First of all, I just want to point out that most of the time when the Bible uses the term
last days, it's actually just referring to anything after the time when the Lord Jesus
Christ came.
Let's look at a few scriptures on that.
Go to Acts chapter 2, first of all.
Acts chapter 2.
Let's just first of all see what the Bible defines as the last days.
Acts chapter 2, starting in verse number 16.
This is the event of the day of Pentecost where this miracle has taken place where the
apostles and the other members of the church there are able to speak in foreign languages
that they had never learned before in order to get the gospel out to a whole bunch of
people from various nations who had assembled at Jerusalem.
They're able to miraculously speak in languages that they had not previously studied.
And it says in Acts chapter 2 verse 16, but this is that which was spoken by the prophet
Joel, and it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my spirit
upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see
visions and your old men shall dream dreams.
So notice he's saying that this is the fulfillment of a scripture that said that in the last
days God would pour out of his spirit.
And he talks about in verse 21 that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved.
That's referring to that time that was a couple thousand years ago.
They were already in the last days according to that scripture.
Go to Hebrews chapter number 1 toward the end of the New Testament.
Hebrews chapter 1.
Now it really makes sense that that would be the last days because if you think about
it the earth is approximately 6,300 years old.
So if there were about 4,300 years before the time of Christ and it's been a couple
thousand since Christ it would make sense to call it the last days even though you might
think well last days that means you know any second now it's all going to be over.
Well no because anything after the halfway mark could be considered the last days.
And Jesus Christ came you know after 4,000 some years of human history and it's only
been 2,000 years since he came.
But look at Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1 the Bible says God who at sundry times and in
divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets hath in these last
days spoken unto us by his son whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also
he made the world.
So he's explaining how in the past God spoke through the prophets but that now in these
last days he's spoken through his son Jesus Christ.
Go to 1st Peter just a few pages over there from Hebrews just flip a few pages to the
right in your Bible to 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 18 the Bible reads for as much as you
know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation
received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of Christ as of a
lamb without blemish and without spot who verily was foreordained before the foundation
of the world but was manifest in these last times for you who by him do believe in God
that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be
in God.
Now flip to 1st John chapter 2 the last place on this subject 1st John chapter number 2.
So we see that the time of Christ and thereafter is consistently called in the Bible the last
days or the last time.
Look what it says in 1st John chapter 2 verse 18 little children it is the last time and
this is written almost 2,000 years ago little children it is the last time and as you have
heard that antichrist that's singular antichrist shall come even now are there many antichrists
plural whereby we know that it is the last time they went out from us but they were not
of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went
out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us but you have an unction
from the holy one and you know all things I've not written unto you because you know
not the truth but because you know it and that no lies of the truth who is a liar but
he that deny it that Jesus is the Christ he's antichrist is denied the father and the son
whosoever denied the son the same hath not the father but he that acknowledged that the
son hath the father also.
So here we see very clearly that they were already in the last time in the days that
1st John was being written and he says look at all the antichrists that surround us and
he says those that are antichrists are those who deny that Jesus is the Christ and the
word Christ simply means Messiah and so he's saying they are denying that Jesus is the
Messiah meaning that they believe in a Messiah but that it's not Jesus you can't deny that
Jesus is the Messiah if you don't believe in a Messiah these aren't atheists atheists
aren't saying that Jesus is not the Christ atheists are just saying that there is no
Christ they don't believe in God they don't believe you know the fool that said it's hard
that there is no God but these are talking about basically the Jews who said there's
a Messiah coming there's a Christ coming but it's not Jesus that's the spirit of antichrist
that even now already is in the world the Bible says okay even now there are many antichrists
but turn to 2nd Timothy chapter 3 and let's talk about the last days as we would think
of it because when we talk about the last days or the end times we don't normally mean
anything after the coming of Christ we don't normally just mean anything in the New Testament
what we normally would mean by that when we say the last days we would talk about just
the very last days leading up to the second coming of Jesus Christ and the Bible does
have a lot to say about that subject as well and so I want to preach to you this morning
about living in you know the very last days what is it going to be like as we see the
day approaching as Christ coming draws near what are going to be the characteristics of
the world at that time the signs where we could look at it and say wow it must be getting
close because I can see these characteristics of the very last days well first of all number
one the Bible tells us that sin will increase in the very last days as we approach the second
coming of Christ you don't have to turn there go ahead and be in 2nd Timothy 3 but in Matthew
24 which is a passage about the second coming of Christ it very clearly says in verse 12
and because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold so according to the
Bible the last days the tribulation that is going to be a time when iniquity will abound
sin will increase and that's exactly what we see here in 2nd Timothy chapter 3 the Bible
says in verse number 1 this know also that in the last days perilous times shall come
for men shall be lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers and he
lists all these different sins but jump down if you would to verse number 12 it says yea
and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution but watch this evil
men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived so what's he
saying in this passage he says in the last days perilous times will come dangerous times
will come and he talks about all the sin there that's going to abound in the last days and
he says evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse so what's he saying that as we approach
