Last week we talked about what to do when life gets blurry. One of the main points was to be okay with the blurry. Basically, there are going to be blurry moments in life and the best thing you can do is stop trying to clear it all up and in those moments, trust Jesus and look for him.

We often get in a blurry moment and automatically assume something is wrong. But maybe Jesus wants you in a blurry moment. We can get frustrated that we don’t have clarity, but we have to consider that he wants to blur our vision towards things that are detrimental to us, like failures, like sins, like iniquities, things we don’t need to be focusing on. Blurry moments should simply make you lean in harder to Jesus.

To lean in is to shift one’s body forward as a physical indication of an internal, active attempt to understand, embrace, and accept information, a goal, or a challenge. To lean in is closing the gap between you and another person, thing, or ideal to create a deeper relationship or connection to that person, thing, or ideal.

If we are talking about leaning in, then why the talk about blurriness from last week? Because we are all collectively in a blurry moment right now in terms of where we are concerning the end. I am talking specifically about the end times.

I felt incredible urgency from the Holy Spirit this week to talk to you about this today. We are going to talk about something many pastors don’t like to talk about, and for a variety of reasons. This topics is hard to explain and many people don’t really understand it to begin with. No one really knows 100% what it all means and how it all plays out. There are so many variations of what people think and believe

What is it going to be like at the end of life as we know it?

Now before you check out, let me tell you some things we are not going to talk about today: No one is saying Jesus is coming back at any specific moment. And I am not claiming any current things to definitively be THE signs of the end

Then why talk about it at all?
Because I am not doing my job as your pastor if I don’t tell you what is going on and what to expect.

Caveat:
I have never been one of those “Jesus is coming back at any moment” kind of people. Never. I’ve heard my whole life that we are living in the end times and I never really believed it because there seemed to be too much that had to happen before that was even a consideration. But that reasoning is the exact cause behind my bringing it up today. There are some things going on in the world today that look like what Jesus was talking about would happen when the end was near. The signs Jesus talked about are intended to make the blurriness of the end more clear to believers.

In Matthew 24, Jesus references the end and his return, one of over 300 references to his return in the entire Bible. Listen to some of these verses:

4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.
6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic.
7 There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.

9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.
10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.
12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
16 “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.
21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again.
24 For false messiahs will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive even God’s chosen ones.

37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.
39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away.

44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.
46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.
48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?
50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Let’s be honest, y’all, this can be terrifying.
Jesus allowed this to be in the Gospel of Matthew for a reason, but it isn’t to terrify you. Jesus wants you to be the faithful, sensible servant, not the evil one.

Satan wants you to think you have all the time in the world. Let’s take the end times out of the equation for a moment: You aren’t promised tomorrow!

But Jesus said there would be signs. What signs?
How do we know when the end really is and how do we respond to that?

10 Signs of the Times

1. Scoffers
2 Peter 3:3-4
3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”

The church needs to be careful here. We’re heard it so long that we can easily get caught up in an automatic ignoring of any end time talk. No one is saying it is happening now, but we are commanded to look for the signs of his coming.

2. Apostasy
2 Timothy 4:3-4
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

Apostasy is the abandonment or renunciation of a religious belief.
I posted a week ago: Now is not the time to pull away from God and his church.” If you have an issue with someone at church, deal with it. Don’t forgive? Want to judge? Be careful because you won’t be forgiven… We’re planning to spend eternity together, y’all. Let’s build bridges, not burn them.

3. False Teachers
2 Peter 2:1-2
1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.

There is so much false doctrine out there it is hard to keep it straight, even in the church. No, you don’t have to speak in tongues to be saved like some denominations believe. No, your good works won’t save you like some denominations believe. No, your membership at their church isn’t your ticket to heaven like some denominations believe.

Be careful you aren’t adding your personal preferences to biblical doctrine.
That is heresy.

