It's fun to have visitors with us this morning. Some of you are here because of the baby dedications, grandparents. We're thrilled to have you joining with us this morning. In the past week, what did you spend the most time thinking about? When you had free time to think about what you wanted to think about, what was it that got you most excited? In the past week, what were you dreaming about? Or maybe take that question and flip it around. In the past week, what Consumed your thoughts in terms of you're worried about it. It was there something that over the last few days You're afraid of and your mind goes to that maybe the threat of the loss of something Do you know asking ourselves those questions as a way of asking ourselves, what do I love? Right and as Jesus listens in on your thoughts and he can as your Lord is he thinking child the things that you love are are not the things of me, but the things of the world. Look here, the Lord tells us in His Word, 1 John 2, verse 15. God says to us, do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God lives forever. Did you spend this last week, maybe have you spent the last months, loving the world that is passing away? When the Lord tells us why we shouldn't love the world, part of what he says is this, the world and its lusts is passing away. The world and its lusts, they're not worth loving because they're about to be destroyed. The world is like a bubble. It's about to pop. And so God says to us, don't don't fall in love with the bubble. Live for what lasts. We want to believe what God says to us, what Jesus will say to us today about how the world will end so that we don't waste our lives living for something that's going to be destroyed anyway. Okay, we've been studying Matthew 24, we're jumping back into that study today. The way this chapter starts, the disciples ask Jesus a question, and then two chapters, he's giving his answer to that question. So the question is, in Matthew 24, 3, right before what Brandon read for us, Matthew 24, 3, as Jesus 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 age? Jesus' answer to their question is that the world will end with five specific events. So we come to verse 15 today and we'll be looking at this sequence of five events that Jesus says these are the things that are going to bring the world to its end. Starting with the first event the first visible sign that you can see that, you know, the end is coming It's called the abomination of desolation All right, Matthew 25 24 15 look there therefore Jesus said when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel, the prophet standing in the holy place. Let the reader understand. Then those who are in Judea must flee. We talked two weeks ago a little bit about this abomination of desolation. We noted the meaning of the phrase abomination of desolation. The phrase itself refers to something morally disgusting. That's going to bring great destruction. We went back to Daniel, like Jesus clues us into, and we learned about the timing of the abomination of desolation. We learned from Daniel that before the return of Jesus Christ, before his comeback to earth to set up his kingdom, that there's going to be seven years of great tribulation. And Daniel told us that the abomination of desolation is going to be set up halfway through that seven year period. So three and a half years from Jesus's return physically to earth, you're going to have the setup of this abomination of desolation. Also, two weeks ago, I gave you a definition of what the abomination of desolation would be. So if you're taking notes on your sheets, the abomination of desolation, A, it'll happen halfway through the tribulation. B, what is it? What is the abomination of desolation that if we see it, we know we got three and a half years left? Here's what it is. The Antichrist setting up an image of himself in the temple. This Antichrist setting up an image of himself in the temple in Jerusalem and demanding that the whole world worship him or die. Now, I gave you that definition two weeks ago, but we didn't look up the verses that show that that's what that is. So I want to take the time to do that today. The first event that we can see, it's a clear, this is this, that's going to indicate that Jesus' second coming is arriving. And so we're going to look up a couple of those verses about the abomination of desolation. The first one is in 2 Thessalonians. So I invite you to take your Bibles and turn to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, and hold your finger and Matthew will be coming back there. Second Thessalonians chapter two, we'll be looking at verses one through four as Jesus talks about, as Paul writes by the spirit about this abomination of desolation. Okay. Second Thessalonians two one. Now we request you brethren with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. So in the church at Thessalonica, they were getting all upset because there was some people that were telling them that the day of the Lord has already come. In other words, somebody was telling them that the tribulation period has already started and people are telling them, hey, you're in the tribulation and they were frightened by it. They were upset by this thought that they were already in the last seven years of Earth's history. And Paul is writing to tell them, no, you are not. You were not in the tribulation. You're not in the tribulation. And you can tell by these two things. Well, how do you know that you're not in the tribulation? Paul says, well, listen, if we were in that day of the Lord, in that tribulation period, there's two things that would be noticeable, and these things aren't happening. So what are the things that