Endure to the End – Second Coming – Part 3
Endure to the end.
Matthew 24:12-28 (NKJV) 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 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; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. 23 “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. 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!’ do not believe it. 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. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together
1. The Gospel will be preached to all Nations.
1.1. Why Missions is so important…?
1.2. The fulfillment of missions will usher in the coming of the Lord.
1.3. Gospel must be preached as a witness…: testimony, evidence given… does not mean everyone will believe which is sometimes painfully obvious.
1.4. We have to send out trained workers to mission fields to prepare for the return of the King.
2. He who endures to the end.
13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
2.1. Can anyone guess what endure this is?
2 Timothy 2:12 (NKJV) If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.
James 5:11 (NKJV) 11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
2 Timothy 2:3 (NKJV) 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2.2. Enduring through the difficult days ahead. 2.3. When you see…
2.3.1. If we are alive and remain there are prophetic events that will be seen.
Matthew 24:15 (NKJV) 15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),
2.3.2. The abomination is both now historical and prophetic event.
2.3.3. The disciples asked when these things would be.
2.3.4. 70 AD the Romans desecrated the Temple of God and tore it down. 2.3.5. But will happen again.
2.3.6. Prophetically – The man of sin revealed.
3. Then there will be great tribulation as never seen before or again.
21 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; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
3.1. For the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 3.2. There are elect upon the earth.
3.3. There are different thoughts as to who the elect are.
3.3.1. The 144,000 are sealed from the tribes of Israel. – (Rev. 7:4) 3.4. Who are the Elect:
2 Timothy 2:10 (NKJV) Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
1 Peter 1:1-2 (NKJV) 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
Romans 8:33 (ESV) 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
3.5. The Elect Chosen because of Israel’s hardness.
Romans 11:7 (ESV) 7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,
Romans 11:7, 8, 11 (NKJV)
7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
8 Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear,…
11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.
3.6. I am of the opinion that the Elect are all those who obtain salvation in Christ Jesus. 3.7. And all God’s elect said? Amen!
4. That day will not come until…
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (NKJV) 1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, …
4.1. The Great Apostasy. 4.1.1. A falling away4.1.2. Apostasy is a defection from truth.
4.1.3. Defection is only possible if you were first a member.
4.1.4. Ela… one who defects from their Country.
4.1.5. The result of “many will be offended” and the “love of many will grow cold”
Matt 24:10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. …….. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
4.2. The man of sin revealed.
2 Thess. 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
4.2.1. Son of destruction.
4.2.2. He will exalt himself as God.
4.2.3. Sit is the Temple (3rd Temple) as God. 4.2.4. Signs and wonders will come from his hand.
2 Thessalonians 2:9 (NKJV) The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
4.2.5.The great day will be a revealer of man’s work.
1 Corinthians 3:13 (NKJV) each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
4.3. It will be in these days that great tribulation will settle in.
5. Delivered out of the great tribulation.
Revelation 7: (NKJV)
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
• A great multitude from all nations and tongues were taken out of the great tribulation and were clothed in white singing a song salvation.
1 Thess. 4:17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 (ESV) 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Conclusion:
We have to get ready to be ready. Get ready by falling in love with Jesus, getting the Word in our hearts, and having our lamps filled by spending time with and in the Holy Spirit. There will certainly be even more difficult days ahead. These difficult days makes the safety of the Presence of the Lord all the more glorious and appreciated in our life and in the Church. We have the answer! One dream needs to override all other dreams. The dream of being with Jesus for all eternity. The dream of Jesus coming for His people. The second coming of Christ is not about getting delivered from difficult days but rather the second coming is about the reality that Jesus will not leave us as orphans, he has not left us to die in our sins, but he is in fact coming again to bring us with Him to the place He has prepared for us. Thank you Jesus! So let us cast aside our petty disputes. Let us get rid of our excuses. Let us endure all the way tot he end. Let us walk in unity of the Spirit as we anticipate one event that supersedes all others. The second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.