False messiahs, too.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson in NYC. “Messiah is Here”
Currently in Israel: Rabbi Shlomo Yehudah Be’eri. He has at least 7 “miracles” attributed to him. Memorized the OT and Talmud (Jewish Rabbinical Law) by age 15. Hailed as a prodigy and is seen by older rabbis much as Jesus was at 12.

4. Spiritualism
1 Timothy 4:1
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons

Some translations say “seducing” spirits. This doesn’t necessarily mean mediums and witchcraft, psychics and mysticism. It can also mean allowing the enemy to seduce us into worshipping anything but God. Example: emotionalism is a type of spiritualism, soaking, grave sitting. A person is trying to use things like emotions to fabricate a spiritual experience. How is that not manipulating a situation or environment to achieve a set goal?

5. Perilous Times
2 Timothy 3:1-5
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

We are DEFINITELY here already. Just look at politics and social media.

6. Heaped treasure
James 5:1-3
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.

Remember, God does not care what you have, as long as what you have doesn’t have you. Jesus said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich person to enter into Heaven. Why? Because it is nearly impossible to give up something that you are convinced is your salvation.

7. The Laodicean Warning
Revelation 3:14-18
14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. 15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

Lukewarmedness keeps you from understanding what is really happening in your life. You think it covers you, but you’re naked. You think it helps you see better, but it blinds you. There is so much of this in the church that it makes Christianity impotent. Which, if you are the enemy, is a great tactic. Refusal to make a stand on issues dilutes the saltiness and brightness of the Kingdom.

8. The Fig Tree Sign
Matthew 24:32-35
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

This is a reference to Israel. In this passage Jesus tells of the destruction of the Temple, which not only included the religious system, but the nation itself. The budding of the fig tree indicates Israel’s rebirth as a nation (which we saw in 1948). A generation in the Bible is between 80-100 years. So if the fig tree does represent Israel and the budding represents the nation returning, it is possible that we have 75-100 from 1948. Again, no one is setting dates, but understanding the times is crucial.

9. Distress of Nations
Luke 21:25-26
25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

There are clear battle lines being drawn geopolitically, eg US vs Russia, US vs China
Consider BRICS
- BRICS is a series of 5 nations that are united. (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). These nations are linked in large part due to their opposition to the west, specifically the US.
- These nations have voted to remove the dollar as the standard and revert to the gold standard.
- They just announced the addition of 6 more nations: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

Why is this a big deal?
Revelation 13:1
And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads
10 horns, 10 nations? - But BRICS will now be 11, so is there an issue?
UAE - this is a conglomeration of 7 nations united under the UAE: 7 heads?

Why is this a concern?
Is BRICS what John was referring to in multiple locations in Revelation, 10s and 7s? As a result of this distress, we see governments trying to unite as one.

One World Government
Revelation 13:11-17
11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.

I am not saying that the UN or World Economic Forum are the one world government that will usher in the types of sings we see in Revelation, but if you read the World Economic Forum 2030 Agenda, we can see Revelation 13 forming before our eyes. Digital currencies and social scores are already controlling buying and selling in China. Surveillance overreach in literally every nation, even here.

10. The Noah Days Sign
Luke 17:26-27
26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Two things to note here:
First. it was life as usual. No warnings and it happened in a second.

Second, it was immoral as can be. People are working harder than ever to twist biblical mores: like the family structure, like gender roles, insinuating that men/women are unequal, (In God’s system, both are valued for their unique contributions), like lifestyles and their acceptance within the culture, and especially the church.

In Bethesda last week, every church had the pride flag hanging, and some even had them laying across the pulpit. When has sexuality, straight or other, ever been the focus of Christianity? When has the focus ever been anything other than Jesus? The lust for fleshly gratification has completely infiltrated the church. And I realize that we tend to focus on same sex, transgender, etc but adultery and pornography are rampant in the church as well. But we’ve gone to the extreme in this culture and even in some churches to where now kids are being mutilated. How is this not the same thing Israel did in sacrificing to Molech? It is sacrificing to flesh and lust! If God made a mistake in your sexuality how can you trust him with anything else?