mark the tribulation period? He says in verse three, let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come, the day of the Lord, it will not come unless the apostasy comes first. And the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. So there's two things that will mark the tribulation. First, there's this great apostasy. And an apostasy is a moving away from the faith. It's a walking away from Jesus. And so in the end time, there's going to be a great apostasy. We don't really know much more about that. I have a theory about why there's going to be a great apostasy in the tribulation. As we study scripture, we believe that the rapture, that Jesus coming to take his saints to meet him in the sky like he promised, he went to prepare a place and he's going to come again for us. We believe that that rapture is going to happen at the beginning or just before the seven year tribulation period. Then what will the churches in the world be like if all the true Christians are gone? Who will you have left in the churches around the world? Well, the only people left would be fake Christians, people who are just there to impress people or people that were there for wrong reasons and really don't believe this and only believe the Bible, they don't follow Jesus. That's who you have left in the church. And so what's going to happen when all the believers are taken out of the churches? I think that would explain why you would see a great apostasy. The churches that are left are going to turn away from Christ and his word and not follow him. That's just my guess as to what causes that. But Paul says, listen, there's a great apostasy coming. It's not here yet. And so we're not in the tribulation. We're not in the day of the Lord. And then Paul points out another thing that will be in the tribulation that hadn't happened. And so they should be confident they're not in the tribulation. That's the Antichrist. Paul, in verse three, calls him the man of lawlessness. See there? Let no one in any way deceive you, telling you you're in the tribulation. for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction." Another name for that man of lawlessness is the Antichrist. Here's a chart that I got from Ben-Weir's book, Paul Ben-Weir's book. It's called Understanding Eden Times Prophecy. If you're interested in studying this yourself, it's a great resource. I'll just use his thing to kind of summarize. What's the Bible say about what will happen with the Antichrist? Even before the Tribulation period happens, this man will be a political leader of a Western nation. Then once the Tribulation starts, he's going to increase in power to where he will become the ruler of a restored Roman Empire. About halfway through this seven-year period that ends with Jesus coming, about halfway through that seven-year period, he's going to be killed and raised. Whether really or just enough so that people believe it, And then after that, having been killed and raised, this Antichrist is going to say, listen, you ought to all worship me. In fact, he'll demand it. He's going to become a dictator of all the nations on the earth in the last part of that seven year period. And at the end of that time, Christ will return and Christ will defeat the Antichrist and he will send him to the lake of fire. Now, now watch in 2 Thessalonians chapter two, verse three and four, what Paul says the Antichrist will do. Because we're here to learn about the abomination of desolation. Second Thessalonians 2.3 says, let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Verse 4 is the abomination of desolation. The Antichrist is going to set himself up in the temple in Jerusalem. He's going to say, hey, I'm God. Worship me. Paul says, be watching for that. If you see that, you know you're in the tribulation. Okay, that's the same thing that Jesus said, right, in our Matthew 24. Now, there's one more passage about the abomination of desolation that we need to read if we want the full picture, so go with me, if you would, in your Bibles to the last book of the Bible, Revelation 13. Another prophetic passage about this coming event, this abomination of desolation. Okay, now we're jumping into Revelation 13, and every time I come someplace, I want to explain every word, but I can't quite do it in Revelation. So you just need to know this. In Revelation 13, there's some symbolism that's already going on. In Revelation 13, the dragon stands for Satan, and the beast stands for the Antichrist. So Satan is the dragon, the beast is the Antichrist. We're jumping into Revelation 13 too. And the beast which I saw, the Antichrist, was like a leopard, his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth was like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon, Satan, gave him his power and his throne and his great authority. So in the end time, Satan's gonna give the Antichrist power, okay? Now, look at verse three. Still talking about this beast, the Antichrist. