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Beginning on Sunday, December 8, 2024, our Pastor began using the LSB version of the Bible in all of his teaching and preaching. This is the newly updated version of the NASB, which he has been using for a number of years. Here is some information on the LSB for those who would like to learn more. It also explains why Pastor Alan is now using this version of the English Bible.

The Legacy Standard Bible has been produced with the conviction that the words of Scripture as originally penned in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek are the eternal Word of God. The Holy Scriptures speak with authority to each generation, giving wisdom that leads to salvation, that people may serve Christ to the glory of God. Because it is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16), every word of it is inspired, every word is true, and every word must be conveyed to every nation, tribe, people, and tongue (Rev. 7:9), so that every word can be taught and obeyed (Josh. 23:14; Mt. 28:20; Jn. 17:17).

THE FOURFOLD AIM OF THE LOCKMAN FOUNDATION

1. These publications shall be true to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

2. They shall be grammatically correct.

3. They shall be understandable.

4. They shall give the Lord Jesus Christ His proper place, the place which the Word gives Him; therefore, no work will ever be personalized.

PREFACE TO THE LEGACY STANDARD BIBLE

In the history of the English Bible translations, the King James Version is the most well-known. This time-honored version of 1611, itself a revision of the Bishops’ Bible of 1568, became the basis for the English Revised Version, which appeared in 1881 (New Testament) and 1885 (Old Testament). Its American counterpart, a product of both British and American scholarship, was published in 1901. Recognizing the values of the American Standard Version, The Lockman Foundation felt an urgency to preserve the ASV while incorporating recent discoveries of Hebrew and Greek textual sources and rendering it into more current English. This resulted in the New American Standard Bible, a translation based upon the time-honored principles of translation of the ASV and KJV, along with other linguistic tools and biblical scholarship.

The Legacy Standard Bible reflects another iteration of such preservation and refinement. Worked on by a core translation team in conjunction with pastors and educators from different countries, it is designed to honor, maintain, and advance the tradition represented by the NASB.

PRINCIPLES OF TRANSLATION

Key Principles: The Legacy Standard Bible has worked to uphold the style and translational choices of the NASB as much as possible. Even more, it has endeavored to follow through on the NASB’s stated intent to be true to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. While the interpreter, teacher, and pastor have the goal of understanding what the text means, the translator is to provide them with what the text says. Consistently, the goal of this translation is to be a window into the original text. Within that goal, this revision has focused upon accuracy and consistency. It has checked that words and grammar have been carried over properly. It also established rules for the consistent translation of terms within their various nuances. This allows the reader to more easily reconstruct what the original texts said. It also helps the reader more easily trace the flow of argument within a text, identify when the same word is used in another passage, and make connections between texts.

There are limits to the application of this philosophy. In this edition, a word might not be translated consistently in order to maintain a highly familiar rendering of a text or to preserve a wordplay in the text that advances the inspired author’s message. Moreover, because Scripture is a literary masterpiece, some linguistic features could not be transferred to this translation, not even by a note. Nevertheless, ensuring that the original languages are precisely rendered paves the way for careful readers to discover these insights for themselves.

In this way, the LSB upholds the philosophy that a translation does not replace pastors or teachers but rather depends upon faithful believers and the church to study and live out what has been written (Acts 8:30-31). Translation is a tool for the church and must be done in that context so that each word of Scripture may be taught and lived.

Modern English Usage: The attempt has been made to render the grammar and terminology in contemporary English. When word-for-word literalness was determined unacceptable to the modern reader; a change was made in the direction of a more current English idiom. In the instances where this has been done, the more literal rendering has been indicated in the notes. There are a few exceptions to this procedure. Of note, while an effort has been made to incorporate conjunctions as much as possible, the conjunction “and” is occasionally not translated at the beginning of sentences because of differences in style between ancient and modern writing. Punctuation is a relatively modern invention, and ancient writers often linked most of their sentences with “and” or other connectives.

Alternate Readings: In addition to the more literal renderings, notations have been made to include readings of variant manuscripts, explanatory equivalents of the text, and alternate translations that may bring out a play on words difficult to maintain in the text. These notations have been used specifically to assist the reader in comprehending the terms used by the original author.

THE COMMITMENTS OF THE LEGACY STANDARD BIBLE

The Legacy Standard Bible aspires to be a legacy preserved – to uphold the work and tradition that is found in translations from the KJV, ASV, to NASB.

The Legacy Standard Bible aspires to be a legacy performed – to advance the commitments of past translations by bringing forth features of the original text relative to accuracy and consistency.

The Legacy Standard Bible aspires to be a legacy passed on – to equip generations to study Scripture and continue the philosophy of being a window.
~ The Lockman Foundation

For additional information we recommend you contact The Lockman Foundation -- https://www.lockman.org/legacy-standard-bible-lsb/

BE DETERMINED TO ENDURE TO THE END

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, first I want to thank You that You have promised to be with us, no matter what difficulties and dangers may cross our paths. Keep us safe from all perils, problems, and persecutions we may encounter. May our faith remain firm to the end. I thank You, Lord, that there is no situation in life that is outside of Your jurisdiction and that You have every circumstance covered by Your all-sufficient grace. Father, may the blessed Holy Spirit steer our path through this sin-sick world. May our confidence in You never falter, because You have promised us that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world; and that absolutely nothing is able to separate us from Your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. As we look into the Holy Scriptures this morning, I pray that the Spirit will teach us the principles of standing firm, and give us the determination to endure to the end. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Introduction: I’ve read, flying across the Sahara Desert of North Africa is an incredible experience if you have a window seat. For hours and hours and hours, the only thing you’ll see is scorching expanses of sand. The undulating dunes can reach 600 feet deep. This is the hottest, harshest desert on earth – and it’s as big as the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii). Along with sand dunes are gravel-covered plains, salt flats, and barren plateaus.

The eastern boundary of the Sahara is the Red Sea, and the western edge is the Atlantic Ocean. It’s like America between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans – except it’s all Death Valley.

One November morning, three men dipped their toes into the cold waters of the Atlantic in Senegal. Then they began to run. Their goal was the Red Sea, some 4,300 miles away.

Charlie Engle, Ray Zahab, and Kevin Lin were attempting something never before conceived in history: to run across the Sahara Desert. They were doing it to raise awareness of the millions living in Africa without access to clean water. But according to Charlie Engle, he and his friends were also driven to be pioneers. “The challenge of doing something that has never been done before really appealed to us,” he said.

Their journey was plagued with challenges, some of which were geographical. Their route ran through six different nations: Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, and Egypt. They endured blazing temperatures, sandstorms, government corruptions – and sometimes they had to run on two-lane highways where cars whizzed by at more than a hundred miles an hour.

The physical challenges were even greater. The three friends averaged almost 40 miles per day, and there were several days in which they ran the equivalent of two marathons back-to-back – or longer. Each runner had to work through more than fifty blisters on his feet. They lost weight, faced dehydration, and slept no more than five hours each night.

But the biggest obstacle for the runners was mental. “It was much more of a mental exercise than physical,” Engle said. “It was much tougher on the mind than it was on the body.”

Near the end, the runners were seriously breaking down. Two suffered from severe tendonitis. All three were dealing with intestinal viruses. Their feet had swollen to another shoe size. The youngest runner, Kevin Lin, began to talk openly about giving up and going home. As expedition leader, Charlie Engle encouraged him to stay the course – to keep trying as hard as possible until the last moment.

“It’s something I learned from adventure racing,” Engle said. “Don’t ever pull yourself from the course. Go until you [can’t] go because something might change …. You keep going.”

And they did! They dipped their toes in the cold waters of the Red Sea after 111 grueling days. It was an unequaled feat – or feet! – of endurance.

If you were to check through dictionaries and online resources, you probably couldn’t find a better definition for endurance than Charlie Engle’s statement: You keep going.

That’s what it means to endure, and that’s what Jesus communicated to His disciples on the Mount of Olives. As we’ve seen so far, the “signs of the times” about which Jesus prophesied were frightening for many reasons. He warned about deception, both from outside and inside the church. He warned about wars and rumors of wars. He warned about famines, earthquakes, and pestilences. He foresaw tribulation and persecution, lawlessness and lovelessness. Even those who professed to be Christians would fall away. But all of the negatives lead to an incredibly positive, and phenomenal promise:

[READ Mt. 24:13, NKJV]
13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

This promise was true for Christ’s earliest disciples as they endured attacks from the Roman Empire and the religious leaders of their own community. This promise has been true for all who remained faithful to God’s kingdom throughout the ups and downs of history. And this promise is especially critical for believers today as we approach the end times.

Yes, we’ll certainly face obstacles and difficulties. In so many ways, this world is a giant Sahara Desert. But we have a race to run and we must not give up. We must keep going with enthusiasm, the strength of Christ within us, and the victory in sight.

I. THE STRENGTH OF OUR STAND (Mt. 24:13; Lk. 9:62; 2 Tim. 2:3, 8-10; Jas. 1:12; Eph. 6:10-13)
Let’s look again at the first part of Jesus’ promise.
[READ Mt. 24:13]

13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

The Scriptures are packed with admonitions and encouragements for God’s people to keep going in tough times. The biblical writers employed many terms to describe this quality of our character: endurance, steadfastness, faithfulness, perseverance, and so on. But the basic idea is for followers to Christ to keep following Christ all the way, come what may.

[READ Lk. 9:62]
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Paul instructed Timothy to keep going in the face of trials.

[READ 2 Tim. 2:3, NKJV]
3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

A few verses later, he added ….

[READ 2 Tim. 2:8-10, NKJV]
8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. 10 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.

[READ Jas. 2:12]
12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

The Greek word for endure in Matthew 24 is hupomenō, which is a combination of hupo (“under”) and menō (“stay” or “remain”). So, the picture Jesus used to describe those who endure is those who are determined to stay under the load until Christ lifts the load. It refers to submitting to a specific directive or command, choosing to stay in a certain spot even if others have moved on or moved away. In today’s terminology, we might say, “But the person who hangs on to the end shall be saved.”

That’s not easy! It takes a lot of strength to hang on. We often think of endurance as something passive. Did you ever endure a lecture from a boring teacher? What about suffering through an all-night work shift? In cases like these, we just grin and bear it. But that’s not quite what Jesus was talking about.

His call for endurance was a command for His followers to take a stand. To push against the current and refuse to be moved. To hold firm in their convictions and character even when it seemed as if the whole world was against them.

[READ Eph. 6:10-13]
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the might of His strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Pastor Vinod Patil understands this kind of enduring strength. As a church leader in India, he has witnessed the rise of anti-conversion laws passed by the government in recent years – laws specifically designed to increase government-sanctioned attacks against Christian churches.

According to a New York Times investigation, “Anti-Christian vigilantes are sweeping through villages, storming churches, burning Christian literature, attacking schools, and assaulting worshipers. In many cases, the police and members of India’s governing party are helping them, government documents and dozens of interviews revealed. In church after church, the very act of worship has become dangerous despite constitutional protections for freedom of religion.”

Extremist Hindus have threatened to kill Pastor Patil if they catch him preaching. For that reason, he now lives like a secret agent – zipping through wheat fields and back alleys on his worn-out Honda scooter, making sure he’s not followed, praying with families in kitchens and courtyards, and leading secret gatherings in falling-down farmhouses.

“The Constitution gives us the right to preach openly,” he told reporters. “Still, you got to be careful.” Despite the danger, Pastor Patil has chosen to keep preaching. He has decided to endure. To stand.

Only heaven knows how many Christians are standing with him and like him on the earth, but we must be among them. “And having done everything to stand firm.”

II. THE STAMINA OF OUR STAND (Mt. 24:13)

Running across the Sahara takes stamina, which is a word having to do with the resilience of our strength. We are not only to endure, but we must endure until the end!

[READ Mt. 24:13]
13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

The end of what? This is a widely debated question, and if you read 10 commentaries you might get 9 different answers. But really, it’s not so difficult.

• Perennial Stamina (Jn. 17:4; 2 Tim. 4:7; Isa. 33:2, 40:31; Acts 20:22-24)

First, we’re to keep on going until Christ comes for us or calls us home. We are perennials, not annuals. We keep coming back again and again, fruitful, growing, pressing forward with whatever God has for us until, like the Lord Jesus, we can say:

[READ Jn. 17:4]
4 I glorified You on the earth, having finished the work which You have given Me to do.

We’re to pursue the Lord’s will and calling for our lives until we can say, like Paul …

[READ 2 Tim. 4:7]
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.

We’re to wait and watch and work until we can say, like aged Simeon …

[READ Lk. 2:29-30]
29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation.

We don’t do it in our own strength. We pray like the prophet Isaiah: “Be our strength every morning” (Isa. 33:2, NIV). And we claim Isaiah’s promise: “Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength” (Isa. 40:31, NKJV).

For those of us living in the last days, Jesus’ words are a call to keep going as the signs of the times explode around us. We’re to run through the smoke, through the trembling earth, through the reeling battlefield, and through the agitation of our age. We’ll never stop until Jesus comes!

This attitude doesn’t always appear as public feats of gallantry. Usually, it shows up quietly in our lives. As Dr. Raymond Edman of Wheaton College used to tell his students, “It’s always too soon to quit.” Paul felt the same way.

[READ Acts 20:22-24] …
22 And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that chains and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not make my life of any account nor dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

Allow me to paraphrase verse 24: “But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned to me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love.”

• Personal Stamina (Mt. 24)

Second, a careful analysis of Matthew 24 gives us another clue about the stamina we need to endure to the end. It’s personal. Greek scholars tell us that up to this point in the Olivet Discourse, Jesus had been speaking to His disciples in the plural. This isn’t obvious in English because our word “you” can be either singular or plural. But the Greek language of the NT is different.

* “Do you not see all these things?” (v. 2).

* “And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one deceives you” (v. 4).

* “And you are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed ….” (v. 6).

* “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name” (v. 9).

* “Because lawlessness is multiplied, most people’s love will grow cold” (v. 12).

But there’s a shift in verse 13.

* “But he who endures to the end, shall be saved.” (v. 13, NKJV).

The word translated as “he” in this verse is the Greek term hō, which is singular. “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” Jesus could have said, “But if you endure to the end, you will be saved.”

Isn’t it interesting? Here in verse 13, Jesus spoke to you as an individual – and to me. He was encouraging each of us to hang on and keep hanging on for as long as it takes.

Enduring as a follower of Jesus requires not only strength but also perennial, personal stamina. Don’t be afraid to take your stand for what you know is right and what God has communicated through His Word. Then keep standing no matter what comes your way. Let’s remain steadfast until the end. Especially as we watch and wait for our Lord’s return.

III. THE SATISFACTION OF OUR STAND (Mt. 24:13; Ex. 14:13; Rom. 13:11; Acts 4:12)

Now let’s look at the last phrase of Jesus’ promise.

[READ Mt. 24:13]
13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

Choosing to endure as followers of Christ will require both strength and stamina, but remaining steadfast will ultimately lead to satisfaction.

The biblical word “salvation” is similar to a diamond, having many facets and faces. This word “salvation” occurs over 166 times in the OT and NT, and in different settings it can refer to different things. For example ….

[READ Ex. 14:13]
13 … Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of Yahweh which He will accomplish for you today.

In this context, the word implied Israel’s deliverance from the pursuing armies of Egypt. God parted the waters and saved them. Let’s look at another example ….

[READ Rom. 13:11]
11 … Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.

What does Paul mean? He is referring to the moment when we will be rescued from this evil world by rapture or resurrection when the Lord appears in the air. One more example ….

[READ Acts 4:12]
12 … There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.

Here Peter was talking about the eternal salvation of our souls from sin, death, and hell – meaning our redemption from these things. So, what then did Jesus mean when He promised that those who endure to the end will be saved?

• What This Salvation Is Not (Eph. 2:8-9; Jn. 16:33; 2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Pet. 4:12-13)

First, Jesus was not teaching salvation by works. It’s not our ability to endure that saves us. It is Christ alone. We can never erase the reality of our sin by our own strength and stamina. We are saved from sin by grace through faith.

[READ Eph. 2:8-9]
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not of works, so that no one may boast.

Our ability to endure to the end grows out of an intimate connection with Jesus, our Savior. We stand because we know Him. We don’t earn that connection by standing for Him.

Second, Jesus was not promising us guaranteed safety chutes from every difficulty in life.

[READ Jn. 16:33]
33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

[READ 2 Tim. 3:12]
12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

[READ 1 Pet. 4:12-13]
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you. 13 But to the degree you are sharing the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

Followers of Christ will face resistance, encounter trouble, grievous trials, and more as we move closer to the Lord’s return.

• What This Salvation Is (2 Tim. 4:18)

What, then, did Jesus mean when He promised that those who endure to the end will be saved? The answer is found as plain as day within the final words of the apostle Paul.

In AD 64, the Roman emperor Nero accused Christians of starting the fire that destroyed Rome. In his demonic rage, Nero came against believers with a vengeance. As I shared with you in an earlier message, the apostle Paul was tracked down – he may have been betrayed by Alexander the coppersmith – and thrown into a dungeon to await beheading. From there, he wrote his goodbye letter to the church. It was addressed specifically to Timothy, but it was for us all, the final words of the greatest missionary in history, waiting each moment for the soldiers to come and execute him. Listen to what Paul says at the end of his letter:

[READ 2 Tim. 4:18, NIV]
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I believe this is what Jesus meant. This is the satisfaction of our stand. For those who endure to the end, the Lord will rescue them from evil and bring them safely to His heavenly kingdom – and to Him be glory forever and ever!

IV. THE START OF OUR STAND

When we consider topics like endurance, or perseverance, or steadfastness, it’s easy to think of them in the abstract or to project them into the future. When I face opposition out in the future, I’ll make sure to endure rather than falter. Or, When I’m old and at the end of my life, I’ll be sure to remember the importance of finishing strong.

That’s not how it works. The determination to follow Christ regardless of the cost isn’t something that just flashes into our souls at the moment of crisis. It starts now and takes a lifetime to develop. It’s a day-by-day process.

This is a choice you and I need to make now, at this moment. There are some practical ways to get started and to sustain our progress, regardless of what’s going on in the world.

• Determine to Run Your Race (Lk. 9:23; Jas. 1:2-4; Rom. 5:3-5)

First comes a God-given, incontestable, undeniable determination to live for Christ whatever the cost.

[READ Lk. 9:23]
23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

Let me tell you a story from Juyanne James, an English professor and writer, about a man who came to that decision. In her memoir of growing up as an African American woman in rural Louisiana, Professor James described how, once a month, the children’s choir was scheduled to sing at her church. People would often stand and share their testimonies. According to James’ recollection, one of those testimonies went like this:

I stand before you today to give my testimony …. I was young and foolish. I threw away all my money on women and drink. And I heard the Lord calling me over the years, but I wouldn’t listen. I didn’t slow down for nobody or no thing. Oh, but the Lord, He got such a mighty big hand, and He can reach far and He can reach high and low.

Early one morning, He reached down and grabbed me by my ankles, and I felt like He turned me upside down. He twisted me and turned me until I didn’t know which way was up and which way was down. The Devil had got so far up in me that the Lord had to shake him loose. I was driving in my old Ford, but next thing I know the truck had hit this big ol’ tree and was rolling this way and that. I knew if it rolled one more time, I wasn’t long for this world. I called on Jesus ….

And praise the Lord, He heard my cry. I woke up in the hospital some days later, bandages all over me, with a leg near gone. But the first thing I said was “Thank You Jesus ….” When I got up from that hospital bed, I decided to follow Jesus.

At that point, said Ms. James, the whole church erupted in singing, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.”

You know, that’s not a bad testimony. Sometimes the Lord grabs our ankles, turns us upside down, this way and that way, until we come to our senses and decide to follow Jesus. Still, we have to say, “No turning back.” We have to say, “Though no one join me, still I will follow.”

Make up your mind that nothing will deter you from God’s will, that no one will draw you from His path, that no foe will defeat you, and that no sin will stop you. “The world behind you, the cross before you!”

I mentioned earlier that followers of Christ must be prepared to endure trials of various kinds as we seek to finish our race. Jesus Himself promised we would face tribulation.

But here’s a principle and a promise that can help us keep striving: those trials and tribulations can actually become fuel for our endurance. No matter what the world throws our way, we can recycle those experiences in such a way that, through the omnipotence of God, our pain is transformed into power. Don’t believe me? Let’s see what the Scripture says.

[READ Jas. 1:2-4, ESV]
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

[READ Rom. 5:3-5, ESV]
3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Yes, trials and suffering can make it more difficult for us to run the spiritual course set before us – but they don’t have to. With God behind us and beside us, suffering becomes steadfastness. Pain becomes perseverance. And trials are transformed into a blessed hope that can carry us toward perfection and completion, where we lack no good thing.

So, how will you handle the bumps and bruises you receive in your efforts to follow Christ? Will you allow them to slow you down, or will you use them as fuel for your faithfulness? According to Scripture, the choice is yours.

• Determine to React with Radiance (Rom. 12:12; 1 Pet. 2:20-23)

Speaking of choice, it’s important that we address our own actions and attitudes when we encounter difficult circumstances. In many ways, how we conduct ourselves throughout our spiritual walk is just as important as how we finish the race.

Here’s what I mean: I’ve known some Christians who look like they were baptized in lemon juice and hit in the mouth with a dill pickle sideways. They were high on endurance but low on love. They were determined to persevere in the midst of persecution, but they made sure everyone around them knew how miserable they were in the process – and they made life miserable for many others who happened to encounter them in the middle of their race.

Such an attitude is not befitting for servants of the King. As Christians, we are called not only to run with endurance and finish the race, but to do so in a way that encourages others to follow us. We have been commanded not only to be disciples of Jesus but to make disciples. And for that to happen, we need to reflect the love, grace, and goodness of the One we follow.

My point is: when we are confronted by all the ugliness Jesus predicted for the world as it heads toward the end, we can respond by radiating the love of Christ.

[READ Rom. 12:12]
12 … Rejoicing in hope, persevering in affliction, being devoted to prayer.

Remember Peter’s commission to the earliest believers, which also applies to us?

[READ 1 Pet. 2:20-23]
20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it, you endure, this finds favor with God. 21 For to this you have been called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps, 22 who did no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 who being reviled, was not reviling in return; while suffering, He was uttering no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.

Developing perseverance as a believer in Jesus does not have to be a bitter experience. Yes, each of us will need to endure unpleasant seasons – and this will be especially true as we move closer to Jesus’ return. But we can use these seasons as opportunities to radiate the love and light of Christ. 

• Determine to Reach Your Goal (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 21; Eph. 3:20; Jas. 1:12; 2 Tim. 2:12)

Being steadfast in your service to God means choosing to run your race, choosing to react to difficult circumstances with the radiance of Christ, and finally, choosing to run until you reach the end of your specific course. It means choosing to keep going until you reach your rest.

Shinzo Kanakuri was the first athlete to represent Japan in the Olympic Games. This was the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, and Kanakuri was an exciting newcomer for the marathon event. At just 20-years-old, he had even set a world record the year before. Expectations were high.

Unfortunately for Kanakuri, things did not go as he planned. After a brutal journey from Japan that took almost three weeks, he was in rough shape prior to the start of the Olympic marathon. To make matters worse, the event was run on an especially balmy day in Sweden with unexpectedly high temperatures and skyrocketing humidity.

About 16 miles into the race, Kanakuri faltered. He stumbled into a local garden and collapsed. He was eventually found by a Swedish family who nursed him back to health with raspberry juice, cinnamon rolls, and a comfortable bed.

Despite this kindness, the Japanese runner was mortified at his own failure. Uncertain what to do next, Kanakuri quietly returned to Japan to deal with his shame. He left so quietly, in fact, that Swedish officials had no record of what happened to him. He was considered a “missing person” in that country for almost 50 years!

Thankfully, there is a happy ending to Shinzo Kanakuri’s story. In 1967, Swedish officials arranged for the now-elderly runner to return to Stockholm and finish the race. Starting where he had left the course all those decades before, Kanakuri completed the course with a mind-boggling time of 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.3 seconds.

Here’s my point: despite a decades-long delay, Shinzo Kanakuri completed his race. He reached the finish line at last – and there he was greeted by not only his children, but also his grandchildren. Those are grand rewards indeed!

We typically connect to the book of Revelation with the chaos and cataclysms we expect to experience at the end of the world – and for good reason. The vision John received on the island of Patmos certainly allows us to peek through the window of time and glimpse many important details about the end of history. As we’ve seen, those details dovetail perfectly with Jesus’ prophetic promises in the Olivet Discourse.

Yet there’s a section of Revelation we sometimes forget. In chapters 2 and 3, the Lord Jesus commissioned John to deliver seven letters to the seven churches operating in Asia Minor during his day. Each of those letters carries a specific message that uses imagery and word pictures relevant to the regions. Taken together, they create a wonderful word of encouragement and exhortation from Christ to His church during a season of intense persecution.

There’s one specific theme present in each of these letters that’s pertinent to our study this morning. See if you can catch the theme based on the following verses:

* For the church at Ephesus: “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God” (2:7).

* For the church at Smyrna: “He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death” (2:11).

* For the church at Pergamos: “To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it” (2:17).

* For the church at Thyatira: “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations – ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’ – as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star” (2:26-28).

* For the church at Sardis: “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life” (3:5).

* For the church at Philadelphia: “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name” (3:12).

* For the church at Laodicea: “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (3:21).

Do you see the pattern? In every church, Jesus called the believers to overcome. To endure. To push past the persecution and the pain they were experiencing. And with every call to “overcome,” Jesus included a promised reward.

This is the overwhelming message of Scripture. As children of God, our Savior is calling you and me to be steadfast in taking our stand for His values, His priorities, and His kingdom. He is calling us to remain faithful even when the going gets tough.

Yet He is also encouraging us to receive the rewards He has promised. That starts with eternal life, of course – and if we never received any other gift from our good Father, we would still be blessed beyond all possible comprehension! But He has promised more gifts. He has promised exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20).

I mentioned a couple of Scripture passages earlier in this series that certainly bear repeating in light of today’s theme.

[READ Jas. 1:12]
12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

[READ 2 Tim. 2:12a]
12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him ….

So, beloved, don’t give up on your spiritual walk. Don’t allow yourself to be knocked off course or taken out of the race. And if you do stumble, get back up and start running again. In the words of Sahara-running Charlie Engle, whatever happens, “You keep going.” Because your reward is worth it!

V. IN CONCLUSION

John R.W. Stott was one of the greatest Christian leaders of the last century. For many years he served faithfully as rector of All Souls Langham Place in London; he was a peerless preacher, Bible teacher, evangelist, author, speaker, and global leader.

Os Guinness tells about the final moments of John Stott’s race – and how he remained determined to reach his rest as a faithful servant of Christ:

I knew him over many decades, but I will never forget my last visit to his bedside three weeks before he died. After an unforgettable hour and more of sharing many memories over many years, I asked him how he would like me to pray for him. Lying weakly on his back and barely able to speak, he answered in a hoarse whisper, “Pray that I will be faithful to Jesus until my last breath.”

Wow! What a prayer for the end of one man’s race, and what a prayer for every believer in these last days! No matter what we encounter in our world’s relentless march toward judgment, let’s be determined to be faithful to our Lord.

Prayer: Blessed Father, even as Your Word guides us and the testimonies of other believers down through history encourage us, let us not lose sight of the fact that it is Your Spirit who rejuvenates and empowers us. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us, and He is our source of strength and endurance.
I pray, Lord, for a fresh outpouring of Your Spirit upon each of our lives today. As we journey through the trials and challenges of life, let the Holy Spirit be our constant companion, our guide, our comforter, and our strength, ensuring that we not only endure to the end but overcome. Help us lay aside anything and everything that hinders our spiritual progress, diverts our attention from the goal of our calling, or inhibits our witness for Christ. Strengthen each of Your children who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus. In Him may we find ample spiritual strength to persevere and run the race that is set before us with endurance. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Invitation # 376: “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” (4 vs.)
Benediction: Beloved, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, Amen. (Heb. 12:1-2)

BE DETERMINED TO ENDURE TO THE END

Olivet Discourse (Lesson 9) - Nov. 2, 2025 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Introduction: You probably couldn’t find a better definition for endurance than Charlie Engle’s statement: You keep going. That’s what it means to endure, and that’s what Jesus communicated to His disciples on the Mount of Olives.

Matthew 24:13

This promise has been true for all who remained faithful to God’s kingdom throughout the ups and downs of history. And this promise is especially critical for believers today as we approach the end times.

We have a race to run and we must not give up. We must keep going with enthusiasm, the strength of Christ within us, and the victory in sight.

I. THE STRENGTH OF OUR STAND (Mt. 24:13; Lk. 9:62; 2 Tim. 2:3, 8-10; Jas. 1:12; Eph. 6:10-13)

II. THE STAMINA OF OUR STAND (Mt. 24:13)

* PERRENNIAL STAMINA (Jn. 17:4; 2 Tim. 4:7; Isa. 33:2, 40:31; Acts 20:22-24)

* PERSONAL STAMINA (Mt. 24)

III. THE SATISFACTION OF OUR STAND (Mt. 24:13; Ex. 14:13; Rom. 13:11; Acts 4:12)

* WHAT THIS SALVATION IS NOT (Mt. 24:13; Ex. 14:13; Rom. 13:11; Acts 4:12)

* WHAT THIS SALVATION IS (2 Tim. 4:18)

IV. THE START OF OUR STAND

* DETERMINE TO RUN YOUR RACE (Lk. 9:23; Jas. 1:2-4; Rom. 5:3-5)

* DETERMINE TO REACT WITH RADIANCE (Rom. 12:12; 1 Pet. 2:20-23)

* DETERMINE TO REACH YOUR GOAL (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 21; Eph. 3:20; Jas. 1:12; 2 Tim. 2:12)

IV. IN CONCLUSION

Os Guinness tells about the final moments of John Stott’s race – and how he remained determined to reach his rest as a faithful servant of Christ:

I knew him over many decades, but I will never forget my last visit to his bedside three weeks before he died. After an unforgettable hour and more of sharing many memories over many years, I asked him how he would like me to pray for him. Lying weakly on his back and barely able to speak, he answered in a hoarse whisper, “Pray that I will be faithful to Jesus until my last breath.”

Wow! What a prayer for the end of one man’s race, and what a prayer for every believer in these last days! No matter what we encounter in our world’s relentless march toward judgment, let’s be determined to be faithful to our Lord.