the end the closer we get to the second coming of Christ the Bible says that wicked people
are going to get worse and worse sin is going to abound in the last days let's look at the
list here it says in verse 1 this know also in the last days perilous or dangerous times
will come for men shall be lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers
disobedient to parents unthankful and unholy and we can see these characteristics in America
today in 2015 abounding more and more when you think about how people are lovers of their
own selves we live in such a self absorbed society where people are constantly just thinking
about themselves and looking within themselves and they're so wrapped up in themselves where
they can't pay attention to what's going on with the people around them it's just all
about me and the decisions that they make don't take into account how they affect other
people but it's just about their happiness and I just want to be happy and our world
even teaches us that this is a virtue to be true to your own self and and to to do what
makes you happy and find happiness in this world and it's all about you being fulfilled
and happy and you know what you find is that these people are never fulfilled because anybody
who lives a self-centered self-absorbed loving of your own self kind of a life is going to
be miserable because you're never going to be satisfied you're never going to achieve
your state of fulfillment that you're trying to reach but the Bible tells us that people
will be lovers of their own selves and what's that going to lead to being covetous you know
where you just desire more stuff for yourself more money for yourself more goods you know
who cares about winning people to Christ who cares about helping other people or or you
know being a good example to other people no no it's just about how much stuff I can
get just about how much fun I can have how much pleasure I can enjoy and coveting everything
that we can't have he says lovers of their own selves covetous boasters just bragging
about how great they are and how wonderful they are and how much money they have and
how successful they are and how smart they are proud blasphemers and of course if you're
proud and if you're self-absorbed of course you're going to be blasphemous you're not
going to give God the respect that he deserves because the only one you have respect for
is yourself because you think you're so wonderful he says proud blasphemers disobedient to parents
and of course we see that today in the United States where children don't have the same
respect that they had for their parents that they once did a big reason for that is of
course the fact that less and less parents are spanking their children and so the children
run roughshod over the parents because the parents have no recourse the children rebel
and spit in their face and all the parents can do is just what do I do you know kids
are kids well I find that a better punishment is to take away the Xbox I don't even know
if that's even still is that even still the video game system what are we on PS 10,000
by now you know oh I just take away his PS2 you know I just take away the Xbox you know
what no he needs his hide tanned you know well you know I'll just take away my 12 year
old cell phone it's like what it why does your cell why does your 12 year old even have
a cell phone for you to even take away as a punishment but it's like I'll just take
away their cell phone I'm just gonna take away my 11 year old's iPad that'll show him
you know a bunch of spoiled brats today and that type of discipline does not work you
know what works a spanking what God said would work the Bible says withhold not correction
from the child for if thou beatest him with the rod he shall not die thou shalt beat thou
shalt beat says thou shalt beat him with the rod and shall deliver his soul from hell let
those three words sink down into your ears my friend but the Bible says that in the end
you know they'll be disobedient to parents and think about this with spoiled brats unthankful
unthankful meaning that they have no gratitude for what they get because they're given everything
and their their parents never tell them no and so they're ungrateful for it they're unthankful
they don't even appreciate that which they do have say well I just want my kids to be
happy so I just give them whatever they want that's not gonna make anybody happy getting
whatever you want makes you a spoiled brat unthankful and unholy it says without natural
affection you know what does it mean to be without natural affection well Romans 1 used
the term vile affections you know natural affection is basically when a man is attracted
to a woman that's natural affections basically a man gets married to his wife and they too
are one flesh and the man desires a physical union with his wife and the wife desires a
physical union with her husband that's natural affection that's normal but without natural
affection is saying that basically that's not the the the the union that they desire
they desire anything else all kinds of filthy perverted unions you know see Leviticus 18
and Leviticus 20 for a rundown of all the filthy imaginations of mankind but the Bible
says that they'd be without natural affection of course we see that truce breakers these
are people who would make an agreement they would make a deal and then they would break
that agreement they would break their word the Bible says false accusers and this is
a big one today where people just falsely accuse people at the drop of a hat without
any evidence well you're just this and you're just doing this and I mean I can't even count
all the times I've been falsely accused where people will just make things up just out of
nowhere just accusations fly and the Bible said that in the last days there would be
false accusers abounding he says incontinent that's people who can't contain themselves
people who can't control the lust of the flesh and they just let their desires run rampant
and if and whatever they want they're going to gratify their lust fierce and watch this
despisers of those that are good he says in the last days people are going to hate those
who are good they're going to hate you for being a good person they're going to hate
you for being moral or righteous or godly he says that they are despisers of those that
are good he says traitors heady high-minded and heady and high-minded are kind of the
same thing in a way proud puffed up vain in their own mind and then he says lovers of
pleasures more than lovers of God so what's the Bible describing here when it describes
the last days it describes a time when sin is going to abound and the Bible says in the
same chapter that evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse they're going to be just
people abounding who hate God who hate the people of God who despise those that are good
who persecute the people of God and who just only care about themselves their own lust
their own covetous desires and just about praising themselves lifting up themselves
look we live in that day if we look around where people are self-absorbed it's funny
when we were when we were interviewing these Jewish rabbis for marching to Zion you know