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast. They worshipped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast. And they worshipped the beast, saying, who is like the beast and who was able to wage war with him? See, in the future tribulation period, the end of time, Satan is going to come and he's going to set up for himself a fake trinity. We know the true God is three in one and the true God is God, the father and God, the son who is a man and deserves worship because he's man and God, right? And God, the Holy Spirit, that's the true God that we worship that deserves our worship. Satan in the end time, he's going to set up for himself a fake Trinity, an anti Trinity. And so he makes himself the, in the place of the father. And then he's, he's going to give his power to this man, this beast, this Antichrist, right? And he's the fake Jesus, the anti Christ. And there's a third member of that fake Trinity that that Satan's gonna send up at the set up at the end of time the third member sometimes we call him and the false prophet here in Revelation that third person the anti Holy Spirit is going to He's called the second beast. All right, so Satan Antichrist second beast is the third person that's coming up here. Look at Revelation 13 11 then I saw another beast this anti Holy Spirit kind of I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast whose fatal wound was healed. So just like the Holy Spirit points to Christ and says, glorify him, this fake Holy Spirit points to the Antichrist and says, glorify him, worship the Antichrist. Verse 13, this False prophet performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given to him to perform in the presence of the beast. Now watch what this false Holy Spirit is gonna do. He's gonna tell those, verse 14, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast. They're gonna make an image to the Antichrist. who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. Okay, so here's what it says is going to happen at the end of time. There's going to be an image of the Antichrist that's set up in the temple, right? And this image is going to be given life. So it's going to, this idol of the Antichrist or something, it's going to move and walk and talk. And is it really coming to life? Does Satan have that much power or is it, is it a trick? We don't know, but it's, it's moving around in this, in this idol that's set up there, it's going to say, worship the beast. And if you don't, you're dead. It's the abomination of desolation, right? So we see this in various places in the Bible that here's this event when the abomination of desolation happens and the antichrist is saying, worship me from the temple. Oh, that's a sign that we're three and a half years from the end. Okay. Come back with me to Matthew, Matthew chapter 24. Okay, so Jesus says the world will end with five specific events. The first one that he highlights is this coming abomination of desolation, this image of this antichrist set up in the temple in Jerusalem. Go to Matthew chapter 24 again, verse 16. Now, we Christians at this point, I don't believe that we Christians are here. Because we're expecting the rapture to come. And when the rapture comes, all who believe in Jesus now are taken up to be with the Lord. But there will be believers, lots of people, myriads of people that get saved in the tribulation. And this abomination of desolation, when it comes, is going to be so horrible that Jesus wants to give instructions ahead of time to the people that are living then. So if you see, if you're one of these Christians that is living on the earth at this time, and you see the abomination of desolation, what should you do? He's got advice for them. Matthew 24 verse 16 He says then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains when the abomination of desolation is set up Whoever's on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house whoever's in the field must not turn back to get his cloak and But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days. Pray that your flight will not be in the winter or on a Sabbath. The Antichrist, we read about it in Revelation, he's going to be opposed to those who follow Jesus. He's also opposed to Jews just because they're Jews, whether they follow Jesus or not. And he's going to try to kill them. Right. And so Jesus says, listen, if you're, if you're living, And you live close to Jerusalem, which would be the Antichrist headquarters. You live in that region. And the word comes to you while you're on your roof, that the abomination of desolation has been set up. Don't go back in the house and pack snacks, like run, get off your roof and head for the mountains. If you're, if you're in the field, when you hear the answer, the Antichrist has set up his image and he wants you to worship him. If you're in the field and you hear it, Jesus says, don't Don't go back into town. Just head for the hills. You got to get out of here. And even if, um, man, if you're pregnant, if you're nursing children, don't stay home, you'll die. You got to get out. You run. And he says, pray it's not in winter because he says, don't go back to your coat. It's going to be cold out there in the wilderness if it's winter. Pray that's not winter, but don't go back for your coat because if you do, you'll die. The Antichrist is in a rage and he's going to kill as many Jews and Christians as he can. Starting at that point, flee, Jesus says, if you hear that this happens. Run for your life. Flee to the mountains. Even, verse 20, pray that your flight will not be in the winter or on a Sabbath. So what's the difference if I'm running away on a Sabbath? Well, they're worshiping in the temple here in the tribulation, so the Jews are worshiping like they used to, offering sacrifices in the temple up until the middle of the tribulation, and there's lots of Jewish laws that they're following. One of the Jewish laws is not traveling on the Sabbath. So if nobody travels on the Sabbath and then you are running on the Sabbath, it's going to be more noticeable that you're moving. Maybe that's why he says, pray it's not on the Sabbath. But whatever the case is, Jesus says, if you hear this happens, Now again, do you trust in Jesus Christ now if you're a believer? I don't think you'll be there to see it, because I think the rapture comes first. But Jesus gives instruction for those who do see it. Brothers and sisters, the world is like a