Time to Wake Up!

Intro/Background

End of year, always do a message looking back at the past year

2020 - what a year it was!

There has been one reminder that the Lord keeps reminding me of lately - He’s coming back soon

The events of this year, I’d say more than many other years in recent memory, have made that very, very clear.

But I think at the same time, many believers have lost their focus on the things of the Lord and of His soon return

Yes, this year has distracted us

Yes, it has been hard to stay connected in our faith and within the body many times

Many of you haven’t been able to attend for your own health & safety, and while we’re super thankful for technology that allows us to livestream sermons and stay connected via chat windows, it’s not the same

And when we are here, it’s still not the same. I will say some of the fellowship times we had in the warmer summer months after service were great.

But 2020 has kinda been this missing year - a year to forget

What we shouldn’t forget though, and what we shouldn’t lose sight of, is that our Savior is coming back soon

And I think the things that we’ve seen in our world this year should stir our hearts and remind us that He is coming soon

Rom 13:11

Knowing the time

Paul gives us a command in this verse, “And do this.,”

So what does he tell us to do?

Well our action is conditional upon us knowing something - “knowing the time”

Obviously, that’s more than knowing it’s 9:40 AM on Sunday, December 27, 2020.

Jesus give us the idea for what this means

[Mat 16:1-3 NKJV] 1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; 3 "and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.

Paul, & Jesus, are talking about the sign of the times that we live in, the age or era that we live in

It’s important for us to know the time

It’s important to understand Biblical prophesy

This book is more than just about what happened in the past. It has more to say than just wise ways to live. It speaks to the future.

The church used to be crazy about prophecy and the rapture and the second coming of Jesus. But in the past decade or so, that has become a topic we talk less and less about.

But Jesus gets on the case of the Pharisees for knowing how to tell the weather, but not having any clue of the times or era they were living in.

What time is it?

If we need to know the time that we’re living in, the natural question is, “What time is it?”

[Luk 21:7-13 NKJV] 7 So they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?" 8 And He said: "Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them. 9 "But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately." 10 Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 "And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. 12 "But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. 13 "But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.

[Luk 21:25-28 NKJV] 25 "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 "men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

The disciples had taken Jesus up onto the temple mount in Jerusalem and were showing Jesus how grand the 2nd temple was. Jesus told them this statement that blew them away. He said that sometime in the future, not a single stone of that temple would be left standing.

The disciples couldn’t believe it. They didn’t know what we know in history that in 70 AD, Titus and the Roman army would come attack Jerusalem, destroy the temple, and fulfill this prophecy of Jesus

They thought for their grand temple to be destroyed, the world would have to end - so that’s what they ask, “Jesus, when is the end of the world?” How will we know the end times?

Jesus tells them that there will be certain things leading up to the end.

We know in scripture, that there are a few events that play into the end time that are laid out in the book of Revelation, 1 Thess, Daniel, Ezekiel, among other place

Rapture of the church (believers are snatched up into heaven)

A one-world leader referred to as the antichrist will rise up, start a one-world government, and sign this major peace treaty w/ the nation of Israel that will last for 7 years (Daniel 9:27 ) - a time known as the tribulation period or Jacob’s trouble

During that 7 year time frame, God will be pouring out His wrath on a world that has rejected Him. There will be wars, famine, plagues, natural disasters, it won’t be a nice time to be around.

At the end of the 7 years, Jesus is going to come back to the earth, w/ us (hooray!) in an event known as the second coming. He’s going to lock Satan & the antichrist in prison, and set up a 1,000 year long earthly reign known as the millennium period where we get to rule and reign w/ Him

After that 1,000 years, Satan will try to stage one more coup but will immediately be cast into the Lake of Fire, then Jesus is going to establish a new heaven and a new earth where we’ll be w/ Him (there’s my short overview of Revelation. If you’re interested in more detail, come talk to me and I’ll recommend a good couple of commentaries/series to watch or listen to to get the full picture).

So! Jesus says that when we start to see some of the things He describes happen, the beginning of the end (the rapture of the church) is near (“Look up, your redemption draws near!”)

One other important distinction is that we are talking about times - not a date, but an era

[1Th 5:1-2 NKJV] 1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

Jesus said no one knows the hour, but we can know the time

What are we watching for? Jesus tells us:

False christs

For a long time, I used to think of this as people claiming to be Jesus

And it never really made sense to me

Yes, there have been some weird cults over the years where a leader has claimed to be Jesus Christ, and some of them have gotten pretty big followings even

David Koresh in Waco, Jim Jones and the Jonestown cult, even Charles Manson

There’s a whole Wikipedia page on people who claimed to be Jesus

But for the most part, most people didn’t put stock into these cult leaders

But the more I study this, and the more I see what’s going on in the world, I think Jesus is saying that the world will be looking for a savior - a messiah

For a quick example, let’s just look at the last presidential election

I was amazed at how both sides, both parties, had so many people throwing their hope and faith in a person, a flawed presidential candidate, to be the savior of the US

And when Biden won, did you see some of the pictures of people taking to the streets - “we’re saved!”

