Matthew 24:21-31 "The Olivet Discourse: The Great Tribulation & Second Coming"

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Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew 24. Today we are looking at VSS 21-31.

We find ourselves in the last week of Jesus’ life prior to the cross… and this week is one of the most documented weeks in the entire Bible. As it should be… because it’s one of the most important weeks in the entire Bible and the history of redemption.

After departing the Temple, Jesus lamented over the spiritual state of Israel… lamenting in Matt 23:37-39 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ ”

Israel was in a bad place spiritually. Messiah had come, and they didn’t recognize Him. The Religious Leaders of the nation… who were supposed to be the lights of the world… had fallen into corruption… compromised by pride, position, and wealth. Jesus pronounced woes upon them for their hypocrisy.

Starting in Matt 24 we read… “Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

Jews, including the disciples, had an eschatology… an end times belief that Messiah would return and establish His Kingdom. And, He will… but He first came to redeem mankind from sin… the Jews didn’t understand this, so when Jesus spoke about their house (most likely their city or their Temple) being desolate… it prompted them to think on end times.

They ask… V3, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

And, these questions opened the door for Jesus to share an eschatology the disciples had never heard before. And, if the disciples minds weren’t thoroughly blown earlier, they would be now.

Just look at all the words in red in Matthew 24-25. And, no questions or comments from the disciples… not even Peter… who always had something to say!

Over the last couple weeks we looked at the rapture, the beginning of the tribulation (the first 3.5 years), the mid-point of the tribulation/ the abomination of desolation, and starting in V21 we will look at the final 3.5 years and Jesus’ second coming.

The title of today’s message is, “The Olivet Discourse: The Great Tribulation & Second Coming.”

Let’s Pray!

Matt 24:21-22 “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved [delivered, rescued… not spiritual salvation]; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”

In V21, Jesus starts with the word “then” placing another timestamp… at this time “there will be great tribulation” which is what the second half of the tribulation is traditionally called. The first half is bad, but the second half is worse… just as Jesus’ description of a woman experience birth pains… just prior to the delivery of the baby, the birth pains increase in frequency and intensity.

And, Jesus describes an amplified time of tribulation during these final 3.5 years “…such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

Besides this time being a unique time of intense trials that wipes out much of the earth… this is also a unique time because the tribulation during these 7 years, is the wrath of God.

Other times in history, including 70 A.D., when there were wars, famines, pestilences… even today where there have been and increase in those trials plus an increase in earthquakes… . those trials are different from what we see during the 7 year Tribulation.

The word tribulation in Gk. thlipsis... means “a pressing together; pressure.” Metaphorically speaking “affliction, distress of mind, distressing circumstances, trial, persecutions.”

Jesus said in Jn 16:33 “… In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

And, we do experience these things in the world. Sometimes by the hands of other people… sometimes through natural events (like natural disasters or illness), and sometimes we self-inflict harm through poor life choices and mis-steps.

But, that is natural tribulation… very different from “The 7 Year Tribulation” which is full of supernatural tribulation.

In John 15:20 Jesus said, “‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”

All around the world today, Christians are being persecuted. Literally ostracized from their families and society… unable to work and care for their families… imprisoned and even killed. And, there are more martyrs today then ever before.

But, that’s not ‘The Tribulation.’ What we see today is the wrath of man… not the wrath of God. The wrath of man is very bad, but it does not compare to what will be seen during the Tribulation.

Now several eschatological positions, while they may disagree on the timing of the rapture, and the nature of the wrath in the first 3.5 years.... whether you are pre-trib, mid-trib, or pre-wrath… we mostly agree and align after the mid-point of the Tribulation… (If you hold a post-trib or Amill view… I’m not seeing things how you do until either at the millennium or until eternity).