we wanted to get the whole spectrum you know so we contacted every rabbi we could we talked
to the Orthodox rabbi the Reform rabbi the conservative rabbi and one guy we talked to
was a humanist leader a humanist Jewish leader and so you know I said what does that mean
to be a humanist rabbi and he said well here's the thing we basically don't necessarily believe
in God so he said we but we like all the religious services of being a Jew you know we like to
do the the Hanukkah and the bar mitzvah you know we like that so here's what we do we
go and we do a worship service where we replace God with ourselves so basically instead of
praising God this is what he literally told me he said instead of praising God we praise
ourselves so in all their hymns all their liturgy all the praise every time God is mentioned
they remove the name of God and they replace it with us mankind ourselves is that just
amazing I mean I couldn't even believe what I was hearing but isn't that what the Bible
said would come you know just just lovers of their own selves just just covetous boasting
but I mean how blasphemous it'd be like if you took the hymns right and replaced them
with yourself praise me praise me tell of my excellent greatness single earth my wonderful
love proclaim hail me hail me highest archangels in glory strength and honor give to my holy
name I am coming over the world victorious power and glory unto myself belong I mean
can you imagine coming to church and singing that wouldn't that just be bizarre and ridiculous
but that's what they do it's real it's in Phoenix humanist Jewish congregation he I
said can you give me some examples and he read me some liturgy where they praise themselves
what in the world but we live in this narcissistic self-absorbed self-glorifying society where
it's just all about us and just us living a wonderful life for ourselves and and just
having everything that we want instead of us laying down our lives for the brethren
or enduring all things for the elect sakes that they may also obtain the salvation which
is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory why don't we do it for the sake of souls to be
saved and live our life as parents for our children and live for our wife you know lay
down our be willing to lay down our life for our wives and and basically care about other
people instead of just lifting ourselves up you know and and our own ambitions instead
of furthering the gospel and helping other people achieve the things that God has for
them etc etc so this is what we see here a time where sin abounds and people are very
focused on themselves and they're not giving God the glory they're worshipping and serving
the creature more than the Creator so that's what we see but nextly go to 2nd Peter chapter
3 so the first thing I want you to see about the last days in the Bible is that number
one it's gonna be a time when sin is going to increase sinners are gonna get worse wicked
people reprobate people they're gonna get worse and worse and people are gonna begin
to despise those that are good I mean you wouldn't you think that even worldly sinful
people would still like good people I mean even if they don't want to be good themselves
you think they'd still look at somebody who's good and respect that and but they don't they
don't they never have because the Bible says not as Cain who was of that wicked one and
slew his brother and wherefore slew he in because his own works were evil and his brothers
righteous marvel not my brethren if the world hates you so when someone else's deeds are
evil they're gonna hate the righteous and despise those that are good because it makes
them feel guilty you know it shines the light on their own sinful heart but secondly not
only will it be a time of great sin and iniquity and self-centeredness selfishness number
two it will be a time when the doctrines of the Bible will be scoffed at in the last days
he says specifically that the second coming of Christ the biblical creation and the flood
those three things specifically will be scoffed at in the last days look at your Bible there
in verse three knowing this first that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking
after their own lust so this ties into the first point you see it starts with point number
one it doesn't start with scoffing at the Bible no it starts with being a very sinful
person a very covetous person a person who's filled with lust and self-centered desire
and doesn't care about anyone but themselves see that person who's filled with lust is
then going to find a doctrine to fit their lust see they don't find doctrine and then
decide okay how am I going to live my life no they decide how they want to live their
life for themselves and then they say okay now let's find the doctrine to go with it
so they start out with ungodly lust then then they they have the audacity to scoff at the
promises of the Bible because they don't fit their lifestyle why do ungodly people hate
the Bible because it condemns their lifestyle the Bible says this is the condemnation that
light is coming to the world men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were
evil for everyone that doeth truth cometh to the light it says that his deeds may be
made manifest that they're wrought in God but it says he that doeth evil hateth the
light neither cometh light lest his deeds should be reproved he doesn't want his deeds
to be reproved Jesus said you know yeah the world cannot hate you but me it hateth because
I testify thereof that the works thereof are evil he said that's why the world hates me
because I'm testifying that the works of people are evil they don't want to hear that so therefore
they scoff at the great it's not that there's just all this evidence for the Big Bang there's
all this evidence for evolution there's all this evidence that everything came from nothing
I mean don't you see all the evidence that everything came from nothing that it all just
exploded and here it is and guess what if you don't believe it you're an idiot you know
it's all here by accident okay just shut up and believe it because I said I mean that's
what the world will tell you hey just believe just believe that everything came from nothing
and if you don't you're not scientific look how is it not scientific to say it came from
something it can't just be here from nothing but that's what they'll tell you but it's
not because of the fact that they just objectively I mean they just had no agenda they just you
know looked at the evidence and just came to the conclusion that everything just came
from nothing by itself no what it is that they decided I hate God that's the first step
I hate the Bible I hate God I don't want to obey God's rules I don't want to live a clean
life I don't want to get married to a woman and and have kids and and and be godly and
go to church and read my Bibles so they say you know I want to go out and commit a bunch
of sin and this book isn't compatible with that so I'm gonna write my own book and everybody
that's an atheist will say ah you just believe everything that's written in that book yeah
and and who wrote your science textbook well the Bible is written by man well who wrote