bubble. It's about to pop. Don't fall in love with the bubble. Live for something that's going to last. So Jesus tells us five specific events. The abomination of desolation and then he's going to flow through the chapter. There's four more things that are coming that lead to the end. So there's that. The second thing Jesus says happens is the great tribulation on earth that will be worse than anything ever seen before. Great tribulation on earth, worse than anything ever seen before. Look there at Matthew 24, look down to verse 21. For then there will be a great tribulation. such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Jesus says, after this abomination of desolation, a great tribulation starts. It's the worst time in history. That's number two on your sheets, a great tribulation. Now, this gets confusing sometimes because we call this whole period of seven years the tribulation. And then Jesus says, after the abomination of desolation, there's a great tribulation. So when Jesus is talking about the great tribulation, the worst period, he's talking about the second half of the tribulation. So it gets worse after the abomination of desolation happens. There's going to be this horrible time on earth. Some Bible interpreters, and well-intentioned, they read this and they apply all these things to things that have happened in the past. And they say, well, in AD 70, the Romans came and they destroyed Jerusalem. It was a horrible time. And it was. But was 87, 70, way back in the past, was that the worst time ever in history? No, not even close. Right? I mean, World War II, how many people, 75 million people died in the fighting, 6 million Jews slaughtered by Hitler. The plague, when it came in the 14th century, it killed one out of every three people in Europe. When the Europeans came across the ocean, Settled America, you know 90% of the native population died within a couple of years because of the smallpox and diseases they weren't used to 90% of the population just died all at once Jesus says no time period ever before has held a candle to how bad it will be in the last three and a half years. Jesus isn't talking about something that's already happened. He's talking about a future event, right? Abomination of desolation. And then there's going to be this time period on earth and it'll be the worst. Listen, if the, if Jesus comes soon, right? And the numbers of the population is like it is now, billions of people are going to die during that three and a half years. The worst time in history. You can read about it in Revelation six to 19. There's a, there's an extended description of that tribulation period. Revelation six, just start reading there and go to Revelation 19 and it's those seven years. And in the second half of that time period, there's, there's these judgments. You can read about it in revelation. There's, there's trumpet judgments and there's bowl judgments. And I think Jesus is talking about real events that are going to actually happen, right? And so you read in Revelation, the first trumpet, a third of the vegetation of the earth is burned up. The second trumpet, a third of the sea is turned into blood. The fifth trumpet, demonic beings like locusts are released from the abyss and they roam through the earth to torment, but not kill everybody they can find. The sixth trumpet, a huge army ravages the world from the east and they kill a third of the world's population as they go. With the seventh bull, there's an earthquake and a hailstorm, throwing down hailstones, 80 pounds each. Look at what Jesus says about this horrible last three and a half years. Jesus says, unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. What's Jesus saying? Well, if people continued to die at that rate, you wouldn't have to go on much longer and there wouldn't be anybody left on earth. It's so horrible. And so Jesus in his mercy is going to cut it short. He's not going to let it go past the three and a half years that it's set for. When the end comes, it's going to stop. So because he's got people that there's people that believers that live in the tribulation and he wants them to live through into the millennium and inherit his kingdom on earth. And so For the sake of them, when it's time, it's going to end. He's going to cut it short. It's not going to go on so that everybody on earth dies. Okay, now, Jesus gave advice. If you see the abomination of desolation and you live near to Dearon, right, now he's going to give advice. If you live in the tribulation, what should you be doing? Okay, so that's verse 23. Look there. Jesus gives advice to them. 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 we'll show great signs and wonders. So as to mislead, if possible, even the elect behold, I've told you in advance. So if they say to you, behold, he's in the wilderness, do not go out or behold, he's in the inner rooms. Do not believe them. Apparently in the midst of all of this destruction in the world, there's going to be people that will come early and they'll say, I'm Jesus. I'm here to save you early. Come listen to what I have to say. And Jesus says, don't believe them. Even if they're doing miracles and amazing signs, don't believe them because they're fakes. Jesus says, don't be fooled. When I return, no one will miss it. And the same thing is true for us today. If you ever get a report, hey, Jesus is back and he's holding meetings in Omaha, right? Don't go to Omaha. This is not how this is going to work, right? How it's going to work is you won't have to go find Jesus. Jesus will come and find you. You don't have to go seek him. And so Jesus says, listen, even for the end time, people are saying they're me coming back early. It's