A WORLD OF BAD NEWS

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we come humbly before You today in worship, we seek Your divine presence and power to manifest during the sermon. Lord, may every thought and word spoken be inspired by Your Spirit. I ask You to open the hearts and minds of those who will be listening to the sermon, whether in this service now or online. Remove any distractions or barriers that may hinder them from receiving your message. Soften their hearts, Lord, and help them to be receptive to Your truth. I pray that Your presence will be obvious in the sanctuary, filling every corner with Your glory. May Your power be evident as lives are transformed, hearts are healed, and souls are saved. Lord, let your love and grace flow abundantly, touching every person in the congregation. Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of gathering together as a community of believers. We give You all the glory, honor, and praise for You alone are worthy. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Introduction: In July 1986, thousands of men and women from developing nations boarded airplanes, many for the first time in their lives. They checked into hotels to find something they’d never seen before – indoor plumbing. They were called “barefoot evangelists,” men and women with little education or training who hacked through jungles, forded rivers, endured rejection, and took the good news to huts and hamlets in remote nations all over the world.

Evangelist Billy Graham raised millions of dollars to bring 8,000 of these local preachers to Amsterdam for days of training and encouragement. Never in church history had such a gathering occurred on this scale, with representatives from 180 nations.

In one of his sermons that week, Graham said, “Biblical evangelism preaches Christ alone as the Savior of men. Paul told the Corinthians, ‘For Jesus Christ, and Him crucified’ (1 Cor. 2:2). Jesus alone is the way to God. Apart from Him we are spiritually dead and lost. Jesus Christ by His death and resurrection became the Gospel. Jesus Christ is the Gospel!”

Sitting in rapt attention was one particular barefoot evangelist named Joseph, a converted warrior from the Maasai tribe of Central Africa. During the conference, he asked to see Dr. Graham. For logistical reasons, very few participants could meet privately with Graham, but Joseph was given a few minutes to tell his story.

As a young man, Joseph heard the gospel on a dusty African road, and he responded instantly by trusting Jesus as his Savior. He soon longed to return to his native village and share the good news of the kingdom of heaven. He went from door to door, telling others what had happened to him. He expected everyone’s face to light up. Instead, they were filled with rage.

The men of the village seized Joseph and held him to the ground while the women brutally flogged him with barbed wire. After the beating, he was dragged into the bush and left to die. Joseph managed to crawl to a watering hole, where he spent several days recovering, and decided he had either left something out of the story or shared the message incorrectly. He rehearsed his testimony, prayed, and limped back to the village to try again, saying, “Jesus died for you, so that you might have forgiveness and come to know the living God.” He received another flogging.

Recovering a bit, he went back and was whipped a third time, the barbed wire cutting into the old wounds. But this time, one of the women beating him started weeping. As Joseph lapsed into unconsciousness, he saw others beginning to cry. He awoke in his own bed, his former tormenters trying to save his life. As a result of his patient witness, the whole village came to Christ.

Joseph then lifted his shirt to show Dr. Graham the scars marking his chest and back. After he left, the famous evangelist could only say, “I’m not fit to untie that man’s shoes, and he wanted to meet me?”

Have you ever thought of yourself as a barefoot evangelist – someone who can share the gospel anytime, anywhere, whatever your level of training or education, regardless of the reaction? Because that’s who you are! The world is filled with those of us wanting to tell others what Jesus has done for us. And that reality reflects another prophecy fulfilled from Jesus’ Olivet Discourse.

Remarkably, on one of the last days of His life here on earth, Jesus predicted a time when the gospel of the kingdom would be preached to the ends of the earth, heralding the approach of His return. No one in those days could have conceived of it. In the eyes of most, Jesus of Nazareth was nothing more than a country preacher from the rural mountains of Galilee. He encountered a lot of skepticism on the rare occasions He came to Jerusalem for the Jewish festivals. He spoke in simple parables and pastoral teachings, and few people outside His circles of influence even knew about Him.

Yet, speaking privately with His disciples shortly before His brutal death, Jesus said that one day His unique message would touch the farthest corners of the globe. It would go to the ends of the earth – and when it did, the world would be near its end.

Of all the prophecies we’ve studied thus far in Matthew 24, this is probably the most improbable one of them all. We could imagine the continuation of warfare or plagues. Deceivers come and go. But who could imagine that the words of a rural rabbi from Galilee would transform human history, reverberate in every subsequent generation, and be as life-changing over two thousand years later as His disciples knew them to be in their own time?

This is our Lord’s positive prediction.
So far, we’ve looked at a lot of grim forecasts in the Olivet Discourse. But during all of those difficult days at the end of history, one thing will be unstoppable: the relentless spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in every generation, on every continent, through every difficulty. Like a beam of light through the blackened night, the good news will bring the world its only hope. The message of Jesus – crucified and resurrected -- will echo through all the turbulence of time and herald His swift return.

[READ Mt. 24:14]
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in the whole world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

I. THE UNSTOPPABLE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL (Mt. 4:23; Eph. 1:13; Rom. 1:16; Mt. 24:14; Col. 1:13; Mk. 13:10)

Let’s start with the word gospel. The Greek term is euangelion. You can instantly see how we get the word evangelism from it. But look closer. Notice the middle letters: eu-angel-ion. What is an angel doing in the middle of the gospel? Well, the word angel literally means “messenger.” The Greek prefix eu- means “good.” So, the word gospel literally means “good message” or “good news.”

This word appears for the first time in the Bible at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

[READ Mt. 4:23]
23 And Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

The gospel is the set of historical facts relating to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It includes the eternal repercussions of these facts for those who place their faith in Christ. They enter a living relationship with God, by grace and through faith. Christ alone offers us forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

[READ Eph. 1:13, NKJV]
13 In Him [Christ], you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel [good news] of your salvation ….
The word good seems like the world’s greatest understatement. Our culture loves superlative terms like amazing, awesome, and spectacular. To us, good is far down on the list of adjectives. But the Bible uses good as a moral quality of God and a way to describe the nature of the gifts He has given us. In His vocabulary, good is far beyond amazing, awesome, and spectacular. It may be God’s highest adjective. We can pack every superlative we want into those four letters G-O-O-D, and there will still be an eternity of room left over.

The gospel was sealed and settled by Jesus’ shed blood at Calvary and His glorious resurrection.

Evangelist D.L. Moody said, “The most solemn truth in the gospel is that the only thing Christ left down here is His blood.” When we receive this message by simple faith and confess Christ as Lord of our lives, we become living recipients and embodiments of the good news. In other words, we say yes to Jesus.

Now, let me tell you about a time when “No” said “yes.”

Andrew Lo is the pseudonym for a church planter who works amid danger in a heavily restricted nation. One day Andrew ventured into a village and sought to share the gospel. Only one person listened, and he was wonderfully converted. Ironically, this man’s name was No. But No said yes. Eventually his wife and parents also gave their lives to Christ, and now a small church exists in a spiritually dry land – all because Lo shared with No, and No said yes.

I must pause here and ask: Have you said yes to Christ? Everything in life and eternity depends on this.

[READ Rom. 1:16]
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, ….

Going back to Matthew 24:14, there’s something else to notice.

[READ Mt. 24:14, NKJV]
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.

Why is it called the “gospel of the kingdom”? The answer can sound complicated, but I’ll try to keep it simple. The word “kingdom” is short for the “king’s domain.” With one exception, every time Matthew used the word gospel, he couched it in this phrase the “gospel of the kingdom.”

There’s a famous theological phrase that says our Lord’s kingdom is “already but not yet.” When Jesus came to our world the first time, He planted the kingdom of believers on this planet, infiltrating the nations and placing the foundation for His church here.

[READ Col. 1:13]
13 Who rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of His love.

When Christ comes again, He will establish His theocratic kingdom in Israel and reign from there for a thousand years. So, in one sense, Jesus’ kingdom is already here. In another sense, it is still to be established – thus the phrase: “already but not yet.”

In Mark’s version of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus was recorded as simply saying:

[READ Mk. 13:10]
10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations.

That’s the key point. Both the current kingdom of the church age and the coming kingdom of the millennial age spring from the historical facts of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The same gospel that makes you and me instant members of God’s heavenly kingdom right now will be the power plant allowing Christ to rule the world after His return to earth. As we continue today’s study, we’ll see how this works out as a kind of double fulfillment.

• Before the Rapture (Mt. 24:14; Acts 1:8, 2:41, 4:4, 6:1, 9:31, 13)

The first verses of the Olivet Discourse carry an “already but not yet” flavor. They describe the days leading up to the rapture of the church. Then they rewind and take us through the same general sequence of events during the first half of the tribulation with a deeper level of judgment and distress.

On one level, the Lord Jesus was predicting the deterioration of world events during the ages leading to His return in the clouds for His people. These are the times we are experiencing now. There will be increasing dangers from deceivers, wars, international conflicts, famines, pandemics, and natural disasters. Persecution will spike around the world, and love will fade away as a uniting force. The one positive trend amid these signs is the good news:

[READ Mt. 24:14, NKJV]
14 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.
The end of what? The end of the church age. The presence of the Spirit-indwelled church will be removed from this planet in a flash of time. Graves will become launching pads. Believers will fly into the clouds to be instantly transformed with glorified bodies.

As I said earlier, no one watching Jesus that day on the Mount of Olives could have imagined this prediction coming true. Yet Jesus repeated His claim in Acts 1:8 …

[READ Acts 1:8]
8 … You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the end of the earth.

Shortly after Jesus made this prediction, on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 people confessed Christ in Jerusalem and were baptized (Acts 2:41). Many of them went home from the festival of Pentecost, taking the message of Jesus to provinces, cities, towns, and islands throughout the Roman Empire. Soon the number of believers reached 5,000 (4:4). The disciples began multiplying exponentially (6:1), and the number of churches multiplied as well (9:31).

From Antioch, the first official church-sent missionaries were commissioned (Barnabas and Paul) and the age of organized missions began (Acts 13). By the early 300s, the Roman Empire had been reshaped by the gospel. Every generation of Christians has spread the news to those around them. Yes, there have been some giants in the list of missionaries and evangelists -- Wesley, Carey, Moody, and Graham. But most of the work has been accomplished by barefoot evangelists – people like you and me who share our testimonies in the same way mariners tell the stories of their rescues from shipwrecks.

Where are we today in world evangelism? The Joshua Project keeps careful track of what God is doing on the earth. According to their research, there are 17,427 people groups on earth, and though 66.9% have been reached with the gospel, there are still 7,626 groups needing the gospel, and many of those are in very restricted nations. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that today we’re starting to penetrate even the most difficult barriers by means of new technology. The internet is essential, of course. But cheaper methods for setting up satellite TV and radio programs have also allowed preachers to reach directly into the homes of those interested in learning more about Christ – even when those homes are in countries actively hostile to the gospel.

This is why one of the ministries Harvest supports, Faith Comes By Hearing, is so important. This crucial ministry is translating the Bible into every identified language whether written or only spoken, and making it available to the world in audio format. This has broken down huge barriers, allowing people to hear God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ in the language they understand. Faith Comes By Hearing’s goal is to translate the Bible into every known language by 2033, so the whole world can hear the good news of the Gospel.

What exciting times we live in! Jesus’ prophecy is being fulfilled in real time: the gospel is being preached throughout all the world as a witness to all nations and peoples. When this process is complete, the stage will be set for the Lord’s return.

• After the Rapture (Mt. 24:11-14; Rev. 6, 7:1-4, 9-17)

As I’ve said before, the events prophesied in Matthew 24:1-14 will back up and replay after the rapture of the church, this time at a higher volume and with greater intensity. After believers vanish from the earth, there will be a new round of deceivers, including the man of lawlessness (the Antichrist), and an unprecedented time of war and rumors of war. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. As we see in the breaking of the seven seals in Revelation 6, there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places – all leading up to the middle of the tribulation and to the terrible period known as the great tribulation.

Many people don’t realize the first half of the tribulation will be one of the greatest evangelistic awakenings in human history. The gospel will be unstoppable. You may ask, If the church is removed, who will be evangelizing?

First, I believe the troubles of those days will lead many people to search out the billions of Bibles and New Testaments left behind, along with all kinds of Christian books, recordings, and literature.

Certainly, one of the greatest distribution of Bibles in history occurred during World War I, with multiple Bible societies printing New Testaments and getting them into the hands of millions of soldiers. One report said, “Soldiers, when they were very badly wounded, had a tendency to produce the NT from their breast pocket and read it as they died. This is a phenomenon that was recorded when soldiers who were killed on 1 July 1916 – the first day of the Battle of the Somme – were recovered and buried; many of them were found dead with the Bible, or NT in their hands.” Could this be a preview of the tribulation?

Second, the Lord is going to commission 144,000 Jewish evangelists who will spread the gospel with the zeal of the apostle Paul to the ends of the earth (Rev. 7:1-4). Everyone converted under their ministries will also reach others, and many of them will be martyred (vv. 9-17). And don’t forget the two super-evangelists the Lord will place in Jerusalem, described in Revelation 11!

I know you and I are praying for another great awakening to turn around our nation and our world. God has sent massive revivals in the past. Perhaps He will send us one soon. But whether we see global revival or not, we’ll be faithful to the cross of Christ until the very end of the age. We can rest assured another great awakening is coming before the ultimate return of Christ to this earth – even if it occurs in times of tribulation and even if it happens after the church has vanished. The gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole world, and then the end will come.

II. THE UNSTOPPABLE MESSENGERS OF THE GOSPEL (Jn. 4:35; Mt. 16:18)

The unstoppable message of the gospel will be – and is being – spread by unstoppable messengers. In our generation, that’s you and me, taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.

A recent article in Christianity Today shared how Christians in the Muslim-majority nation of Azerbaijan are seeing the gospel spread in their land. Emil Panahov, a church planter, grew up in a Muslim family. His father was a Communist. Emil came to Christ at age 12 through the efforts of a local Baptist church, but he became a dancer and was caught up in entertainment. In 2007, Emil tore his meniscus, and doctors told him he would never dance again.

That’s when Emil rediscovered Christ and planted a church. He recovered his athletic ability and started using it for evangelistic purposes. During the pandemic, his church baptized 64 new believers, a remarkable number for that nation. Restrictions have been relaxed somewhat by the government, and Emil is praying for a massive revival in his home country. Right now, 4% of Azerbaijanis are considered Christians. Emil is praying for the day when the other 96% will follow Christ!

Impossible? Humanly speaking, it would seem so. But Jesus predicted His followers would be unstoppable in taking His gospel to the world.

[READ Jn. 4:35] Jesus said,
35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.

[READ Mt. 16:18]
18 … I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

When Garrett Kell was a junior at Virginia Tech, he developed an uncanny feeling God was following him. The impression started at a Halloween party he threw in his apartment. He was 20-years-old, living with three female roommates, a live-in girlfriend, and a steady supply of weed, cocaine, and alcohol. One of the partygoers was a high school friend named Dave. When Garrett offered him girls and joints, Dave closed the door, looked at him sincerely, and said he didn’t do those things anymore. He had become a follower of Christ, and he had attended the party only to ask Garrett to do the same.

Garrett had no intention of accepting Dave’s offer, but from that moment he felt haunted. For weeks afterward he was drawn to his Bible like a moth to a flame.

When spring break came, Garrett’s buddy Adam suggested they go to Panama City, FL. Along the way, Garrett told Adam he felt God was following him everywhere he went. As they neared the beach, a plane flew over their car, pulling a banner that said: “Jesus Loves You – John 3:16.”

When they spread their lawn chairs on the sand and cracked open their beer, a small group of students came by, offering them pamphlets and telling them God had a wonderful plan for their lives. That evening while leaving a night club, three vans pulled up, each emblazoned with the words: “God loves you! Believe the gospel! Jesus saves!” It was an outreach team offering free rides to the inebriated spring-breakers.

The next day was rainy, so Garrett and Adam went to a restaurant and wolfed down some waffles. Suddenly the doors flew open and about thirty people came in, talking, laughing, and carrying Bibles. One of them came up to Garrett and offered to share a Bible study with him.

The next day, Garrett took a walk on the beach and saw a girl sitting by herself. Going up to her, he asked if she’d been in the water. When she said it was too cold, Garrett mentioned he’d have to have a few beers before braving the chill. Looking up at him, she said, “I don’t know about that, but God has taught me Jesus is all I need to be happy.”

As he returned to the hotel, a lady in a wheelchair motioned for him. Her name was Stacy James, and she asked him what he knew about Jesus.

It does sound like a conspiracy, doesn’t it?! But Garrett knew the truth. The Lord was following him around, pursuing him like a hound from heaven.  Today Garrett Kell is the lead pastor of Del Ray Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA. He recently wrote, “Don’t underestimate the significance of scattering gospel seed wherever you go. Whether you’re on a plane, on a beach, in a Waffle House, driving drunks home, or doing normal life, God is working to call His lost sheep to Himself – and He’s using you to do it.”

How does the Lord use us? What can you do to spread the gospel of the kingdom in these last days? Let me give you three unstoppable ways to share the uncontainable good news.

• By Showing (Mt. 5:14-16; 1 Pet. 3:1, 15-16)

Our most basic testimony has to do with our lives – daily exhibiting a biblical lifestyle in this ungodly age. This requires a constant walk with the Lord, a desire for personal holiness, a growing attitude of Christlikeness, and a burden to love others and meet their needs in Christ’s name.

Remember Jesus’ illustration we explored last week?

[READ Mt. 5:14-16]
14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Bob Griffin was a legendary missionary pilot – one of the first. While living in Ecuador, he made friends with a military leader named Major Rio Frio. But Bob wasn’t able to say much about his faith in Christ. Whenever he tried, the Major had a way of holding up his hand to stop the conversation. Nevertheless, he continued to exhibit Christ and even flew emergency missions for the Major to help stave off starvation among Ecuadorian troops stationed in remote areas.

One day Major Frio told Bob he was being posted to another location. Even though he could take a military aircraft, he asked Bob to fly him to Quito in the small missionary plane. Surprised, Bob agreed to do so.

During the flight, Major Frio turned to Bob and said, “I’d like to know what makes you tick.” He went on to explain, “I know you could stay in the US and earn big money flying the airlines or doing some other work. Why do you impoverish yourself to come here to the jungle to help us?”

Over the roar of the engine, Bob took the next 15 minutes to explain the power of the gospel – that because of what Jesus did for us, we are motivated to share His love with others. He told the major how he had accepted the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ and then he showed him some Bible verses from the Spanish Bible he always kept in the plane.

Major Frio gripped Bob’s arm with both hands and, with tears in his eyes, said, “Mi amigo, that’s what I want!” Right there, flying over the snowcapped Andes, Major Rio Frio sincerely prayed, asking Jesus to become his Savior and Lord.

So, let me ask: What makes you tick? Does your life so exhibit Jesus Christ that others can see the gospel in you – in your attitudes, activities, demeanor, integrity, and love?

The apostle Peter said something interesting about this in 1 Peter 3.

[READ 1 Pet. 3:15-16, NIV]
15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

In other words, live in a way that reflects the power of the gospel, and always be ready to share the message of the gospel when opportunities arise. These are two simple principles that have eternal impact. We can apply them wherever we are.

Eddie Taubensee is a former Major League Baseball catcher who still coaches and instructs players. It gives him an arena to show Christ to his players. “Coaching and my faith go side by side,” he said. “Everything about my Christian faith is thinking of others more than myself and serving them and that’s exactly what I’m doing as a coach. I’m coming alongside these players doing everything I can to make them the best player they can be and move them on to the next level.”

It’s really as simple as that. As we look for opportunities and think of others more than ourselves, the Lord lets us come alongside of others and influence them for good.

• By Sharing (2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Cor. 3:6; 2 Pet. 3:3-9; Rom. 6:23)

At some point in sharing our faith, words are necessary. They can be spoken, printed, or texted, but people need to receive vital information that they often can’t find for themselves. God has revealed it in the Scripture – that He loves us, that our relationship to Him is broken, that Christ has died for our sins and risen from the tomb, and that we need to repent of our sins and trust His good news of salvation.

Sooner or later, we have to communicate these truths to others. That’s why the Bible says, “Do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5). Remember that Greek word euangelion? The word with an angel in the middle of it, meaning “messenger”? The Bible is telling you to be a good news messenger. Every day. All the time. Doing so doesn’t require a theological degree. Just a willingness to share your faith.

Tom Chandler grew up on a hog farm, and his family was very isolated. Before he went to college, he had never been in a grocery store, and he’d only been in a restaurant when traveling with his high school sports team. He was also acutely dyslexic, with a slight speech impediment. And he battled shyness. But he was a great basketball player, and during his senior year in high school he learned he’d been offered a scholarship at LeTourneau University.

Shortly after he arrived on campus, a group of guys invited him to a Youth for Christ meeting. Tom had never attended church – not ever. Before leaving the dorm, the guys formed a circle and said, “Let’s pray.” Tom had no idea how to pray, and as one guy after another prayed, he became more panicked. When it came his turn, he remembered the Lord’s Prayer plaque at his German grandmother’s farmhouse, but he couldn’t remember the words. So, he said, “Our Father, Amen!”

Tom felt humiliated until one of the guys, George, came to his room and apologized for putting him on the spot. George also invited him to attend church with him, and Tom accepted. Arriving at the church, Tom was horrified when people started singing, “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins.” Tom leaned over to George and said, “That’s the most terrible thing I’ve ever heard in my life. How can these people sing about it? They seem to enjoy it.”

Then the pastor stepped into the pulpit, opened his Bible and said, “This morning we’re going to be in John.” Tom only knew the word “john” as a synonym for the bathroom, and, perplexed, he leaned over and asked George about it.

George grinned and opened his Bible to the Gospel of John and showed Tim the way. As the pastor preached, Tom was drawn to his words. Shortly afterward, during a spiritual emphasis week at LeTourneau, a youth evangelist shared the gospel clearly.

“He noted that we’re all sinners and Christ died for our sins,” Tom recalled. “To become a child of God we need to receive Christ as our Savior. I found it fascinating and enticing. When he issued an invitation for people to come forward, I responded. I yearned for God’s grace in my life. Afterward, the school chaplain met with me. He asked me to quote John 3:16. I didn’t know it. Then he asked me to read it, but I struggled as the words jumbled together on the page.”

That didn’t stop Tom, though. He grew in his faith. He went home and shared his faith with his parents, siblings, and elderly grandmother. He was a student at Moody Bible Institute when he learned they all received Christ. Tom and his wife, Clare, became ambassadors for Christ in a range of ministries throughout Asia before Tom’s passing in 2020. He was known as the man who went from the hog farm to the ends of the earth – but think of all of those who had a part in introducing him to Christ!

One thing I’ve learned is that most people don’t decide to follow Christ the first time they hear about Him. It takes multiple exposures to the gospel. That’s why I’m not discouraged when someone doesn’t respond immediately. Sometimes we are seed planters, sometimes we are waterers, and someone else will see the harvest. The apostle Paul said, “I planted,
Apollos watered, but God gave the increase”
(1 Cor. 3:6).

Philip Schaff, the great church historian, wrote an eight-volume set of books covering the entire sweep of church history. In referring to the growth of the kingdom in the post-apostolic era, this is what he wrote:

“Christianity once established was its own best missionary. It grew naturally from within. It attracted people by its very presence. It was a light shining in darkness and illuminating the darkness. Now while there were no professional missionaries devoting their whole life to this specific work, every congregation was a missionary society and every Christian believer a missionary, inflamed by the love of Christ to convert his fellow-men. The example had been set by Jerusalem and Antioch, and by those brethren who, after the martyrdom of Stephen, “were scattered abroad and went about preaching the word.”

That’s how the gospel changed the world after the departure of Christ, and that’s how the gospel will change the world before He returns. The entire span of Christ’s physical absence from this planet – the age of grace from His ascension to His return – has been set aside for the proclamation of the gospel to every generation, to every land, and to every person on earth.

[READ 2 Pet. 3:3-9, NIV]
3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

In other words, if the Lord’s return seems like it is taking forever, it’s only to give more people time to come to repentance, and give us enough time to share the gospel with one more person.

Whom can you reach? Ask God to open a door for you to share your faith. Practice your testimony. Learn some verses that summarize the gospel, such as …

[READ Rom. 6:23]
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Don’t be afraid of failure. Trust God to give you the right words at the right time, then leave the results to Him.

• By Supporting

We also share the gospel by sharing our resources for the expansion of Christ’s kingdom. When we regularly, prayerfully give our tithes and offerings to our local church and to the other ministries the Lord lays on our hearts, He receives our offerings as worship. Then He transmutes them into tangible words of grace. The Philippians provided financial support for Paul’s journeys, and his success became their success.

Pastor Chuck Sligh told of a missionary who “returned to England for a brief furlough after many years of faithful service in India. He was invited to a dinner at a great summer resort where he met many women of prominence and position. After dinner he went to his room and penned a letter to his wife. He wrote, ‘My Dearest Sweetheart: I’ve had dinner at the hotel. The company was wonderful. I saw strange things today. Many women were present. There were some who, to my certain knowledge, wore one church, forty cottage organs, twenty libraries and 30,000 Bibles.’”

This man, in his intense longing to “provide the gospel for spiritually hungering millions in India … could not refrain from estimating the silks, satins, and diamonds of the guests at the dinner in terms of his people’s needs on the mission field.”

This is a good illustration as long as we don’t let it “guilt” us into giving. Our silver and gold will perish, but those we win to Christ will join us in heaven forever.

We’re living in the last days, and we’re the only ones who have good news for this world! The media doesn’t. Academia doesn’t. The entertainment industry doesn’t. Politicians and their parties certainly don’t. The only place where hope is found is the proclamation of the good news by the followers of Jesus. And today, people all over the globe are risking their lives to share it. What a privilege, then, for us to show the gospel, to share it, and to support it.

Perhaps you recall reading about the 17 missionaries who were kidnapped in Haiti in 2021. One of them, Austin Smucker, was there on a short-term assignment. He’s a construction worker in Oregon, and went to Haiti to rebuild homes. As the party drove back from visiting an orphanage, they encountered a roadblock. It was a kidnapping, and the 17 hostages (including 3 children) were crammed into a 10 ft. x 12 ft. room and kept there for two months.
]
Smucker said the gangsters “would cock the guns in front of us expecting to see us cower in fear. But we didn’t because the worst they could do was shoot us and we’d go to heaven.”

One night at about 2:30 in the morning, the group snuck out of their prison and embarked on an adventure that reminded some of them of the perilous journey in The Pilgrim’s Progress. They had to wade through canals, walk around a lake, navigate through a forest of thorns, follow a cow path – and at each junction, they circled and prayed for direction. But they all made it to safety.

“I don’t have any feelings of anger toward the guards,” Smucker said. He also said that it wasn’t his first mission trip, and it wouldn’t be his last. If anything, he’s more than eager to return. “If Satan was attempting to scare me from ever wanting to go on other mission, he was totally unsuccessful.”

III. IN CONCLUSION

The message of the gospel is unstoppable – continuing to the end of the age. And the messengers of the gospel are unstoppable – going to the end of the world. That’s why I can’t stop until the Lord takes me home, and I believe you feel that way too.

People need the Lord. Our world has never needed Him more than it does right now. Let’s all be barefoot evangelists for Christ wherever we go, whatever the cost, until everyone on earth has heard the good news of Jesus and His story, of Jesus and His glory, and of Jesus and His love. In a world filled with bad news, let’s be the good news!

Prayer: Father in Heaven, as we come to the close this blessed time of worship, we come before You seeking renewed strength for the days ahead. You know our hearts, our struggles, and our joys. Fill us afresh with Your divine power, enabling us to serve You faithfully. Equip us with the endurance we need to fulfill Your purpose and calling in our lives. May our faith grow deeper, our trust stronger, and our hearts overflow with Your strength, empowering us to overcome any trials we face. And most importantly, Lord, may we be Your good news in a world full of bad news. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Invitation Slides: “People Need the Lord”

Benediction: Beloved, sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. Amen. (1 Pet. 3:15)

A WORLD OF BAD NEWS

Olivet Discourse (Lesson 8) - October 26, 2025 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Introduction: We’ve looked at a lot of grim forecasts in the Olivet Discourse. But during all of those difficult days at the end of history, one thing will be unstoppable: the relentless spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I. THE UNSTOPPABLE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL (Mt. 4:23; Eph. 1:13; Rom. 1:16; Mt. 24:14; Col. 1:13; Mk. 13:10)

* BEFORE THE RAPTURE (Mt. 24:14; Acts 1:8, 2:41, 4:4, 6:1, 9:31, 13)

* AFTER THE RAPTURE (Mt. 24:11-14; Rev. 6, 7:1-4, 9-17)

II. THE UNSTOPPABLE MESSENGERS OF THE GOSPEL (Jn. 4:35; Mt. 16:18)

* BY SHOWING (Mt. 5:14-16; 1 Pet. 3:1, 15-16)

* BY SHARING (2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Cor. 3:6; 2 Pet. 3:3-9; Rom. 6:23)

* BY SUPPORTING

III. IN CONCLUSION

The message of the gospel is unstoppable – continuing to the end of the age. And the messengers of the gospel are unstoppable – going to the end of the world. That’s why I can’t stop until the Lord takes me home, and I believe you feel that way too.

People need the Lord. Our world has never needed Him more than it does right now. Let’s all be barefoot evangelists for Christ wherever we go, whatever the cost, until everyone on earth has heard the good news of Jesus and His story, of Jesus and His glory, and of Jesus and His love. In a world filled with bad news, let’s be the good news!

A WORLD OF LAWLESSNESS

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray for Your guidance and wisdom as I deliver Your Word to Your people. Grant me the discernment to rightly divide Your Word, so I may accurately convey Your truth and bring clarity to the hearts of those who will hear. Open our eyes to see the deeper meanings and applications of the scriptures, so that today’s sermon is both relevant and transformative. May I speak with boldness and conviction, proclaiming Your truth with power and authority. Also, help me speak with love and compassion, so that Your grace and mercy will be evident in every word. Above all, Lord, may Your name and the name of Your Son Jesus be glorified through this sermon. In His precious name, I pray, Amen.

Introduction: Zaki Anwari was seventeen, good-looking, athletic, and a rising star on Afghanistan’s national soccer team. He spent hours practicing each day, trying to emulate his hero, Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi. “He couldn’t get enough,” said Zaki’s older brother. “It was all he talked about, all he did.”

Zaki was born after September 11, 2001. He didn’t remember the brutal rule of the Taliban or the early chaos of the war in Afghanistan. He grew up in Kabul in relative peace and prosperity, thanks to the presence of American forces.

When President Joe Biden announced he would withdraw US troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, Zaki felt apprehensive. He had heard reports of Taliban forces heading toward Kabul. As the Afghan resistance collapsed, Zaki feared for his family and his future. Most of all, he grieved the loss of becoming a soccer star. The Taliban banned most sports, instead rounding up young men and forcing them to participate in Islamic religious rituals and live under strict control.