your science textbook they act like it's written by the finger of God because if they pull
out a science textbook literally they will just say like hey every word of this is fact
I mean they'll hold up a science book tell you this is all true you know and then we
hold up the Bible and say this is all true well you know what I like the Bible better
and you know what the Bible makes a lot more sense than the book that says you know well
at first there was nothing and then it exploded you know it's like okay what what are we doing
here and they love to show they love to show you a drawing of a monkey I wasn't a monkey
was Nick shut up it doesn't matter whether it's an ape a monkey an orangutan a chimpanzee
it doesn't matter what it was it's just as stupid it doesn't matter what it was okay
but let you know gorilla for crying out loud but you know they should they love to show
some monkey or ape or whatever the stupid thing is slowly turning into a human being
right but that I don't want to I want to see nothing slowly turning into something
and I would rather see I'd rather see nothing turn into the first living organism you know
because they I don't start from a single-celled organ yeah except that a single-celled organ
is really complicated hello do you remember in science when you'd study the paramecium
and the amoeba remember the paramecium looks like a shoe footprint and the amoeba is a
little more of this around blob and you look at the amoeba and the paramecium they're pretty
complicated actually so I want to see the diagram where nothing or just you know primordial
soup or whatever liquids or gases or whatever just the early sludge of the earth I'd like
to see those components the proteins or the whatever you know I'd like to see all that
stuff just form itself into that amoeba where's that chart where's that poster where's the
poster how DNA formed I mean DNA is really complicated and every living thing has DNA
where did it come from how could it evolve show me the chart you don't have a chart but
what you do have is a big paycheck a fancy car and the respect of all your students who
think of you oh thou gray pony tailed one you know every you know down at ASU and you
know when you're teaching the science class but you know what it's not fact friend it's
fiction it's fables and so the Bible says knowing this first that there should come
in the last days scoffers scoffing at something is when you would make a mockery at it scoffers
walking after their own lusts what's the motive to scoff your own lust saying where is the
promise of his coming for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were
from the beginning of the creation for this they willingly are ignorant of so again this
is something where they decided that they didn't want to believe in it not because of
the evidence says they're willingly ignorant they purposely blind their minds to the truth
he says for this they willingly are ignorant of that by the word of God the heavens were
of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water whereby the world that they
then was being overflowed with water perished but the heavens and the earth which are now
by the same word are kept in store reserved into fire against the day of judgment and
perdition of ungodly men but beloved be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is
with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day the Lord is not slack concerning
his promise as some men count slackness but as long suffering to us were not willing that
any should perish but that all should come to repentance but the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also in the works that are there
in shall be burned up so Christ coming is a certainty it's going to happen the Bible
says that you know though he Terry though it Terry wait for it because it will surely
come and will not Terry and so this here says that people will scoff saying where
is the promise of his coming now a lot of people will look at these scriptures that
I showed you about even the last days and try to say and they would try to say that
you know oh well they thought it was going to happen in their lifetime everybody in the
Bible the whole New Testament acts like it was going to happen in their lifetime but
in reality it says here that people are going to scoff and then God's explanation to the
people that are scoffing is that with him a day is like a thousand years and a thousand
years like a day doesn't that seem to indicate that more than a thousand years is going to
go by before they're going to start saying because if it if Christ were to have come
you know a hundred years after the time of the Apostles would it really make sense to
say well where is the promise of his coming since the beginning of the creation all things
continue as they were you know no it makes more and then for him to say well a day is
like a thousand years thousand years like a day that makes it sound like it's going
to be thousands of years before Christ would return to where people would think hey it's
been a really long time and he says well hey there's a reason why he's waiting what's the
reason the Bible says the Lord is not slack verse 9 concerning his promise it's not that
God is just slacking like you know I've been meaning to return one of these days I'm coming
back you know you know some people will keep saying they're going to do something and they
just kind of never get around to it that's I guess he's saying God's not like that he's
not up in heaven just kind of slack about it and just I guess I got to return sometime
but later no it says he's not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness but
he says but his long suffering to us were not willing that any should perish but that
all should come to repentance I believe that what he means by that is that basically he's
waiting and giving more people a chance to be saved more people a chance to be saved
okay because if he were to return before people could get saved you know then they miss out
so he's long suffering and and my third point is gonna is gonna touch on that as well but
he's long suffering to us were not willing that any should perish but that all should
come to repentance and it says but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night
and why does he compare it unto a thief in the night he says because when they shall
say peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travel upon a woman with
child and they shall not escape the thief in the night analogy is that he said look
if the watchman would have known at what hour the thief was coming he would have watched
and would not have suffered his house to be broken up he's saying if a thief is gonna
be successful they come at an hour that you think not they don't let you know hey I'm
gonna break in your house at 1 30 a.m. because then you're gonna be ready at 1 30 a.m. with
the shotgun cocked and and loaded and ready and you're not gonna suffer your house to
be broken up but he says that the thief comes in an hour that you think not he comes in
the night and that's what Christ coming will be he said at such an hour that you think
not the Son of Man cometh that's why when you see people predicting it you know it's