not. You'll know when it's me. Why won't we miss it? Why will it be so obvious that just everyone will know that it's Jesus? Well, Jesus gives a couple of reasons why we won't. Don't be deceived. Don't buy it if somebody's saying they're me. There's a couple of reasons why you're not going to miss it. First, on your sheets there, don't be fooled. His return will be sudden and it will be obvious to everyone. When Jesus returns, he's going to return suddenly, and it will be obvious to everyone around the world. Look at verse 27, right? Why not be fooled, Jesus? Verse 27, 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. The return of Jesus Christ will be like lightning. It will be sudden, it will be public, it will be loud, and it will be immediately obvious to everyone what's going on. Revelation chapter 1 verse 7 talks about the same thing Revelation 1 7 says behold he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him Even those who pierced him and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. So it is to be amen So why do we not have to go chasing after people who say they're Jesus just wait for him Well, it'll be obvious when he's here Secondly, Jesus says, number two, at Jesus's return, great armies will fight him and their corpses will be eaten by vultures. At his return, great armies will fight him and their corpses will be eaten by vultures. Okay, look at verse 28. So Jesus is going along and he's explaining, don't be misled by somebody that says that it's me. You'll know. And then he says, verse 28, wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. And I was reading this week, and every commentary has a different idea about what that verse means. It's a little tricky. What? What do you mean? Where the corpse is, there the vultures were gathered. And a lot of good Bible teachers say, well, it's a metaphor. It's a metaphor for, and then they all explain it differently. Like, well, apparently we don't know what the metaphor is about. But I actually think it's not a metaphor. I think he's talking about literal corpses and literal vultures. And that's why we can't figure out the metaphors because it's meant to be taken literally. There's a principle for Bible interpretation that says that where the literal sense makes sense, seek no other sense. Got that? The literal sense makes sense, seek no other sense. In Revelation, where it talks about Jesus' return, it talks about corpses and vultures. Okay, so hold your finger here, Matthew. Come over with me to Revelation 19. I want to show you where this shows up in Revelation that explains Jesus' return in more detail. Revelation 19 is where we're headed now. Revelation 19, we're going to verse 11. Oh, this is the climax of the Bible here. Like, we've been building to Revelation 19. To get here, look at verse 11. Jesus is about to return. It says, And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And him who sat on it is called faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and wages war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems. And he has a name written on him which no one knows except himself. This is Jesus. He's about to return in glory, right? Skip ahead to verse 14. This is where we show up in the story. I believe we're 14 Verse 14 and the armies which are in heaven clothed in fine linen white and clean. We're following him on white horses So here's our part in the second coming of Christ. We get a ride in behind him as part of his army I just love it, right? So Jesus is returning now the reason we're here though. I want to we're looking for corpses and Vultures which seems kind of sad, but that's we're looking to explain what Jesus said, right? So keep going in there look down to Revelation 19. So Jesus is returning and Jesus returning we're going to verse 17 Okay, then I saw an angel standing in the Sun and he cried out with a loud voice Saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven come assemble for the great supper of God and so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves and small and great. And I saw the beast and the kings of their earth and their armies assembled to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army. Now, we didn't read all the Revelation to get up to this point, but what you need to know, just before the end, the Antichrist, he's got his capital in Jerusalem, it's where he's reigning the world from, and there's opposition. So there's these great armies that are coming and they're going to fight against the Antichrist. And so they've come, they've gathered to Jerusalem to fight against the Antichrist and his army. And they're all gathered to fight each other when Jesus appears in the sky. And what it says is that when they see Jesus, they forget about fighting each other. And this is their common enemy, this king on his white horse. And so the Antichrist and his enemies, they all turn to fight Jesus. It's called Armageddon. You say, well, they're going to fight against Jesus? Like, isn't it kind of a losing cause? But that happens today. So many people, they know what God wants for them, they know what matters, and yet they choose with their lives to fight against God and what He wants. And the same thing always happens when someone fights against God. You fight against God, you die. He's Almighty. Don't fight against Him. Well, look what happens to these forces. So the Antichrist and his armies, they're going to fight against Jesus when he's returning. Verse 20, it doesn't even describe the battle because it's just like Jesus is almighty. Verse 20, and the beast was seized and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence by which he deceived those who had the mark of the