On August 16, Zaki went to Kabul International Airport with his older brother and a cousin who had worked for an American company to attempt to secure passage out of Afghanistan. There had already been one suicide bombing in the city, and the people were beginning to feel panicked. Taliban forces were close, nearly surrounding the city. The US-backed government was showing more and more signs of imminent collapse. 
The plan was for Zaki to watch the car while the older men negotiated. But Zaki jumped the fence and entered the airport. It’s not clear what happened next. At some point, Zaki made his way onto the tarmac as a US Air Force C-17 prepared to take off. He ran toward the plane and raced alongside the aircraft. As the plane accelerated to 120 miles per hour, he was knocked off balance and fell under the wheel. Among his final known words were: “Pray for me. I am going to America!”
Why would anyone run alongside an airplane as it took off? Desperation. Rising terror in the heart. Lawlessness. Violence. Chaos. Brutality.

Any of these answers will do, and all of them increasingly describe our world. We see it most vividly in today’s failed states such as Yemen, Somalia, Syria, and, yes, Afghanistan, where law and order have collapsed. Extremists fill the void, fomenting hatred and exporting terror.

It’s difficult for you and me to understand the gruesome life that befalls a people when atrocities reign and the leadership are thugs. Most of us in America and the West have felt relatively safe. We elect leaders who swear to uphold the law. We have law enforcement agencies and emergency response systems populated by millions of good and decent people.

But something is changing. Our police officers have been so vilified by the media they’re finding it hard to do their jobs. Politicians curb law-enforcement budgets and prosecutors release those arrested. It’s difficult to control human smugglers, sex traffickers, and dangerous drugs.

Introduction. Our Western nations have become so divided we never know when an incident will provoke rioting in our streets and violence in our neighborhoods. What is happening to us? The answer is just what Jesus predicted in the Olivet Discourse.

[READ Mt. 24:12] 
12 And because lawlessness is multiplied, most people’s love will grow cold. 

I. LIFE IN A LAWLESS WORLD (Ps. 2:1-3, NIV; Mt. 24:12, NKJV)
Let’s review the sequence of events that will take place before the rapture of the church – remembering the birth-pains principle that these same events will continue to accelerate in frequency and intensity during the tribulation.

Deceivers will come. Wars and rumors of wars will rage. Famines, plagues, and earthquakes will increase in size and scope. The world authorities will track down Christians, with persecution spreading to all corners of the globe. We’ll face betrayal and hatred, and many false prophets will rise up and deceive multitudes.
With this cascading torrent of crises, it’s not surprising to learn that violence will increase and love will proportionally decrease. Yet there’s an even deeper reality behind these trends. They represent a collective rejection of Jesus Christ on this planet. This is the fulfillment of Psalm 2, which is quoted seven times in the New Testament, including in the book of Revelation.

[READ Ps. 2:1-3] 
1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break Their chains
 and throw off Their shackles.”

Everything Jesus described in His Olivet Discourse will create distance between humanity and heaven. Nations will intentionally abandon the values and priorities prescribed in Scripture. Cultures will uncouple from institutions that provide the safety, security, and success we currently take for granted.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it this way: “The most experienced psychologist … knows infinitely less of the human heart than the simplest Christian who lives beneath the cross of Jesus. The greatest psychological insight, ability, and experience cannot grasp this one thing: what sin is.”

Bonhoeffer went onto say, “Worldly wisdom knows what distress and weakness and failure are, but it does not know the godlessness of man. And so, it also does not know that man is destroyed only by his sin and can be healed only by forgiveness. Only the Christian knows this.”

Jesus knew this. Let’s look again at Matthew 24.
[READ Mt. 24:12, NKJV] 
12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 

The word “because” implies a cause-and-effect relationship between the two clauses of the sentence. As people reject the justice that comes from God’s righteousness, they will forfeit the love that comes from His grace. This, then, becomes a vicious downward cycle. Lawlessness begets lovelessness, and lovelessness produces more lawlessness. Let’s look at the two forces working in tandem in this downward spiral. 

• Wickedness Will Increase (Isa. 5:20-21)
When Jesus said, “Lawlessness will abound,” He was describing more than the absence of laws or law enforcement. His words call to mind periods of human history that were defined by chaos and disorder – the Dark Ages, for example, or the bloody legacy of the first half of the twentieth century. Or, as I mentioned earlier, today’s failed states and terrorist havens. But the lawlessness Jesus pointed to at the world’s end will be exponentially worse than anything we’ve ever witnessed before.

Biblical scholar Frederick Dale Bruner describes this future period as a season of “unique lawlessness” in which the very concept of morality will be turned upside down. Right and wrong will be inverted, with entire cultures celebrating what is evil and condemning what is good.

In Bruner’s words, “Sinful human beings always practice lawlessness, but there will be a unique lawlessness at the end. Good will be called evil and evil will be called good on a massive and unprecedented scale, exponentially. People will ‘glory in their shame.’”
The prophet Isaiah offered a foreshadowing of this season of lawlessness.

[READ Isa. 5:20-21] 
20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness,
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
And understanding in their own sight!

John Staddon witnessed this unique inversion of right and wrong. As a distinguished professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, he has authored six books and written more than two hundred scholarly research papers. He is well-regarded as an expert in multiple fields of study. Yet Staddon was recently expelled from a psychology and neuroscience forum sponsored by the American Psychological Association. The reason? Staddon spoke openly in the forum about the biological reality of two sexes: male and female. We see this same twisted logic in other headlines.

For example, how about all of the recent “peaceful demonstrations” that have erupted into riots, violence, looting, and destruction of property across America.  In one such incident in Kenosha, WI, local firefighters responded to 37 separate fires during a single night of protesting.

Abortion is the most extreme example of immorality being celebrated as morality. Since the landmark Supreme Court decision known as Roe v. Wade, there have been more than 63 million abortions carried out in the United States alone. This means there are 63 million human beings, created in the image of God, who were legally and officially denied the right to exist. Thankfully, the Supreme Court has struck down the legal precedent of Roe v. Wade, ending the federal protection of abortion as a constitutional right. Of course, the rage of the pro-choice advocates since 2022 has exposed the vehemence with which they disregard the most basic of all civil rights – the right to live.

While society moves ever closer to the return of Christ, we already feel the destructive waves of the tribulation beginning to churn in our time. It is urgent that we are able to articulate Biblical positions on moral issues without confusing or reversing right and wrong. As never before, we need to understand that the growing insanity in our world isn’t primarily a political or military problem. It is a spiritual problem. The further our world strays from Christ, the closer it drifts toward cruelty and chaos. Jesus said wickedness will increase.

• Love Will Grow Cold (Mt. 24:12, NIV)
This growing wickedness will cause the love of many to grow cold. The NIV says, “The love of most will grow cold.” Not just many people, but most people! The further we drift from God’s justice, the less we will reflect God’s love, and the more anger will beget anger.

Years ago, there was a 4-panel cartoon. In the first, a boss was chewing out an employee. In the second, the employee comes home and snaps at his wife. In the third, the mother scolds her young son. And in the last panel, the boy kicks the family dog. My point is, anger produces a chain reaction that can travel around the globe, and it can do it now with the click of a button. We never know where violence will erupt next. Pundits debate the reasons behind today’s violence – guns, mental illness, broken homes, drugs, on-and-on the list goes. All of these things play their part, but the root cause that has brought us all to this point is identified in Matthew 24:12. Because of the increase of violence, true godly love as a human force is being frozen out of our culture, which in turn begets more violence.

Our Lord said, because of this growing wickedness, the love of most people “will grow cold.” This phrase is a translation of the Greek word psycho, which literally means “to breathe or blow.” It’s where we get our English words psyche and psychology. But in Matthew 24:12, the word is used literally in the sense of blowing air across something. Think of your coffee when it’s too hot to drink. What do you do? You blow on it, allowing the air to stir the top of the liquid, cooling it just a bit. That’s the word picture Matthew uses. As the winds of lawlessness blow across our world, it chills our love, and the world becomes a colder place.

Need more evidence? Think of the loneliness and lostness of multitudes of people around us. A recent study concluded that 36% of all Americans experience “serious loneliness” in a way that significantly impacts their lives. This includes a whopping 61% of young adults. Look at the rise in “diseases of despair” over recent decades, including addiction, anxiety, depression, suicide, and more – all of which are skyrocketing in America and across the world.  In fact, the British Medical Journal recently conducted a review of health insurance claims between 2009 and 2018. They found a 68% increase in diseases of despair on a broad level during that time span:

 Suicidal thoughts and behaviors among children (those under 18) increased by 287% over that 10-year span.

 The rate of substance abuse recorded within adults aged 55-74 increased by 172 %.

 Substance abuse among infants rose by 114%, which is directly related to the addictions of young mothers.
According to the study, “Diseases of despair diagnoses were associated with significantly higher scores for coexisting conditions, higher rates of anxiety and mood disorders, and schizophrenia for both men and women across all age groups.” And remember, all of this was before COVID-19. Love is draining away from our world, and that trend will only accelerate as we move closer and closer to the end of history.

II. THE WAY OF KINDNESS (Phil. 2:15-16)

It’s difficult to watch the world disconnect from God. Humanity’s slide toward lawlessness and lovelessness is painful. We feel a jolt when outside forces corrupt the institutions and customs we’ve cherished for so long. The darkness seems to be deepening over our culture like the edge of night. But we are not powerless.

[READ Phil. 2:15-16]  Paul wrote,
15 [We are] … blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast [to] the word of life ….

I’m not willing to sit passively by as humanity turns its back on God’s justice and God’s kindness, how about you? Yes, the trends are going in the wrong direction as we approach the Lord’s return, but the church is still on earth, and we can still make a difference!

One of the biggest ways we can make a difference is by bringing back a revolutionary concept called “kindness,” which in many ways is the antidote to lawlessness. We have limited ability to control the lawlessness and lovelessness in our society, but we can control how we respond to these factors. Specifically, we can use these realities as opportunities to offer kindness even when others don’t deserve it. In fact, especially when they don’t deserve it.

Let me share three specific ways we can show kindness in a culture of wickedness …

• Embrace God’s Kindness (Eph. 3:18-19; Rom. 5:5; 1 Jn. 4:19)

Before we can demonstrate God’s love and kindness to anyone in the world, we need to embrace that love and kindness for ourselves.

Rich Mullins wrote his best-known worship song, “Awesome God” in 1988, and he sadly died in an automobile accident in 1997. A few years later, James Bryan Smith wrote a book about Rich’s life, in which he shared how Rich grieved that his dad never spoke the words, “I love you.” Rich also battled feelings of worthlessness as a teenager. He once prayed, “God, why am I such a freak? … I wanted to be a jock or something. Instead, I’m a musician. I feel like such a sissy all the time. Why couldn’t I be just like a regular guy?”

Despite his struggles. Rich attended church, read his Bible, and began writing worship songs. Along the way he truly began to embrace the love of God. It struck him when he looked at the creation around him. He became awed that God, in His love, gave songs to the birds, majesty to the mountains, and laughter to the children – all for our benefit.

Rich became centered on Jesus. Rich’s brother, David, said that Rich “always struggled with feelings of self-worth. But he found his worthiness in Christ’s death for him.” He once told a crowd at a concert, “If you only knew how crazy about you God is! God has already loved you, if you only knew!”

Rich’s mother, Neva, later said, “He actually felt God’s love. I think because he was a stranger everywhere he went. He leaned into God and drew close to Him. He was not a saint, but it was his sense of being loved by God that made him different.”

Rich’s biographer said, “Rich discovered that the love God has for us is not an emotion but it is in fact the essence of who God is. The death of Christ is the indisputable sign … that shouts to us, ‘God loves you! God loves you!’”

I know some of you may feel jilted by life. Like Rich Mullins, you’ve not had the human love you needed. Perhaps you’ve been abused, neglected, or mistreated. We all battle issues of self-worth, and perhaps everyone wonders at some point whether God loves them. You may feel all alone. Friend, if you only knew how crazy God is about you! He really loves you! It’s our being loved by God that makes us different, and His love isn’t mere emotion. It’s the essence of who He is.

[READ Eph. 3:18-19, NIV]  As Paul wrote, “May God give you -
18 … power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

People who possess this knowledge are insulated from the chilling winds that cause warm love to become as cold and hard as ice. When we embrace the love of God through Christ, our own love will not grow cold. This is why Paul reminded the earliest believers …

[READ Rom. 5:5] 
5 … the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
It’s also why John said …

[READ 1 Jn. 4:19] 
19 We love, because He first loved us.
On a practical level, our sense of God’s love deepens as we spend time with Him. I’ve experienced many wonderful things throughout my years of serving God. But the foundation for those experiences is not complicated. It comes from my time in His presence. I’m talking about prayer. I’m talking about studying His Word. I’m talking about worship that is both public and private. These are the actions that keep the love of God simmering in our hearts. It’s very hard for your love to grow cold when the fervent love of God is surging through your veins.

• Express God’s Kindness (Mt. 10:42; Ps. 82:3; Prov. 14:21; Lk. 3:11; Jas. 1:27; 1 Jn. 3:17)

When we embrace God’s love, it becomes natural to express His love. In many ways, kindness is God’s love expressed through action. And nothing is more obvious in the Bible than God’s commands to love this world in tangible ways, such as providing a “cup of cold water” in Jesus’ name to those who are thirsty (Mt. 10:42).

Bear Creek Community Church in Lodi, CA, took on this very task. They felt a burden to help provide safe water to impoverished parts of the world. The project wasn’t in the church’s budget, and many of the congregation’s families were already under financial strain. So, who took up the challenge? The children’s ministry.

There’s a strong recycling emphasis in California, and the children began collecting bottles and cans to bring with them to church. Other congregations rallied to the cause, and it wasn’t long before they raised nearly a million dollars for clean water projects around the world! The church’s pastor, Dr. Michael Mantel, described this wonderful news by saying, “Jesus turned water into wine. The kids at Bear Creek turned garbage into water.”
This isn’t a call for a select few followers of Jesus but for all Christians.

[READ Ps. 82:3]  The psalmist sang,
3 Give justice to the poor and the orphan;
Justify the afflicted and destitute.

[READ Prov. 14:21]  The Bible says,
21 … how blessed is he who is gracious to the poor.

[READ Lk. 3:11]  Jesus exhorted,
11 … “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”

[READ Jas. 1:27]  James wrote,
27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, ….

[READ 1 Jn. 3:17]  The apostle John taught,
17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

Expressing God’s kindness means fulfilling these commands in small ways such as raking a neighbor’s yard or giving a very generous tip to a waitress in need. We can also reflect God’s kindness in large ways such as taking care of an aging parent or helping a friend work through an addiction. And of course, there is a whole range of options in the middle. The point is that we do something. God’s love is not about warm thoughts or well-wishes. It is expressed through action. Through actually being kind.

In expressing God’s love throughout daily attitudes and actions, we’ll keep it boiling. We’ll keep it fervent. It’s hard for the devil to blow his cold breath over a heart percolating with God’s love for those in need.

Here’s something else to consider: sometimes the ones with the greatest needs are those who are closest to us.

Mary Daniel had to face the hard truth that her husband, Steve, was afflicted with Alzheimer’s dementia. She made him a simple promise: he would never be alone, that she would always care for him. Mary was faithful in her promise for seven years. She stayed by Steve’s side even when his condition worsened and he was transferred to a long-term care facility. Every evening, Mary sat next to Steve and watched a familiar sequence of TV shows to help him wind down his day: the local news at 6:00, then Judge Judy at 7:00, followed by Family Feud at 7:30. Then Steve would drift off to sleep.

But when COVID-19 hit, assisted-living facilities were closed to visitors. FaceTime conversations proved unhelpful because of Steve’s limitations with technology. When Mary attempted to see and comfort her husband through a windowpane, he only sobbed in misery at not being able to hold her hand. Mary’s solution was to take a part-time position as a dishwasher at Steve’s facility. She worked her first shift on July 3, 2020. Having logged five hours washing cups, plates, pans and silverware, Mary was allowed to don a blue surgical gown and walk the familiar steps to her husband’s room, where they resumed their comforting routine.

But Mary’s fight wasn’t finished. She knew many vulnerable residents were in desperate need. So, Mary began to share her story, which went viral. She was appointed by the governor of her state to a 7-person task force formed to reunite families safely during the pandemic. Later, she joined a federal task force to create the Essential Caregivers Act which makes sure family members are not separated again during a public health emergency.

“I don’t know that I’ve seen a single person who had that much impact in a long time,” said US representative John Rutherford. “You’ve got to have that champion who will pick up the flag, and they’re going to carry that flag, and they’re going to fight for that cause and not let it go. And that was Mary.”

This is the kind of spirit I’m recommending for us as we contemplate the darkness and wickedness in our world. Those of us who know God and have embraced His love must resist the urge to grow callous or complacent. We must carry the flag of Christ. We must embody His kindness and share it with others in tangible ways that meet real needs in today’s world.

• Embody God’s Kindness (Mt. 5:14-16)

How do we pour out kindness in a world that is increasingly defined by lawlessness? First, by embracing God’s love daily so it fills us up. Second, by intentionally expressing that love to others through regular action. Third, as we encounter God’s love in greater degrees – both receiving and giving – we will begin to embody that love. Meaning, God’s love will become a part of our identity. Let me say this as simply as I can: there is no better solution for the world today than for God’s people to embody God’s kindness to a world in need.

A young man named Hunter Shamatt caught a glimpse of this solution after he flew to Las Vegas for his sister’s wedding. When he arrived at the hotel, he realized he’d lost his wallet. More than that, he’d lost $60 in cash, his $400 endorsed paycheck, his ID, and bank card that were inside his wallet. The young man tried to maintain a brave face throughout the festivities celebrating his sister, but he was devastated. He needed that money.

To his great surprise, Hunter received a package the day he returned home. Inside was his wallet. And inside the wallet was his bank card, ID, $400 endorsed paycheck – and not $60 in cash, but $100!

There was also a note that read: Hunter, found this on a Frontier flight from Omaha to Denver – row 12, seat F wedged between the seat and the wall. Thought you might want it back. All the best. P.S. I rounded your cash up to an even $100 so you could celebrate getting your wallet back. Have fun!!!

Having read the note several times, Hunter was dumbfounded. “No way,” he kept saying. “That can’t be. Just no way.”

I realize that this is a pretty humdrum illustration when compared with the grand scope of history, but it offers a picture of what I mean by embodying God’s love. What if you and I were to reflect God’s love to such a degree that the world around us felt astounded? Even dumbfounded? What if we were to offer God’s love with such generosity and such regularity that people said, “No way. That can’t be!” What kind of difference could we make if we achieved that level of good ness and kindness in a world afflicted on every side by wickedness?

Jesus gave us another picture of what it means to embody God’s love, and I want to introduce it by walking you through a little exercise.  Take a moment to transport yourself mentally back to the ancient world of Jesus’ day. It’s late in the evening. The sun has set, and the last of its light is fading from the night sky. You’ve been walking for more than ten hours under the heat of the sun, and you’re not sorry to see it go. But you’re also tired. And sore. And hungry.

Then you see a glimmering light in the distance. After another few minutes of walking, that light becomes the welcoming glow of a city built next to the road on the side of a hill. The light you see is not produced by electricity but by cookfires and oil lamps hanging on doorposts. There are people in that city. And water to wash the grime off your feet. And a table to recline at as you take your evening meal. As a weary traveler, can you imagine anything warmer and more wonderful in that moment? Could you stumble upon anything more welcoming and refreshing?

This is the image Jesus used to describe how His church should shine the light of the gospel in the middle of a dark and dreary world.

[READ Mt. 5:14-16] 
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Here’s a simple principle: light shines brightest in the darkness. And in a world frozen from lawlessness and the lack of love, you and I have the opportunity to radiate the radical warmth of the gospel. The warmth of community. The warmth of kindness. The warmth of fellowship. And the warmth of intimacy with our Creator.

Though we have limited control over the overall trends of lawlessness and lovelessness in our culture, we can control how we respond personally to those realities. We can choose to display forgiveness rather than bitterness. We choose to heal rather than harm – to help rather than hurt. We can choose to be welcoming witnesses when everyone else practices the emotional equivalent of social distancing. In short, we can be kind.

III. JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE (Jn. 14:16)

It’s true that our world has lost something important. We’ve drifted away from God’s justice and love. Not just drifted, but we’ve defected. Humanity is in the process of intentionally rejecting its Creator, and the future may feel bleak. But you and I have an opportunity to capitalize on these losses. We can show the world what’s missing. We can take a stand for goodness and kindness and return what’s been lost, even if only for a season. As we do so, we can add that little extra gift that makes all the difference – an extra serving of God’s love.

Let me give you one last example of how Jesus alone can deal with the lawlessness and lovelessness in our society.

Budi Mulyadi grew up in Southeast Asia. When he was 13, he got into a violent argument with his father and ran away from home. Soon he was placed in an Islamic boarding school, but the rules were very strict. Budi ran away again. That’s when he met an Islamic extremist who promised him a new life.

The man took Budi to a large training compound where, with about 20 other boys, he slept in tents at night and trained with knives and guns during the day. These boys were taught to hate and kill Christians. “We were told that Christians were infidels,” Budi said. “If we would kill Christians, then that would be a free ticket to heaven for us.”

The more Budi trained, the more hatred he felt. It surged through him like a flood, and he expressed it with his 9mm pistol. He spent hours firing at targets as his instructor shouted slurs against the followers of Jesus. But then, when it came time for him to search for a Christian to kill, Budi simply couldn’t do it. He and 4 other boys left.

Budi returned home, but his father’s anger drove him away again. He found a job trimming hedges. At night he began reading the Qur’an, which is where he first saw the name Jesus. Intrigued,
Budi picked up a Bible and began reading it. One evening alone in his room, he heard a voice say, “I will send a Helper unto you.”

Budi couldn’t make sense of that sentence until he came across John 14:16: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever.” At that moment, Budi trusted Jesus as His Savior.

“My whole demeanor changed,” he said, “and God has filled my heart with love. I’m not an angry person anymore. My temper is gone. I don’t get mad at people like I did before. Because God loves me, I am able to love others.”
Today, Budi preaches the gospel in scores of villages and occasionally meets with the four other boys who left the terrorist training camp. Somehow by the grace of God, all five of them are now Christian pastors.

IV. IN CONCLUSION

The breakdown of law and order is like a deadly wind blowing across our nation and world, chilling the love of most people. But the fire of God’s love keeps us warm and impassioned for Christ as we await His return.

You can make a difference in this world, and you can be the difference in someone’s life. It’s in doing so that you and I can achieve what the early Christians did – turning our world upside down. How? By choosing to be kind.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help each of us to show kindness in our relationships, no matter what the situation. When conflicts arise, let our response be full of grace and understanding. Teach us to live with humility, so that kindness is always our first choice in every interaction. Strengthen us to always act out of love. Help us to show kindness to strangers, just as You have shown kindness to us. Let our hearts be open to those we do not know, and may we be a reflection of Your love to everyone we meet. Enable us to see beyond differences and treat others with the same compassion You offer us. May our actions be filled with love and kindness, reaching those who need it the most. Lord, I also ask You for strength to remain kind, even in the most difficult situations. Help us control our emotions and respond with love and understanding, rather than frustration or anger. Teach us to be gentle when challenged and to trust in Your timing for resolution. May Your peace guide our reactions and help us to choose kindness above all else. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Invitation # 302: “Share His Love” (3 vs.)

Benediction: Beloved, may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. Amen. (2 Thes. 2:16-17)

A WORLD OF LAWLESSNESS

Olivet Discourse (Lesson 7) - October 19, 2025 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Introduction: Our Western nations have become so divided we never know when an incident will provoke rioting in our streets and violence in our neighborhoods. What is happening to us? The answer is just what Jesus predicted in the Olivet Discourse. Let’s look at Matthew 24:12.

I. LIFE IN A LAWLESS WORLD (Ps. 2:1-3, NIV; Mt. 24:12, NKJV)

 WICKEDNESS WILL INCREASE (Isa. 5:20-21)

 LOVE WILL GROW COLD (Mt. 24:12, NIV)

II. THE WAY OF KINDNESS (Phil. 2:15-16)

 EMBRACE GOD’S KINDNESS (Eph. 3:18-19; Rom. 5:5; 1 Jn. 4:19)

 EXPRESS GOD’S KINDNESS (Mt. 10:42; Ps. 82:3; Prov. 14:21; Lk. 3:11; Jas. 1:27; 1 Jn. 3:17)

 EMBODY GOD’S KINDNESS (Mt. 5:14-16)

III. JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERFENCE (Jn. 14:16)

IV. IN CONCLUSION

The breakdown of law and order is like a deadly wind blowing across our nation and world, chilling the love of most people. But the fire of God’s love keeps us warm and impassioned for Christ as we await His return.

You can make a difference in this world, and you can be the difference in someone’s life. It’s in doing so that you and I can achieve what the early Christians did – turning our world upside down. How? By choosing to be kind.

A WORLD OF BETRAYAL

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB & NKJV

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I want to begin today’s sermon by thanking You for the gift of Your Word. As we open our hearts to receive the message You have for us today, I ask for the Holy Spirit to direct every thought, word, and revelation. Let nothing be spoken outside of Your will. Give our minds clarity as we listen to the proclamation of Your truth, and help us to hear Your Word with discernment. May this message not just inspire us, but move us to spiritual action, repentance, growth, and maturity. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Introduction: The man strolling through a public park in Fairfax County, VA, didn’t look like one of the world’s most dangerous spies. He was middle-aged, middle-class, and a bit out of shape. But look more carefully. That plastic bag in his hand? Now you see it. Now you don’t.

Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent with top security clearance, had been betraying his country for twenty years as a double agent. Starting in 1979, he sold thousands of US classified files to the Russians, including detailed military plans for responding to a nuclear war. He betrayed American operatives, some of whom were executed by the Russians. He even told the Russians about a secret multimillion dollar eavesdropping tunnel under the Soviet Embassy. Unknown to Hanssen, the FBI was watching on that day – February 18, 2001 – when he made a dead-drop delivery beneath the bridge in Foxstone Park. As they swarmed and cuffed him, Hanssen asked one question: “What took you so long?”

Between 1979 and 2001, Hanssen betrayed his country time and time again. The FBI’s official statement reveals the depth of his treachery: A betrayal of trust by an FBI Agent, who is not only sworn to enforce the law but specifically to help protect our nation’s security, is particularly abhorrent. This kind of criminal conduct represents the most traitorous action imaginable against a country governed by the Rule of Law. It also strikes at the heart of everything the FBI represents – the commitment of over 28,000 honest and dedicated men and women in the FBI who work diligently to earn the trust and confidence of the American people every day.

What a bitter phrase … a betrayal of trust. A man like Robert Hanssen makes the headlines and history books, but acts of betrayal happen every day in politics, in business, and in life. Introduction. Perhaps you’ve been damaged by someone who broke trust with you and, in the process, broke your heart. But what does this have to do with the Olivet Discourse?

Well, Jesus included betrayal in His list of trends that would intensify before His coming. Like all the other items on His list, we’re likely to experience this one in greater measure as we move toward the end of history. Let’s look closer.

[READ Mt. 24:10]

Jesus said,
10 And at that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.

I. THE PAIN OF BETRAYAL (1 Sam. 25:3)

Few things in life hurt us worse than personal betrayal. If you asked me if anyone has ever betrayed me, I’d answer with a cautious, “Yes.” Would you? Betrayal is one of the strongest words on the emotional scale. We don’t use it lightly. What makes betrayal so raw and painful is that it doesn’t come from our enemies but from those we believed to be our friends. Even our family.

People can’t betray us unless we’ve allowed them through our grid of defenses – unless we’ve let down our guard and trusted them. Betrayal exposes and exploits our vulnerability. It wounds us because it makes us subject to a double-cross. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the name Les Parrott. He is an American author of Christian self-help books, a professor of psychology at Northwest University, and an ordained minister. He and his wife Leslie have been frequent guests on Focus on the Family broadcasts. He writes, “[Backstabbers] put on a front that appears accommodating, loyal, and yes, even sacrificial. Then, without warning, they raise their knife, and by the time you see the glint of the blade, it’s almost always too late.”

Perhaps you’ve shared your most private thoughts with someone only to discover they betrayed your confidence and told someone else. Maybe you paid someone in advance for work or equipment without getting what you’d bargained for. Far more painful is discovering your spouse is cheating on you or a sibling has lied to you. Many people feel betrayed by a dad or mom who failed to love or respect them or by a business partner who did them dirty.

Phil Waldrep, another frequent guest of Focus on the Family said, “Honestly, I don’t know of any other pain in life that is worse than being betrayed by someone close to you. It changes everything. After such an experience, the world is simply a different place – one far darker and crueler than you ever thought possible before.”

You may be surprised to know that “Dear Abby” is still around. This daily newspaper column was started in 1956 by Pauline Phillips, who used the pen name Abigail Van Buren. She chose the name Abigail from the Bible – “a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance” (1 Sam. 25:3). Abigail gave David good advice, and “Dear Abby” sought to do the same. Pauline’s daughter, Jeanne Phillips, now writes the column.

The following letter appeared in “Dear Abby” and it’s indicative of thousands of problems that have appeared in advice columns over the years.

DEAR ABBY: Several years ago, my parents betrayed my son and me. They took in and supported my ex-husband, who walked out on us for a coworker he was cheating with. My son and I lost our home, our car, and the life we knew without support from any family. My son was still in high school, and it was a dark time in both of our lives.

My parents are both older now and have been diagnosed with life-threatening conditions. They are reaching out to us. To say the least, I am apprehensive ….. I don’t know if I should reconsider a relationship with my parents. Losing my father’s support was harder than losing my husband, and I don’t want to experience that pain again. Can you advise? – Burned in Tennessee.

How would you have answered? You see, this isn’t hypothetical. Every evening, people all over the world go to bed with the feeling they were burned by someone, and the pain lingers for a long time. Many of them seek to forgive and move on, but it’s a hard and painful process.

II. PORTRAITS OF BETRAYAL (Ezek. 28:14; Gen. 37:18-36; Ps. 55:12-13; Lk. 22:3-4; Mt. 10:4; Lk. 6:16; Jn. 13:2)

Let me tell you, there’s nothing new about being burned by someone. The sin of betrayal goes back to a cryptic point before the beginning of human history when the archangel Lucifer turned against his Creator.

[READ Ezek. 28:14, NLT]

The Lord told him,
14 I ordained and anointed you
as the mighty angelic guardian.
You had access to the holy mountain of God ….

But this mighty angel deserted his God and led a host of angels in rebellion against Him. Ever since that event, betrayal has proliferated through the human story.

