The Tribulation

What Is This World Coming To?

Matthew 24

AUDIO MP3

 

16 Jan 2011  AM

Pastor Craig Ledbetter

Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland

www.biblebc.com

 

I.       Introduction (Daniel 12:1)

 

A.    There is coming a time on earth, so awful, so dreadful, that it cannot be imagined how bad things will get. Hollywood is only preparing absolutely everyone for dark days ahead with all the World Disaster movies that flood out of California, year in and year out!

B.     If there ever was a “hell on earth” it will be exactly seven years long, and will be known as “The Tribulation.”

C.     This month we are studying several very big subjects in the Bible relating to prophecy

 

1.      People deep down yearn to know if the future is going to work out or not

2.      Only God has the answer, in His word, the Bible.

 

D.    This morning we will briefly study a period of time called the Tribulation

E.     So many people have heard of: the Tribulation, Armageddon, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the Anti-christ, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse…

F.      I want to try to put all that in perspective so that every person in our homes are warned, and ready for the future! So that NONE of our loved ones, and as few of our communities have to end up going through such a time as we are about to learn about!

G.    I want you to get worried enough to get into that Book you are holding in your hands, and start learning what’s ahead so that not only are YOU ready, but so that none of our loved ones get left behind!

 

II.    Message

 

A.    What is This World Coming To?

 

1.      The lead up

 

a.       Things will only get worse and worse

 

1)      We have the occasional “blip” of good times

2)      But we always end up more in debt, more troubled, more stressed out

3)      There is NO golden age coming

 

b.      Sin on the increase

c.       Love growing more and more cold

d.      Troubles driving this world toward…

 

1)      One world government

2)      One world religion

3)      One world economy

4)      JUST as the Bible predicts in Revelation 13, 2,000 years ago!

 

e.       A terrible falling away by “Christians” – people will be less and less passionate about Jesus Christ, and only passionate about entertainment and sports games, and the pleasure they get out of their week. There is not going to be a massive revival! Only a falling away!

f.       THIS is where we are at folks!

 

2.      The next event to watch out for – the Rapture of Born Again Christians

 

a.       The snatching away of only born again Christians

b.      The majority of the world will just stay the same as it always has

c.       As a matter of fact, the world won’t even miss us!

 

3.      Followed by the worst nightmare ever imagined – the Tribulation

4.      Let me read you something that will be in all the newspapers soon enough!

 

a.       Newsdate - Some time in the near future: A News flash goes out to the entire world. Even though times will be hard, with all the food rationing, and the fuel prices through the roof, Astronomers will have discovered an asteroid (or comet) on a collision course with the earth. And it's too late to do anything about it! That group of scientists who thought that we should build a defense system to protect ourselves from such catastrophes have a short time in which to say, "We told you so!" Astronomers hastily plot the course of the object and predict an impact in the Mediterranean Ocean. Astrophysicists try to calculate the force of the coming impact, and thus predict the extent of the coming disaster. They are horrified by what their numbers tell them.

b.      In the final hours before the strike, radios and televisions everywhere are blaring futile advice on how to protect yourself. Along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, highways are choked with traffic as people head for high ground. Airports are jammed with those seeking flights from islands and coastal regions all over Europe. People everywhere are doing all kinds of things, some rational and some irrational, to try to get themselves some protection. There are scenes of absolute hysteria. Churches, mosques, temples, and synagogues are packed with people praying. Phone lines are jammed with people making a final call to loved ones, or asking the authorities for information. Grocery stores are mobbed by people stockpiling food. In some places, mobs of looters run wild. But all material efforts to prepare, however wise, become worthless. Efforts to take advantage of the situation become a sick joke. A disaster many times greater than anything known in recorded history overtakes the earth, and the world as we know it ends in one big bang. The Great Tribulation has begun!

 

B.     Just Exactly What IS The Tribulation?

 

1.      Tribulation is one of those older words that means Trouble. But it means MORE than just a bad hair day

2.      It means a Thrashing, and Affliction, Misery, Distress

3.      The Bible refers to it as “the time of JACOB’S Trouble” (Jer 30:6-11)

 

a.       Bad enough to cause men to act like they are in pains like a pregnant woman  (6)

b.      There has never been any time like it

c.       It is “Jacob's” trouble – not the Church’s trouble, or the world’s trouble, but ISRAEL’s

d.      “but he shall be saved out of it.” God will save the nation of Israel during it

e.       Israel will no longer be troubled aby anyone

f.       The nation of Israel will serve the LORD their God, and David will be their king again, whom I will raise up (resurrect) unto them (in the Millennium). (8-10)

g.      God will “make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee”

h.      God will restore Israel “I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.” (11)