false because he says it's gonna be an hour that you think not that he comes so when you
see people sitting there and saying you know oh these blood moons John Hagee is telling
us all about it or you know oh you know these are all it's gonna happen in September because
the blood moons you know the Jewish calendar you know ha ha phlegm and and told him rabbi
ha phlegm told me that you know it's got but here's the thing then I can tell you I cannot
tell you when Christ will come because no man know at the day or the hour only the father
knoweth but I can tell you certain days that he will never come because any day where where
a preacher comes out and makes a date I promise you he will not come on that day for sure
fact so like we could make a calendar of all the days he's not gonna come because any prediction
where somebody comes out and says you know he's coming in 2017 September 21st it's just
like cross that date off the calendar not gonna happen because there's because then
it would make God a liar when he sits there and says hey nobody knows and then it's like
oh I figured I did the math no there's no math look you don't you don't think Jesus
knew math he even said the son doesn't know only the father knoweth in mark 13 he said
neither the son but the father only so it's at such an hour that we think not that the
Son of Man is coming it's gonna come upon them suddenly and worse but he says unto us
as Christians but ye brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief
it's not going to be a thief on the night to believers because he says you know when
you see these things begin to come to pass look up lift up your heads for your redemption
draw the night but unto those that are sleeping it will come as a thief in the night but he
tells us as believers not to sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober so he is allowing
time to go by to the tune of thousands of years before the second coming but it is still
certainly coming yet in these last days people scoff at the Bible and they scoff at the second
coming of Jesus Christ and they scoff at the creation and the flood and they teach this
myth of the Big Bang and evolution etcetera it's according to their own lust this is why
I don't get wrapped up in a big thing of hey let's prove evolution false and let's let's
spend our days and nights you know researching and doing science and digging up and excavating
because if we could just prove evolution false we get so many people safe because here's
the thing people were dying and going to hell before evolution was ever invented evolution
is new you think everybody was saved before evolution came out no they weren't and not
only that but the Bible says that they're willingly ignorant so why would I show evidence
to somebody who's willingly ignorant that sounds like a waste of my time they're doing
it after their own lust they want to believe that there's no God they're gonna believe
that no matter what you show them and that's why we need to focus on the gospel because
the Bible says the gospel is the power of God unto salvation and so we need to focus
on preaching the gospel and not on if we can just prove the science they're never gonna
see it they're never gonna believe in it it doesn't matter what they won't be persuaded
even if one rose from the dead they have Moses and the prophets let them hear them if they
won't hear God's Word then they cannot be saved and I always tell people when I'm out
soul winning and they you know want to see the proof they want the evidence I say well
you know what if you're waiting for the evidence if you're waiting for the proof then you will
die and go to hell and you will never be saved because there is no evidence because faith
is the substance of things hoped for and faith is the evidence of things not seen you have
to believe without faith it's impossible to please him you say well faith in what blind
faith no faith in the Word of God the most amazing book on this planet it's been translated
to every language that has power in every page and anybody can read this book and see
never man spake like this man and the words of Jesus Christ are not like the words of
Muhammad they're not like the words of Joseph Smith or like the words of Buddha or anybody
else you know the words of Jesus Christ are unparalleled the words of God in this book
have power and the Bible says faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God
and I don't know about you but I find that the vast majority of people when I'm out knocking
doors and soul winning you know evolution is not even their hang up unless you're on
the university you know where everybody's professing themselves to be wise and have
become fools but if you go to the actual normal people in this world just you know living
in neighborhoods and houses and apartments you know most people don't believe in evolution
and Big Bang and all that they just need to be taught the gospel of Jesus Christ so that
they can believe on it but thirdly this go to Daniel chapter 11 we're talking about the
last days what's it going to be like in the last days you know how do we know if we see
the day approaching first of all God said it would be a time when sin would abound and
evil men and seducers would get worse and worse and it would be a time when people would
just love their own selves and just sin and and and do all kinds of wickedness with no
regard for parents no regard for the Lord or his word or anything like that number two
we saw there would be a time when they would scoff at and mock the Bible they'd make fun
of creation make fun of the flood make fun of the fact that Jesus Christ is coming again
and of course we see these things around us today in modern America but thirdly this according
to the last days there will be God's people in the last day this is another characteristic
of the last days in the Bible is that God's people will do great works for God I believe
the greatest works for God will be done in the last days I think that the most souls
will be won in the last days this is what I firmly believe let me show you some scriptures
here this is Daniel chapter 11 which is about the tribulation it's about the very end and
it says in Daniel 11 31 an arm shall stand on his part and they shall pollute the sanctuary
of strength and shall take away the daily sacrifice and they shall place the abomination
that maketh desolate now the reason I read that verse is because this is an event that
Jesus Christ talks about because he says when you see the abomination of desolation spoken
of by Daniel the prophet who so readeth let him understand that's what he says in Matthew
24 a chapter about the tribulation that's what he says in Mark 13 and here it is it
says right here the abomination of desolation so that gets our bearings of where we are
in the timeline and such as do wickedly verse 32 against the covenant shall he corrupt by
flatteries but the people that do know their God are going to be weak and lukewarm and
watered down is that what it says about the about God's people in the last days they're
going to be helpless they're going to be weak they're not going to be as great as previous
Christians no it says they the people that do know their God shall be strong and shall
