers are always exempt from tribulation.

There were always delivered somehow from persecution, and that is the furthest from the truth. There has never been a time in the history of God's people that God's people haven't suffered because the following God.

The prophets in the Old Testament suffered were mistreated and often killed because they followed God's word. Jesus suffered and died and Rose again because he did what God's will was. His disciples suffered.

As soon as Jesus left and went to Heaven and after Pentecost, Peter and John and others of the disciples were arrested and imprisoned and beaten and told to stay quiet and they refused to an instead of saying poor me, they rejoicing that we were counted worthy to suffer in. Yet in today's churches, like Oh no, the Christians never going to suffer.

The disciples suffered and died Christians during the 1st century suffered. They died in the Colosseum. They died on cruise on crosses.

Peter said he wasn't worthy to be crucified as Jesus was, so he was crucified upside down. Paul was beheaded various.

People in the 1st century suffer tribulation in the second. Various other disciples of those disciples suffered were burned at the stake. You can see in the boxes book of martyrs how so many various different believers suffered for their faith.

And so now we're to believe that we're not to suffer for faith. It is been to one consistent throughout being a disciple of Jesus. But there's going to be something different than Jesus says that they're going to this tribulation. Gonna kill you. They're going to hate you all because the one and those that you think are your brothers are going to turn you in.

And many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.

Because lawlessness has increased most people's Love Book Rule Colt.

He's saying.

Again.

That there are those who are going to say that that I'm the Christ, or that I know about the Christ and throughout.

Even in American history, you've seen people who have gone to amount and a waiting for Jesus to return. You seen people who have killed themselves thinking that a comma will return and pick them up there. All these false teachings and people seem to fall for them. The best antidote for fault, not following for a false Christ is knowing the words of Jesus.

It says people love will grow cold. So when people hate people when people are indifferent to people than their reaction is too.

Not love in return.

But we're told.

That we love because God first loved us so our love is to be genuine regardless of how we are treated because we love like God Love God loved Unconditionally. God Love the world and so we being true believers need to continue that love even in the face of severe opposition.

But the one who endures to the end will be saved. You see, there's a shifting process. There are those who claim to be disciples. But as Jesus talked about in the solar, that there are many when difficulties in trials come. That the.

Burdens choke out the word and they leave, and that's kind of what's happening here, and so sometimes I can't tell what's in your heart and in your mind and you can't tell what's in my heart or what's in my mind.

And so those who are consistent in God and consistent in the faith will be saved.

In this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. So Jesus has discussed.

This question saying OK now these things are happening, but you know the end is being closed when the Gospel is preached to the whole world.

Now, some people interpret this as as we preach, and as we, for instance, we videotape, and we disseminate our messages and our ministries on the web and on various other social platforms. And there are a number of various countries throughout the world who listen and watch. Some of them may watch a little bit. Some of them may watch the entire thing, but we think, well, we're disseminating it to the whole world.

And it's important because we've been commanded to make disciples and to declare the Kingdom, but again.

I think the Book of Revelation tells us the key to this.

Passage.

And then he's going to get even more serious.

Therefore, when you see the abomination of Desolation which is spoken through Daniel the Prophet, standing in the holy place.

Let the reader understand, then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get his things out of that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.

Woe to those who are pregnant into those or nursing babies in those days.

But pray that your flight will not be in the winter or on the Sabbath.

Now.

Jesus gives us a clue.

He says when the abomination happens, as prophesied by Daniel.

Now there was during the time of the destruction of the temple that Titus came and destroyed the temple, and did some things, and there was another euripides who who sacrificed a pig in the on the altar. And so those are. But that was not.

All those were abomination of Desolation. It was not that spoken of through the Prophet Daniel, because that abomination is to take place in the final weeks, seven years of.

This time.

So he says.

Is going to the tribulation that's gonna happen. After that you're going to be killed. You're going to be persecuted all these things that happened, but when you see that it is going to be severely more diffi cult.

