The End-Time: Are We There Yet? (Part 3)
Introduction to the End-Time Message • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro
Intro
Text - ;
Title - The End-Time: Are We There Yet? (Part 3)
Background
Background
What we have learned so far:
the last days began when Jesus was on earth preaching the coming of the kingdom of God
the end of the age will also be the time of Christ’s second coming
before the second coming of Christ, there will be a time of great tribulation on earth and the the antichrist will appear
before the great tribulation comes Jesus Christ will bring His Church in the rapture
Questions to address today:
Questions to address today:
how will the church know the time/season of the rapture?
how does the gospel prepare God’s people for the rapture?
The Gospel
The Gospel
The gospel is not just the good news about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The gospel covers the whole plan salvation that God has set in motion throughout the history of man.
The gospel was given in the form of a message that is given to a specific time for a specific purpose.
The gospel was first preached to Abraham
The gospel was first preached to Abraham
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”
Galatians 3.
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12.
Abraham was first recepient of the gospel
the nation Israel was the immediate beneficiary of the gospel
the Gentiles are the future recepients of the gospel
The MESSAGE: the blessing of God will come to all the nations through the seed of Abraham - Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3.16
16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.
The gospel announced the coming of the kingdom
The gospel announced the coming of the kingdom
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
John was the first to announce the coming of the kingdom of heaven/God
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.
Matthew 3.1-2
John’s Gospel MESSAGE: the Savior of the world is coming
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1.29
14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Matthew 4.17
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Jesus continued the gospel proclamation
Jesus
Jesus was pointing to the kingdom of God in 2 forms:
the physical form - His earthly reign
27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
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this is
the spiritual form - the Holy Spirit
the physical form - His earthly reign
20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation;
21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Luke 17.
Jesus’s Gospel MESSAGE:
the physical kingdom is coming in the end of the age
the spiritual form of the kingdom is coming immediately in the form of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
(This is the gospel proclaimed by the apostles up to the present)
repentance, remission of sins
baptism of the Holy Spirit
new birth -
The gospel proclaimed Jesus Christ to the Gentiles
The gospel proclaimed Jesus Christ to the Gentiles
the apostles proclaimed the gospel to Israel and then to the nations
Jesus commanded the disciples to not focus on the coming of the kingdom, but on proclaiming Him for the salvation of souls.
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1.6-
their Gospel MESSAGE: Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ so that you may be born into the kingdom of God.
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
The gospel in the end-time
The gospel in the end-time
we still preach salvation through Jesus Christ (same gospel)
the time has come for gospel preaching to focus on the end of time
3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Revelation 1.
10 And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.
SO MUCH HAS CHANGED SINCE THE DAYS OF THE APOSTLES (2,000 years difference)
Falling away from the faith
Rise of false Christianity
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,
3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
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18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
1 John 2.18-
GOD IS RESTORING HIS CHURCH
The Reformation movement
The Holiness Movement
the Pentecostal Movement
the End-Time Message
[SHOW AN ILLUSTRATION HERE]
THE END-TIME MESSAGE proclaims:
WE ARE LIVING IN THE END-TIME - END OF THE LAST DAYS
current events point to prophecies being fulfilled
JESUS IS RETURNING FOR HIS CHURCH IN THE RAPTURE
because the rapture must take place before the great tribulation comes
THE CHURCH MUST RETURN TO TRUE APOSTOLIC FAITH
19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,
21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
Jesus will not return until the times of restoration has come
11 Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.
12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.”
- Jesus will not return until the times of restoration has come
Elijah will come to restore all things
How do we respond to the gospel?
How do we respond to the gospel?
we recognize Jesus Christ
we recognize Jesus Christ
that He is our Savior, the only way back to God
by recognizing God’s servants sent to preach the gospel
by being baptized in His name
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 And you are witnesses of these things.
Luke 24.46-
Acts 2.37-3
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
we recognize the message of God for our day - this end-time message
we recognize the message of God for our day - this end-time message
that we are truly living in the end of the last days
by recognizing God’s servants sent to preach the message
by participating in the work of God in our day
Acts 2.46-
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10.
we recognize the men God used to proclaim His message
we recognize the men God used to proclaim His message
John 6
28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
God’s servants
John the baptist - prophet-messenger; forerunner of Christ; Elijah
Jesus Christ Himself - sent to be the Savior of the world
the apostles - sent to preach the gospel
the end-time Elijah - sent to restore us to true apostolic faith
current preachers - who preach the gospel to you
Summary
Summary
The end of the age is coming very soon.
Jesus is coming for His church in the rapture.
The rapture is for those who received the gospel message for our day.