do exploits exploits great works that's what an exploit is it's some great work some great
achievement is known as an exploit it says in the next verse and they that understand
among the people shall instruct many yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame by captivity
and by spoil many days oh there's going to be persecution make no mistake but doesn't
the Bible clearly say that in the last days God's people will do great exploits and will
instruct many now this is something that's often overlooked you know people people are
often preaching I'm sure I'm not the only pastor this morning who's getting up and preaching
about how wicked the last days are going to be you know I guarantee there are other pastors
across America right now that are in second Timothy chapter three right now talking about
hey look this is the last days look what it's going to be like I guarantee you that there
are a multitude of pastors in second Peter three right now talking about how in the last
days people will scoff at the second coming they'll scoff at the creation they'll scoff
at the flood but one that you don't hear as much about I'm sure that there's another preacher
right now somewhere in the world preaching about Daniel 11 also but I I just don't hear
as much about the great things for God that are going to be done in the last days you
hear more about the fact hey the world's going to get bad but how about the fact that God's
people are going to do the greatest works I think that's something that we need to pay
attention to and also this is taught in the New Testament now first of all we see it right
there in Daniel chapter 11 but if you go to Matthew 24 because remember Matthew 24 brings
up the abomination of desolation and then right after it says the abomination of desolation
in the next breath he says that those that know God are going to be strong in this time
and that they're going to do exploits and they're going to instruct many well what does
the Bible say in Matthew 24 in the same scripture about the abomination it says in verse 15
when you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet
stand in the holy place who so read it let him understand okay but what's the verse right
before that look at verse 14 and this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the
world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come now isn't that interesting
that he brings that up now I personally believe and I don't have any doubt about this I personally
believe that the gospel has already been preached unto every nation of this world at
some time or another in fact repeatedly throughout history you know I think if you look back
over the history of the world over the last two thousand years multiple times the gospel
has come even places where we would think that's a really non-christian place that's
a place where the gospel is not being preached but throughout history the gospel has gone
into these places not once not twice but repeatedly even well I don't care what place
you want to talk about whether it's Korea China Japan Mongolia India you know the gospel
has circled the globe and then circled it again and then circled it again and then you
say well what about the jungles of Africa look there's probably been more missionaries
sent to Africa than any other place don't tell me about some guy in Africa who hasn't
heard the gospel good night there have been more missionaries to Africa probably than
anywhere I mean that's the classic place that if you're gonna be a missionary you better
be going to Africa right that's like the most classic place to be a mission the bottom line
is that throughout history the gospel has gone into all these places but here's the
thing in a lot of places the gospel hasn't been there in a while there have been generations
and generations where there's been almost nobody preaching that it might still have
heard of Jesus but there are places where the gospel was generations ago and where it's
been forgotten and there are also many places where even though the name of Jesus is named
it doesn't mean that it's the true gospel because there's another gospel and another
Jesus there's another gospel that says that salvation is by works you know there's another
Jesus who's not the son of God okay and so there are a lot of people who have a corruption
and a perversion obviously a lot of these Africa missionaries are preaching a false
gospel there's no question about that so I'm not saying that everybody has a clear presentation
of the gospel I'm not saying that people don't need to go because listen we need to go and
we need to get the gospel to all nations that's what the Bible teaches and people are dying
to go to hell because no one's given them a clear presentation of the gospel and in
many places that once had even the Word of God in the New Testament they don't even have
the New Testament anymore but they had it in the past but they don't have it anymore
and what I believe that this is saying in Matthew 24 I don't think he's saying hey this
gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for witness unto all nations
that means that once it gets to the last nation you know once that last language hears the
gospel you know then Christ can return you know what that's already happened in my opinion
it's already and look they may not have it today but I believe that the gospel has circled
the globe and circled the globe and circled the globe and that these people in the past
have heard it okay even if they're not necessarily hearing it today what I believe that this
is saying in Matthew 24 if you actually look at the verse there in verse 14 where he says
this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations
and then shall the end come I believe is saying that in the last days at the very end it's
going to go to all nations again everybody's going to get a final chance I think that that's
what he means when he says people are going to instruct many and they're going to do great
exploits and they're going to be people in every nation that hear the gospel then the
end comes you know it sounds to me like a succession right there of hey it's preached
in all the nations and then the end comes that in the last days there's going to be
more soul winning and more preaching of the true gospel of Jesus Christ than ever in the
history of mankind that's what I believe the Bible teaches and so the reason I bring this
up and if you would flip over to Revelation chapter 3 the reason that I bring this up
is because a lot of people who've come under the influence of this false doctrine of dispensationalism
have gotten this warped view of the end times and here's what their view of the end times
is their view is that basically in the end times God's people Christians are going to
be lukewarm and they call this the Laodicean church age we are living in the Laodicean
church age there is no such thing as the Laodicean church age it's a lie it's a fraud and what
they do is they say well you know the reason God's people are so lukewarm is because we're
living in the Laodicean age no speak for yourself if you want to be lukewarm there
are people in this world today that are red hot soul winning fired up servants of God
