Jesus is Coming Back: Four Signs from Matthew 24

BIBLE READING: Matthew 24:3-14; 29-31, 42-44

Christ Came: Fulfilled prophecy, rose from the dead, seen by witnesses. The resurrected Christ is credible, believed in all miracles and so can you.

Christ Coming Again: More prophecies fulfilled, signs of the times; to ignore these is to be foolish.

No smooth transition;

Signs ‘beginning of sorrows’ include:
Famines, false christs, pestilences, earthquakes, anti-semitism, false prophets, betrayal, love decreasing, lawless increasing. Like the days of Noah

FOUR SIGNS TO FOCUS

SIGN ONE: DECEPTION

Matthew 24:4: Take heed that no man deceive you.

WAR ON TRUTH

False prophets (vs. 11, 24)
False christs (vs. 24)
All lead to the ultimate false one
Low view of truth: Lies, mendacity, fake news, post-truth, spin, gaslighting, deception, delusion are the devil’s native language (John 8:44). The devil has a low view of life and high view of theft and killing,

Postmodernism teaches relativism, no absolutes. You have your truth & mine
Perception = Reality = Truth. ‘perception, spin, narrative, replaces reality.'
Truth deficit in education, media, judiciary, politics, science, medicine.
Verifiable facts don’t matter = misinformation if goes against narrative.

Violation of 9th Commandment which prohibits bearing false witness - and grim future for those who love and make lies (Revelation 21:8; 22:15)
Culture of lying makes truth harder to accept (John 8:45)
GOOD NEWS: Objective universal eternal truth is a person (John 14:6) and He will set you free.

ANTIDOTE

Have a high view of truth & Scripture
Three Sources of Divine Truth: Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, & the Word of God

2 THESSALONIANS 2:9-12 (ESV) - A Timely Warning
"The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

SIGN TWO: THE GREAT SHAKING—V. 29

Matthew 24:29: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:"

Powers of heaven shaken. Shaking: by God, physical, interrelated sun/moon/star, in order to overthrow arrogant, humanistic system. 20th Century shaking—recount—Any protection from the shaking?

ANTIDOTE: Hebrews 12:25-29 - Do not say ‘No’ to God. You will be building your life upon a rock (Matthew 7:24-25).

SIGN THREE: ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11

THE ULTIMATE DECEIVER

MATTHEW 24:15-18: "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16. Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17. Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18. Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes."

DANIEL 9:27 (ESV): "and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

2 THESSALONIANS 2:4 (ESV): "who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God."

EXPLAIN THIS EVENT FROM DANIEL 9:24-27

ANTIDOTE: Flee to the mountains. High places Habakkuk 3:17-19

SIGN FOUR: GOSPEL PREACHED WORLDWIDE

Matthew 24:14: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

Universal Gospel. Started in Jerusalem, moved to Europe, then to the ends of the earth. Now returning to the epicenter (Europe & Israel), thanks to missionary endeavour, multi-media, and the Chinese-led Back to Jerusalem Movement. 1 billion people could be saved in the next decade.

REVIVAL: Come alive again.