But, for the pre-tribbers, mid-tribbers, and pre-wrathers... We would agree that the final 3.5 years is God’s Wrath, it will be a time of tribulation like never seen, and will lead up to Jesus’ return ushering in His 1000 year literal reign on Earth (the Millennial Reign of Christ)… at the end of the 1000 years… Satan is released, deceives the nations again, and is cast into the Lake of Fire… this world burns, and God ushers in Eternity (a new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem). And, it will be glorious.

But in those final 3.5 years of the Tribulation, the Bible speaks about intense judgment… directly from the hand of God… and I’m going to give you a quick overview of that time to help you understand the increasing intensity.

In the 7 year tribulation, there are judgments appearing in a series of three sevens. Seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls or vials.

The seals appear in the first 3.5 years of the Tribulation, and the Trumpets and Bowls in the final 3.5 years… the Great Tribulation.

There is a progression… with each new seal, trumpet or bowl… the judgments get worse.

And, they are intertwined all within the first series of the seven seals. (I have a slide to help you visualize this.) Within the 7th seal, the 7 trumpets are unveiled. And within the 7th trumpets the 7 bowls are unveiled.

Walvoord puts it this way, “Contained in the seventh seal are all the subsequent developments leading to the second coming of Christ, including the seven trumpets and the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”

The Seals are all opened directly by Jesus, and the Trumpets and Bowl/ Vial judgments are enacted by angels… messengers of God… with judgments from God.

The first 6 seals appear in Rev 6.

The seventh seal appears Rev 8:1 with the words, “When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”

We call that the ‘quiet before the storm.’ That eerie stillness and quiet just before devastation.

The seven angels with the seven trumpets stand ready, and another angel fills a golden censer… a golden incense burner which is filled with fire from the altar of God, and he throws it upon the earth.

And, we read these words in Rev 8:5 “And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.”

Note those words… these same words are repeated with the Seventh Trumpet, and the Seventh Bowl… linking all these judgments.

Starting in Rev 8:7, the first angel sounds his trumpet, which several scholars mark as the beginning of the Great Tribulation.

Here are the trumpets:

The First Trumpet is hail and fire that destroys 1/3 of the plant life in the world (Revelation 8:7).

The Second & Third Trumpets bring death to 1/3 of the world’s aquatic life & 1/3 of the world’s ships are destroyed (Revelation 8:8–11).

The Fourth Trumpet darkens 1/3 of the sun, moon, and stars shortening “day” and “night” by 1/3 (Revelation 8:12).

Then woes are pronounced upon the people of the earth because of the remaining three trumpets.

The Fifth Trumpet releases a plague of “demonic locusts” (unlike any locust ever seen) that torture the unsaved for five months (Revelation 9:1–11).

The Sixth Trumpet releases four demons, an army of two hundred million who cause three plagues… and in all this another third of humanity is killed (Revelation 9:12–21).

Starting in Rev 11, the Two Witnesses are described, and at the end of their description we read Rev 11:14 “The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.”

Which to me seems to lend support for the Two Witnesses appearing in the final 3.5 years… during the Great Tribulation, after the Sixth Trumpet.

Starting in Rev 11:15, the Seventh Angel sounds the Seventh Trumpet… the Kingdom is proclaimed and similar to the Seventh Seal in Rev 8:5, in the Seventh Trumpet Rev 11:19, there are accompanying “lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake...” plus “great hail”… again linking the seals to the trumpets to the bowls. It’s all God’s wrath.

Starting in Rev 15, Seven additional angels are called forth carrying “seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God” which they pour out upon the earth, starting in Rev 16, bringing forth the Bowl Judgments:

Bowl One pours out ‘Foul and loathsome sores’ upon those with the mark of the beast. (Rev 16:2)

Bowls Two and Three turn the seas and rivers (both salt and fresh water) to blood killing every living sea creature. No longer a third destroyed… like the trumpets… now total devastation. (Rev 16:3-7).

The angel of the waters (from the third plague), pronounces Rev 16:6 “For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.” Proclaiming God righteous.