And it's going to be so much so difficult that Jesus says you need to act so quickly that you need to just forget what you got and go. So even if you're on top of the roof, maybe repairing it instead of following, getting down and spending the time to get things out of the house he goes. Go says if you're in the field, don't worry about what you got or don't have go because it's that significant of a tribulation and he says, you know there's a problem if you're.

Pregnant because a pregnant woman, the stress of travel and the things happening are going to cause severity for her and those that lover.

And yet he also says in pray that your flight not being Winter 'cause it's more difficult to travel and then he says and not be honest Abbot.

Now we kind of don't appreciate that I had a friend who spent a month in Israel.

And he commented, he said.

On the Sabbath on a Saturday, if you're in a multi Storey building that has an elevator.

That the all the flat, all the floors of that elevator or preprogramed punched in.

So that, for instance, if you are on the 12th floor, you had to stop at the 11th. We had to stop at the 10th. I had to stop at the 9th at the stop at the 8th and stop at the 7th at the stop at the six in the stop at the five at the stop at, the four had to stop at the three. Yeah, this stuff at the two, and then he finally got to the ground floor. And so it was so slow just getting out of the building that it creates difficulty. And so Jesus is warning us and it's telling us it is that similar that.

You can't wait for the elevator to take that much time to be moving down because things are going to be very serious.

This 'cause Why?

For then there will be a great tribulation, such as not a Kurd since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

Now those of you who are familiar with with history at all know how much suffering and tribulation the church has suffered, how much tribulation the people of God who are the Jews who have suffered.

I would say that the the difference between believers and let's say the Jews is that if you're Jewish, you're Jewish. You can't.

You are who you are.

But if you're a believer.

You can say I'm not.

You can deny the Lord and try to avoid the tribulation.

And yet those who endure until the end are the ones who will be saved.

So this.

Tribulation apparently is even going to be worse than the Holocaust. Going to be worse than those things that we've ever seen. The man's inhumanity to man. And it's going to be directed not at the world, but directed at God's people. Those who follow Jesus.

And this is how desperate it is in verse 22 says, unless those days had been cut short notice, unless those days had been cut short, Jesus is telling us and giving us comfort that they've been cut short.

But for the sake of the elect those days.

Will be cut short.

God knows that this tribulation is going to be so serious, so difficult, so horrendous, that even those who have a sincere faith in God could beat, attempted to deny him because it's that severe.

It gives us warning.

Because there seems to be people always looking for a way out. So he says then if anyone says to you, behold, here is the Christ or there he is. Do not believe him.

For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.

I used to say quite regularly.

That the reason I know that Jesus is the Messiah is that it says that he died according to the Scriptures, was buried and Rose again according to the scriptures and all that is true. But he died, was buried and rose according to the scriptures according to the Messiah, the Christ. But the scriptures also tell us that there is an Antichrist who will suffer a mortal wound.

And yet rise again.

That's going to be a pretty neat trick. People are going to think, oh, he must be.

That he's going to this statement demonstrate, and so will the false Prophet. Many signs and wonders saying, Oh my goodness, he must be from God because see all of these signs and wonders.

And Jesus is telling us don't believe them.

Their fault.

Then they say so they will say to you. Behold, he is in the wilderness. Do not go out, or behold, he is in the inner rooms. Do not believe them.

He's saying there is no secret place that you're going to find Jesus, so stop looking because he's he's going to say in a few moments it is going to be abundantly clear to the entire world, his return.

So says for just as the lightning comes from the East and flashes even to the West, so will the coming of the son of man be.

So.

Jesus is telling us.

There's no sense of searching for him.

As he comes.

Because his.

Appearing

will be obvious.

As obvious as the Lightning.

Now.

I want you.

To consider.

As we've read this as it talked about.

After the.

Desolate abomination of Desolation.

I encourage you to also read second second thessalonians chapter two. I think that will give you additional information about that situation and about his coming.

And as I've read these passages.

Again.

It's Jesus telling us.

Be careful what we hear, what we believe and where we go.

Because there will be those who will see to Deceive us.

So the first thing as believers we need to do is test what is spoken of.