beast and those who worship his image. These two, so the second and third persons of that false trinity, they were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest, their armies, the people, that were fighting with them. The rest were killed with the sword, which came from the mouth of him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh." Listen, this world, it's like a bubble. It's about to pop. And so, as we look at these end times things, it just urges us, don't fall in love with the bubble. Live for something that's gonna last. So Jesus says, okay, the world's gonna end, five specific events. And we go faster as we go, so don't stress. But first one is this, the abomination of desolation. Number two, this great tribulation that's coming to the earth worse than anything ever before. We're moving on now to number three, the third event. Now we've been talking about Jesus's coming here, but Jesus hasn't moved to his coming yet in the order of the chapter he was just explaining. He's giving advice for people that During the tribulation, if somebody says they're me, don't be fooled, because you're not going to miss it when I come. But now he goes back to his order of events, and so he moves to the third event. After the tribulation, this happens. The sun, the moon, and the stars will go dark. The sun, the moon, and the stars will go dark. Look at verse 29. Jesus says, 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 heaven will be shaken. So we've come to the very end of the seven years. This is just immediately before Jesus returns. And what the Bible says is that the sun and the moon and the stars are going to go dark. Now, this doesn't mean that they're destroyed because during the kingdom to come, there's still going to be a sun, the earthly kingdom. There'll still be a sun shining on the earth, not destroyed, but they're, they're going dark. Something's going horribly wrong. The God who controls the universe, who made it, can throw it off if he wants to, right? The same God who made the world dark when his son was hanging on the cross, dying for our sins, will, just before his son returns, make the whole world dark. And in Luke, Jesus adds, Luke tells us some more words of Jesus from the same speech. Look at what Jesus says there in Luke's account of this speech, this sermon. Jesus said there will be signs in sun and moon and stars. And on the earth, dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. So the sun, moon, and stars go dark. And then you get event number four, which is Jesus will return with power and glory. Jesus will return with power and glory. Look at verse 30. And then 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 with power and glory. Okay, imagine this. Okay, so it's dark all around the world. Supernaturally dark and people are afraid and they're looking at the sky and there's no light and what's going on and what's to become of us and Then as they look up at the sky They see the sign of the Son of Man What's the sign of the Son of Man that people will see it's dark and then all of a sudden the sign of the Son of Man is Some of the church fathers used to say it was gonna be a blazing cross in the sky. I don't think that's the best explanation. I think the sign of the Son of Man is the Son of Man himself, that Jesus is going to appear in the sky, the sign which is the Son of Man. And you say, well, if Jesus is coming down, then the people on the other side, no one would be able to see him. Well, Jesus can work this out. You know, in the new earth, what's gonna be the light of the world? There won't be a sun because God will be its light. And so if Jesus returns in blazing fire, people will be able to see it, right? And so the sign of Jesus returns in the sky and people will look up and they will see him coming. See verse 30, they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. Jesus appearing in the sky in a blaze of glory is the climax of history. And if you believe the Bible, you believe this is how history ends. Jesus returns from the sky in a in a blaze of glory. It's everywhere in the Bible. It's in it's in Daniel. We read it in Revelation. Look here. Second Thessalonians chapter one, verse seven. The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire. Remember when Jesus was standing before the high priest and he was on trial? The high priest Caiaphas, Jesus is there about to crucify him. The high priest is getting upset because Jesus won't talk and he says to Jesus, I adjure you by the living God, tell us whether you are the Christ, the son of God. Remember what Jesus said in answer to that? Jesus said, You have said it yourself. Nevertheless, I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Now, if you're a believer in the Great Tribulation, you've been enduring the Antichrist's wrath and everyone's worshiping him and you're running and hiding and now Jesus returns in the sky and you're like, yes, here's my King, right? If you're an unbeliever in the Tribulation, there's nothing for you now but to weep. Do you see it in the verse? Jesus says, Matthew 24, 30, Jesus will return, appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn. See, because for many on the earth, up until this point, they are in love with the world and the things of the world and the lusts of the world. That's what they're living for. And the Antichrist offered them all the joys of the world. And so they follow the Antichrist and they worship him because he gives them the stuff they can see and what they want. And now they realize, here comes the real king, and he is righteous, and I am not. And it's destruction for me. And so the tribes of the earth mourn at the coming of the righteous king. For