Bowl Four intensifies the sun’s heat... where it scorches men with fire. Rev 16:9 “And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.”

The people of the world are hard hearted toward God… unwilling to yield to Him even now.

Bowl Five pours judgment upon the throne of the beast (the anti-christ). Rev 16:10-11 “... his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. 11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.”

Bowl Six... the Antichrist’s armies advance and gather at Armageddon… literally Megiddo. Spirits of demons gather the kings of the east. Rev 16:12-16

Finally, Bowl Seven Rev 16:17-18 “Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, [this is God speaking] saying, “It is done!” [From the cross, Jesus proclaimed “It is finished!” and now the Father proclaims “It is done!” as His righteous work of tribulation judgments come to an end.]

V18 Then, those familiar words linking the Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls… “And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth.”

And the quake is so bad, the we read… Babylon is divided into three parts, cites fall, islands sink, and mountains fall.

The final bowl judgment brings an earthquake worse than any in human history which changes the earth’s landscape as cities fall, islands disappear, and mountains crumble.

And then we read Rev 16:21 “And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.”

Hail weighing a talent (about 58-75 lbs) fall from heaven… destroying property… cities… and bringing death.

When Yahweh spoke to Job, He may have been speaking about these very hailstones. Job 38:22-23 “Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail, Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war?”

The Lord used hail as a means of judgment several other places in scripture as well:

In Egypt, the Seventh Plague was fire mingled with hail (Exo 9:24);

He used hail to destroy the Amorite army (Josh 10:11);

The first revelation trumpet… hail and fire (Rev 8:7); and when the seventh trumpet sounded in Rev 11:19, there was great hail.

And, here in Rev 16.

A few months back, I was at a Pastor’s conference in Indy and golf-ball sized hail came through damaging all our cars. God’s hail would crush cars.

With all these judgments in mind… One scholar wrote, “Together, the seals, trumpets, and bowls of the end times comprise “the great day of [God’s] wrath” (Revelation 6:17) and serve to judge the Antichrist’s kingdom of wickedness.” (GotQuestions.org)

In Rev 16:5 an angel declares of God, “You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things.”

God is righteous and are His judgments. Repentance is always available, but the hard hearted resist.

I do recognize that this study is a lot to wrap your mind around, and this is just a survey… the full account of the Tribulation has many more details, and I encourage you to study through those details in the book of revelation.

Revelation… Gk. apŏkalupsis (English Apocalypse), by def. “an uncovering, revealing, disclosure.”

The Book of Revelation opens with Rev 1:1, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place.”

Time is short.

Back in Matt 24, Jesus summarizes the Great Tribulation… the final 3.5 years prior to His return in just 6 verses…

Re-reading from V21, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

And, now you hopefully have a better picture of that Great Tribulation time… the trumpets and the bowl judgments.

V22 “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”

The idea that “unless those days were shortened” is best understood as most bibles translate, “unless those days had been cut short...”

Not that a 24 hour day is shortened, but that this 3.5 year period of time was limited. If the tribulation went on indefinitely, no one would survive.

So, who are the elect? Matthew mentions the elect 3x all right here in Matt 24… VSS 22, 24, and 31. Another debate, and here’s why… in OT scripture the Jews are referred to as the elect. In NT scripture, Paul refers to the church as the elect.

Elect by definition means “select” by implication “favorite or chosen.”

Here’s 2 OT and 2 NT references to the Elect:

Isa 45:4 “For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect...”

Isa 65:9 “I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, And from Judah an heir of My mountains; My elect shall inherit it, And My servants shall dwell there.”

Col 3:12 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering...”

2 John 1 … John opens his epistle “The Elder, To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth...”

In the OT, elect referred to Jews, and in the NT sometimes it does as well, but in the NT, elect can also apply to true believers of Jesus Christ.

So, you could make a broad application that elect applies here, in Matt 24, to any believer during the tribulation time… who are the 144,000 believing Jews and the Martyred Saints (a group separate from the raptured church).