 

4.      A Time when the Wrath of GOD is poured out (Rev 6:16,17; 15:1)

5.      A Time when the Wrath of Satan is poured out as well (Rev 12:12)

6.      Seven Years of Ever Increasing Hell on Earth – Daniel’s last week of Man’s History, each day a year

7.      Two 3 ½ Time Periods

 

a.       The Tribulation – troubles

 

1)      Seven Seals Disasters

2)      Seven Trumpets Disasters

 

b.      The GREAT Tribulation

 

1)      Seven Vials of God’s judgments and plagues and disasters

2)      Satan’s attempt at destroying everything, especially God’s people

 

C.     What Will the Tribulation be Like? (Matthew 24:4-30)

                                                     

1.      At First… During the first 3 ½ years after the Rapture…

 

a.       False Messiahs (24:4-5), False Christs, False Saviours, False Prophets will be everywhere

 

1)      Gurus galor!

2)      The Maitraya

3)      The fifth Buddha

4)      The Muslims look for the final Iman

5)      Government parties look for a new, great unifying leader

6)      Leading up to the calming leadership of the final False Christ, the Antichrist!

 

b.      The rise of the antichrist

 

1)      He will bring a sort of peace to the world

2)      There will be more and more wars, but people will really believe it is actually getting better and better

3)      He will negotiate a peace in the Middle East, allowing the Jews to rebuild their Temple

4)      This is all described in Revelation 6:1-8 with the Four Horsemen:

 

a)      The False Christ

b)      Wars following

c)      Famines

d)     Death

e)      All the result of the coming of the antichrist! He is a fraud! Brings no peace!

 

c.       Wars, and more wars (Mt 24:6,7) – it does NOT get any better, only worse!

d.      Famines – world-wide famines and food controls; and Pestilences, diseases – HIV

e.       Deaths - 1/3rd of the world’s population will die of all these disasters in just 3 ½ years

f.       Intense persecution (Mt 24:9,10) – blaming the “nuts” for all the world problems

 

1)      Against all non-conforming religions

2)      Ultimately against the Jews

 

g.      Earthquakes (Rev 6:12)

h.      Hurricanes and Tsunamis (Luke 21:25,26)

i.        NOTE: These things are ONLY the beginning of sorrows/tribulation (Mt 24:8)

j.        No love at all, except of self (Mt 24:12)

k.      Total unity all over the world under the protection of the Beast (Rev 13)

 

1)      His Mark in their foreheads or in the right hands

2)      His number controlling people’s movements and ability to buy or sell

3)      His worship the only focus of the whole world

4)      All in the name of survival during all the disasters – “acts of God!”

 

2.      In the MIDDLE of the Tribulation, it goes from bad to worse

 

a.       The “abomination of desolation” – the antichrist claiming to be ‘God’ (Mt 24:15; 2Thes 2:3,4)

b.      Then GREAT Tribulation begins

c.       The heavens will go out of control (Mt 24:29)

 

1)      Sun will go dark before it will explode and become 7 times brighter than before

2)      The moon will be turned to blood

3)      Stars will fall from the sky

4)      An asteroid will slam into the Mediterranean Sea

5)      A massive poisoned comet will explode over Asia

6)      Sounds impossible? People thought so up until about 25 years ago, but now there are dozens of large, expensive telescopes scanning the skies every night, all over the world, looking for “Near Earth Asteroids” because astronomers know at least one of them has earth’s name on it

 

d.      Demons will be loosed upon the earth (Rev 9:1-6)

e.       An army of 200,000,000 angry soldiers surround the middle east to attack Israel

 

3.      It will only end at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ – Armageddon (Mt 24:30)

 

D.    Who Will Experience the Tribulation? (2Thes 1:6-10)

                                              

1.      Those who are apathetic about spiritual things (Heb 2:3) – simple neglect sends people to hell

2.      Unconcerned about God’s word – thinking it is old, and outdated

3.      So easily deceived – believing only in entertainment

4.      Those who know not God, and who will not simply obey the GOSPEL

 

a.       Not whether they are good or not

b.      Or whether people are religious and devout

c.       Or that they give away lots of money

d.      But whether they obey Jesus’ command to be born all over again, on the inside!

e.       If you do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you WILL believe on the antichrist (2Thes 2:5-12)

 

E.     The ONLY Way to Miss the Tribulation (Mt 3:1-7; John 14:6)

 

1.      Be ready, right now, because no one know when all this will start (Mt 24:36-42)

2.      How do you get ready?

3.      Repent – seriously repent! Hate what you are, and what you have done, enough to humble yourself before an almighty, all holy God who SHOULD send you straight to hell, but is ready to forgive you and save your lost soul!