But these are just the signs of the times. Just like in Noah’s days. Just like in Lot’s days.FYI: Not every craving should get satisfaction.

Where do we stand on these issues here at Freedom?
On grace and truth. We are full of grace and compassion and love for you, but we cannot bend on the truth. We do not affirm lifestyles that are not biblical, but we do affirm people. God has a better plan for you than a sinful sexual lifestyle, whether that same sex, adultery, pornography, any of it..

How does this craving of carnal lust play into the end times?
Revelation 17:1-2
1 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality.

V5 “having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filth of her sexual immorality.”

We live in a culture where sexuality and lust is god. The Bible tells us this is how it will be at the end.

These are 10 signs of the end times and they are all happening right now.

Over the last several weeks, I have been concerned.

It started with a bunch of TikTok videos the rapture. I’ve always been afraid of that word lol. I had a dream when I was in high school that the rapture happened and 2 of my friends were sitting on my bed with me and they both just flashed up into the sky, but I slowly floated. When I got to the rafters of the house, I started tugging on them trying to go faster. Over the top of my house about 50 feet, Jesus flew at me like Superman and right as he got to me I woke up. TERRIFIED. I thought I would have to face the bad stuff that was coming, that I had missed the rapture.

Some context here if you aren’t sure what the rapture is:
The rapture happens before the tribulation starts when those who have made Jesus Lord are taken. Like Noah and Lot were taken before the destruction, we will, too.

The tribulation is a period of 7 years, 3.5 good and 3.5 horrible, Daniel’s 70th week, leading up to the 2nd Coming of Jesus at the end. You want to be on that first train, the rapture, not the second train, the second coming.
If you miss the rapture, you’ll have to endure the tribulation.

TikTok had me thinking hard about it all…Then the algorithm kept feeding me videos that went on about signs of the end times.
- You have all that is going on geopolitically.
- You have the constellations virgo and leo lining up exactly like the Bible talks about in Revelation 13 as a sign that the rapture is about to go down and the tribulation start.
- Biblically, the tribulation starts with the feast of trumpets, which is happening this weekend.
- It also begins Daniel’s 70th week (no time to unpack that today)
- Includes the Euphrates drying up completely which is prophesied to happened before the release of the 4 horseman of the apocalypse. Terrible destruction and death.
- Earthquakes in Morocco killing 3k
- Floods in Libya killing 12k

The tribulation will come after a treaty what will be signed between Israel and what the Bible calls the “prince” (Daniel 9).

Could this be the peace deal to be signed at any moment between Israel and Saudi Arabia? (SA is a BRICS Nation in league with nations who are historically against or outright hate Israel and want her destruction). This deal also includes the US committing to provide weapons and military support to the Saudis, who are already in league with the Palestinians who HATE Israel. Saudi Arabia is a leader of the Arab and Islamic world. It has never formally recognized Israel since the creation of the state in 1948.

Who is the leader of Saudi Arabia?
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. (Not saying he is the antichrist, just that it could be a sign). In April 2016, Prince Mohammed introduced Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s vision of the future, which is aimed at making the kingdom the heart of the Arab and Islamic world, an investment powerhouse, and a hub that connects three continents.

The Daniel 9 prophecy is that 3.5 years into the peace treaty, it will be broken and the abomination of desolation will happen. It describes a terrible ruler who will rule over God’s people. This Antichrist will set up an abomination in the temple of God (an idol) and perform an unclean sacrifice that goes against the laws found in the Pentateuch. He will also attempt to thwart the laws of God. This means ending the sacrifices in the temple, changing the religious calendar, etc. It is a direct affront to Israel and a clear message that Israel is under attack. According to Daniel 12:11, the abomination of desolation lasts 1290 days (or roughly 3.5 years).

That’s a lot of signs.

If I am honest with you, a few weeks back, I got terrified, and for two reasons.
First, I thought about how many people are going to die and go to hell.
Billions. Friends. Family. People around town. High school friends.
The tribulation is going to be horrendous.