Adam and Eve were seduced by Satan. Cain betrayed his brother Abel. Jacob double-crossed his brother Esau. Think of how Joseph felt when his own brothers stripped off his colorful robe, threw him in an empty well, and sold him into slavery (see Gen. 37:18-36). Delilah betrayed her husband, Samson, and the psalms of David are filled with anguish over various acts of betrayal – including an attempted coup by his own son Absalom.

[READ Ps. 55:12-13]

David said in this psalm,
12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me,
Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who hates me who has magnified himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
13 But it is you, a man my equal,
My close companion and my familiar friend; ….

There are many more examples of betrayal in the Bible, but only one matches the horrendous betrayal of Satan against God the Father that I mentioned earlier; and that’s the betrayal of God the Son by Judas Iscariot.

[READ Lk. 22:3-4]

3 And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, who belonged to the number of the twelve. 4 And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them.

When we study the character of Judas in the Bible, almost every reference includes his act of betrayal. Matthew introduces him as “Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him” (Mt. 10:4). Luke describes him as “Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor” (Lk. 6:16). John says, “And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him” (Jn. 13:2). To this day, the name Judas is a synonym for a traitor.

Now put yourself on the Mount of Olives as the sun descends in the western sky. Jesus knew that within hours He would experience the most infamous act of betrayal in history. He must have known even as He quietly warned His disciples that a spirit of betrayal would engulf civilization as we move closer to the end of the world and the Lord’s return.

III. THE PROPHECY OF BETRAYAL (Mt. 24:10)

This brings us to our next key verse in the Olivet Discourse and its three layers of severity.

[READ Mt. 24:10]

10 And at that time many will fall away (be offended, NKJV) and will betray one another and hate one another.

Have you noticed how many of Jesus’ prophetic promises in the Olivet Discourse are connected to emotional wounds? Prophecy is about more than earthquakes, pestilence, and heavenly signs. It’s also about offenses, betrayal, and hatred. Every word of Jesus is intentional, so let’s trace this trio of terms.

• A World of Offense (Mt. 24:10)

“Fall away” or “be offended” in verse 10 is a translation of the Greek term skandalizō, from which we get our modern words scandal and scandalized. This term is used 30 times in the NT, and it refers to a hidden foot-trap in the ground that causes someone to stumble and fall.

I’m sure at some point in your life you’ve been walking along and didn’t see a broken piece of pavement, or a root in the ground. It tripped you up and sent you sprawling. That’s the picture Jesus is painting with the term skandalizō. The idea has to do with Satan using other people around us to set traps for us. The Lexham English Bible translates this as, “And then many will be led into sin.”

For example, when a Christian engages in some particular habit of sin, he or she tends to take others down the same road. When preachers begin departing from the sound teaching of Scripture, others will be tripped up. When a well-known Christian personality transgresses morally, it causes some to become cynical. When a Christian institution is exposed for ethical failure, it sends some believers stumbling forward, with their arms flailing in the air. When a preacher, a church, or a denomination begins to minimize a sinful trend in society, it gives weaker believers a license to engage in that sin or even to exult in it. That’s what it means to trip others up – to be a stumbling block.

Now, there’s a vital distinction that must be made regarding what is often referred to as “the scandal of the cross.” Preaching the gospel may offend people who don’t want to hear it. As Christians, our biblical worldview may be offensive to those who reject it. I don’t want to be personally offensive, and neither do you. Yet regardless of how kindly or lovingly or graciously we explain the Scriptures, some will be offended by biblical truth. However, that is not what Jesus was referring to in Matthew 24:10.

To offend someone in the biblical sense of skandalizō means to allow spiritual failures to accumulate in our lives in ways that trip up weaker believers. Jesus warned that this trend would continue to increase leading up to the time of His return. Many will be tripped up, stumble, or fall.

• A World of Betrayal (Mt. 24:10; 1 Tim. 1:20; 2 Tim. 4:10-16)

The Greek word for “betray” is paradidomī. It is a relatively common word in the NT, used on 121 occasions. This term is translated into several English words, including “deliver,” “betray,” and “give over.” In the context of Matthew 24, it paints the picture of Christians attempting to escape persecution or justify themselves by delivering or handing over other Christians to be judged, punished, or even put to death.

The saddest part of Matthew 24:10 is the phrase “one another.” Christians will betray Christians. Or perhaps more accurately, people who claim to be Christians will betray those who really are.

Earlier I shared with you some of the infamous examples of betrayal in the Bible, but there’s one more I want to tell you about that often gets overlooked, so it is not as well-known as the others we’ve looked at today. It is the story of Alexander the coppersmith. Many commentators believe we first meet this fellow in 1 Timothy 1, where he was spreading lies about God among the congregation at Ephesus.

[READ 1 Tim. 1:20]

20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.

What happened next isn’t certain, but many commentators believe Alexander harbored a deep bitterness toward Paul and, at some point, betrayed Paul’s whereabouts to Roman authorities who were searching for the apostle. This led to Paul’s final arrest, possibly in Troas. All of this took place during the most dangerous days the church had yet experienced, when Emperor Nero declared Christians to be public enemies of the Roman government.

If this scenario is correct, Alexander’s betrayal led to the imprisonment, trial, and execution of the greatest evangelist and missionary in Christian history. In the final chapter known to be written by Paul he tells Timothy …

[READ 2 Tim. 4:10-16]

10 for Demas, having loved this present age, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service. 12 But Tychicus I sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the scrolls, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith showed me much harm; the Lord will award him according to his deeds. 15 Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our words. 16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them.

Is there any evidence today of Christians being betrayed by family members, neighbors, or even by so-called Christian brothers and sisters? Yes. As we learned last week, terrible persecution is afflicting the church in many lands. Intense pressure is sometimes placed on believers to give up the names of other Christians. Most resist, but some cannot withstand the strain.

Perhaps you are familiar with the name Richard Wurmbrand, the author of the widely read book called Tortured for Christ. Born into a Romanian Jewish home, Wurmbrand received Christ as his Savior as a young man. During World War II, he preached in bomb shelters and rescued Jews from capture. When the Soviet Union took over after the war, Wurmbrand began working in the Romanian underground church and among secretly Christian soldiers in the Russian army. It was dangerous work.

Wurmbrand later wrote, “We had our ‘Judases,’ too, who told and reported to the secret police. By beating, drugging, threats, and blackmail, the communists tried to find ministers and laymen who would report on their brethren.”

He told of a pastor name Florescu who was tortured as authorities tried to compel him to betray his brothers and sisters. The man withstood the pain. Then the officers brought his 14-year-old son in and began to whip the boy in front of his father. Pastor Florescu couldn’t take it and shouted he would tell the police all they wanted to know. But the son shouted, in effect, “Father, don’t do it! I don’t want to remember my father as a traitor. Withstand it! If I die, I’ll be with Jesus.” The boy died praising God, “but our dear brother Florescu was never the same after seeing this,” said Wurmbrand.

This sounds like what will happen during the Tribulation, when raw evil will operate on steroids. The machinery of the Antichrist will seek to track down all new believers and force them to give up the names of other converts. But as we’ve seen, the birth pains are already occurring.

• A World of Hatred (Mt. 24:9-10; 1 Jn. 2:11)

As appalling as betrayal is, hatred is even worse. People may be tricked into betraying you, or they may do so out of weakness. But when people harm out of hatred, they’ve reached a new level of evil.

[READ Mt. 24:10, NIV]

Jesus said …
10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.

This is the second time Jesus has mentioned hate. In verse 9, He warned that the world would hate us, which is a hatred coming from outside the church. But in verse 10, he warned that Christians (or so-called Christians) would “betray one another, and … hate one another” – which means Jesus is warning us of hatred from within the church.

John Wycliffe understood this type of hate. As an Oxford scholar who loved God’s Word, Wycliffe felt a keen burden to help others to read and engage with Scripture. But the Bible was only available in Latin during Wycliffe’s day, which meant only scholars could read the text. Those scholars then taught the “common people” what they needed to know. Wycliffe upended this system by spending years of his life translating God’s Word from Latin to English. And the church leaders of his day hated him for it.

Listen to the church’s official position regarding Wycliffe’s efforts: By this translation, the Scriptures have become vulgar, and they are more available to lay, and even to women who can read, than they were to learned scholars, who have a high intelligence. So, the pearl of the gospel is scattered and trodden underfoot by swine.

Wycliffe responded: “Englishmen learn Christ’s law best in English. Moses heard God’s law in his own tongue; so did Christ’s apostles.”

As the conflict intensified, Pope Gregory XI issued five papal “bulls” (edicts) against Wycliffe with a total of eighteen different charges, labeling the gifted scholar as “the master of errors.” Wycliffe was arrested many times, accused of heresy, placed under house arrest, and regularly threatened with death. He died of natural causes before the church could burn him at the stake. However, 43 years later, church leaders exhumed Wycliffe’s corpse, burned the remnants, and scattered his ashes in the River Swift.

Beloved, that’s hatred! And that kind of extreme loathing will become commonplace in the end times world, even within the established church. Some Christians or fraudulent Christians during that time will fulfill the words of John:

[READ 1 Jn. 2:11]

11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness blinded his eyes.

We need to realize that genuine followers of Christ – those who are abiding in Christ and growing in Him – are not the sources of hate but the objects of it. Institutionalized religion and apostate Christianity, however, will be vengeful against true believers. This is why we need to keep all forms of hatred, resentment, and bitterness out of our hearts. It really bothers me when I see those claiming to follow Jesus harassing other believers over issues of secondary importance. Christians verbally abusing other Christians over their political beliefs, their financial expenditures, or their worship styles. Denominational affiliations can cause conflicts. Church fights always cause collateral damage.

Not all of Christ’s followers are equally mature. Seasoned Christians should set the example for those who are still babes in Christ. We shouldn’t let divisive topics of secondary importance break the bond of fellowship between members of God’s kingdom.

IV. THE PREPARATION FOR BETRAYAL

I don’t need to convince you that betrayal is painful or persuade you that backstabbing is commonplace in our world. You’ve seen it. You’ve felt it. The real question is, what can we do about it? How do we respond to the reality of betrayal both now and in the future? How do we prepare for it? The answer is we must be faithful!

Let’s think through some steps to take right now as we seek to shine the light of God’s goodness and grace into a world struggling with disloyalty.

• Choose Your Friends Carefully (Job 2:11-13, 16:2, 19:21, 42:9-10; Prov. 12:26, 17:17, 27:6) 

Ashley Garlett grew up in Western Australia, where he and his friends began trying to find ways to have fun. They jumped on and off trains that chugged slowly through their town. They hitched rides on other vehicles too. One night, Ashley and his friend were joyriding on the back of a truck when the vehicle picked up speed. They couldn’t get off, and his friend fell to his death. Ashley was only thirteen, and he dealt with the tragedy by smoking, drinking, and hanging out with a bad crowd of friends. By age nineteen, he realized he was not living the life he wanted to be living.

The answers began to come when he started attending his mother’s church. “Eventually I came to know that Jesus died for us,” he said. “And He gave his life for us to forgive us of our sins. So, one day I decided I wanted to respond to the Lord’s call and started a new journey for me.”

At first, Ashley struggled with how to interact with his old gang. He wanted to share his faith, but he was no longer any fun to them. Even as his old friends rejected him, he began to develop new friends. Now Ashley says, “I want to commit my life to following Christ by helping others come to know Him personally and get alongside other brothers and sisters who are passionate and dedicated to serving God.”

It’s amazing how we’re influenced by the friends we choose when we’re thirteen – or nineteen, or any other age. How easily we’re drawn into unhealthy relationships! Our needs can overcome our judgment, and our feelings can overrule common sense. Before we know it, we’re in a relationship that is self-destructive.

In the Bible, Job had a set of friends who came to comfort him in his distress. At first, they wept with him and sat with him in empathetic silence (Job 2:11-13). But when they started giving their opinions and sharing their advice, they upset him so that he finally cried out,

[READ Job 16:2, 19:21]

2 “I have heard many such things;
Troublesome comforters are you all.

21 Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,
For the hand of God has smitten me.

Despite it all, Job remained loyal to God and to his friends. Even more surprisingly, his friends remained loyal to God and to him. We often rightly criticize Job’s friends for their bad advice, but we should remember that at the end of the story they took God’s rebuke humbly, offered sacrifices for their sins, and made things right.

[READ Job 42:9-10]

9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as Yahweh told them; and Yahweh accepted Job. 10 And Yahweh restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends ….

Job’s story teaches us many important principles, but this is one of them: friendships may go through ups and downs, but we need friends who will remain loyal to God and to us when all is said and done.

[READ Prov. 12:26]

26 The righteous is a guide to his neighbor,
But the way of the wicked makes them wander about.

Do your friends help you draw closer to God, or do they push you away from God? That simple question can go a long way toward filling your life with positive relationships.

Another verse in Proverbs says,

[READ Prov. 17:17]

17 A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

Take a moment to recall a recent time of pain or difficulty in your life. Who was there to help? Who was present with you? And with whom have you stood during their time of struggle? We need friends who will be honest with us, telling us the truth and keeping us from mistakes or missteps.

[READ Prov. 27:6]

6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.

The best way to avoid people who are stumbling blocks or betrayers or hateful is to nurture a handful of rich friendships with people who are sold out to God. If they are loyal to Him, they will be loyal to you. And they will lift you up, not tear you down.

• Stay Focused on Your Purpose (Jn. 14-17; Heb. 12:2)

When you find yourself cheated or betrayed in some way – likely despite your efforts to cultivate solid friendships – how should you respond? Like Jesus.

What did Jesus do when He knew Judas had left the upper room to inform officials of His whereabouts? Jesus still had work to do before His arrest, and in John 14-16 He gave His disciples the greatest sermon of His life. Then, in the Kidron Valley, Jesus offered His longest prayer recorded in the Bible – John 17. In the middle of betrayal, Jesus remained focused on His purpose.

Even later, after He was arrested because of Judas’ betrayal, Jesus remained steady in the awful work before Him. He didn’t let that betrayal derail Him. Instead, He continued forward, even to the cross.

[READ Hebrews 12:2]

says that Jesus,
2 … Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Here’s the lesson for us: betrayal can be so painful, so agonizing, that we are unable to focus on anything else. We can’t let go. Our hearts become bitter. We chew on the possibility of revenge. All this does nothing except create greater harm.

When you face betrayal, choose not to focus on yourself but on your purpose. Just like Jesus, choose to live above the mindset of bitterness and revenge by pouring your life into the work God has called you to do. Staying focused on your purpose will allow you to keep the pain in perspective.

• Pursue Loyalty (1 Cor. 4:2; Gal. 5:22; Rev. 2:10)

Walter Orthmann was 15-years-old when he landed his first job. On January 17, 1938, he began working at the Brazilian textile company ReneauxView. He started working as a shipping assistant and was quickly promoted to sales before shifting to management. He was still working for the company on April 19, 2022 when he turned 100-years-old. A short time later, he was awarded the Guinness World Record for the longest career in a single company – 84 years!

When asked about his record, Orthmann replied, “When we do what we like, we don’t see the time go by. You need to get busy with the present, not the past or the future. Here and now is what counts. So, let’s go to work!”

By the way, he was still working there when he turned 101. He passed away on August 3, 2024 at the age of 102. There aren’t many Walters around anymore who tackle life with that attitude. Loyalty and commitment are often unpopular because they require us to think of others rather than ourselves. But the beauty in loyalty counterbalances the bitterness of betrayal. We see evidence of that beauty in Scripture:

[READ 1 Cor. 4:2]

2 … Moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found faithful.

[READ Gal. 5:22]

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ….

[READ Rev. 2:10]

10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

In a world of betrayal, let’s pursue the kind of loyalty that inspires others to remain faithful in their commitment to Christ.

• Do Good to Those Who Hate You (Prov. 25:21-22; Mt. 5:43-44; Rom. 12:14, 17-19; 1 Pet. 3:9)

We know from Jesus that people will betray us – even people who call themselves Christians. This will happen. We can count on it. With that in mind, how should we respond? This is one of those questions to which the Bible gives a simple answer. We are called to show love and do good to those who harm us. Even to those who betray us. The Bible couldn’t be any clearer on this matter:

[READ Prov. 25:21-22]

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For you will heap burning coals on his head,
And Yahweh will repay you.

[READ Mt. 5:43-44]

Jesus said,
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ….
[READ Rom. 12:14, 17-19]

Paul writes,
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse. … 17 Never paying back evil for evil to anyone, respecting what is good in the sight of all men, 18 if possible, so far as it depends on you, being at peace with all men, 19 never taking your own revenge, beloved -- instead leave room for the wrath of God. For it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.

[READ 1 Pet. 3:9]

Peter cautions
9 … Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but giving a blessing instead, for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

Alfred Lord Tennyson is said to have made this comment about Thomas Cranmer, who was archbishop of Canterbury in the 16th century: “To do him a hurt was to beget a kindness from him. His heart was made of such fine soil that if you planted in it the seeds of hate they blossomed love.”

We have been called to do the same. Yes, Jesus has warned us about the potential of betrayal. But that same Jesus also commanded us to go as far as possible to show goodness and grace. Jesus gave us the Olivet Discourse so we wouldn’t be surprised by the hatred around us. He was preparing us to be light in the darkness because that’s when the light is most impressive, which in turn, makes God look even more glorious.

As I began today’s message, I told you about Romanian pastor Richard Wurmbrand. He to, was betrayed by a friend, resulting in 14 years of imprisonment and torture. Long afterward, a missions leader named Dale Rhoton was walking with Wurmbrand down a street when they saw a man coming their way. Wurmbrand greeted the man with kisses in typical Romanian style, and he introduced the man to Rhoton.

As they walked on, Rhoton said, “Pastor Wurmbrand, that’s interesting. The name of that man is the same name as the man who betrayed you.” Without missing a beat, Wurmbrand replied, “Rhoton, we all make mistakes.”

Dale Rhoton later said, “If anybody has injured me at all, I need to compare that with what Richard Wurmbrand went through, and I should be able to forgive people pretty easily …. He must have been totally convinced of the sovereignty of God.”

Beloved, we’re all going to need Richard Wurmbrand’s attitude and grip on God’s sovereignty because betrayal is on the rise in this world.

• Count on the Character of God (Gen. 50:19-20; 2 Tim. 4:17-18)

And that brings me to my final suggestion: In the midst of betrayal, count on the character of God. Lean on the love of God. This was the conclusion Joseph came to after years of processing his brothers’ betrayal.

[READ Gen. 50:19-20]

19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to do what has happened on this day, to keep many people alive.

When Paul was sold out by Alexander the coppersmith, he pressed on to write his final book, 2 Timothy, with the resolution of finishing his race and keeping the faith. That final epistle contains this beautiful testimony to God’s faithfulness:

[READ 2 Tim. 4:17-18]

17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the preaching might be fulfilled, and that all the Gentiles might hear. And I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will save me unto His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Perhaps the key to processing the betrayal we experience as followers of Jesus is reckoning that for every person who deserts us, God has blessed us abundantly more with His never-ending faithfulness. Friends will fail us and foes assail us, but our Savior will never leave us nor forsake us. His loyalty is as immeasurable as His love. His overruling sovereignty will eventually turn our moments of bitterness into occasions for praise. Count on it!

V. IN CONCLUSION
In 1850, John Gray arrived with his family in Edinburgh, Scotland. Though he was a gardener by trade, there was a shortage of work in the city. So, John joined the Edinburgh police force as a night watchman. Every evening, he walked the streets to ensure their safety. But John Gray didn’t walk alone. His constant companion was a little Skye terrier named Bobby. No matter the temperature or the weather outside, John and Bobby could be seen walking together through the streets at night, alert for any trouble or any cry for help. After many years of performing his job with dedication, John died from tuberculosis. He was buried in a cemetery called Greyfriars Kirkyard within the city.

Bobby, the terrier, refused to leave his master’s side. Every day he came to spend long hours lying by John’s grave. At first, the churchyard gardener attempted to shoo the little dog away. But after months of witnessing Bobby’s faithfulness, the gardener made a small shelter so that little dog could be out of the weather while continuing his silent vigil.

The dog was later nicknamed Greyfriars Bobby, and he visited his master’s grave every day for 14 years until he also passed away. The residents of Edinburgh erected a granite fountain outside the cemetery with a statue of Bobby on the top. You can still read his headstone today: “Greyfriars Bobby – died 14th January 1872 – aged 16 years. Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all.”

My friends, let’s learn the value of loyalty in an age of treachery. May it always be said that as followers of Jesus we were faithful and true – even in a world of betrayal. Don’t let this world trip you up or drag you down. Instead, be faithful.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, there are days on this earth when we yearn for Jesus come, now. This hope reigns paramount in our hearts and plays as an anthem to our souls. The compassion and grace of Christ’s presence in our lives causes us to crave Him more and more. And on those days, Father, when the world is . . . well, the world . . . we pray for Him to come soon. I’m not complaining Lord, for in the midst of it all Your creation is majestic, and Your miracles manifest in our lives in gloriously faithful ways. In fact, Father, Your faithfulness amazes us, as well as Your perfect love and personal care for every one of us. Thank You for going before us. Thank You for being our Protecter, the Breaker of every chain, and Forgiver of all our sins through Jesus. The fact is, Lord, the more we know You - the more we want to be with You. The most blessed life on this earth is hardly an inkling of the joy we will experience in heaven. Some days, just imagining that initial embrace when we arrive in our heavenly home helps us to keep breathing. We trust in Your will and pray for Your will to be done above all else and everything we desire. Father, I pray, that You will send Jesus soon to bring us home. Amen.

Invitation # 43: “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” (vs. 1 & 3)
Benediction: Beloved, take heart from these words by the apostle Paul: I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. (Rom. 8:38-39)

A WORLD OF BETRAYAL

Olivet Discourse (Lesson 6) - October 12, 2025 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Introduction: Perhaps you’ve been damaged by someone who broke trust with you and, in the process, broke your heart. But what does this have to do with the Olivet Discourse?

Jesus included betrayal in His list of trends that would intensify before His coming. Like all the other items on His list, we’re likely to experience this one in greater measure as we move toward the end of history.

I. THE PAIN OF BETRAYAL (Mt. 24:10; 1 Sam. 25:3)

II. PORTRAITS OF BETRAYAL (Ezek. 28:14; Gen. 37:18-36; Ps. 55:12-13; Lk. 22:3-4; Mt. 10:4; Lk. 6:16; Jn. 13:2)

III. THE PROPHECY OF BETRAYAL (Mt. 24:10)

* A WORLD OF OFFENSE (Mt. 24:10)

* A WORLD OF BETRAYAL (Mt. 24:10; 1 Tim. 1:20; 2 Tim. 4:10-16)

* A WORLD OF HATRED (Mt. 24:9-10; 1 Jn. 2:11)

IV. THE PREPARATION FOR BETRAYAL

* CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS CAREFULLY (Job 2:11-13, 16:2, 19:21, 42:9-10; Prov. 12:26, 17:17, 27:6)

* STAY FOCUSED ON YOUR PURPOSE (Jn. 14-17; Heb. 12:2)

* PURSUE LOYALTY (1 Cor. 4:2; Gal. 5:22; Rev. 2:10)

* DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HATE YOU (Prov. 25:21-22; Mt. 5:43-44; Rom. 12:14, 17-19; 1 Pet. 3:9)

* COUNT ON THE CHARACTER OF GOD (Gen. 50:19-20; 2 Tim. 4:17-18)

IV. IN CONCLUSION

In a world of betrayal, let’s learn the value of loyalty – first to Christ, and then to others.

A WORLD OF PERSECUTION

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB & NKJV

Prayer: Gracious God, we acknowledge how easily our minds wander and our attention drifts. In these sacred moments and before the message from Your Word begins, we ask for a supernatural focus. Quiet the noise of the world, silence our inner anxieties, and fix our eyes on Jesus -- the author and finisher of our faith. Help us to resist all temptations or distractions so we can receive Your truth with full attention. We not only want to hear with our ears but also with our hearts. Create in us a posture of stillness that welcomes Your voice. May the seeds of Scripture be planted in fertile soil today, where it may grow and bear fruit. May we focus on what You are doing here at this moment. May our minds be alert, our hearts receptive, and our spirits ready for the divine encounter You have planned for us today. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Introduction: Andrew and Norine Brunson were relaxing at a Turkish retreat on the Aegean Sea when the phone rang. “Andrew,” said the voice, “the police have just been here looking for you.” The call was from the small church Andrew had pastored for 24 years in Izmir, which is actually the renamed NT city of Smyrna, in modern day Turkey. That phone call was the beginning of a nightmare that lasted 735 days. As he later recounted in his memoir, God’s Hostage, Andrew was kept for a time in a small cell with no chair, the only piece of furniture was a low bunk. This meant he had to either be standing, walking, or laying on the bed all the time. The toilet didn’t flush. His Bible and glasses were taken away. Later, Andrew was transferred to Sakran Prison and accused of terror crimes. His cell was filthy – “the floor, the sheets on the bunk bed, the bag of bread covered in thick, green mold … the squat toilet covered in human filth.” Sometimes, Pastor Brunson was housed in overcrowded cells and unable to sleep because of suffocating fear and stifling heat. A third of the way into the ordeal, he sobbed to the prison doctor, “I can’t handle it. I have constant panic, I don’t sleep. I have lost fifty pounds. I have fought for eight months to control myself, and I can’t handle it anymore.” More than once, he said, “I was afraid I was going insane.”

But the Lord didn’t forsake His servant. “Each day I focused on fighting through my fear to reach a place where I surrendered myself to whatever God had ahead for me.”

“I had to learn the lesson of Isaiah 50:10,” Brunson wrote after his release and return to America.

[READ Isa. 50:10]

10 Who is among you that fears Yahweh,
That listens to the voice of His Servant,
That walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him trust in the name of Yahweh and rely on his God.

“God was teaching me to stand in the dark, to persevere apart from my feelings, perceptions, and circumstances.”

Pastor Brunson warned of persecution ahead for the Western church, saying, “I believe the pressures that we’re seeing in our country now are going to increase, and one of these pressures is going to be hostility toward people who embrace Jesus Christ and His teaching, who are not ashamed to stand for Him …. My concern is that we’re not ready for this pressure. And not being prepared is very, very dangerous.” This is quite sobering given the recent murder of Charlie Kirk for his Christian witness.

Therefore, Beloved, I want us to be ready! One of the best ways of preparing is to study the next item in Christ’s remarkable list of coming signs for the world prior to His return – the sign of persecution.

[READ Mt. 24:9]

9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

I. THE RECORD OF CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION (Acts 7; Rev. 1:9)

Persecution against Christians started with the sufferings of Christ Himself – rejected, scourged, crucified, a Man of Sorrows. Then the earliest disciples were arrested, whipped, and forbidden to preach in Jesus’ name, though they would not be silenced. Stephen became the first person to die for his faith in Christ, and the Bible devotes an entire chapter, Acts 7, to that event.

Eleven of the twelve apostles perished violently, all except John, who was banished to the island of Patmos in his old age (Rev. 1:9). Peter and Paul died during the reign of Nero, who falsely blamed Christians for the fire that ravaged Rome in AD 64. During that period, Christians were crucified, torn apart by savage beasts, dragged by wild bulls, and burned at the stake to illuminate Nero’s gardens at night.

From Nero until now, no generation of Christians has escaped the sword or whip, the prisons or dungeons, the tortures, threats, intimidations, and the scorn of the world around them.

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, published in 1563, is a record of the sufferings of Protestants in England and Scotland. For generations, many Christians kept a copy of this book alongside their Bibles. People didn’t want to forget the stories of the heroes of the faith who suffered for Christ. Though filled with gruesome tortures, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs inspired millions of readers to remain true to the Lord.

The reason the Pilgrims came to America in 1620 was to escape religious oppression – to worship freely and speak the gospel openly. The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights encompasses religion in the United States. So, by now, you might think we’d see a decrease in persecutions of people for their personal faith, right? We’re no longer living in Roman times or during the Dark Ages. Think again!

In many parts of the world today, the persecution of Christians exceeds any period in history. According to Dr. Todd M. Johnson of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, more than 70 million Christians have been martyred throughout history, and more than half of these deaths occurred in the twentieth century. He also estimates one million Christians were killed between 2001 and 2010, and another 900 thousand between 2011 and 2020.

John L. Allen, Jr. is one of the most respected journalists in America. In his book The Global War on Christians, he wrote, “Christians today indisputably are the most persecuted religious body on the planet, and too often the new martyrs suffer in silence.”

II. THE REALITY OF CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION (Mt. 24:9)

Each year the Christian charity organization Open Doors International releases a “World Watch List” highlighting the fifty places where faith in Jesus costs the most.  chart This year in 2025, North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan topped the list. Furthermore, they estimate that 360 million Christians in the world today experience extreme persecution because of their faith. That is one out of every seven believers worldwide.

Jesus foresaw all of this! Let’s look at Matthew 24:9 again and I want you to notice the precision of Jesus’ words.

[READ Mt. 24:9]

9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

Each phrase in this prophecy is important. Let’s look more closely at the three specific stages Christ predicted: tribulation, death, and hatred.

• Tribulation (Jn. 16:33; Rev. 6:9-11)

First, Jesus foresaw tribulation. The Greek word translated as “tribulation” is thlipsis, which describes a grinding pressure or crushing from which there is no escape. Think of how people ground grain in the ancient world. The kernels were pulverized into powder between two millstones with no chance of relief. That’s tribulation.

[READ Jn. 16:33]

Jesus said …
33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.

At this point, Jesus wasn’t speaking exclusively about the seven years of intense suffering at the end of the world and the period we often call “the great tribulation.” He was speaking about the growing buildup of opposition as we move toward those final days. Throughout the future of the church, Christians will experience greater levels of grinding pressure, which will increase in intensity the closer we get to Christ’s return.

As we’ve learned, all the Matthew 24 signs will reappear after the rapture with greater intensity than ever before. That’s why the first seal of Revelation 6 is persecution and martyrdom. It follows deception, war, famine, and death (vv. 9-11). But in the build-up toward the rapture, there will be increasing tribulation for God’s church. That’s where we are now.

For example, the Communist government of China has been tightening the screws on the flourishing Christian movement. The Chinese website Jona Home (as in the prophet Jonah) served readers for more than 20 years by faithfully posting Christian teaching and other helpful content. Then, in April 2022, Jona Home updated its website with a final post: “Due to reasons known to everyone, from now on our site can no longer serve brothers and sisters in Christ. Thanks to all for your company and support in the past 21 years.”

The website had been shut down by the government. The site administrators were among the first people to experience the effects of a new law established by the Chinese Communist Party in March 2022: the Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information Services. According to this law, any religious group desiring to disseminate information online would need to apply for and receive a special license, available only to religious groups that have already been legally approved by the CCP. Effectively, the Chinese government has restricted online biblical teaching, curriculum, or devotional content that doesn’t “promote socialist values and support of the party.”