that want to be strong that want to do exploits that want to instruct many that want to preach
the gospel to every creature and this down in the mouth defeated just waiting for some
pre-trib rapture to rescue you and say well we're living in the Laodicean church age it's
a lie it's false it's not true today and it comes from this fraud the Scofield reference
bible written by a man who is a corrupt fraud a man who left his wife and married somebody
else and then wants to pass her a church a man who is so so fraudulent as a lawyer he
has to keep moving around and stuff because he keeps being sued as a lawyer he's a corrupt
man who hung around with a bunch of corrupt businessmen who put a bunch of money in his
pocket to teach lies for the Zionists okay and so this Scofield reference bible if you
open it up to Revelation 2 and 3 it'll tell you that these are seven church ages and even
gives you the years and it gives you the different years and so what they have down for us is
of course we're glad to see you you know but they put down these other years and they'll
put down that Philadelphia the one that comes right before Laodicea they'll put down Philadelphia
as like you know in the late 1700s early 1800s or whatever you know there's all these revivals
going on all the missions movement and everything and they say hey that was the great door and
effectual to spread the gospel and then they'll put you know from such and such the year until
the present is Laodicea lukewarm God wants to spew it no God wants to spew you out of
his mouth okay but he doesn't want to spew everybody out of his mouth see the truth of
the matter is that there's no such thing as the universal church so to sit there and say
that the Laodicean church is made up of all believers no it's made up of a bunch of losers
you know and here's the thing every church has a different personality and see those
seven churches are not seven church ages okay those seven churches are seven example churches
and any church could go through stages where it's like any of those churches I mean if
you've lost the first love you're like Ephesus if you're lukewarm you're like Laodicea if
you're being persecuted you're like Smyrna you know if you have the doctrines of Balaam
you're like Pergamos okay if you have fornication being allowed and women preachers you're like
Thyatira you know if you have a name that you live but you're dead if you're living
in the past you're like Sardis if you have a great door open and effectual unto you and
you have the synagogue of Satan breathing down your neck you're like Philadelphia and
if you're lukewarm and you think that you're so rich and you think that you're so cool
then you're like Laodicea but any church could go through phases where they let sin come
in or where they lose the first love or where they do whatever it's examples these are example
churches they're not church ages and this doctrine is so damaging to God's people because
it teaches a defeatist mentality where we approach the work of God as well you know
what we just got to hang in there until he comes I mean we can't really expect to do
anything great for God because you know Philadelphia is over you know we just got to kind of hang
in there through this Laodicean church age and you know I can't really preach hard because
you know I'm dealing with a bunch of Laodiceans here so I can't really preach I can't really
expect people to do a lot of soul winning I mean it's Laodicea folks that's a really
damaging doctrine because what we ought to do is say I can do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth me in the last days God's people will be strong and do exploits and
instruct me I want to fulfill that prophecy I want to be a part of it I want to be one
of those people or we could just sit there and say oh it's Laodicea go to John chapter
14 it's a false doctrine my friend it's false for a lot of reasons a lot of things wrong
with this church age and it's funny because when you look at it I wish I had a Scofield
reference but maybe I do have one let me see what do you know it's right here let me pull
this let me pull this thing out the message to Laodicea the final state of apostasy but
here's what I think is funny about this too is that you know when he's teaching these
church ages he says you know Ephesus is the apostolic age and then he says the message
to Smyrna is the period of great persecutions up to AD 316 the message to Pergamos listen
to this the church under imperial favor settled in the world AD 316 to AD 500 so here's what
he's basically saying that the Roman Catholic Church is the true church that's basically
what he's saying here because he's saying that the church because he thinks the church
is made up of all Christians he doesn't believe it's a local congregation of believers assembled
so he says that the church is under imperial favor what empire Rome so this is when this
is when the Roman Empire loves the church the Roman Empire never loved the real God's
people because God's true people have never been loved of the world he said they hated
me they'll hate you he said the disciples not above his master neither the servant above
his Lord if they called the master of the house Beelzebub how much more so they call
him his household how can you sit there and say oh you know up until 500 AD they're under
imperial favor but so they're being persecuted for hundreds of years and then for hundreds
of years it's just just relax and the world loves you look this is a fraud the Catholic
Church shouldn't even be factored in here's the thing God's writing to seven churches
these are actually churches that actually preach the gospel all seven of them or he
wouldn't even be writing to them he wouldn't be saying hey I'm gonna remove the candlestick
if you don't repent because they never even had the candlestick when you're a Roman Catholic
Church you never had the candlestick you're not a church of Jesus Christ and God's not
even talking to you except to just say you know come out of you you know except just
to say you're a whore I mean he's not talking to you and saying you know what I know your
works I know the good things you're doing but I have a few things against you few things
against you they don't even believe that salvation is by faith they're bowing down and worshiping
a statue of a woman oh Mary help us hail Mary full of grace swing those beads all over the
place you know they're basically worshiping idols worshiping a woman teaching hey baptism
saves hey the sacraments save nothing to do with Christianity and the true word of
God kissing the bib the Pope's big toe and saying that he is the vicar of Christ on earth
say well they weren't bad as bad back then but here's the thing though they were lying
heretics who started the Roman Catholic Church even in 313 AD with Constantine and and all
these different guys so to sit there and and and take this seriously you know and think
oh yeah you know these are the seven church ages and we're in Laodicea the final state
of apostasy Laodicea no because people who are apostates are not even a church that Christ
would even have anything to do with the Laodicean church is not an apostate church the Laodicean