Jesus told us in Matthew 24:29-30
29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth.

It is going to be God’s unfiltered wrath.
Context: The Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, filtered wrath.

But second, I thought about me.
I thought of this verse:
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

That made my insides go numb.

It made me ask two questions I want to ask you today:

Do I know about him or do I know him?
Whatever that answer is, do my actions prove it?

A pastor on TikTok made this comment that brought some peace to my heart: If the thought of “depart from me” puts conviction in you, it is evidence you know him.

I don’t want to just know him a little. I want all of him.
I refuse to let what is going on in the world push me away from God, sign or not.
I refuse to let what might be going on in the church push me away from God.

Now is not the time to back off, but to lean in. We’re seeing this in the world as well, not just bad signs.
- Asbury Revival
- Jesus Revolution, The Chosen Series
- In July at an event, over 3k gave their lives to Jesus
they baptized over 4500 at Pirate’s Cove with 20k looking on.
- Auburn Revival this week. It began with just five girls meeting in the arena each week to pray, which grew to 200 students. That caught the eye of local ministries who said “we want to get behind this, we want to see this turn into something much bigger,” It did grow. Around 5,000 people attended Unite Auburn. 200 salvations and hundreds more baptized in the school pond. Even the Head Football Coach was baptizing students. A fraternity got baptized. They lit the pond with car headlights and baptized students until midnight

It isn’t just the devil. GOD IS MOVING! He is POURING out his spirit as in Joel!

This message today is not about the end times or the rapture or the tribulation.

It is about your relationship with Jesus.
It is about acknowledging that you don’t have all day.

The signs we’re seeing just might be coincidence.
He might not come right this second, or tomorrow, or in 25 years,

But are you going to risk eternity over “he might not?”

Thinking about this one over the last few weeks has made me do two things:

1. Make sure I know who he is.
He is not happy lovey sky papa. He is God almighty. Yes he loves me and yes he is for me and yes he gave everything for me, but I cannot forget that HE IS LORD. Playing these games with him hurts commitment just like playing games with a love interest does. I don’t want to date. I want covenant. But I better know who I am dealing with.

Yes he is love, and he does love us, but:
Salvation doesn’t come with confessing his love for us. Neither does relationship. It comes with confessing his lordship over us.

In a dating relationship, love leads to marriage. Love opens the door to that covenant. We decide to enter the covenant because we love them and want exclusivity with them. Same with Lordship. His love leads us to covenant with him, which is lordship.

If he is not Lord to you, then you don’t know him.
I’d even say, if he isn’t lord, maybe you just like him, and you haven’t really fallen in love yet.

2. Make sure he knows who I am.
In the same chapter Jesus said “depart from me” he said this:
Matthew 7:17a
17 Every healthy tree bears good fruit.

The only way I produce good fruit is by being connected to the vine.
John 15:5
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Jesus knows his branches because they are connected to him and can do nothing apart from him.

Does that describe me?
Whether it does or not, we all need to up our connection with the vine and lean into him.

Let me leave you with this today:

Revelation 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, I want you to know he is knocking right now.
Your eternity depends on whether or not you answer the door.

If you do have a relationship with Jesus, I want you to know the knocking you hear is on the door to that room in your heart that is poisoning the branch, that is hindering your relationship with God.

Either way, answer the door. We might not have tomorrow.

If I am honest with you, a few weeks back, I got terrified, and for two reasons.

First, I thought about how many people are going to die and go to hell.
Billions. Friends. Family. People around town. High school friends.
The tribulation is going to be horrendous.

Jesus told us in Matthew 24:29-30
29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth.

It is going to be God’s unfiltered wrath. Context: The Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, filtered wrath.

But second, I thought about me.
I thought of this verse: Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

That made my insides go numb. It made me ask two questions I want to ask you today:

Do I know about him or do I know him?
Whatever that answer is, do my actions prove it?

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message?

How does he want you to respond?