I think you can also make a case that the elect is more narrowly applied only to believing Jews...

…when you consider the Jewish context of Matt 24, and especially the purpose of Matthew’s gospel… he wrote to the Jews to demonstrate Jesus is their King and Messiah, so to now flip flop and apply the elect as all believers in the end, seems a little flimsy to me.

Now, I don’t think the elect is Israel, in general. I believe the 144,000 believing Jews are the primary focus… not the unbelieving Jews who are deceived… because as we continue to VSS 23-24, we see a warning from Jesus of deception in the tribulation and that the elect will not be deceived.

Matt 24:23-24 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

The elliptical construction of this sentence implies that it is NOT possible that the elect would be deceived. I like the King James rendering “… if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” But, it’s not.

Jesus gives fair warning. Don’t be deceived, because there will be deceivers.

In general, the tribulation will be a time many follow an unholy trinity… Satan, Anti-Christ, and the False Prophet.

There will be people popping up to promote these counterfeits… the main deceivers.

Rev 6:2 Anti-Christ on the white horse… coming like Christ, but with marked differences. We read about him again in Rev 13:1-10.

Paul warned of him in 2 Thes 2:9 “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish...”

Sounds like what Jesus was warning about in Matt 24:24 “… false christs... will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive…”

He is accompanied by a false prophet Rev 13:11-18. Of the false prophet it is said, Rev 13:13-14 “He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth—by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast…”

Again, sounds like what Jesus was warning about in Matt 24:24 “… false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive…”

In John 4:48, Jesus said to the Jewish nobleman, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”

In John 5:43, again to Jews, Jesus said, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive...”

And, the Jewish nation, in general, will receive and will be deceived by Anti-Christ during the Tribulation… which is a strong point against them being “the elect” here.

Dan 9:27 “Then he [the “prince who is to come” Dan 9:26… anti-christ] shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate...”

Israel will enter into a covenant with Anti-Christ and he will deceive them. A 3rd temple will be built, and in the middle of the week (at the mid-point of the Tribulation), “He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering...” (the only place sacrifice is permitted).

Israel will be deceived. Rev 12 speaks about “the Woman, the Child, and the Dragon” which is Israel, Christ, and Satan.

Rev 12:13-14 reads, “Now when the dragon [Satan] saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman [Israel] who gave birth to the male Child. [Jesus] 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, [possibly Petra] where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time [3.5 years], from the presence of the serpent.”

Anti-Christ makes desecrates the temple at the mid-point of the tribulation (the abomination of desolation), and during the Great Tribulation persecutes Israel who flees east into the wilderness…

Turns out he wasn’t the savior.

Some scholars apply Zech 13:8 to this time, “And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the LORD, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it”

If applied to the tribulation, 2/3 of Israel will be struck down and perish, but a remnant will be preserved to enter the Millennium with Christ.

Israel will be greatly deceived.

It’s not true believers who will be deceived by Anti-Christ and the False-Prophet during the Tribulation time.

I see the church raptured before the tribulation, and then there are two remaining groups of true believers… 144,000 believing Jews, and the Martyred Saints (the 5th seal of Rev 6; the group in the second half of Rev 7), those who do not take the mark of the beast thus have their heads cut off. They are not deceived.... they are martyred.

People will get saved after the church is raptured.

The rapture itself will stand as a testimony,

The 144,000 Jewish “sealed servants of God” will stand as a testimony,

The two witnesses who prophesy...

The testimony of other martyred saints,

And an angel who flies around the world proclaiming the gospel.

All these stand as a testimony of Jesus Christ, and people will come to faith in Him.

And, a great multitude of them will die because they do not bow the knee to Anti-Christ.

And, that group who accepts Christ is not deceived. That group is 144,000 believing Jews, and these martyred saints.

And, I love that Jesus gives a warning… He give a warning about bad things to come… deceivers coming… and the lies they will spread… including that Jesus is coming back secretively… look at VSS25-26...