May I remind you that this didn’t happen in AD 22, but in the modern days of 2022 – and in a nation with almost 1.5 billion citizens.

The loss of a website may seem of little importance compared to the martyrdom of millions as I mentioned earlier. Yet we must understand what’s involved with persecution. Enemies of Christ and His church don’t always begin with murder and death. Instead, they lay a groundwork of harassment, provocation, and confrontation designed to tyrannize those deemed unacceptable. They label Christians as undesirables. Then, once followers of Jesus have been marginalized, our enemies escalate their efforts toward destruction. This process is playing out now all of the world. For example:

* In Kaduna state, Nigeria, a group of Fulani herdsmen attacked four villages, killing 18 Christians and burning down 92 houses. The victims were specifically targeted because of their faith in Christ.

* In Eastern Uganda, the head teacher of a private Islamic school converted to Christianity. When teachers heard him praying in Jesus’ name, they beat him, scarred him with third-degree burns, and fired him from his position.

* In Vietnam, officials stripped a family of their citizenship after 3 years of trying to coerce them to stop practicing their Christian faith.

* In Uttar Pradesh, India, a pastor was arrested and tortured by police for 24-hours. His crime was singing out loud to Jesus with his family.

* On the other side of the globe, four Christians in Venezuela were overpowered, beaten, and forced to eat pages from the Bible. Each man was stripped and had a cross slashed across his torso with a knife. The four were workers in a church-run drug rehabilitation center, and their attackers were reportedly members of a drug cartel.

• Martyrdom (Mt. 24:9; Acts 22:20; Rev. 2:13, 17:9)

[READ Mt. 24:9]

9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

Before Jesus returns for His church, the world will see a dramatic increase in the rise of martyrdom and religious killings – not only in regions of the world dominated by Islam, Hinduism, or socialism, but everywhere.

The Bible uses the word martyr to describe someone who is slain for their faith in Jesus. Let’s take a minute to look at a few of examples.

[READ Acts 22:20, NKJV]

20 And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’

[READ Rev. 2:13, NKJV]

Jesus reminded the church in Pergamos …
13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

[READ Rev. 17:6, NKJV]

6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

In each of these examples, the Greek word martus is used, which actually means “witness.” Throughout the NT, we see references to those who witness for Christ by announcing the good news and the facts of the gospel. When these witnesses were killed for their message, the English translators of some versions (like the NKJV) rendered the word as martyr.

Kayla Mueller was a modern-day martyr for the cause of Christ. As a Christian, she believed it was her responsibility to join in God’s work of relieving suffering in the world. “I find God in the suffering eyes reflected in mine,” she once wrote. Addressing God, she added, “If this is how You are revealed to me this is how I will forever seek You.”

While serving as a relief worker in Syria, Kayla was taken hostage by members of an ISIS terror cell. She remained a prisoner for 18 months, enduring abuse of every kind along with several other female captives. She eventually became a personal prisoner of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS at the time.

When a group of young women planned to escape their captors, Kayla refused to join them. “I am an American,” Kayla explained. “If I escape with you, they will do everything to find us again.” Those young women did escape, and they took with them a letter smuggled from Kayla to her parents. Here’s a portion of what that amazing young woman wrote during one of the darkest circumstances imaginable: If you could say I have “suffered” at all throughout this whole experience it is only in knowing how much suffering I have put you all through … I remember mom always telling me that all in all in the end the only one you really have is God. I have come to a place in this experience where, in every sense of the word, I have surrendered myself to our Creator [because] literally there was no [one] else …. By God [and] by your prayers I have felt tenderly cradled in free fall. I have been shown in darkness, light [and] have learned that even in prison, one can be free. I am grateful.

Kayla Mueller was a millennial Christian who died at the hands of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Yet she is victorious today because her story has proven once again the power of light over darkness, freedom over tyranny, and love over hate. Kayla’s witness will forever reveal the power of the gospel – a power that endures even in the face of death.

• Hatred (Mt. 24:9; Jn. 15:18, 20)
[READ Mt. 24:9]

9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
…
For some twisted reason, the world system has always hated the simple Savior from Galilee. I can’t really explain the hostility directed against the greatest Man who ever lived and His believers. The true workers of Christ on this planet have done more good than society realizes. Without fear of contradiction, I can say that the genuine church of the Lord Jesus Christ has been the greatest humanitarian force in history. Yet  for 2,000 years, the world has raged against us – seeking to disband the movement Jesus began, ban the Bible He gave, disrupt the ministry He started, and destroy the souls He saved.

Christian persecution at the end of history will not be clinical or detached. It will be fueled by intense emotions. Beloved, we will be hated. In the past, our ancestors sometimes responded to persecution by fleeing to a new place geographically. The first Christians relocated to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth to escape the fierce backlash of the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Christians fled the wrath of the Roman Empire during the first centuries of the church by pushing ever outward. The Puritans sailed across the ocean to evade persecution and seek religious freedom. Yet Jesus said, “You will be hated by all nations.” Escape from persecution will no longer be an option. For you see, in the last days, there will be no place left to run.

Why must we experience such intense animosity? Look at the last part of verse 9:

[READ Mt. 24:9]

9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

The reason Christians experience persecution now and in the future is because we’re aligned with Christ – and the world hates Him.

[READ Jn. 15:18, 20]

Jesus said …
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you … 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you ….”

This raises an important point of clarification regarding this topic of persecution. Many people are mistreated in the world today. Some experience prejudice because of their race or gender or age. Others are mistreated because of their financial class or physical characteristics. Cruelty and vindictiveness are part and parcel of a society that has been corrupted by sin. Yet when we speak of persecution both now and in the future, we’re talking about people who experience harm or harassment specifically because of their belief in Jesus Christ and their connection to His name.

Let me ask you, then: Are you connected to His name? Are you aligned with Him? I’m not asking about your salvation specifically. I’m asking whether you’ve publicly identified yourself with Jesus Christ in such a way that those who know you also know what you believe. Let me phrase the question a little differently: If our country were to begin actively targeting followers of Christ for persecution, would you be targeted? Or would you slip under the radar because there’s little visible difference between your life and the lives of those who don’t follow Christ.

These are the kinds of questions we need to consider, and answer, as our culture moves closer to the return of our Lord. Make no mistake about it: sooner or later, you and I will need to take a stand.

III. THE RESPONSE TO CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION

So, how do we do this? Coach Joseph Kennedy has inspired many Americans by his example. Kennedy watched the movie Facing the Giants, in which a struggling football team was uplifted to physical and spiritual success when the coach began praising God. “I was crying my eyes out,” Kennedy said about the film, which he watched while considering a coaching job at Bremerton High School near Seattle. “It was a clear sign that God was calling me to coach. I had never experienced that kind of effect in my entire life. I said, “I’m all in, God. I will give you the glory after every game right there on the 50 where we fought our battles.”

As a coach, he would always take a moment to kneel in prayer on the fifty-yard line after the game, win or lose. Sometimes members of his football team joined him for the prayer. Sometimes even players from the other team joined in. But whether in a crowd or alone, Coach Kennedy prayed after every game for seven years.

Then in 2015, an opposing coach noticed what Coach Kennedy was doing and reported it to Bremerton High School’s principal. Soon after, the school athletic director instructed Kennedy to stop praying after games, citing the school district’s policy regarding religious expression.

The coach tried to do as he was instructed. He skipped his weekly prayer after one game – and immediately regretted his decision. In fact, before he even got home after the game, Kennedy turned his car around, drove back to the empty stadium, and tearfully returned to the fifty-yard line to express his regret to God.

Kennedy resumed his ritual of postgame prayer the following week – and the week after. That’s when school officials placed him on leave and then declined to rehire him for the following season. Joseph Kennedy had spent 20 years serving his country as a United States Marine and was fired for 20 seconds of prayer.

Still, the coach had always been a fighter. He sued the Bremerton School District in 2015, claiming they violated his religious freedoms and constitutional guarantee of religious liberty. Seven years later, in January 2022, his case was taken up by the United States Supreme Court. In a six-to-three decision, the Supreme Court ruled in the coach’s favor! Praise the Lord!

Whenever possible, we must kindly but bravely stand up for the freedoms that allow for the expression of our faith.

Of course, in some places there is no concept of religious liberty. In those situations, followers of Christ will have to determine the best way to handle specific instances of persecution based on the direction of the Holy Spirit in their individual circumstances. God will always guide us, if we ask Him.

Now let’s see if we can glean several principles from God’s Word that empower us in the face of persecution, whenever and however it comes.

• Recount Your Blessings (Mt. 5:10; Ps. 56:11)
First, count and recount your blessings! In the Beatitudes, Jesus said ...

[READ Mt. 5:10]

10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Does this sound confusing to you?

Being persecuted by the world reminds us that we’re not part of the world. We’re members of God’s kingdom. We’re children in His family. We can minimize the importance of what we experience in the world because it doesn’t matter very much in light of eternity.

[READ Ps. 56:11]

As the psalmist wrote …
11 In God I trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

Todd Nettleton, who has studied persecuted Christians around the world, described what happened to a woman he simply identified as “Sister Tong.” She hosted an unregistered church in her home in China. As a result, she was arrested and sent to prison for 6 months. Communist authorities tried to “reeducate” her.

Later, when asked about her experience in prison, Sister Tong said, “Oh yes. That was a wonderful time.” Those around her expressed surprise, but she explained that prison was wonderful because God had been there with her in a special way. Nettleton wrote, “It was like He paid extra attention to her during that time, and her heart was warmed daily by His exceptional presence and touch. She felt so close to the Creator of the universe in prison that it was hard to think of that time as anything other than wonderful.”

Furthermore, Sister Tong had effectively shared the gospel with many women in prison and had the opportunity to lead several cellmates to Christ.

In some ways, her experience stands in contrast to that of Andrew Brunson, whom I told you about at the beginning of today’s message. But, as I’ll show you, God gave both of them remarkable grace and showers of blessing when they most needed it. The Lord was equally at work in and through both of them.

We all respond differently to the pressures of society, but there’s never a time when we can’t name our blessings and count them one by one.

• Respond with Worship (Acts 16:23-25; Jn. 4:23)

This will lead us to worship! If anyone in history understood the reality of persecution, it was the Apostle Paul. From the moment he accepted Christ as his Savior, he was forced to deal with haranguers and harassers who were after his life. He scaled city walls in a basket. He endured beatings and stonings. He was arrested and accused. He was shipwrecked and snakebitten. All because he refused to let go of Christ.

On one occasion, Paul and his partner Silas were beaten with rods and tossed into jail. Acts 16:23 says, their persecutors “inflicted them with many wounds.” It’s impossible to imagine how painful this kind of beating would be. I think we can safely assume the rods badly bruised or cut through Paul and Silas’s skin, because later the text talks about their wounds.

[READ Acts 16:23-24]

23 … They threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely, 24 who, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

In those days, stocks were not just for security purposes. They were an additional form of punishment: a square log split in two with holes drilled for the prisoner’s ankles. The top half of the log was removed, the prisoner’s ankles were positioned in the bottom half of the holes, then the top half of the log was laid down on top of the ankles and fastened. The prisoner might be left in this position for days, seated and unable to move his legs at all. Sometimes the holes for the legs were stretched far apart to increase the discomfort, and there are examples of the wrists and even the head being immobilized as well. How did the two men respond? Let’s look at the text:

[READ Acts 16:25]

25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Here’s how R. Kent Hughes explained what at first glance seems baffling: “Paul and his Gospel companions sang because they knew God had called them across the expanse of Asia Minor. They sang because they believed rightly that they were prisoners of Christ and not Rome.”

I agree, but I still can’t explain how Paul and Silas could have processed the pain and trauma quickly enough so that by midnight they were singing. Regaining our emotional bearing after that kind of ordeal takes time. Ah, but don’t discount the power of worship.

True worshipers of the true God cannot help themselves. They have to worship in all the conditions of life. They worship on sunny days and rainy ones. They worship in the palace or in the prison. They worship when uplifted by circumstances, and they worship when all seems lost.

[READ Jn. 4:23]

Jesus said …
23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

The people who know God find healing in worship. They learn to turn their attention from their misery to their Master. It’s supernatural. It’s of the Holy Spirit! If we’re worshiping God with resolution today, we can worship Him in persecution tomorrow. When we learn to worship God at noon, we’ll know how to worship Him at midnight.

There’s something miraculous in worship. For many years, the persecution of Christians in Northern Nigeria has shocked the world, yet the believers there will not be overcome. One man, Pastor Selchun, was seized by terrorists who cut off his right hand. As it fell to the ground, he raised his remaining hand and began singing, “He is Lord, He is Lord, He is risen from the dead and He is Lord. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” The Lord definitely imparted supernatural grace to that dear pastor at the moment of need, and He will do the same for us in every incident.

So, banish shame and sorrow. Let’s hold high the gospel in one hand and the cross in the other. The best way to prepare for the coming days is by taking seriously the great opportunities we have for private and public worship. Fill your heart and mind with Scripture and with key songs of the faith.

• Reevaluate Your Suffering (Rom. 8:18)

Sometime after his experiences in that Macedonian prison, the apostle Paul wrote these words to the Christians in the city of Rome.

[READ Rom. 8:18]

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Suffering and glory – two concepts that seem totally opposed to each other! Yet here they appear as friends. When Paul used the word consider, he was indicating something stronger than a mere opinion or expression. In paraphrase, he was saying, “I have decided to consider the sufferings of the world unworthy to compare with the glory that will be revealed. I’ve thought it through, and that’s my biblical view.”

Based on his experiences, Paul determined that the sufferings of the present time are a slight thing in comparison with the glory he will experience one day in heaven. The same is and will be true for you and me. One day in eternity, our sufferings will reveal God’s glory because we’ll look back at these moments that seemed so terrible, so large, and so unbearable – and we will realize they were nothing in comparison to the wonders of God and all the blessings He has in store for us.

There’s one way we can reveal God’s glory now, even in the midst of persecution. As I’m sure you’ve discovered, our world is built on the principles of reciprocity and escalation. If you hurt me, I’m going to hurt you worse. And then I’ll expect you to hurt me back, which will give me the green light for even more retribution – and the cycle continues.

As Christians, we reveal God’s glory when we break this cycle. We glorify Him when we respond to persecution not with more rage or more vengeance but with the peace of God that passes all understanding.

That’s the testimony of a man in Laos simply known as Boun. He was imprisoned for his faith. “They put me in stocks,” he said, recalling what had happened to Paul and Silas. “The stocks spread my legs apart, and they also put handcuffs on me …. They even put smaller [cuffs] on my thumbs. Then they put me in a black room without food for seven days.”

For an entire year, Boun was locked in a concrete cell by himself. The only ventilation came from a small rust hole in the metal door. He would put his nose to that hole to breathe. He begged for a Bible but wasn’t given one.

During his second year, Boun was given more freedom and permitted to go outside and gather firewood for the camp. When a strong flood brought lots of wood and debris into the camp, the guards let Boun work for hours unnoticed.

One day he saw his chance, swam across the stream, and escaped. He went home, gathered five Bibles, and swam back.

The guards never realized he had been gone. He hid four Bibles in the forest and began studying every day and night in his cell. He shared what he was learning with the other prisoners whenever he could.

Six months later, he again escaped and returned, bringing small radios back with him to listen to gospel programming. He gave the Bibles and radios to the other prisoners, and a work of grace began in that prison. One day a guard saw the Bible, and Boun was hauled before the prison authorities who wanted to know what he was studying. Boun opened his Bible and started reading it. After reading a long time, he said, “Oh, I cannot finish it all in one day, but if you want to know more, I will tell you.”

The prison warden said, “Your family is so strong in their faith that Christianity has spread everywhere.” Shortly afterward, Boun was released. While he was overjoyed to be back with his family, his perception about persecution had changed. He valued His service to God more than His freedom among men.

When we reevaluate what God is doing and why, we realize the sufferings of this present world aren’t worth comparing to the opportunities confronting us and the glory awaiting us. The important thing, then, is not what we’re going through – but who we’re ministering for and whom we’re ministering to.

• Receive Your Reward (Jas. 1:2-4; Rev. 2:8-10)

Finally, I want to remind you what the apostle James wrote about suffering.

[READ Jas. 1:2-4]

2 Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith brings about perseverance. 4 And let perseverance have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Persecution produces the reward of personal growth, and the strengthening of our character.

Also, let’s remember the historical results of persecution. When the Jewish leaders attacked the leaders of the early church, its members spread across the known world, and God’s kingdom grew. When the Romans burned Christians at the stake, the slaves and servants in that empire saw the faithful witness of God’s people. They believed, and the kingdom grew. All throughout history, whether in Europe or Africa or China or, yes, even America, the persecution of Christians has again and again fueled the expansion of the church.

Persecution produces the reward of an increasing harvest in God’s kingdom. Even as the signs Jesus spoke of grow in frequency and severity, God’s kingdom will continue to advance.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus dictated seven letters to seven churches in Asia Minor. One of those churches, Smyrna, was enduring extreme persecution at the time of John’s vision. Here’s what the Savior had to say to these believers in their suffering …

[READ Rev. 2:8-10]

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: This is what the first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says: 9 ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

As you consider what we will experience as human beings and as the church during the prelude to our Lord’s return, I encourage you to remember Jesus’ words: “Do not fear what you are about to suffer.” Do not fear harassment. Do not fear the grinding, crushing promise of tribulation. Do not even fear the possibility of suffering and death. Instead, stand strong. Be firm. Endure. In the words of Jesus, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Before the end, the world will be a place of persecution for God’s people, yet we don’t have to be afraid. We have before us Jesus, our Savior, whose wondrous works allow us to face that persecution by recounting our blessings, responding with worship, reevaluating our suffering, and receiving our reward. Persecution is not a time for us to run and hide; it’s an opportunity for us to stand firm and be faithful for our Savior.

For Andrew Brunson, the day finally came when he was placed on trial before a Turkish court that was determined to condemn him. He was terrified, yet he was resolved to remain true to Christ. After one accusation after another and a host of false witnesses, the judge asked Brunson if he had anything to say in his defense. By now, the eyes of the world were upon him, for his case had garnered global publicity. Brunson stood up, looked the judge in the eye and said:

Jesus told His disciples to go into all the world and proclaim the good news of salvation to everyone and make disciples. This is why I came to Turkey – to proclaim this:
There is only one way to God: Jesus.
There is only one way to have our sins forgiven: Jesus.
There is only one way to gain eternal life: Jesus.
There is only one Savior: Jesus.

For 23 years I did it by choice, and the last 2 years I have been forced to do it from prison, but my message is the same.

The Lord moved the levers of leadership and diplomacy, and Brunson was released to return home to the United States – but he left behind that final word. Jesus!

IV. IN CONCLUSION

In a world of persecution, we must be vigilant, and we must be ready. Don’t be anxious about the future; God will give you grace for the moment. Don’t be unaware of the dangers; God will turn them into opportunities. The devil cannot win, and the gates of hell will not prevail against the church of Jesus Christ.

Beloved, whether we live or die, the gospel is still true. Whether we are free or behind bars, our message is the same. It’s Jesus! And Jesus is Lord! So, in a world of persecution, be prepared.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I come to You now on behalf of our church family and believers throughout the world as we prepare for or are already enduring persecution because of our faith in You and our belief that Your Son Jesus Christ is the Savior of all who believe in Him. I ask You to remind us all of the eternal rewards for the faithful and bless us with courage and peace. Help us to remain steadfast as we walk in Your footsteps. Grant us patience to endure and boldness to proclaim Your truth. Allow our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ to experience the depth of Your love in their trials. Surround them with assurance that nothing can take away Your presence. When persecution comes, may our suffering testify of Your strength and bring others to salvation. I beseech You, Father, to replace fear with bold faith and remind us that You will never leave us nor forsake us. Grant us all endurance, and help everyone of us to hold fast to our faith until the end, when we will receive the crown of life. In the merciful name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Invitation # 101 & 102: “His Name Is Wonderful” into “There’s Just Something About That Name” (1 vs. each)

Benediction: Beloved, let us rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Amen. (Rom. 5:3-5)

A WORLD OF PERSECUTION

Olivet Discourse (Lesson 5) - October 5, 2025 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Introduction: I want us to be ready for the persecution to come. One of the best ways of preparing is to study the next item in Christ’s remarkable list of coming signs for the world prior to His return – persecution.

I. THE RECORD OF CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION (Acts 7; Rev. 1:9)

II. THE REALITY OF CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION (Mt. 24:9)

* TRIBULATION (Jn. 16:33; Rev. 6:9-11)

* MARTYRDOM (Mt. 24:9; Acts 22:20; Rev. 2:13, 17:9)

* HATRED (Mt. 24:9; Jn. 15:18, 20)

III. THE RESPONSE TO CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION

* RECOUNT YOUR BLESSINGS (Mt. 5:10; Ps. 56:11)

* RESPOND WITH WORSHIP (Acts 16:23-25; Jn. 4:23)

* REEVALUATE YOUR SUFFERING (Rom. 8:18)

* RECEIVE YOUR REWARD (Jas. 1:2-4; Rev. 2:8-10)

IV. IN CONCLUSION

In a world of persecution, we must be vigilant, and we must be ready. Don’t be anxious about the future; God will give you grace for the moment. Don’t be unaware of the dangers; God will turn them into opportunities. The devil cannot win, and the gates of hell will not prevail against the church of Jesus Christ.

A WORLD OF DISASTERS

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we will learn from Your Word today, increasing natural disasters will grow in strength and number as we hasten towards the day of Jesus’ Return. Bolster our faith as we face these coming disasters. When we feel weak, remind us that You are our Rock and Fortress, our ever-present help in times of trouble. Lord, I ask You to wrap Your people in a blanket of protection and love. As Jehovah-Jireh You are the only One who can provide what we need in the wake of disaster and destruction. In Your Word You have promised to provide for us so that we can give something to others who need encouragement, hope, or practical help. Show us how to use our God-given gifts to bless others who are in desperate need. Breathe life into hopeless situations, and give courage to those on the brink of giving up. Protect victims from those who would take advantage of their situation. Turn away evil, and cancel the plans of the enemy who wants to cause havoc and destroy people’s faith. O Lord, when we don’t understand, help us to cling to You anyway. Enlarge our love and trust in You, and show us all the lessons we need to learn which will help us now and in the future. Father, we praise You for Your track record of faithfulness. Help us to trust You to bring good out of disaster, turn regrets into gratitude, and allow us to see Your purposes in all things. Speak to us now from Your Word. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction: Have you ever wanted to visit a distant planet? Or to feel like you’re on one? Then you would probably like to take a vacation to Yellowstone National Park. The terrain is otherworldly, and in places you’ll feel like you’re on the set of a science fiction movie. More than ten thousand hydrothermal spots bubble up in Yellowstone – geysers, mud pots, steam vents, fumaroles, and hot springs. The Grand Prismatic Spring is a scalding, multicolored pond larger than a football field. At the center you’ll see deep blue hues encircled by green and yellow bands, with lots of orange along the outside edges. The colors are caused by different species of heat-loving bacteria. Steam rising from the pond produces an eerie feeling. The ground around the pool resembles a piecrust.

When touring Yellowstone, it’s important to remember that you’re walking across the top of an active super-volcano that has erupted several times in the past. Every moment of every day, teams from different universities, geological societies, and federal agencies are monitoring the area’s seismic activity.

In 2021 alone, 2,773 earthquakes were recorded in the Yellowstone area. As reporter Brad Plumer explained, “Lurking beneath Yellowstone National Park is a reservoir of hot magma five miles deep, fed by a gigantic plume of molten rock welling up from hundreds of miles below.” What would happen if the volcano blew? Plumer wrote that a major eruption “could spew ash for thousands of miles … damaging buildings, smothering crops, and shutting down power plants.” The states of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Colorado would be buried in three feet of volcanic ash, which is “a mix of splintered rock and glass.” Such an eruption would make Mount St. Helens look like a hiccup! Some geologists believe clouds of poisonous ash could spread across the United States and Canada with the force of a hurricane. The ash could shred lungs, collapse roofs, take down transformers, and threaten the nation’s power grid. It could create a super-winter that would last a decade.

I’m not trying to discourage you from visiting Yellowstone. Scientists aren’t predicting eruptions any time soon. Yellowstone is a great and amazing example of what God has wrought in this stunning corner of Wyoming.

And yet … when I read descriptions from God’s Word about what will happen one day, and when I remember that there are at least twelve other super-volcanoes around the globe, I can’t help but be reminded of scenes from the book of Revelation. Natural disasters will be part of the tribulation, but they aren’t confined to the end of history. According to our Lord’s message on Olivet, these elements – earthquakes, famines, plagues, disasters – will continue to increase in intensity and frequency as we move closer to the day of our Lord’s return.

This brings us to our Lord’s next prediction in Matthew 24. As we’ve already seen, the world before our Savior’s return will be a difficult and dangerous place – one defined by destruction, deceit, and war. Jesus’ prophecy makes this clear. As we move to verse 7 in His Olivet Discourse, we see repetition of Jesus’ earlier promise about wars and rumors of wars: “Nation will rise against nation,” He reiterated, “and kingdom against kingdom.” But it’s the second half of verse 7, coupled with verse 8, that should really cause us to sit up and take notice.

[READ Mt. 24:7-8]

7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

In other words, the signs of the times include increasing devastation and disasters along with all the confusion, desolation, and ruin that follow in their wake.

I. GLOBAL DISASTERS ARE UNAVOIDABLE (Mt. 24:6-7)

Some of you may be like, “Wait a minute, there have always been natural disasters in human history. Every century has endured famine, pestilence, and earthquakes.”

So how can natural disasters be a prophecy or a sign of the end? The answer lies in the birth-pains principle, I discussed in the first lesson of this study. None of Jesus’ prophetic promises from the Olivet Discourse will be unique to the end of history. What will be unique is the frequency and intensity with which those events will impact our world. The closer we get to the final chapter of human civilization, the more we’ll experience the inescapable dangers Jesus predicted in Matthew 24.

• Famines (Mt. 24:7; Jer. 14:12; Rev. 6)

Standing on the Mount of Olives, Jesus used a frightening word – one that, to His disciples, caused them to recall many OT stories: “There will be famines” (Mt. 24:7).

As they listened to our Lord’s message, perhaps Peter, James, John, and Andrew recalled the famine that sent the Israelites to Egypt at the end of Genesis. Or the famine that drove Naomi and her family to Moab in the book or Ruth. They might have thought of the famine triggered in Elijah’s day when God withheld rain from Israel for 3½ years.

The prophet Jeremiah anticipated the signs of the times when he linked war, famine, and plague together.

[READ Jer. 14:12]

12 When they fast, I am not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to make an end of them by the sword, famine, and pestilence.”

Once again, Jesus’ words dovetail seamlessly with the seal judgments recorded in Revelation 6. In John’s prophetic vision, the fiery red horse of warfare is followed by the black horse of famine, and the pale horse of death.

Jesus and the writers of the Bible understood the recurring patterns of history: sword, famine, and pestilence. So do today’s humanitarians. The Global Hunger Index, which is compiled and published by European humanitarian organizations, actually used language from Revelation 6 to describe current conditions in our world. In an online report called “Armed Conflict and the Challenge of Hunger,” the Index revealed that “war and famine, two fearsome horsemen, have long ridden side by side. Armed conflict disrupts food systems, destroys livelihoods, displaces people, and leave those who do not flee both terrified and unsure when they will eat their next meal.”

The report continued: Today’s famines are “complex humanitarian emergencies,” caused mostly by armed conflict and exacerbated by natural disasters or international policies …. These “new wars” … involve not only state armies and insurgents, but also paramilitaries and ethnic militia, criminal gangs, mercenaries, and international forces. Most new wars are civil wars, which increasingly spill over borders, disrupt livelihoods and food systems, and force people to flee.

The writers of this report then made this keen observation: “Hunger is somehow different from other human stresses. Food and famine strike a deep emotive chord, even among people who have never personally faced starvation. Around the world, people believe that a government that cannot feed its people has forfeited is legitimacy.”

One example, staring us in the face every day is Ukraine. Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, those two nations together produced about 30% of the world’s supply of grain. The war has disrupted Ukraine, threatening to push another forty-seven million people into extreme hunger. I read a recent report warning that this crisis will go on for years.

I realize that most of us have food in our pantries, and few of us miss any meals. But hunger does lurk near the surface even in America; many children go to school each morning with empty stomachs. One organization found that nearly 1.5 million New York City residents face food insecurity, including one in four children. According to another report, about 14% of America’s military families are food insecure. Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said something relevant to today’s subject: “The anxiety about access to food at a reasonable price globally is hitting the roof as food prices continue to go up, up, up.”

While these developments have surprised the leaders of our day, they didn’t escape Jesus’ notice, He saw them coming. We can trust what the Bible says about the future, including the increase in famines as we approach the Lord’s return.

• Plagues (Mt. 24:7 NKJV; Deut. 32:24; 2 Chr. 20:9)
[READ Mt. 24:7, NKJV]

7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, and pestilences ….

Jesus said, “And there will be … pestilences.” The Greek word Matthew used is loimos. This term doesn’t describe minor maladies or seasonal sicknesses. Rather, the pestilences Jesus predicted are huge in scale and impact. They will sweep over large regions of the world and be difficult to control.

It's interesting that there’s a strong connection between famine and pestilence in Scripture. For example:

In describing the curses that would befall the nation of Israel if they rejected God, Moses wrote …

[READ Deut. 32:24]

24 They will be wasted by famine, and consumed by plague
and bitter destruction;

Threatened by their enemies, King Jehoshaphat of Judah declared his faith in God by saying ...

[READ 2 Chr. 20:9]

9 ‘Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us.’

This isn’t a random connection. War results in food shortages. Whenever food is scarce, people become nutritionally deprived. Their health suffers, which creates an environment for disease to flourish.

Global pandemics have been relatively rare in history. The plague of Justinian likely killed between 30 to 50 million people in the 6th century. The bubonic plague resulted in approximately 200 million deaths in the 14th century. And there were other, lesser plagues that ravaged different regions of the world throughout the centuries that followed. But large-scale episodes of pestilence have been few and far between.

In our lifetime, however, the world has become interconnected. The 20th century began with the Spanish flu which killed more than 40 million people around the world. The Asian flu and the Hong Kong flu both resulted in more than a million deaths in the 1950s and 1960s, respectively. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has brought an additional 35 million deaths and is still raging. In the 21st century, we have already seen swine flu, SARS, MERS, Ebola – and yes, COVID-19. After our experience with the coronavirus, none of us knows what may escape from a laboratory somewhere in the world or what disease may sweep across the globe next.