Now, I’m not bashing president elect Biden, I’m praying that he does well and we should all be praying for him as our leader, but I was just amazed at how people seemed to be throwing their faith in this person, looking for someone to save them

And I think this feeling has increased b/c of COVID this year. People are looking for someone to save us

There have been several calls for united global approach, a united world government w/ the COVID pandemic

Tony Blair, former PM of Great Britain called for the G20 to lead a global approach to not just the COVID pandemic, but on climate change, and the economy (https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/06/tony-blair-coronavirus-who-240774)

Prince Charles, at the World Economic forum in June this year talked about the idea of a global approach to issues (https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/03/prince-charles-covid-19-a-golden-opportunity-to-reboot-the-economy.html)

Klaus Schwab, head of the World Economic Forum, has called for a great reset in the world economy to try and globally solve issues for the benefit of the world (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/now-is-the-time-for-a-great-reset/)

The world has looked more and more for a savior to it’s problems, exactly how Jesus described in Luke 21 I believe

Vaccine passport - shadows of Mark of the Beast

Another item that ties into the idea of a one world government or a one world economy is found in Rev 13

[Rev 13:16-17 NKJV] 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

It’s what’s known as the mark of the beast, and it comes in the tribulation period as a mandate from the antichrist and one world government

You’re starting to see shadows of that with some of the calls for a COVID vaccine passport

Now let me be very clear on this, I’m pro vaccine! I think science has done an outstanding job with this and the data clearly shows how effective so far the two FDA approved vaccinations are. I’ll be in line as soon as I can to get my shots in order to not have to deal w/ the status quo anymore.

But I can see the calls of many for forcing the vaccine on people and then making it mandatory to track/do business as a sign of where we’re headed (Jesus coming back!)

From a bill in the French Parliament banning people from using public transport if they haven’t been vaccinated (https://www.newsweek.com/people-who-forgo-covid-vaccine-could-limited-using-public-transportation-france-1556744), to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), an airline trade association that represents 290 airlines worldwide, announcing on Nov. 23 that it was in the final stages of developing a digital vaccine passport for air travelers (https://www.healthline.com/health-news/will-airlines-require-vaccine-passports-in-2021#New-document-for-travel), you can see the shadows of this already.

Again, I’m lining up to get the shot! But the tracking, the passport, and you combine that with chipping/implant technology that already exists for your pet, and others like Elon Musk are working on, you see how close we are to that time.

Wars & threats of war

Physical and cyber warfare

We see so much of this across the planet.

Wikipedia lists 18 active wars in the world right now (over 1,000 deaths), plus 22 minor conflicts (100-1,000 deaths), and 19 other skirmishes where there have been deaths (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ongoing_armed_conflicts)

Recent cyber attack from Russia on the US

Ezekiel 38-39 describes one big one that is coming that all the pieces are so incredibly lining up for

Russia/Turkey/Iran alliance

“Russia, Turkey, Iran agree to hold Astana peace talks soon” - TASS (Russian News Agency) (https://tass.com/world/1193777)

“Turkey, Russia, Iran: Unlikely ‘allies’ united by a common threat” - Arab News (https://www.arabnews.com/node/1557336)

“Russia, Turkey and Iran coordinate anti-US Syria policy, slamming Israel” - The Jerusalem Post (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/russia-turkey-and-iran-coordinate-anti-us-syria-policy-slamming-israel-633680)

You have in this alliance:

Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon & hate of Israel

Growing power of Russia and looking more and more like the old Soviet days

Inclusion of a NATO ally into their fold

Also what is interesting is in Eze 38-39, you see no Saudi Arabia/Egypt/Jordan other Arab nations in this attack

This year, we’ve seen these historic peace treaties & normalization of relationships between Israel and the Arab world, over the common threat of Iran

Earthquakes/famines/pestilence

Pestilence = plague

No more to say there!

Increased persecution of church

Slowly seeing our views as Christians being condemned & taken away

Across the globe - 70 nations hostile to the gospel

Gordon Conwell Seminary (leader in this research)

70 million Christian martyrs since ascension of Christ

More than 1/2 in 20th century

2 million since year 2000

1 every 6 minutes

Center for the Study of Global Christianity also found that Christians are the most persecuted religious group throughout the world. (https://www.christianpost.com/news/over-900000-christians-martyred-for-their-faith-in-last-10-years-report-173045/)

Distress of Nations

Men’s hearts failing

“Americans are the unhappiest they’ve been in 50 years” - AP News (https://apnews.com/article/0f6b9be04fa0d3194401821a72665a50)

“US deaths in 2020 top 3 million, by far most ever counted” - AP News (https://apnews.com/article/us-coronavirus-deaths-top-3-million-e2bc856b6ec45563b84ee2e87ae8d5e7)

Also see from Paul:

[2Ti 3:1-5 NKJV] 1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

Back to Romans, what did Paul tell us to do?

Wake up!

Jesus viewed the church as sleeping before He comes back

[Mat 25:1-13 NKJV] 1 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 "Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 "Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 "but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 "But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 "And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' 7 "Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 "And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 "But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' 10 "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' 12 "But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

He also views us as lukewarm

[Rev 3:15-18 NKJV] 15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-- 18 "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

And as He told the Pharisees, we need to understand the times and realize that there is nothing left prophetically in scripture that needs to happen before Jesus comes back

In fact, it is amazing how well things line up and show us that the events in the book of Revelation, Daniel, & Ezekiel could happen today and it wouldn’t be crazy

What is our responsibility then?

Rom 13:12-14

Cast off darkness, & walk properly

We need to be focused on the things that matter, and those are the things of Jesus

If you’ve learned one thing through this pandemic, I hope it was about priorities

Don’t walk in drunkenness & revelry

Don’t walk in lewdness & lust

Don’t walk in strife & envy

Man do we as a church love to fight!

But share that hope & expectation of a soon returning Jesus w/ others

We need to share the gospel!

Hell is real! The tribulation is real!

It will be the worst 7 year period in the history of mankind. The world will wish for 2020 b/c that will be tame compared to what the tribulation brings

And life is short

[Jas 4:14 NASB] 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

Another message that may have hit home this year for you