 

a.       Repent of your apathy

b.      Repent of your feeble attempts at religion – admit that you are NOT good enough

 

4.      Flee to Jesus Christ – I mean RUN! Cry out to Him in desperation for forgiveness

5.      Trust in Him alone – trust that HE died in your place, and that it was enough to pay off all your sin debt

6.      Follow HIM from now on, never looking back!

 

III. Conclusion

 

A.    If there ever was a “hell on earth” it will be exactly seven years long, and will be known as “The Tribulation.” It will be a time on earth, so awful, so dreadful, that it cannot be imagined how bad things will get. Hollywood is only preparing absolutely everyone for dark days ahead with all the World Disaster movies that flood out of California, year in and year out!

B.     I hope that I have been able to put some very important things in perspective so that every person in our homes are warned, and ready for the future! So that NONE of our loved ones, and as few of our communities have to end up going through such a time as we are about to learn about!

C.     I hope you are worried enough to get into that Book you are holding in your hands, and start learning what’s ahead so that not only are YOU ready, but so that none of our loved ones get left behind!

D.    Why?

 

1.      Because of What is This World Coming To / Where it is Headed!

 

a.       Things will only get worse and worse

b.      A terrible falling away by “Christians”

c.       Heading into the worst nightmare ever imagined – the Tribulation

 

2.      Because of What The Tribulation Is

 

a.       It means a Thrashing, and Affliction, Misery, Distress

b.      The Bible refers to it as “the time of JACOB’S Trouble” (Jer 30:6-11)

c.       A Time when the Wrath of GOD is poured out (Rev 6:16,17; 15:1)

d.      A Time when the Wrath of Satan is poured out as well (Rev 12:12)

e.       Seven Years of Ever Increasing Hell on Earth

f.       Two 3 ½ Year Segments of Time

 

1)      The Tribulation – troubles

 

a)      Seven Seals Disasters

b)      Seven Trumpets Disasters

 

2)      The GREAT Tribulation

 

a)      Seven Vials of God’s judgments and plagues and disasters

b)      Satan’s attempt at destroying everything, especially God’s people

 

3.      Because of What the Tribulation Will be Like

                                                     

a.       False Messiahs (24:4-5), False Christs, False Saviours, False Prophets will be everywhere

b.      The rise of the antichrist

c.       Wars, and more wars (Mt 24:6,7) – it does NOT get any better, only worse!

d.      Famines – world-wide famines and food controls; and Pestilences, diseases – HIV

e.       Deaths - 1/3rd of the world’s population will die of all these disasters in just 3 ½ years

f.       Intense persecution (Mt 24:9,10) – blaming the “nuts” for all the world problems

g.      Earthquakes (Rev 6:12)

h.      Hurricanes and Tsunamis (Luke 21:25,26)

i.        NOTE: These things are ONLY the beginning of sorrows/tribulation (Mt 24:8)

j.        No love at all, except of self (Mt 24:12)

k.      Total unity all over the world under the protection of the Beast (Rev 13)

l.        In the MIDDLE of the Tribulation, it goes from bad to worse

 

1)      The “abomination of desolation” – the antichrist claiming to be ‘God’ (Mt 24:15; 2Thes 2:3,4)

2)      Then GREAT Tribulation begins

3)      The heavens will go out of control (Mt 24:29)

 

a)      Sun will go dark before it will explode and become 7 times brighter than before

b)      The moon will be turned to blood

c)      Stars will fall from the sky

d)     An asteroid will slam into the Mediterranean Sea

e)      A massive poisoned comet will explode over Asia

f)       Sounds impossible? People thought so up until about 25 years ago, but now there are dozens of large, expensive telescopes scanning the skies every night, all over the world, looking for “Near Earth Asteroids” because astronomers know at least one of them has earth’s name on it

 

4)      Demons will be loosed upon the earth (Rev 9:1-6)

5)      An army of 200,000,000 angry soldiers surround the middle east to attack Israel

 

m.    It will only end at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ – Armageddon (Mt 24:30)

 

4.      Because of Who Will Experience the Tribulation

                                              

a.       Those who are apathetic about spiritual things (Heb 2:3) – simple neglect sends people to hell

b.      Unconcerned about God’s word – thinking it is old, and outdated

c.       So easily deceived – believing only in entertainment

d.      Those who know not God, and who will not simply obey the GOSPEL

e.       Are you in any of those categories?

 

5.      Are YOU going to miss it? The ONLY Way to Miss the Tribulation – Be ready!!!

 

a.       Be ready, right now, because no one know when all this will start (Mt 24:36-42)