Had we been with Jesus and the disciples on Olivet when He delivered this prophetic sermon, we might have thought advancing medical progress would eradicate disease, given enough time in history. But He knew differently. In a world of increasing medical miracles, disease has not been eliminated or eradicated. Instead, sickness is more prevalent than ever, and the trend lines are terrifying.

• Earthquakes (Mt. 24:7 NKJV; Rev. 16:18; Isa. 2:19; Mt. 27:50-54; Ex. 19:18-19; 1 Kings 19:11-12; Zech. 14:5; Ps. 18:7; Job 9:6)

The next sign Jesus predicted seems out of order. We see the connection between war, famine, pandemics, and death. But earthquakes? They’re random. Unlike war, they aren’t caused by human means. Unlike famines, they seldom offer warnings or explanations. Unlike pestilence, earthquakes come suddenly, demolish in an instance, and leave only aftershocks.

When God created the world, He designed it with a molten core made of boiling magma, covered by a mantle near two thousand miles deep. On top of that, our surface lands and seas rest on tectonic plates, which sometimes shift. Scientists are still working to understand these shifts and how they impact our world. But God has understood these forces from day one. More than that, He is in control even of our earth’s chaotic core.

One day an ultimate global earthquake will bring down the cities of the world, including Babylon, the city of the Antichrist. This will occur as Jesus returns at the end of history.
Revelation 16:18 describes what it will be like when the angel pours out the final bowl of God’s wrath on the world …

[READ Rev. 16:18]

18 And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.

[READ Isa. 2:9] says

19 Men will go into caves of the rocks
And into holes of the ground
Before the dread of Yahweh
And the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises to make the earth tremble.

When Jesus died on Calvary, the ground throughout Jerusalem quaked (Mt. 27:50-54). But that was nothing compared to what will happen when He returns. For now, we’re suffering only early birth pains, but we never know when we’ll awaken to news of a major earthquake in some part of the world.

In Scripture, earthquakes are associated with God’s power and judgment. When the Lord descended to Mount Sinai prior to giving the Ten Commandments, the mountain …

[READ Ex. 19:18-19]

8 … was all in smoke because Yahweh descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. 19 And the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder; then Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder.

When the Lord appeared to Elijah on the same mountain centuries later ….

[READ 1 Kings 19:11-12]

11 … He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before Yahweh.” And behold, Yahweh was passing by! And a great and strong wind was tearing up the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but Yahweh was not in the earthquake. 12 Then after the earthquake a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a thin gentle whisper.

In the days of King Uzziah, there was an earthquake that came as a rebuke to Judah and Israel (Zech. 14:5).

[READ Ps. 18:7]

David wrote …
7 Then the earth shook and quaked;
And the foundations of the mountains were trembling
And were shaken, because He was angry.

[READ Job 9:6]

Job wrote …
6 The One who shakes the earth out of its place,
And its pillars tremble;

Winds come and go seemingly at random. So do waves. Much of the natural world is flexible and transitory – but not the earth itself. Mountains rise and fall over the course of eons, not hours or even centuries. What is more stable than rock? What is more grounded than the ground? For these reasons, earthquakes are a specific sign of God’s power and the Creator’s control over creation. And that sign will increase as we move toward the end of history.

For quite a few years now, scientists have been warning about the possibility of “super-quakes,” which are earthquakes with incredibly high magnitudes. Having been through a couple of earthquakes in California, I’ve thought a lot about this. It is quite unsettling when the earth moves under your feet – and the ones I experienced were minor ones.

Kenneth Murphy of FEMA is deeply concerned about a large-scale earthquake along the Cascadia fault line in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. If this earthquake happens, FEMA projects that nearly 13,000 people will die as a result of the earthquake and following tsunami. Another 27,000 will be injured, and the agency expects it will need to provide shelter for a million displaced people. “This is one time that I’m hoping all the science is wrong, and it won’t happen for another thousand years,” Murphy said.

Government officials can’t predict earthquakes, but Jesus did. He told us the very globe itself would shake as it prepared for His return.

II. GOD’S DECREES ARE UNCONDITIONAL (Acts 2:25; Heb. 6:19)

If we’re not careful, all this will make us shake as well. But be encouraged ...

[READ Acts 2:25]

25 For David says of Him,
‘I saw the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken.

The way to combat the fear of natural disasters is by supernatural discipleship, which allows the Holy Spirit to flood our lives with encouragement, conviction, and hope.

[READ Heb. 6:19]

19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and confirmed and one which enters (the Presence) within the veil ….

Even in a world defined by disasters, our lives can be defined by confidence. Not in ourselves, of course, but in God. Specifically, there are four elements of God’s nature and character that will fill us with confidence as we focus on Him and seek His face.

• Confident in God’s Protection (Gen. 15:1; Ps. 27:1, 46:2, 90:1-2; Zech. 9:15; Heb. 12:28)

From Genesis to Revelation, God is revealed as someone who watches over His people, keeping them safe in the midst of danger. Throughout the Bible He is described as our Shield, Fortress, Hiding Place, Keeper, Refuge, Rock, Shade, Shelter, and Stronghold.

[READ Gen. 15:1]

1 After these things the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying,
“Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”

[READ Ps. 27:1]

The psalmist said,
1  Yahweh is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
Yahweh is the strong defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?

[READ Zech. 9:15]

The prophet wrote,
15 Yahweh of hosts will defend His people.

Over a hundred years ago, Anna Kay Scott was on a primitive mission field when an earthquake occurred. In her autobiography she wrote: Sunday, January 10, 1869, we experienced a very severe shock of earthquake. I had just closed my Bible class of young men and was sitting quietly reading letters from the dear home people when I heard the rumbling as of a distant freight train …. Soon the house began to rock and the frail bamboo walls to bend. Then there was crash after crash as cupboards, wardrobes, and mirrors were thrown down.

Anna rushed from the house to find the villagers standing paralyzed with fear. They were shaking uncontrollably and begging their Hindu gods to stop the elephant. They “believed that the earth stood on the back of an elephant and an earthquake was caused by the shaking of the elephant!” The quake became so intense everyone fell to the ground. Anna recalled, “The clocks stopped and the river set upstream for half an hour or more. The earth opened in huge cracks and the yard where we all sat rose in apparent wavelets.”

Anna and the other believers immediately pulled out their Bibles and began reading from Psalm 90.

[READ Ps. 90:1-2]

1  Lord, You have been our dwelling place from generation to generation.
2  Before the mountains were born
Or You brought forth the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

The power of those words brought calmness to the village and actually paved the way for more evangelistic work to be done.

The earth doesn’t rest on an elephant’s back but in the omnipotent hands of God who tells us that ...

[READ Heb. 12:28]

28 … Since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe.

When we realize the eternal God is our dwelling place and that we’re surrounded by His very real, very powerful, and very comforting presence, we are encouraged, and our hearts are full of hope.

[READ Ps. 46:2]

As the psalmist said,
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains shake into the heart of the sea;

• Confident in God’s Pardon (Joel 2:12-14; Acts 16:30-31)

Earlier in today’s message, I made the claim that disasters can produce encouragement and even hope. If that strikes you as unlikely, let’s look at a few examples from Scripture that reveal that this is true.

In the book of Joel, a plague of locusts devastated the land of Judah. Joel used that tragedy as an opportunity to warn people of their sins and turn their hearts toward God.

[READ Joel 2:12-14]

12 “Yet even now,” declares Yahweh,
“Return to Me with all your heart
And with fasting, weeping, and wailing;
13 And tear your heart and not your garments.”
Now return to Yahweh your God,
For He is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness,
And relenting concerning evil.
14 Who knows whether He will not turn and relent
And leave a blessing behind Him,
Even a grain offering and a drink offering
For Yahweh your God?

Do you remember the story of the Philippian jailer? It was an earthquake that brought him to Christ. In great fear, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” The apostle Paul said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your house” (Acts 16:30-31).

This progression from hurt to hope can still be found in our day. According to Bethany DuVal with TEAM, a global alliance of churches and missionaries, something similar happened to a Mexican woman named Gaby, who had married and had children while very young. She liked the streets and had no interest in her mother’s Christian faith. When Hurricane Odile devastated La Paz in 2014, Gaby’s makeshift home was obliterated. But a local ministry reached out, provided food, and started helping survivors rebuild their homes. Soon Gaby found herself helping too, making tortillas alongside a girl named Emily. When Emily invited her to a Bible study, she decided to go. As the two studied Scripture and worked in the kitchen, the Lord dealt with Gaby’s heart. Emily later said, “I really got to see how she was giving her life to Jesus … and how God was transforming her …. We spent many, many days crying in my kitchen and just praying through things.”

After she found Christ as her Savior, Gaby continued growing spiritually. Today she leads a high school diploma program and works in the kitchen of the same relief agency that reached her with the hope of Christ. “Knowing God and then living in Him is the best gift I have ever received,” she said.

This kind of sweet, simple story has been repeated hundreds of thousands of times. I don’t quite understand how it all works, and I don’t have all the solutions to the crises we face. But I do know that natural disasters bring out supernatural discipleship and that God allows His people to serve those who are hurting even as we share the gospel. In this way, the Lord turns curses into blessings. Never underestimate how God can use you when difficulty descends on your community or on someone you know.

• Confident in God’s Perspective (Mt. 24:27, 30; 2 Pet. 3:14; Rev. 21:3-4)

Geraldine “Gerri” Schappals was a remarkable woman. She survived the Spanish flu as a baby in 1918. She lived through World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Iraq War, and the war in Afghanistan. She survived breast cancer in her sixties and colon cancer in her seventies. In 2020, Gerri contracted COVID-19 at the age of 102 – and survived. “It wasn’t bad,” she said.

When asked how to stay strong in the middle of difficult times, Gerri said, “One thing that helps is to tell yourself you’re not going to fret about it for an hour – it’ll still be there at the end of the hour – and go do something enjoyable.” She added, “I’ve found that little breaks can give a fresh perspective and remind you that no matter how dark things are, there are still some little lights.”

A fresh perspective is a wonderful gift. And aligning ourselves with God’s perspective can produce a huge surge in our confidence. Why Because His gaze extends from first to last, and He has already told us about the end of our collective story in this world.

For example, near the end of His Olivet Discourse, Jesus said, “As the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” He will come “on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Mt. 24:27, 30). Peter told us to be “looking forward to these things” (2 Pet. 3:14).

In the final chapter of God’s Word, we find another superlative text:

[READ Rev. 21:3-4]

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain. The first things passed away.”

Not only have we been given this good news, but we are called to share it. Indeed, one of the best ways we can communicate hope during times of disaster is to remind others that such times are temporary. They are fleeting. God’s promise of eternal life is grounded on His return and His eternal home for His people – a place where there will be no more death, no more sorrow, no more crying, and no more pain. What a privilege is ours to offer such a wonderful perspective!

D.A. Carson wrote, “Genuine spirituality cannot live long without an attitude that is homesick for heaven, that lives with eternity’s values in view, that eagerly awaits Jesus’ return, that anticipates the day when Christ Himself will bring everything under His control and will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”

Natural disasters reflect the fallen nature of our world; they are evidence of the corruption of sin. Yet it’s also true that disasters reflect the temporary nature of this world. Famine, pestilence, earthquakes, and all manner of catastrophes offer concrete proof that God doesn’t intend to leave us in this broken place. Even now, He is preparing a perfect home for all who follow Him.

• Confident in God’s Provision (Mt. 6:1; Gen. 22:8; Phil. 4:19; 1 Tim. 6:17-19; 2 Cor. 9:8)

Finally, in times of natural disasters, we can find confidence in God’s supernatural provision. He has promised to “give us this day our daily bread” (Mt. 6:11).

Do you remember the OT story about the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17? She used her last bit of flour and oil to make bread for Elijah, but from that moment there was always flour in her bin and oil in her jar. God kept her in bread until the famine ended.

Well, Daniil Kiriluk lives in the region of Luhansk, Ukraine, one of the areas hit hardest by the Russian invasion. He’s the pastor of a small church made up of his large family and about twenty others.

Pastor Kiriluk and his wife have ten sons and nine daughters. They decided to make bread to share with those affected by the war. In one night, they baked thirty loaves. As people came to get the bread, others brought flour. The more bread they made, the more flour they had.

All the children and grandchildren in the Kiriluk family pitched in, bringing the total number of workers in the home to thirty-three. Even the youngest son helped as he learned how much yeast, flour, and salt to mix. The youngest daughter kneaded the bread. Soon the church was producing 160 loaves per day, and more than a ton of flour was donated. A ton of bread – and counting!

But it wasn’t only bread that was distributed. Gospel newspapers went out with every loaf, and one couple in the church with a distinct gift of evangelism shared the message of Jesus – the Bread of Life. Let me show you the picture of this family lined up by size, girls on one side and boys on the other. Praise God for such people whose hope overflows in kindness and evangelism in times of great danger – all aided by God’s provision.

We’ve all felt a pinch on money and resources in recent years. We’ve felt the pressure of a world on the brink. Even now, we’re facing scarcity, inflation, shortages, and financial upheaval. But beloved, don’t doubt God’s ability to provide for you. The Bible says, “God will provide” (Gen. 22:8). Paul wrote, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).

Of course, such gifts are not intended to benefit you and me alone, but to be shared with those in need. Remember these timeless words:

[READ 1 Tim. 6:17-19]

17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

This is not a time for followers of Jesus to cling to our possessions, grasping what we’ve earned with tight fingers. Instead, living in a world of disaster gives us the opportunity to open our hearts and open our hands toward those who are struggling – to those who need a boost of hope.

Let’s find confidence in God’s provision. First, in God’s provision for us. God has promised to grant us everything we need, even in times of disaster.

Second, let’s build confidence in His provision through us to others. The more God blesses us, the more opportunities we have to extend His provision outward toward others.

[READ 2 Cor. 9:8]

8 And God is able to make every grace abound to you, so that in everything at every time having every sufficiency, you may have an abundance for every good deed.

People are hungry in the world today, but you and I can feed them. People are sick in the world today, but you and I can minister to them and meet their needs. People have been shaken in the world today, but followers of Christ can offer the encouragement of Christ. We can offer shelter to those who have no shelter. We can support those organizations that are serving displaced and disgraced populations. We can offer hope when life feels hopeless.

In short, you and I have the chance right now to be generous with our resources – and in doing so, to confidently pour out the love of Christ exactly where people need it most. As the author of Hebrews said: “Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded” (Heb. 10:35).

III. IN CONCLUSION

Speaking of confidence, I want to end by telling you about a remarkable young man named Jacob Smith. At just 12 years old, Jacob stood atop an 11,000-foot mountain in Big Sky, Montana. He was about to freeride a triple-black-diamond-rated slope. If you’re not familiar with the term, freeriding is when a skier tackles a mountain without following a defined path or run. Just a person gliding through the trees and the rocks and the ridges.

Now, a 12-year-old boy hurtling down a professionally rated ski slope without a trail is impressive enough. But there’s something else you need to know about this story that takes it to another level. Jacob Smith can’t see. His vision is technically 20/800, which is four times the level at which a person is declared legally blind. Nevertheless, on a chilly morning in Big Sky, Montana, Jacob became the first legally blind skier to complete that legendary run. And he hasn’t stopped breaking barriers.

How does he do it? Well, Jacob has a secret: his father, Nathan. On every run, Nathan speaks to his son over a two-way radio. When Nathan describes the terrain, Jacob visualizes it in his mind. And when Nathan tells his son to make a turn or to move in a new direction, Jacob obeys. Instantly.

One interviewer asked Jacob how much he trusts his dad. He answered, “I mean, enough to turn right when he tells me to.” It’s this secret weapon – confidence in his father’s perspective and his father’s direction -- that has allowed Jacob to achieve incredible things. When asked what lesson he has learned from his skiing adventures, he replied, “Honestly, no matter what gets thrown in front of you … [and] takes you off-guard a little bit, there is always a way to conquer it. To adapt. To make it happen and still do what you wanna do.”

I think you see where I’m going with this. As children of God, we have a similar opportunity to navigate the twists and turns of life with confidence, even in the midst of disasters. Why? Because that confidence is based not in our abilities but in the nature and character of our heavenly Father. Not only does He see what’s coming in our world, but He has told us in advance how everything will end. For that reason, and that reason alone, you and I can navigate this world of disaster and still be confident in our Lord!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we come before You with eager hearts, seeking Your divine protection and comfort in times of natural disasters. Lord, we ask for Your mercy upon those who even now are affected by these calamities. Grant them courage and hope to face the challenges ahead. Surround them with Your love and provide for their needs through the kindness of others. We pray for the safety of all rescue workers and volunteers. Give them strength and wisdom as they work tirelessly to save lives and restore communities. May Your guiding hand be upon them. Father, help us to trust in Your plan, even when it doesn’t make sense to us. Remind us of Your promise to never leave us nor forsake us. Fill our hearts with peace and our minds with clarity as we navigate these difficult times You have warned us of. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

Invitation Slides: “Til the Storm Passes By” (3 vs.)

Benediction: Beloved, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, do not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains shake into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam. The Lord of hosts is with us; and the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Amen. (Ps. 46:1-2, 7, Selah)

A WORLD OF DISASTERS

Olivet Discourse (Lesson 4) - September 28, 2025 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Introduction: As we’ve already seen, the world before our Savior’s return will be a difficult and dangerous place – one defined by destruction, deceit, and war. Jesus’ prophecy makes this clear. As we move to verse 7 in His Olivet Discourse, we see repetition of Jesus’ earlier promise about wars and rumors of wars. But it’s the second half of verse 7, coupled with verse 8, that should really cause us to sit up and take notice.

I. GLOBAL DISASTERS ARE UNAVOIDABLE (Mt. 24:6-7)

* Famines (Mt. 24:7; Jer. 14:12; Rev. 6)

* Plagues (Mt. 24:7 NKJV; Deut. 32:24; 2 Chr. 20:9)

* Earthquakes (Mt. 24:7 NKJV; Rev. 16:18; Isa. 2:19; Mt. 27:50-54; Ex. 19:18-19; 1 Kings 19:11-12; Zech. 14:5; Ps. 18:7; Job 9:6)

II. GOD’S DECREES ARE UNCONDITIONAL (Acts 2:25; Heb. 6:19)

* Confident in God’s Protection (Gen. 15:1; Ps. 27:1, 46:2, 90:1-2; Zech. 9:15; Heb. 12:28)

* Confident in God’s Pardon (Joel 2:12-14; Acts 16:30-31)

* Confident in God’s Perspective (Mt. 24:27, 30; 2 Pet. 3:14; Rev. 21:3-4)

* Confident in God’s Provision (Mt. 6:1; Gen. 22:8; Phil. 4:19; 1 Tim. 6:17-19; 2 Cor. 9:8)

III. IN CONCLUSION (Ps. 90:2)

As children of God, we have a similar opportunity to navigate the twists and turns of life with confidence, even in the midst of disasters. Why? Because that confidence is based not in our abilities but in the nature and character of our heavenly Father. Not only does He see what’s coming in our world, but He has told us in advance how everything will end. For that reason, and that reason alone, you and I can navigate this world of disaster and still be confident in our Lord!

A WORLD OF WAR

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray for hope in a world that’s full of hatred and strife. Your Word tells us that nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and that there will be wars and rumors of wars. When these things happen, Lord, it causes anxiety and trepidation in the weak and defenseless. When fear and panic begin to infiltrate their hearts, I ask you to overwhelm them with Your peace. When they start to worry about the future, please remind them that You are the One who is in control and the future is in Your capable hands. Sometimes, Father, we’re prone to fret over these events ourselves. Forgive us for our weak faith. Fill us today with hope from the Scriptures, focusing our thoughts only on You and the assurance Your Word of truth beings to our hearts. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Introduction: The temple of Karnak complex in Egypt presents some of the oldest ruins in history, including decayed temples, chapels, and residences near Luxor. On the wall of one of the temples is a set of Egyptian hieroglyphics that provides a description of the first recorded war in the history of the world. This wasn’t the first conflict ever to occur, mind you, but it is the first known war to have been described in writing.

The battle described by these hieroglyphs took place on April 16, 1457 BC, between Pharoah Thutmose III and a large coalition of Canaanite tribes led by the king of Kadesh. Both armies boasted about ten thousand soldiers. The Egyptians routed the Canaanite forces, who retreated to their walled city, known as Megiddo. The Egyptians besieged the city and took it seven months later.

What’s interesting is the location of this war. The battle between Egypt and the Canaanites – the first recorded battle in world history – occurred in the Valley of Armageddon. This conflict is commonly known as “the Battle of Megiddo.”

Today, the Valley of Armageddon (also known as the Valley of Jezreel) is the breadbasket of Israel. It is a perfect agricultural plain that yields huge amounts of barley, wheat, oranges, beans, watermelon, chickpeas, and sunflowers. But throughout history, this area has been the scene of a myriad of conflicts – with as many as two hundred battles in all, so far.

It’s from this exact spot that the Antichrist will set up his forward operating base in the final war of history (Rev. 16:16). The name Armageddon comes from the Hebrew term Har Megiddo, or the “Mountain of Megiddo.” Interestingly, Megiddo was not originally a mountain. It’s an archaeological “tel,” or manmade hill, that gained its height from the repeated destruction and rebuilding of the city.

Our planet has a land surface of more than 57 million square miles, yet the first and last recorded battles in history were (and will be) fought in the same place. These two wars serve, in a way, as bookends to the history of warfare. Between them is volume after volume of the bloody battles that mar humanity’s story.

I. OUR CONFLICTS (Mt. 24:6-7)

In His Olivet Discourse, Jesus warned that dissension would in-
crease and that global warfare would envelop humanity in increasing measure. Standing on another high place – the Mount of Olives – He told His disciples …

[READ Mt. 24:6-7a]

6 And you are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7a For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, ….

These words provide a springboard for us to examine three important ways our world has been, still is, and will be influenced by war.

• The Curse of War

According to an article in the New York Times in 2003, the world at that time had been at peace for only 268 of the past 3,400 years. In other words, only 8% of that period of our history has been peaceful. No one knows how many people have perished in times of war. The Times speculated that at least 108 million people were killed in wars in the twentieth century alone. Some experts believe “a billion people have lost their lives during all the military conflicts that have pockmarked history like bomb craters.”

But casualties are only part of the story. Consider how many people have been bereaved by every single military death – mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, children, and friends. Even in our own lifetimes, we’ve stood by flag-draped caskets and listened to the mournful bugle playing “Taps.” Most of the soldiers slain have been young men, leading to decreased birth rates and depressed populations. Also consider the maimed and wounded, those permanently traumatized, and all who have faced unspeakable atrocities. We can’t conceive of the terror that accompanies the triumph of evil or the despair of defeat when it befalls good people.

War also has terrible after effects, including famine and pestilence, as we’ll see in some future messages. When the Spanish conquistadors invaded the Aztec, Incan, and Mayan empires, they carried smallpox and measles that decimated local populations. Returning soldiers from World War I brought home the H1N1 virus, which infected a third of the world’s population and killed more people than the war itself.

Author and Christian theologian C.S. Lewis knew the curse of war. During World War I he served on the front lines in France and was wounded by an exploding shell. Years later, when World War II arrived, he wrote:

My memories of the last war haunted my dreams for years. Military service, to be plain, includes the threat of every temporal evil; pain and death which is what we fear from sickness: isolation from those we love which is what we fear from exile: toil under arbitrary masters … which is what we fear from slavery: hunger, thirst, and exposure which is what we fear from poverty. I’m not a pacifist. If it’s got to be, it’s got to be. But the flesh is weak and selfish, and I think death would be much better than to live through another war.

So here we are, a few billion souls occupying a small, spinning planet, surrounded by a stunning universe and inhabiting a world of unrivaled beauty. Yet our history is soaked with blood, saturated with sorrow, and dominated by massive armies that now have the potential to unleash worldwide carnage and destruction. Certainly, war is a horrible thing.

However, war produces heroes and brings out the best in those whose cause is right. Without just wars, evil cannot be obstructed; the Hitlers of history could not be stopped, and dictators would prevail.

Dr. Margaret MacMillan, an expert on the history of warfare, wrote: It is another uncomfortable truth about war that it brings both destruction and creation. So many of our advances in science and technology – the jet engine, transistors, computers – came about because they were needed in wartime. Penicillin, which has saved so many lives, was first discovered in 1928 by Sir Alexander Fleming but the funds to develop it were not available until the Second World War. The Canadian doctor Norman Bethune pioneered blood transfusions on the battlefield. The practice of triage, now common in all emergency rooms, started in wars …. Surgery – for traumatic wounds or to rebuild shattered faces – made huge advances during the wars of the twentieth century.

Some of history’s greatest moments have reflected the courage of leaders in times of war. Who is not moved by Churchill’s stirring words that represent one of the greatest moments of leadership in the modern world? “Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour.’”

The conflict between good and evil, which each of us feels in our own souls, finds its greatest field of operation on the battlegrounds of war. Human history, with all its triumphs and tragedies, has been ushered from one lurching moment to another by warfare.

• The Cause of War (Ex. 15:3; Ps. 144:1; Jas. 4:1; 1 Pet. 2:11; Rom. 8:37; 1 Tim. 1:18)

Because the curse of war is so great, philosophers have long searched for its cause. Why do people fight one another? Why does nation rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom? Dr. MacMillan also wrote, “The evidence seems to be on the side of those who say that human beings, as far back as we can tell, have had a propensity to attack each other in organized ways – in other words, to make war. That challenges us to understand why it is that human beings are willing and able to kill each other.”

Why indeed? The ancients believed the Trojan War started when Zeus concluded there were too many people on earth and prompted humans to fight and kill one another. Others point to Darwin’s theory of evolution and his concept of the survival of the fittest. But we can’t blame the reality of war on mythical gods or evolutionary schemes.

One of the most chilling books on this subject, Ordinary Men by Christopher Browning, describes how a unit of average, middle-aged, working-class German men became cold-blooded murders able to kill without remorse. Not only did these soldiers commit mass murder, but they also rounded up Jewish people for deportation to the death camps. Browning’s disturbing thesis is that almost any of us are capable of committing such atrocities if we’re caught up in an environment that alters moral norms, creates group dynamics, and defers to authority.

In short, the cause of war is the human heart, and we can trace the problem back to the moment Adam and Eve first disobeyed God. The vertical rupture sin caused in our relationship with the Lord produced a corresponding horizontal rupture between one person and another. First, Adam and Eve hid from God, then Cain killed Abel. From that day forward, history and the pages of the Bible have been marked by warfare. In fact, in the OT, the word war occurs more than 300 times. More than 200 times in the OT, Jehovah is called “the LORD of hosts.” After Moses and the children of Israel escaped the clutches of Pharaoh through the intervention of God, they sang this song of victory: “The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is His name” (Ex. 15:3).

Many of God’s great servants were military men: Saul, David, Moses, Gideon, and many of the kings of Israel. Listen to the testimony of King David:  “Blessed be the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle” (Ps. 144:1).

People often wonder why war is so common in the OT but is hardly mentioned in the NT. Actually, that’s not the case. The apostles used the language of war on many occasions to illustrate the believer’s journey. They spoke of “desires for pleasure that war in your members” (Jas. 4:1). They instructed their followers to “abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11). They were told that through Christ, they could become “conquerors” (Rom. 8:37).
Timothy was encouraged by Paul to “wage the good warfare” (1 Tim. 1:18). These are just a few examples.

I think it is safe to say that because of the conflict between good and evil that originated in the garden of Eden, war has become a major theme in the human story – and will remain so up to and through the end of this world.

• The Course of War (Mt. 24:6-7a; Rev. 19:11-21)

Having looked at the curse and the cause of war, now let’s look at its course. As I have indicated, human conflict started with Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. Throughout history, the technology of war has advanced until this moment, when the world has produced enough firepower to kill everyone on earth many times over.

This brings us again to the words of Jesus …

[READ Mt. 24:6-7a]

6 And you are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7a For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, ….

Remember when I said earlier that there have only been a few years in world history without national and international conflicts? Some of those years occurred during the lifetime of Jesus, when the world experienced a time of relative tranquility. This was the golden age of Roman life, when the arts, literature, and technology advanced to heights not previously seen. The Roman Empire ruled a quarter of the world’s population.

In that season, few people would have predicted the return and acceleration of global conflict, but Jesus knew what was ahead. He unequivocally told His disciples, “You will hear of wars.” He also told them they would hear of “rumors of wars.” That word rumors is a translation of the original Greek term akoe. It can mean either “report” or “sound.” If Jesus intended the former, He was telling His disciples they would hear of actual wars and reports of others that couldn’t be verified. But many experts believe the better translation is “sound” or “noise.” In other words, you will hear about wars far away, and you will actually hear the sounds of wars close by. Those wars will come to you, to your gates, to your cities. One Bible translation puts it this way, “You are going to hear the noise of battles close by and the news of battles far away” (Mt. 24:6).

Biblical scholars believe the phrase “wars and rumors of wars” actually represents the earliest description of a world war. “This expression is a Hebrew idiom for a world war. Jesus’ statement here is that when a world war occurs, rather than merely a local war, that world war would signal that the end of the age had begun.”

Whatever the case, the idea is there will be wars everywhere, which will increase in intensity, scope, and fearfulness as the age draws toward its God-ordained conclusion.

Right now, the Russian invasion of Ukraine drags on, and earlier this month Russia launched armed drones into Poland. In the Middle East there are almost daily reports of battles and skirmishes between Israel and her hostile Islamic neighbors.

It’s reported that Vladimir Putin has amassed the world’s largest collection of nuclear weapons and has threatened to “use them, if needed.” Experts on China warn that it now “poses a challenge unlike any the United States has ever faced.”

At the present, there are nine countries known to possess nuclear weapons; one wonders how many unknown powers have them. The global inventory of nuclear weapons is estimated at 13,000 devices. According to experts, “The warheads on just one US nuclear-armed submarine have seven times the destructive power of all the bombs dropped during World War II, including the two atomic bombs deployed in Japan.” In 2022, there were ten such American submarines prowling the world’s oceans. But the oceans are filled with submarines from other nations too, all carrying equal payloads.

As of 2022, China had an estimated 350 nuclear warheads, with approximately 100 of them assigned to missiles capable of reaching the United States. The United Kingdom had 120 nuclear weapons, with 40 deployed at any given time on Trident submarines. France had nearly 300 deployed weapons, most on submarines. North Korea had enough nuclear material for up to 40 weapons, and some experts believed that at the time half of them had already been assembled. Israel rarely discusses its nuclear capability, but it faces ongoing threats from the Islamic rulers of Iran who vow to destroy the Jewish state. So, you can be sure Israel is well-armed and ready to respond.