church is a lukewarm church but they still believe the gospel and otherwise why would
even be talking to them I mean you think Jesus is like okay Mormon church I have a few things
against you all right Buddhist temple I have a few things against you okay Jehovah's Witnesses
no because they're not even on his radar right he's gonna say to them depart from me I never
knew you he's not gonna say hey I know your works I know you know he doesn't even know
you he knew you you'd be saved right look at John chapter 14 verse 11 because I want
you to understand this powerful truth that is found in John 14 11 through 13 believe
me that I am in the father and the father in me or else believe me for the very works
sake verily verily I stand to you he that believeth on me the works that I do shall
he do also and greater works than these shall he do because I go into my father and whatsoever
you shall ask in my name that will I do that the father may be glorified in the son don't
miss this powerful statement in verse 12 where he says he that believeth on me the works
that I do shall he do also and greater works than these shall he do because I go into my
father now listen you can't do anything better than Jesus can you who here thinks they're
better than Jesus good night but yet Christ is saying that those who believe on him would
do greater works than he did how can that be well here's the thing it cannot mean quality
because no one can do greater works as far as a better quality than Jesus because Jesus
was perfect Jesus went about doing good they said he do with all things well and so no
one could excel Christ works for quality so when it says the works that I do shall
he do and greater works he's not saying that they're better greater in the Bible usually
the words great or greater are referring to size or quantity when the Bible used the word
great that's how it's usually being used size quantity and so when the Bible says the works
that I do shall he do and greater works you know if you think about it the apostles did
greater works than Jesus not better than him but they just did more they accomplished more
they preached the gospel to more people than Jesus Christ did now that right there shows
us that God desires us to do great works and that we have the capability to do great works
and that the sky is the limit so we need to get off this Laodicea mentality and we need
to get on the Daniel 11 mentality and the Matthew 24 mentality and the Mark 13 mentality
that says that the gospel must first be published among all nations and no published does not
mean like publishing books and tracts published means preached proclaimed and so we need to
understand that today in 2015 we are ready to do the greatest works that this world has
ever seen why don't you get excited about that you know why don't we go out there and
preach the gospel to more people and get more people saved than have ever been saved in
the history of mankind and I don't want to read about somebody from the 1700s and read
about somebody from the 1800s I don't want to be said of us like it was said of David's
mighty men where he said yeah David's mighty men were great those three guys were great
but he said they weren't like the previous three though you remember that he said you
know the three men they were mighty they did great exploits but they attained not under
the first three so basically the author there is lamenting and saying you know what the
good old days and back in the good you know I mean yeah these mighty men today but let
me tell you something the mighty men back when I was coming up were greater than I don't
want to hear that I don't believe that I think that we have the capability to be the greatest
generation not of the look not as America good night this is the filthiest most wicked
generation America's ever seen but as God's people and so the true story about the end
times it's not about the world getting real wicked and about God's people kind of getting
lukewarm and watered down no here's the true story God's people are going to do the greatest
works of all time and the world's going to get really wicked and they're going to get
more different than they've ever been which explains all the persecution you know because
when you got people that are rising up and doing the greatest works and then you got
a world that's more wicked than ever that's where the clash is going to come from so be
inspired my friend be motivated and there are great works to do and we all need to get
involved in doing it and it starts right here in Phoenix Arizona we have more people to
preach the gospel to right here in Phoenix Arizona than lived in Jerusalem or anywhere
else because this city is bigger than any city that even existed back in those days
there was no city of four million people back then you know we have a city of four million
people right here that we can preach the gospel to and get them saved and knock doors and
win souls to Christ and you know what there are other cities all over America where men
need to be trained in this church and sent out to start churches in other cities in America
and do great things and yea even men who would come out of our church and go start a church
in a foreign country and do great works for God and reach a nation or reach a city or
reach a state with the gospel of Jesus Christ the sky is the limit we can do greater works
we can do great it's already been prophesied I mean look God knows the end from the beginning
somebody's going to do it someone will do it or the Bible was not telling the truth
he said the gospel is going to be preached to all nations then the end is going to come
he's saying that because he's already seen it all in Revelation it's already happened
it's done but the question is are we going to be a part of it number one question number
two how great how great is it going to be because you know we know that some great work
is going to be done for God in the last days we know that many people will be saved but
here's the thing if we get involved then even more will be saved I don't believe it's just
well whatever's going to happen is going to happen I don't believe in Calvinism no
it's up to us to get on board with God's program God's already predicted and said hey I already
know some people will do it there will be strong people who do great exploits but you
know what let's make sure that we're a part of it and that we push it and that we ride
that wave and that we participate and get more people saved than any generation in the
history of mankind let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer father we thank you
so much for your word Lord and we thank you for the shining light that it is in a dark
world and in a crooked and perverse generation Lord help us to stand as lights in the world
help us not to get down in the mouth and say oh how can we raise our kids how can we live
Lord help us not to just try to maintain or hang on for dear life but help us to take
it to the enemy Lord help us to go on the offense Lord and help us to go out and say
not only are we going to just exist and survive but we're going to thrive and do great exploits
for God greater than ever in the history of mankind Lord help us to be inspired as your
people and in Jesus' name we pray amen.