many on earth, they're about to be sentenced to eternal hell. This world is like a bubble. It's about to pop. Don't live for the stuff of this earth because that's that's not what lasts live for what lasts Jesus says the world is going to end with five specific events. Okay, so we saw the fourth one Jesus will return in power and glory one more event number five All people on earth will be gathered before Jesus To be sentenced either to eternal life or eternal death all people on earth living at that time will be gathered to Jesus to be sentenced either to life forever or fire forever. Look at verse 31. After he returns, 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. Verse 31 here predicts that God is going to gather all of his elect, all the people who believe in him from around the world. He's going to bless them We find out from chapter 25 that at this time as Jesus is gathering his elect, he also gathers the unbelievers. Like everybody that's alive, they're going to have to come and stand before Jesus because there's a great judgment that comes at this time. Actually, you read other passages of scriptures, we find out that the Old Testament saints are resurrected at this time. They get to come and stand before Jesus, but Jesus is gathering them. Look ahead to Matthew 25. We'll get there, but I want you to see what he will say to these people once he has gathered them. So he's gathering the elect, the people that believe in him. And here's what he says to those, his chosen ones, his people that love him. Look, Matthew 25, 34, the king will say to those on his right, come, you who are blessed with my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And what a joy it will be for them. At that time also, God will gather all the unbelievers who are alive to him, and his words to them will be strikingly different. Do you see Matthew 25, verse 41? Then he will say to those on his left, depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. Do you know every person on this planet has a basic decision to make about Jesus Christ? Every person. Jesus came to earth the first time so that he could say this. He came to earth the first time so he could speak these words. Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Do you know if Jesus hadn't come and died on the cross he couldn't have invited you to him? Because you're too sinful to be in his presence and you've failed and you've fallen short and there's guilt and shame and it's real. You couldn't come into his presence, but, but Jesus came to take your sin upon himself and to pay the full penalty for your sin. He died for you. Hey, pay the full penalty. And then he rose from the dead so that now he can say, he says to you, he says to everyone in the world, he says, come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He offers rests to you, eternal rest. Have you come to Jesus? It's the most important thing in life. Do you know you have to come to Jesus before you die? You have your lifespan. We don't know how long that will be, but you have your lifespan to come to Jesus while the invitation is open. If you wait until after you die, then instead of hearing this great invitation, come to me, you will hear the words of verse 41, depart from me. So the most important thing at the end of this is we think about this world's going to end. Jesus is the King. The most important thing is have you come to Jesus? If you haven't, you can come to him now. He hears your thoughts. If you just cry out to him and say, Jesus, I'm coming to you. I trust in you. I'm yours. I want to follow you. I want to be yours. He'll receive you right now, forever. Says grace. That's what he does. He gives it to people for free. But, um, if you have come to him, maybe, maybe if you look back over your last week or your last year, you come to him and you know that what matters is him and his kingdom. And yet, as you look back, you know, I, I've been distracted and what, what I've been loving is the world. What I've really been living for and what my thoughts go to, I'm living for the world. And I know that's not what matters, but maybe that's what you've been doing with your life. And if that's the case, then your Lord would say to you today, as He shows you this passage, here's how this is gonna end. He would say to you today, you know, live for what matters. Don't love the world, don't live for the world. Live for the things that are gonna last. Christ and His kingdom and the people around you that He loves. These are the things that are gonna last and this is what we ought to live for. Let's pray. Father, every time we come and we open up your word, you speak to us. And it's things we need to hear. Sometimes it's unsettling because truth is like that. We thank you that you don't water things down for us. You just give us the truth in all of its reality in your word. And so you've told us how the world's gonna end. It'll end with these five events. And you're going to come and you're going to judge every person. We need to trust in you. We need to live for what lasts. Thank you that you give us the way to do that. Your word has told us what matters and what lasts and we can embrace those things and live for that. We just want to confess as your people this morning, Lord. Often we get to where the things we can see, we start thinking those are the things that are important and we get distracted from what matters. And so we confess that and we want to turn away from that. Help us, Lord, to to live for Christ and for what matters, because we know that this world is passing away, and what matters are the things that are eternal. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Thanks, everybody. God bless you.