Beloved, it’s only the grace of God that has thus far prevented a terrorist group from detonating a nuclear device somewhere on earth. And I don’t even have time to tell you about biological weapons and other man-made terrors! Were all the weapons on earth deployed and detonated at the same time, it’s likely the earth itself would be reduced to a charred ball of burnt carbon.

I don’t believe that is going to happen, because the Lord has given us a glimpse into the future in Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation. Any time now, Jesus is going to come for His church, and the events described in Matthew 24 that have been growing in intensity and frequency will give birth to a series of wars unlike anything ever witnessed before in human history. Finally, they will reach their zenith at Armageddon. But the Bible tells us that war will be suddenly interrupted by the majestic return of Christ from whose mouth will proceed a sharp sword (Rev. 19:11-21). He will save His people from annihilation, He will save the world from total destruction, and He will establish a kingdom where peace and justice will reign supreme.

As terrifying as our current world conflicts may seem, we can take solace in the truth that the course of war will eventually lead us to Christ’s return.

II. OUR CONFIDENCE (Mt. 24:6)

Jesus summarized all these ideas when He warned of “wars and rumors of wars.” But it’s what He said next that seems the most surprising. We might have expected Him to say, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, so be prepared for trouble. Keep an anxious eye on the times. Expect to feel uneasy and prepare for the many foes and woes to come.” But no; that’s not what He said. Our Lord told us, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed” (Mt. 24:6).

The Greek word for “alarmed” means to be terrified, to cry aloud, to scream. Jesus tells us not to panic, even when we are surrounded by wars and rumors of war. How is that possible? The answer is wrapped up in the peace we can find from God’s promise, God’s presence, and God’s plan.

• Peace from God’s Promise (Ps. 46:9; Isa. 2:4)

First, we can choose to be “unalarmed” by the reality of war because God has promised that, one day, wars will no longer be a reality. Wars will cease. Like you, I feel grieved by the conflicts that harm and destroy so many, especially so many innocent people. We may ask good questions about why these things happen. But the day is coming when Psalm 46 will be fulfilled:

[READ Ps. 46:8-9]

8 Come, behold the works of Yahweh,
Who has appointed desolations in the earth.

9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts up the spear;
He burns the chariots with fire.

Isaiah spoke of the days of Jesus’ coming kingdom when He will reign from Jerusalem, and all the tribes of the earth will hear His teachings and learn His ways.

[READ Isa. 2:4]

4 And He will judge between the nations,
And will render decisions for many peoples;
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.

Dr. M.R. DeHaan wrote of this day: The Bible is replete with prophecies of a coming age of peace and prosperity. It will be a time when war will be utterly unknown. Not a single armament plant will be operating, not a soldier or sailor will be in uniform, no military camps will exist, and not one cent will be spent for armaments of war, not a single penny will be used for defense, much less for offensive warfare. Can you imagine such an age, when all nations shall be at perfect peace, all the resources available for enjoyment, all industry engaged in the articles of a peaceful luxury?

We haven’t reached that day yet, but God has promised that we will. In the meantime, though there is warfare in the world, there can be peace in the hearts of God’s children.

• Peace from God’s Presence (Deut. 20:3-4, 31:8; Josh. 1:5, 9; Isa. 43:2; Heb. 13:5-6; Mt. 1:23; Jn. 14:27, 16:33)

Nothing is more important, or more confidence boosting, than the promise that God will be with us during difficult seasons – including conflicts of all kinds. Here are just a few of these promises.

[READ Deut. 20:3-4]

3 And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are drawing near to the battle against your enemies today. Do not let your heart be faint. Do not be afraid, nor be alarmed, nor be in dread before them, 4 for Yahweh your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’

[READ Deut. 31:8]

8 “And Yahweh is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

[READ Josh. 1:5, 9]

5 No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you …. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be in dread or be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.

[READ Isa. 43:2]

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.

[READ Heb. 13:5-6]

5 … He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” 6 so that we confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?”

The promise of the presence of God in our lives is so important that when He sent His Son into our world to provide for our salvation, one of the names He was given celebrates His presence with us.

[READ Mt. 1:23]

23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

Jim and Marina Noyes were in Ukraine when Russia invaded. They spent the first ten days of the war in Kyiv, where they had planted a church. They wanted to stay in Ukraine, but they have two grandchildren, and one is a special-needs child. She is a little girl who uses a walker to move about. One day Marina heard the child talking to her baby doll in Ukrainian. She said, “Do not worry. Don’t panic, sweetie. All will be well. Mommy is with you.” From the lips of children!

Jim and Marina, their son and daughter-in-law, and the two children wound their way around the conflict to escape Ukraine. When Jim and Marina arrived in the United States, they shared their story.

“When the trouble comes, we cry,” said Marina, speaking on behalf of the Ukrainian people. “When it gets bad, we pray. When it becomes unbearable, we sing.” She said that Ukrainians have written thousands of songs since the war began. “Ukraine has always been religious,” she added, “but now Ukraine is really turning to God.”

Our peace amid conflict – our ability to sing in the storm – comes from the One who said …

[READ Jn. 14:27]

27 … Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

[READ Jn. 16:33]

We are reminded, He is the same Savior who told us,
33 ... In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.

• Peace from God’s Plan (Mt. 24:6-7; Isa. 26:3)

Let’s look at Matthew 24:6-7a one more time:

[READ Mt. 24:6-7a]

6 And you are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7a For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, ….

For those things must take place. Don’t you just love it when Jesus says, “must”? It indicates the indisputable, inexorable decrees of Almighty God in things large and small that must and will be fulfilled. Because Jesus knows the things that “must be fulfilled,” we can rest in Him and abide in His peace – whatever our world may be doing and wherever it may be happening.

In late 2021, a two-man Youth for Christ team from Lebanon went to eastern Sudan to help organize the YFC work there and evangelize rural areas. John Sagherian was a 74-year-old widower. Elie Heneine, 27, was a newly married YFC worker. John and Elie met at the hotel early on their first day to begin their work. Noticing everyone gathered around a television, they learned the military had staged an overnight coup in the capital of Khartoum. Sudan was in crisis-mode, again. The airports were restricted, and the population was tense. Instantly, everything the two men had planned was up in the air. Elie’s wife back in Lebanon kept them up-to-date on the news she was hearing, and it seemed impossible for their mission to continue. But they determined to do their best.

Two days before the coup, John arranged to meet a man named Sabet, who showed leadership potential and had recruited others to help him in evangelism. So, John and Elie made their way to the meeting spot and found thirty people on plastic chairs in a three-walled, tin-roofed structure. John had a message he often preached, so he pulled out his Bible and preached it. The title was “Why Is God Doing This to Us?” He reassured the congregation that God had a plan, even in the midst of troubles and conflicts. Rather than becoming angry and bitter, we should look to see what God is doing. Our constant question to God, John said, is “What now, Lord?”

The day of the coup, Sabet took John and Elie in a three-wheeled auto rickshaw to meet thirty-five church leaders. The rickshaw was packed with five other passengers and a baby goat. The driver was fifteen. They navigated around riots and areas of protest. Finally arriving at their destination, John preached from Psalm 78 to the youth workers. Conditions in eastern Sudan worsened. The government cut off phone and internet service across the nation. Just as John and Elie decided to return home, the airports closed. “What now, Lord?”

Near them was a school in a poor village. Ninety-five percent of the students were Muslim, but the headmaster was a Christian, a man whom Sabet had led to the Lord 10 years earlier. This man had won a few others to Christ, gathered them into his home, and started a church. Now, in the middle of a national crisis, the same headmaster gathered all the students to a rally and told John to preach to them about Jesus.

Having been a Youth for Christ worker for decades, John was eager to speak – and to give an altar all. Based on his experience, he thought a hundred students would show up and perhaps five or so would be saved. Instead, over a thousand students showed up on the schoolyard grounds. John preached the gospel and explained the way of eternal salvation provided by Jesus. Then he asked anyone wanting to give their life to Christ to stand.

The crowd was nervous, but eventually one person stood. Then a second, a third, and a fourth. Before long, the entire student body was standing. Thinking they had misunderstood, John had everyone sit while he explained the importance of this decision. This time he asked those who wanted to follow Christ to raise their hands. Eighty percent of the students did so.

John and Elie finally made their way back to Lebanon. Here’s how Elie summed up the trip: “God moved circumstances and people, putting us in places we couldn’t have imagined. It was like a well-played chess match, and God won!”

On a certain level, all of human history appears to be a chess match between God and the devil, but there’s no question about who has won, is winning, and who will always secure the victory. That’s why Jesus told us we’d hear of wars and rumors of war – but not to be troubled or alarmed. The only way to do this is by faith – to trust in Jesus Christ.

[READ Isa. 26:3]

3 The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace
Because he trusts in You.

I like the way Paul David Tripp explained this concept: Peace is found in trusting the Person who controls all the things that you don’t understand and who knows no mystery because He has planned it all. How do you experience this remarkable peace? … You experience it by keeping your mind stayed on the Lord. The more you meditate on His glory, His power, His wisdom, His grace, His faithfulness, His righteousness, His patience, His zeal to redeem, and His commitment to His eternal promises to you, the more you can deal with mystery in your life. It really is true that peace in times of trouble is not found in figuring out your life, but in worship of the One who has everything figured out already.

Trust the Lord Jesus Christ with your soul’s salvation. Trust the Lord Jesus with your struggles and sorrows. Trust Jesus with your service. He has work for you to do in these last days. And when you hit roadblocks, end up in rickshaws, and find yourself in the midst of conflict, just ask, “What now, Lord?” He wants to use you more than you know, and He can do far more than all you can ask or even imagine (Eph. 3:20).

III. IN CONCLUSION (Ps. 90:2)

So, yes, we will hear of dissension, of wars and rumors of wars, but don’t be troubled. These things must happen, but Jesus is coming – right on schedule!

Bruce Belfrage was an English actor who became a reporter and news reader for the BBC. As the Battle of Britain terrorized London during World War II, the German Luftwaffe bombed the city with unremitting air raids. The BBC headquarters were not spared either. On the evening of October 15, 1940, the BBC took a direct hit from a 500-pound, delayed-reaction bomb, which exploded during the nine o’clock news. Seven people were killed. Bruce Belfrage was reading the news at that very moment, even as plaster, soot, and smoke rained down on him. To everyone’s amazement, Belfrage didn’t miss a beat. He calmly kept reading the news as if nothing had happened. The only thing listeners at home heard was a dull thud and some whispering, “Are you all right?” Belfrage’s only comment was, “Carry on. It’s all right.”

That’s what Jesus is telling us in Matthew 24:6-7. Even in a war-weary world, we need to keep calm and carry on. Let me sum it up this way: we live in a world that will wage war from Armageddon to Armageddon, but we serve a Lord who reigns from everlasting to everlasting (Ps. 90:2). Let not your hearts be troubled! Trust Christ and carry on. Be calm.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the calm and quiet which You promise is accessible to us even in the middle of the world’s chaos. God, it often feels impossible for us to find peace when it seems that our planet is spinning out of control. So, help us, Father, to remember that when we feel overwhelmed by what we can’t predict or plan for, You already know the end of the matter and are with us every moment. Help us, Lord, to trust You. May the Holy Spirit steady our minds and hearts with Your promises. Father, thank You for being so good and kind to us. You are loving and faithful beyond measure. Thank You for the gift of faith. Thank You for reminding us that You are our Provider and that it is Your delight to care for us. You always demonstrate how much You love us. You shower us with Your peace and rest for our souls. May we seek You above all the cares of this world. Enable us to tune out every other voice so that we can hear Your sweet whispers of assurance. We thank You for the powerful work You’re doing even when we don’t understand it or can’t see it. May we trust in You at all times, in every way. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

Invitation # 494: “Like a River Glorious” (3 vs.)

Benediction: Beloved, the Lord Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Amen. (Jn. 16:33)

A WORLD OF WAR

Olivet Discourse (Lesson 3) - September 21, 2025 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Introduction: Our planet has a land surface of more than 57 million square miles, yet the first and last recorded battles in history were (and will be) fought in the same place. The two wars of Armageddon serve, in a way, as bookends to the history of warfare. Between them is volume after volume of the bloody battles that mar humanity’s story.

I. OUR CONFLICTS (Mt. 24:6-7a)

* The Curse of War

* The Cause of War (Ex. 15:3; Ps. 144:1; Jas. 4:1; 1 Pet. 2:11; Rom. 8:37; 1 Tim. 1:18)

* The Course of War (Mt. 24:6-7a; Rev. 19:11-21)

II. OUR CONFIDENCE (Mt. 24:6)

* Peace from God’s Promise (Ps. 46:8-9; Isa. 2:4)

* Peace from God’s Presence (Deut. 20:3-4, 31:8; Josh. 1:5, 9; Isa. 43:2; Heb. 13:5-6; Mt. 1:23; Jn. 14:27, 16:33)

* Peace from God’s Plan (Mt. 24:6-7a; Isa. 26:3)

III. IN CONCLUSION (Ps. 90:2)

So, yes, we will hear of dissension, of wars and rumors of wars, but don’t be troubled. These things must happen, but Jesus is coming – right on schedule!

That’s what Jesus is telling us in Matthew 24-6-7a. Even in a war-weary world, we need to keep calm and carry on. Let me sum it up this way: we live in a world that will wage war from Armageddon to Armageddon, but we serve a Lord who reigns from everlasting to everlasting (Ps. 90:2). Let not your hearts be troubled! Trust Christ and carry on; be calm.

A WORLD OF DECEPTION

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we come before You this morning in pursuit of the truth. We know that You alone can reveal what is hidden in darkness and bring to light what is concealed. I ask that You would give us divine discernment to know what is true and what is false, what is right and what is wrong. I pray that You will uncover any deception or lies that may be clouding our minds or leading us astray. Shine Your light on any hidden motives or agendas that are not aligned with Your will. May we remember that the truth is not just a set of facts, but it is a way of life. It is living in alignment with Your word and being guided by Your Holy Spirit. Help us, Lord, to always seek after the truth, even when it is difficult or uncomfortable. I ask You to give me clarity of thought and the courage to speak truthfully and boldly to Your people today. I pray for these things in the name of Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. Amen.

Introduction: The end came swiftly – 4 p.m. local time on Christmas Day, 1989. Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, hands bound, faces defiant, stood before a firing squad of Romanian paratroopers. In an instant, their bodies were riddled with 120 rounds of ammunition, and one of the twentieth century’s most brutal reigns of terror came to an end. These executions also signaled the end of the Communist regimes knows as the Soviet Bloc.

Ceausescu was a master of deception. His face could be stern, happy, terrifying – whatever he wanted it to be. He and his wife kept an iron grip on Romania for 24 years, promising to turn the nation into a utopia, a country without oppression or poverty, and a place of plenty and prosperity. All the while, their cruel fists were crushing their own people and squeezing their nation dry.

Ceausescu presented himself as a man of unprecedented talent: “the supreme embodiment of good,” the “hero of heroes,” the “worker of workers,” and the “first personage of the world” (his words, not mine).

His wife, Elena, was an attractive woman from a peasant background who was determined to be as powerful as her husband. She became first deputy prime minister and the “mother of the nation.” The media hailed her as a model for women everywhere. Actually, she was more like a modern Jezebel. In fact, the Ceausescu’s story bears a striking resemblance to King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of OT infamy. It’s the story of an arrogant couple who were addicted to power and reigned through deceit, duplicity, and unimaginable cruelty – with a disastrous ending.

Many historians will tell you they were as evil and Hitler; they simply lacked the opportunity to work on as grand a scale. They deceived not only their own people but also the West. Queen Elizabeth II knighted Ceausescu. The United States granted his country “most-favored nation” trading status. Former Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin credited Ceausescu with successfully mediating Anwar Sadat’s peace mission to Jerusalem. This couple fooled the world for decades.

Unfortunately, they aren’t the last of the great deceivers. Counterfeit leaders are still proliferating like spores in the air, growing worse by the day. This trend won’t end until the Antichrist meets his doom.

Deception is a frequent topic in Scripture. It begins in the garden of Eden when Eve said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Gen. 3:13). At the other end of the Bible, we read something similar: “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:10).

Just think of it: the master deceiver – Satan – enters the picture three chapters into the Bible, and he is cast into the lake of fire three chapters from the end of the Bible. From Eden to the end, he’s been spinning webs of deception and smothering our world.

Jesus took keen notice of this theme in His Olivet Discourse. Deceit occupies a significant place in the prophetic passages of the NT, and this is actually where Jesus began His teaching about signs of the times. When the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him about the future, He began His response by saying, “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Mt. 24:4).

I. THE STATUS OF DECEPTION (Mk. 13:5-6; Lk. 21:8; Mt. 24:23-24; Rev. 6:1-2; Mt. 24:11, 36, 42, 44, Mt. 25:13; Mk. 13:32)

According to Jesus, disinformation will play a major role in the world during the last days. While we should always be on alert for lies and misdirection, the Lord warned us to be especially watchful for spiritual deceit as the day of His return approaches.

[READ Mk. 13:5-6]
5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many.

[READ Lk. 21:8]
8 And He said, “See to it that you are not deceived; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is at hand.’ Do not go after them.

[READ Mt. 24:23-24]
23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

As I mentioned last week, the judgments promised in Matthew 24:4-11 parallel the first five seal judgments of Revelation 6:1-11; with the very first seal depicting a false messiah.

[READ Rev. 6:1-2]
1 Then I looked when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” 2 Then I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sits on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out overcoming and to overcome.

This rider on the white horse is a counterfeit. He is a false christ. He will arise as a global champion, the person of the hour, to rescue the world from impending catastrophe. In short order, he will mutate into the Antichrist. But this personage won’t simply appear in a vacuum. Leading up to his appearance, many others will come and falsely claim to be the Messiah (1 Jn. 2:18). Our Lord specifically instructed His disciples not to fall for such claims.

Is this such a far-fetched idea? People actually claiming messiahship? Figures claiming the be the Savior? No! Even in the first century, several revolutionaries made that boast and are mentioned in the book of Acts (see the inside cover of today’s bulletin).

In every century after Christ’s death and resurrection, impostors have claimed to be the Messiah or some other sort of savior to their people or to the world. And every single one of them have been pretenders.

But it’s not only false messiahs that are the problem. For every impostor who has claimed to be the Messiah, at least ten others claim knowledge about the future that they simply cannot know. These are false prophets. Jesus warned us about these individuals as well.

[READ Mt. 24:11]
11 Many false prophets will arise and will deceive many.

I shared a little bit about one of these false prophets on Wednesday. In the 1800s, a New Englander named William Miller became enamored with determining the date of the imminent return of Christ, using dubious mathematical calculations. He collected mounds of data, analyzed it, and was certain Christ would return on March 21, 1843. The press went wild, and the news spread across the country. As March 21 approached, businesses closed, people stayed home, and Miller’s devoted followers donned their ascension robes, hiked into the mountains, and climbed towering trees to get as high as possible so they would have “less distance to travel through the air” when the Lord returned with a shout.

Well, the day came and went. The Lord didn’t return. The Millerites trudged home, accompanied by leers and jeers from their neighbors and friends. It was a confusing day for these disappointed men and women. Even worse, it made everyone who followed the news a bit more cynical about Christianity.

But Miller wasn’t a man to give up easily. He went back to the Scriptures and found a one-year “mistake” in his calculations. Exactly 365 days later, the Millerites once again robed themselves, climbed trees, and awaited the Lord’s return. And once again, they were disappointed -- and this time angry. Most of them abandoned their sincere but deluded leader. And infinitely more tragic, some of them turned their hearts away from God altogether. To his credit, Miller repented of his date setting and publicly admitted he had made a terrible error, not just in his calculations but in his foolish attempts to set the date of Christ’s return. But by then, or course, the damage was done.

Many other people have speculated on the day and hour of the Lord’s return, some of them making specific predictions about the end of the world. When I read about these false prophets, I wonder what Bible they’re studying. The Bible clearly says the date of our Lord’s return is unknown and unknowable by anyone on earth.

[READ Mt. 24:36]
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

[READ Mt. 24:42]
42 “Therefore stay awake, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

[READ Mt. 24:44]
44 For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

[READ Mt. 25:13]
13 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

[READ Mk. 13:32]
32 But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

Perhaps a couple of these verses confuse you. If Jesus is God, why didn’t He Himself know the time of His own return? Well, when Jesus spoke these words, He had divested Himself of the independent use of His attributes. He had taken the form of a man (Phil. 2:7), totally obedient to His Father and completely reliant on the Holy Spirit. In His humanity, He had temporarily relinquished some of the privileges of His deity. When Jesus rose from the dead and received His glorified body, He once again had access to His omniscience. Therefore, Christ now knows and looks forward to the day of His return.

Why, then, would some people claim to know the timing of Jesus’ return? If Christ Himself, in His humanity, didn’t know the details, why would anyone else boast of knowing? That’s the pull and power of deception.

Jesus strenuously warned us against being deceived in our spiritual lives. The NT epistles warn God’s people about the possibility of being deceived no fewer than 11 times! Just as brilliant people have been scammed and taken in by clever hoaxes, it’s also possible for Christians – even solid and mature believers – to be tricked. Without the wisdom and grace of God, we’re all vulnerable to deception. This danger will only accelerate as we move closer to Jesus’ return.

II. THE SOURCE OF DECEPTION (Rev. 12:9; Jn. 8:44; 2 Cor. 11:13-14)

The spiritual deception Jesus warns us of isn’t mere coincidence. There is someone behind these deceptions. Satan, the enemy of our souls, is the ultimate deceiver and the father of lies. From the dawn of history, one of his primary tools has been deceit.

[READ Rev. 12:9] John describes Satan this way …
9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.

[READ Jn. 8:44] Jesus describes Satan this way …
44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Spiritual deception may be Satan’s most insidious weapon against those of us who follow Christ and belong to His church. Jesus and His apostles spoke of it nearly 30 times in the NT. Satan is a liar. He is the Serpent. He is the deceiver. But he masquerades as something else, and so do his followers:

[READ 2 Cor. 11:13-14]
3 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

When this deception becomes full-blown in the period surrounding the rapture, it will be unlike anything that has ever happened before on earth. Just as clouds gather before a storm, we are experiencing the pull of apocalyptic deception. It is all around us. It’s in the air! What we’re sensing are the birth pains of deception, which will intensify around the globe before the rapture occurs. We feel it when politicians regularly fail to follow through on campaign promises. We feel it when media personalities tell us that up is down and dark is light. We feel it when scientists make outlandish claims about basic biology that don’t stand up to the scrutiny of common sense. We feel it when governments practice censorship in the name of protection, and persecution in the name of peace. We feel it when social media entraps our children with its lies.

In short, we’re already seeing an erosion of trust in the foundations that have held our cultures and civilizations together for millennia. That erosion will intensify as we approach the Lord’s return.

III. THE STRATEGY OF DECEPTION (2 Cor. 2:11)

About 2,400 years ago, a man in China by the name of Sun Tzu wrote a book called The Art of War. It remains popular even today with leaders in business, entertainment, education, law, politics, government, sports, and many other fields who study and apply Tzu’s principles in modern contexts.

Tzu wrote, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” Based on this paragraph, Sun Tzu is credited with coining the phrase, “Know your enemy.”

This is what the apostle Paul had in mind when he told the Corinthians not to be “ignorant of [Satan’s] devices” (2 Cor. 2:11). As followers of Christ, we need to know our enemy so we can stand against his schemes – including the scheme of deception. The best way to learn about Satan’s strategies is by studying God’s Word. The strategy Satan implemented in the garden of Eden is the same he uses today, and the same he will utilize in the last days. Unfortunately, many Christians have never analyzed his strategy, which is one reason they’re victimized by false prophets and deceptive doctrines running rampant. What is Satan’s universal strategy? It’s presented in detail in the third chapter of Genesis.

• Satan Disputes God’s Word (Gen. 3:1)
Satan began tempting Adam and Eve by disputing God’s Word.

[READ Gen. 3:1]
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which Yahweh God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

Satan tried to water down what God had said. To change it just a little. He whispered in Eve’s ear that perhaps she didn’t hear God correctly.

The devil tries something similar on us today. We open the clear, plain Word of God in front of us and read a verse that tells us we shouldn’t do something we’d really like to do. The next thing we know, someone shows up to give us an alternate interpretation of the text that will allow us to do what we know God has forbidden. That is a moment of decision. We must choose to accept the truth of God’s Word and act accordingly – or allow ourselves to be deceived.

• Satan Denies God’s Word (Gen. 3:4, 2:17)
Next, Satan told Adam and Eve, “You will not surely die” (Gen. 3:4). The road from doubt to denial is not very long. When Satan said, “You will not surely die,” he was brazenly contradicting what God had said. See for yourself:

[READ Gen. 2:17]
17 … But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat from it; for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.

You can’t miss the sequence! Doubt opens the door to denial. If Adam and Eve had not listened to Satan in the beginning, they would have never denied God in the end.

• Satan Displaces God’s Word (Gen. 3:5; Isa. 5:20; 1 Cor. 10:13)

After Satan disputed God’s Word and then denied it, he displaced it. He told Adam and Eve: “You will be like God” (Gen. 3:5). Satan was putting into their minds the same disturbing thought that had once entered his own mind – the same impulse that had transformed him from the anointed cherub to the devil of hell.

One of the easiest ways to see Satan’s plan at work in the world today is to observe how our culture treats sin. How easily we seem to push aside the pure truth of Scripture when doing so suits our purpose. Lying doesn’t seem bad if we’re trying to spare another person’s feelings or when facing a case of situational ethics. Adultery doesn’t feel as wrong when we describe it through doublespeak – just an “improper relation-ship” or even “true love.” Or gluttony and addiction aren’t the result of personal choices but genetic disorders or chemical imbalances.

Soon we find ways to dispute what God’s Word actually says. We say, “Those restrictions may have been true in the culture of Paul’s day, but things are different now. A sophisticated modern person such as myself can handle a bit of gray instead of treating everything as black or white.” When we allow Satan to sow seeds of doubt in our minds about the significance of sin, we’ve opened our hearts to the devil’s deception. How easily we justify our behavior! Right and wrong are turned upside down in the twinkling of an eye.

[READ Isa. 5:20] Isaiah wrote
20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness,
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

That can easily happen if we allow ourselves to be deceived. But it doesn’t have to. We don’t have to let Satan control our lives. The apostle Paul’s promise to the Corinthians still stands:

[READ 1 Cor. 10:13]
13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

• Satan Discounts God’s Goodness (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:2)

There’s another link in the chain of deception. The devil wants us to discount the Lord’s goodness, mercy, and grace. Notice God’s original instructions for humanity:

[READ Gen. 2:16-17, NKJV]
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Do you see God’s generosity? An abundance of goodness was offered “freely,” with only one restriction. Yet Eve reframed God’s original command when she spoke with Satan.

[READ Gen. 3:2, NKJV]
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; …”

Do you see what’s missing? Eve omitted God’s gracious provision that she and Adam could “freely” eat of every tree in the garden. In other words, her comprehension of God’s provision wasn’t nearly as magnanimous as God had intended. Satan got her with his evil insinuations about God. When you start questioning the grace and goodness of God, you’re on the road to deception.

Have you been tempted in that way? Why did God let this happen? You might wonder. If God is so good, why are these things taking place? Will He not answer my prayer? Where is He?

Let me give you some advice that has helped me in these situations. Stop and ask yourself a few questions to get reoriented. Is God good? Has He been good to me? Does His Word light the path ahead of me? Are His grace and provision sufficient for all my needs? Has He met my needs in the past? Has He given me promises to bear me through the difficulty? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes!

Don’t let Satan push you into thinking God has abandoned or failed you. When you open the door to those kinds of thoughts, you’re allowing Satan to sow seeds of deception in your heart.

• Satan Dramatizes God’s Restrictions (Gen. 3:2-3; 2 Tim. 2:15)

Adam and Eve not only discounted God’s goodness, but they also dramatized God’s restrictions, or they added to them.

Nowhere in Genesis 1 and 2 do we find that God told the first humans not to “touch” the forbidden tree. But Eve said to the serpent …

[READ Gen. 3:2-3, NKJV]
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

You might wonder, well what difference does that make? It makes a big difference. When you handle God’s Word carelessly, you give Satan an inroad to your life. You’ll soon be thinking less of the grace of God and more of the law of God. You’ll be focused on what you can’t do rather than what you are privileged to do.

That’s how the Serpent deceives us. Throughout my pastoral ministry, I’ve seen this demonic process played out. It happens to young people and older people, to new Christians and individuals who have been in the church for years, to the rich and the poor, to the highly educated and to high school dropouts. When we overemphasize the boundaries in our lives, we are prone to misrepresenting God and His Word, and we fall into Satan’s trap.

[READ 2 Tim. 2:15] The Bible tells each of us to …
5 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

• Satan Diminishes God’s Penalty (Gen. 2:17; 1 Pet. 5:8; Jn. 10:10)

Adam and Eve discounted God’s goodness, they dramatized God’s restrictions, and finally they diminished God’s penalty. Eve said, “Lest you die.” But that’s not what God said. Let’s look again at Genesis 2:17.

[READ Gen. 2:17]
17 … But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat from it; for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

Eve left out the “surely die” part and changed it to a simpler “lest you die.” The latter sounds like death is something that might happen – that it might be a possibility. The former makes it clear that death is inevitably connected with sin.

It’s easy for modern Christians to start reading the Word of God in this fashion – to see “maybe” when the text says “definitely,” or to hear “consider” when Scripture says “obey.” It opens the door to the deception of Satan.

For example, have you ever noticed how the devil comes to a young person and whispers, “You know how you’ve got all these drives within you? God put them there. He never meant for you to be frustrated all the time. After all, everybody’s doing it. We live in a sexually free environment, and yeah, I know you’re a Christian, but you’re also human. God expects you to be happy.”

Are you listening? The devil doesn’t want to help you! He wants to harm you. He wants to destroy, not build. He wants to enslave, not liberate. The Bible says, “The devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). He seldom does this in an obvious or obnoxious way. He does it deceptively, by sowing little seeds of doubt about the Word of God.

[READ Jn. 10:10]  Jesus said …
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; ….

We must understand this reality as we look toward Christ’s return. Satan is conducting an onslaught of deception designed to destroy you and me. If we’re not aware of it, we’ll be victimized by it. And the momentum seems to be on his side because evil is accelerating to warp speed as we hurtle toward the tribulation.

IV. THE SOLUTION TO DECEPTION (Jn. 14:6)

I recently read a story about an author named Mack Stiles who described leading a young man to faith in Christ. This particular young man, Andreas, was from Sweden, and the conversation got started when he voiced a common misconception about who Jesus is and what He offers.

