The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is now doing a study of the last days which we define as the days that started with the beginning of Jesus' ministry until his return.
In Session 2 we look at Jesus' answer to the disciples" question “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3 NIV)
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew 24:4-8 NIV)
For our study we are using the book "Are These The Last Days?" by Greg Laurie
A substantial portion of Holy Scripture is prophecy. Many of the Bible's prophecies have been fulfilled so far. Therefore, if many of the Bible’s prophecies have already happened exactly as God said they would, I have no reason to doubt that the remaining ones will be fulfilled just as God’s Word has predicted they will.
When we see the signs of the times around us, showing, for instance, that the Antichrist could emerge at any time, we know the return of Jesus Christ is even closer.
Mark 13:8 NIV [8] Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
Here's what Paul said
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 NIV [1] Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, [2] for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. [3] While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Any woman who has given birth knows that labor pains build up gradually and lead to the arrival of her child. That is how the Bible describes events of the last days.
It will be like labor pains. You will see something take place that reminds you the Lord is coming back. Then maybe a little time will pass and you will see something else. Then you will start seeing a few things happen in rapid succession.
Prophetic Calendar
Let’s start with the disciples' question after Jesus told them that the temple would be destroyed.
Matthew 24:1-3 NIV [1] Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. [2] “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” [3] As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus comment about the temple being destroyed seemed impossible take a look at
Mark 13:1 NIV [1] As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”
The Jewish Temple was considered one of the great wonders of the ancient world. Under construction for 46 years at this point, it was near completion, which would come in A.D. 63, a mere 7 years before it was destroyed.
Located in a place where it had dominance over ancient Jerusalem, historians described the Temple as appearing like a mountain of gold because of its nine massive gates.The incredible size of the foundation stones was the equivalent of a railroad boxcar.
The Temple was a magnificent structure. It would be startling to look at even today.
Jesus was describing something that was in their future but that is now in our past. We can look back at what Jesus was pointing toward and see that these events happened exactly as our Lord said they would.
In A.D. 70, the Roman general,,Titus, built large, wooden scaffolds around the walls of the Temple buildings, piledthem high with wood and other flammable items, and set them ablaze. The fires wereso intense that the stones of the Temple crumpled.
To retrieve the melted gold from the temple walls, Roman troops dismantled the Temple stone by stone, fulfilling exactly the prediction of Jesus Christ.
Why is that important? Because if this happened as Jesus said it would, and other things happened as Jesus said they would, then we know that what is yet to come also will happen just as He said.
Now let’s take a look at Jesus’ answer to their question
Matthew 24:4-8 NIV [4] Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. [5] For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. [6] You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. [7] Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. [8] All these are the beginning of birth pains.
An Explosion of Religious Deception
In the last days, there will be an emergence of false teachers, false prophets, gurus, and so forth who will claim that they are the Messiah. This will culminate in the emergence of the ultimate deceiver, the Antichrist. We've seen the emergence of many cults like Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Mormons, the Christian Science Church, the Church of Scientology, and other groups. Then there have been newer cults like the followers of Jim Jones who committed mass suicide in Guyana in1978; the Branch Davidians and their leader, David Koresh, who died in a standoff with federal agents in Texas in 1993; and the Heaven’s Gate suicides in Southern Californiain 1997.
There also has been an explosion of New Age mysticism and spirituality in recent years. A lot of people say “I am spiritual, but I am not into organized religion.” It is their way of saying that they want to have a belief system, but they want to live as they choose. So many people today talk about how they have found their own truth and their own path.
Wars and Rumors of Wars
This leads us to another sign pointing toward the last days, which will be “wars and rumors of wars”. Think of all the wars our planet has seen so far in its history. We know that more than 10 million people lost their lives in World War I, which was thought of as the war that would end all wars. But it took only 20nyears for a new and even more terrible war to develop. During World War II, 50 million people died.
These wars, as horrible as they were, will not compare to the scale of war that wil be unleashed by Satan during the Tribulation period. How it will happen, we don’t know.
God could allow humanity to unleash all the weaponry that it has been amassing for years now. To date, nations with nuclear weapons have been able to keep one another at bay. But now there are rogue nations that have gotten hold of nuclear weapons. Some terrorist organizations have been trying to obtain them for some time. It could be that, in this terrible war, all of that nuclear weaponry would be released.
In nuclear war, all mankind would lose. Such war would give an explanation as to the global famine and pestilence that will follow the emergence of the Antichrist.
Famine and Pestilence is another sign
Global famine and pestilence will be one of the signs of the last days. According to the United Nations’ World Food Program,
more than 800 million people go hungry every day, while 24 thousand people die each day from hunger and hunger-related causes.
When it comes to global pestilences, think of what has happened in our generation alone. We had the AIDS epidemic. We had SARS and the Bird Flu and of course who can forget COVID.
As we look at this and what is happening in our world, we can certainly see the birth pains that seem to be getting closer together.
You want more
Luke 21:10-11 NIV [10] Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. [11] There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
Earthquakes, Hurricanes and Tsunamis
According to the U.S. Geological Society, the occurrence of earthquakes is on the rise. For the past 50 years, the number of recorded earthquakes has increased every decade—not just the minor ones, but the “killer” quakes as well. The earthquake thatcaused the tsunami that struck Southeast Asia was one of the strongest ever, withmore than 286,000 casualties in its wake. More earthquakes will come.
You've seen the intensity of the hurricanes, tornadoes and other weather events in the last few years.
Religious Persecution
Another sign of the times will be persecution.
Mark 13:6-11 NIV [6] Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. [7] When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. [8] Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. [9] “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. [10] And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. [11] Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
We have seen persecution against the Church for centuries.
Many secular historians suggest there were 10 great persecutions intended to wipe out Christianity, beginning with Caesar Nero and ending with the Roman emperor, Diocletian.
Diocletian felt that he had been so successful in eradicating Christianity from the face of the earth that he had a coin struck that read, “The Christian religion is destroyed and the worship of the Roman gods are restored.” But instead of being destroyed by persecution, the Church actually grew stronger.
We need to remember that if we are true followers of Jesus, we too will be persecuted.
John 15:18-25 NIV [18] “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. [19] If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. [20] Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. [21] They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. [22] If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. [23] Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. [24] If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. [25] But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’
2 Timothy 3:12-13 NIV [12] In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, [13] while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
When we as believers stand up for our faith, it will make some people angry and some people will not like it. Persecution will only get worse in the last days—that is what Scripture tells us.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
So what is all this about? Are we really in the last days? The answer is yes. What we see today are the labor pains of what is yet to come. As we watch these things happen in our world, as we sense these labor pains getting closer and closer together they tell us the coming of Jesus Christ is near. In fact, I see nothing in Scripture that needs to occur before the Rapture of the Church can take place. In my understanding of Bible prophecy, it is the next event on the prophetic calendar. And it could happen at any time.
Bible Study Audio
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