Test the words and that's why I'm trying to limit my conversation to what Jesus says because it's Jesus. Who knows?

Yes, I have my doctoral positions and you may have your doctoral positions, but what is it that Jesus says and we need to follow that so that if the events that come

may disagree with our doctrinal positions, we don't lose faith in our doctrinal positions because they were wrong. We never lose faith in Jesus. Who's right?

And then I'm going to read a verse.

That I used to be troubled at.

'cause I thought it was kind of like a *****. Ecuador Jesus was telling us don't.

Be deceived that that the false Christ will do all kinds of marvelous signs and wonders and was mislead many that there will be those who hate each other and that the believers are going to suffer a tribulation that has never happened before or after.

And then he says this.

Wherever the corpse is.

There the filters will gather.

Ego, huh?

That seems like a big ***** Ecuador. He's been talking about all these things and now he's talking about birds in a corpse.

I encourage you to read Revelation Chapter 19.

Because that tells us.

That there's going to be an army ready.

And that the corpses will be there and Jesus will defeat them.

So I encourage you to read Revelation Chapter 19.

Again with 29 of.

Matthew 24 but immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the Moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the Sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Now there's great discussion and debate. Is this just all?

Symbolism or discussing? Actually the physical heavens, the shaking, so that perhaps the sun is now so dark and that it's it's black that it doesn't bear his light, or that the Moon will not give his light.

Again.

Revelations fills in some of this information, but I want you to understand if you've ever been simply.

In a time where there has been smog in your location or that there been wildfires or forest fires that the smoke of such will cause the sun to be darkened and even the moon become oranges or whatever and so even events that happen on the earth can have a consequense on what it appears to be in Heaven. But it doesn't say.

Birthday son.

And Moon will not give us like it says, these things will happen. So I tend to think that it's either.

First off, that it is a natural consequence that the sun will dim, and because the sun dims the reflection of the moon is darkened.

And the stars will fall now something that that's meteors. Some say that it may be Angels or whatever have fallen from their state, and so one views it as allegory and symbolism. 1 views it as the consequences of the.

Heavens.

And the third view it as the consequences of the heavenly places.

I'm not here to tell you which of those are studying God's word and decide for yourself.

But it does say the heavens will be shaken and then the sign of the son of Man will appear in the Sky.

So after the tribulation after these cataclysmic events, after all of this is happened.

The sign of the son of Man will appear in the Sky.

And then.

All the tribes of the Earth will mourn, and they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of the Sky.

Buy with power and great glory.

0.

Jesus is coming is going to be evident because he's coming from the Sky. He's coming as we are told just as he left the earth and ascended to heaven from the Mount of all of it he is going to be descending, as I said.

The clouds of the Sky. Now the clouds of the Sky. Maybe that we're looking up and it's a cloudy day.

Or it may be.

The clouds of the Sky are.

Those.

Will returning with him.

And those who are caught up to meet him. And so there there? So it's a crowd of witnesses. And so when Jesus returns, he's returning not by himself, but is returning with all of his, and he's returning, not like he came the first time. Jerusalem, as a suffering servant.

As the Messiah on a donkey.

Mild and Meek.

This time he's coming with power and Great Glory.

And it says the tribes of the Earth will mourn, because they will truly see.

That everything that they've followed, everything that they believed in, everything that they have taught.

Has been wrong.

And that their power is nothing in comparison to his power, and their glory is nothing to be compared to his glory.

And he will send forth his Angels with a great trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the Sky to the other.

So it tells us that there is a great gathering of his believers that will be and he will gather them to himself.

This is called the Second Coming.

Where he's come.

To set.

His Kingdom on the earth that Millennial Kingdom that will last for 1000 years.

And we will see these things.

There is great debate among various Christian theologians and ministers and pastors.

As to.

Rapture Second coming. All these types of things.

And that's fine.

But one thing is sure.

He's coming again.

He's coming again.

Just as he had promised.

Back

and if all testament.

His promised his disciples.

Meaning you and me.

That he's coming again.

And he's coming with power and great glory, which means.