Andreas said, “I’ve been told that if I decide to follow Jesus, He will meet my needs and my life will get very good.”
“No, Andreas,” said Stiles.
Andreas blinked with surprise.
“Actually, Andreas, you may accept Jesus and find that life goes very badly for you.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Well, you may find that your friends reject you, you could lose your job, your family might oppose your decision – there are a lot of bad things that may happen to you if you decide to follow Jesus. Andreas, when Jesus calls you, He calls you to go the way of the cross.”
“Then why would I want to follow Jesus?”
“The answer, Andreas, is because Jesus is true.”

Amen to that! Jesus is the solution to our world being driven deeper and deeper into deception. He’s the only needed answer to Satan’s strategy of deceit. Jesus is the truth, and He tells the truth. He is always, only, and forever true.
If you grasp the truth and it grasps you, it will set you free (Jn. 8:32). That’s the answer we need, and that is the answer Jesus provides. We know because He told us,

[READ Jn. 14:6] 
6 … “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

Jesus is utterly dependable and trustworthy. You can take Him at His word. When you meet Him, you move from false to true, from deception to reality, from relative confusion to absolute knowledge.

Now, let’s think as practically as we can. What can we do in our everyday lives to lift up the voice and value of truth to a world drowning in deception?

• Seek the Truth (Ps. 119:160)

First, make up your mind to seek the truth wherever it leads.

Dr. Michael Guillen was a professor of physics at Harvard and science editor for ABC News. He was an atheist, but the complex precision of the universe shook his faith in atheism. He became fascinated with Buddhism, Islam, and Chinese mysticism. But they didn’t satisfy him intellectually or emotionally.

One day his girlfriend, Laurel, asked him, “Have you ever actually read the Bible?” For the next two years, Michael and Laurel read the Bible cover to cover. That led to a longer study of Scripture and a reevaluation of his worldview in light of the person of Jesus Christ. Michael was especially impressed with the prophetic portions of Scripture. “Among the hundreds of OT prophecies are ones that foretell the coming of a Messiah,” he wrote. “Those were fulfilled in Christ, and the logic of the NT became unassailable.”

Dr. Guillen continued: One day it finally became clear to me what that conclusion had to be. It wasn’t an emotional experience for me. Rather, it was the culmination of an intellectual dawning, a gradual awakening, that had begun two decades earlier at Cornell when I – an unkempt, malnourished scientific monk – asked myself a simple but pointed question: How did this amazing, mostly invisible universe of ours come to be? … The answer, I now concluded … had everything to do with the loving God who spoke them into being, and the resurrected Jesus who brought this loving but remote God down to Earth, making it possible for me – for you, for anyone – to know Him personally.

[READ Ps. 119:160a]
160a The sum of Your word is truth, ….

I ran across a little maxim this week: The Bible: need it, read it, heed it, and speed it on its way to others. In other words, seek the truth.

• Speak the Truth (Col. 3:9-10; Prov. 12:22)

Second, speak the truth.

[READ Col. 3:9-10]
9 Do not lie to one another, since you put off the old man with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new man who is being renewed to a full knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.

Let’s be honest with one another. Many people feel comfortable with little lies. White lies. Minor misdirection.

* “Yes, the check’s in the mail.”

* “No, officer, I wasn’t aware I was speeding.”

* “I didn’t think my friend would mind my using his account for that streaming service.”

* “I didn’t mean to.”

As a culture, we’ve convinced ourselves dishonesty is only dangerous if it actively harms another person. But we’re only fooling ourselves.

[READ Prov. 12:22]
22 Lying lips are an abomination to Yahweh,
But doers of faithfulness are His delight.

For this very reason, let’s speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

• Show the Truth (2 Thes. 2:10; Prov. 23:23)

I recently read a story about a 67-year-old woman who was caught shoplifting in Stockholm, Sweden. Now, here’s the really strange part: this woman was one of the justices on Sweden’s Supreme Court!

How should we process this news? On the one hand, her crime was relatively minor. For many around the world, shoplifting is not a big deal (which is another deception, by the way). Yet, because of her status – because of her identity as a representative of the law in her nation’s highest court – she had to resign from her position.

The solution to the devil’s deception is for followers of Jesus to seek the truth, speak the truth, and, most important, show the truth through the witness of our everyday lives. Why? Because we are representatives of our Lord, who is the truth! Of course, representing Christ as the truth can be difficult when we live in a world that doesn’t value or believe in “truth.”

In his book Time for Truth, Dr. Os Guinness argued that the concept of truth in our modern world is dead: “Truth in any objective or absolute sense, truth that is independent of the mind of the knower, no longer exists. At best, truth is relative – it’s all a matter of interpretation and it all depends on the perspective. At worst, truth is ‘socially constructed’ – merely a matter of human convention and a testament to the community that believes it and the power that established it.”

This is satanic! The devil has effectively inserted a false definition of truth into our culture, our schools, and yes, even our churches. But you cannot be a genuine follower of Christ if you embrace a diluted form of truth.  Dr. John MacArthur wrote, “Every true Christian should know and love the truth. Scripture says one of the key characteristics of ‘those who perish’ (people who are damned by their unbelief) is that ‘they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved’ (2 Thes. 2:10).”

Instead of diluting what is true, let’s take Solomon’s advice: “Buy the truth, and do not sell it” (Prov. 23:23).

V. IN CONCLUSION (3 Jn. 3-4)

In closing, let me share another insight from Os Guinness: All truth is God’s truth and is true everywhere, for everyone, under all conditions. Truth is true in the sense that it is objective and independent of the mind of any human knower ….

Let me put it another way, Christian faith is not true because it works; it works because it is true. It is not true because we experience it; we experience it – deeply and gloriously – because it is true. It is not simply ‘true for us;’ it is true for anyone who seeks to find it, because truth is true even if nobody believes it and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. This is why truth does not yield to opinion, numbers, office, or sincerity – it is simply true and that is the end of it.

[READ 3 Jn. 3-4] The apostle John wrote …
3 For I rejoiced greatly when brothers came and bore witness to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Beloved, let’s be the truth. Let’s stand against the things that are false by standing up for the things that are true. Let’s stop posturing and actually be the people we want others to think we are. This is what I know: as we move into the deceptive days Jesus told us about in Matthew 24, the world is watching. It’s time for us to be honest!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we come to You seeking discernment and wisdom. Enable us to see through the falsehoods and deceptions of this world, as well as the lies and manipulations from the enemy of our souls. Keep us alert and vigilant, not only for ourselves, but for those around us. Give us courage to speak the truth and share Your Word in the face of opposition and adversity. We pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us in path of truth, leading us towards righteousness. O Father, give us the strength to resist temptation and stand firm in our faith. We ask You to protect us and our loved ones from the schemes of the enemy. May we be lights in the darkness, shining Your love and goodness for all to see. I ask this in the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who has defeated the enemy and given us the victory. Amen.

Invitation Slides: “This Is the Threefold Truth” (3 vs.)

Benediction: Beloved, set a watch over your lips; let no corrupt words come out of your mouths. Rather, speak what is true and good for edification, so that it will impart grace to those who hear it. Amen. (Eph. 4:29)

A WORLD OF DECEPTION

Olivet Discourse (Lesson 2) - September 14, 2025 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Introduction: Unfortunately, counterfeit leaders are still proliferating like spores in the air, growing worse by the day. This trend won’t end until the Antichrist meets his doom.

Deception is a frequent topic in Scripture. Jesus took keen notice of this theme in His Olivet Discourse. Deceit occupies a significant place in the prophetic passages of the NT, and this is actually where Jesus began His teaching about signs of the times.

I. THE STATUS OF DECEPTION (Mk. 13:5-6; Lk. 21:8; Mt. 24:23-24; Rev. 6:1-2; Mt. 24:11, 36, 42, 44, Mt. 25:13; Mk. 13:32)

II. THE SOURCE OF DECEPTION (Rev. 12:9; Jn. 8:44; 2 Cor. 11:13-14)

III. THE STRATEGY OF DECEPTION (2 Cor. 2:11)

* Satan Disputes God’s Word (Gen. 3:1)

* Satan Denies God’s Word (Gen. 3:4, 2:17)

* Satan Displaces God’s Word (Gen. 3:5; Isa. 5:20; 1 Cor. 10:13)

* Satan Discounts God’s Word (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:2, NKJV)

* Satan Dramatizes God’s Restrictions (Gen. 3:2-3, NKJV; 2 Tim. 2:15)

* Satan Diminishes God’s Penalty (Gen. 2:17; 1 Pet. 5:8; Jn. 10:10)

IV. THE SOLUTION TO DECEPTION (Jn. 14:6)

* Seek the Truth (Ps. 119:160a)

* Speak the Truth (Col. 3:9-10; Prov. 12:22)

* Show the Truth (2 Thes. 2:10; Prov. 23:23)

V. CONCLUSION (3 Jn. 3-4)
Beloved, let’s be the truth. Let’s stand against the things that are false by standing up for the things that are true. Let’s stop posturing and actually be the people we want others to think we are. This is what I know: as we move into the deceptive days Jesus told us about in Matthew 24, the world is watching. It’s time for us to be honest!

THE PROPHECY

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Prayer: Gracious Father, You know we live in times of uncertainty, so today I ask that You remind each of us of Your promises. Help us to trust in Your plan and have faith that You are in control. Today, as we study this poignant and power message from the holy Scriptures concerning how things will be in the days just before our Savior’s return, I pray the Holy Spirit will strengthen our belief in Christ’s second coming and the fulfillment of Your kingdom. In the meantime, impress upon us the importance of watching, waiting, and working for Your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Introduction: “And that’s the way it is ….”

Sitting behind his desk at CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite delivered that iconic sign-off for the last time on March 6, 1981. That moment wrapped up his incredible journalistic career spanning 46 years, 3 major wars (4 if you count the Cold War), the civil rights movement, the Kennedy and King assassinations, the Watergate scandal, and thousands of nightly broadcasts. At the peak of his career, Cronkite spoke to 29 million viewers every night. He shared the news of the day with honesty, impartiality, and a cool level-headedness that helped his views remain calm even in the most uncertain of circumstances.

What is perhaps the most remarkable thing about Walter Cronkite is that he understood the position he occupied within the culture, and he took it seriously. He often described his role as someone asked to “hold up the mirror – to tell and show the public what has happened.” That was it. No flooding the airwaves with opinions. No strong-arming the public to move in one direction or another. He simply spoke the truth about the world, and in doing so he helped millions find their place in it. Given that reality, perhaps it’s not surprising that he was often identified as the most trusted man in America.

Regrettably, there are no Walter Cronkites today – no voice or team of voices the majority of us trust to tell us what we need to know. Instead, our world is filled with innumerable prognosticators and prediction-makers ready to share their opinions. That includes millions of podcasters, hundreds of thousands of journalists, hundreds of 24 hours news networks, and countless ministers all clamoring for your attention and all claiming accuracy and authority on what’s happening today and what may happen tomorrow.

We hear so many voices. So many arguments. So many speculations. Everyone has a theory or an idea. Everyone is pushing some slant on the world – including what’s in store for the future. The clamor is louder than ever because we all have the feeling we’re living in a sudden-death overtime. Not until our own generation, has technology provided so many potential ways for humanity to end. If you do an online search for “the end of the world,” it’s not sermons and preachers you’ll find. It’s scientists, statesmen, physicians, physicists, and secular sages.

In the midst of all of this noise, let me suggest that there is one slant we should trust more than any other, one agenda we ought to prefer above all others, and one opinion we ought to value more than all the voices on earth. Amid the thousands of messages screaming for our attention, there’s only one voice we need to hear. It’s the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Mirror that can show us not just what is happening in the world but why it’s happening – and what will happen next.

What does Jesus have to say about the future? A lot! It may surprise you to discover that one of the longest messages of Jesus recorded in the NT is all about the future. Our future. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all include a section often referred to as the Olivet Discourse (Mt. 24, Mk. 13, Lk. 21). It is called this because Jesus answered the questions of four of His disciples – Peter, James, John, and Andrew – while sitting on the Mount of Olives (Mk. 13:3). Also known as Olivet, this area is a ridge east of Jerusalem that overlooks the city. It is a place Jesus often visited for rest and refuge.

Fewer than 50 days after His sermon on Olivet, Jesus ascended to heaven from that same mountain – perhaps from the very spot where He had preached. And it’s to this same spot He will soon return to earth (Acts 1:12; Zech. 14:4).

Interestingly, many of the slopes of the Mount of Olives are now covered with concrete tombs. Faithful Jews want to be buried there so they’ll be close at hand when the long-awaited Messiah arrives to enter the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem. No one knows how many people are buried there, but the number may be as high as 150,000, including the late Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin.

In our Lord’s day the hillsides were covered with olive trees, and the message Jesus gave His disciples on that historic day is – like the olive tree – ancient, sturdy, fruitful, and badly needed. The Olivet Discourse is our Lord’s second-longest recorded sermon in Matthew. The only one longer is the Sermon of the Mount (Mt. 5-7) which was a public sermon given at the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry. By contrast, the Olivet Discourse was a private message at the end of His earthly ministry.

While the Olivet Discourse is the second-longest sermon of Jesus in Matthew, it ranks first in another category. It occupies more space than any other message by Jesus in the entire Bible, when you consider it is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It occupies two chapters in Matthew alone.

Dr. Tim LaHaye said, “The Olivet Discourse … is the most important single passage of prophecy in all the Bible. It is significant because it came from Jesus Himself immediately after He was rejected by His own people, and because it provides the master outline of end-time events.”

I. THE SETTING OF THE PROPHECY (Mt. 24:1, 21:9, 23:37-39, Mk. 13:1)

Matthew introduces us to Jesus’ prophecy with these words:

[READ Mt. 24:1]

1 And coming out from the temple, Jesus was going along, and His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him.

Let’s enter the time machine of our imaginations and travel back to the time and place of Matthew 24. The Passover week would have fallen in early April, before the temperatures reached their oppressive summertime highs. Jesus and His disciples had traveled with crowds of pilgrims from Galilee, and everyone felt exuberant. Everyone except, perhaps, Jesus, who had “set His face to go to Jerusalem” for this final trip (Lk. 9:51).

Along the way He tried to prepare His disciples for the impending trauma of His arrest, trial, torture, death, and resurrection. But it was more than their minds could absorb. Who can blame them? A crucified Messiah wasn’t part of their worldview. Instead, they expected to soon be sitting at His right hand and left hand as He fulfilled the OT promises of God’s coming kingdom (Mt. 20:21).

The Lord and His companions walked through the Jordan Valley to Jericho, where He healed two blind beggars and gave them sight (Mt. 20:29-34). Then they ascended the old Jericho Road, hiking upward toward the backside of the Mount of Olives. When they arrived in Bethany, Jesus visited with His friends who lived there. Mary and Martha prepared supper, and Lazarus undoubtedly thanked Jesus again for restoring His life. Mary anointed His feet with oil, and the house was filled with its fragrant perfume (Jn. 12:1-7). Our Lord now had less than a week to live.

When the Galilean guest awoke on Sunday morning, they trudged up the eastern side of Olivet to the crest, and then Jesus asked His disciples to fetch Him a colt. In stark contrast to the Jerusalem crowd that would reject Him in just a few days, large crowds of Galilean pilgrims welcomed Him by singing,
“Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!” (Mt. 21:9).

Jesus entered the temple briefly before returning to Bethany for the night.

On Monday morning, Jesus cursed a fruitless fig tree on His way back into the Holy City (Mk. 11:12-14). Later that day, He caused a stir in the temple as He overturned the tables of the money changers (Mk. 11:15-18). The chief priests and scribes were angry enough to kill Him. Monday evening, He returned to Bethany with the twelve disciples for the night.

And that brings us to the day of Jesus’ great prophecy. On Tuesday morning, Jesus returned to the temple. There He delivered a blistering rebuke to the Jewish leaders and the nation of Israel. Have you ever been in a public place when a violent argument broke out – the kind in which conversations cease and everyone’s attention is glued to the conflict? Today people would be pulling out their cellphones to record the scene. Matthew didn’t have a cell phone, but you can’t read his account without picturing it in your mind and feeling the tension. Jesus words are recorded in Matthew 21-23. The same Lord who began His teaching ministry with a series of beatitudes (“Blessed are …”) in Matthew 5, concluded His public ministry with a series of curses (“Woe to you …”) in Matthew 23. Jesus spoke with righteous anger, and His fiery words condemned the Jewish leaders and their nation for rejecting Him. At the same time, His heart was breaking. These were His people! He loved them and the city of Jerusalem. Looking out over the houses, streets, and buildings covering the hills and deep ravines of that ancient Jewish capital, He wept, saying:

[READ Mt. 23:37-39]

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you did not want it. 38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

The last thing Jesus did before He left the temple on Tuesday evening was to sit opposite the temple treasury and watch people give their tithes and offerings. He watched as the rich gave much but a poor widow only her two mites (Mk. 12:41-44). Tuesday drew to a close. Only three days left. Then perhaps with a passionate backward glance, Jesus departed from the temple, symbolizing the withdrawal of God’s presence from that sacred place (Mt. 24:1). He sadly descended the staircase, leaving the mount where His people should have received Him. They would see Him no more until they were ready to say,
“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” (Mt. 23:1).

That’s when the disciples remarked to Jesus, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls” (Mk. 13:1). There’s been a lot of speculation about why the disciples chose this moment, of all times, to become so infatuated with the temple buildings. I confess, I have no idea what the reason could have been. Maybe it was because the barrenness of their inward lives had been exposed. In other words, their spiritual lives might have been empty, but they sure were proud of the beautiful building their ancestors had built. Or, perhaps, the disciples wanted to distract Jesus and themselves from the emotional exhaustion they had gone through that day. Maybe as the evening sun sank low in the sky, it sent cascades of gold across the stones and through the columns, and they were simply awestruck by the beauty of what they saw.

We might not know exactly what the disciples were thinking about the temple that Tuesday evening, but it’s pretty clear what Jesus thought about it. It is remarkable that Jesus spent the entire last week leading up to the cross focused on the temple and the corruption taking place there. The temple had become a place of financial greed where false religion and hypocrisy abounded and where poor widows were being robbed. God’s people had made a mockery of the temple and its purpose – and for that, judgment was coming soon. Jesus had had enough.

II. THE SUBJECT OF THE PROPHECY (Mt. 24:2, 3-8; Lk. 19:42-44; Mt. 24:3, 4-8)

From their vantage point on the Mount of Olives, Jesus and His disciples had a staggering view of Jerusalem and the temple complex. It was there, at that place and moment, that Jesus made a stunning prediction about the future.

[READ Mt. 24:2]

2 And He answered and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

What was Jesus doing when He predicted the utter destruction of the temple in Jerusalem? We dare not miss the significance of this! His words were breathtaking and definitive because He intended to show us His infallibility as a prophet. He said something so profound it could hardly be believed, yet so historic that later it could not be denied. Jesus was giving a specific prediction that would be fulfilled to the exact letter, so not even our modern historians can dispute it. He foresaw the soon-coming total destruction of everything they were gazing at – all of the edifices on the Temple Mount.

This wasn’t the first time Jesus had predicted the destruction of the temple. When He rebuked the Jews for their unbelief a chapter earlier, Jesus told them, “Your house is left to you desolate” (Mt. 23:38). He was also speaking about the city of Jerusalem, and particularly the temple, when He said this on the day of His triumphal entry:

[READ Lk. 19:42-44]

42 “If you knew in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, 44 and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

The Jewish historian Josephus described the temple complex as “the most admirable of all the works that we have seen or heard of, both for its curious structure and its magnitude, and also for the vast wealth bestowed upon it, as well as for the glorious reputation it had for its holiness.” The temple was one of the most expansive, majestic, and important buildings in the world. But not for long. In a few brief words, Jesus made a profound prediction that must have stunned the four disciples who heard it and the three disciples who recorded it for us in their gospels.

Fast-forward to AD 70. Less than 40 years after our Lord’s message, the temple was gone. Here’s how it happened. Responding to a Jewish uprising throughout Judea, the Roman general Titus built large wooden scaffolds around the walls of the temple buildings – a tactic never before used. He piled the scaffolds high with wood and other flammable material and set them on fire. The intense heat weakened the temple structure, and the Romans were able to dislodge the giant stones, prying them off one by one and casting them into the valley below. Afterward, soldiers sifted through the rubble retrieving any gold that had melted into the smoldering ruins. All that remained on the site was flattened down to the retaining walls – exactly as Jesus had predicted.

What are the odds that Jesus could accurately “guess” about a huge and highly honored temple being destroyed within a few decades? What is the likelihood that His “guess” would be so accurate? The statistical probability boggles the mind. But when Jesus speaks, odds mean absolutely nothing. What He predicts always comes true. What He prophesies happens – precisely as He says it will. So, less than 40 years after our Lord’s message, the temple was gone.

My reason for telling you all this is because one of the keys to understanding Jesus’ words about the world at the end of history is to understand that His prophecies were fulfilled exactly as He said they would be. They are precise. And nothing illustrates that truth more powerfully than Jesus’ prophecy concerning the destruction of Herod’s temple. This prophecy is the prelude to the Olivet Discourse, proving that we can fully depend on the accuracy of the rest of what He said about the future. We can have every confidence in their precise fulfillment.

Probably stunned by Jesus’ blunt promises, the disciples responded by asking Him two questions:

[READ Mt. 24:3]

3 Now as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”

In Matthew 24:48, Jesus began to answer by describing the initial group of what we often refer to as “the signs of the times” – the things that will happen just before He returns. We’ll devote the rest of this series to studying this revelation in detail.

[READ Mt. 24:4-8]

4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

III. THE SECRET TO THE PROPHECY (1 Thes. 5:1-3; see also Rev. 6:1-17, 8:1-5, 9:21, 11:15-19, 16:1-21)

The secret to understanding our Lord’s prophecy is found in the final word of the verse, which is sometimes translated as “sorrows.” The Greek term used in Matthew 24:8 is odin, which literally means birth pains – the contractions that begin and increase during the birth of a baby.
The contractions occur when the muscles of a woman’s uterus tighten and release, which prepares her body to give birth. At first, these contractions may be rather mild and irregular. But as the delivery draws closer, the contractions become stronger, closer together, more regular, and more painful. When the contractions are coming quickly and intensely, you’d better get to the hospital or you’ll be giving birth in the back seat of the car.

The apostle Paul used the same figure of speech when he discussed the return of Christ with the believers in Thessalonica, saying:

[READ 1 Thes. 5:1-3]

1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman who is pregnant, and they will never escape.

The time period Jesus describes in Matthew 24 is also pictured in the book of Revelation where the seal judgments unfold over a period of probably years (6:1-17; 8:1-5), the trumpet judgments over a much shorter period of time, perhaps weeks (8:6-9:21, 11:15-19), and the bowl judgments over the period of maybe just a few days or even hours (16:1-21).
What Jesus wants us to know as we unpack the rest of His sermon is this: the things that are going to happen in the future will not take place all-of-a-sudden. They will be like birth pains, with the frequency and intensity of each gradually increasing. When we observe this pattern in the world, then we’ve discovered the secret to understanding the signs of the times.

IV. THE SCOPE OF THE PROPHECY (1 Thes. 4:17; Mt. 24:4-14)

Some who have written about the subject of the end times have buried this sermon by Jesus deep into history. In other words, they want us to believe everything Jesus said to His disciples was fulfilled in AD 70 when Titus destroyed Jerusalem. Several of these writers have even tried to convince us that the second coming of Christ happened in AD 70!

Others believe that Jesus’ words have nothing to do with today’s world. They take a two-pronged approach: (1) What Jesus said about the temple being destroyed has already happened, and (2) The remainder of the Lord’s prophecy won’t be triggered until the church is removed during the rapture. Over the years, I have come to believe that these words of Jesus are for us today. They are for me, and they are for you.

Here’s what respected theologian Dr. John Walvoord wrote about the Olivet Discourse (and this aligns with my own convictions today):

The words of Christ to His disciples on the Mount of Olives delivered not long before He died have dramatic contemporary significance. In this discourse, Christ answered their questions concerning the signs of the end of the age and of His second coming. The revelation becomes increasingly vital to understanding the meaning of events that are occurring today …. A study of these prophecies will help one to understand the headlines of our newspapers today.

In his book Prophecy Made Plain, Carl G. Johnson wrote, “As I have studied this chapter, I am convinced that we have in the first eight verses a picture of this present age.”

The signs Jesus promised are like birth pains. They are occurring now, increasing in frequency, and pointing toward the rapture of the church. But the moment the church is gone, those signs will become much more severe and will throw the post-rapture world of the tribulation into a state of seizures and spasms such as we see described in the book of Revelation. In fact, the signs of Matthew 24 line up perfectly with the seals of Revelation 6. It is uncanny how accurate the Word of God really is.

However, none of this means we’re exempt from the buildup of these birth pains today. Jesus’ prophecy applies to us at this critical hour of history. While it does not tell us when the rapture will occur, it does describe what life will be like during the season of the rapture. Yes, after the rapture these signs will be solidified and fully realized during the first half of the tribulation. Yet they will not appear out of nowhere. They will represent the continuation and intensification of what was already unfolding on the world stage.

When Christ comes in the air for His church (1 Thes. 4:17), every single Christian on earth will be removed – and with the Christians, the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is the restrainer of all evil. At that point, all hell is going to break loose on earth, and the signs given in Matthew 24:4-14 will accelerate to tribulation speed.

V. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPHECY

What Jesus shared in His Olivet Discourse is not some ivory-tower speech with no impact on our lives. He spoke each word carefully and precisely, and each one is meant to help you and me on a personal level. They are just as relevant to us as His Sermon on the Mount.

I never want to impart biblical information without making sure we see the spiritual lessons in every page and verse. There are three things that strike me about our current life – the day-to-day activities, and attitudes lived out by the followers of Christ.

• Jesus Wants to Teach Us About the Future

First, Jesus wants us to study the future. Our Lord was in the habit of preparing His disciples for upcoming events even during His days on earth. As we’ve seen, He made a point of telling those around Him some of the things they could anticipate in the days ahead. So, don’t let anyone tell you Jesus didn’t bother about the future or was uninterested in prophecy, because the facts say otherwise.

Also, Scripture says otherwise. J Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy lists 1,239 prophecies in the OT and 578 prophecies in the NT for a total of 1,817. These encompass 8,352 verses out of 31,102 – or more than a quarter of God’s Word!

The Olivet Discourse was one of the ways Jesus warned His disciples, including you and me, about the end of history. He showed us the signs to watch for and how to live. The question is: Will we listen? Will we respond? If we do, we won’t be surprised by the future. We will recognize the signs of the times, and we will properly handle the strains of everyday life as we anticipate His return and strive to live for Him in the last days.

• Jesus Wants to Transform Us for the Future (Jn. 16:1, 4)

Second, Christ’s prophetic ministry also transforms us so we’ll be able to meet the demands of the future. Jesus said:

[READ Jn. 16:1, 4]

1 “These things I have spoken to you [about the future], so that you may be kept from stumbling …. 4 But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them.

Jesus was saying, “If you grasp what I am telling you about the future, you won’t fall all over yourself. You won’t fall into the trap of running around in panic mode when you can trust Me instead. You won’t be blown off course because you will have a sense of what God is up to.”

If you’re looking for a manual to the future that places no demands upon you today, or a guidebook for the days to come that has no bearing on the times we are living in, you’ve come to the wrong place. I believe God intends knowledge of future events to help us live in our world with a sense of urgency until the Lord returns.

Paul Benware wrote, “A believer who gets out of bed in the morning thinking my Lord Jesus could return today will probably not let sin take root in his or her life. But Christians who rarely, if ever, reflect on the realities of the future life, the Lord’s coming, and the judgment seat of Christ are far more vulnerable to temptation and sin. And perhaps that explains something of the sin and apathy seen in much of the church today.”

• Jesus Wants Us to Trust Him with the Future (Rev. 1:17-19; Isa. 46:9-11)

Finally, as human beings, we often get things wrong when we try to predict the future. For example, during a 2007 interview with USA Today, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer forecasted, “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.” Ballmer based his conclusion on the notion that iPhones would be interesting to technology nerds, but not to the general public. “I want to have products that appeal to everybody,” he said. Eighteen years later, with more than 2.6 billion iPhones sold, it’s safe to say Ballmer was wrong.

So, what about Jesus, then? Why can we be sure that His prophecies will come true? Why can we trust that He is telling us the truth about the future?

In his introductions to the book of Revelation, the apostle John answered these questions by giving us one of the most profound reasons imaginable for listening to the prophetic words of Jesus. John was on the Isle of Patmos when he saw the One to whom we should listen, and this is how he described the encounter:

[READ Rev. 1:17-19]

17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not fear; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 19 Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.

Who else do you know who has one foot planted in eternity and the other planted in time? Who do you know who actually lives in the present and in the future and says to us today,

“This is what you should expect as you await My return”?

No one ever grasped the future as firmly and completely as the Lord Jesus Christ. He sees it all, and He knows it all. As the eternal God, He sees the whole parade of humanity from beginning to end, from Adam to the Antichrist. We only see little bits and pieces of it, but Jesus alone is the Alpha and Omega.

[READ Isa. 46:9-11]

9 … I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My counsel will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’…. 11 Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have formed it, surely I will do it.

The lesson is clear: you can trust our Savior with the future! And not just with “the future” generally, but with your future specifically.

VI. WHAT WE’VE HEARD FROM GOD’S WORD (Phil. 2:15-16)

Now we can understand why Jesus didn’t answer the disciples’ two questions in great detail. In fact, He didn’t even answer one of their questions at all – the question about the timing of the destruction of the temple. Instead, He gave them a series of signs of what the end of the world would look like. Jesus was reminding His disciples that they didn’t have to figure out how all the pieces of the end-times puzzle would fit together. Instead, their responsibility was to trust Him with the future and remain faithful to Him until the end.

Beloved, that’s going to be the focus of the rest of this study. Jesus gave us this prophecy to prepare us for what’s to come and I want to share His advice with you. He didn’t give us this information so we would be afraid of what’s to come or be over-whelmed by it. He knows what’s ahead, and He wants to make sure we can face it with confidence and hope. He wants us to be:

[READ Phil. 2:15-16]

15 … blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life ….

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may the Holy Spirit take the words of Jesus we have heard today, and help us apply our hearts to wisdom. As the sands of time run down to the end of this wicked world, keep us blameless and innocent, help us to never lose our grip on the word of life, and use us to light the way to Christ’s salvation, in whose name I pray, Amen.

Invitation Slides: “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” (3 vs.)

Benediction: Beloved, keep looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven – Jesus Christ our Lord, whom God the Father raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment. Amen. (1 Thes. 1:10)