Matt 24:25 “See, I have told you beforehand. 26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ [King James says “secret chambers”] do not believe it.”

The coming of Jesus Christ is not going to be in the desert (an isolated place), nor in an inner room (a secret place).

Jesus says, “Do not believe it!”

When Jesus returns, it will be public…

In the first chapter of Rev, Jesus attested to this… Rev 1:7 “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”

Here’s how Jesus describes his 2nd coming at the end of the 7 year Tribulation… V27...

Matt 24:27 “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

When lightning flashes, the whole sky lights up.

Jesus’ return will be visible to the whole world. It won’t be a secret event… “every eye will see Him.”

Lightning also flashes quickly, and Jesus’ return will bring swift judgment.

V28 “For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

V28 is a rather odd verse.

Dallas Theological looks at the state of the world upon His return and states, “Wherever there is a carcass (physical corruption), vultures will go there to eat it. Similarly, where there is spiritual corruption judgment will follow. The world will have become the domain of Satan’s man, the Antichrist, the lawless one, and many people will have been corrupted by false prophets. But the Son of Man will come quickly in judgment.”

D.A. Carson states this is a proverb about Jesus’ perfect timing. Carson wrote, “It is likely a colorful way of saying that things come to pass at just the right time; therefore, it applies here to the Parousia of the Son of Man which comes at just the right time.”

Chuck Smith thinks this points to Rev 19 and the battle of Armageddon where birds of the air will feed on the flesh of armies of the Anti-Christ and False Prophet.

And, very well it could… because that battle seems to be the first event following Jesus return. Rev 19:11 … “heavens open” and Jesus returns. Rev 19:17 … Battle of Armageddon.

So, this verse could apply to the state of the world just before His coming, His perfect timing in coming back, and what Jesus will do immediately upon His return. And, I wouldn’t disagree with any of those views.

I also like Fort Wayne, Pastor Paul Mowery’s commentary on this verse. He said, “I have no idea what this verse means. Go to another church to find out.”

V29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

After the 7 year tribulation, Jesus will return and there will be major celestial disturbances, which several OT prophets spoke of.

Isa 13:10 speaking about the Day of the LORD, “For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine.”

Joel 2:31 “The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.”

V30 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven [Rev 1:7] with power and great glory.”

Rev 19:11-16 depicts the Second Coming (a most powerful passage), “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True [Jesus], and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. [the raptured church returning] 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”

The unbelieving word will mourn when Jesus returns because the lie they bought into is exposed. They were wrong to blaspheme the name of Jesus, and He will judge them for their sin and rebellion.

V31 “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

When Jesus returns, He will gather His faithful who have been scattered. Certainly faithful Jews are pictured here, but this may also refer to all faithful believers… possibly even a resurrection of the dead of old.

Dan 12:2, in context of the end of the tribulation, states, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

After Jesus gathers His elect, one of the next events is the Millennial Reign of Christ… Jesus ruling with His Saints for 1000 literal years on earth.

Let’s close on a high note, hearing how the bible describes that glorious time...

Rev 20:4-6 “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them [that’s the church]. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years [A 2nd group…the martyred saints]. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished [Unbelievers reserved for the Great White Throne Judgment]. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection [believers]. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

Amen and Hallelujah!

At the beginning of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus’ disciples asked, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

We have the whole counsel of God to prepare our hearts and our minds, so that when we see difficulties in the world… we will not be shaken… we will not lose heart… and to comfort one another.

So, I encourage you… keep diving in to Scripture.

Next week, we will continue in the Olivet Discourse…entering the parable section... as Jesus continues to prepare His disciples for what’s to come. Read ahead.

Let’s Pray!

If you need prayer for anything today, we would love to pray with you.

If you are here today, and you’ve never accepted Jesus as your Lord, and you want to make today your day of salvation… praise God… let’s pray that prayer today.