That there may be.

Great suffering.

And great tribulation.

We

you and me.

May not experience as Jesus May Terry for a little while longer.

Or you may come in our lifetimes, or we may come in our children's lifetimes, or it may come in our children's children's lifetime. That is why it is important for you and me to teach our children that Jesus is coming back to teach them the signs of his return to teach him or the false things are so that they are aware of it, that there will be false signs and wonders so that they are not.

Misinformed, they're not deceive. We are to teach them so that they understand.

Because let's face it.

Those who hate us.

No.

How to get to us?

I'll give you an example.

Americans are known as fairly loyal.

And when American soldiers were captured and the enemy would seek information, they would torture our soldiers.

And many of not most would endure it.

Because they love their country more.

Then the pain of the suffering.

So our enemies decided.

If taking the direct route doesn't work.

And they'll do the indirect route.

And that indirect route was to threaten an harm.

Your fellow soldier.

And that would usually cause Americans to crack because.

We do not want our soldiers do not want to be the cause of the pain and suffering of another because of their principles and their belief.

We don't have that option.

And so one of the things that we must teach our children.

Is that I love you very much.

We must teach our grandchildren. I love you more than life itself.

But let me make this one thing clear.

I love God more than you.

I love God more than me.

And I will not deny him.

And so let me apologize to you in advance, that if it causes you any pain.

But I cannot deny my Lord.

Whatever the cost.

And that's why this discussion of Jesus so scares us, because we don't want to go through these things.

And Lord knows, I don't want to go through these things and I hope.

Perhaps I don't have to.

But the scriptures also tells us.

How bless it are those.

Who go through the great tribulation?

The God himself will wipe every tear from their eyes.

They will comfort them.

And that they will be in his presence.

Not just in Heaven, but in his presence in the Kingdom. The blessings of those who go through it.

Armor.

And those who don't.

And so I encourage you, even though that this is a difficult topic, even though it's a scary topic. And even though we don't want to think about it because it is so frightening and we hope that there is some way out that we don't have to worry about.

It is much better, in my opinion, to be prepared.

And not need it.

And not to be prepared and need it.

So for instance.

I'm going on a trip.

2.

Fresno from here.

About a four hour drive, let's say.

I'm going to want to make sure by.

Car has a full tank of gas.

Because if it doesn't.

I'll be out of gas before I.

Arrive.

And we need and when it comes to those types of physical things, we take preparation. We prepare our houses for things. We prepare lunches for kids to go to school because we don't want them to be a hungry where. The people who prepare.

So my encouragement is for you to be prepared and you're prepared by knowing the signs of the time by preparing your faith by preparing those who are.

Close to you, those that you love that they might understand.

These next time we're going to take a look at.

Jesus is.

Telling us about Parables.

So that we might be ready and might be observant.

You see, Jesus teeth takes us so seriously that not only does he show us what's going to happen, but he tells us to pay attention to be ready to be prepared.

And that is my desire for you, so I hope that this is not the last time you take a look at this passage. I hope you continue to look at it to look at the other verses around it, to take a look at the Book of Revelation. And if you take a look at Matthew 24 in conjunction with the Book of Revelation.

I suspect the book of light revelation will not be so mysterious as it was before so often we tend to rely on what other people think about those types of things, and I encourage you to be a student of the word of God.

So that you know now what pastor Joe knows now what pastor who ever that you came to faith, but that you know because you've read the Scriptures. You've studied the Scriptures and you're aware of the signs of the time.

Our band is going to be coming shortly.

And they're going to be lady in a song that says Even so.

You see, because we are fully fully persuaded.

That even if we're not here.

His word says his electoral be here.

And then there's going to be a great tribulation.

And there's going to be wars and rumors of wars and famines and earthquakes.

And the love of many will grow cold, and people will betray one another. A society in a place that you really don't want to be apart of.

But if all of that is what takes place.

Before Jesus comes.

Even so, Lord come.

Because we want you to come in power and Great Glory.

Because you are worthy of it and so much more.

Amen.